Closing of the UM Rathskellar

Last Call, as we know it, has been changed forever.

At the end of the spring semester, there was word that the popular Rathskeller would be torn down in order to make room for a new student activities center.

Threats of the new activities center were made a few years ago but the economy slowed and the project was never started. Now with a 20 million dollar gift ground is finally being broken.

The Rat will be torn down in the summer and will temporarily be moved into the location of Sbarros. Once the new activities center is completed, which is slated to end 2013, the Rat will move into its new permanent home.

“It’s sad knowing that the old rat won't be there when I come back to visit campus,” said Senior Missy Walton, a server at the Rat. “But [it’s] also exciting that the Rat is getting a brand new building because the Rat really needs more space. The people are really what makes the Rat so special and they will be forever with me.”

Some Students are upsetabout moving the Rat into the Sbarros location. Programming in the temporary location won’t change and the comedy shows and Greek programs will still exist with the new Rat location.

“You won't be able to see the lake from the Sbarro courtyard,” said Sophomore Nicole Brzozowski. “”And half the fun of the rat is being right next to the lake with all your friends.”

Other students, however, see the other side of the argument and are happy for the new Rathskeller.

“I think when it all comes down to it, it won't be so bad for the students,” said Senior Eric Speigel. “It will still be open, and eventually they'll get a much nicer building.”

Only time will tell, what the legacy of the old Rat building will have. Would new building still have the same college feel? Will the new activities center give the university an edge in wooing prospective students?

As for right now, students will be mourning the loss of the orange and green tabled, smoky, small polygonal building with the Greek memorabilia and the Sports Illustrated covers of our glory days mounting the walls.

“It’s really a bittersweet feeling,” said Senior Alex Fruin. “After spending so much time there with friends and working there too, it’s so strange to think that when I come back to visit it won’t be there anymore.”


This story was written for the 2011 Ibis Yearbook, the yearbook will be printed and distributed in the Fall 2011 semester.

An Intimate Affair

Walking into Victoria’s Secret or that pricey little boutique can be a terrifying experience for some. The questions of Lace or no lace? Is white an off-limit color? And what about garters? Shopping for lingerie is all about looking hot and feeling great. Distraction has created a guide to help all college fashionistas find their perfect version of sexy.

Buying lingerie is all about finding what best works for your body. What works best for your roommate may leave you uncomfortable and vice versa. Lingerie should highlight your best features and will look amazing when you find something that works for your body type.

For example, the apron style that is ever popular at Victoria’s Secret looks great on very thin girls, but someone with more of an hourglass shape should opt for a teddy. The loose fabric helps to hide flaws while highlighting your boobs, which is always a win in my opinion.
Curvier girls should stay away from ruching on the sides because it adds fullness to one’s shape. But for girls with a straighter body type it will help create an hourglass illusion. Ruffles always accentuates, so an outfit with some on the bust or the butt will make those assets seem larger.

Lace has always been a very popular lingerie option. There are many styles but if you’re buying a tighter piece be sure to try it on (trust us, it will help). Lace is normally skin tight so a size up may allow for a more comfortable fit.

Lace is like silk and will show every flaw so, to wear it, confidence is key. Victoria’s Secret and other places like Forever XXI have a variety of lace pieces in for this season and the bright colors will pop on many skin tones for a great spring look.

Color can add a certain mood for your night. Black and red ooze sex appeal whereas pale pink and brighter colors have a sweet vibe. Leave the white for the newlyweds and try a fun hir that you haven’t worn before.
To garter or not to garter is a hard decision that many women have to make. The good thing about is that they make your legs look amazing and super sexy, but the problem is trying to get them on. You can buy pieces that have garter clips or if you want to show more skin, you can purchase a bra and panty set with a matching garter belt.

The clips are hard to open up and even harder to close onto your thigh-high stockings. This is not something to debut after a drunken night on the town but instead a planned occasion, like formal or an important anniversary. The clips will take time so make sure that they will be appreciated.

There are many options that can be used to dress up the night. The best option is to go into the store with no time limits, a free afternoon and an open mind. Most importantly, take your time trying on outfits to see what makes your curves whistle-worthy and what doesn’t work for your body type.




Sidebar

Guys, are you shopping for your girlfriend, slampiece and/or sex friend? Let Distraction help you navigate the lingerie store with these quick tips.

Know her size- Bras come in very specific sizes. If you pick a small size you risk making her feel fat, ifs it’s too big she could think that you think she’s flat and fat, so know her size. Pick up the bra that is lying on the floor of her dorm room, since you’re buying lingerie we assume you see her naked regularly and thus a bra could be on the floor, or ask one of her good friends who can keep a secret to get the right size.

Look at what she wears- Most girls who wear lingerie have a style that they prefer. Does she always show off for you in an innocent lace teddy or does she wear tight corsets and garters? If she isn’t comfortable in what you’re bought you will not see it again. So get something you both will like.

Know You’re budget- Guys are easy targets for Vickie’s employees and they will always pick out the most expensive stuff and add all the extras. So come in with a budget in mind, your credit card will thank you. Besides, are those sequin fishnet tights and edible body chocolate really necessary? Most girls will answer with a ew.

Ask for help if you need it- If you don’t know what to pick out for your girlfriend don’t be afraid to ask. Walk up to an employee and tell your budget, your girlfriend’s size and what she normally likes to wear. The associate will help you find something quickly and since she knows your budget she wont try to have you buy the whole store.




This was posted in the Extra Issue of Distraction magazine. The issue was release on April 20th and this article was in the In The Margins section, a front of the book section hoping to attract the "30 second" readers. I was in charge of In the Margins my junior year.

Pictures from a Philanthropy Event

Tara Kleppinger, a freshman, experiences her first Pi Night as an member of Alpha Delta Pi. Pi Night is just one day in the sorority's largest philanthropy event, ADPiathalon.

Fraternity members compete in an head-to-head pie eating contest to help raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. The event is a part of Pi Night, a night of games and athletic events where fraternities compete for points. This night is the sencond day of competition in ADPIathalon and 11 fraternities participated.

Grady Rosser, a member of Phi Delta Theta, raises his hands in victory after being the first to eat the entire apple pie. Pie eating is one of the staple events for Pi Night. The winner of each event is awarded points for their fraternity and these points help to deterimine the winner of the three day philanthropy event, ADPiathalon.

Fraternity members face off in an hula hoop spinning contest for the first leg of the relay race. The race is the key event for ADPIathalon's PI Night. For this night of the philanthropy event, fraternities compete in games and athletic events to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

These are some images I shot for my introductory photojournalism class. They are all centered around an April 11th event, Pi Night, which is a night of games and athletic events. The fraternities compete to help raise money for the Ronald McDonald House Charities, this year the event raised over $10,000.

A Sorority Newsletter

This piece is the newsletter that I designed for my sorority. The stories and layout are by me but I do not take credit for the pictures. This was created with InDesign CS5 and was done as a small favor.

Miss University of Miami Pageant.

Teetering high heels, sparkly dresses, hot rollers and … scholarships?

The Miss University of Miami pageant is more than the typical contest of looks and how one’s legs look in a bikini, but instead a scholarship pageant full of talented women.

The Miss UM pageant is affiliated with Miss America and the winner goes on to compete for Miss Florida, and may ultimately be in the Miss America pageant.

This year, 15 beautiful ladies cascaded to the main stage of Gusman concert hall. The show started off with a shimmy and the contestants performed a group opening number and introduced themselves. The competition had begun.

The contestants were judged by a panel of five judges, on lifestyle and fitness, artistic expression (talent) and presence and poise with an on-stage question. With talent having the most weight and the on-stage question the least.

Talents this year ranged from dancing to singing and other unique talents. Some memorable talents included saxophone performances, vocal performances, acting, dancing, spoken word and an exhibit of handmade garments.

“It’s definitely would be called the crazy, amazing life of Azah,” answered Azah Awasum, contestant number 10, when she was asked about what a reality TV show about her life would be called on stage.

Other contestants were asked about female empowerment, their platforms, which are charities that they support and about other causes and current events, that was picked out of a fishbowl that was onstage. The contestants also had to model formal wear and gracefully waltzed around the stage showing the judges, and the audience members, their poise and confidence.

The formalwear portion of the pageant is the contestant’s last chance to impress the judges. After the last contestant walks off the stage the judge’s scores are tallied up and complied into a top five. The scores are based on the categories and each girl is given a number from one to ten, with the highest and lowest score thrown out then averaged.

After the long wait for the results the judges are given the list of the top five girls and then they rank them from one to five based on their entire performance. This process is lengthy and left the audience and the hostesses, Ke’ala Kamalu and Jaife Calil, grasping for things to chat about during the break.

After the final vote was tallied the contestants were brought back up on the stage and the winners were announced. The scholarships ranged from $100 for the fourth runner-up to $1000 for the winner.

The names were read one-by-one until it was down to junior Azah Awasum and freshman Victoria Humphrey. Cheers erupted when Humphrey was announced as the winner of scholarship pageant.

“I was so excited and so much in shock I couldn’t believe it,” gushed Humphrey about her win. “What a better way to start off the year at a new school than to participate in the Miss UM pageant.”



This story was written for the 2011 Ibis Yearbook, the yearbook will be printed and distributed in the Fall 2011 semester.

UM School of Architecture Story

Walking out of the studio at 6 a.m. bleary eyed and barely beating exhaustion every single day is what many students think of architecture kids.
That’s a myth. It doesn’t happen all the time.

Architecture students have late nights but so do other college students. In architecture, those late nights just happen all together in the studio versus Club Richter.

“The worst project was last semester when I had 7 hours of sleep in 5days,” said junior Ashley Drake. “And only one of those hours were on a real bed. The rest were either on one of our studio tables or in between two stools.”

Sleep deprivation is the most extreme the week before the project is due. The architecture program is based on long-term assignments. These projects are usually done with a partner and are based on real life scenarios.

“Right now, the third year is working on a maritime museum at Bicentennial Park,” said junior Lauren Toribio. “I think that creating a museum is an interesting program and very exciting to work on.”

Each year works on a different real world project. Other grades are working cafes in South Beach and a Children's Hospital in Richmond, VA. Almost all of the work is done in studio and they get assigned a workspace for the year. The atmosphere lends itself well to bonding and having fun to blow off steam late nights.

“We all do weird things to make our workspace to make it our own,” said freshman Derek Naddaff. “Everyone's space seems to get plastered in the several weird inside jokes we come up with during the late nights in the studio.”

The projects themselves are done in stages and they accrue many professor critiques before the final pin-up. During the early stages of the project is when most of the students get the most sleep.

“We start by designing shape ideas for the overall project, called a parti,” said freshman Ally Findeiss. “Beginning of a project I don't spend much time, more towards the end it speeds up with corrections and changing the design.”

Every college student pulls off all-nighters at one point in their college careers. Architecture students just have them with a higher frequency than most. So, when you see a mass of tired kids walking around in pj bottoms, with messy hair, and the architecture shirt, then you know it has to be close to the due date.


This story was written for the 2011 Ibis Yearbook, the yearbook will be printed and distributed in the Fall 2011 semester.

Greek Week 2011

Spending money on Jail and Bail, signing in every day, attending all events and cheering for Olympic Day can make for a jam-packed week for any member of the Greek community, but Greek Week isn’t just any week for the Greeks.

Greek Week is the week of the spring semester for Greek students. It’s a week full of competition to see which sorority and fraternity will make it out on top. Greek Week is also a large fundraiser and all of the proceeds from the week go to United Cerebral Palsy, affectionately known as, UCP.

“Greek Week [Executive Board] is different than just being a member of a fraternity because you can really step back from the heat of competition to see all of the hard work each organization puts forth to win each event and raise money for United Cerebral Palsy,” said Junior Steve Frederico, Philanthropy Co-Chair. “It was very inspiring to witness the Greek community coming together for this great cause.”

Greek Week is an event that takes months of planning. The two co-chairs, Matt Cullingham and Cassie Glenn, have been planning Greek Week for almost a year. The week is split up into different events: the blood drive, Greek God and Goddess Pageant, O-Cheer, Jail and Bail and Olympic Day. The theme for this year is Time Warp.

“We thought it [Time Warp] would be a fun way to cover a lot of different time periods and interests of the Greek community,” said Senior Cassie Glenn.

In addition to the two co-chairs, Greek Week has an executive board of 18 members who unaffiliated from their Greek organization in order to raise money for UCP and make sure the week runs smoothly.

“I think Greek Week is more about being affiliated in the Greek community in general, rather than in a particular organization,” said Alex Fruin, O-Cheer co-chair. “So while it was somewhat hard to see how much fun my sorority was having going all out, I felt more aware of the UM Greek community as a whole than I've felt in my three and a half years at this school.”

Greek Week is about coming together as a community, and that is shown with the great turnout at O-Cheer, one of the more popular Greek Week events.

“My favorite event about Greek Week is definitely O-Cheer, but specifically, I love the Chaos dance that goes on every year before the other organizations perform,” said Junior Allison Bobzin, a member of Delta Delta Delta. “Especially this year, it was so exciting to see the organizations come together. It gives such a bigger sense to the Greek Community. During each O-Cheer, I love seeing my friends in other organizations having fun and showing off their organization's swag.”

Greek Week is an event that takes lots of planning and can offer great personal rewards for the members of the Greek community. The winners of Greek Week, Beta Theta Pi and Delta Phi Epsilon, as well as all of the competitors, came together for the week and helped raise money for a great cause.



Sidebar:

Opening Ceremonies- Feburary 27th. This event was the official kick-off to Greek Week. There was a roll call and each organization had a member run in the opening ceremonies dressed in 20s attire. The costume winners were Marissa Zerbo, Alpha Delta Pi and Stephen Buckley, Beta Theta Pi.

Blood Drive- Feburary 28th- March 3rd. The blood drive consisted of three days with the make-up day on Thursday. The winners of this event were Delta Phi Epsilon for the sororities and Beta Theta Pi tied with Delta Lambda Phi for the fraternities.

Jail and Bail- March 1st. This event is on the Rock and each organization puts up one member to be jailed not permitting to leave their chair, and they are in costume. The sorority and fraternity who has the most positive tickets, each tickets, positive and negative, raise money for UCP, are free to go, bailed, first. The winners were Delta Phi Epsilon and Beta Theta Pi.

Greek God and Goddess Pageant- March 2nd. This event is where the Greek organizations can showcase a talented member. Each organization has one member be their representative and the pageant is judged on resume, question and answer, and talent. The winners for this event were Marissa Zerbo, Alpha Delta Pi and Elias Hionides, Sigma Alpha Epsilon.

Organized Cheer- March 4th. One of the highlights of Greek Week, this event is where each organization creates a 6 and a half minute skit about their randomly chosen theme. The O-Cheer theme for this year was 80s TV shows and movies. The winners of this event were Zeta Tau Alpha and Beta Theta Pi.

Olympic Day- March 5th. This day is an all-day event in which organizations compete in athletic events. The events include trivia, arm wrestling, a relay race, tug-of-war, and dodgeball. The winners of this event were Kappa Kappa Gamma and Beta Theta Pi.

Closing Ceremonies- March 5th. This event starts an hour after Olympic Day concludes and this is where the winners are announce for Blood Drive, O-Cheer, Olympic Day and the overall winners. The 2011 champs are Delta Phi Epsilon and Beta Theta Pi.



This story was written for the 2011 Ibis Yearbook, the yearbook will be printed and distributed in the Fall 2011 semester.