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Vol. 90, Issue 44 | March 29 - April 1, 2012
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THE MIAMI HURRICANE STUDENT ORGANIZATION
With less funds, clubs get creative New fundraisers fill money gaps BY ALEXA LOPEZ | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DANIEL CEPERO | ONLINE EDITOR
O
n Tuesday night, Kevin Hamlin and about nine other Salsa Craze members stood applauding and cheering as they watched several brave locals conquer – or be conquered by – a challenging obstacle course that ended with an almost 20-foot climbable wall. “Cameras were on us all the time and they would tell us ‘now a big round of applause, ’ ” said Hamlin, Salsa Craze ’s assistant secretary and firefighter paramedic in Miami. The best part: Each Salsa Craze member that attended this filming of an episode of G4 and NBC ’s “American Ninja Warrior ” received $30. “This is the sort of thing we ’ve had to rely on this year to make money, ” said Salsa Craze assistant treasurer Juan Jidy, who is a manager a Coral Gables health club. For the 2011-2012 academic year, Salsa Craze received less than 15 percent of its budget – $1,335 – from the Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee (SAFAC). According to Salsa Craze Treasurer Lena Habash, the organization typically spends about $10,000 a year on T-shirts, competitions,
guest instructors, its annual end-ofthe-year banquet, and other costs. The organization, which has more than 300 members, offers salsa classes to University of Miami students and the local community. “You have the largest organization in the school and we have freshmen coming in from all over the world, but we don ’t have enough money to put together certain events or functions just because we can ’t get it, ” Jidy said. At the start of every academic year, student organizations are provided with funds by SAFAC. However, the committee makes it clear to groups that it can only be a secondary source of funds for student organizations, according to Peter Perez, treasurer of La Federacion de Estudiantes Cubanos (FEC). FEC planned on attending the “American Ninja Warrior ” event on Wednesday evening, but the filming was overbooked and the group was asked not to attend at the last minute. Over the past several years, oncampus student organizations have been facing a decrease in available funds from SAFAC. Forced to find alternative funding sources to finance typical group costs and raise money for philanthropies, student groups like Salsa Craze are opting to organize creative fundraisers, from fashion shows to concerts.
SEE FUNDRAISER, PAGE 3
HUNGRY HATERS
SOCIAL NETWORK USERS MAKE INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS ON CAST SELECTION PAGE 5 CAYLA NIMMO // Assistant Photo Editor
HANGMAN: Contestant Reko Rivera, 26, prepares for the next challenge during the first round of obstacles on G4 and NBC’s “American Ninja Warrior” on Wednesday. UM students raised money for their organization by attending the Tuesday filming.
ROUNDING THE BASES
MIAMI WINS AGAINST LOCAL ST. THOMAS UNIVERSITY’S BASEBALL TEAM PAGE 9