BY LAUREN FERRER STAFF WRITER
More than 200 classrooms in Miami Dade County Public Schools began the 2022-23 academic school year without an assigned teacher. The University of Miami, in partnership with Achieve Miami and Teach for America, developed the Teacher Accelerator Program to combat the teacher shortage by guaranteeing undergraduate seniors a teaching position in Miami Dade Public Schools after a one semester course and summer internship.
“If you are living in this country, any child, every child should have access to a quality education, no matter their background, no matter their zip code.” Les -
lie Miller-Saiontz, founder and president of Achieve Miami and the TAP program, said. Students traditionally become teachers after earning a fouryear degree in education, passing multiple certification exams and completing student teaching hour requirements. TAP hopes to shift this model. Students from all backgrounds and majors will study their area of interest, and through TAP, develop the skills and knowledge necessary to then teach.
“I’m a Teach for America alum, so I went through the six weeks of training and was handed the keys to my classroom. I ended up staying for seven years and fell in love with it,” Jasmine Calin-Micek, director of pro -
gramming for TAP, said. “But I also acknowledged that a little bit more training would have been helpful, and that’s where we have expanded the training for this alternative certification.”
Senior undergraduates in their spring semester participating in TAP will complete a one-semester course at UM (TAL 590) focused on teaching the fundamentals of skills that are vital in K-12 classrooms. The course is followed by a paid summer internship with Teach for America or Achieve Miami. At the end of the program, students will receive professional teaching certification and a full-time employment contract with MiamiDade County Public Schools.
“We are saying come take this class. There’s a four step method with support along the way,” Miller-Saiontz said. “We will be there to celebrate you, to mentor you, and provide anything else you need.”
Dr. Matthew Deroo, the assistant professor of digital literacies for multilingual students in the University of Miami Department of Teaching and Learning developed the course curriculum for TAL 590 along with Dr. Jennifer Krawec, the assistant professor of practice in the Department of Teaching and Learning.
The curriculum focuses on three areas of study: the sociocultural history of schooling, how to build relationships with students and how to adapt and modify curriculums.
“The second module of study takes a non-traditional stance around the notion of resistance.” Deroo said. “We often see student resistance as a negative thing, but teachers and relationships are really important for learning. If students don’t feel like they have a sense of belonging, that might be a reason that they resist schooling.”
TAP students must pass state certification exams to move forward into classroom teaching and be placed into a classroom in the fall.
The internship portion is a project based learning experience. Alongside veteran teachers, students will observe classrooms in the morning and then engage in professional development in the afternoon.
“Students will be led by an
instructional coach that will say: this is how you have small conversations with kids. This is how you lead group discussions with students. This is how you make sure that you are being culturally responsive in your classroom.” Calin-Micek said. Participants will spend time at Teach for America summer sites where they are guided by the support of a veteran teacher and an instructional coach selected by TAP to practice skills before getting in front of kids. Students will also be taught life skills to aid their transition from being a student in the college environment to being a teacher living in Miami.
“You’re not born a teacher. You can be taught to be a teacher and that’s what we’re committed to at TAP.” said Calin-Micek. “To anyone who’s thinking: I don’t know if I have the patience or I don’t have this or that, I have a story to say you’re likely not, that’s probably not true, and you’d probably be a great teacher.”
Piloted in spring 2023, TAP is the first initiative of its kind in Florida. Achieve Miami is in preliminary discussions with other universities interested in expanding the program nationally.
In spring of 2024, TAL 590 will be available for enrollment to undergraduate seniors with a major that the State of Florida recognizes for teaching. If you are considering the program, contact Jasmine Calin-Micek at jasmine@teacheraccelerator.org for more information.
On the morning of Feb. 6 a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked northern and western regions of Syria and southern and central parts of Turkey.
With the epicenter just 40 km west of Gaziantep, a major city in southcentral Turkey, the event has caused insurmountable damage and devastated tens of thousands of lives across the two countries.
Beginning Monday morning, 25,000 search and rescue workers in Turkey have been working tirelessly to recover civilians from under the rubble.
As of Feb. 10, the death toll has risen to 21,000, surpassing that of another devastating earthquake that hit northwest Turkey in 1999, which killed over 17,000 people.
In addition to the astounding death toll, the crisis has left hundreds of
thousands of people in both countries homeless. People have resorted to fnding shelter in mosques, supermarkets and amid the buildings reduced to rubble.
While it is diffcult to gauge the extent of the damage, experts at the World Health Organization estimate that around 23 million people will be affected by the earthquake.
President Julio Frenk released a statement to the UM community on Feb. 7 acknowledging the event and offering solidarity to those affected by the earthquake.
“The devastation and humanitarian crisis unleashed by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria are powerful reminders of our shared vulnerability to disasters which can devastate individuals, families and communities across the globe,” President Frenk said.
The statement also included a list of charities providing humanitarian assistance to the region, including the
AKUT Search and Rescue Association, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and Doctors without Borders.
Over a dozen countries, including the U.S, South Korea, China and the European Union have offered humanitarian aid to the regions affected.
In addition to pledging over $85 million in humanitarian aid, the U.S. has dispatched its highly trained Urban Search and Rescue Teams, engineers, emergency managers and paramedics to the hardest-hit areas of Turkey.
Historically tense diplomatic relations between the two countries has further aggravated the disaster, with many political factors preventing the fow of key resources.
The Syrian government has expressed concerns over territorial integrity and sovereignty as Turkey delivers aid to the rebel-occupied northwest of Syria.
Anne-Marie Issa, a junior studying political science, international studies and history, spoke on the confict, calling attention to Syria’s vulnerable position in restoration efforts.
“This earthquake has exacerbated the existing conficts in the region in more ways than one,” Issa said. “The areas affected by the earthquake in Syria, particularly, have been those holding a large population of rebel forces against the dictatorial regime. Syria has been signifcantly underserved in the search and rescue efforts, despite aid being dispatched from Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian Territories and the United States.”
Amidst political tensions, there is a question of whether or not Turkey and Syria are receiving their fair share of humanitarian resources.
One student from Syria explained some of the barriers that Syrians are facing as they look to acquire outside aid.
“All the resources are depleted
with absence of basics and medical supplies,” said junior biochemistry and molecular biology major Louay AlDaher. “On top of that, there are sanctions that prevent Syrians from receiving direct aid from many countries, leaving them with a president who only cares about his bottom line, refusing aid or support to his people and his nation.”
Students standing in solidarity with Turkey and Syria are emphasizing the need for an equal share of assistance to both countries, regardless of diplomatic tensions in the international community.
“No one is talking about it. The Syrian people are in need of international assistance, all of which has been blocked by Russia’s veto power. The Syrian people need our prayers and support during this time,” Issa said. Students and faculty can learn more about how they can help humanitarian and restoration efforts in the Miami area here.
Music, dancing and the smell of delicious foods from across Asia flled the air on Monday evening as the Asian American Student Association (AASA) rang in the Lunar New Year with a campus-wide festival. Their preparations culminated in an epic festival that welcomed hundreds of people to Lakeside Patio to usher in the year of the rabbit.
“We have tents, a bunch of lights, great food, and amazing performers,” Mintra Putlek, a senior at UM and the president of AASA, said. “We try to mimic the conjunction of the actual celebrations which is what brings life to the event.”
Lunar New Year is a celebration of the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. The lunar calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, so the dates of the holiday vary slightly from year to year. The Chinese zodiac pairs animal signs to each lunar year in a cycle of 12 years and 2023 falls on the year of the Rabbit.
Lunar New Year is celebrated by numerous Asian countries and cul-
tures, however the celebratory customs of each differ. AASA looked to share the joy and sense of community that come with the holiday by including traditions and performances from a variety of cultures.
“The Lunar New Year festival is one of the biggest events of the year for our organization,” Eva Ni, a member of the CSSA said.
The event is organized annually on campus providing students with a space to celebrate and feel connected to their culture, especially when many students are far from home.
“Asians make up a very signifcant majority of the world population, but being in a place where it is not predominantly Asian, one can sometimes feel out of touch with their culture,” Putlek said. “Hosting these large-scale events at UM helps bring the community together, harbors pride, joy, and a sense of connection.”
Lunar New Year also serves as an educational opportunity for students from all cultures to learn about the holiday’s customs.
“The hardest part of making the
festival was fnding the best way to convey your own culture to those who are not part of it,” Ni said. In conjunction with music, food and entertainment, guests engaged with a variety of student organizations that were hosting various activities at the event. Guests were given a chance to play traditional games from different countries and learn more about each culture. There were Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Indian games for the guests to enjoy. Each booth was set up by a different cultural organization from UM.
“I realized that the customs of Asian cultures differed vastly from country to country. I participated in almost all of the booths,” said Derin Kalkanoglu, a sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering. “ I played Carrom which is an Indian board game. Then I went over to the CSSA booth and tried to play the huge instrument called Guzheng. It was so fun.”
At the forefront of this celebration, however, was the food. Customary Lunar New Year foods are an essential part of the New Year celebration
and bring communities together.
“The Lunar New Year is about reuniting with loved ones and sharing food,” Joy Wang, a junior and the former vice president of CSSA said.
AASA prepared Sushi Maki and Chinese food options for the guests to enjoy as they waited for performances to kick off.
“The line for the food was ridiculously long, but it was totally worth the wait,” shared Mercan Yanyali, a freshman at UM.
The night concluded with a se-
ries of both traditional and modern performances on the lakeside patio stage.
“It was amazing seeing the traditional lion dance followed by the UM’s K-pop dance team,” added Yanyali.
To learn more about the activities, organizations, and performances that took place in the Lunar New Year festival, check out @aasaum on Instagram.
Akheel Townsend and Emmaus Yonas’ friendship “clicked” immediately as roommates,” now they are entrepreneurs on the cusp of infltrating the world of fashion through their clothing brand BLEACH.
The concept of BLEACH originated in 2016 in the 15-year-old brain of Townsend and would later solidify into a substantiated business upon meeting Yonas, the co-owner and artistic arm of the brand, in 2019.
“I thought BLEACH was just like an edgy name to go with it,” Townsend said. “The idea behind it was just to create a brand that had an abrasive element but still a pop of color, liveliness and purity to it.”
BLEACH features a line of logo tshirts, hoodies, crop tops and matching sets.
Behind eye-catching bleached garments, the unique logo is hard to miss, as it cleverly illustrates the word “bleach” in sign language.
The design was inspired by Yonas’s uncle who was born deaf.
“This is the second logo design, but it is the main logo,” Yonas said. “I just thought the sign language was pretty cool and my uncle is deaf on my mom’s side, so all of us kind of know it to be able to speak to him.”
Townsend and Yonas shared that it took a full year to offciate the identity of BLEACH after deciding to join forces. They divulged that they used the pandemic as a season of “trying different combinations” and “bouncing ideas off of each other.”
Their social media presence and ecommerce site bleachccmiami. com, offcially launched in February of 2022.
“It was very tedious,” Townsend said about the process. “Going through fnding multiple suppliers, networking with a whole different set of people than what we’re used to. It’s just a day to day balance between trying to fgure out new designs, how to bring in new customers and also how to increase proft while maintaining consistency and quality.”
Yonas and Townsend resolved to
print their own clothes as a way of increasing proft and maintaining creative freedom.
“We basically make every shirt that comes out our doors, “ Townsend said. “The frst round we had over 120 shirts and we almost sold out all of them.”
BLEACH.
As a health science major with triple minors in chemistry, sociology and public health and an architecture major with a minor in art, Townsend and Yonas career paths strikingly differ from fashion. But the duo said that their inclination to entrepreneurship and passion for artistic expression is what continues to inspire
“It’s really not not all about the money, especially for us,” Yonas said. We do try to focus on maximizing profts and getting the most out of it but we just fell in love with the brand when we started making it. Even if nobody else buys it, I’ll still wear it.”
Townsend specifcally has entrepreneurship in his blood as his father owns a Caribbean restaurant and his mother is an accounting manager, who often contributes her fnancial insight to BLEACH.
“The actual running of a business and entrepreneurship spirit, I def-
nitely get it from both of them [parents] together, “ said Townsend who is from New Jersey “My mom is like a fnancial guru.
According to Yonas and Townsend, the future of BLEACH is bright and “not even the sky’s the limit.” They hope to enter new spaces and
from having the brand.”
With success also bears challenges, Yonas speaks about being a full time student and simultaneously running a business.
“So there’s a lot to balance. But it’s just about being persistent and combining our strengths, Yonas said. It’s more of the business side with his [Townsend] background and I’m more graphic design. So this is one of the strengths that comes with bleach.”
Yonas and Townsend said they appreciate the support shown by their UM community. They even invited students to model for BLEACH marketing campaigns and photoshoots.
“The models look at it as a mutually benefcial situation because lots of them want to be infuencers and models overall,” Townsend said. “One of the best parts is just seeing people wear it, seeing people support, seeing people buy it, “ Yonas said. “Because that’s your work and that’s something that you created, so it just feels good to see it all come to fruition.”
As an ode to UM, BLEACH has a shirt with the classic green and orange colorway.
Yonas and Townsend weigh in on owning a black-owned business.
“Being a black-owned business feels amazing,” Townsend said. “I have cousins and family members that also look up to me and the fact that I was able to get this done and stay dedicated to it.”
Yonas adds that accessibility can oftentimes pose a challenge for young black budding entrepreneurs.
“I feel like a lot of black youth don’t get the opportunities to start their own business because they don’t have as many resources as other communities,” Yonas said. “So it was nice that we could start this and keep it going.”
achieve new goals such as opening a storefront and attaching a print shop.
“We have ample designs and a good following right now and we can only grow from here, “ Townsend said. “There are even things that we’re talking about, not necessarily directly relating to BLEACH, but employing the skills that we learned
On Feb. 27, BLEACH will have its frst on-campus pop up shop. The event is in collaboration with another student-run clothing brand 2REAL Apparel and will be located by the Lakeside canopy from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Shop BLEACH at bleachccmiami. com and follow them on Instagram.
The University of Miami Department of Housing and Residential Life (HRL) announced a new application process with hopes for a smoother room selection for the 2023 on-campus application. With no guarantee of accommodation, continuing students are gearing up for another battle for on-campus housing.
When the application opened on Feb. 3, the application website crashed, creating a long line of anxious in-person visitors at HRL’s office on the first floor of Eaton Residential College. Most students who came in person were looking to resolve an issue
regarding their roommates. It was found out that a glitch in the application switched the gender of the student applying, and the list of roommates was incorrect.
“It’s been a busy week. We had the most in-person visitors we’ve had in a long time,” Julian Villeta, a student employee at the HRL office, said. “Students usually solve issues over email. The gender issue took up about 60% of the phone calls we received.”
A payment glitch caused applications to look like they went through, but in reality those applications were not completed and resulted in an error.
“The issues I had while applying were an error in submitting my payment and then figuring
out how to accept roommate groups. It was confusing.” Annie Watson, a first-year student studying broadcast journalism, said.
The housing application for continuing students closed on Feb. 9 at 11:59 p.m. Continuing student housing room selection will take place Feb. 15 through Feb. 21, starting with University Village (UV), Lakeside Village (LSV) and then Eaton Residential College (Eaton).
During the spring 2023 semester, HRL contacted some students with more than 60 credits to leave Eaton and move to the UV. Those who decided to move immediately were promised housing for next year. Study abroad programs and UMLA
have created vacancies, soon to be filled by students living in THesis Hotel.Current UV residents have the best chance of securing housing next year as they can reselect the room they have now.
“I decided to move because I was told I would have a better chance at getting housing next semester.” Aris Montero, a second-year studying creative advertising, said. “As an international student I can’t commute due to not having a driver’s license that is valid in the U.S., so I wanted to have a secure plan for next year.”
Instead of basing it on the individual’s housing/enrollment deposit date, appointment times for room selection will be gen -
erated at random. However, appointment times take group size into account. Times will be emailed directly to students in the afternoon of Feb. 10 for UV and LSV and in the afternoon of Feb. 20 for Eaton.
There is a larger inventory of four-bedroom options, so students who have a suitemate group established during the application process will have a better chance of receiving oncampus housing.
Juniors and seniors will only be eligible to live in University Village allowing space in Lakeside Village for rising sophomores only. For students who were unable to select a room, waitlists are available to join depending on preference.
On Feb. 1, the Florida High School Athletics Association (FHSAA) released a new draft of a physical examination form that would require high school female athletes to provide their menstrual history to make sure each student is healthy.
On Thursday, the controversial proposal was retracted due to swarms of reports from parents that were against the requirement for various reasons. With a fnal vote of 14-2, the FHSAA’s Board of Directors decided to remove menstrual-related questions from the form after an emergency meeting.
Some examples of the questions include, “When was your last period?” “How many periods have you had in the last year?” and “What was the longest time between periods in the last year?”
“It seems like invasive, unnecessary surveillance of young
women’s bodies,” said Brenna Munro, an English professor who teaches about the transgender community.
Last June, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill, on the frst day of Pride Month, that banned transgender females from participating in sports in public high schools throughout the state. However, DeSantis claimed that he signed the bill because he wanted to create utter fairness in women’s sports, according to CNN.
The governor received waves of backlash for the bill, claiming that he was attacking the LGBTQ+ community intentionally through his political agenda. Florida became the 8th state in the country to enforce such bans.
Many advocates against the potential for providing menstrual history argued that this requirement would fall in line with what they believed DeSantis was trying to promote: isolation and targeting of the transgender community.
“The gathering of this informa-
tion could potentially allow people who are neither family members nor healthcare providers to know, or suspect, that a student is pregnant, or has been pregnant; or that they are transgender,” Munro said.
Another concern with the form stemmed from the worry that these individuals’ menstrual and other health information could be used to justify the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the mentioned transgender law that DeSantis approved.
Roe v. Wade brought much attention to the menstrual physical examination form questions, once it was overturned, which were optional at the time, as the case provided implications for a women’s right to privacy over her body. With the case overturned, some were worried that the case would be used as justifcation for requiring this information on the forms.
“This proposal, if enacted, would have been part of a thorough-going extension of state
control over education, and over young people’s lives; and part of a political production of moral panic,” Munro said. “It would also be a case study in how abortion and transgender rights are linked through the issue of bodily autonomy — and the right to control data about your body.”
Similarly, with the ongoing LGBTQ+ community feeling targeted in Florida, this requirement also became a concern for their ability to participate in school sports or be involved in anything school-related.
“I think it is a direct attack on the transgender youth in the sports arena,” Brittany Frizzelle, an advocate for reproductive rights at the Power U Center for Social Change in Miami said to NPR. However, there were some students and individuals who would not have had a particular problem with providing this information and answering these questions.
“I wouldn’t mind sharing my menstrual history,” freshman real
estate major Maddie Seder, said. “Other people do have problems with that — I think it’s a personal preference. But this could probably make LGBTQ+ students feel bad. No one wants to feel like they don’t belong with everyone else.”
Parents have argued that they want the right over their children’s private information, and their children should not be obligated to share such history with the FHSAA, or any other organization that they do not feel comfortable with.
Luckily, those avidly against these implications do not have to worry about the consequences of ousting their children’s information. The new form only requires students to provide information that shows they are healthy enough to play their sport, according to Miami New Times. “It’s really hard,” Seder said. “Everyone should feel and be included.”
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toms. Could the same be done for corals?
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BY GRACE SYNDER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
This article was the 2022 firstplace winner of the University of Miami Graduate Op-Ed Challenge.
Imagine your next snorkeling vacation at a barren underwater desert. The vibrant corals and bright flashes of darting fish reduced to nothing but a bleak wasteland.This reality is around the corner.
We’ve been seeing a decline in coral reef health for decades. Scientists have undeniably proven that greenhouse gas emissions are responsible for the global increase in temperature and ocean acidification, the top contributors to coral decline. Yet, political and economic restraints prevent the reversal of greenhouse gas emissions at a sufficient rate.
So how can we buy corals the time they need until such drastic changes can be met? The answer might be in human medicine.
Patients diagnosed with leukemia or Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are often faced with intense, harmful treatments of chemotherapy or radiation. This leaves the body with a diminished blood cell supply. It’s becoming common to follow these treatments with stem cell therapies to reintroduce healthy stem cells, ultimately providing new blood cells and mitigating unpleasant symp-
Coral gardening is currently the favored practice of coral preservation amongst coral conservationists. Artificial structures, usually made out of PVC pipes or plastic mesh, are built to provide a “nursery.” On these nurseries, small coral fragments are cultivated by conservationists and volunteers until they reach an optimal size. At this point they are “outplanted” on the reef using a marine epoxy, or glue. While efforts can focus on corals that are more tolerant of higher temperatures, this technique requires endless hours of manpower, reduces the diversity of corals on the reef and is time-consuming due to corals’ slowgrowing nature. While this method has undoubtedly provided relief for many reefs, it is not sustainable enough for the future of corals. Optimal solutions would be able to prevent the declining health of adult corals already present on the reef. To this end, genome editing and probiotic treatments are examples of solutions under consideration. These methods hold water and should be further explored, but they present their own issues.
As in human cancer patients, stem cell therapy may be the ideal solution. Transplanting stem cells from a resilient coral to one more susceptible, would preserve adult corals already existing on the reef, maintain the genetic diversity, require less maintenance by conservationists and volunteers and maintain the reef structure which is so necessary for the entire ecosystem. So why haven’t we tried stem cell therapy on corals?
The problem is simple: we don’t know if corals have stem cells. Closely related animals (think anemones and jellyfish) have been shown to possess these regenerative cells, suggesting corals might, too. Testing this is no simple task, unfortunately. A common method
of identifying stem cells in other animals is to use a fluorescent tag for common stem cell-associated markers, similar to how we detect antibodies. However, corals possess a wide range of natural fluorescent proteins, making it impossible to distinguish the stem cell markers. To overcome this, researchers at the University of Miami have identified a population of cells that exhibit many characteristics of stem cells across the animal kingdom. These small, structurally simple and rare cells show a gene expression signature similar to an unspecialized cell, which provides convincing evidence that these are indeed stem cells.
With this kernel of hope, the net stage of this research is addressing the logistics: How do we transplant stem cells, and which corals should act as the donors? Corals are essentially animals in rock-form, making classic needle-based injections a challenging mode of transplantation.
One avenue to explore is the application of short-term hydrogels. Commonly used as wound dressings in humans, hydrogels are an ideal substance for donor cell transfers,
and act as a physical barrier against physical damage and infection.
The second factor to consider is which corals should serve as the donors. Just as our blood type determines from whom we can receive blood transfusions, there may be genetic compatibility factors that will need to be considered on top of resiliency to heat and other stressors. However, considering that many coral species are capable of growing and fusing together, the probability of successful transplantations seems high.
Despite the hurdles, this research should proceed. We are way past the luxury of questioning if human intervention is necessary or acceptable. According to greenhouse gas emission and temperature predictions by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, corals will face annual mass bleaching and mortality events by 2050. The current methods of coral conservation are simply not enough, and we need to be more effective in our efforts if we are going to save the coral reefs we rely upon and love. Stem cell therapy could be the answer.
while, her father is enjoying working in the prison chapel and has access to a phone and his email.
In today’s prison systems, the U.S. dollar has the power to determine the humanity, or lack thereof, an individual will receive in prison. If the justice system wants to preserve its integrity, money should not play a significant factor in how an individual is treated while serving their sentence.
ated people ranges from $0 to $0.35. The workers rights protected by the Thirteenth Amendment do not extend to incarcerated workers. It is modern day slavery in disguise.
likely will not jeopardize her physical and mental health to the extent that other incarcerated individuals face.
BY SABRINA WILSON STAFF WRITERIf your guilty pleasure is reality television, you have probably heard of the Chrisley family, the wealthy Southern family featured in USA Network show “Chrisley Knows Best.” The show follows real-estate tycoon Todd, his wife Julie, their children and grandchildren, and Todd’s mother as they lead an opulent lifestyle in Georgia.
The show aired in 2014 and continued for nine seasons until December of 2022 when Todd and Julie Chrisley were convicted of federal tax evasion and fraud charges. Todd Chrisley was sentenced to 12 years and Julie Chrisley to seven, which they will serve in separate minimum security prisons.
Those with wealth often have a positive experience while serving time compared to those from a low-income background.
The Chrisley’s eldest daughter, Savannah, reported on her podcast “Unlocked” that though it may sound “crazy,” her mother is “doing really well.” She is making friends and winning countless rounds of Spades, a card game. Mean -
White collar crimes such as tax fraud are of a nonviolent nature, so they do not warrant a punishment as severe as that given to those who commit violent crimes. The problem is that a number of other nonviolent crimes, such as drug possession, are committed by less wealthy individuals who do not receive a lightened prison sentence. The U.S. Department of Justice found that “more than a third (35%) of drug offenders in federal prison at sentencing, had either no or minimal criminal history.” These individuals are not necessarily high-risk criminals who need to be placed in maximum security facilities. Because these individuals often lack financial resources, they likely will not have the option to serve their sentences in a nicer facility. They are more likely to experience abuse, and they will have to worry about a myriad of problems upon their release. Incarcerated individuals who are wealthy see minimal restrictions like the Chrisleys, and the prospect of being financially stable after their release is of no concern. For those who will have to start a new life both socially and financially after serving their sentence, prison involves working for a wage. Out of nearly 800,000 incarcerated workers, 70% were not able to afford basic necessities with prison wages, and 64% reported feeling unsafe on the job. Additionally, minimum wage for incarcer-
The living conditions in prisons are another facet of the problem that depicts inequality. Roughly 41 states operate at 75% or more of their population capacity. The overcrowding of prisons contributes to spread of disease, which was exacerbated by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the “increasingly crowded living spaces, poor lighting, inadequate bedding, and intense environmental stressors are just some of the risk factors associated with decreased sleep quality.” The insomnia rate among incarcerated individuals is approximately 81% in the United States.
Lack of sleep, among other factors, can contribute to the development of several mental illnesses, which one-third of American prisoners suffer from. Abuses committed by prison staffers can further contribute to the deterioration of mental health, such as by instituting solitary confinement policies and other public humiliation tactics. The lack of a clear chain of authority in prisons leads to power hungry individuals inflicting new methods of punishment on incarcerated individuals without any repercussions.
To contrast, Lori Laughlin spent two months in prison for paying $500,000 to secure her daughters’ admission to the University of Southern California. She was in a facility with roughly 185 other women and had access to calligraphy classes and ukulele lessons. She was also granted 300 minutes on the phone per month and could spend up to $360 per month for brand name toiletries. Aside from being deprived of face-toface contact with family members, the facility she is serving her sentence in
It is not just celebrities that have found ways to serve sentences in nicer facilities. Known as the “pay-to-stay” program, many small jails in California allow convicts to upgrade their quality of living during their sentences and move to facilities that include amenities like flat-screen televisions and new beds. From 2011 to 2015, pay-to-stay jails earned $7 million and accepted money from individuals convicted of minor offenses and those convicted of violent crimes, including robbery and sexual assault.
The fact that wealth can be used to upgrade a prison stay to a hotel-like location is an egregious failure of the criminal justice system in the United States. Money should not speak louder than the actions committed by an individual, nor should government facilities meant to detain convicts be in such an abysmal state that people must pay to protect their physical and mental health. There must be a balance between card games or calligraphy classes and sleep deprivation or slave labor.
There are an abundance of factors that create inequality in the American prison system, and as history has proven, the wheels of justice turn slowly. Affluent incarcerated individuals are treated with the respect and decency that human beings deserve and can pay for amenities, while those on the other end of the spectrum are abused by the system. It is unrealistic to alter all the factors and fully equalize the system, but there must be an effort made to try to rid prisons of the obvious inequalities. Something as profound as the balance of justice should not be so easily tipped by dollar bills.
BY LAUREN FERRER STAFF WRITER
With more than 250 RSVPs, student musicians filled the air with ambience as students excitedly waited in line for an art exhibit on Friday night. As Lakeside Pavillion quickly filled up, representatives from both the Black Awareness Month (BAM) Committee and Black Creatives Collective (BCC) educated all who walked through the door on their mission.
In collaboration with the BAM committee, BCC hosted their first student-executed exhibition titled “VISIONS: Interpretations of Afrofuturism” on Feb. 10. The exhibit featured the work of over eight student artists along with student performances sprinkled throughout the night.
“I came here tonight to support my friends and their art,”
fourth-year motion pictures major Mackenzie Beckham said. A student organization in its second year, BCC is dedicated to supporting Black creatives through resources and showcasing their abilities through creative expression in forms of photography, fashion, music, art and film.
Every February, the BAM committee — a branch of the United Black Students (UBS) — hosts events to celebrate and promote awareness of Black history and culture.
The theme chosen for this year is “Intersectionality,” a term that describes how social categories like gender, race, ethnicity, sexual identity, disability, class and more interact to create unique experiences of oppression. With this theme, UBS hopes to highlight the diversity within the Black community here on campus.
The night was filled with celebrations of students, culture and art. With a vocal performance from second-year music industry student Zanaiah Billups and a saxophone performance from second-year neuroscience student Etienne Atangana, the exhibit highlighted the talent and expression of UM’s Black creatives.
The art on display featured a wide variety of mediums including ceramics, photography, and paintings. Some pieces stood out among the rest.
Wes Lucas, a first-year student from Philadelphia, Pa. studying media management, created a photo series, song and video titled “All Roads Lead Home.” The photo series instantly caught the attention of all who walked through, urging them to stay and watch the video playing alongside it.
His work explored Black el-
egance through the genre of Afrofuturism, the reimagining of a future filled with arts, science and technology seen through a Black lens.
“The juxtaposition between the models and their scenes is designed to raise thought provoking conversations,” Lucas said. “‘All Roads Lead Home’ is dedicated to the Black souls who sacrificed themselves to the land and to the ocean.”
A first-year student marketing major from Prince George’s County, Md., Wilfred Mbayu presented a photo series titled “Broken Reflections and Reshaped Realities.” The photos proposed a new way of thinking about Black history, encouraging onlookers to look to a future filled with possibilities.
“A lot of Black art has been focused on reflections of the past and our traumas,” Mbayu said.
“It’s time we stopped looking back and started moving forward.”
Sydnae Becton, a fourth-year student from Prince George’s County, Md. studying Psychology created a series of paintings titled “Rebirth.” Becton’s portraits urged onlookers to view Black history and culture in a new light. In exploration of self definition the line portrait’s explosions of color captured the attention of many who entered the exhibit. The night ended with a Q&A with the artists where the students were able to share their stories and connect with the audience on an intimate level.
“Black people are innovating in terms of their sense of self. We are no longer letting society define us,” Becton said. “We are expressing ourselves in a beautiful and colorful way for future generations to come.”
Museums tell stories that are larger than life, and the Black History Mobile Museum, which visited UM last Thursday, does just that on a daily basis. The museum features different topics from the African American story, taking viewers on a journey through the trans-Atlantic slave trade to modern-day Black liberation.
Authentic artifacts like historical drawings and memorabilia chronicle the founding of the Black Panther Party, the start of hip-hop, and the first Black president. The order in which one is supposed to view the exhibit conveys a strong feeling of resilience within a community that has long been disenfranchised.
Dr. Khalid el-Hakim, the founder of the Black History Mobile Museum, did not originally intend to create a museum.
“Initially, it was [just] a personal collection I had… and taught me about my history. For me, it reinforced a sense of identity and a connection to history for me,” Dr. el-Hakim said.
Upon coming home from the 1995 Million Man March in Washington D.C., Dr. el-Hakim decided to make his collection accessible to the public.
“From historical drawings from the motherland to hip-hop’s continuing influence…it showed me that our pain and expression of music doesn’t just stop at the song — it continues to snowball into more and more creative outlets,” Grace Altidor, a senior health sciences major, said.
As a social studies teacher in the Detroit area, Dr. el-Hakim wanted to bring “primary source material to the public school classroom to engage students.”
With a window acting as a barrier, the Black History Mobile Museum offers a unique experience. Primary sources are laid out on a table where the glare from glass does not
interfere. Thus, visitors can “converse” with objects that grab their attention.
“I was able to speak to Dr. el-Hakim and learn about his approach to collecting and preserving history,” Asia Chester, a senior biochemistry and global health studies major, said. “He jokingly told me some of the stuff is probably too valuable to have on display.”
The first part of the museum contains racist images and advertisements that expose painful truths. To illustrate the strength of the Black community, there is a “Deed of Trust” signed by Frederick Douglass next to these caricatures.
Below the signed picture of Frederick Douglass is a sticker with his quote, “It is easier to build strong children than repair broken men.” These wise words allow viewers to connect to the emotions of generational trauma and this lamentable time period.
“A part of the museum that resonated with me was the discussion on the ways in which hip-hop’s impact has influenced things from alternative Marvel comic posters to Obama’s campaign posters,” Altidor said.
The last part of the exhibit features former President Barack Obama’s road to the White House with support from the Black community. There is a small flyer encouraging people to register to vote from U.S. rapper Jay-Z. Near the Barack Obama memorabilia rests a Vanity Fair magazine with Breonna Taylor on the cover, highlighting the fact that achieving social equality is still a work-in-progress.
Primary sources are powerful. While people have seen the signs for segregated restrooms in photos, few people have seen them in-person. Viewing these in real life gave museum-goers the perspective of people living in the Jim Crow era, a brief glimpse into the everyday realities of Black Americans.
This exhibit proves that mobile
museums have a lot to offer, as the amount and quality of the content was impressive. It is especially important for people to see history and learn about it both visually and interactively.
“Events like these help me to feel truly happy to be Black,” Jené Turner, a first-year political science major, said. “I feel that there is a lot of pride and creativity that comes with the Black experience.”
Dr. El-Hakim hopes that viewers leave the exhibit seeing “the value of stories that need to be told.”
“It was refreshing to hear how he prefers viewers to truly experience the exhibit, allowing us to feel and look through the objects,” Chester said. “I felt empowered to start collecting artifacts of my own.”
If you missed the Black History Mobile Museum, or want to learn more, the PBS special “Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World” — which played at the exhibit — is worth a watch.
When Miami-based poet Catherine Esposito Prescott and UM alumnus Jen Karetnick participated in poetry readings about 17 years ago, they were often the only women readers at events. This shared experience became something to bond over for the two friends.
“We used to talk about it all the time, that we were always like the one token woman at the meeting,” Karetnick said. “Then we realized that we need to do something about that. We talked about it for a few years before we actually did anything about it, but that was the impetus for SWWIM.”
Prescott and Karetnick created Supporting Women Writers in Miami (SWWIM) to ensure that women not only have a space to share and promote their work, but also to connect with each other.
In 2016, SWWIM began in the form of a reading series held at The Betsy Hotel on South Beach.
“We talked about publishing a little bit, but that was kind of on the backburner,” Prescott said. “And then we decided, ‘Hey, let’s do a reading series. Let’s just do a reading series, so women can come read together and meet each other and create community.’”
Thanks to the support of Vice President of Art at The Betsy Hotel Deborah Briggs, the women were able to secure a venue for their reading series. Since then, SWWIM has evolved into something bigger than the two women ever imagined.
The pair launched SWWIM Every Day, a nationally-recognized daily poetry journal, in 2017 after they felt the reading series wasn’t enough. Literary journals that solely publish women poets already existed at the time, so the women added their own twist to it, publishing a poem every weekday.
“We didn’t know if anyone would want to submit.” Prescott said. “We didn’t know if what we were feeling and intuiting was what other people were feeling.”
With the help and generosity of colleagues, they soon found themselves filling up SWWIM Every Day weeks ahead of time.
One of these colleagues was UM professor Mia Leonin, a contributor to SWWIM since the very beginning. Leonin was invited to read at the very first poetry reading held at The Betsy, an experience that she called “an honor” to
be a part of.
“I think the initial format that they’ve had from the very beginning of pairing up local writers with nationally recognized writers — they had a lot of foresight in doing that,” Leonin said. “It’s created a sense of larger community [and] a lot more conversations amongst poets.”
Caridad Moro-Gronlier, a local poet and associate editor for SWWIM, also contributed to SWWIM in its early days. She was already a big fan of SWWIM’s work before the org asked to join their editorial team.
“I really loved the mission of supporting
has been rewarding both professionally and personally. She’s connected with talented poets from all over the country and worked with women she genuinely admires.
“[I’ve been given] the opportunity to work with a dynamic, amazing group of women, unlike any sort of collaboration I’ve had before.” Moro-Gronlier said. “That’s thrilling on a creative level and on a personal level.”
While the premise of SWWIM was to amplify women’s voices, they have acknowledged that women are not the only demographic made invisible in male-dominated spaces. SWWIM has made it clear that they welcome
chapbooks,” Karetnick said. “For now, I think we’re in a really good place.”
The connections made at SWWIM’s readings series can be a valuable tool for young poets that are just starting out. For Prescott, who began writing poetry in high school, finding a mentor was life changing.
“I started writing and I was terrible and then I put it down,” Prescott said. “I actually got a 65% on a poetry assignment.”
After failing to get into her school’s audiovisual class during her senior year of high school, her guidance counselor suggested she take creative writing instead.
“He just lit the spark, and it’s carried me all the way through this time.” Prescott said. “He demystified and opened up the world of poetry for me.”
Karetnick, on the other hand, began writing poetry in college. Her only poetry experience before then was in fourth grade, when she wrote three poems that she ended up carrying with her throughout high school.
“I wanted to be a fiction writer, and I signed up for fiction seminars in college, and they were always full,” Karetnick said. “The poetry ones were the ones that were always open, so finally I was like ‘Fine. Forget it. I’ll just take poetry. I hate poetry, but I’ll take it.’”
During the first half of the course, Karetnick describes her work as being “God awful.” That was, until she had a midterm scheduled for the same day one of her poetry assignments was due.
women writers in Miami, nationally and beyond,” Moro-Gronlier said. “I was just thrilled to be a part of such a wonderful, pioneering organization.”
Lines are blurred within SWWIM’s editorial team, which consists entirely of women poets and writers. Not only does Moro-Gronlier handle submissions and feedback, but she also MCs for SWWIM’s reading series and handles marketing. Everyone on the team contributes in any way they can.
“We have a lot of built-in respect among us,” Prescott said. “Each woman has her job, and we don’t all report to one person — we report to each other. So, we have more like a lateral organizational structure rather than a hierarchical one.”
For Moro-Gronlier, working for SWWIM
not only the work of those who identify as women, but also nonbinary and intersex poets.
“We’ve had to, over time, expand our definition of women — like gender, what is that?” Prescott said. “We put it on our website, and this is something we keep coming back to as we’re called out, as we’re challenged.”
Their next step is pursuing a non-profit status, which they hope to achieve sometime this year. Right now, SWWIM is being kept afloat by the donations of their benefactors and supporters. Non-profit status would mean they could apply for grants, which would give them the resources to expand the organization even more in the future.
“We have some ideas that we’re still playing around with. We’d like to publish. Perhaps starting with an anthology, and maybe some
“I studied all night and at five o’clock in the morning, I started writing a poem,” Karetnick said. “I must have reached that point in your subconscious where you don’t know what you’re doing, and a real poem came out.”
When she shared her poem in class, her professor noticed a shift in her writing.
“She was like, ‘This is a real poem. You are a real poet,’” Karetnick said. “And that changed everything.”
Prescott and Karetnick believe it is essential for young poets to seek out mentors that share a different point of view. They also emphasize how important it is to read as much literature as possible and not take criticism too personally.
“It is an art, but it’s also a craft and it’s something you get better at over time,” Prescott said. “Be patient with yourself and allow yourself time to become a good writer. And just know that you can, it just takes a lot of work.”
Imagine this: You’re standing outside the Cosford Cinema, eating empanadas and sipping drinks as a pianist, saxophonist and vocalist performs underneath fairy lights. All around you are festival attendees in conversation with movie directors and actors and taking photos on a red carpet outside the theater.
This was the scene on Friday, Feb. 3 after the first night of the Shorts Miami International Film Festival (SMIFF). The two hours were filled with 10 narrative short films that coaxed laughter, tears and a lot of applause.
Melanie Anderson, a graduate student studying screenwriting, called it a “beautiful night” and praised the amount of heart and love put into each film. Her favorite was Sergi Martí Maltas’ “The Bathtub,” which won the award for Best Narrative.
“I loved the lighting. The narrative was so heartfelt and warm, and the twist ending — it all came together,” Anderson said.
The Spanish film featured beautiful cinematography and a gripping, hopeful narrative that
defied expectations in the best way possible.
“I really enjoyed Rechna Varma’s film the most. The cinematography and sound and everything was just perfect,” Key’Azhia Hoyle, a graduate student studying motion pictures, said. “I got a great experience overall from the whole entire film festival.”
Night one, however, ended with more than one winner. Álvaro G. Company and Meka Ribera received the Norton Herrick Center for Motion Picture Studies Award for their narrative short, “Table for 3.”
With a plot that reflected real-life issues like food insecurity and climate change, “Table for 3” showed its audience that films can deliver a message without being too on-the-nose.
The remaining two nights recognized three more outstanding filmmakers. Kevin Mannens won Best Documentary Award for “Marsh Clouds: The oysters of Harris Neck,” Andrew Kelleher won the Jury Award and Cheers for “The Beatles Vs The Stones” and Ana Adzic won Best Film of the Focus on Serbia screening for her film “Way Back.”
The newly annual festival aims to showcase emerging and established filmmakers
worldwide in both short form narrative and documentary filmmaking. Submissions came from the U.S. and countries all over the world, including Spain, France, Italy, Iran, Mexico, Brazil, Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and the United Kingdom.
“The mission of the festival resonates really well with the vision we have for our school,”
Karin Wilkins, the Dean of the UM School of Communications, said in her opening remarks. “It begins with promoting and celebrating quality creative production and also contributing to community connection and fostering significant social impact.”
“60 Minutes” producer Ira Rosen brought the idea for the three-day festival to UM School of Communication faculty Antonio Mora. Comm school professor Sam Terilli soon hopped on board, and the trio brought the idea to Wilkins.
“We sat down and had this wonderful conversation about their great idea for creating a festival to celebrate short films, documentaries, narratives and so on,” Wilkins said during her opening remarks on Friday night. Film department chair Konstantia Kontaxis
and professor and Coordinator of Motion Pictures M.F.A Ed Talavera were the final piece of the puzzle in moving the festival forward.
Wilkins mentioned how the worldwide shutdown of theaters during the height of COVID-19 delayed the start of the festival. Despite this setback, however, the festival’s first year did exactly what it set out to do — celebrate the joy of storytelling through film.
“Our narratives don’t merely reflect, but they refract our realities. I see media as a prism: We’re looking at the prism as filtering sound and light through narrative. We then experience in space … and in time,” Wilkens said.
Starting off its premiere year strong, SMIFF will return next year with even more films to celebrate and awards to give. Until then, students can support cinematic arts at the U by attending screenings at the Cosford Cinema, including the free weekly film screenings hosted by the Cinematic Arts Commission.
“We’re celebrating the power to create our stories with respect for diversity of perspectives and this need that we have to share and build our world for a better future,” Wilkins said.
Have you ever seen an alligator up close? Gone paddling boarding with your friends? Some UM students can answer yes, but if you’re new to UM this semester, you might feel overwhelmed with everything to explore in South Florida.
Coming from a fall semester freshman, here are the can’t miss activities for students looking to elevate their Miami experience.
With many cute restaurants, shops and small businesses, Coconut Grove is a lovely area to spend your morning.
If you’re looking for a fresh, high-quality brunch, stop at Lulu for a delicious eggs benedict or its neighbor Greenstreet Cafe. If you’re looking for a good avocado toast or fruit bowl, check out Berries in the Grove for the best fixings and pleasant outdoor seating option. After brunch, walk around the bustling town and be sure to stop in the Books & Books bookstore for the most Instagrammable moving ladder.
Trip to the Everglades
Turtles, alligators and birds, oh my! Take a trip to the Everglades National Park to see wildlife and some of Florida’s most majestic nature. The landscape in Florida is incomparable to other U.S. national parks. With beautiful mangrove trees and lilypads along the water, UM students are close to a national treasure.
Take full advantage of hiking trails and consider paying for an airboat tour to learn from the extremely knowledgeable park rangers. Be sure to visit sooner rather than later and take advantage of the cooler temperatures and fewer mosquitos.
Think about putting the most vibrant colors and images you can imagine on a building. When you visit the Wynwood Art Walls, you become fully immersed in the abstract, symbolic minds of the artists who constructed their designs.
The art district is an experience unique to Miami and is sure to spark your imagination. Not only will you leave feeling more con-
nected to Miami culture, but your camera roll will have something to show for your time in the city. Student admission is $5 with a valid student ID.
This former estate is now an incredible museum and garden. The museum exhibits extravagant European architecture and overlooks the breathtaking waters surrounding the city. With pristine landscaping and beautiful flowers and greenery, this property is nothing short of outstanding.
Grab a few friends on the weekend to take pictures at this terrific landmark. Tickets are $22 for individuals 13 years and older. Student discounts are available for onsite purchases only.
In the heart of Coral Gables, Fla. lies the turquoise waters of the Venetian Pool. What was constructed out of limestone in 1923, is refilled with spring water each day. With waterfalls and grottos, this is definitely a fun experience to offset the hot Miami sun. Escape
the UM pool and enjoy one of Miami locals’ favorite attractions. Tickets are $16 for nonresidents and $5.50 for residents.
Rent a paddleboard from Outdoor Adventures in Lakeside Village and get out on the water of Key Biscayne. I recommend paddleboarding in Key Biscayne because the water is calm and less crowded than South Beach. This is a fun activity to try with friends and will make for a great story. See how long you can stay up for and test your navigation skills on the water. It is sure to be a great arm workout and you can relax on the beach when you’ve had enough fun.
With modern high rises and waterfront views, Downtown Brickell is a hot spot for night dining LPM Restaurant and Bar has some of the best French cuisine of all time. With a fresh baguette served as soon as you sit down, you know it’s going to be a great experience. Splurge for the escargot or duck, that both melt in your mouth.
Over Miami men’s basketball’s past few games, Nijel Pack has been on fire. The six-foot guard has gone on ridicu lous scoring streaks that have left fans’ jaws dropped, led the Hurricanes’ back court, and made head coach Jim Larra ñaga’s aggressive pursuit of the Kansas State transfer last offseason well worth it.
Pack leads an offense that is top 40 in the country and first in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in points per game (PPG) with 78.4. Miami is top 10 in Division 1 adjusted offensive efficien cy with him on the court.
Pack has put up at least 15 points in five of the last seven games, shooting over 50% in four of those contests. He leads the team in relative shooting per centage from behind the arc. His indi vidual performance from 3-point land on Jan. 31, when Pack hit five triples in five minutes, secured a victory over Virginia Tech in a game Miami needed to win to stay in the race for the top spot in the ACC.
Miami was looking for an impact point guard to better fit with returning guards Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller last offseason. The ‘Canes also needed to replace the pro duction of lead ing scorer Ka meron McGusty and guard Charlie Moore, so Larra ñaga turned to the heartland to knab the un dersized guard. The Indianapolis native played two seasons at Kansas State be fore becoming a ‘Cane.
Despite Kansas State’s dreadful records in 2020 and 2021, Pack still played well. He averaged over 12 points per game as a freshman and over 17 points per game as a sophomore, which earned him a
First Team All-Big 12 distinction. Thus, he was one of the most coveted athletes in the transfer portal this past offseason.
on Jan. 28, the ‘Canes had lost four of their past seven games. But then Pack decided to turn it on.
lina, by one basket earlier in the season. Pack played all right with five points, but Miami did not need saving against the Blue Devils, as it came away with a 22-point victory. Pack still led the team in minutes and played a responsible role in ball handling against Duke’s press in the second half.
Oh, and he dunked — despite his small stature. Pack put back a one-handed slam off a miss from Miller and left Duke big man Kyle Filipowski stunned. He proceeded to flex for the Miami bench, sending the Watsco Center into a frenzy. Who would not want to see that again?
Looking to avoid an upset at home against a hungry Louisville team this past Saturday, Miami turned to Pack once again. He paced the ‘Canes with 22 points and was spectacular from behind the arc.
Pack was part of a group that each scored 20 or more points for the ‘Canes on Sat - urday night at the Watsco Center. Wong and Omier also had 20 plus. Pack was also part of defending Louisville’s El Ellis, who torched Miami for 33 points. Coach Larrañaga spoke highly of the effort Pack displayed on both sides of the ball.
Now, with only five regular season games remaining, the Hurricanes look to finish the year strong and win the ACC title.
While losing three leaders from last year’s squad hurt, Pack is giving Miami a real chance to do just that. He has opened up the full potential of the Miami offense and has the ability to draw crowds in a way not many Miami players have before. Look for Pack to continue his dominance as the ‘Canes continue their journey through ACC play with hopes of securing the ACC title on their way to Selection Sunday.
No. 19 Florida State has beaten some of the best teams in women’s college basketball this season, like Duke, NC State and UNC. However, none of them had guard Haley Cavinder.
The Fresno State transfer scored a season-high 33 points and made 7 of 10 3-point attempts, including the go-ahead triple late in the fourth quarter, to give Miami an 86-82 win over its in-state rivals on Thursday night at the Watsco Center. The Hurricanes faced an 11-point defcit at halftime but rallied to keep their sixgame home winning streak intact. “Does that [game] not tell you how good the ACC is? Florida State, in the frst half, I thought, ‘they’re going to the Final Four,’” head coach Katie Meier said. “They’re really good, but it turns out that Miami is really good, too. For us to have to outscore them in the second half and drop 53 was just necessary. I’m really happy, this was a huge win for us.”
Guard Jasmyne Roberts complemented Cavinder with 19 points for the ‘Canes, while forward Makayla Timpson led Florida State with 19 of her own. Forward Lola Pendande snagged a team-high nine boards
for Miami, which outrebounded the Seminoles 47-28. Four Hurricanes fnished in double-fgures
“We were very selfess tonight and very much a team,” Meier said. “The team is bigger than the self right now.”
With the Hurricanes trailing by fve in the fnal frame, Seminole guard Sara Bejedi recorded a personal foul after diving for a loose ball. Florida State head coach Brooke Wyckoff erupted at the call and drew a technical. Miami capitalized on the opportunity, as Haley made both free throws off the foul, and Roberts hit a 3-pointer to tie the game seconds later.
Haley then gave the Hurricanes their frst lead since the frst quarter with a 3-point bank shot and sealed the win by going 8 of 8 from the free throw line in the game’s fnal 29 seconds.
“It was a late shot clock so I knew she was going to bite,” Cavinder said of her go-ahead 3. “The bank was my friend, so I was surprised by it.”
Miami greatly surpassed its season average of 72.7 points and needed every basket to upend the Atlantic Coast Conference’s number one scoring offense.
However, both teams started off slow offensively, combining for just
two feld goals on their frst 14 shots. It took Florida State over four minutes to get on the scoreboard, and the Hurricanes held an early 12-4 lead after back-to-back 3-pointers from Roberts and Haley Cavinder. But once the Seminoles broke the ice, they were nearly unstoppable. Florida State drilled fve 3-pointers to take a 21-18 lead by the end of the frst quarter. It fnished with 10 3-pointers total. In the second, the Seminoles utilized a 9-0 run —
seven of those points came from Bejedi — to build a 44-33 lead at halftime. Bejedi led all scorers with 10 points at the break, as Florida State outscored the ‘Canes 23-15 in the second frame..
Miami quickly narrowed its 11-point defcit in the third quarter with a 9-0 run right after halftime. Guard Ja’Leah Williams began the scoring spurt with two jumpers, as the ‘Canes put together a spectacular second half highlighted by Cavin-
der’s 24 points.
Last time both in-state rivals met, Florida State downed the ‘Canes 92-85 in Tallahassee. But on Thursday, Miami (16-8, 9-4 ACC) got its revenge and is now tied for third in the ACC with the Seminoles (20-6, 9-4 ACC).
Next up, the ‘Canes face No. 9 Duke on Sunday in Durham, North Carolina. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.
The University of Miami’s rowing team is gearing up to start its 2023 season in just under a month, and it intends to dominate.
The ‘Canes concluded their 2022 season by finishing fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), which was a program best. This year, they are hoping for some hardware.
Team co-captain and fourth-year junior Mimmi Balaam credits much of this success to the “team culture.” She said that along with a strong group of recruits,
there was a passionate tone set for the season, and “it created a sense of teamwork and unity within the team.”
She continued to explain how the team is building on this sense of unity for the upcoming season, saying that when setting the standards and goals in the beginning, they decided to focus on a few “buzzwords” that will help keep the team in tune with each other through the rigorous training and race schedule.
In season, the ‘Canes typically travel north to row on the Indian Creek five mornings a week, with additional training on campus, including weekly ergs
and bi-weekly strength training with coach Arianna Luther.
“We have a lot of great additions to the team this year, so the energy is so great,” said Alyssa Bacchus, third year sophomore and 2022 All-ACC Team member.
On top of an entirely new coaching staff, the Hurricanes have seen many positive changes since the end of their 2022 season.
Head coach James Mulcahy has lofty expectations for Miami rowing this season and said that the school and athletic department have been supportive in the transition. The team allocated resources
to purchase three new boats and modified their strength training program, and Balaam credits an elevated mentality to the new coaching staff.
With their sights set on making the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championships for the first time and racking up ACC medals, the ‘Canes rowing team begins every practice with targets and intentions, remembering that “no individual can succeed on their own.” [Balaam]
On Saturday, March 4, the Hurricanes will head to Deland, Fla. to race Stetson and kick off the 2023 season.
Beating the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Dean E. Smith Center, where they are 11-2 this season, is never an easy task.
However, the No. 15 Miami Hurricanes were not phased on Monday night, as they pulled out an impressive 80-72 victory over North Carolina. Over half of the Hurricanes’ points came from guards Jordan Miller and Nijel Pack.
“I think it was a good road win and a good statement win,” Miller said. “That we can not only win at home, but we can win on the road too.”
Miller led Miami (21-5, 12-4 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)) in scoring and rebounding with a 24-point, 11-rebound performance. Meanwhile, Pack dropped 23 points while hitting four 3-pointers.
“I think Jordan is the most underrated player in the country,” head coach Jim Larrañaga said. “The amount of things he does well on the court makes him a very hard matchup for anybody.”
Because of off-nights from guard Isaiah Wong and forward Norchad Omier, the 47 combined points from Miller and Pack were vital in the eightpoint win for the ‘Canes.
Guard R.J. Davis paced the Tar Heels in scoring with 23 points, while fellow guard Caleb Love had 20 points.
Along with Miller and Pack’s stellar nights, Miami’s perimeter defense overwhelmed North Carolina (16-10, 8-7 ACC) for much of the game, as the Tar Heels shot 5 of 31 from 3-point range. North Carolina scored 40 points in the paint but could not overcome its shooting woes
from behind the arc.
The Tar Heels kept the game competitive all night, but the ‘Canes stayed composed despite the tough road atmosphere. The first ten minutes saw the teams go back and forth, as the ‘Canes held an 18-16 lead. Miller got off to a quick start with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field.
On the defensive side, however, Omier quickly picked up two fouls that left him on the bench for most of the half. Without the 6-foot-7 forward’s presence, North Carolina scored 26 points in the paint in the first half.
Despite North Carolina’s dominance inside, Miami maintained a 35-34 halftime lead thanks to Pack’s 11 points and three 3-pointers. Love led the Tar Heels in first–half scoring with 12 points.
Miller and Pack began the
second half on fire, scoring 17 combined points in the first seven minutes to extend Miami’s lead to 54-40. However, the Tar Heels would not go away, as they cut the deficit all the way down to five with just over a minute remaining.
North Carolina resorted to intentional fouling and pulled within four points with 34.9
seconds to go, but in the end, the Hurricanes survived and won their fifth straight game. Miami will return to Coral Gables on Saturday afternoon to face off against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Tipoff at the Watsco Center is set for 2 p.m. on ACC Network Extra
BY SAM PEENE STAFF WRITER
The Hurricanes women’s swim team concluded their final home meet of the season by setting records on Friday before heading to Greensboro, North Carolina for the Atlantic Coast Championships (ACC) next week.
Personal-bests, career-bests and school records were broken in the morning races at the Normal Whitten Pool.
Freshman Celina Kuehne, graduate student Tara Vovk and redshirt senior Zorry Mason raced the 200-yard medley relay in 1:37.05, breaking the schoolrecord. Mason also set a careerbest in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 59.91, and Vovk raced a personal-best in the 100-yard fly with a time of
53.83.
The ‘Canes were impressive heading into the ACC Championships, with head swimming coach Andy Kershaw saying that he’s looking for “a lot of fast swimming, great diving, a lot of success, and a lot of personal bests” in Greensboro next week.
The afternoon races were also bright for UM, as it earned a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) ‘A’ cut time in the 200-yard medley relay.
For the races in the afternoon, there is an extensive list of wins for the ‘Canes. Redshirt sophomore Savannah Barr placed first in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 50.4. Senior Aino Otava also took home a win in the 200-yard butterfly with a time
of 2:00.76, and freshman Kate Sommerstad won the 200-yard backstroke in 2:00.76.
Redshirt junior Adrianna Cera won the 100-yard backstroke in 56.14, Vovk won the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 53.83 and Mason won the 100-yard breaststroke in 59.91. The final four wins of the day for the canes included sophomore Giulia Carvalho in the 50-yard freestyle (22.63), sophomore Ariana Brattoli in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:06.07), senior Nicole Sowell in the 100-yard freestyle (52.56) and junior Lucy Ho in the 50-yard freestyle with a 24.25.
Sophomore Jacey Hinton and Kuehne followed closely behind Carvalho in the 50 free, and Emily Grasso finished just
over a second behind Brattoli in the 100-yard breaststroke. Emotions ran strong and tears were shed in the final moments of the meet as the team celebrat -
ed the bittersweet final home meet for the senior ‘Canes before leaving for North Carolina next week. Races begin on Feb. 14.
