The University of Miami’s annual Homecoming celebrations kicked off with the announcement of this year’s homecoming theme — “Leave Your Legacy” — met with restless anticipation coming from students gathered at Lakeside Patio.
This past Thursday, the Homecoming Executive Committee (HEC), led by UM students Josh Abel, Sara Ebrahimi, Isa Lozano and Sarah Sluka, took to the Lakeside Patio stage along with members of the Frost Band of the Hour (FBOTH) and the Hurricanettes.
The theme, “Leave Your Legacy,” evokes superhero and comic book-esque imagery that makes the Hurricanes an invincible entity unlike any other university.
Category 5 presented an arrangement of speeches during its annual pep rally, featuring Vice President of Student Affairs and Alumni Engagement, Patricia A. Whitely, and Student Body President, Niles Niseem. While the FBOTH serenaded the upcoming announcement, the Hurricanettes put on a spectacular show, accompanied by a dancing Sebastian the Ibis hyping up the
crowd.
“It was an exciting time on campus, people were looking forward to starting the season off strong,” said Alex Strassman, a 2008 UM alumnus.
Homecoming Week 2023, set to take
place from Oct. 23 to Oct. 27, is sure to be action-packed with annual events including the homecoming pageant, boat burning and spirit tree competition — all in anticipation of the football game against the University of Virginia Cavaliers on Oct. 28.
“Every year the Homecoming Executive Committee provides a fresh expression of the celebrated traditions and spirit of the ‘Canes community,” said Sluka, chair of HEC. “As classes and committees move up through the school, it is always exciting to see what each new committee chooses to highlight as most important to their University of Miami experience.”
According to Sluka, the new theme perpetuates the notion that each member of the UM community is a hero and has the opportunity to make a difference and grow into their potential.
“We are all living in the legacy created by the members of the ‘Canes community that came before us,” Sluka said. “We have an incredible opportunity to celebrate that, while also thinking about the legacy that each of us would like to create within our communities. It is empowering to know that we are all working for the good of our university community and that there are legacies in the making all around us.”
For more information about Homecoming week, follow @umiamihomecoming and @um_category5 on Instagram for updates.
Coming back to campus is never a stress-free experience, and for the large number of students who signed a lease with Cloisters Miami, last-minute move-in delays, hotel living and shady communication has made for a frustrating beginning to the semester.
“It’s been a roller coaster,” said KT Palmer, a junior studying marine biology and ecology who will be moving into a townhome. “Like it’s frustrating, but I can’t even say I’m surprised.”
On August 13, would-be residents of Cloisters, a student apartment and townhome complex developed by Landmark properties, were informed that their scheduled move-in was pushed back two weeks due to unforeseen delays obtaining required permits. With only one week until the frst day of classes, students were sent to hotels to wait for their off-campus accommodations to be made ready for movein.
“As soon as we received indications that units would not be ready as planned on August 18,
we secured the best possible hotel accommodations near campus.” Landmark Properties wrote in a statement to The Miami Hurricane.
Four days later, an email reminder was sent listing the provisions the Cloisters would offer for its residents while they stayed at THesis, a luxury hotel 0.3 miles away from the Coral Gables campus. Hotel costs and parking were fully covered by the property, stipends for laundry and food costs were provided as well as a free shuttle was also provided for students staying at THesis.
On August 27, students staying in the apartments were notifed that their hotel stays would be extended another two weeks as their movein date was further delayed. For townhome residents, move-in began on Sept. 2.
These delays came as a surprise to many signed residents, as throughout the summer multiple forms of communication led them to believe their units were completed.
“Throughout this whole process — which started after I did not receive on campus housing — my family and I were assured they were ahead of schedule, via talking to property managers and Instagram posts.” said Amanda
Mohamad, a sophomore studying broadcast journalism and media management who will be moving into an apartment.
Although students were provided with stipends and transportation, the frustrations of living out of a hotel room quickly caught up with the reality of the beginning of a new semester.
“There’s lots of little things that kind of add up, there was no single thing that made it diffcult,” Palmer said. “You can’t cook, you can’t store your food if you buy it. You can’t put your clothes away. You can’t really clean. You can’t do your laundry. ”
A move-in checklist, that has since been removed from the students’ move-in portals, required rent to be paid before the scheduled move-in date. Email communication to residents confrmed that rent payments will be expected, even if construction delays persist.
While some students are willing to fght for their money back, others believe asking for a month’s worth of rent is unrealistic given the circumstances.
“I’m going to try and get at least some of my money back at least for September,” Moham-
od said. “I think the fact that I was even asked to pay for the month of August or September after this mess is offensive on several levels.”
Gianna Rettew, a junior studying journalism who will also be moving into an apartment, has been in a one-sided conversation with Cloisters, trying to get her rent money back for the duration of time she’s stayed at THesis.
“My parents are helping me out with my rent, and they have contacted Cloisters and said, you know if she’s not going to be living there, we would like our rent money back please,” Rettew said. “And they’ve said, well, we’ll talk to someone for you about that and have not gotten back to us.”
For Palmer, having been in conversation with roommates and other residents looking to get their money back, making the request sounds like a losing battle.
“I think the situation is frustrating, but I think it’s unrealistic to expect anybody to pay for me to be in the position that I’m in,” Palmer said. “At the end of it, everyone is losing, nobody wanted this to happen. I just don’t think it makes any sense to keep fghting something that I’m just not going to win.”
BY GRACE TYLEE STAFF WRITER
Former President Donald Trump is the frst in the nation’s history to have sat for both a presidential portrait and a criminal mugshot.
The image went viral after being released to the public on Aug. 24. He was booked in an Atlanta jail in Fulton County in connection to his criminal case for his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
“Presidents have now been charged with an average of two crimes per person,” Gregory Koger, a political science professor at UM, said. “Only one president has ever been charged. And it’s Donald Trump. For 90 different counts. It’s a serious step for American democracy to prosecute an ex-president.”
Since the mugshot’s release, the former president has been the brunt of thousands of memes on social media.
“The mugshot…obviously I was excited for that. Because it’s hilarious,” senior media scoring and production major Florence Hughes said. “I think my initial reaction was to put the meme on my ‘close friend’s’ Instagram story.”
Several public fgures have also capitalized on the notorious image, including 90s punk band Green Day, selling limited-edition shirts with
the word “nimrod” plastered over Trump’s face. The proceeds of the band’s sales will be donated to the victims of the Maui wildfres.
“I think it’s a good thing for people to fnd the fun in politics. Humor helps us deal with the gravity of the situation,” Koger said.
The Republican front-runner’s fundraising efforts have seen a $9.4 million increase since he was processed in Georgia. The day after the mugshot’s release, Trump’s campaign raised $4.18 million – the most he has raised in a 24-hour period.
“The Trump campaign is selling memorabilia with the mugshot. You can literally get a coffee mug with the mugshot on it,” Koger said.
Among the trending hashtags and circulation of the photo on Twitter’s re-invented platform “X,” Trump used the mugshot as an opportunity to jump back on the platform.
The post displayed the phrases
“ELECTION INTERFERENCE”
and “NEVER SURRENDER,” and is his frst post in two years since being banned from Twitter for his alleged actions to incite violence during the January 6 insurrection.
“I haven’t really seen his return to Twitter, but I don’t think that matters that much because people who agree with him aren’t even on Twitter. I think they’re still in the Truth Social realm,” Hughes said.
His case in Georgia is the second
of four total indictments that have emerged over the past year. The other indictments include the January 6 insurrection case (U.S. District Court, Washington D.C.), the classifed documents case (U.S. District Court, Southern Florida) and the hush money case (State Court, New York).
“On one hand, opponents of Donald Trump see the mugshot and think ‘he’s being treated like the criminal I’ve long believed him to be’,” Koger said. “To his supporters on the other hand, it has a completely different meaning. They think ‘here’s our guy, being hounded by big government because he fghts so hard for us.’”
For each of these cases to reach the indictment stage, a prosecutor presented evidence to a grand jury to aid them in deciding whether the defendant should be formally accused of the crime.
There is a long road ahead for Trump with each of these cases, many of which could interfere with his presidential campaign efforts in the upcoming year.
“A lot of 2024 will be news coverage of Donald Trump going from one trial to the next. At the same time, he’s going to be competing in Republican primaries, and if polls stay the way they are, he’s going to win them.” Koger said.
As of right now, his dedicated voter
base remains unwavering, and several of his 2024 competitors admitted in the Aug. 23 GOP debate that they will still support Trump if he wins the nomination, with the exception of Asa Hutchinson, former governor of Arkansas, and Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey.
The topic of Trump’s indictments was a notably uncomfortable subject for the candidates in the debate, with Christie being the outlier and attacking the former president.
“I don’t know if it’s going to help or harm the campaign. Obviously it’s going to harm it, but because of
the bizarreness of the whole situation, it’s going to help him a little bit in a way.” Hughes said.
It’s no secret that Donald Trump remains unconventional in his approach to navigating today’s political environment. His history in the business world has proven to be a key factor in his ability to spin viral moments into exposure and fnancial opportunities, yet his political future remains uncertain.
“If he does in fact get the nomination, he may have to fnish out the general election from a jail cell,” Koger said.
Roberta Macedo// Graphics EditorAs the University of Miami readjusts to having over 15,000 students back on campus, the parking lots are readjusting to the thousands of cars that accompany them. With students constantly rushing in and out of the lots to make it to class on time or beat Miami rush hour and many appearing to struggle to stay between the lines, the parking lots have been declared a battle zone. “It’s kill or be killed in the Red Lot,” RedCup Miami (@ redcup.miami), a popular studentled instagram page, captioned a
post showing a series of cars damaged in parking accidents.
The aforementioned Red Lot is one of the largest parking spaces for students, who can also choose between the Pavia and Levant Garage, Mahoney-Pearson Garage or Yellow Lot. While there have been no readjustments to the linespacing of the parking spots this year, students have complained that some spaces are next-to-impossible to ft in.
“It’s really hard to park, the spots are just really tiny. If anyone’s like even the littlest bit crooked you can’t get into the spot,” senior political science Betsy Mullins said.
Her car, was scuffed and scratched in the Red Lot, with no note left. Mullins called the police to get a report for insurance, but they could not do anything more to fnd who was responsible for the damages, she explained.
The parking cause has been taken up by RedCup Miami, who has been fueling, and they believe correcting, the situation by posting pictures and videos of cars double parked or left damaged in the Red Lot.
“Over the past two weeks we have had a signifcant increase in submissions of both bad parking jobs and hit-and-runs,” senior Dylan
Pitt, a RedCup team member, said. “We started posting pictures of said incidents to bring more awareness to the issue and have since noticed that UM appears to be taking steps to fx the problem.”
The team calls for an increase in cameras in the lots, as suggested by their post of a petition to put more surveillance in the Red Lot. Students believe that cameras would be most benefcial in preventing hit-and-runs.
There are cameras in some parts of the parking lots, and garages now as well, however, these cameras are not guaranteed to pick up the license plates or faces of those
involved in accidents. It is also not the responsibility of the University to hold drivers accountable for damages they may have caused parking, as noted in their 20212022 Parking Policies and Procedures. This authority falls under the UM Police Department. Instead of relying on these cameras or UMPD though, students have taken matters into their own hands by taking note of what cars are parked next to them before heading into campus.
“I myself have been taking pictures of the plates next to me when parking in the red lot,” Dylan Pitt said.
El populista de extrema derecha y ex entrenador sexual Javier Milei limpió el suelo con sus competidores al principio del mes pasado en las primarias presidenciales de Argentina.
El domingo, 13 de agosto, cinco candidatos presidenciales se enfrentaron en una lucha por la próxima presidencia, que ha sido recibida con ansiedad por muchos argentinos, que esperan que los nuevos dirigentes saquen por fn al país del abismo de la infación.
Un candidato que parece más una “rockstar” que un político, con sus chaquetas de cuero y su pelo desordenado, Milei cogió a todo el mundo por sorpresa en las primarias presidenciales.
Apodado “Trump argentino” por Viviana Canosa, Milei representa la coalición política La Libertad Avanza, un grupo con ideologías de extrema derecha.
Mientras que Milei dominó las primarias con 30,04% de los votos, otros candidatos tuvieron su momento en el foco de atención.
Un candidato presidencial relacionado con la coalición Unión por la Patría, Sergio Massa no era el mandamás del grupo considerando que la infación se ha disparado bajo
de su papel como el Ministerio de Economía. Sin embargo, Massa ganó por poco 21,40% de los votos.
Emergiendo del partido Propuesta Republicana y aliado con Juntos por el Cambio, la anterior ministra de seguridad Patricia Bullrich ha hecho promesas de imponer una reforma económica estricta. Para acabar lo que empieza con esas promesas, planea reducir gastos gubernamentales y enfocar en la industria agricultura, en lo que es una gran parte de la economía argentina.
En oposición directa con Bullrich, Horacio Larreta es el jefe de Gobierno de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires y se mantiene fuerte en su plan de implementar una estrategia paulatina para remediar la economía. Mientras que él era un frme candidato, perdió su oportunidad de participar en las elecciones generales con sólo un 11.29% de los votos.
El menos votado fue el candidato Juan Grabois, que sólo obtuvo 5,87% de los votos. Grabois representa la Frontera Patria Grande y se adelantó a los principios de justicia social y soberanía nacional.
Con una infación sin precedentes, del 116%, los argentinos están ansiosos por un liderazgo que reforme completamente la economía nacional y saque a Argentina de las trincheras.
Abigail Schcolnik, un estudiante con especializaciones en economía y estudios internacionales, nació en Argentina y creció en Uruguay hasta entrar en la universidad. Desde su perspectiva, la economía argentina necesita algo más que un líder competente.
“No creo que haya que evaluar a los candidatos a presidentes como adecuados para controlar la infación, sino que dependerá del equipo económico que defnan, de las políticas económicas que implementen y de la colaboración del congreso que acompañe con el voto para poder tener las mayorías que se necesitan para poder generar los cambios,” Schcolnik dijo. “Una cosa es la receta en el papel y otra diferente lo que efectivamente pueda llevarse a cabo en los hechos.”
Las elecciones presidenciales están previstas para el 22 de octubre, donde él mundo será testigo de un cara a cara entre los candidatos Milei, Massa y Bullrich.
Mientras que algunas primarias presidenciales pueden indicar un claro favoritismo hacia un único candidato, Schcolnik sostiene que no es el caso de estas elecciones en particular.
Para que un candidato se asegure una victoria presidencial, se tiene que alcanzar 45% de los votos o ganar 40% de los votos con 10 puntos
<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>,
por delante del otro candidato. Si no cumplen estas condiciones, se procederá a una segunda vuelta entre los dos candidatos más votados.
“Los primeros resultados en los comicios ya efectuados mostraron una cierta preponderancia de los partidos locales, una reducción en los votos obtenidos por la coalición gobernante a nivel nacional respecto de elecciones análogas de 2019 y una menor participación de la población,” Schcolnik dijo. “Esto signifca que las elecciones presi-
denciales serán de tercios, donde cualquiera de los candidatos tiene oportunidad de ganar las elecciones, y cualquiera de ellos promete generar cambios sociales.”
No hay duda que esta elección será una situación para comer las uñas, como no hay un claro favoritismo entre los tres candidatos. Por el momento, los candidatos trabajarán para fortalecer a sus campañas y tratarán de capturar los votos restantes necesarios para asegurar una victoria.
After nearly fve years of hosting thousands of guests, The Wharf Miami is shutting its doors for good. A renowned event space and common celebration venue for newlylegal University of Miami students, the closing of this waterfront venue will be making way for the expansion of the Riverside Wharf development.
This new complex, expected to be completed in 2026, will consist of a $185 million ten-story building housing a luxury hotel, a nightclub and rooftop day club, numerous restaurants and several other amenities.
“For students turning 21, entering The Wharf is ‘a rite of passage’” senior political science, sociology and Spanish major Betsy Mullins said. “Everyone knows you cannot go before you’re 21, so once you are, that’s the frst place you want to go.”
It has become a go-to destination for socializing with friends and enjoying music, all with a scenic view of the Miami River.
“The space of the Wharf is great… if you want a drink, you go to the bar. You can go get food, or hang out in the outdoor space with friends,” senior marine affairs and international studies major Maya Granderson said.
As a Miami nightlife staple, its
closing is bittersweet for frequent visitors, underclassmen and those that will graduate UM without experiencing it.
“I was shocked to see the new development project at the Wharf…I think the Wharf was cute the way it was,” senior marine affairs and international studies major Jacob Esquivel said.
Angela Ansah, a junior at UM studying marketing and business technology, turns 21 in November, after The Wharf’s closing..
“The Wharf is the Disneyland of UM, and it feels like I am missing out on an opportunity that everyone does at UM,” Ansah said.
The Wharf Miami will continue to
operate under normal business hours until Saturday, Sept. 16.
Newer venues are gaining popularity to fll the void, including Regatta Grove in Coconut Grove, opened by The Wharf’s Breakwater Hospitality Group. It shares a similar concept to The Wharf with an open-air layout and food stands.
“Because Miami has such nice weather, and in the evenings it’s still warm, people enjoy being outside a lot more,” said Granderson. “Regatta has a bunch of tables and games, which is fun, and it’s closer to campus so Ubers are cheaper.”
However, some students argue that this new venue may not capture the essence and memories The Wharf
once did.
“People have been saying that Regatta Grove is the same thing, but I was just looking forward to going to The Wharf and seeing what everyone is talking about,” Ansah said.
The Wharf Miami will celebrate its closing weekend with a two-day event themed “The Closing Parties: Bon Voyage,” on September 15 and 16, reliving the venue’s most iconic events.. From specialty cocktails to themed décor, as well as the chance to spin-and-win Wharf merchandise, it is sure to be a celebratory send-off worthy of this iconic venue.
night to the tune of 250 yards on the ground. The Hurricanes’ successful rushing attack led to them controlling the time of possession and the pace of the game, letting them run down the clock for most of the second half to secure the 35-point victory. If the running backs and offensive line are in sync like this for the whole season, Miami’s offense will become much more potent and will be able to wear defenses down more than last year while also taking a bit of pressure off quarterback Tyler Van Dyke and the passing game.
The importance of scoring frst: Miami let its opponent score frst in seven of its 12 games last season. In those seven contests, the Hurricanes were 1-6. Meanwhile, in games
If Miami can continue to get off to hot starts by scoring before its opponents do, it will energize the team early and allow them to play their way instead of having to mount comebacks in most games.
A healthy Restrepo will help the offense:
The Hurricanes’ top receiver only played in seven games last year, and after a solid frst two games, he battled injury and did not look like himself the rest of the season.
With the whole offseason to recover, Restrepo looked sharp once again on Friday night, posting a respectable fve catches for 68 receiving yards. While this stat line does not jump out, his presence was felt when he was on the feld as Van Dyke’s favorite target.
Following a disappointing 5-7 campaign last season, the Miami Hurricanes looked to kick off their second year under head coach Mario Cristobal with a bang. On Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium, that is exactly what they did, as the ‘Canes cruised to a 38-3 win over Miami of Ohio. Here are a few takeaways from Miami’s dominant frst-week win.
The running game will be key this season:
Last season, the Hurricanes ranked 96th in the nation in rushing yards per game. In many contests, Miami was forced to throw the ball much more than it ran, which put an immense amount of pressure on the passing game and made the team onedimensional.
If the frst game of the season is any indication of what is to come, Miami’s offense will be much more balanced and effcient this year. Behind a revamped offensive line and strong rushing performances from junior Henry Parrish Jr. (90 rushing yards, 1 touchdown) and freshman Mark Fletcher Jr. (76 rushing yards, 1 touchdown), Miami eviscerated the RedHawks’ defense all
ners as one of Miami’s top receivers also opened up opportunities for others, such as Colbie Young, tions for 79 yards down. If mains healthy, he will likely produce solid statistics and open up the feld for the rest of Miami’s targets.
Limiting turnovers:
The Hurricanes were 101st in the nation in turnover margin per game last year. Not being able to hold onto the ball and backbreaking interceptions were catalysts in many of Miami’s losses in 2022.
While the ‘Canes did not force any turnovers against the RedHawks, a team that was fourth-best in turnover margin per game last season, they also only turned the ball over once. A Van Dyke interception in the second quarter was the only blemish on an otherwise strong performance in ball security for Miami.
As long as Miami takes care of the ball and does not allow easy scoring opportunities for its opponents off turnovers, the Hurricanes should be in a good position to win the majority of their games.
Miami looks to improve to 2-0 on the young season as they welcome No. 23 Texas A&M to Hard Rock Stadium on Sat-
in a rematch of last year’s 17-9 defeat in College Station, Texas.
The Miami Hurricanes started their season by snapping a fve-game home losing streak wi a decisive 38-3 victory over the Miami (Ohio) University RedHawks on Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium.
It was a game dominated by the Hurricanes’ rushing attack. The ‘Canes achieved 250 yards on the ground with their offensive line consistently getting to the second level of Miami of Ohio’s defense.
All four running backs – Henry Parrish Jr., Mark Fletcher Jr., Ajay Allen Jr., and Don Chaney Jr. – took advantage of their chances. All the backs had at least eight carries of at least 38 yards, and all except for Allen found the end zone. Parrish ran nine times for 90 yards, while Fletcher ran nine times for 76. The ‘Canes were breaking off big chunk runs seemingly at will.
“All four of those guys are tough… I trust each and every one of them. The competition in the room is really good,” quarterback Tyler Van Dyke said. “They each have a different skill set that they bring to the table.
Very excited to see what those guys are going to do moving on.”
Miami’s defense also performed well. It held Miami of Ohio to 2-for12 on third-down conversions and allowed only 215 total yards. Linebacker Fransico Mauigoa led the ‘Canes in total tackles with fve. Linebacker Wesley Bissainthe and defensive lineman Jahfari Harvey each recorded a sack en route to a stifing Hurricanes defensive performance.
“It was a lot of hard work. A lot of time is being put in for the defense.
I think everyone executed their job,” Mauigoa said. “It can be down to the little details, and I think it was a good way to start the season.”
The Hurricanes’ offense couldn’t have gotten off to a faster start. Wide receiver Colbie Young took a screen pass 44 yards to the end zone on just the third play from scrimmage, giving the ‘Canes a 7-0 lead. Van Dyke started fve-for-fve, earning 68 yards and a touchdown.
Van Dyke fnished his night with 201 yards on an effcient 17 completions out of 22 passes. He had a touchdown thanks to Young and an
interception early in the second quarter.
After Van Dyke threw the interception, Miami of Ohio found a rhythm on offense. The RedHawks put together a drive into UM’s territory and secured their frst and only points from a 48-yard feld goal.
The ‘Canes responded immediately and got back the three points thanks to a drive with a 37-yard run from Parrish. The feld goal from Andres Borregales made the score 16-3 in favor of Miami to end the frst half. Borregales had three feld goals and three extra-point kicks on the evening, going without a miss against the RedHawks.
“Andy’s a big part of this team. He’s a clutch kicker. He makes bigtime kicks,” Van Dyke said. “Everybody on this team trusts him. Glad he’s on our team.”
The Hurricanes’ defense came out hot from halftime and continued to hold Miami of Ohio without a third-down conversion. Then, Xavier Restrepo and Mark Fletcher led the ‘Canes down the feld to set up Fletcher, the true freshman, for a 22yard scoring run. Restrepo scored the two-point conversion to give UM a 21-point lead.
After the Hurricanes scored another touchdown via a Parrish run to make the score 31-3, Van Dyke was taken out of the game with just under ten minutes left for freshman quarterback Emory Williams.
On the one drive Williams had throws on, the Hurricanes scored. Chaney fnished that drive with a 20yard run to put the ‘Canes up 38-3. A turnover on downs for the RedHawks with less than two minutes remaining sealed the victory for Miami.
The ‘Canes will host the Texas A&M Aggies next Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium.
BY CALEB SHAPIRO STAFF WRITER
In one of the most heartbreaking matches of a stillyoung soccer season, the Miami Hurricanes collapsed in the fnal 40 seconds Sunday, falling to the Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-1-1), 2-1. Coming off a convincing draw against No. 5 Alabama, the ‘Canes brought their grit to their match against Mississippi State.
A defensive opening snapped when UM (1-2-3) capitalized in the 19th minute off a Bulldogs mishap, leading to a goal by defender Emma Tucker. This was the Hurricanes’ lone goal of the game.
This match was physical, highlighted by a combined six yellow cards, one red card and 27 fouls. Tension built up in the second half, with three Miami yellow cards culminating in goalkeeper Melissa Dagenais receiving a red card in the 89th minute.
One notable discrepancy between the teams was their respective shots on goal. Where the Bulldogs racked up 26 shots total, Miami struggled to post four and recorded a single strike in the second half.
The ‘Canes led with less than three minutes to play. However, the Bulldogs’ resilience stole away the momentum. Off a penalty kick, junior star forward Aitana MartinezMontoya sent the equalizer into the back net, knotting the score 1-1.
Just over a minute later, Mississippi State’s sophomore midfelder Ally Perry capitalized. With an opportunity to seize the moment, Perry sailed her free kick into Miami’s nylon, securing her team a 2-1 lead.
Miami returns home for its next game, facing an instate rival in FIU as it closes out non-conference play. The match kicks off at 7 p.m. at FIU Soccer Stadium.
BY CHRIS DAMOND SENIOR STAFF WRITER
His frst game in an Inter Miami uniform, soccer superstar Lionel Messi prepared to take a free kick.
It had been one week since the former World Cup Champion offcially signed with the Major League Soccer (MLS) club after years of rumors. Now, on a warm and sticky night in late July, Messi was seconds away from giving the sold-out crowd at DRV PNK Stadium its frst taste of his magic.
Using his patented left foot, Messi delivered a 25-yard strike that sailed into the net’s top left corner to break the tie and all but give Inter Miami the victory in the match’s closing moments. Fans, many wearing Messi’s iconic blue and white-striped Argentina jersey, rejoiced as he raced around the feld and embraced his new teammates.
“Everyone was crying — I was crying. It was very emotional to see,” Laura Bea, an Inter Miami season-ticket holder, said. “[Messi] just seemed very comfortable and happy [with] where he was.”
After decades of struggle for South Florida soccer, Inter Miami was now on the world stage.
Like most things, Inter Miami started as an idea. An MLS team in South Florida always made sense because of its diverse community, but when it actually happened with the founding of the Miami Fusion in 1997, the team foundered.
Inter Miami’s journey began in 2014 when soccer legend David Beckham announced his intent to found an MLS team in South Florida. TBut to avoid following in the Miami Fusion’s footsteps, Beckham needed to generate stronger publicmore interest in the MLS.
“There was always the question of can MLS really make it here because the fans here are so into the foreign game, the international game, and would they be interested in the domestic game?” Michelle Kaufman, a 35-year sports journalist who covers Inter Miami for the Miami Herald, said.
“That’s been a big challenge for MLS in a market like Miami … a lot of people for a long time would rather sit at home and watch the [English Premier League] or La Liga on TV, rather than go and support a live MLS game.”
Miami sat dead last in the Eastern Conference. A four-game slide in May led to the fring of third-year coach Phil Neville, leaving the future of the club in a state of uncertainty.
“For three-and-a-half years they’ve tried two different coaches, all different lineups, bringing in all different players, and it just wasn’t happening,” Kaufman said. “They were in last place, dead last, and it just kept feeling like this team is just cursed. This is never going to happen.”
Enter Lionel Messi.
Low attendance and revenue led to the contraction of the Fusion by the MLS after the 2001 season, even though Miami fnished atop the league for the regular season. Eight years laterYears later in 2009, an expansion bid led by soccer club FC Barcelona failed to bring back an MLS team back to Miami.
Beckham partnered with Miamibased business magnates Jorge and Jose Mas, and Inter Miami was offcially announced as Major League Soccer’s 25th club in 2018. The team began its inaugural season in 2020 with a 1-0 loss to Los Angeles FC on March 1.
The next three-and-a-half years were tough. Inter Miami missed the playoffs its frst two seasons before fnally breaking through in 2022, when it lost 3-0 to New York City FC in the frst round.
Midway through the 2023 season, Inter
“Everyone was cryingI was crying. It was very emotional to see.”
“[Messi] just seemed very comfortable and happy where he was.”
Laura Bea Student and season ticket holderRoberta Macedo // Graphics Editor Raul Maristaney // Inter Miami CF Lionel Messi celebrates his goal as fans cheer him on at DRV PNK Stadium on July 25, 2023
Rumors swirled that Messi would join Inter Miami’s roster over the summer, but many, including Kaufman, weren’t so sure. “It was hard to believe that [Messi] would come to Fort Lauderdale and play in a temporary stadium for the last place team. It just didn’t seem to make any sense really, except that he loves Miami,” Kaufman said. “I was very skeptical even when the Mas brothers were feeling optimistic and confdent.”
After his contract for French club Paris Saint-Germain expired in June, Messi received enticing offers from Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal and his former team, FC Barcelona.
Al-Hilal had the money, with a deal reportedly worth over $400 million per year according to soccer insider Fabrizio Romano, but FC Barcelona provided a sense of familiarity. Messi spent the frst 21 years of his historic career playing for the Spanish club, where he won a team-record 34 trophies, including 10ten league titles. However, signing Messi proved diffcult with FC Barcelona over its salary limit, and the deal never transpired.
On June 7, Messi made his decision: — he was headed to Inter Miami on a contract worth over $125 million that would run through the 2025 MLS season. Messi offcially signed with the club on July 15. Chaos immediately ensued immediately. Ticket sales rose 1000% hours after Messi’s decision, and prices started at $570 for the club’s recent road game against Los
Angeles FC on Sept. 3.
The club’s social media platforms grew exponentially grew, too. Inter Miami now has 14.8 million Instagram followers, which is over 13 million more than the second-most followed team in the MLS, the LA Galaxy. Inter Miami also has more Instagram followers than every NFL, NHL and MLB team, which includes historic franchises like the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees.
Local businesses are capitalizingare also capitalizing on all the excitement. Fritz and Franz Bierhaus, a German restaurant in Coral Gables, is now packed for every Inter Miami game. Whenever the club scores a goal, Latin music blares from the speakers as the crowd whips into a frenzy. It’s becoming a common scene throughout South Florida.
“All these sports bars are now having watch parties and getting crowds for MLS games because of Messi, pure and simple. So it’s helping the owners of all those establishments,” Kaufman said. “And then sporting good stores that are selling Messi merchandise, like Soccer Locker which is on U.S. 1 … you can’t fnd any Inter Miami gear at all. It’s completely sold out.”
At Messi’s introduction ceremony at DRV PNK Stadium on July 16, Miami’s elements greeted the soccer legend with severe thunderstorms and heavy rain. But that didn’t stop fans from piling into the stadium.
“It was chaos,” Bea, who attended the ceremony, said. “Getting there was a fvehour ordeal. It was lines and lines and lines out the stadium entrance for miles like three hours before [the event].”
For all the time it took fans to arrive, the ceremony itself didn’t even last 20 minutes. Just seeing Messi, perhaps the greatest player of all time for the world’s most popular sport, was enough.
“There were people crying next to us. There were people screaming,” Bea said. “So even though it was [short] and it was kind of chaos with all the people, and it was storming and raining and defnitely uncomfortable in other senses, it defnitely made it worth it.”
And as Messi’s done his whole career, he’s surpassed all expectations. He scored 11 goals and six assists in his frst nine games — all Inter Miami victories. That included a dominant showing in the Leagues Cup, an international tournament that gave Inter Miami its frst trophy in club history. And of course it was Messi who scored Inter Miami’s only goal in the fnal, dribbling around defenders for a mesmerizing shot just outside the penalty box.
Inter Miami now has the tall task of securing a playoff spot after sitting in the MLS basement for much of the season. Regardless of the outcome, South Florida soccer has changed forever — and it’s all because of one man.
Since Messi joined Inter Miami, ticket prices have skyrocketed. Fans who could once watch a game for less than $30 are now paying more than $100.
Looking for Messi’s number 10?
Messi jerseys sold out until October
Anyone searching for the iconic pink jersey will have to wait until October for it to come back in stock. After announcing his intention of signing with Miami, online retailer Soccer.com sold six months’ worth of Inter Miami jerseys in one day.
Since Messi joined, the Inter Miami Instagram following has grown by the millions, passing iconic fanbases like the New York Yankees.
If you walk near the United Wesley building on a Thursday night, you’ll hear live music and see a large gathering of UM students underneath fairy lights cheering their fellow musicians on. This weekly coffeehouse happens every Thursday at 8 p.m., starting with an hour-long headlining performance and an open mic immediately afterward.
Though rain in the forecast pushed Wesley’s opening coffeehouse on Aug. 31 indoors, the downpour didn’t bother the nearly 80 students who packed Kreske Hall, one of Wesley’s indoor venues.
UM sophomore and coffeehouse headliner Dawson Fuss opened his set with a lively performance of Rihanna’s “Only Girl in the World,” teasing afterward that it should be “only boy in the world.”
Supporting the singer, Fuss’ band included junior Daniel Coppola on guitar, sophomore Maddy Grant on bass, sophomore Miles Montgomery on drums and sophomore Dylan McNulty on electric guitar.
The young musician’s set included both covers and original music, with standouts including a punk rock rendition of Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” a strippeddown version of Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” from the “Barbie” movie and a heartfelt acoustic original called “Say the Words” reminiscent of pop star Joshua Bassett.
Fuss also performed previously-released originals like “Right Place, Wrong Time,” “Upper Hand” and a song inspired by the movie “The Breakfast Club.”
“It’s a song I wrote about not ftting in 100% in high school,” Fuss said. “I had certain dreams that didn’t align with my friends’ goals and aspirations…wouldn’t that be cool to be part of a group where everyone is cool with each other?”
After original song “Nothing’s Fair” switched melodies halfway, the crowd cheered as McNulty and Coppola each performed a long guitar solo and Montgomery wowed the audience with expert drum flls.
Closing his set, Fuss ended with an unreleased song planned to drop
in November alongside a new EP, which he said explores learning how to see the glass “half full,” a trait his father taught him from a young age.
No stranger to the stage, Fuss was expressive with his facial expressions and movements, playing with dynamics by kneeling on the stage and jumping during loud moments. His honest, unfltered lyrics and performance even refected his wardrobe, as Fuss donned a graphic tee that read “My Life is a Soap Opera!!”
First-year students Riley Greenwald and Claudia O’Neill, who study modern artist development and entrepreneurship, enjoyed their frst coffeehouse experience. Greenwald called Fuss’ set impressive and noted how the environment felt “friendly and open.”
“Everyone can come and share their music no matter what kind of style,” O’Neill said. “I love how there’s a headliner and you can meet people and see what kind of music they’re making, then share your own music. It’s just a supportive environment.”
Both Greenwald and O’Neill
signed up for the open mic to play original music on the acoustic guitar. Their performances, reminiscent of singer-songwriters like Lizzy McAlpine and Clairo, illustrate a promising future generation of Frost musicians.
If you’re not a musician, don’t worry — non-Frost students also attend the coffeehouse to support their peers and enjoy a free night of live music.
“I have a lot of friends in Frost who do music and I’m just really excited to see them perform and support them,” said Georgia Apazidis, a frst-year student studying psychology.
Cecilia Stuart, a frst-year student studying marine biology, signed up for the open mic to sing an original titled “Home.” The coffeehouse crowd sat in stunned silence as Stuart executed vocal riffs with ease.
“I love performing, so it’s really cool that I have a place to not be in Frost and still sign up and share [my music] with my friends,” Stuart said.
Of the 10 open mic performances, standouts included an acapella rap by graduate student Jaren Jozondi, an acoustic performance by frst-year student Jess Caso and
a Florence and the Machine-esque original song performed by frstyear students Anakeesta Ironwood, Violet Beller and Ian Liu. Ending the night with a piano rendition of “Escape (The Piña Colada Song),” music composition senior David Caldarella played the song for a fourth year in a row as the coffeehouse crowd sang along. Kamryn Charles, a senior studying music engineering and technology, has been a member of United Wesley since freshman year. Now on the executive board as the Coffeehouse Manager, Charles has seen the coffeehouse evolve over the years from behind the soundboard.
“It’s rare to experience such a welcoming community for creation on campus,” Charles said. “As I have spoken to previous performers, they always talk about how relaxed they felt at the coffeehouse.” Interested students can swing by the Wesley building on Thursday for another round of live performances, refreshments and a community of fellow music lovers. For more information about other events, follow the organization’s Instagram page @unitedwesleyum.
Miami’s Cuban heritage runs deep — between Calle Ocho, Little Havana and its close proximity to the island nation, it’s difficult to live in the city without experiencing Cuban culture.
What better way to taste the island than through some of Miami’s best Cuban cuisine? Below, check out seven restaurants that both Miami natives and tourists enjoy.
Havana Harry’s
Located right here in Coral Gables, Havana Harry’s is a favorite among locals and tourists alike. UM students flock to this local delight for its large portions and reasonable prices.
The warm lighting, Cuban tiles and comforting fragrances give this restaurant a home-like feel. With authentic, affordable Cuban cuisine and a large menu perfect for picky eaters, Havana Harry’s deserves a spot on your Miami bucket list.
Havana 1957
This glamorous restaurant prides itself on being authentically Cuban. Inside, you’ll listen to classic Cuban artists like Celia Cruz and Benny More while eating in a dining room decorated from floor to ceiling with vintage memorabilia, Havana’s biggest legends and famous prints.
Try entrees ranging from seafood plates, sandwiches, soups and the house specialty “Pollo Havana 1957,” which includes traditional roasted chicken in a savory Cuban gravy served with white rice, black beans, salad and sweet plantains. Appetizers like croquetas and tostones
rellenos or desserts like guava cheesecake will have you leaving with a full stomach and a box of leftovers.
Their closest location to UM lies on Lincoln Road, but their three Miami Beach restaurants are ideal spots to grab Cu ban food after a beach day.
Inspired by 1950s European architecture, the interior design of Isla Canarias boasts a casual, but elegant atmosphere coupled with friendly personnel. The family-owned restaurant welcomes customers online with this greeting: “ The Andrade family invites you to have a seat at their table because your time
at Islas Canarias Restaurant is a time spent with family.”
Isla Canarias is known as the “Home of Miami’s Favorite Croqueta,” which are deep-fried rolls with a creamy filling. Appetizers include ham, chicken and fish croquetas, and several
and Cuban sandwich also come with a croqueta. Aside from croquetas, you’ll find typical Cuban dishes here at an affordable price, with most options under $20.
One of Miami’s most renowned Cuban food chains, La Carreta lies across the street from Versailles. While La Carreta is less popular than its sister store Versailles, both restaurants are owned by the same family and serve similar dishes like classic picadillo and empanadas with cilantro cream sauce. Outside the restaurant you’ll find convenient parking, open tables and a huge chicken statue decorated in the colors of the Cuban flag. Does it get Miami more than that?
It’s in the name — the “juice capital” offers nearly 20 natural
juices including pineapple, guava, blackberry and passion fruit, among others. If you’re looking for more substance, this chain offers breakfast food, appetizers, sandwiches and wraps. To end your meal on a sweet note, try one of their numerous dessert selections like shakes, ice cream and cake.
Before heading in, make sure to scan the online menu for the daily specials, which offer meals at a discounted rate.
With 14 different locations across Miami, this womenfounded, third-generation family business has made a name for itself in South Florida. Stop by the closest stores on Bird Road or Coral Way to experience their popular Cuban-American fusion dishes like chicken or ham and cheese empanadas, palomilla steak, shredded chicken or beef, and desserts like tres leches, arroz con leche or flan.
How could this list exist without the iconic Versailles? Deemed as “The World’s Most Famous Cuban Restaurant,” this beloved spot is a landmark of Little Havana and Cuban culture. A hotspot amongst celebrities, politicians and media outlets, don’t be surprised if your lunch is disrupted by a presidential visit or Beyoncé herself. Whether you’re in the mood for ropa vieja or the classic arroz con pollo, Versailles’ menu will not disappoint. At the center of Versailles lies “La Ventanita,” a walk-up coffee window known for its cafecito, pastries and for inspiring a host of restaurants throughout Miami to adopt the same fixture.
Miami is full of diverse voices and stories that deserve to be told.
UM’s One Book, One U program aims to amplify these voices and educate the UM community on the history and future of Miami.
Through UM Libraries, the annual program aims to promote discussions of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) by highlighting one book with these themes throughout the school year. A selection committee composed of professors chooses the book through a process of nominations and meetings.
“This year, the selection committee was able to quickly narrow down our choice to ‘If I Survive You’ because of the many themes in this book that we thought would resonate with the UM community across multiple disciplines,” said Dr. Miriam Lipsky, director of the Platform for Excellence in Teaching and Learning.
Author Jonathan Escoffery’s book “If I Survive You” features interrelated short stories that depict the life of a Jamaican family in South Florida.
“Based in southern Miami-Dade county and from the perspective of a young Jamaican-American man, ‘If I Survive You’ offers a unique view of our city, each story approaching the city from different angles,” said Chantel Acevedo, cofounder of One Book, One U and creative writing professor in the UM Department of English.
Trelawney, the American-born protagonist with Jamaican-born parents and older brother, opens the book wrestling with his dual identity as both a child and young adult. After dodging questions from strangers about his ethnic background and taking a DNA test, he still cannot fnd a concrete answer for the question: “What are you?”
Writing in the second-person point of view, Escoffery immediately invites readers into the narrative by prompting them to endure
odd jobs to make a living and confronts injustice head-on.
For students unfamiliar with
that isn’t often refected in literature, but is so necessary to the vitality of our city,” Acevedo said.
A prolifc writer, Acevedo has
reading program, which has gone through several iterations since its creation.
“When One Book, One U was initially developed, the idea was to have the UM community engage with works of fction,” Acevedo said. “Since then, the program evolved to include nonfction in order to better refect the many genres of interest on campus. This year marks a return to fction.”
The book’s stories encourage a deeper understanding of Miami and its smaller communities, underlining the program’s goals to keep culture alive through reading.
“I think the book will engender rich conversations regarding issues of race and equity, the environment and climate change, immigration, gender and sexuality,” Acevedo said.
The program challenges recently-enacted Florida legislation that prohibits public colleges from using federal or state funding on DEI programs. As a private institution, UM is one of few Florida schools to retain its DEI initiatives.
“Florida, in recent months, has put the silencing of these issues front UM sophomore Dawson Fuss performs with Daniel Coppola and Maddy Grant at the United Wesley coffeehouse on Thursday, Aug. 31. center nationally, and it behooves us as a university community to make sure that scholars, researchers and creators are not silenced and to create spaces where these conversations can happen freely,” Acevedo said.
the same microaggressions, confusion and search for identity that Trelawney does. The remainder of the book turns the narrator into a three-dimensional character — one who challenges stereotypes, deals with generational trauma, takes on
Miami’s rich culture and mixture of people from various diasporas, Escoffery’s book may be an eyeopening read.
“My hope is that in reading ‘If I Survive You,’ our UM community will learn about a part of Miami
won the Latino International Book Award for her book “Love and Ghost Letters.” She created One Book, One U along with law professor Osamudia James after receiving the “A Seed for Success” (SEEDS) grant to start a common
One Book, One U hosts programming throughout the academic year in collaboration with campus partners to engage students and highlight issues related to its chosen book.
Until then, students can grab their free copy of “If I Survive You” from the Richter Library Access Services desk while supplies last.
Hollywood is closed. Every major flm and television production company in Los Angeles shut down in June, and just a handful of independent flm companies are still shooting.
Upcoming mMovies includinglike tennis drama “Challengers,” the sequel to “Dirty Dancing,” “Dune: Part 2” and more have been forced to pushpushed back their release dates by several months. Meanwhile, writers and actors alike have taken to the streets of LA to protest against unfair pay.
The abrupt pause stems from a breakdown of negotiations between the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP). This actor strike coincides with the Writers Guild of America (WAG) strike that started in May.
“I agree with everything they’re
protesting,” said Walker Klauda, a sophomore media scoring and production major. “It would make sense that those who are creating the product, especially when it comes to art, should make most of the proft — or at least enough of the proft who sustain an actual life.”
These organizations revise contracts every three years to better refect the interests of its members. This year, confict arose over streaming residuals, pay for writers and actors and the increasing use of artifcial intelligence (AI) to replicate an actor’s likeness.
The ongoing strike continues thea complex conversation about where the priorities of Hollywood studios lie — with people or profts.
“Better pay is understandable, but it’s hard for streamers to pay actors a function of their contribution because they don’t make money per view — their revenue comes from monthly subscriptions,” junior motion pictures major Jack Brixius said. Though the strike discourages
some students about the state of the flm industry, the overwhelming display of solidarity between actors and writers highlights the power that workers have when they unite for a cause.
For UM junior Camille Kerber, a junior studyingwho studies business entrepreneurship and flm, the strike is reassuring for her and other students who plan to enter the flm industry.
“We will be joining a union of artists who fght for what they believe they deserve, and protect the nature of the job,” Kerber said. “It’s also good to see the power that workers have against large corporations that try to take advantage of them.”
Even with the writers’ and actors’ relentless protesting, production companies like Netfix and Warner Bros.thers are determined to uphold their side of the contract negotiations. Another round of negotiations may not take place until late October.
“The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start
losing their apartments and losing their houses,” a studio executive told Deadline.
If these reports of a cold approach are true, then one might deem these studios’ actions an extreme abuse of power that harms the welfare of its workers. The halt in production has also cost studios millions of dollars and the LA County economy a whopping $2.5 billion.
Small, yet renowned, production
company A24, known for flms such as “Moonlight” and “Everything, Everywhere, All At Once,” has been allowed to continue flming under these circumstances. They agreed to all of SAG-AFTRA’s conditions and were permitted to continue production by the union.
This agreement by A24 demonstrates that a successful negotiation between AMPTP, WAG and SAGAFTRA is possible after all.
Miami artist Jordan Betten, a self-described “urbanist,” promotes sustainability through his abstract sculptures and paintings. With roots in New York City and inspiration from Miami, Betten’s unique art styles fuses aspects of street art and contemporary styles, allowing for limitless interpretation of his work. His experiences living in Overtown, a historic neighborhood northwest of downtown Miami once known as the “Harlem of the South,” inspire the local artist.
“I like seeing the architecture,” Betten said. “There’s a lot of rust and decay and spray paint and graffti, which all infuence my
art.”
Overtown’s proximity to Wynwood, the iconic street-art neighborhood in Miami, is refected in Betten’s work. Quick brushstrokes of bright, complementary colors give his pieces a worn out look.
Betten incorporates recycled materials from his studio into his sculpture work to give seemingly useless items new meaning and value.
“If I fnish a gallon of paint, instead of throwing out the gallon of paint, I’ll keep that bucket and use it in a future sculpture,” Betten said.
This curious and environmentally conscious habit of Betten’s is reminiscent of the “found ob-
jects” concept often seen in modern art.
Betten’s relationship with fne art began in New York City, six years before he moved to Miami.
He entered the NYC fashion industry as a designer for his project and brand, Lost Art. His work, which he designed using hand-crafted leather, attracted the likes of high fashion stylists and rockstars.
After his initial exposure to the fashion industry as a young model in Europe, Betten went on to design wardrobe for Lenny Kravitz — Lost Art’s largest collector according to Betten. He even went on to design a pair of wings for a Victoria’s Secret fashion show.
“We also worked with tons of
stylists and editors and press people from all over the world, so I think it was a combination of the press that we would get and the style of what we were doing [that] just drove people our way,” Betten said.
After making a name for himself in the fashion scene, Betten moved to Miami to focus on his painting studies and further the resourcefulness aspect of his work.
“For me, the materials were always a driving force of inspiration and respect,” Betten said. “So I made it a point to use everything, as much as I possibly could use of what I had in some way or form or eventually used in some projects.”
Betten continues to make the
most out of the world around him and incorporate it into his art.
“I like [letting] the material have its own voice in the painting or in the sculpture,” Betten said. Currently settled in his Overtown studio, Betten continues to play a signifcant role in the art world. His work has been displayed in Miami Art Basel galleries for several years, beginning with the Originals Art Basel Miami 2016 Goldman Global Arts Gallery.
To keep up with Betten’s latest endeavors, follow @jordan_betten on Instagram and visit jordanbetten.com. For more information on the Lost Art brand, visit lostart. com to learn more about Betten’s past work.
Anyone who has broken their phone and had to wait a few days to replace it understands how thoroughly technology permeates our everyday lives. Especially as young adults and teens, we flter most of our experiences, feelings and ideas through social media and the internet before fully forming a perspective and feel in the dark when we can’t compare our thoughts to what’s circulating on the web.
A 2022 Pew Research Center survey found that 95% of surveyed teens have access to a smartphone and 97% say that they use the internet daily and 46% say they use the internet almost constantly. These teens are bombarded around-theclock with creative content that shapes their perspective and preferences, with or without their knowledge.
This seemingly infnite access to information brings us so much more possibility in some ways, but over-
use of technology, specifcally the internet, simultaneously brings on a multitude of negative consequences. Overuse of the internet and social media has been linked to increased depression and anxiety, attentiondefcit symptoms and sleep defciency among other issues. As we invest ourselves further into a future intertwined with comprehensive internet access, the internet’s tendency to overwhelm individuals’ identities and stife creativity may take more from the marketplace of ideas than it adds.
Being asked any variation of the dreaded icebreaker question “what do you do for fun?” reminds me of how little I invest my time and energy in outside of school and work. Even the activities I scrounge up to answer that question are interests that I used to spend a lot of time on, but now rarely do outside of when it feels necessary.
When it comes to being creative, I’ve found it especially diffcult to cut through the noise with anything original in part because there is so much content that sometimes it feels as if everything has already been done but also because it feels as if
I’m in a constant state of writer’s
block.
These issues likely have something to do with the six-plus hours a day logged on my phone and the never ending cycle of time doing work in front of a computer screen. A majority of this time is spent intaking media and other people’s ideas.
I’m not alone in this experience. The average U.S. Gen Z’s screen time is over 7 hours a day. With so much time spent distracting, it’s diffcult to form original ideas that aren’t infuenced by the content we’re being fed. 95 million photos and videos are posted to Instagram every day and over 500 hours of video are uploaded to Youtube every minute. 167 million TikTok videos are watched every minute.
It seems that we seldom sit with our own thoughts anymore. Many of us aren’t cultivating anything and few seem to have consistent hobbies outside of media consumption. When it comes to exposure to creativity and innovation, it feels as though many of us are constantly inhaling and never breathing out.
“I’ve always prided myself on having an individual creative identity, but after social media took off my identity started rapidly changing and
I began to feel some identity confusion,” senior creative advertising major Asha Shah said. “I see all of these people creating amazing things and see different trends going around and I’m interested in a lot of them, but I can’t tell if I’m always actually interested or if it’s just what’s being put in front of me.”
While the internet has vastly expanded the scope of creation, a majority of content often feels like an original concept repurposed or mimicked time and time again. This also breeds a climate of comparison, where if your work doesn’t look “as good” as someone else’s, it feels insignifcant.
“It’s a constant internal battle of trying to fgure out balancing my individuality with inspiration I draw from external places,” Shah said. This, combined with the quickening and increasingly infuential trend cycle has led to a strain of groupthink that promotes the status quo and bars creativity. I often fnd myself being infuenced without my consent or knowledge, and when I stop to think about it, it’s diffcult to discern my actual tastes and style from what is popular, in everything from fashion to music to what I write about. The
internet lays outlines for how we should live and create.
Especially with the rise of new sophisticated AI technology, creative thinking is growing in importance.
According to Harvard Business Review, despite the remarkable capabilities of generative AI models, there are still accuracy issues that leave a demand for human creators as “the uniqueness of human creativity including awareness of social and cultural context, both across borders and through time will become important leverage.”
Technology and specifcally the internet are unparalleled tools that present us with great opportunities to expand our knowledge and use that knowledge to fuel our creativity and innovation. While it’s valuable that these tools can inform our behaviors, it is important that we reprioritize taking time away from the noise to pursue our interests and create without checking what we produce against others’ work. Without that, we risk the marketplace of ideas becoming a homogenous echo chamber of the same few popular ideas and the loss of creations that could have immense potential.
The mission of the opinion section of The Miami Hurricane is to disseminate different viewpoints, raise public discourse and further explore issues in the news that our readers care about. It’s the only place in the paper where authors are free to share their personal thoughts and beliefs about different subjects.
An op-ed is an opinion piece that expresses the view of an individual writer, usually on a topic in news or culture that is relevant to a newspaper’s audience. The word “op-ed” is derived from traditional placement of commentary pieces on the page opposite a newspaper’s editorial page.
TMH hopes to expand the scope of the op-eds published this semester to better encompass views held by our readers and the UM community in general, as oped writers do not need to be on TMH’s staff. A good op-ed will cut through the noise, delivering fresh perspective on current topics relevant to TMH’s readers.
Strong op-eds support their arguments with personal experience and expertise, using verifable facts, quotes and data. Ideally, an op-ed will offer captivating arguments that challenge conventional wisdom or elevate discussion on widely recognized issues. We all have opinions, so make a compelling case as to why the average reader should consider yours.
TMH typically publishes opinion pieces that are about 700 words long, but we will publish essays that are shorter and longer. Writers can submit a full draft, but if you have an outline or so much as an idea, do not hesitate to reach out as our opinion editor would be happy to work with you on bringing that idea to fruition.
Publishing an op-ed through an established platform like TMH is an opportunity to share your ideas with a wide audience while elevating your argumentative writing skills and challenging both yourself and the views that you hold.
If you would like to submit an op-ed or an op-ed idea, please email opinion@themiamihurricane.com
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In honor of the frst ‘Canes win of the season — I almost forgot what it felt like to leave Hard Rock happy — I thought it would be only right to talk about the epidemic that is the UBus. As if it isn’t painful enough braving Miami traffc, the school decides that shoving you and 40 other sweaty college kids into a coach bus that smells vaguely of Kirkland brand seltzers and Natty Lights is the best way to get the attendance they so desperately crave at the Football games.
The 45-minute crawl each way to Hard Rock never fails to show students in their rawest form. Shame is left in Coral Gables. From throwing up to throwing ass, one person’s lowest moment is another’s private story’s gold.
While we have all fought demons on the UBus before — 8 a.m. tailgates take down even the strongest of soldiers — actually blowing chunks on the bus is a different level of down
bad. As if the smell of frat (ifykyk) isn’t bad enough now the delightful aroma of excreted Chipotle wafting from the bathroom is added to the mix. Pair that with the sounds of your fellow ‘Canes suffering through what is sure to be a gnarly hangover, and you have achieved the true Ubus experience.
The way back is often much of the same, except those cheerful and spirited drunks are now hungover zombies, and your own buzz has faded into a pounding headache and intense craving for your twin XL bed.
This last weekend my journey home was made particularly painful by a group of freshmen who convinced the poor bus driver to hand over the aux. I was given a front-row seat to an ass-shaking spectacle so involved that people were standing on their seats to get a better view. With hits by Central Cee, Ice Spice and J.Cole deafening those around me, I
found myself questioning if the $200 Uber would have been worth it..
I know I defnitely sound like a buzzkill right now, and I remember those freshman days thinking that dance circles were peak college, but the UBus is where I draw the line. Those 45 minutes back to campus are a sacred time for napping and contemplating what meal you are going to Doordash when you get home, not for trying to impress the guy in the seat across from you with your knowledge of frat basement anthems.
In many ways, the UBus is a uniting experience. From freshman to senior year, we all stand in line waiting to board a coach bus, or for the unlucky few a Hurry’Canes shuttle back to campus. Until the mystical stadium is built in Coral Gables — shh a girl can dream — and I have better weekend plans, me and the rest of UM’s most devoted fans will brave the UBus.
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Michelle Starbeck
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The Miami Hurricane is published biweekly during the regular academic year and is edited and produced by undergraduate students at the University of Miami. The publication does not necessarily represent the views and opinions of advertisers or the university’s trustees, faculty or administration. Unsigned editorials represent the opinion of The Miami Hurricane’s Editorial Board. Commentaries, letters and cartoons represent only the views of their respective authors. The newsroom and business o ce of The Miami Hurricane are located in the Student Activities Center, Student Media Suite 200.
LETTER POLICY
The Miami Hurricane encourages all readers to voice their opinions on issues related to the university or in response to any report published in The Miami Hurricane. Letters to the editor may be submitted typed or handwritten to the Student Activities Center, Student Media Suite 200, or mailed to P.O. Box 248132, Coral Gables, Fla., 33124-6922. Letters must be signed with a copy of your Cane Card.
ADVERTISING POLICY
The Miami Hurricane’s business o ce is located at 1330 Miller Drive, Student Activities Center Student Media Suite 200. The Miami Hurricane is published every other Wednesday during the university’s fall and spring academic terms. Newspapers are distributed for free on the Coral Gables campus, the School of Medicine and o -campus locations.
DEADLINES
The conditions of agreement for advertisers are outlined on the ad contract form. Please direct any and all questions related to advertising to the Business Manager, Jared Lennon. Questions can be emailed to jaredlennon@ themiamihurricane.com.
AFFILIATIONS
The Miami Hurricane is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press, Columbia Scholastic Press Association and Florida College Press Association.
