The Miami Hurricane: Nov. 10, 2021

Vol. 99, Issue 3 November 10, 2021 -- November 17, 2021

THE BEAT IS BACK Fireworks fly as students, faculty and alumni gather around Lake Osceola for the first time in two years during Hurricane Howl on Friday, Nov. 5. This year’s Homecoming Week theme was “Bring the Beat Back.”

Josh Halper // Photo Editor

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NEWS

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News

CAMPUS NEWS

Here’s what to know about COVID-19 booster shots CORONAVIRUS SAFETY

BY ANURAG AKA

STAFF NEWS WRITER When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized the emergency use of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots, the move raised questions within the University of Miami community on the importance and availability of additional vaccinations and how big of a role the university should play in encouraging their use.

Dr. Michael Gaines, a biology professor in the College of Arts and Sciences and assistant provost of pre-health advising, mentoring and undergraduate research, says he got his third shot immediately upon eligibility in order to protect those around him and combat false narratives against vaccination.

“There’s all this stuff going on that doesn’t make biological sense and stuff that doesn’t fit with the science we know where people are worried that this is somehow dangerous and then you have these conspiracy theories which are crazy, totally crazy,” Gaines said.

The FDA expanded eligibility for COVID-19 booster shots to recipients of both the Pfizer and Moderna shots on Oct. 22. If recipients are 65-years old or older, 18-years old or older with underlying medical conditions, 18-years old or older living in long-term care or 18 years-old or older working in high-risk settings.

The FDA also announced that day that individuals 18 years or older who received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine are eligible for a booster shot two months after receiving their initial dose regardless of their risk of serious illness from COVID-19.

According to the FDA, individuals may mix and match different strains of the vaccine, meaning that they may choose any of the Pfizer-BioNtech, Moderna or Johnson and Johnson vaccines for their booster, regardless of what they were originally vaccinated with.

Unless they are within the narrow exception, most students don’t fall into the categories of those approved for booster shots now.

“I think people need to follow the government guidance,” said Erin Kobetz, UM’s Vice Provost for Research and Scholarship. “For students, part of the challenge, especially in college-age men, is that they’ve seen an increased risk of pericarditis, so there’s been some concern that that risk outweighs the benefit of the booster. It will be a personal decision that is best made with somebody’s primary care physician and parents.”

Baylee Brochu, a senior double-majoring in health sciences and psychology, recently received her booster shot and says that she got the additional dose not only to protect herself against COVID-19, but also the infants she works with in a lab off-campus.

“Because I am working with an at-risk population, I felt that it was my responsibility to get the booster shot when I was able to,” Brochu said.

While many UM students and faculty say they are grateful to have access to vaccination boosters, the use of booster shots has faced some criticism around the world, as many countries are still struggling to fully vaccinate their citizens.

Richard Chappell, a UM assistant professor of philosophy,

WHO is eligible?

Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna - 65 years or older - 18 + living in long term care - 18 + working in high-risk settings - 18 + with underlying medical condition * eligible 6 months after inoculation

Johnson and Johnson - 18 + two months after inoculation

says he believes that vaccine shortages in poorer countries could have been prevented by increased investment in global manufacturing from nations like the U.S. “Ideally, wealthy countries should have invested more in global vaccine manufacturing capacity early on, to ensure sufficient global supply by this time,” Chappell said. “Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, which now creates a conflict between the demands of global justice and the obligations of a government to ensure the safety of its own citizens.”

Chappell says he believes, at the moment, vaccinating the unvaccinated worldwide is more

more important than administering booster doses, but if cooperation fails, booster shots are the next best move.

“That gives the U.S. strong humanitarian reasons to share our vaccine supply with countries who need more for initial doses, even if that delayed our ability to roll out booster shots to the general population.” Chappell said.“Realistically though, if international donation isn’t going to happen, it’s obviously better to give booster shots here than to just have the extra vaccine doses rotting on the shelf.”

Students that wish to receive the COVID-19 vaccine may do so

Julia Sanbe // Design Editor

by finding the nearest location on vaccinefinder.org. After receiving their vaccine, students may upload their vaccine card on MyUHealthChart.

Students who submit proof of vaccination will have the opportunity to win gifts ranging from a $50 Lyft gift card to a $1000 cash prize as part of UM’s voluntary COVID-19 Vaccine Incentive Program. Students selected for the prizes will be notified via their school email.

For more information on the vaccine incentive program visit the university website.

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Return of cherished Homecoming Week brings students together with new experiences

BY PATRICK MCCASLIN STAFF NEWS WRITER

Thousands of students finally crowded around Lake Osceola, many for the first time, for the annual Hurricane Howl, an event that features the Boat Burning and fireworks to cap off the University of Miami’s Homecoming Week. Performances from UM cheerleaders, the Frost Band of the Hour and members of the Frost School of Music kept the crowds energy high.

Together, current and former Canes counted down the seconds until the boat was set ablaze, chanting down from ten. The boat exploded with a spectacular pop and burst of flames. The mast quickly burned, broke off the boat and fell into the water, signalling that the Hurricane’s will win at the Homecoming game against Georgia Tech, according to UM tradition.

The crowd erupted into applause, followed by a singing of the Alma Mater and an extended fireworks show that illuminated the heart of campus and all the faces watching.

In the tradition of Homecoming, alumni typically return to enjoy the celebration of their alma mater once again. They bring their family, see their friends and relive what it means to be a Hurricane.

As the finale of the week, Hurricane Howl holds a special place in the heart of many alumni.

“This sums it up. This is the closest you can come to physically putting into perspective what it is to be a Hurricane,” said Jared Zemantauski, a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law and current professor at the university.

Last year, because of COVID-19, the was no in-person Homecoming, everything was virtual. This year, the Homecoming Executive Committee (HEC) aimed to make up for lost time and “bring the beat back” to UM. “It’s been an honor to plan,” said Gustavo Tovar, a member of the Hurricane Howl subcommittee of the Homecoming Executive Committee. “I think so many people have been looking forward to this and it clearly shows with the crowd.”

Students valued the opportunity to return to a normal Homecoming, particularly sophomores who didn’t the chance

to celebrate “This is my first time getting to experience it as a student, said Marcel van Hemert, a sophomore and local Miami resident. “I get to hang out with my friends. I get to have a great time. Getting into what Homecoming is all about has been excellent.”

COVID-19 is still present on UM’s campus, but to a much lesser extent than last year. As of Nov. 5, only five students were in quarantine or isolation. This time last year, however, COVID-19 cases were on the rise as the university approached it’s record high of the Fall 2020 semester of 68 positive cases reported on Nov. 19, 2020.

This year’s Homecoming was about celebrating the return of students, festivities and normal after a year that was too quiet.

“I thought because of COVID, it was going to be kind of bad,” said Nathaniel Valentine, a sophomore.

“But I saw the boat burning ceremony and fireworks and I was like, UMiami really goes all out.”

Freshmen who didn’t know what to expect particularly enjoyed the festivities.

“It was very big, very grand, I really liked it and I was very impressed,” said Griffin Mason, a freshman. “I loved it.”

That is the goal of Homecoming. The week brings

students, alumni and anyone else connected to the U together to remember what it’s like to be a part of the UM family.

“Hurricane Howl means family, tradition and trying to pass something on,” Zemantauski said.

“We’re in Miami, Florida, so a lot of people are independent in things. But when we have big events like this that bring people together, I think that emphasizes what being a Cane is. It brings us together under the U,” said sophomore Aliyah Beverly.

Members of Federación Estudiantes Cubanos celebrate the end of Homecoming Week during the homecoming festivities on the Foote Green on Nov. 5, 2021.

Jared Lennon // Senior staff photographer

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Senior Landon Coles: ‘Not a moment, a movement’ CAMPUS SPOTLIGHT

BY RACHEL SULLIVAN CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR

Student government president, Landon Coles, is on mission to leave a lasting legacy of service, inspiration and style. Three years ago, as a freshman at the University of Miami, Coles — a self proclaimed “florida man” raised all across the state — walked onto campus with a vision to have impact, unaware of just how far that vision would take him.

“It feels bigger than what it is,” Coles said, referring to UM. “The more you walk it, the more you traverse it, the more you make it your home, the smaller it becomes, the more intimate it becomes.”

But with the end of his college career in sight, Coles said he has grown from an unsure freshman, clean shaven and clad in patterned colored shirts, into a confident leader on the 239-acre campus he knows as well as anyone.

“There’s no part of this campus I feel uncomfortable in now.

Every part of this campus feels like home,” Coles said.

Coles says that finding his place at UM began with getting involved in everything that he could, networking and deliberate goal setting.

“I believe in manifestation,” Coles said. “Speaking it over your life and then walking in it, acting on those words that you have put out there in the atmosphere. So, that’s what I do, I speak it and then I walk it.”

As a first-year student, Coles promised himself that he would immediately join two organizations on campus: the Black Student Union (BSU) and Student Government. Coles also promised himself that he would eventually serve as each club’s president. In his last year at UM, Coles officially reached his goal when he was elected student government presi-

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dent, after serving as the BSU president his junior year.

Coles said his high school experience prepared him well for his roles at UM. Coles served as a member of student government all four years of high school and three consecutive years as class president.

“It was just something that’s always come natural to me,” Coles said. “And I have had a ball doing that... That means more to me than anything, inspiring other people to be their best selves on this campus and do great things.”

Although leading his peers feels like second nature to Coles, he admitted that it is not always easy. As he works to combat the on-campus spread of COVID-19, Coles said he works through obstacles by reminding himself why Jared Lennon // Senior staff photographer he first joined student government.

Student government president Landon Coles poses for a photo on the Fate Bridge. Coles, a senior, says leading comes naturally to him.

“Dealing with the crowding, dealing with the congestion taken note of the commitment probably talking to the next stu- Coles said. “It is also my way in will probably be the largest chal- Coles has to community action dent government president, I am which I can express myself and lenge that we face, coupled with and his belief in his organization’s likely talking to the next head of break the mold and barrier of making sure people just stay safe,” ability to make positive changes.

Greek life, I am talking to the next what people expect of not only a Coles said. “Being in government “I think that he has really leader who I am going to pass the politician, but as a black man, that is a means to an end. I care not for transformed into recognizing how baton to when I walk across that you can be in these spaces and the title within the organization, I he can actually make change with stage.’” you don’t have to water yourself care what it can do for others.” those around him,” said Heather Stevens said she feels Coles down.”

During what has been a tu- Stevens, associate director of di- has succeeded in his mission of While his journey has only multuous year in the university’s visional initiatives and student inspiring future leaders, so far. just begun, his time at UM is nearhistory, Coles said student lead- advocacy and SGA advisor. “A lot “I think it was very clear from ing an end, and as a leader both on ership is critical to maintaining of that drive has transitioned from first meeting Landon that he is and off campus, Coles said he will a well-run campus. While he is being purely internal to being ex- very passionate about what he continue to make positive change happy that he’s had the opportu- ternal towards the community does and that he’s very driven to in honor of those that made his nity to help lead the SGA response and seeking out in the community make change and create an inclu- success possible. to COVID-19, Coles said he credits whats needed.” sive environment for those around “I am the sum total of all the the UM community for rising to Despite the challenges that him,” Stevens said. people who have poured into me the challenge.

COVID-19 has posed to Coles and Coles said he hopes he in- over the years,” Coles said. “I am “I want people to know that I SGA, Coles said his passion for spires future student leaders to not because we are. I was able to do it really do believe nobody operates leadership is as strong as it has only serve their community, but to because of the people who pushed in isolation, nobody can function ever been. Now, he is determined stay true to themselves throughout me and even though you look at alone, we all need one another,” to inspire the next generation of their journeys. Coles wore a solid me and I’m here as one person, I Coles said. “I am very proud of the leaders with his words, actions, black suit with accents of gold to represent thousands and thoudiverse team that I have and how it commitment and style. his inauguration last spring, a sands of people who poured themis that we are carrying ourselves.

“I’m going to be that face for testament to his unflinching indi- selves into me.”

We are not asking anyone to go that student,” Coles said. “When viduality as a person and a leader. where we are not willing to go I’m interacting with first year stu“Style is my thing beourselves.” dents, the immediate thing that’s cause it’s my way through University employees have in the back of my head is ‘I am which I can be dif ferent,”

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OPINION

The Miami

Opinion

HURRICANE Founded 1929

An Associated Collegiate Press Hall of Fame Newspaper

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The Holocaust and freedom of speech on campus at UM

Social media censorship, a threat to democracy

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CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Isabella Didio

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To reach a member of the staff visit themiamihurricane.com’s staff page.

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Commentaries, letters and cartoons represent only the views of their respective authors. The newsroom and business office 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.

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On Wednesday, September 22, I got up at 5 a.m. to prepare my daily “Break with Baila” news update. After several hours of recording and editing, I realized my content would never see the light of day: I had again been banned by TikTok. “Break with Baila” is a daily news show I produce and post to Instagram and TikTok. Since I began producing it in July 2020, the shows have attracted over 7,000 followers over both platforms and approximately 60,000 likes on TikTok alone.

The shows address major current events in a straightforward, objective and unbiased manner.

These days, even that can’t avoid censorship by the social media giants.

At first, I was pleased by the growth of followers on Instagram. The daily reach, which reflects the number of users who are actually served my content, showed an upward trajectory.

However, about five months into launching my show, friends and family who would comment daily and “like” videos thought I

stopped posting altogether, because I was no longer on their daily feeds. A reach that would often eclipse 1,000 in 10 hours now barely budged over 100 a whole day.

This pattern of censorship became extremely apparent when I began reporting aboutcovid vaccines, around late December, 2020, and after I started discussing the Palestinian riots on the Temple Mount in May, 2021.

I was a victim of shadowbanning, a type of censorship where posted content is simply not presented to users and just stagnates.

Vaccine posts would be tagged with “click here for COVID-19 information,” as though my video contained misinformation and the reach would plummet. Quite ironic because I am an ardent vaccine advocate.

As the daughter of two physicians, I hear firsthand about COVID’s the virulence. That forced me to become creative, so I used words like “immunized” or “inoculated” instead of “vaccinated” to mitigate the shadowban, with limited success.

Curiously, my most successful post on Instagram was one in which I recently reported that Facebook will change its name to Meta: more than 3,000 views in one hour. I unwittingly paid homage to the giant, and its algorithm broadcast my voice like never before.

My disenchantment led me to TikTok in June 2021. Again, it was remarkable how rapidly the following initially grew, but then came Afghanistan.

Two of my videos on Afghanistan were removed in August for “promoting terrorism.” The first discussed the US sending troops

back into Afghanistan to help evacuate US citizens, and the second discussed the Taliban wanting to speak at the United Nations General Assembly, which I felt was a clever ploy to gain international legitimacy as the new government.

My videos simply reported the news, with no slant or opinion.

Still, I was banned for a few days and warned that after a third “community violation” it would be over.

I appealed TikTok’s decision through the option provided on the app. In about a week the videos were reposted, probably after review by a real person and an apology was given for the “inconvenience.”

Nonetheless, the shadowban seemed to continue. Faced with losing everything I had worked for, it forced me to do something I know a journalist should never do – yield.

I stopped posting on Afghanistan.

I was silenced.

I realize the First Amendment does not protect free speech on private social media platforms.

The companies that run these networks have the right to dictate what is published. But, Big Tech has become so huge that it now has a disproportionate influence on public opinion and discussion. Statista reported that in 2018 social media surpassed print media as a news source.

Today, more than 60% of Americans get their news on Meta or Twitter and that is likely much higher for Generation Z. The growth of social media has even forced traditional news sites to bring content to these platforms to remain relevant.

However, as social media has grown faster than all the news sites, so has its leverage over what news

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OP-ED

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BY BAILA MUDGIL

November 10, 2021 - November 17, 2021

gets published. This transition threatens freedom of press. The rules governing publication are no longer based on First Amendment rights but private terms of service (TOS). TOS define “hate speech,” “terrorism,” “misinformation,” and how proprietary algorithms detect and handle violations.

This gives the internet giants’ astonishing power to influence public dialogue. The overwhelming censorship of Trump when Amazon, Google and Apple shut down Parler showed that Big Tech, for better or worse, can even silence the leader of the most powerful western democracy.

Moreover, the leaked documents by whistleblower Frances Haugen indicate that Facebook may have promoted misinformation and extreme viewpoints just to keep users logged on. The company’s priority is to maximize user engagement for advertising profits, not journalistic integrity.

I support emerging legislation that holds social media more accountable to the public. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed HB 20 that will force platforms with more than 50 million users to produce periodic reports of removed content, create an appeals system, and mandate algorithm transparency.

Additionally, I believe it is vital for journalists to publicize censorship on social media. Finally, I think it is important for citizens in a democracy to support traditional news outlets that are the product of our freedom of press.

Today, I am going to do my share for democracy by going to a newsstand to buy a print edition of the New York Times. Like many in my generation, I never have.

BY HENRY GREEN CONTRIBUTING COLUMNIST

Last Tuesday, Nov. 2, Glenn Youngkin became the first Republican to win statewide office in a dozen years in Virginia. His election was seen as a direct result of the culture war fights over what version of history should be taught in schools, specifically as it pertains to race relations in this country.

At the University of Florida (UF), professors were denied their request to continue to serve as paid expert witnesses in a case that contests State Bill 90, a new Florida law that restricts voting access. UF feared that participating in a lawsuit against the state would be harmful to the university’s interests.

In Southlake Texas, Gina Peddy, the executive director of curriculum and instruction of the Carroll Independent School District, proposed that teachers provide opposing viewpoints on issues, including those on racism and the Holocaust.

“Make sure that if you have a book on the Holocaust, that you have one that has opposing, that has other perspectives,” Peddy said.

In her view, she was only implementing the new guidelines of Texas House Bill 3979 that required teachers discussing controversial topics to “explore such issues from diverse and contending perspectives without giving deference to any one perspective.”

In today’s cancel culture, how does the academy respond to the challenges of academic freedom?

As the former Director of Judaic Studies at UM in the 1990s, I observed first-hand the consequences of false facts in the face of evidence-based data regarding the Holocaust. In 1994, The Miami Hurricane received $288 for running an advertisement by a Holocaust denier questioning whether gas chambers were used

by the Nazis to kill Jews. In contrast to Harvard and Berkeley papers that had rejected publishing the ad, UM’s student newspaper deemed a free exchange of ideas a pedagogical tool. In those years, President Foote functioned as the publisher, and although having the authority to reject the ad, supported the Hurricane editorial decision of “freedom of thought.”

Among the many reactions by faculty and students was the resolve to speak out on significant issues including feminism, LGBTQ, indigenous populations, hate and race. Others, like UM student Stephen Friedensberg, whose grandparents were witnesses and survivors to the Holocaust, was invited to speak on that dark time in our history. Two decades earlier, Helen Fagin, a Warsaw ghetto survivor, founder of the UM’s Judaic Studies Program and instrumental in the creation of the Miami Beach Holocaust Memorial, had pioneered courses with survivors as witnesses on the Holocaust.

In a Miami Hurricane letter to the editor, a group of students wrote: “Mrs. Fagin cares about us as people, not as numbers or just

as faces. She is teaching us the concept of morality towards other human beings. She teaches us by showing us.”

Today, UM is home to President Frenk whose paternal grandparents fled Germany in the 1930s and whose wife, Felicia Knaul, is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor. UM projects on the Holocaust have expanded to not only highlight the European experience but also that of Jews in North Africa and the Middle East under Nazi occupation. This fall, “Sephardi Voices: The Untold Expulsion of Jews from Arab Lands,” coauthored by me and Richard Stursberg, will be published. Through one of these projects, students in the Department of Religious Studies have assisted in preparing a video archive that addresses human rights that will be deposited at national archives in Canada, the UK, the USA and Israel.

Fortunately, UM’s Hurricane policies have changed regarding the Holocaust. Requiring factual discussion is not a challenge to academic freedom. Unsubstantiated viewpoints of the Holocaust are not a pedagogical tool for a

free exchange of ideas. Denial is not accepted. With a 40% rise in the number of antisemitic incidents over the last year according to a recent Anti-Defamation League audit, we know that the fangs of prejudice and discrimination remain active. The 2021 American Jewish Committee’s report on the State of Antisemitism reveals that one in four American Jews have been the target of antisemitism over the past year in America, and Hillel International reported that 32% of Jewish students have experienced antisemitism.

On Nov. 9, we remember the pogroms against German Jews and Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, in 1938. We stand up against anti-Semitism and all expressions of hatred, together.

We renew our moral responsibility to nourish and advocate for social justice for all human beings.

Henry Green is a professor in the Department of Religious Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences and the former director of Judaic Studies at UM.

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Homecoming happiness: Students and alumni celebrate first Homecoming Week since 2019 After persevering through a pandemic, Hurricanes celebrated the first Homecoming Week since 2019. Past and present Canes flocked to Coral Gables to “Bring the Beat Back” for a week of pageants, dance competitions and a heartwarming fireworks display. The week culminated in a Miami football win over Georgia Tech on Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium, likely the last home game most UM students will attend this season.

The week began with Opening Ceremonies Monday afternoon, where students enjoyed fried oreos, icees, a hoto booth, balloon animals, live music and a performance from KAOS, the University of Miami’s co-ed hip-hop dance team. That night, 12 UM students competed in the King and Queen Pageant in the Shalala Ballroom, where they

showed off their talents in dancing, acting, poetry, fashion, music and singing.

Tue sd ay began with the Spirit Tree, a UM tradition that involves organizations presenting an ornament to hang on the tree and performing a short skit in front of a panel of judges.

Students then gathered on Lakeside Patio under a tent in the rain to sort gift boxes for Camp Kesem as part of Hurrcanes Help the Hometown. Wednesday’s main event

was Organized Cheer, a high-energy dance competition among par ticipating organizations.

The Association of Commuter Students (ACS) - Sophomore won the event Aliyah Beverly after performing a “Shrek” spinoff fill with UM references that boasted impressive costumes and passionate acting.

“I’m just happy to be here right now,” said David Raez, a junior who co-led ACS to victory as the Ogre. “I have a great team

“When we have big events like this that bring people together, that emphasizes what being a Cane is.”

November 10, 2021 - November 17, 2021

“It’s exciting to leave an impact on the people who surrund us everyday in our community,” said event organizer and UM senior Grace Tenke at Hurricanes Help the Hometown.

Katarina Jenkins // Contributing photographer

Josh Halper // Photo Editor

The Homecoming fireworks shine bright over Lake Osceola on Friday, Nov.5. as students and alumni come together to celebrate as Hurricane Howl and watch one of the University of Miami’s most cherished traditions – the annual Boat Burning and Fireworks show. “Hurricane Howl means family, tradition and trying to pass something on, said Jared Zemantauski, a 2006 graduate of the University of Miami School of Law and current professor at the university.

THURSDAY

“It’s my first time ever dancing on stage before,” said junior United Black Students (UBS) member Rachel Bergeron. “It was really cool.

I was honestly so nervous, like, my stomach was turning all day long.”

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TUESDAY

Seniors Ari Mubanda and Corey Jones (left) won Homecoming Queen and King while senior Christine Sanchez and sophomore Paul Douillon won Homecoming Princess and Prince (right).

WEDNESDAY

NEWS

behind me. I never would have thought we would have won, but here we are after a month and a half of practice. We did it” Three UM student organizations sang their hears out during Thursday morning’s Alma Mater competition. Federación de Estudiantes Cubanos (FEC), ACS and Tau Beta Sigma lined up around the judges to sing original renditions of the Alma Mater.

On Friday night, ACS and FEC were named the winners of Homecoming. Campus hummed later that night as hundreds of students and alumni gathered on campus for Hurricane Howl, which featured a block party with food trucks and the famed boat burning and fireworks show. The week capped off with a nerve-wracking performance by UM football on Saturday, with the Canes winning 33-30.

MONDAY

Katrina Nguyen // Staff photographer

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“Once we got up to perform, I thought whether we win or not, we’re having a good time,” said Marcela Torres, a junior member of ACS.

Ally Gaddy // Staff photographer

Katarina Jenkins // Contributing photographer

Jared Lennon // Senior staff photographer

Juniors Asia Chester and Sydney Stropes, wearing new Iron Arrow jackets, throw up the “U” during the Hurricane Howl on the Foote Green on Nov. 5. Chester and Stropes were part of the Fall 2021 Iron Arrow Tapping Class.

Josh Halper // Photo Editor

The wooden boat, painted with the logo and colors of UM’s homecoming opponent, Georgia Tech, burst into flames in Lake Osceola on Nov. 5.

According to UM tradition, if the mast falls before the boat sinks, UM will win.

Josh Halper // Photo Editor

Freshman safety Avantae Williams celebrates after recording his first career interception in the first half of Miami’s win over Georgia Tech on Nov. 6 at Hard Rock Stadium. The Canes travel to Tallahassee to take on FSU Saturday.

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Arts & Entertainment

10 A&E

CAMPUS LIFE

HEC student organizers ‘Bring the Beat Back’

BY LAYOMI ADEOJO

ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR The Homecoming Executive Committee (HEC) hosted another successful Homecoming week with in-person festivities from Nov. 1 to 6 that began with Monday’s opening ceremony and ended with Saturday’s football game.

After the mostly-virtual ‘Canes Spirit Week last year, this year’s “Bring the Beat Back” theme revived the Homecoming excitement that existed before COVID-19.

While the entire UM community enjoyed the outcome of their hard work and dedication, Homecoming couldn’t happen without the members of HEC, a diverse co-

hort of 30 students who planned months in advance.

Meera Patel, a junior majoring in public health and microbiology & immunology, served on the Hurricanes Help the Hometown (HHTH) committee. A member since March 2020, Patel applied for HEC during the spring of her freshman year.

“I wanted to be a part of a spirited family here on campus and I knew the HEC could offer me just that,” Patel said. “Everyone on the committee unites to put on an amazing week and has fun doing it. I knew I wanted to join in on the fun, so I took a chance and applied.”

Patel’s committee hosts the

annual service event and this year they partnered with Camp Kesem to build care packages for the campers.

Though she values community service, Patel most enjoys the sense of belonging on campus that Homecoming promotes.

“My favorite part of Homecoming is knowing that people will feel at home after the week is over,” Patel said.

Similarly, Hurricane Howl committee member Gusto Tovar expressed his appreciation for the wide display of school spirit.

“It is so much fun to see the school come to life in a way that only Homecoming week is capable of doing,” said Tovar, a senior dou-

ble majoring in geological sciences and ecosystem science & policy.

“The flurry of orange and green, the chants and cheers during the competitions and even the happy smiles — and sometimes misty eyes — of everyone during the fireworks show make it all worthwhile.”

While Hurricane Howl featured food, games and the iconic fireworks and boat burning, its committee members spent hours perfecting the details of the memorable evening, such as editing the script and recording the narration for the fireworks, painting the colors of the Homecoming rival on the boat and overseeing its completion.

As a transfer student, Tovar first experienced Homecoming in the fall of 2019.

“I never really got to experience a school with as much spirit and tradition as the U,” Tovar said.

“I knew that I had to get involved in the planning in any way possible.”

Like Patel, his initial experience as an HEC member fell during the peak of COVID-19. However, the lightened restrictions this year allowed the Hurricane Howl committee and all the others, to “bring the beat back” and create a memorable week for the entire UM community.

MCU makes strides for Deaf awareness ENTERTAINMENT

BY ALEX EUBANKS STAFF WRITER

A first for the filmmaking juggernaut, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) introduced its first hearing-impaired character in Chloe Zhao’s “Eternals” in theatres on Nov. 5.

Makkari, played by “The Walking Dead” alum Lauren Ridloff, is a primary member of Jack Kirby’s original groupings of the team. In Zhao’s first film since her award-winning “Nomadland,” the character reintroduces a speedster element that the MCU has not used since Quicksilver.

Despite being the first hearing-impaired comic book character to appear in the MCU or DC Comics film franchises, this is not the first time Ridloff starred in a

movie featuring hearing-impaired superheroes. Ridloff performed alongside other Deaf performers in the Italian superhero film “Sign Gene: The First Deaf Superheros,” which revolves around powers gained from the loss of hearing and the performing of sign language.

Ridloff won’t stand alone as the representation for the Deaf community in the MCU for long.

“Hawkeye,” the very next event on the Marvel calendar arriving Nov. 24 will change the landscape again.

Jeremy Renner’s titular archer was Deaf in the comic material for decades. While the topic wasn’t broached in Renner’s previous showings, trailers and set photos show the Avenger wearing hearing aids.

With Hailee Steinfeld as a second Hawkeye, their beloved pet Lucky the Pizza Dog and heavy influence from comic book writer Matt Fraction’s massively acclaimed 2012 run, the Disney+ miniseries establishes Renner’s Clint Barton as one of the most prominent hearing-impaired characters in pop culture.

Lynn Miskiel, Director of the University of Miami Debbie School Auditory Oral Program, works frequently with children who are deaf and hard of hearing. Miskiel discussed the positive impact on young audiences seeing heroes like themselves for the first time.

“We all want to be limitless, but we all have limits to overcome so for young people to see models of persistence in all realms is valu-

able,” Miskiel said. “Seeing characters that have different abilities reminds us that not everyone is the same but that everyone contributes.”

Also receiving her own Disney+ spinoff, franchise newcomer Alaqua Cox will debut in the “Hawkeye” series. Playing Maya Lopez, also known as “Echo,” Cox’s character is able to mimic the abilities of others.

Hopefully, more representation will arise across other platforms in the genre, potentially with the DC universe or Disney’s “Star Wars,” promoting more of their own characters with similar backgrounds.

“Having writers, actors and other members of the media that are diverse enriches the perspectives included in scripts

Julia Martins// Staff Designer

and deepens the humanity that is represented,” Miskiel said. “Being able to recognize ourselves in the characters makes us love these fantasies all the more.”

THE MIAMI HURRICANE

November 10, 2021 - November 17, 2021

UM students on dog parenting, ‘It’s just like having another kid’ CAMPUS LIFE

BY JAIME HARN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER Mareshah Morton, a senior majoring in Africana studies and psychology, unexpectedly met her four-legged best friend last summer when her mom’s wife decided to get a quarantine puppy.

“She’s in the military. She doesn’t have time to have a puppy and I’ve always wanted a dog. So, I told her I’d watch him, train him, raise him until he’s out of that puppy stage,” Morton said.

But after spending months of the COVID-19 pandemic, including her Fall 2020 semester, with the puppy, Morton couldn’t part ways when she headed back to UM in the spring.

“I just couldn’t imagine having put in all that work being so emotionally attached to him to then just end up having to let him go,” Morton said about her now one and a half-year old Yorkie-Poo named Nori. “He felt like my dog at that point.”

Now, she lives in the University Village with Nori and he has become a big part of her life.

When planning her schedule this semester, Morton scheduled all her classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays with breaks in between so she can go back and walk him.

“It used to be overwhelming at first when he was so young because it really is hard to have a puppy.

But now, it’s just gonna be a coordination thing in terms of traveling or moving. I’m sure I’ll confront it at some point,” Morton said.

Morton’s not the only one that became a dog mom over quarantine.

Allie Fraga, a sophomore at the university majoring in accounting, was a high school senior when COVID-19 hit. After years of wanting a dog, she finally got a

Yorkie as a graduation gift in May 2020. Fraga named her puppy.Rey, after the Star Wars character Rey Skywalker.

“I grew up watching dog shows and training shows, so I kind of already knew a little bit about how to train a dog. And since it was summer, I had all day with her,” Fraga said.

Rey, a little seven pound dog, currently lives with Fraga, her parents and her two siblings in South Miami. Being such a small dog, she has ample space to wander around freely. However, Fraga and her family have grown such an attachment that they do not like leaving her alone.

“She can be left alone. She doesn’t really bite furniture or anything,” Fraga said. “But we always have to have somebody in the house and that can conflict when multiple people have different plans.”

Juan Carlos Ramirez, a senior majoring in journalism and Spanish, also recently became a parent. This semester, he bought a purebred American Pit Bull named Minerva. She is only four months old and lives with Ramirez and his friends in an off-campus house.

“My friends and I, we really took on becoming a dad because it’s just like having another kid,” Ramirez said.

Even though Ramirez got Minerva when he had a full course load, he was able to train her and smoothly fit her into his daily schedule.

“When I work out, I usually warm up with a run. So instead of doing that over at the gym, I’ll just do it here with my dog and then go do my workout at the gym,” Ramirez said. “It’s doing small stuff like that to keep her in my life.”

Alec Studnik, a junior at UM, is another dog dad at UM who finds ways to incorporate his son in his everyday life. He has had his bichon — named Albus, after Dumbledore’s beard — for almost three years now.

“If I have a 9 a.m., sure I could roll out of bed at 8:45 a.m. and probably make it on time, but instead I’ll be up at 6 or 7 a.m. to walk Albus, feed him and hang out with him a little before I leave,” Studnik said.

“Coming home after a long day and seeing him wag his tail and bark his little hello will never get old.”

- Junior Alec Studnik

But it is all worth it for him.

“Coming home after a long day and seeing him wag his tail and bark his little hello will never get old,” he said.

Lucky for these dog parents, the University of Miami and the surrounding area are very dog friendly. “[My roommates] will take her to the park and the beach, so it’s really nice,” Ramirez said about Minerva. “And my dog loves campus. She loves to walk around and see people and there are really nice grassy areas where she just likes to lay down.’

Minerva also gets along with people and other dogs that she meets. She loves to go up and just smell or play with other nearby dogs.

Rey, Fraga’s puppy, loves going for car rides around Miami with her family.

“If we say, ‘You want to go bye-bye,’ she immediately gets into her little doggy purse,” Fraga said. “She loves going in the car.”

Rey recently came to UM for the first time with Fraga’s dad and

A&E

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she loved sitting by the Starbucks in the Shalala Student Center.

Although she loves to meet new people, Fraga said that she prefers males over females.

“I guess it’s because she’s a female. Because even if it’s like a random guy that comes to our house, she’ll pay more attention to them. Females, she’s more distant,” Fraga said.

Morton started many conversations and met many other dog owners. At her home in Maryland, Morton never knew her neighbors before she got Nori — now, she knows most of them. While on campus she takes Nori on walks, much to the liking of students.

“Of course, people, especially walking through the freshmen area like Hecht and Stanford, they love to see dogs and everybody’s always like, ‘Oh my gosh, it makes me miss my dog so much,’” Morton said.

Visit themiamihurricane. com/section/arts-entertainment/ for more coverage from Arts & Entertainment.

Mareshah Morton // Contributed photo

Senior Mareshah Morton and her one and a half-year old Yorkie-Poo puppy Nori pose for an Instagram photo.

12 SPORTS

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THE MIAMI HURRICANE

November 10, 2021 - November 17, 2021

November 10, 2021 - November 17, 2021

SPORTS

13

BASKETBALL

Veteran leadership and new talent: Miami basketball preview

BY NICHOLAS MARINO & WYATT KOPELMAN STAFF WRITER AND ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

FOOTBALL

Miami vs Florida State: A legendary college football rivalry

BY DANIEL TOLL SPORTS EDITOR

For decades, the Miami Hurricanes and Florida State Seminoles have had one of the most distinguished rivalries in all of college football. From blown leads and miraculous comebacks to tightly-contested duels on the gridiron, history has proven time and time again that any match between the two programs is bound to be a blockbuster.

With the next chapter of this famed rivalry taking place on Saturday, Nov. 13 at 3:30 p.m., the Hurricanes (5-4, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) will take to Tallahassee to mark 60 years of competition versus the Seminoles, who have a 3-6 overall record and a 2-4 ACC record.

The University of Miami and Florida State University (FSU) began their battle for state supremacy in 1951, when Miami blew out Florida State 35-13. Since then, the two have competed in 64 games, with 31 of them decided by one possession or less.

Today, UM leads the all-time series with a 35-30 record, which narrowed to a one game difference in 2016. In 2010, the Seminoles embarked on a seven-game, seven-season win streak over the Canes. During that span, Florida State stifled Miami’s offense, keeping the Hurricanes under 20 points on four occasions. UM has since gotten the best of its crossstate foe, winning the past four contests.

However, much of the heated rivalry that burns to this day began in the 1980s, when both programs asserted themselves as two of the best in the nation.

The early ‘80s pitted legendary coaches Howard Schnellenberger and Bobby Bowden against each other.

Schnellenberger and the Hurricanes stacked the win column against the Seminoles early and often, claiming a 3-1 record over FSU from 1980 through 1983, when the Hurricanes earned their first national championship.

The following year, Florida State retaliated and humbled the defending national champions with a crushing 38-3 victory as Miami adapted to the new leadership of head coach Jimmy Johnson.

In 1987, the UM-FSU rivalry reached a climax. In front of a sold-out crowd in Tallahassee, No. 3 Miami and No. 4 Florida State competed on a field that featured more than 60 future NFL players, 10 of which were first-round draft selections.

With 42 seconds left on the clock, Florida State quarterback Danny McManus found Ronald Lewis in the end zone to cut their deficit to one. However, instead of going for the tie, Bowden made a last-minute decision to attempt a two-point conversion and go for the win.

“We had the extra-point team in, but I changed my mind. We had missed so many [kicks] today and the wind was really affecting our kicker,” Bowden said. “I was just afraid of missing it.”

An incomplete pass on the two-point conversion shut the door on the Seminoles, rewarding the Canes with a much-needed 26-25 win in what would become

Josh Halper // Photo Editor

Former UM running back DeeJay Dallas, then a sophomore, runs through Florida State defenders on Oct. 6, 2018 at Hard Rock Stadium. Miami won 28-27.

their second championship season.

After getting blown out 31-0 in 1988, Florida State got its revenge in 1989 with a 24-10 victory over Miami to snap a four-game losing streak. However, the Hurricanes ultimately got the last laugh with a win for their third national championship of the decade later that season.

In 1991, the UM-FSU rivalry reached another peak on a day that lives in eternal infamy for Florida State fans. The No.1 Seminoles (10-0) hosted the No. 2 Hurricanes (8-0) and with under a minute remaining on the clock and Miami leading 17-16, Florida

State kicker Gerry Thomas missed a 34-yard field goal, sending the Seminoles home with their first loss of the season in what came to be known as the “Wide Right” game.

As if one game-deciding missed field goal wasn’t enough, the UM-FSU rivalry features five additional crucial games decided by whiffed field goals, all of which resulted in wins for Miami.

20 years later, the Hurricanes have a chance to recreate the magic of Wide Right I in this year’s match-up against the Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium. While neither team is ranked in the AP Top 25, the rivalry game has

serious implications for Miami’s chances at a conference title this season.

In the ACC Coastal division standings, Miami is in third place after defeating Georgia Tech at home last Saturday. With three games remaining on their regular season schedule, the Hurricanes sit one spot behind Pittsburgh for the division lead.

A statement win over their long-time rival could set the Canes on a path to contend for their first conference title. But at the very least, it will stir the pot in the ACC and keep things interesting throughout the final weeks of the regular season.

In the past few years, Miami’s men’s and women’s basketball programs demonstrated promise to compete in the very talented Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), but for both teams, the hunt for a return to the NCAA tournament still looms.

The 2021-22 season may be the time that both programs overcome that obstacle. The Hurricanes return veteran leadership and introduce talent in the form of high school recruits and NCAA transfer portal products.

Although neither enters the

season with rankings in the major polls, they are prepared to begin their campaigns with regained confidence and high personal expectations.

“I think there’s going to be a newness to the team, it’s going to be very odd,” Miami women’s basketball head coach Katie Meier said. “We have a lot of new, and then there’s great returners and not a lot in between. So, either it’s your first year at Miami or it’s your fifth year.”

Last season, the women suffered a loss early in the ACC tournament after hobbling through the regular season without starting senior point guard Mykea Gray.

“A lot of people take advantage of playing

basketball and when you have an injury like I did, you get to sit out and learn and just realize you can’t take this for granted,” said Gray, who tore her ACL at the start of last season. “It pretty much taught me I needed to talk more, lead more. I wasn’t able to lead on the court, so decided to lead on the sideline.”

Gray, a 2019-2020 ACC AllDefensive team selection, along with graduate student Kelsey Marshall and redshirt

s e n i o r senior Destiny senior

senior Destiny Harden, established the standards early.

“The freshmen, they’re eager to learn. They’re very excited,” Gray said. “They do everything you pretty much ask for. I’m excited to see them play, I know they will play a lot.”

One freshman the Hurricanes are excited about is guard Ja’Leah Williams, who has meshed well on the court with Gray.

“People will absolutely fall in love with how hard she plays, how fun she is,” Meier said of Williams. “That’s just a special kid that has a lot of confidence, a lot of swag. Very respectful,but I certainly believe she will be impactful in this program and is not looking back.”

As senior forward Naomi Mbandu returns, a different frontcourt follows. Transfer forwards Lola Pendande and Maeva Djaldi-Tabdi share the load of filling the departures left by Brianna Jackson, Sydnee Roby and Nyayongah Gony.

On the men’s side, the team looks to reach its first National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) tournament since 2018, with a reason to believe in achieving that goal. A team that has been hampered with injuries for years is fully healthy and new voices have fostered an energetic culture into the program.

“We come into this season pretty healthy,” head coach Jim Larrañaga said.

“I think we can compete with all of the teams on our schedule.”

Miami welcomes five

fresh faces into the program, including two transfers — guards Charlie Moore and Jordan Miller.

Larrañaga described Moore as “a very good facilitator,” while revealing Miller as the team’s leading offensive rebounder who has shot roughly 60% in practices.

Freshmen Bensley Joseph, Jakai Robinson and Wooga Poplar will strive to supplement the scoring and grit of the returning upperclassmen. Two former UM freshmen, Earl Timberlake and Matt Cross, transferred out of the program last season.

Veterans Sam Waardenburg, Harlond Beverly and Rodney Miller Jr., led from the sidelines for the majority of last season because of injury. Their return offers depth to one of the oldest teams in college basketball.

“Experience is a huge thing in college basketball,” forward Sam Waardenburg said. “It’s going to help having that senior leadership on the team…I feel like we can come out of here and surprise a lot of people.”

Last year’s two leading scorers, Isaiah Wong and Kameron McGusty, will lead Miami’s resurgence.

Both are determined to guide the Hurricanes out of the bottom of the conference to the NCAA tournament stage. Wong, a preseason All-ACC first team selection, is already getting looks from NBA scouts and will no doubt be one of Miami’s leading scorers this year.

“It’s just about staying healthy and team chemistry,” McGusty said. “If we do those things, we shouldn’t have any problem making it to the tournament.”

Mykea Gray and Isaiah Wong will lead their teams this season. Josh Halper // Photo Editor

14 ADVERTISEMENT

THE MIAMI HURRICANE

THE MIAMI HURRICANE

November 10, 2021 - November 17, 2021

Dear Daddy Issues,

This was my first time experiencing homecoming and I loved it. But there was something that had me bothered all week. Why were there so many hot UM DILFs on campus and what can I do to capitalize on it next year?

Love, Daddy Issues Have a question for V? Email dearv@themiamihurricane.com.

MIAMIDADE.GOV/VACCINE

15

V’s Take is The Hurricane’s most controversial and longest-running column. It is a satirical work published weekly by students and for students. Using our generation’s “colorful” language to address all things sex, love and gossip on campus, V is not for the politically correct or easily offended.

Dear V,

IT’S YOUR CHOICE. TAKE THE SHOT.

V’S TAKE

Homecoming DILFs

UN VACCI NATED

VACCI NATED

November 10, 2021 - November 17, 2021

With homecoming and family weekends past us, we’ve hit a time in the semester I like to call the daddy drought.

Nothing hits my soul quite as perfectly as a sexy, tan Miami father in his Cuban link and tight UM polo shirt and the lack of it this time of year turns the pink vibrator in my dresser into my best friend.

No one can tell me it’s wrong to at least look at the menu of hot fathers parading around campus.

Although I have to admit, it’s hard to see them past their wives’ poofy hair modeled after Theresa Caputo and the soulscratching Long Island accents.

I can’t deny that for every five or so UM daddies that walk past me, staring in my direction, there’s always one that sparks a fire in me. Is it so wrong to give into your desire and let the fraternity dad from New Jersey lay down some pipe? I certainly don’t think so.

Anyone that tries to tell you they haven’t imagined what

it’s like to spend a night in a South Beach oceanfront hotel suite with their roommate’s rich dad is lying. We all know UM dads have enough money to take care of themselves, so why can’t I be the object of their desire (or their sugar baby) for an evening?

UM’s array of campus daddy stereotypes should be a crime. We’ve got the New Yorkbased J.P. Morgan executives with their tight business pants that show everything I need to know from the back. There’s the

Spanish, Ricky Martin-esque daddies whose sauntering hips make me quiver on the spot.

And who can forget about the fathers of the football players.

Their sons don’t get their skills on and off the field from nowhere and I’m willing to enter the game as a tight end.

So no, fantasize all you’d like, because I’m certainly doing the same.

Best, V

16 ADVERTISEMENT

THE MIAMI HURRICANE

November 10, 2021 - November 17, 2021

Iron Arrow® Honor Society THE HIGHEST HONOR ATTAINED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

We are proud to introduce the 2021 Fall Tapping Class!

Cecilia Amaro Asia Chester Bao-Tien Duong Santiago Freire Carrie Furman Drew Goheen Justin Hier Charlotte Kiehn Sydney Knapp Anisha Kore Ian Malesiewski John Oliva Sydney Stropes Fred Telischi