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The Miami
Vol. 91, Issue 4 | Sept. 6 - Sept. 9, 2012
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HURRICANE
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STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI IN CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA, SINCE 1929
UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS
ACADEMICS
UM to extend emphasis on humanities Program features guest scholars, performers BY ALEXANDER GONZALEZ ASSISTANT EDITOR
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY CAYLA NIMMO STAND PROUD: Cpl. Mitch Phillips, 32, is one of many veterans taking undergraduate courses at UM. Though he does not typically wear his Marine Corps dress uniform to class, Phillips wore it for this photo to distinguish himself from ROTC students.
UM support group helps ease transition BY ASHLEY MARTINEZ STAFF WRITER
Compared to intense military training, frequent deployment and strict regimes, entering college may not seem much of a challenge for veterans. Still, each veteran faces his or her own challenges when seeking higher education. Cpl. Mitch Phillips, 32, joined the Marine Corps as a way to see the world and get an experience he knew he couldn’t receive anywhere else. After successfully enduring training, working in Security Forces and deploying all around the world, he readied for his
next challenge – pursuing a degree in aerospace studies at the University of Miami. “No transition could have helped me enough for this one,” Phillips said. “This school is very demanding and it expects a lot and offers a lot, which for a person like me, who gets very involved in everything, can get over whelming.” Along with academic pressures, senior Phillips encountered more problems involving the paperwork he had to fill out, because he was both a military and transfer student. Because of the vast amount of paperwork was sent to several offices, he didn’t know he was admitted to the university until one week before classes started. His personal experience led him to connect with other veterans who
formed the Veteran’s Student Organization (VSO), a group to support veterans and the challenges they face when adjusting to life at the university. “The biggest thing we want is to alleviate the issues students run into when starting school here,” said Phillips, president of the VSO. “We want to exist to help and create smooth transitions for incoming veterans.” The aims of the VSO reflect the campus-wide initiative to increase the efforts and programs being offered to student veterans. The Dean of Students Office, for instance, has ordered a new computer for the veterans to assist them with whatever they need, according to Dean Dayle Wilson, advisor of VSO. SEE VETERANS, PAGE 3
The humanities department at UM will further spread its wings in the yearlong event, “Taking Flight: The Year of the Humanities and the Arts at the University of Miami.” A member of the congressionallyappointed American Academy Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences, UM President Donna E. Shalala announced that the 2012-2013 academic year be marked by a continued emphasis on the humanities through special guest scholars and performers. “The humanities and the arts are an integral component of life at UM, creating a vibrant mosaic of perspectives that enriches our students’ educational experience in countless ways,” she said in a press release. The Center for the Humanities, a division of the College of Arts & Sciences, will be coordinating this year’s events. Mihoko Suzuki, director of the center, and a faculty board helped choose speakers that relate to the humanities but are also relevant to a variety of disciplines. “All of the speakers are very much interdisciplinary,” she said. SEE YOHA, PAGE 4
MOVING DAY UM ART GALLERY RELOCATES TO NEW WYNWOOD LOCATION PAGE 7
ON THE ROCKS CLUB TAKES WEEKLY TRIP TO X-TREME CLIMBING PAGE 9