Rachel Apodaca// Editor-in-Chief
With Election Day right around the corner, the University of Miami is mobilizing efforts to help students get to the polls for early voting. Within the UM community, one group is ensuring that every eligible student can vote, and those students have a knowledgeable background about the candidates.
Get Out the Vote (GOTV) is a national organization that aids college students in the voter registration process, ensuring all people have access to vote. From voter registration drives to transportation services, GOTV is utilizing all possible resources to get students to the polls.
After registering over 700 new voters this semester, GOTV UM partnered with Lyft, a rideshare service, to offer free roundtrip rides from Miller Circle to the Coral Gables War Memorial Youth Center, the closest early voting location. Students can use the code “Canesvote22” to get their free trip. The rides will be offered on a frstcome, frst-serve basis.
“Previously, we would rent buses on certain days and times to bring students to early voting,” GOTV UM president Antonella Criscola said. “The Lyft rides provide more fexibility for students to take a little time out of their busy schedules and vote.”
Beyond getting students to vote,
GOTV, a nonpartisan organization, strives to ensure students know what candidates are on the ballot through their website miami.edu/ vote.
“On the website we have a link where anyone can put in their address and fnd out who will be on the ballot and what their positions are,” said Criscola, a junior studying political science. “An informed voter is always more important for our democracy than an uninformed voter.”
GOTV has also partnered with the election website Ballotpedia and the advocacy group National League of Women’s Voters to inform students about critical down-ballot races. GOTV focuses
on covering state, county and constitutional ballot measures related to Miami-Dade County.
“Our goal is to educate each offce and what the candidates stand for regardless of their party,” Criscola said. “Sometimes a Republican can do a local position better than a Democrat and vice versa.”
This information can prove critical for out-of-state students who are new to Miami politics and lack an understanding of the candidates or issues at stake.
According to one student, it helps them feel much better about the decisions they make in the booth.
“I’m glad that they provide the backgrounds of the candidates,” said David Paul, a Melville, N.Y.
native and senior at UM majoring in business technology and psychology. “Instead of asking one of my friends who have their own opinions about who they think should win, I can see the candidate’s stances and make my own decision.”
Even though GOTV’s primary purpose ends when the voter registration deadline ends, the organization still tries to maintain an in-person presence on campus.
“We still want to have some part of the political process on campus before Nov. 8,” Criscola said. “Going to these events to show face and showing that we are not endorsing either side is really important for our organization.”
This November, national midterm elections will be taking place that will arguably set precedence for the nation’s future. However, there are also many important local races that will have signifcant ramifcations on Floridians day-today lives, specifcally.
Adam Benna is a Democrat candidate running for House District 114, which includes the Coral Gables UM Campus.
As a Florida resident, Benna has witnessed the passing of many legislative acts over the last couple of years that he believes have done more harm than good. He wanted to take action and run for offce.
Among the issues Benna vows to try to fx, if elected, is the growing dearth of home insurance carriers.
According to Benna, Florida has
lost many insurance carriers in the past year, had an increase in litigation for insurance claims and, overall, citizens are facing trouble with the property market.
“Property insurance rates have increased a lot, to nearly 30% now,” Benna said. “People obviously don’t want to have their rates raised — they’d rather see the rate in the single digits, rather than 30%, like myself.”
Beyond Miami-Dade County, Florida has made national headlines since the last midterms, where Governor Ron DeSantis was elected. The Republican governor has passed controversial bills, including the “Don’t Say Gay Bill,” which bars the teaching in schools about sexual orientation or gender identity and shipping migrants from the U.S./Mexico border to Martha’s Vineyard, M.A.
“Obviously, it is important to vote
all the time, but especially right now,” Benna said, stressing how the upcoming election will dictate how Florida politics operate. “In the last two years, we have seen the governor start to attack and erode many of our freedoms, like book banning and critical race theory (CRT). Those issues are not necessarily issues that are affecting our families and our community — they’re smoke and mirror issues, or culture wars, that the governor’s trying to put forth..”
As state offcials debate many cultural issues, many of the issues on the ballot revolve around Miami-Dade County (MDC). Housing development pressures in MDC have become a focal point for local city and county candidates this November.
The housing crisis is one that could be best resolved by local legislative bodies as those citizens
pay local property taxes to fx these issues, according to Marsha Matson, a retired professor from the political science department at UM, who is running for re-election on the city council in Palmetto Bay, Fla.
“The main difference between state and federal government versus local government is the direct impact legislation has on our community, like allocating money or property taxes, for example,” Matson said. “I think, right now, people are really focused on how our local government impacts our local community, rather than at the national level.”
Students around the UM campus are anticipating to participate in both the general midterm elections and the down-ballot races.
Zofa Kaleta, a sophomore who is majoring in marine biology and ecology, advocates for local voting.
She believes these very local, especially city elections, infuence the community each day and UM should do better to promote these races overall.
“It is very important to vote in local elections,” Kaleta said. “Even though these aren’t countrywide races, they still have major infuence on the community and everything surrounding the community.”
As the elections draw near in the upcoming weeks, the community prepares to advocate for their respective candidates and important issues that will infuence these consecutive years.
“People have to be informed and educated about why it’s so important to be involved in your community and government,” Matson said. “After all, it’s our democracy and we have to keep it alive.”
BY LAUREN FERRER STAFF WRITER
Traditionally, a homecoming is a time for alumni of a high school or university to return to celebrate the institution. At the University of Miami, Homecoming means that and so much more. Every year the Homecoming Executive Committee puts on a week of events, rooted in tradition, dedicated to honoring the spirit, diversity, and history of the University of Miami.
The earliest records of Homecoming at the U can be found in The Miami Hurricane. In 1931, the University announced its frst ever Homecoming celebration. Almost 100 years ago, Homecoming looked a little different. The committee in place planned a week of social functions ending in a football game against the Seeders of Erskine College.
Events included a reception by the University Women’s Association and an open house at Delta Sigma Kappa, leading to what they called the “largest event of the season” - an Alumni Dance in Downtown Miami. At the time, the events were aimed to honor the alumni they hoped to receive.
Homecoming week has undergone many changes to get to the impressive program it is today. In 2004, the Homecoming competition moved away from being a competition between Greek life to including student organizations. In 2009, a Masquerade Ball was introduced. Planned by freshmen, this event was dedicated to encourage frst-year attendance and participation in the week’s activities. In the same year, student organizations were forced to work together in creating a foat to represent their organizations, the theme, and school spirit during the parade that took place on Miller Drive.
“Some things were different,” said UM alumna Stephanie Fleitas, who now serves as the Associate Director of the Department of
Orientation and Commuter Student Involvement. “There was a parade with lots of foats, and Alma Mater was in two parts. The initial competition took place at the Rat, and later in the week the top three would compete again.”
For alumni, Homecoming week at the U looks completely different. With unique events, the Alumni Association calls back family and friends of all alumni to celebrate what it means to be a Miami Hurricane.
“From a staff perspective, watching the students make the week their own and seeing students getting involved is the greatest part about Homecoming for me.” said Fletias. “That overall feeling of being a ’Cane and seeing that moment click for students at Hurricane Howl as a staff member—while remembering that feeling as a student—is awesome.”
Today, Homecoming starts with the announcement of a theme, followed by a week of traditional events student organizations and university departments look forward to competing in. In addition to the competition element, homecoming brings an exciting concert, courtesy of Hurricane Productions, the Hurricane Howl block party, and the all famous football game fnishing off the week.
The Homecoming concert, a staple of homecoming tradition, has previously welcomed well known artists such as Marshmello in 2016 and 21 Savage in 2019. In 2021, when the concert was canceled due to the pandemic, the student body was disappointed. This year, the homecoming concert is back and better than ever, welcoming Grammy award-winning American rapper, Flo Rida, on November 4 at the Watsco Center.
Every year announcing the theme builds excitement and sets the stage for the rest of the week. With themes like “Are U Game” in 2010 and “Make your Move” in 2016,
the theme shapes the competition to honor the university’s past, present and future. For example, 2021’s theme of “Bring the Beat Back” honored the University’s response and victory over the 2019-2020 pandemic year.
Honoring the university and its past, the different events held throughout the week include, but are not limited to, a Hurricane Howl, the Spirit Tree ceremony and Organized Cheer.
“I honor the tradition and history of UM through the spirit tree because it is both a symptom of the university’s colors and the growth of the university.” said second year Sara Ebrahimi, who is currently on the HEC, serving on the Sponsor Tree Committee.
Ironically, the Spirit Tree is the only orange tree on campus, planted after students realized none existed at UM. This came as a surprise as the University colors come from the orange tree - green for the leaves, white for the fower, and orange for the fruit.
The spirit tree ceremony is a time for organizations across campus to design and create ornaments to decorate the spirit tree. Each ornament serves as a representation of the student organization, school spirit, and the homecoming theme.
During the ceremony this year, Student Government’s ECO Agency and the Homecoming Executive Committee will be spreading awareness of the land acknowledgement plaque through the rededication of the Spirit Tree.
“It is such a special way to celebrate the future of the university,” said Ebrahimi.
This year, Homecoming will include changes dedicated to addressing the University’s efforts toward a better future.
“I believe traditions are meant to be elevated every year to celebrate us as ‘Canes, while also embracing the changes our student leaders, alumni, faculty, staff, and
community partners continue to fght for,” said Meera Patel, the Homecoming Executive Committee Chair.
Among the changes is an addition to O-Cheer. The competition will now include a National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) Showcase. Moreover, this year the previously known King and Queen pageant was changed to Royalty Pageant to be inclusive of all students.
“We wanted to be able to have students, no matter their gender, to be celebrated as Homecoming Royalty.” said Patel.
In May of 2022 the Homecoming Executive Committees were assigned their roles. The group organizing the pageant stepped into their roles on a mission to promote inclusivity through the pageant. The frst idea was to simply promote applications to more diverse groups
on campus.
With this in mind, the committees realized the titles themselves of “King” and “Queen” were limiting to groups on campus. In search of a gender neutral title, the committee consulted multiple organizations on campus including the LGBTQ Student Center and SpectrUM. Within the theme of “Game On,” they found that the inclusive title “Royalty” allows the recognition of frst, second, third and fourth place, while continuing to honor the integrity of the competition.
“Homecoming’s purpose is to unite all ‘Canes no matter their background, so we believe this change is a step in the right direction in terms of allowing all students to feel welcome and comfortable” said Lindsey Faucher,
Vice Chairof the Homecoming Executive Committee.
Just 600 miles south of Miami, in the heart of the Caribbean, the small country of Haiti is facing a political and economic meltdown exacerbated by gang violence and a cholera epidemic. The nation’s current circumstances are beginning to cripple a nation still reeling from the natural disasters and political corruption which have plagued it over the past decade.
In 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake devastated nearly three million people, exacerbating the country’s fragile economy and poor political infrastructure. Considered the deadliest seismic event ever recorded in the Western hemisphere, the death toll eventually rose to 200,000 people, overwhelming the country’s morgues and forcing people to dig mass graves. Despite support and humanitarian aid from the United States, the past 10 years have been marked with an uptick in gang violence, political corruption and fnancial instability. This culminated in the assassination of President Jovenel
Moïse on July 7, 2021, leaving Haiti without a Parliament nor a system for organizing elections.
Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who came to power following Moïse’s assassination, has made promises to organize a provisional electoral council to reinstate the election cycle, but has so far been unsuccessful in doing so.
Between earthquakes, hurricanes and a fractured political system, the international community fears that Haiti is at risk of becoming a failing state.
A year after the former President’s assassination, a renewed wave of gang violence has swept over the Haitian community and resulted in a deepening humanitarian crisis.
At the heart of the violence stands gang leader Jimmy “Barbecue” Chérizier. An ex-police offcer for the Haitian National Police, Chérizier now heads operations for G9 Family and Allies (an Fanni e Alye), a federation consisting of over a dozen Haitian gangs that carry out kidnappings, human traffcking operations, murder and gender-based violence.
Over 540 people were kidnapped and 780 others killed by gang violence between January and May 2022. The majority of violence has been concentrated in Cité Soleil, a densely populated commune located in the nation’s capital Portau-Prince. Compounded with a devastating cholera outbreak, over 19,000 people in Cité Soleil are facing acute hunger as gangs set up barricades blocking the distribution of the country’s food and fuel.
In mid-September, G9 also seized Varreux, the largest fuel terminal in Haiti, causing extensive fuel shortages in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
On June 10, another gang known as “Five seconds” took control of the Palace of Justice and stole case fles containing sensitive information regarding massacres committed by gangs since 2018. This means that the thousands serving pre-trial detention will not be able to sit in front of a judge to have their cases reviewed, further exacerbating the crowding issues present in Haiti’s prisons. Gangs have taken control of
almost all aspects of Haitian life, forcing hospitals to shut their doors and blocking access to vital resources. Garry Pierre-Pierre, founder of The Haitian Times, commented on the nature of the insurrection in an interview with PBS news.
“They dictate when we have water, when we have fuel, when people can go out. What you’re watching is basically a slow-motion coup d’etat. Haiti has reached the point of a failed state right now. It is not functioning,” Pierre said.
In the wake of so much hardship, experts and Haitians alike debate what to do to resolve these issues and restore piece to the island. Some argue for international intervention while others are staunch opposers.
Given the United States’ key role in providing assistance to the Haitian community, many question whether or not foreign intervention is necessary to revive the failing state.
While some Haitian elites and US corporate media are insistent on organizing an armed invasion, other Haitians argue that foreign military
involvement is not the answer. There is now question of whether or not the U.S. or the UN Security Council will appoint another country to lead an intervention per request of Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
“U.S.-style ‘humanitarian’ intervention is like a massive blow to the spine,” said Madame Boukman, a notable Haitian political commentator, on Twitter. “It was completely paralyzing Haiti’s development–Haitians call for a localized, Haitian solution based on the principles of selfdetermination.”
In rejecting U.S. intervention, many Haitians believe that the future of their country should be left in the hands of the people, rather than in the hands of foreign military operations that run the risk of aggravating corruption.
Through establishing selfautonomy and resisting humanitarian intervention, many believe a self-led Haitian revolution could revive a failing state into the sovereign Black republic it was always meant to be.
At the Florida-Georgia college football game on Saturday, an antisemetic message, related to Ye’s, formerly named Kanye West, recent commentary, was projected on the video board at the TIAA Bank Field Stadium in Jacksonville.
“Kanye was right about the Jews,” the message said.
The message referenced Ye’s antisemetic remarks that were posted on social media in the previous week, causing the artist to lose many brand-partnerships, billions of dollars and the respect of many of his fans.
Authorities are still unsure of
who is to blame for sending the message across the screen at the game.
“While Kanye West’s blatant antisemitism didn’t cause the disgusting antisemitic message displayed at the football game, unfortunately he has given permission to the antisemites to once again attack Jews for nothing more than being Jewish,” said Rabbi Lyle Rothman, Chief Experience Offcer and Campus Rabbi at UM Hillel.
The University of Florida and the University of Georgia released a joint statement following the incident that condemned the hateful behavior of the individual who projected the message.
“The University of Florida and the University of Georgia together denounce these and all acts of antisemitism and other forms of hatred and intolerance. We are proud to be home to strong and thriving Jewish communities at UGA and UF, and we stand together against hate,” the statement said.
In the days prior to the display at the football stadium, antisemetic behavior was seen across the United States. Banners were hung from overpasses and buildings with statements that coincided with West’s comments.
Around the UM campus, students have been watching the impact of Ye’s behavior on their rival school
and the overall community.
“Anyone in their right mind would know not to side with someone who is going through so many mental health problems, like Kayne,” one UM student said, who is part of the Jewish community.
“The culprit of the message at the UF game was probably fueled by Kanye’s comments, although there had to have been preliminary antisemetic opinions.”
The student asked to remain anonymous, for privacy reasons, but believes that the people who represent Ye and care about the situation should disassociate from him because of his actions.
“I was offended by the comments Kanye made because I
listen to his music and have been a supporter of him for a while. I wish the situation was different,” the student said.
To help support the UM Jewish community and combat antisemitism on campus, UM Hillel is scheduled to host an event called, “Spread Cream Cheese Not Hate” on the Rock on November 1st from 11:30-1:00pm.
The event is an opportunity for students to support the Jewish community by signing a pledge to “speak up against hate.”
“Antisemites will come and go but unless we are prepared to stand up and call it out, the world’s oldest hatred will continue to grow,” Rothman said.
The young generation of the 21st century has played a large role in the creation and execution of many recent social movements. Whether it’s marching for gun reform or abortion rights, those under 30 have found a way to voice their political opinions, without participating in elections.
“Young people are the most affected by many issues,” says U.S. Congressional candidate, Annette Taddeo. “We probably wouldn’t be in a lot of the issues we face today if the youth voted.”
Young Americans consistently report low voter turnout, despite recent increases since 2016. Only 47% of voters, ages 18-34, voted in November 2020, while the senior vote, 65+, turned out at 72%, as a share of the voter population. For reasons ranging from lack of time and interest to a consistent decline in trust in the government, most of the young generation, specifically college students have an excuse for not voting.
The midterm elections take place in the middle of the president’s four year term, on the first Tuesday of the month of November. This year all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 out of the 100 seats in the Senate are being decided by the election occurring on Tuesday, November 8, 2022.
Multiple initiatives surrounding voting focus on efforts in mobilizing voters, specifically young voters. The Butler Center at the University of Miami oversees Get Out the Vote, a student-led initiative whose goal is mobilizing students, faculty and staff to “get out the vote,” from registration to election day. This year GOTV registered over 700 students, faculty and staff. In their mobilization efforts they hope to grow an inviting culture that makes voting easy. With on campus polling locations and informative emails being sent out, GOTV hopes to make it clear to all personnel on campus that voting is in their reach.
Seven students at the University of Miami spoke with The Hurricane about their voting plans this year, and the issues that motivated their decisions.
Emily Danzinger, a second-year student studying political science and international relations has said she will be voting in this year’s midterm elections. Affiliated with the Democratic party, Danzinger is currently focused on issues of women’s healthcare rights, gun control, and high insurance rates. In addition to her political beliefs, Danzinger is a firm believer in the power of voting to create change.
“I don’t think I have the importance to tell people what issues they should focus on. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions and concerns, and it’s not my place to step over them” Danzinger said. “What I will say though, is to vote. Vote even if you’re not super passionate about the candidates. Use your voice to advocate for the issues you believe in.”
Sophia Torres is a third-year student studying health management policy and public health who wants to see change in the approach to solving climate change.
“It’s affecting our society overall and I think it’s going to make a bigger impact over time if we don’t solve it,” Torres said.
Torres is a registered independent and plans to vote in the upcoming election.
Kyle Sullivan, a third-year finance major, sees the economy as the central issue as he approaches the ballot box this year.
“I feel like people are trying to combat inflation while also signing in laws that put more money into the hands of the people; which don’t go hand in hand,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan is a registered Republican who will be voting in this year’s midterm elections.
As expected, some students will not be casting a ballot on Election Day. When asked if she will be voting in the election this year, Rebecca Menedez, a third-year student studying biomedical
engineering said, “If I’m honest with you, I do not think so, I don’t think I was planning on it.” Menendez shared that her decision not to vote is rooted in a mindset of not wanting to “just go in blindly and vote on things that I’m not ready to make a decision on.”
“Now that I’ve started college I definitely want to be more politically aware and know what’s happening in my community and in my state and things like that.” said Menendez. “So it’s been something I’ve been thinking about, but I guess I haven’t been active or aware.”
Romina Dominguez, a second-year student studying Political Science and English, is not affiliated with any party and will be voting in the upcoming election. Dominguez is focused on women’s reproductive rights, gun violence and access to healthcare this election cycle.
Andres Castellanos, a fourth-year student studying Economics on the PreLaw track, is a registered independent and will be voting this year.
“Issues that are important are preserving democracy and respecting electoral outcomes. There are too many election deniers in our politics and that is a dangerous game.”
Castellanos said. “Another issue is a women’s right to choose. For the first time in American history a right that was granted has been taken away. This could open the door to other rights being taken away by the Supreme Court if Congress doesn’t act.”
Brad Barker is a second-year student studying Finance. Barker is a registered Republican who will be voting in the midterm elections. This cycle Barker is focused on Inflation, Oil prices, Fentanyl crisis, and eliminating big tech monopolies and censorship.
As Emily Danzinger said, “A lot of politicians don’t prioritize the views of voters 18-25 because we have the lowest voter turnout rate. Let’s change that.”
Early voting in the state of Florida is open from October 26 to November 6. The 2022 midterm elections will take place Tuesday, November 8.
HIALEAH, Fla. -
Christopher Monzon, a canvasser for Marco Rubio, was hospitalized after two men physically assaulted him, then threatened to attack him further with German Shepherds. Both perpetrators have since been arrested. According to the arrest report, they told Monzon he could not walk on the same sidewalk because he was a Republican. Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Florida Senate candidate and opponent Val Demings respectively denounced the attack and political violence via Twitter.
VIRGINIA KEY Fla. -
City of Miami commissioners voted to overtake the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust on Oct. 13. They cited a failure of the board to begin developing a historic Virginia Key Beach Museum which would honor the site’s role as an only black beach during segregation. City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez declined to veto the measure. The commissioners’ takeover comes amidst a debate over whether to transfer Miami’s homeless population to Virginia Key.
BISCAYNE BAY, Fla. -
Following Hurricane Ian, thousands of dead fish were reported throughout Biscayne Bay. This fish kill doesn’t compare to the unprecedented 2020 fish kill of over 27,000 fish, yet represents a worrying trend of annual fish kills. Scientists speculate that the hurricane caused sewage overflows and exacerbated the problems that come with outdated septic tanks and street litter. The fish kill has since been cleaned up with MiamiDade County removing over 4,000 pounds of biomass.
ON CAMPUS ROUND-UP:
Omnicron Delta Kappa (ODK) Honor Society tapped several new members for the fall semester, Toppel opened a professional head shot booth and UThrift held their annual sustainable fashion show.
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with Georgia voters over his competitors, it has also sparked debate over whether he is mentally ft to hold public offce.
After speaking incoherently at campaign events and television appearances, as well as facing accusations of domestic violence, Walker has attracted speculation from experts that his years playing football have damaged his brain to the point that he does not have the mental capacity to carry out the responsibilities he would have if elected.
erratically in public, or even commit violent crimes. One recent example is the case of former NFL player Philip Adams, who fatally shot six people as well as himself in April 2021. His autopsy report confrmed that his brain showed signs of CTE. O.J. Simpson, arguably the most famous exNFL player to be convicted of a violent crime, believes that he may have the disease, but a diagnosis cannot be made while he is alive.
contact sports like football may result in neurological conditions, it’s far from being conclusive yet,” says Greene, maintaining that many people who experience repeated concussions do not develop CTE symptoms.
Dr. Lauren Shapiro, associate professor and researcher of traumatic brain injury at the Miller School, expresses a similar viewpoint.
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In many ways, Georgia congressional candidate Herschel Walker is the average conservative politician. He has publicly supported strict bans on abortion, expanding police budgets, President Donald Trump and increasing border security- in step with the mainstream Republican party. Despite his campaign being punctuated by the typical kind of controversy in American politics in the 2020s, one sordid example being the revelation that the self-proclaimed “prolife” Walker paid a mistress to get an abortion, the most unique aspect of his campagin is not political, but neurological.
Walker is not a politician, as his campaign website proudly states. Instead, his reputation going into the 2022 election cycle comes from his 14-year-long NFL career, 1999 induction into the College Football Hall of Fame and time playing Division I football at the University of Georgia. While Walker’s pre-existing fame from his football career has given him an advantage
It is understandable that those who disagree with Walker politically would jump at the chance to medically prove that he is unft for public offce. But looking at the current scientifc evidence about the effects that football has on the brain makes the situation less clear-cut than Walker’s critics make it out to be.
In articles discussing Walker’s mental functioning, the acronym CTE is often used. CTE stands for Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, which is the proposed diagnosis for those who suffer from neurodegeneration after repeated head injuries, usually from contact sports like football. Symptoms are thought to include loss of memory and cognitive function, irrational mood swings, and in severe cases, trembling similar to that caused by Parkinson’s Disease. The condition is diffcult to diagnose, though, because it can currently only be detected posthumously.
There have been many highprofle cases where football players with suspected or confrmed CTE cases behave
When a famous athlete like Walker publicly behaves in an unstable manner, CTE is often suspected by the public, creating renewed interest in the disease. However, according to practicing neurologists, the sensationalization of CTE has led to the spread of misinformation about what the condition actually is and isn’t.
Dr. Doug Johnson-Greene, neuropsychologist and professor at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, says the medical community lacks consensus on whether CTE exists as a specifc condition in the frst place.
“There isn’t essentially a defnitive diagnostic entity known as CTE,” says Greene, explaining that the condition should be treated as a hypothesis rather than a concrete set of symptoms.
Greene also states that even when operating under the assumption that CTE exists, there is not yet defnitive evidence proving that it is always caused by repeated concussions like those experienced in contact sports.
“While there’s certainly some evidence to suggest that repeated concussions due to
“There are many different factors that may play a role in a football player’s risk for neurodegenerative conditions. Duration of play is just one of those factors,” says Shapiro, maintaining that no one can defnitively say that a long football career will result in CTE.
Given the discrepancy between media discussion of CTE and the actual scientifc consensus surrounding the condition, it is evident that public perception of the disease has been severely distorted and sensationalized. This is intensifed by the political angle brought to the discussion surrounding Walker’s candidacy- his opponents have a vested interest in fnding evidence that the disease exists in the way it is perceived by the public. However, using unreliable science to indicate that a candidate is unft for offce would be disingenuous. Rather than relying on unsubstantiated claims of brain damage, critics of Walker should point to his past accusations of domestic violence as a more legitimate justifcation for the assertion that he cannot hold public offce.
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indicates that success in difficult courses is largely determined by access to resources rather than students’ capabilities. By using these courses as hurdles on the road to pursuing STEM careers, students of color and students from lower income backgrounds are disproportionately impeded.
BY SABRINA WILSON STAFF WRITERAs a self-proclaimed humanities kid, I treat chemistry the way Dr. Suess advises us to treat the Grinch - I wouldn’t touch it with a thirty-nine-and-a-half-foot pole. But for students interested in science and technological fields, chemistry is an inevitable part of their collegiate careers.
Organic chemistry is a notorious “weedout class,” intended to determine who has the dedication and skill to pursue a career in the STEM fields. In the recent case at New York University (NYU), a group of students blamed their organic chemistry professor, Maintland Jones Jr., for making the class nearly impossible to pass. 85 students filed a petition stating the professor was “too hard” of a grader and “lacked resources for help.” Shortly after, NYU terminated Jones Jr’s contract.
Jones Jr. spent 43 years teaching organic chemistry at Princeton and 14 years at NYU, even writing a textbook on the subject. Clearly, he is a master of the content, so the issue at hand lies in the instruction. Since his termination, people have been pondering what this incident means for academic institutions. Are students paying to earn a degree or to easily receive it? How should students exercise their power, and what responsibilities do students and professors have, respectively, in the outcomes of education?
In fields that are high-stakes and require precision, we want people to be highlyeducated before entering them. Math and science courses are known for building upon themselves- each level serves as the foundation for the next. If you cannot succeed at understanding the first level, then how are you supposed to succeed going forwards?
Foundational classes like organic chemistry are important, but they should not be structured to gatekeep people from the careers they are working toward. Research
The issue lies in what we define as success in college courses. For most, success is measured by the letter grade received at the end of the semester. Contrary to high school, college grades are primarily composed of test scores. Exams are weighted far more than individual assignments, so a test grade can make or break a student’s overall grade. Students who aren’t savvy test takers might understand the material but can’t demonstrate it through a timed exam, while some students who ace exams may only be good at conforming to the test format, not at understanding the material.
In classes with clear cut objectives, professors have to recognize that not all students are good test takers. They should supply other means for students to demonstrate understanding, whether that is projects, essays, or handout assignments. This is not to say that testing should be eradicated. Every class has essential elements that students must know before moving forwards, and testing is a good way to make sure those ideas are cemented, but putting total importance on tests simply does not allow every student to paint an accurate picture of their comprehension.
This is not a one-way street. Students have to recognize that a college education is not like other purchases. Typically, when we purchase something, the product comes with no expectations. We bought it so we own it, and we can do what we want with it. A college education is different. Not only do people have to foot the bill, but they first must be admitted into a university. This process of applying implies that there are expectations placed on us once we are accepted.
Being a student is not a passive role. Just as professors must remember that learning is an effort, students must understand that learning takes effort. Students must attend classes and engage. Sitting in the front few rows and going to office hours is a great way to be proactive in seeking an education. Professors want to help students succeed, but they can’t do that if their pupils aren’t making an effort. In the NYU case, Jones Jr. claimed his students were not attending classes or watching online lectures. He and an assistant professor even hosted a digital town hall when they realized how much
students were struggling to answer questions. Despite this, the students maintained that their test scores were “not an accurate reflection of the time and effort put into this class.” Clearly, they thought their effort should be graded, not their test performance; however, if Jones Jr. was taking effort into account, it sounds like many still would not have passed.
Regardless of which party is at fault, there is a big lesson to draw from NYU’s firing of Jones Jr.: students are not powerless. As a student, you have a voice, and you must use it responsibly. If you really want to change a course, you need to be thorough in course evaluations. Don’t flippantly select a number one through five when rating different aspects of the course. Take the time to consider how you felt the professor did in each area. If you feel very impassioned to make change, go a step further and use the additional comments box! This is the easiest way for your voice to be heard. The same rules apply to online platforms, such as Rate My Professor. Your comments can affect someone’s livelihood and shape future academic experiences. Be responsible when taking action and make sure you have thought through the effort that was put in on both ends - yours and your professor’s.
Students have to remember that professors are people too. They may be facing stress in their personal lives that reflects in the classroom. We are a society intimidated by
labels and titles. Don’t let the “professor” or “doctor” in front of someone’s name prevent you from seeing them as a human being. Always be open to communicate with them if you are struggling or find something unfair. A good professor will take your concerns into consideration and work with you. This is another benefit of a college education: we can grow interpersonally just as much as we do academically.
Lastly, I firmly believe there is a purpose to every class. Even if it seems like nothing could be more boring or unimportant, you will get at least one good thing out of it. It is up to you to maximize how much you get out of your college education. Your degree is something you have to earn, and you can put in as much or as little effort as you desire. Success may feel entirely measured by grades, but effort will never go unnoticed. Even if you don’t succeed by the standard of letter grades, putting in effort to learn material will always serve you well. Until multiple vehicles for demonstrating understanding become the standard, we each have to do the best we can. Before making rash judgments about a professor and their class, evaluate where you stand. What kind of effort are you putting in, and is that effort being adequately recognized? Perhaps if the 85 NYU students who filed complaints had considered these two questions, the situation would have played out differently.
With the 2022 midterm election just around the corner and hundreds of candidates up for election, The Miami Hurricane has composed a rundown of the three main races for students registered to vote in District 27, Miami.
Democrat
• Former Governor of Florida from 2007-2011
• Switched parties from Republican to Democrat in 2012
• Current Congressman of FL-13 (St. Petersburg FL)
• Stances include: Climate Change, Protecting Women’s Right to Choose and Cheaper Housing and Insurance
Republican
• Governor of Florida since 2018
• Former US Navy SEAL
• Stances include: Cleaning up bays and coastline, Freedom of choice for parents to choose school curriculum and lowering drug prices
• Current Congresswoman of FL-10 (Orlando)
• Former Orlando Police Department Chief from 2007-2011
• Stances include: Gun Violence Prevention, Making Healthcare Affordable and Addressing Climate Change
• US Senator since 2011
• Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives from 2006-2008
• Miami Native, Graduated from UM Law School
• Stances Include: Standing Up Against Socialism Abroad and in the US, Creating Jobs and Protecting the Second Amendment.
Democrat
• Member of FL Senate since 2017
• Candidate for Governor in 2022
• Stances include: Ensuring High Quality Public Education for Children, Common Sense Gun Reform and Ending the Red Tide in Biscayne Bay
Republican
• Incumbent Representative since 2020
• UM Grad
• Former TV Journalist for Univision, Telemundo and CNN Español
• Stances include: Stand ing up Against Latin American Socialism, Term Limits and Curbing Infa tion
Polling station for all students with an on-campus housing address excluding University Village.
Polling station for University Village residents.
Those off campus must look at their voter card to fnd their polling place or go to miami.edu/vote.
GOTV is partnering with Lyft to provide students with free rides to and from the polls during early voting. Students will receive a code that will take them from Miller Circle to the Coral Gables War Memorial Youth Center - the closest polling station. Offered on a frstcome, frst-serve basis with limited supply available.
“I registered to vote on-campus a few weeks ago and am very excited to vote for the frst time. Growing up, my family has always emphasized the importance of voting in elections and I am a frm believer that every vote counts.”
-Sophomore Regina Potenza
“Voting is very signifcant and important for everyone that is of age.” “I am registered and feel like everyone else should be too.”
-Sophomore Sara Holtam
After applying on a whim to open for Flo Rida at this year’s Homecoming concert, junior Carlo Redl all but forgot that he had applied. That is, until he received an email saying he was selected.
“I didn’t even think I’d get it,” Redl said.
Redl is a student in the Frost School of Music majoring in music business and entertainment industries with minors in jazz and marketing. Some may recognize him from ‘Canes Carnival last spring, where he sang a duet with fellow Frost musician Chad Nelson. Now, he’s opening for one of the biggest names in music with a set of his own.
However, he won’t take the stage alone. Redl will be supported by a band also made of Frost musicians — senior jazz performance major Michael Ramos, sophomore media scoring and production major Aron Stornaiuolo and senior media scoring and production major Jack Dratch.
“I can play well because of them,” Redl said. “When I start a song, they know exactly what to do. They’re the only people I can do that with.”
Teasing his setlist for the concert, attendees can expect to hear “Talking” and “Luv” from his recently-released EP, a cover of “The Hills” by the Weeknd and a song he plans to compose entirely on the spot.
“We’re planning to pass the mic to someone in the audience [to] maybe give us a chord to go off of,” Redl said. “If the vibes are right, it always goes well.”
Though these sound like words from a seasoned live performer,
Redl had not performed a live show until this past summer. Since then, he’s played venues like the Anderson in Miami, the Industry City Courtyard ½ in Brooklyn, New York and soon, he’ll play the Watsco Center.
Before coming to Miami, the singer/songwriter had a unique upbringing. Born in Japan, Redl lived there until he was 10 years old, then he moved to Singapore for three years, moved back to Japan for a year, did his frst two years of high school in California and eventually moved back to graduate from the American School of Japan.
“When I moved back to Tokyo, I met my frst songwriter friend and he was a singer, too,” Redl said. “Just seeing that inspired me to start singing and songwriting. I started doing it almost every day and then I started songwriting for different record labels.”
With a father who was also a guitarist, Redl has been a musician from a very young age, starting out with classical lessons he was required to attend weekly.
“If you put music scores in front of a 4-year-old, it doesn’t really make sense,” Redl said. “I didn’t enjoy playing guitar until I got to California when I discovered blues, funk, R&B, that type of stuff.”
Up until his junior year of high school, Redl said he mainly listened to classic 70s rock, citing artists like Led Zeppelin, Rush, Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. Now, he draws inspiration from acoustic masterminds like John Mayer and Tom Misch and R&B powerhouses like Frank Ocean, Daniel Caesar, Lucky Daye, Summer Walker and Jhene Aiko.
Junior year was a pivotal time in his life for another reason. Redl meant to attend his Japanese high school’s graduation ceremony on time that year, but showed up to the wrong venue. Few could have guessed that this mix-up would lead him to UM.
“There was one of the student’s moms who also showed up to the wrong place and she was like ‘oh, you go to the school, too? I’ll just drive you to the place,’” Redl said. “And she explained that her son was playing guitar at Frost School of Music. I was like, ‘Frost? That sounds goofy.’ She started explaining it to me and showed me pictures of the lake, and I was like, ‘oh, I have to come here.’”
So far, Redl’s time at UM has allowed him the space to grow as a musician.
“I would say jazz is the hardest genre to comprehend and play,” Redl said. “It was really just being exposed to high-level musicians around me that got me to improve. Working with songwriters in America gave me a whole different perspective.”
In addition to growing his skills musically, being at Frost has also been a humbling experience for Redl.
“I considered myself back in high school extremely egotistic[al] because I was good at guitar,” Redl said. “A lot of people gave me too much credit. Nobody told me until I got here [to] work harder… I learned it’s very important to have a good balance of self-criticism and self-praise.”
As a freshman at UM, Redl started making music in the dorms before taking a gap year during the height of the pandemic.
“That gap year was when I
took the time to really think [about] what I really wanted to do and that’s when I got signed to my label MNNF [RCRDS],” Redl said. “Then they spent a year developing me as an artist and hooking me up with a publishing company called Pulse Music Group, a synchronization company, stuff like that.”
Redl said his label wants him to consistently be seen with a guitar, whether it’s in photoshoots or onstage.
“I’m very nervous on stage until you put a guitar in my hands,” Redl said. “The minute I have a guitar I feel very comfortable.”
When describing his sound, Redl brought up the idea of eclecticism.
“All your ideas are derivative of some human or natural element in the past, so the music that I write is like a microcosm of a scientist discovering something new,” Redl said. “They do that because people from the past have laid the foundation for it. In the same way, the music I write is because I’ve listened to Frank Ocean, Lucky
Daye, Led Zeppelin, Miles Davis. It’s very eclectic.”
Keeping the theme of eclecticism, Redl wants to start incorporating genres like jazz, funk, blues and rock into the modern pop industry. However, he hopes to get a visa in the near future, live in Los Angeles or NYC and become a credible artist with global distribution.
“I want to live in Japan in the future for sure, but it wouldn’t be sustainable as a musician — or at least, on my soul,” Redl said.
Likewise, Redl has big aspirations when it comes to leaving his mark on the music industry.
“A lot of songs are about materialism and ‘money is the best thing,’ putting down and objectifying women, [saying] ‘drugs and alcohol are cool’…I just think it’s a bad infuence on people on a wide scale,” Redl said. “It’s a selfsh thing for me to be like, ‘I want to change that’ because I’m just one person, but I just really strongly believe that music could be better and more positive.”
Get your megaphones, poms poms and orange and green attire ready, because it’s Homecoming week! All of the cheering, competitions and school spirit wouldn’t be possible without this year’s Homecoming Executive Committee (HEC).
The committee, which is composed of nine subcommittees and an executive board, has been preparing for this week since March 2022.
“The anticipation has been growing ever since and I cannot believe we are approaching Homecoming in just a few days,” said Lindsey Faucher, a junior international studies and psychology major who is one of the vice-chairs for HEC.
The committee has brainstormed and adapted exciting events for this year’s Homecoming including: Opening Ceremonies & ‘Canes Spirit Day, a Spirit Tree competition, a Royalty
Pageant, Hurricanes Help the Hometown, an Organized Cheer competition, the Alma Mater competition and the Hurricane Howl block party.
“The planning process for Homecoming includes lots of creative freedom, need for organization and thinking about how we want to adapt certain events,” Faucher said.
An obstacle the committee faced this year was fguring out how to make lasting Homecoming traditions more inclusive. For example, instead of a king and queen competition, there was now a royalty competition.
“Just the name alone, king and queen, has implied that only a certain gender — male or female — could win the competition,” junior psychology major and Royalty Committee cochair, Kof Bame, said.
The competition ran the same way it has in the past, just with a frst, second, third and fourth place winner instead of a king, queen, princess and prince.
“Homecoming is all about expressing love for the U and uniting together as ‘Canes, so we hope to integrate ways to encourage this as we add to the old traditions,” Faucher said.
In order to ensure everyone could feel comfortable applying for the royalty competition, the committee worked with members of SpectrUM, the largest LGBTQ+ organization on campus.
“It’s just about giving everybody the opportunity to win a spot on the royalty committee,” Bame said.
Applications were opened for all students to participate in the royalty competition. The committee had 18 applicants, of which 12 fnalists were selected to perform in the competition. Students were selected based on their knowledge of the university and talent abilities.
“I’m excited to see our fnalists,” Bame said. “I know that they’ve been practicing so hard for this over the past several weeks.”
While the committee is entirely focused on making Homecoming the best it can be, the members have also made close friendships with each other throughout their time working together.
“My favorite part about being on HEC is the bonds that I’ve made with the committee,” Faucher said. “HEC is flled with student leaders from across campus, so having the opportunity to connect with such enthusiastic and passionate leaders is one that I don’t take for granted.
The members of HEC set the example for the entire campus and are a true representation of what it means to be a Miami Hurricane.
Students, faculty and alumni can credit all of the festivities to the individuals on the committee.
“I would say you kind of build up your love for the university over time,” Bame said. “You have this group to hang out with and grow with during Homecoming week [and] grow your love for the U. It’s a really good experience.”
“I think I might have a heart attack. 20 Michael Myers just jumped me dude,” said Alex Miller, a sophomore biology major, as he sprinted out of the “Halloween” haunted house at this year’s Halloween Horror Nights event.
“My heart was racing and I really thought I was going to die, but you know, we made it out alright,” Miller said.
Like Miller, several UM students spent fall break in Orlando, Fla. attending Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Florida.
Halloween Horror Nights is an annual event at both Universal’s Orlando and Hollywood locations, running on select nights from Sept. 2 through Oct. 31. The event features haunted houses, scare zones, live shows and attractions. Houses are typically themed to notable franchises and icons, recent horror movies or completely original stories.
This year’s selection of ten houses included “Halloween,” “The Horrors of Blumhouse,” “Universal Monsters: Legends Collide” and “Dead Man’s Pier: Winter’s Wake.”
Ann Sia, a sophomore majoring in neuroscience, ran out of the “Halloween” house nearly distraught.
“I hated it in a good way the entire time,” Sia said. “It’s different than just watching a horror movie because you’re so immersed in it. I defnitely enjoyed it, but at the same time
this will probably be the only time that I’ll ever come here ever again.”
Sia went through two more houses shortly after.
What is perhaps the most anticipated and surprising feature at this year’s event was the inclusion of “The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare” house, which unraveled the artist’s “After Hours” album into a dark and twisted reality that guests could walk through.
“I was really looking forward to going to ‘The Weeknd’ house,” senior business analytics major Mintra Putlek said. “The themes of his music touch a lot on mental health and our inner demons, so I was excited to step into The Weeknd’s mind.”
But among the screaming, chainsaw whirring and shovels scraping, laughter could be heard in the park — not the disturbing or insidious kind, but a laughter of relief. Somehow, among the nightmare that envelops the crowded park, guests found themselves in delight at the fright.
“Fear is on our minds daily,” Miller said, explaining why people enjoy being scared. “Being able to experience fear without the actual experience of pain gives us a rush.”
Nick Tong, a junior majoring in music engineering technology, elaborated further.
“It’s the adrenaline rush: the feeling you get from feeling scared or feeling anything that is life threatening,” Tong said. “It’s the same
reason why someone would go skydiving — just to have that simulated near-death experience.”
Destiny Wiggins, a sophomore majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology, drew connections to the very real fears that riddle our lives.
“I feel like people don’t get scared regularly and I think it’s entertaining for that part of ourselves that wants to feel helpless,” Wiggins said. “We already have our regular anxieties: school, tests, jobs, work. [The houses] make it real and something that is more of an instinctual fear that you can’t control. I think that’s what is fun about it: something you can’t control.”
With our inability to control how or where our fears manifest (and the impossibility of predicting where scare actors will jump out at you), we all have different ways of coping with our anxieties.
“I just breathe through it and I just remind myself, ‘these people are not real’,” senior microbiology and immunology major Meera Patel said. “In normal circumstances, I remind myself that we’re tiny little specks in this big universe and that everything that is going to happen to me will pass…everything will turn out okay in the end.”
Tong’s thought process walking through the houses at Halloween Horror Nights also involved grounding himself in reality.
“I’ll just remember, ‘oh, it’s just an actor’ and then I’ll laugh about how good they got me,” Tong said.
Others, like Schwartz, approached their fears less preemptively.
“I don’t [cope]. I just face everything head on and I see how it goes,” Schwartz said. “Oh, and I scream a lot too. Yeah, lots of screaming.”
Having no plan for tackling your fears is perfectly valid. At least for Halloween Horror Nights, screaming is well encouraged.
Halloween Horror Nights runs on select nights Sept. 2 – Oct. 31 from 6:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. You can fnd more information about the haunted houses, tickets and more on the Universal Orlando Resort website.
When Miami-based hairstylist Melanie Adaros was in frst grade, she had a large collection of Barbie dolls, but felt they all looked the same. So, she did what any other 6-year-old would do — cut their hair and gave them personal makeovers.
To her parents, it seemed like their child was destroying all the Barbies they got for her, so they stopped buying her dolls. All the Barbie ban did, however, was encourage Adaros to turn the scissors to her own hair.
“I gave myself bangs in frst grade and then it just kind of evolved from there,” Adaros said.
At 25 years old, Adaros works as a hairstylist at the LUXE Color Lounge in Kendall, Fla. She specializes in alternative hairstyles, namely fantasy colors, mullets and shag hairstyles. At the same time, she’s also the bassist for SHIVVA, a shoegaze band based in South Florida.
While mullets and bright colors might not be the typical Miami look, Adaros has seen recent success because of the connections she has made at SHIVVA’s shows.
Adaros frst pursued hairdressing during her freshman year of high school, where she joined Robert Morgan Educational Center’s cosmetology program. As Adaros took cosmetology classes in high school, she also gathered enough hours to graduate with her hairdressing license.
“When people ask how long I’ve been doing hair, it’s tricky because I’m like ‘technically, I’ve been licensed since I was 18,’” Adaros said. “But I’ve been doing hair for years before that, because I started my beauty school when I was 13 as a freshman. So it’s like, ‘11 years?
Seven years? I don’t know.’”
Even then, she was creating and playing music on the side, mainly
with a band she created with friends in high school called Ikigai.
While Adaros obtained a hairdresser license in high school, she felt pressured to go to college. Before realizing college wasn’t for her, she attended Miami Dade College and majored in English while also working as an assistant at a salon.
Shortly after, she decided to pursue hairdressing full time at a South Miami salon. After spending time closely assisting another stylist, she was urged by a friend in 2016 to join an assistant program at another salon, which typically takes about eight months to complete. Adaros did it in half the time due to her years of experience.
Shortly after her swift completion of the program, Adaros was promoted to a hairstylist. However, she was the odd one out due to her interest in fantasy colors rather than the blondes and balayage stylists typically did. While playing with Ikigai, Adaros was able to build a clientele of others that were willing to try out the looks that she was interested in.
Eventually, due to the clash of different creative visions, she left that salon and moved over to Luxe Color Lounge in 2019. She assisted the salon’s owner and lead stylist, Annette Madrid, for some time before regaining her title of hairdresser.
“I’ve just kept growing and growing and growing, and now I’m an educator,” Adaros said.
At Luxe, she was also able to do the looks she had always wanted to try without any pushback.
“I mean, I can do natural hair. I love making anyone feel beautiful and happy and feeling like themselves,” Adaros said. “But I think my passion is defnitely with creative color and getting weird and getting to do weird haircuts.”
At this point, Adaros hadn’t been in the music scene for years.
She had left Ikigai to focus on hairdressing in 2017. Although she was growing as a hairstylist, she felt she got to a point where all she ever did was work, putting a strain on her mental health.
“Your job should not be your only thing that you have going on,” Adaros said, “I would just wake up, force myself to get ready, go to work, have a good time at work and then come home and just collapse and die.”
Seeing herself falling into an unhealthy pattern and growing overwhelmed by her role as a confdant while cutting hair, she sought both therapy and a healthy creative outlet. That’s when she began to reach out to people to make music again.
“I started to want to do something more again and have another creative outlet,” Adaros said “I started roller skating. I started doing jujitsu. And then, I met some people online that I had been following that I always thought were cool and I knew they had similar vibes as me.”
Monica Ferrer, SHIVVA’s lead vocalist and keyboardist, noticed Adaros on Instagram making music with some mutual friends and reached out to collaborate with a group of girls. While that never happened, Adaros later contacted Ferrer to ask if she wanted to play synth for a band she was trying to put together.
At the same time, Eddie Arce, SHIVVA’s guitarist, was also trying to start a band.
“She was in the scene, so I kind of knew of her,” Arce said of meeting Adaros. “We would just kind of say hi. But I offcially met her because I posted on my story once asking people to start a band and she just reached out and was like ‘Oh, I play bass!’”
Adaros and Arce combined their search for band members, and Ferrer was soon added into the
ensemble. With the addition of Adaros’s longtime friend Sebastian Crowe as drummer, SHIVVA was offcially born. In the year that they’ve been making music together, the band has played roughly 30 shows together.
“Music, that’s my hobby, but it’s also expression,” Adaros said. “Working with other people and letting all of our creative ideas fow and letting all those feelings out and letting everyone feel something — that’s a really great release for me.”
The lines between her career as a hairdresser and a participant in the music scene blur. People she meets at SHIVVA’s shows often end up making appointments at Luxe to get their hair styled by Adaros, especially since she creates the space for them to explore different ideas.
“It’s not intentional for me to be in the music scene to have clients,” Adaros said, “It’s just more, I’m around other creative people — other people that love expression, other people that think in similar ways that I do.”
Even Ferrer and Crowe have
gotten their hair done at Luxe. While Ferrer has not had Adaros cut her hair, she values the fact that alternative hairstylists like Adaros are emerging in South Florida.
Having been drawn to alternative aesthetics since she was younger, Ferrer cut and dyed her own hair because she couldn’t fnd a hairdresser that truly understood what she wanted.
“It’s nice that I can fnally be part of a community of the same aesthetics that I like,” Ferrer said.
Today, Adaros fnds herself in a happy place in both her career and her personal life. She’s aware that many of her clients come from word-of-mouth and she’s extremely grateful that people trust her with their hair.
“Now that I have energy, I just want to do everything,” Adaros said, “I don’t care. I’m going to make it happen if it just means having four hours asleep. I’ll be the best four hours asleep I have because I know the next day I’ll wake up and make people feel beautiful and do what I’ve been fghting for.”
As Miami men’s basketball head coach Jim Larrañaga was being introduced as a new inductee into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame at a Miami press conference, there was silence.
Larrañaga immediately replied with a joke.
“You didn’t even clap! It’s a pretty big deal! How many of you are in the Hall of Fame!”
Laughter followed from all who were in attendance, and the press conference went underway.
Larrañaga provides some funny moments for the players, media and fans alike. Multiple videos of the head coach have gone internet viral of him dancing in the locker room after bigtime wins.
When it comes to basketball itself, he does not joke around.
Numbers only tell half the story. Larrañaga has the most wins of any coach in the program’s history with 367 in the 11 seasons that he has coached so far. He is a twotime Atlantic Coast Conference
Coach of the Year recipient (2013 & 2016), AP Coach of the Year (2013), andhe brought the ‘Canes their frst ACC title ever in 2013.
“Always full of energy, and really hungry to win all the time.
He’s just a winner.” Guard Filippos Gkogkos said about Larrañaga.
“Every single thought that he has about basketball is how to win.
He strategizes a lot, viewing the game like a game of chess: make the best move on the chess board.”
That mentality l has brought his team recent success, and it is a reason for why the head coach is going to be inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame. Past success, however, is not something that Larrañaga dwells on.
“Very very excited about being selected, but my focus right now is preparing our team for the upcoming season.” Larrañaga said to reporters at a recent press conference.
After coming off the best NCAA Tournament fnish in program history last season by reaching the
Elite Eight, the Hurricanes added to their roster tremendously. High profle transfers in point guard Nijel Pack and forward Norchad Omier, joined the squad in the offseason. They were sold on the idea that they can compete for a championship and can grow into some of the best players in the country under Larrañaga, who believes that this team is one of the most competitive he has ever coached at Miami.
“I haven’t felt this good about a team since 2012-2013.” Larrañaga said.
Additionally, Larrañaga has shown a side of himself with his players that make them appreciate him as a coach.
“He’s such a wonderful character. I like listening to him speak. Everything he says to me and the team I try to take in because he wants to see us all win, and I appreciate him being my coach.” sophomore point guard Bensley Joseph said about Larrañaga.
Coach L has even shown that he is patient with player development
and that every single player on the squad has importance to him.
“He’s a very patient coach.” freshman center Favour Aire said. “He’s not rushing us to adapt fast or making certain qualities or skills necessary. It’s a quality that I respect a lot.”
Not only does Larrañaga express his character to the team,
but he also shows it to the rest of the university.
Whether attending a Miami baseball game or lecturing to students in classes, his presence at that moment commands the attention of all in his vicinity. He shows kindness to all people that come up to him and has a big smile on his face when doing so.
Revenge is sweet, but it is even sweeter when it is against a rival. With a desire to win and with a fred-up team, the Miami Hurricanes football team (4-4, 2-2 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)) is playing for revenge Saturday as they take on conference rivalsFlorida State (FSU)(5-3, 3-3 ACC) at 7:30 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium.
The rivalry is easily the biggest at the University of Miami and one of the biggest in all of sports. The two teams frst met in 1953, with Miami leading the series 35-31.
The rivalry began to reach its prime in the 1980s when both teams were powerhouses in college football.
“To me, personally, that is the greatest rivalry in sports,” Miami head coach Mario Cristobal said at the ACC Media Day in July. “The intensity, the caliber of player, the caliber of play, the physicality and of course the dramatic turns of those games were incredible.”
Cristobal, a former Miami offensive lineman, was on the winning side of the rivalry three times. He was also part of the 1989 and 1991 National Championship teams under legendary head coach Jimmy Johnson.
Recently, it has been Miami’s caliber of play that has been the better of the two teams. The Hurricanes have won four out of the last fve matchups against the Seminoles, with the loss coming last season when they lost a 3128 heartbreaker in Tallahassee, Florida..
“The locker room [was] frustrated and sad; especially for the guys in their last year,” tight end Will Mallory said after last year’s defeat. “We wanted to send them out the right way. This one stings. You say, ‘move on from it’ but you don’t forget that. You don’t want to forget that feeling,
because you don’t ever want to feel that feeling again.”
The game had started off poorly for the Hurricanes, giving up a 17-0 lead early on. The ‘Canes were able to climb back and take a lead of 28-23 going into FSU’s fnal drive with 2:19 remaining in the game.
Led by quarterback Jordan Travis, who will lead the Seminoles’ offense again this time around, FSU marched 80 yards down the feld to take the lead with less than 30 seconds left and beat Miami.
In the last game these two teams layed at Hard Rock Stadium,
Miami thrashed Florida State, 52-10. The Hurricanes had 517 total yards of offense and were led by quarterback D’Eriq King, who fnished the contest with 267 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and 65 rushing yards on eight attempts. He currently plays for the DC Defenders of the XFL.
This matchup against FSU may be one that defnes the rest of the season. The Hurricanes have lost their three previous games at Hard Rock Stadium and are trying to improve to a positive record for the frst time since being 2-1 more than a month ago.
The Miami Hurricanes men’s and women’s basketball teams are just days away from the start of their seasons on Nov. 7.
Both programs made history last year, with the men making their first Elite Eight appearance in team history while the women advanced to the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Game for the first time ever.
However, thanks to an abundance of transfers, Miami basketball looks much different in 2022. Can the men and women continue last year’s success? Here are key storylines to watch this season.
Key transfers will make or break men’s basketball
Kameron McGusty, Sam Waardenburg and Charlie Moore led the team in points, rebounds, and assists last season, respectively, but none of them will return this year.
To replace these players, the Hurricanes looked to the transfer portal.
From Kansas State, guard Nijel Pack joins the ACC after making First Team All-Big 12. He averaged 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 43.6% from three in 2021-22.
“How fast [the Hurricanes] played, how free they played. I feel like every guy out there was really, really happy on that team,” Pack said about Miami after watching it last season. “This is something I really want to be a part of.”
The ‘Canes also acquired former Arkansas State starting forward Norchad Omier, the Sun Belt Player of the Year and the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year in 2021-22.
The 6-foot-7 sophomore from Nicaragua averaged a double-double with 17.9 points and 12.2 rebounds per game last season. He also recorded 56 blocks and 46 steals.
Collectively, Pack and Omier were dominant at their former schools last season and will need to return that production to the court this year for Miami to continue to grow.
“Coming from a mid-major to a high major, [there is] just a lot of talent on the
team. You got to bring your best every day, you got to show up, show the coaches everything every day,” Omier said.
Isaiah Wong should emerge as the leader of men’s basketball New Jersey native Isaiah Wong was a big factor in Miami’s run to the Elite Eight last season.
The guard was a Third Team All-ACC member who averaged 15.7 points per game and Miami’s leading scorer in its first two games in the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
“Every year there is always something to improve on. I’m always in the gym working out, trying to be more consistent as a player,” Wong said at the ACC tipoff in Charlotte.
Wong has received no shortage of praise from colleagues.
“I’m on the road all summer for the first time recruiting for the University of Miami, and all coaches are talking about is Isaiah Wong and how hard he is to guard and how hard he is to prepare for,” new assistant coach Kotie Kimble said.
If the preseason First Team All-ACC honoree lives up to expectations, the Hurricanes will be a force in college basketball this season.
Cavinder twins will be crucial on the court for women’s basketball Anybody could assume that Miami likes the attention Hanna and Haley Cavinder, whose joint Tiktok account has over four million followers, bring to Coral Gables this season after transferring from Fresno State.
All might be well on the social end, but followers won’t translate to winning and the Cavinder twins will be asked to do a lot this season.
“I have not seen them frustrated,” head coach Kaite Meier said. “They have elevated this team with their determination.”
Fortunately, the twins have plenty of talent. Haley was an All-Mountain West Team member with Fresno State last season while setting an NCAA record in free throw percentage at 97.3%. She averaged 19.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game.
Her sister Hanna started in 29 games and finished 10th in the conference in scoring with 14.6 points per game and
sixth in the conference with 1.8 steals per game.
“We know we needed shot makers and we got them and we’re happy to have them,” Meier said.
The Cavinders will need to carry over their success to Miami if the ‘Canes want to make a run in the NCAA tournament.
Elite offense could bring women’s basketball to the next level Miami was a very solid defensive team last season. Finishing fourth in the ACC, the Hurricanes only allowed teams to score 58.4 points per game.
It wasn’t the same story on offense, however. Miami finished second to last in scoring in the ACC, averaging 60.9 points per game.
The Cavinder twins should help, but Miami could also use a big offensive year from Destiny Harden and Ja’Leah Williams. Harden, a graduate student, was effective as she averaged 7.7 points
after returning from injury.
Williams averaged 7.3 points last year and is only a sophomore. If she can improve on a good freshman campaign, it could go a long way for the ‘Canes.
. “If we don’t have energy, Ja’Leah brings it. If we need a big-time defensive play, Ja’Leah brings it,” Meier said. “The team’s identity has a lot to do with Ja’Leah.”
Since most of the scoring will likely come from the perimeter players, seniors Moulayna Johnson Sidi Baba and Lola Pendande could be due for a big year down low as opportunities open up.
Coming off historic years, men’s and women’s basketball are poised for continued success. Fans will get to see both teams in action on Nov. 7, when the women open their season against Maryland Eastern Shore at the Watsco Center before the men take on Lafayette later that night.
The Boston College Eagles put together a gritty, toughearned victory to quiet a recently resurgent Miami Hurricanes volleyball team on Friday night at the Margot Connell Recreation Center.
Boston College (15-10, 3-8 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)) pushed past the Hurricanes (13-9, 6-5 ACC) three sets to one for its third conference win of the year. To start the contest, Boston College rushed to a 5-1 lead in the opening set. The ‘Canes
would go on a brief run to get within one point but from there it was all Eagles, as they would go on an 11-4 run to build a comfortable cushion.
Consistent attacking allowed Boston College to ward off Miami’s attempts to get back in the set as it coasted to a 25-20 win.
In the second set, Miami improved its consistency greatly. They trailed Boston College for most of the set, but they remained within striking distance.
Boston College looked like they had another set in the bag as it claimed a 24-22 lead, bringing
up two set points. However, Miami fought off both points with two straight kills, before having a set point of its own which it converted. With four straight high pressure points, the ‘Canes were right back in the match, winning the set 26-24.
To begin the third set, Miami would get in front early for the first time in the match. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, this success was short lived as Boston College went on a 7-2 run in the middle of the set.
The sudden surge in points left Miami stranded, and Boston College would power its way to
a 25-17 third set victory and a commanding 2-1 lead.
Entering a potentially decisive fourth set, the stakes were high, and both teams responded with exceptional play. It initially went back and forth with the two schools trading kills and aces, but the ‘Canes eventually found themselves with a 19-14 lead.
Just as they had done all night, the Eagles would go on yet another run to get within one at 20-19.
The inflection point came at 23-23. With a chance for both teams to steal the set, Boston College would snuff Miami’s
hopes of extending the match. Two consecutive kills by Jenna Pollock took the set, 25-23, and the match.
The two teams were neck- in virtually every stat except for aces. Boston College racked up nine to Miami’s one, giving the Eagles fuel for their runs.
‘Canes senior Savannah Vach had another exceptional performance with 41 assists in the losing effort. The Hurricanes will travel further north for another important ACC match against the Syracuse Orange on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 1 p.m.
The Miami Hurricanes battled out a 14-12 victory in four overtimes on the road against Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponent Virginia on Saturday afternoon.
“I can’t say enough about the resiliency of the team,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “Just really proud of guys for effort, for toughness and for playing hard the whole way through.”
The first half was filled with defense, as both teams combined for ten first half punts. Miami kicker Andres Borregales nailed a 38-yard field goal with two seconds left in the second quarter to give Miami (4-4, 2-2 ACC) a 3-0 lead at halftime.
Virginia (3-5, 1-4 ACC) started off the second half with a drive that ended in a 27-yard field goal, tying the game at 3-3.
Later in the third quarter, Virginia decided to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the goal line. Miami’s defensive line held strong and got a stop to keep the game tied.
Early in the fourth quarter, Virginia had another red zone chance. Miami’s bend don’t break defense was able to hold Virginia again. The Cavaliers took a 6-3 lead with 12 minutes remaining after
draining a 24-yard field goal.
A series of punts in the fourth quarter gave Miami a chance to win the game. With five minutes left and the ball on its own 45-yard line, Miami was in prime position. A series of runs from running back Henry Parish set Miami up with a 20-yard field goal, which they hit as time expired to head to overtime.
The offense continued to struggle in extra time, as a Hurricanes’ quick threeand-out led to a 42-yard field goal from Borregales that gave Miami a 9-6 lead in the first overtime.
Miami’s defense stepped up again, as a huge third down sack from Leonard Taylor forced a three-and-out for Virginia. Cavalier kicker Will Bettridge then nailed a 41-yard field goal to send the game into a second overtime.
Virginia was forced to kick another field goal in the second overtime, taking a 12-9 lead. Miami needed a score to extend the game, which it got with Borregales’ 37-yard field goal.
In the third overtime, where each team needed a two-point conversion to win, Miami quarterback Jake Garcia, making his first career start in place of the injured Tyler Van Dyke, threw a bad interception. Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson made the play of the day right after, breaking up a lob pass in the
end zone to send the game into a fourth overtime.
Pressure from Miami defenders forced Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong to throw a pass out of the end zone on the Cavalier’s two-point attempt.
The Hurricanes then went with playaction to set up a Garcia run up the right side of the field. Garcia dove towards the end zone to give Miami a 14-12 victory.
Miami’s defense did exactly what they were supposed to do all day, containing
Although the offense struggled without starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, the run game continued to shine with Parish racking up a game-high 114 yards on 25 carries.
Miami’s next test will be against instate rival Florida State at Hard Rock Stadium next Saturday, Nov. 5. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Have a question for V? Email
dearv@themiamihurricane. com.
V’s take is The Hurricane’s most controversial and longest-running column. It is a satirical work published biweekly by students and for students. Using our generation’s “colorful” language to address all things sex, love and gossip on campus, V is not for the politically correct or easily offended.
Happy homecoming! I’m sure you’ve been made abundantly aware that our neighbors to the north, Florida State University, will be on our turf for a football rivalry game as old as time. No matter the outcome of Saturday’s game, we can all rest assured that we, our proud community of ‘Canes, have won the best prize of them all; Unlike the thousands of safety-school-Seminols of Talla-nasty, we got into the U. If I had the pleasure of writing one of the many rejection letters addressed to a now FSU student, it would go a little something like this:
Dear Florida State University,
We would like to thank you for taking the time to apply to the University of Miami in sunny Coral Gables. We had an exceptional pool of applicants this cycle (had it been a literal cesspool, you’d have been an exceptional applicant) and we were very critical in our decision making (maybe had you done the same with your one-night stands, your crotch would itch a little less). With that being said, we regret (lol, not even a little) to inform you that we are unable to offer you a seat in our incoming class.
We found your application (though written with purple Crayon) to be very engaging. Specifcally, your personal statement on “the time you won the big game.” Your letter of recommendation from your primary care physician, Dr. Gonearia was beautiful. Their anecdote about your perseverance over both chlamydia and not one but two of the heps was truly astounding. In the words of Dr. Gonearia, you really stayed (and probably still are) “positive.”
Despite these many shocking accomplishments, we simply cannot accept a kindergarten certifcate of completion in place of a high school diploma or GRE (if this certifcate were awarded by at least one of your previously mentioned one-night stands then maybe we could overlook this, but that is simply not the case no matter how convincing her moans … Side note: the “chop” simply isn’t doing it for her).
Thank you again for your interest in the University of Miami and we wish you the best in your future endeavors. Go ‘Canes!
Sincerely, University of Miami Admissions Team
Yours always, V
