THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI

 Introduction to the University of Miami

The University of Miami is a medium sized, private school located in Coral Gables, a suburb of Miami.  There are about 9,000 undergraduate students; it is estimated that 1,600 to 1,800 of them are Jewish.  Over 3,700 enrolled students live on campus, including 77 percent of new freshmen and 40 percent of all undergraduates.

  The University of Miami has a law school, medical school and business school.  Both the law school and the business school are located on the main campus in Coral Gables.  The medical school is located downtown. 

  Donna Shalala, who was the United States Secretary of Labor during the Clinton administration,  is the current university president.  The campus ministries are important to her and she has put in a great deal of effort to strengthen our relationship.  She attended our high holiday services this past year and she also participated in a name reading ceremony we had on Yom HaShoah.  The University is very proud to have her as president.

If I were to use one adjective to describe the University of Miami student body it would be spirited.  This past year the University of Miami Hurricanes (or ‘Canes as they’re called for short) won the Rose Bowl and finished their football season undefeated.  And year ago their baseball team won the College World Series.   Sports are very important here and the successes of the athletic teams bring this campus a lot of pride.  

  Students here are also very concerned with fitness.  The Wellness Center is one of the most popular buildings on campus.  I’ve met and gotten to know quite a few students just from working out there.  Recognizing the importance of fitness to the UM student body gave me the idea of creating J.O.G. (Jews on the Go), a Jewish running group that met weekly to run the campus loop (a 3 mile jog around the perimeter of campus).

  RESIDENTIAL COLLEGES

There are five Residential Colleges (or dorms) at the University of Miami.  Pearson and Mahoney are conveniently located directly across from the Hillel building.   They connect each other and have their own cafeteria.  Stanford and Hecht are the tower dorms.   Stanford consists of two towers and Hecht consists of two towers, making four in total.  They share another cafeteria.  And, finally, Eaton Residential College is a smaller dorm located next to the architecture building. 

  Mahoney, Pearson and Eaton have suites with two double rooms sharing a bathroom.  Hecht and Stanford have double and single rooms with a communal bathroom on the hall.  There are also on campus apartments available for upperclassmen. 

  Living in each Residential College is a Master and a few Associate Masters.  These are professors who choose to live in the Residential Colleges with their families.  They each have an apartment which connects to the building lobby.  They want to be a part of the whole college experience and are very willing to host programs in their apartments.  The advantage of having a program in a master’s apartment is that it’s convenient for students since they don’t have to travel far.  The apartments also have kitchens so they’re good to use for programs which involve cooking (such as challah or cookie baking).  It is best to call or email a master well in advance to be sure that the space is available when you need it. 

  One of the easiest ways to advertise programs is to place flyers in the dorms.  All you need to do is drop them off at the front desk of each of the five Residential Colleges and they will distribute them throughout the dorms. 

TABLING

While flyers are helpful reminders of the date, time and location of a program, the most effective way of advertising a program is to talk to people about it.   The absolute best publicity tool is word of mouth!  Tabling provides you with a great way of being out on campus, talking to people and promoting events.

The most common place to table is in what’s called the Breezeway of the University Center (UC).  You can reserve a table by emailing Linda Sher a few days ahead of time.  She coordinates all the UC reservations.  Larry works with her and he will make sure that a table and two chairs are ready for you on the dates you requested them.  His office is located across from the Information desk at the UC. 

  I found the Breezeway to be busiest between the hours of 11 and 2.  I would recommend tabling between those hours so that you are able to cross paths with the maximum number of people.  The Breezeway got the most crowded when students were between classes and so I preferred tabling on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to Tuesdays and Thursdays since MWF classes change more frequently than TT classes do.  However, it’s important to vary the days you’re out there so that you’re always meeting different people.   

  Varying the location at which I tabled also enabled me to meet different people.   I found it very helpful to table in the lobbies of the Residential Colleges.  Each Residential College has a table already set up in the lobby so I usually didn’t have to give much advanced notice.  Just be sure to introduce yourself to the RA at the front desk so they know you’re from Hillel.  

  I recommend tabling in the lobby of Stanford or Hecht.  Those dorms are the largest and each only has one entrance so there is usually a steadier flow of traffic through their lobbies.  When you’re having a program in a residence hall, it’s always good to table in that residence hall before the program. 

  ALTERNATE PROGRAM LOCATIONS

  In addition to having programs in the Residential Colleges, there are several other locations on campus that are hot spots. 

  The Rock, an elevated area by the UC, is a great place to program because it’s right on the center of campus and is very visible.   You can attract a lot of people there who may not have intended to participate in an activity but whose interest you catch as they pass by.  We built a sukkah on the rock and have had a few lunch n’ learns there.  You can reserve the Rock through Linda Sher.  Larry will set up tables and chairs there if needed.  Since the Rock is outside, it’s always good to have a rain plan whenever you have an event there. 

  Another great location for programs is the Rathskeller.  It’s an on campus restaurant and bar located right next to the UC.  They have a room that you can reserve for events.  We had a very successful ice cream sundae party there in the beginning of the year. 

  It’s always fun to venture off campus and take advantage of all that Miami has to offer.   This past year I coordinated trips to Sunset Place, Bayside Marketplace and the Holocaust Memorial on Miami Beach.  We had a very successful dinner at the Cheesecake Factory in Dadeland.  We also went to a Heat/Knicks game at the American Airlines Arena.  We’d always first meet at a location on campus to carpool and make sure that everyone had a ride.   Fortunately, there were always enough students with cars to drive those without.