MHMC- Commercial Template Doc Size 11.25” X 14”
Image Area 10.375 x 11.75 CYAN
MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
1
The Miami
.
Vol. 91, Issue 43 | March 28 - March 31, 2013
com
HURRICANE
STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI IN CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA, SINCE 1929
COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY
STEP hosts week to fight poverty Speakers promote homelessness awareness BY RIANNA HIDALGO STAFF WRITER
CAYLA NIMMO // PHOTO EDITOR SURF’S UP: Jack Ruderman, 9, smiles as he learns how to surf. Radael Ruiz, a lifeguard at the camp, helps him get the board in the correct position for the wave. He is one of 12 participants in this year’s Surf Camp for children with autism and related diseases.
Campers splash into spring break UM-NSU CARD’s Surf Camp focuses on abilities instead of disabilities BY JORDAN COYNE COPY EDITOR
On the shores of Miami Beach, 27 staff members and 12 campers take to the waves this week to put their surfing skills to the test during the University of Miami-Nova Southeastern University’s Center for Autism and Related Diseases’ (UM-NSU CARD) Surf Camp. The annual program located at South Pointe Park hosts 12 children between the ages of 8 and 12 who have autism. These high- and low-functioning
children spend the week of their spring break learning how to surf. Of the 7,000 families at CARD, these 12 children are selected after going through an interview process to evaluate their ability to thrive on their own without familiar faces. “This is a camp to focus on their abilities, instead of their disabilities,” said Maricarmen Saleta, an educational specialist at UM-NSU CARD who helped plan the program in 2007. After meeting Michael Alessandri,
executive director of CARD, Saleta moved to Miami in 2005 and began working for him at UM-NSU CARD. In 2007, Julio Magrisso, assistant director of the recreation division for the city of Miami Beach, saw a documentary about a similar camp in California for children with disabilities. Immediately inspired, he contacted Alessandri, who passed the project on to Saleta, and the two groups began co-planning the camp. SEE SURFING, PAGE 3
TO-DOS AT THE U
SWEET 16
A BUCKET LIST FOR GRADUATION-BOUND SENIORS PAGE 7
CANES HEAD TO WASHINGTON, D.C., WITHOUT REGGIE JOHNSON PAGE 9
When 19-year-old Charlie came out to his parents in sixth grade, the reaction was less than positive. Eventually, after the loss of his mother to cancer and several altercations, his father kicked him out of the house, leaving him homeless. “He told me to pack my bags and go,” said Charlie, who preferred only to be identified by his first name. Charlie was one of two high school seniors who shared their stories with about 25 UM students Monday night during a discussion on sexual orientation and youth homelessness put on by Students Together Ending Poverty (STEP). He did not wish to disclose his last name due to privacy reasons. “Adults experiencing homelessness don’t tend to have a problem with identifying themselves,” Junge said. “Kids don’t usually want to because they’re scared.” The discussion was part of STEP’s annual Hunger and Homelessness Week, comprising several events in an attempt to raise awareness, educate students and inspire action. “For me, it’s about sharing that poverty — this vague term — is really people’s lives,” STEP President Kristy Sessions said. “A lot of students can’t ignore it anymore when they’re confronted with it.” In partnership with the Butler Center, STEP also offered students a film screening Monday of “A Place at the Table: One Nation. Underfed” and a display of photos by Lee Jeffries, a photographer known for his stark portraits of homelessness. Other events will extend beyond the week, including Project Clean Plate in April.
SEE HOMELESS, PAGE 4