The Miami Hurricane -- February 25, 2010

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The Miami

Vol. 88, Issue 10 | Feb. 25 - Feb. 28, 2010

HURRICANE STUDENT U D EN UD ENT N NE NEWSPAPER EW WS SP SP PA A PE PER O OFF TTHE HE H E UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI IN CORAL GABLES, A BLES B L ES, BL E S , FL ES FFLORIDA, LO OR R ID IDA A,, S SINCE INCE IN CE 1 19 1929 929 92

It’s

on CHELSEA MATIASH // Editor in Chief

THEN THERE WERE TWO: Juniors Shahzain Malik and Christina Farmer face each other in the runoff for SG president. Elections will be next Monday-Wednesday.

STAYING SAFE UMPD REVEALS A NEW PLAN FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS PAGE 5

KEEPIN’ IT REAL CONNECT WITH THE MAGNETIC FIELDS’ NEW ALBUM PAGE 9

LEGENDARY LADY A DEDICATED FAN EVEN AT 101 YEARS OLD PAGE 11

New vice president elected, remaining positions up for grabs

BY NINA RUGGIERO | ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

T

he race for student government president is not over yet for juniors Christina Farmer and Shahzain Malik. In order to be elected to the executive board, a candidate must have 50 percent plus one votes of the total cast. Of the 1,752 students who voted in this election, UFirst’s Farmer received 749 votes and All for U’s Malik received 535. A run-off election will take place March 1-3.

“I think this is a good opportunity to get my voice out to even more students,” Farmer said. “We definitely had a strong following, and maybe now we can appeal to the vot-

ers who voted for someone else. Maybe we didn’t reach out to them in time and now we have an opportunity to do so.”

Malik hopes the second election will turn the tide in his favor.

“I’m very pleased that people at the University of Miami are open to international students and that they’ve given me a chance,” he said. “I poured my heart out and I’m going to do it again. I plan to create more awareness and I feel like a lot of people will change their minds because maybe now they’ll see how much work the international students have put into this.”

SEE RUN-OFF, PAGE 5

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A remarkable loss, a healthy gain Sophomore sheds 90 pounds in six months

Check out what’s exclusively available at TheMiamiHurricane. com.

BY PATRICK TODD CONTRIBUTING NEWS WRITER

With the stresses of college life, gaining weight might be one of the easiest tasks. Struggling to lose and keep off the weight can prove burdensome and arduous.

But sophomore Michael Acosta managed to lose a remarkable 90 pounds in six months.

“I had been overweight my entire life,” said Acosta, a psychology and theater major. Last May, he decided to make a change. “I don’t want to say I was unhappy with my life, I just knew I wasn’t at the potential that I wanted to be and I knew my weight was something I could control.”

Acosta decided change his eating habits and alter his lifestyle.

“One day I just got up and said I wasn’t happy with myself and that I was going to change it,” he said. “And that’s what I did.”

Acosta joined a local Weight Watchers group close to his home in Kendall and began a daily exercise routine.

“I was able to eat whatever I wanted to eat, just in moderation,” he said.

He also began an exercise routine of mostly cardio work.

Acosta said he went to the Wellness Center and ran three miles or hopped on the elliptical machine.

Toward the end of last year, he hired a personal trainer at the

JESSICA HODDER // The Miami Hurricane

SWEATING IT OUT: Sophomore Michael Acosta works out on the at the Wellness Center. He has lost 90 pounds since last May and has maintained his current weight since December.

Wellness Center to help plan his workout. He said he exercised just about every day in his six-month effort to lose weight.

“When I met Michael at the Spring Involvement Fair on Feb. 4, I was very intrigued,” said Patty Swift, assistant director of wellness and recreation, “He lost weight the right way- no fad diets, just common-sense eating and exercise. I’m convinced there are young men and women out there who can identify with Michael.”

After six months of diligent

work, Acosta dropped from 260 pounds to 170. Although this drastic transformation is uncommon, the methodology used was effective. Some might ask, was Acosta’s weight loss too much too soon?

“It’s a lot of weight but the key is that he did it right,” said Tony Musto, associate director of fitness programs and wellness, in an e-mail to The Miami Hurricane.

For other students, many of the methods Acosta used can be found here on campus at the Well-

ness Center. It is equipped with diet and nutrition experts to evaluate and develop eating guidelines specific to individuals.

Acosta still exercises regularly and says he feels better and has more confidence and self-esteem.

“I walk around school and people don’t recognize me,” he said.

Patrick Todd may be contacted at ptodd@themiamihurricane.com.

Does this drink make me look fat?

If you are having trouble meeting your weight-loss goals, you might want to consider revisiting the number of calories you are ingesting with each alcoholic drink.

First, consider the amount of calories alcohol contributes to each drink. One ounce of hard liquor that is 80 proof (such as gin, vodka, rum, whiskey or scotch) amounts to 64 calories per ounce. If the hard liquor is 100 proof, then the calories are bumped up to 80 per same serving size (proof is defined as twice the volume 2

NEWS

THE MIAMI HURRICANE

percentage of ethanol in an alcoholic beverage – a drink that is 40 percent ethanol is 80 proof).

Now, lets consider the number of calories mixers add. Per each 8-ounce serving, orange juice contains 111 calories, soda about 100, and ginger ale or tonic around 80. These numbers indicate that each mixed drink amounts to about 150-200 calories, which is about as much as a chocolate chip cookie at Subway!

Think beer is any better? Think again. 12 ounces of regular beer is 150 calories, while the same serving size of light beer is 105 calories.

Alcohol also affects your body’s normal fat-burning mechanism, making it inFebruary 25 - February 28, 2010

Antonella Stelluto has the scoop about a free coffeehouse for residents of Eaton and the Apartment Area.

Megan Terilli captured footage of Wednesday afternoon’s election results in the UC Lower Lounge.

Watch the video for thoughts on the runoff.

Explore news editor Ramon Galiana’s blog, Cloture, for his take on the healthcare situation.

Pier 21

BY GABRIELA HALDER CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST

Check out Lindsay Brown and Alex Broadwell’s photo slideshow of men’s basketball’s 74-62 victory over the Virginia Cavaliers at the BankUnited Center.

creasingly difficult to lose weight. In the absence of alcohol, the liver metabolizes fat, but when alcohol is around it chooses to breakdown alcohol first, resulting in a build-up of fatty acids.

Additionally important is the negative effect alcohol has on sleep. A poor night’s rest leads to insufficient amounts of sleep, which in return leads to weight gain.

Gabriela Halder is a graduate student at the Miller School of Medicine and a peer educator for Pier 21 and the Sandler Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Education. She may be contacted at ghalder@ themiamihurricane.com.

The golf team won the Edwin Watts/ Kiawah Island Classic in South Carolina.

Read about this and more in Calvin Cestari’s sports briefs.

Subscribe for the e-mail edition of the newspaper at www. themiamihurricane. com/subscribe.

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Jobs in higher education rise

Writing to save lives Up ‘Til Dawn raises awareness

BY RAMON GALIANA NEWS EDITOR

46.8%

56%

31.9%

In 1975, the average rate of tenured faculty positions at American colleges was 56 percent.

Since 2005, it has dwindled to 31.9 percent.

Non-tenured and other combined tenured/tenure-track

INFOGRAPHIC BY FELIPE LOBON

Despite economy, colleges continue to hire

BY NINA RUGGIERO ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR

While other jobs have significantly decreased in the past few years, jobs in higher education have remained stable.

In the fourth quarter of 2009, higher education jobs grew 1.3 percent according to HigherEdJobs.com, a national job postings Web site for universities and colleges.

This was below their average growth rate since 2005 of 1.8 percent. At the same time, the number of overall jobs in the US economy declined by four percent.

“Higher education tends to be a countercyclical industry,” said Dr. Phillip Robins, UM Professor of Economics.

“Which means when the economy is low the industry is high.”

This is because when people are having trouble finding jobs, the tendency is to go back to school to hone their skills or get a new degree. In turn, more faculty must be hired to accommodate this increase in students.

“As an investment, a college degree has a high rate of return,” Robins said.

“People with college degrees tend to be ok during a recession.”

Robins said another factor is that at some universities the majority of professors are baby boomers who are starting to

retire. He said this is more common at state schools and is not really the case at UM. UM put a freeze on hiring faculty in November 2008, at the peak of the economic crisis.

“We basically said we have to manage our resources very carefully,” provost Thomas LeBlanc said, “so as of now we’re not going to hire unless it’s an absolutely critical appointment. We did hire a few people.”

This year the university is operating more normally, LeBlanc said, as searching and hiring has been resumed. He noted that UM’s recent hiring is more a matter of replacement of retirees and maintenance of the usual faculty size, but while some institutions have been cutting down on faculty UM has not.

“Over the last 10 years or so the number of full-time faculty on the Coral Gables campus has grown by 10-12 percent while the student body has been relatively stable,” LeBlanc said.

HigherEdJobs.com’s study reveals that schools suffering from tight budgets have focused their funds on hiring faculty and away from hiring for administrative positions.

“It’s the faculty that ultimately determines the quality of the institution,” Robins said.

Many of the jobs offered to faculty right now are part-time, adjunct positions.

Adjunct professors are not offered tenure or a permanent position. According to HigherEdJobs.com, in 2006 about 7.9

percent of posts listed were for part-time jobs while in 2009 this increased to 12 percent.

“This is another way institutions are trying to do more with less,” said Dr. John Ikenberry, president and co-founder of HigherEdJobs.com. “Unfortunately for many faculty members these are not the ideal positions they are looking for, but this is increasingly the state of higher education today.”

Regardless of the market, graduate students seeking jobs in higher education should understand the importance of networking, Edward Cruz, assistant director of graduate student and alumni programs at UM’s Toppel Career Center said. Cruz, who graduated four years ago from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s student affairs and higher education program, found his job at UM through networking. His graduate program also sends out a listserv with job openings to its alumni.

“There are opportunities out there,” Cruz said. “It’s just going to take more effort to get them. You can’t just rely on online resources anymore. It’s all about personal connections you make. There’s a hidden job market. Positions are getting filled before they even appear online.”

Nina Ruggiero may be contacted at nruggiero@ themiamihurricane.com.

February 25 - February 28, 2010

Service does not always require backbreaking work or lots of money.

Instead, students can turn to one student organization to write letters for a notable cause.

Up ‘Til Dawn, an organization with over 300 chapters at various universities and colleges, helps facilitate letter-writing campaigns to raise money for St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, a pediatric treatment and research facility in Memphis.

“Because [the hospital] never asks the patient’s family to pay for treatment, housing or even food while their child is at the hospital, our efforts are essential to its operations” said Kelly Riley, the outgoing executive director of the UM chapter of Up ‘Til Dawn.

The organization’s major event in the fall is when students are invited to fill out pre-written letters to raise money for the hospital.

Riley has been surprised by the outcome she has witnessed during the event.

“The letter-writing party is an extremely easy event, and yet its impact is immense,” she said. “Just one donation from a family member can help save the life of a child who has barely had a chance at life.”

According to Sara Klaben, the outgoing assistant director of the organization, over 5,000 letters were mailed during their last letter-writing campaign.

“To run a hospital each day it runs 1.5 million dollars,” she said.

At the upcoming men’s basketball game against North Carolina State, they will present a $20,000 check during half time to a representative from St. Jude’s.

Ramon Galiana may be contacted at rgaliana@themiamihurricane.com.

For an application to be on the executive board e-mail uptildawnum@gmail. com.

THE MIAMI HURRICANE

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RUN-OFF FROM PAGE 1 UM’s next treasurer will be decided in the run-off. Sabrina Bunch of Best U Ever Had, received 501 votes and Nick Cote of UFirst received 745.

“Obviously I wish my running mates were going to be there with me,” Bunch said, “but I think [another ticket] would be an interesting dynamic that would be beneficial for the student body.”

The only executive board candidate secured at this point is new vice president Valentina Lamas of UFirst who, with 854 votes, won 53 percent of the votes cast.

“My team and I have worked so hard and we did all get the most votes so I think all three of us can do this,” she said.

Run-off elections are not uncommon for student government, especially when there are three or more candidates. Although last year Lionel Moise ran unopposed, a runoff occurred in 2008, carrying presidential candidates Jeremy Crystal and Brandon Gross into a second round.

The rules are different for senators, who are only required to win more votes than their opponents.

The three open seats for commuter

senator were filled by Henry Thomas, Anthony Lopez and Erica Barrios.

The two winners for College of Arts and Sciences senator were Joe Kaplan and Michael Kaplan (unrelated).

“One of the things that helped me was the fact that I had a list of things I’d already accomplished in the senate,” incumbent Michael Kaplan said.

Kaplan believes the new attendance policy may have appealed to students.

Lisa Seidenberg was voted Business Senator and Daniella Orihuela was voted Engineering Senator.

Jeff Brody will be the School of Communication senator for the third straight year.

“The thing I really wanted to focus on this year was trying to unite the School of Communication with the Frost School of Music and the Theater Arts department,” Brody said. “I think these are three areas of academics that really need to work together.”

Nina Ruggiero may be contacted at nruggiero@ themiamihurricane.com.

LOG ONTO THEMIAMIHURRICANE.COM TO VIEW FOOTAGE OF ELECTION DAY.

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February 25 - February 28, 2010

CHELSEA MATIASH // Editor in Chief

SWEET VICTORY: Junior Valentina Lamas (center, right) hugs her running mate junior Christina Farmer (center, left) after winning the SG vice presidential race.

RUN-OFF ELECTIONS The run-off election will take place Monday through Wednesday next week in the UC Breezeway from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. No voting will be held in the residential colleges.

The winners will be announced Wednesday, March 3 at 5 p.m. at the Rock. If it rains they will be announced in the UC Lounge.

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UMPD issues new policy Guidelines emphasize personal safety

BY RAMON GALIANA NEWS EDITOR

The next time the Coral Gables campus is f looded with red and blue lights, it won’t just be up to the police to keep you safe.

In a statement released on Feb. 22 to the university community, the University of Miami Police Department (UMPD) issued a new policy regarding on campus incidents that reinforces personal responsibility and safety during emergency incidents.

The new STAY policy is designed to provide direction to students, faculty and employees should an emergency occur.

The name of the new policy is an mnemonic device that helps remember the instructions: secure your area, take cover, advise, and you must take measures to protect your safety.

“What we had here in place, it was a model that followed high schools, middle schools and elementary schools which is ‘lockdown’,” said UMPD Chief David Rivero.

According to Rivero, the university’s former lockdown policy was derived from the response to the 1999 Columbine High School massacre. “[The lockdown] model existed in our emergency plans and in reality we can’t meet that criteria because UM is such an open campus there’s many buildings that we can’t even lock the doors to,” Rivero said.

Part of the challenges the university faces during emergency situations is the ability to lock all buildings and keep people inside.

According to Rivero, only about 50 percent of the buildings on campus are able to be locked remotely through Cane Card access.

To raise awareness, UMPD will incorporate the STAY policy into their presentations during

freshmen and transfer orientation.

The university’s human resources department will also sponsor programs to raise awareness for employees and faculty.

“If you’re sitting in a little cubicle by yourself, no one is going to lock the door for you,” Rivero said. “You’re going to have to take care of yourself. There’s a perception that somehow people are going to come, lock doors, and keep you safe. It’s impossible to do that here.”

One student familiar with the policy agrees that UMPD faces unique challenges in a location like South Florida.

“You can’t be everywhere,” sophomore Ryan Zangeneh said.

“The text message and e-mail service helped last semester during the incidents. There’s only so much you can do because Miami is so open.”

Ramon Galiana may be contacted at rgaliana@themiamihurricane.com.

Celebrating Caribbean culture

CAYLA NIMMO // The Miami Hurricane

ANCHORS AWEIGH: (From left to right), sophomore Sasha Nelson, freshman Shannon Browne, freshman Lauren Ashley Ramgattie, sophomore Sharah Herise Shani and freshman Alyssa Jones, perform their opening number. Caribbean Student Association (CSA) held its fifth annual Miss University of Miami Caribbean Scholarship Pageant in Clark Recital Hall on Tuesday. Founded to celebrate the beauty and diversity of Caribbean women, the pageant grants $100 to the runner up and $200 in scholarship money to the first-place winner, as well as the support of CSA in carrying out their platform. Henrise Shani won the pageant.

February 25 - February 28, 2010

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OPINION

“

...think back to that time your professor cancelled your 8 a.m. class and you did not check your e-mail before you left... Bet you wish you could have had those few hours of sleep back.

-The Miami Hurricane

”

The Miami

HURRICANE Founded 1929 An Associated Collegiate Press Hall of Fame Newspaper NEWSROOM: 305-284-2016 BUSINESS OFFICE: 305-284-4401 FAX: 305-284-4404

speak

UP!

What is the worst mistake you can make on a date?

KATIE CARROLL Sophomore “When a guy brings a wingman.”

STAFF EDITORIAL

For advertising rates call 305-284-4401 or fax 305-284-4404.

Betrayed by your BlackBerry Students at the University of Miami have been warned about the dangers of the internet and the privacy risks it entails since they were in elementary school.

Chat rooms were deemed a haven for sexual predators and scam artists. Personal information needed to be kept off Facebook.

Credit card information should only be given to established and trusted sites.

Now, however, avoiding the pitfalls of privacy invasion is not as obvious.

For example, the government can track the paths of cellphones, some in real time. According to a Newsweek article titled “The Snitch in Your Pocket,” AT&T, Verizon

and Sprint all carry this feature.

Furthermore, Gmail scans your e-mails for keywords which it sells to advertisers. Since you are likely to have common interests with the people on your contact list, the advertisers then target these people as well.

Nevertheless, getting rid of cellphones or doing away with e-mail is hardly an option. They have become too convenient and important.

Just think back to that time your professor cancelled your 8 a.m. class and you did not check your e-mail before you left or you forgot to sync your cellphone to your e-mail. Bet you wish you could have gotten those few hours

EDITOR IN CHIEF Chelsea Matiash

of sleep back.

Ultimately, there is no escaping this invasion completely, but awareness is key. Your information is valuable to a slew of different entities, be it the government tracking your more devious behavior, or an advertiser realizing you used the words “mountain bike” in three separate e-mails.

Research free services or discounted credit cards and make sure the terms that you agree to are kosher. If nothing else, it will stop you from getting a truck load of junk mail.

Editorials represent the majority view of The Miami Hurricane editorial staff.

Cartoonsbymatt.com KOI JAMES Senior “Talk about yourself and not act interested in the other person.”

BUSINESS MANAGER Jessica Jurick

MANAGING EDITOR Christina De Nicola

WEBMASTER Brian Schlansky COPY CHIEF Laura Edwins

ART DIRECTOR Felipe Lobon

COPY EDITORS Amanda Gomez Alexa Lopez Kyli Singh

NEWS EDITOR Ramon Galiana PHOTO EDITOR Brittney Bomnin

ADVERTISING EDITOR Emma Cason-Pratt

SPORTS EDITOR Justin Antweil

PUBLIC RELATIONS Jacob Crows

EDGE EDITOR Danielle Kaslow

ADMINISTRATOR ASSISTANT Maria Jamed

OPINION EDITOR Ed S. Fishman

ASST. NEWS EDITORS Lila Albizu Nina Ruggiero

ACCOUNT REPS Shoshana Gottesman Misha Mayeur Katie Norwood Brian Schuman Jack Whaley

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Calvin Cestari

GRADUATE ASSISTANT Nick Maslow

ASST. PHOTO EDITOR Steven Stuts

FINANCIAL ADVISER Robert DuBord

DESIGNERS Allison Goodman Kiersten Schimdt

FACULTY ADVISER Bob Radziewicz

ONLINE aav EDITOR Megan Terilli

©2010 University of Miami The Miami Hurricane is published semi-weekly during the regular academic year and is edited and produced by undergraduate students at the University of Miami.

The publication does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of advertisers or the university’s trustees, faculty or administration. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of The Hurricane’s Editorial Board.

Commentaries, letters and cartoons represent only the views of their respective authors. The newsroom and business office of The Hurricane are located in the Norman A. Whitten University Center, Room 221.

DAVID GOLDBERG Junior “Drop in your pants.”

LETTER POLICY The Miami Hurricane encourages all readers to voice their opinions on issues related to the university or in response to any report published in The Hurricane.

Letters to the editor may be submitted typed or handwritten (please make your handwriting legible) to the Whitten University Center, Room 221, or mailed to P.O. Box 248132, Coral Gables, FL, 33124-6922. Letters, with a suggested length of 300 words, must be signed and include a copy of your student ID card, phone number and year in school.

DOUG BENNETT Sophomore “Talk about marriage.”

MATT ROSEN // The Miami Hurricane

POLL RESULTS: What student government ticket are you voting for?

Check out online Speak Up at themiamihurricane.com.

Speak Up answers are edited for clarity, brevity and accuracy. compiled by

Kyli Singh

Best U Ever Had

58%

Total Voters: 156

U First

All 4 You

37% 14%

Sebastian D. Ibis

12%

DO YOU WORRY ABOUT YOUR PRIVACY WHEN SURFING THE WEB? TAKE OUR POLL AT THEMIAMIHURRICANE.COM.

February 25 - February 28, 2010

ADVERTISING POLICY The Miami Hurricane’s business office is located at 1306 Stanford Drive, Norman A. Whitten University Center, Room 221B, Coral Gables, FL 33124-6922. The Miami Hurricane is published on Mondays and Thursdays during the university’s fall and spring academic terms.

Newspapers are distributed free of charge on the Coral Gables campus, the School of Medicine and at several off-campus locations.

DEADLINES All ads must be received, cash with copy, in The Miami Hurricane business office, Whitten University Center, Room 221B, by noon Tuesday for Thursday’s issue and by noon Friday for the Monday issue.

SUBSCRIPTIONS The Miami Hurricane is available for subscription at the rate of $50 per year.

AFFILIATIONS The Miami Hurricane is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press, Columbia Scholastic Press Assoc. and Florida College Press Assoc.

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edge

Looking to kick up the culture in your life?

Check out the free music and art of Viernes Culturales (Cultural Fridays) Friday, along Calle Ocho from 6:30 p.m.-11 p.m.

‘Realism’ lighthearted but no

BY HILARY SAUNDERS SENIOR EDGE WRITER

If the Polyphonic Spree had about a quarter of its members, they’d probably make something that sounds like The Magnetic Fields’ latest release, “Realism.” Loaded with strange harmonies, harpsichord solos and quirky lyrics about love and tea parties, “Realism” is a lighthearted trip through the depths of indie noise-pop.

Singer, songwriter and producer Stephin Merritt has fronted The Magnetic Fields since the early 1990s. Between 1993-1999, the group released six full-length LPs on Merge Records, culminating in the three-disc concept album, “69 Love Songs.”

Since moving to Nonesuch Records in 2002, The Magnetic Fields have created an additional three albums, all of which have a specific theme and structure.

While other albums relied more heavily on synthesizers and technological instrumentation, “Realism” concludes the group’s “no-synth trilogy.”

Serving as the musical doppelgänger to the band’s 2008 effort, “Distortion,” “Realism” replaces industrial pop with folk-inspired jangles.

With help from cellist Sam Davol, banjo player/ guitarist John Woo and percussionist/pianist Claudia Gonson, Merritt excels in musical creativity.

Additionally, tubas, sitars, flugelhorn and child-like piano toys pervade the sonic landscape, particularly in songs like “We Are Having a Hootenanny” and “The Dolls’ Tea Party.”

What’s frustrating about “Realism,” though, is its lack of evolution within itself. Songs run together, resulting in a mushy, conceptual album with few

ution

evol

standout tracks. “Realism is for the modern indie fan that can appreciate musical experimentation without requiring lyrical depth or breakout singles.

Hilary Saunders may be contacted at hsaunders@themiamihurricane.com.

‘Realism’

RELEASE DATE: Jan. 26 PRODUCER: Stephin Merritt LABEL: Nonesuch

COURTESY THE MAGNETIC FIELDS

February 25 - February 28, 2010

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SPORTS

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points in the paint the men’s basketball team had Tuesday night

101

the age of one of Hurricane women’s basketball’s most loyal fans, Edith Bleich

PROFILE

Age is just a number for this Canes fan Even at 101 years old, she rarely misses a game

BY JUSTIN ANTWEIL SPORTS EDITOR

One Hurricane fan takes women’s basketball to a whole new level.

Edith Bleich sits in a luxury black leather lounge chair courtside. Her feet dangle above the ground as she cheers on the team.

In 1926 Bleich was a student at the University of Miami. Now, Bleich is 101 years old and turns 102 in July.

“I feel so blessed to be alive and healthy,” the soft-spoken Bleich said.

The Miami Shores resident commutes to Coral Gables for all of the women’s basketball games. Her niece and nephew accompany her to every game.

Bleich has had a passion for basketball since she was an adolescent. She played basketball for her high school team in Massachusetts and fell in love with the sport.

Eighty years later her passion has transcended the decades and she remains a committed fan of the sport. She loves spending her free time watching the Lady Canes play at the BankUnited Center.

At the men’s games, there is a group of fans titled “Haith’s Faithful” in honor and respect for sixth-year head coach Frank Haith. The women’s team has a similar fan base: they have “Katie’s Krew” which is in honor and respect for fifth-year head coach Katie Meier.

Bleich is a proud member of “Katie’s Krew.”

“Katie [Meier] has adopted me,” Bleich said. “She is so sweet and last week I got to visit with her parents when they came in from Ohio. It was so nice.”

Meier understands the value of their relationship.

“I love her to death, she is a good luck charm and a great fan,” Meier said.

To Meier, Bleich is an inspiration.

“I remember one time I was yelling at my girls,” Meier recalled. “I told them ‘you’re not tired. Edith is here and she is 100 years

old and still cheering. You are all 19 and 20 years old, if she can do it you can do it.’”

Bleich is not only a supporter of Hurricane Athletics, but she is also a huge Miami Dolphins fan. She is a frequent visitor to Sun Life Stadium and legendary former head coach Don Shula recently honored her for being such a devoted fan.

While she was a student at UM, Bleich played pick-up games in her spare time when she wasn’t studying. She graduated in 1939.

She was a teacher for over 52 years but her most unique teaching experience came in December of 2008.

Meier honored Bleich by tabbing her as guest coach for a game against Indiana in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Bleich got to go in the locker room and mingle with the players.

“It was a great experience,” she said.

President Donna Shalala has fond admiration for Bliech’s courage and strength.

“She has so much spirit,” Shalala said.

“She demonstrates that you don’t lose your enthusiasm for life with aging.”

Bleich recently missed three straight home games because she was feeling under the weather, but she attended last Sunday’s game against Georgia Tech while wearing a pink sweater to support breast cancer awareness. Bleich plans on attending the season finale on Sunday at the BankUnited Center at 2 p.m. against Boston College.

“I am just so blessed to be around so many great people,” she said. “You don’t know how lucky I am.”

Justin Antweil may be contacted at jantweil@ themiamihurricane.com.

GETTING TO KNOW EDITH 101 years old UM graduate in 1939 Member of “Katie’s Krew” Avid Miami Dolphins fan Guest coach in December 2008 for Miami women’s basketball game

ALEX BROADWELL // The Miami Hurricane

PRETTY IN PINK: At 101 years old, Edith Bleich, a loyal fan, cheers on the women’s basketball team during Sunday’s game against Georgia Tech.

LOG ON TO THEMIAMIHURRICANE.COM FOR LELAN LEDOUX’S RECAP OF TUESDAY’S MEN’S BASKETBALL GAME VS. VIRGINIA February 25 - February 28, 2010

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BASEBALL

FOOTBALL

MATCHUPS: MIAMI VS. MANHATTAN POSITION

ADVANTAGE

POSITION

Starting Pitching

Infield

Bullpen

Outfield

Catcher

Intangibles

Spring practice begins

ADVANTAGE

David Furones may be contacted at dfurones@themiamihurricane.com.

LOG ON TO THEMIAMIHURRICANE.COM FOR DAVID FURONES’S ANALYSIS OF EACH POSITION.

WANT MORE CANES COVERAGE? CHECK OUT SPORTS EDITOR JUSTIN ANTWEIL’S BLOG “CHEW ON THAT NUGGET” AT THEMIAMHURRICANE.COM.

BILLY GILBERT // The Miami Hurricane

TAKE HIM DOWN: Hurricane defenders tackle sophomore running back Montee Ball during the Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando against the Wisconsin Badgers.

Shannon promises to test team physically

BY LELAN LEDOUX SENIOR SPORTS WRITER

The athletic season at the University of Miami has officially peaked. The football team is now taking part in organized practices to accompany the baseball and men’s and women’s basketball teams.

Spring practice started Tuesday and the Miami Hurricanes will prepare to take their game to the next level starting with toughness.

Fourth-year head coach Randy Shannon expects his team to be more aggressive than during previous spring practices. Shannon also said that his team will finally be able to have a strong depth chart beyond his first unit.

“This is going to be a different type of spring than we’ve been able to run at Miami,” Shannon said at a press conference Monday.

“It’s probably the first time we can really get physical. Finally our numbers are up.”

The first step will be finding out who will get the majority of the snaps with starting quarterback Jacory Harris out the entire spring practice as he recovers from thumb surgery in January.

Quarterbacks A.J. Highsmith, Spencer Whipple and early enrollee Stephen Morris will compete for the No. 2 quarterback job.

“It’s a good opportunity,” Highsmith said. “I’m still working hard on and off the field, just trying to get better every day.”

The Hurricanes lost running back Javarris James to graduation and leading rusher Graig February 25 - February 28, 2010

Cooper will continue his rehab after tearing his ACL in the Champ Sports Bowl. Lee Chambers will also miss the spring season.

Damien Berry will get the starting nod.

Berry finished second in rushing with 616 yards and led the team with eight rushing touchdowns despite not getting a carry in the first four games.

Behind Berry will be Mike James and Lamar Miller. James saw the most of last season at fullback. With senior fullback Patrick Hill returning, James will move back to tailback. Miller was a threat every time he touched the ball.

The offensive line will be a concern in two different areas. The Canes will not have a center that took a single snap last season. Tyler Horn will run with the first team for spring practices.

At tackles, Orlando Franklin will move to left tackle. Shannon said Ben Jones would be the right tackle to start off spring practices.

On the defensive side, middle linebacker will be an issue. Miami lost Darryl Sharpton to the NFL and Arthur Brown moved home.

Shannon said redshirt freshman Shayon Green, who missed the entire season with a severe knee injury, will get the nod to start off at middle linebacker.

The huge advantage this spring is that both sides of the ball will not have to learn a new playbook because defensive coordinator John Lovett and offensive coordinator Mark Whipple will return for their second seasons.

Lelan LeDoux may be contacted at lledoux@ themiamihurricane.com.

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dear ...

Dear V: Some like it hot, some like it cold... but chunky?

, The follow column contains explicit sexual content and may offend some readers.

professed that I love to do it so much. How do I break it to him that his ejaculate is just plain weird? Is it normal for his sperm to be extremely chunky? Could there be something wrong with him if his sperm taste rotten?

Swallowing His Pride

Dear V, I’ve been seeing this guy for two weeks now and last week we started having sex. Prior to having sex we discussed what turned us on. I have this thing about swallowing cum, like I really like doing it and he doesn’t mind because he likes to see me swallow his cum but here’s the problem. I’ve been swallowing since I was in my teens and I’ve never been surprised about what I swallowed, but his sperm is very different... different in a bad way. The consistency of his sperm is thicker than normal and the taste is just plain weird.

We have a great connection and the sex is great, but I feel that if I told him that I don’t want to swallow him anymore he might get suspicious and ask me why, especially after I

Dear Swallowing His Pride,

than this, however, the thickness is completely normal. It’s not the sign of an sexually transmitted disease, so there’s nothing serious to worry about.

Even still, I can see you’re not happy with the way things are going. I’d say just ask him about it and see if his love juice has always been this way, or if this is a recent change. If he really likes watching you, he’ll want to do anything to make it a more frequent occurrence.

Happy swallowing!

Sounds like a sticky situation to me. First off, I would suggest you discuss it, because it sounds like you guys have a really great connection and you wouldn’t want this to hurt what you could have together. I think honesty is the best policy, and if he really likes you as much as it seems, I think he’ll understand.

Now onto the topic of normality. A common cause of this... texture you so speak of is dehydration. Tell you boy to drink up so you can drink up too! Other

V

Have a question for V? Hit up DearV@themiamihurricane. com.

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