Journalism Projects
Fulbright event educates students about funded research opportunities
Since , the University of Miami has seen roughly 50 receive the Fulbright grant, a prestigious program which promotes international educational experiences. UM students and faculty had the opportunity to hear more about the program by the Office of Prestigious Awards and Fellowships on April 2.
PAF welcomed nearly 100 attendees to their annual “Fulbright in the Classroom” event at the Lakeside Expo Center and treated their guests to dinner and a detailed information session on the Fulbright U.S. Student Program from past participants.
The U.S. Fulbright program is a grant awarded to graduating college seniors, graduate students and young professionals nationwide to pursue graduate study, conduct research or teach English abroad for 9 to 12 months. The program is one of many offered by Fulbright, an international academic exchange program funded by the U.S. government and supported by over 160 countries.
“We love Fulbright,” said Erica Liberus, director of PAF. “It’s one of our favorite awards to support students in applying for, and one of the reasons is because no matter what a student’s interest is in or what their trajectory is, anyone can apply.”
The University of Miami has already helped several students be accepted to the program and continues to promote and encourage all eligible students to apply.
“I ended up getting lucky, and I ended up getting the Fulbright and the notification to come to UM at the same time,” said Fulbright recipient Leyna Stemle. “And my advisor was really open and so was the department for me deferring for a year.”
Stemle spent her Fulbright in Ghana researching sea turtles and fishery interactions and is a current doctoral candidate in biology at UM. While there, she was able to participate in several community service activities, like teaching an environmental science class at an afterschool program.
“The Fulbright student program allows you to be pretty flexible,” Stemle said. “They really do want you to be involved in the community.”
Leland Lazarus received the Fulbright grant in to work as an English teaching assistant in Panama. After his trip, he worked at the U.S. embassies in China and Barbados. Currently, he is the associate director of research at Florida International University’s National Security Program.
“It absolutely changed my life forever,” said Lazarus. “It set me on a path of international relations – it sort of opened up a door to the world, if you will.”
Participating in a Fulbright program exposes participants to a brand new culture and gives them the freedom to explore their passions without financial burdens. It also encourages recipients to form connections within their chosen country and throughout the Fulbright alumni network which spans the globe.
“Panama, and the Fulbright program, opened up a window of opportunities, a window to the world for me, and I can only hope that it will open up a window to the world for you all if and when you apply,” Lazarus said.
There have been four UM recipients of the Fulbright grant for - cycle so far with four more awaiting notification. Applications for the - Fulbright U.S. Student Program are now open. Apply and learn more at www.fulbrightonline.org/.
The Israel, Gaza conflict and its effect on the University of Miami community
For one of my journalism classes, our final project was to put together an article prominent to the University of Miami community. The topic I chose was the Israel and Gaza conflict as that was a hot topic at the time. I did thorough research into the history and contacted students and faculty who supported both sides. The University of Miami has a high Jewish population, and so my goal was to shed light on both sides to ensure proper representation, which I struggled to see at the time.
On , the militant Islamist group in charge in Gaza, Hamas, launched a horrific attack on Israel. On , University of Miami president, Julio Frenk, released an announcement detailing the university’s position.
“We stand in solidarity with the people of Israel, with all those impacted by the violence, a¬nd with all who seek peace,” Frenk wrote in an email.
This response caused controversy, but the conflict between Israel and Gaza traces back decades.
The history
In , the U.N. partitioned Palestine into two independent States, separating it into one Jewish and one Palestinian Arab state. The first Arab-Israeli War began in when the Jewish State declared independence as Israel. This would cause the displacement of over half of the Palestinian population, known as the Nakba, or “catastrophe” in Arabic.
The territory was separated into the State of Israel, the West Bank and Gaza after the war. Over the next 60 years, tensions between Israel and the Palestinian territories would result in three wars, a Palestinian uprising and numerous peace talks.
In , a democratic election in Gaza would place Hamas, a widely recognized militant group, in power.
The first major conflict between Hamas and Israel took place in when Hamas initiated a fight with Israel, causing 73 Israeli and 2,251 Palestinian deaths. A second, 11-day conflict occurred in after an Israeli court ruled in that Palestinian residents of Jerusalem would be evicted. It displaced over 72,000 Palestinians and killed 248 Palestinians and 13 Israelis.
More peace negotiations have since occurred with no success.
“I think the reason why negotiations have failed is that neither one was really willing to make the sufficient and necessary and painful negotiations – neither sets of leaders were willing to take those risks,” said Dr. Costantino Pischedda, professor of political science at UM. “Because in both communities the other side has been demonized, both communities have seen themselves as largely the victim in the overall conflict.”
At on , Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing over 1,400 civilians and soldiers and taking 240 hostages. In response, Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and has launched thousands of airstrikes on Gaza causing over 11,000 Palestinian deaths. Hamas’ motivation behind the initial attack is yet to be confirmed, although Pischedda has his theories.
“One can make the strong case that Hamas knew and wanted a response because it was part of a strategy to try to reshuffle the cards,” Pischedda said. “The attack did, in turn, trigger the most massive retaliation campaign by Israel.”
The U.S. publicly supports Israel following years of aid provided to Israel as an ally and a personal history in the war against terrorism.
“The United States has been under a series of terrorist attacks, such as the Al Qaeda attacks that eventually led to 9/11,” Pischedda said. “And so, I think it’s easier for the U.S. public to sympathize, regardless of the specific identity of what the state is, to sympathize with the state that gets attacked because the United States has felt something similar and then responded in a way that is somewhat similar [to Israel].”
The response
Since UM’s announcement of support for Israel, the university community has expressed mixed feelings.
In the comments section of an Instagram post showing support for Israel, Miami Hurricane Athletics (@miamihurricanes) has faced backlash from their followers.
Instagram user Yousef Dashti (@uncledashti) commented, “Israel invaded and took Palestinian lives for years without anyone flinching an eye. Now that Palestinians have retaliated (at a much smaller magnitude), everyone’s suddenly a peace lover and thinks it is a violation o¬¬f human rights. Sheer. Hypocrisy.”
In contrast, many comments share appreciation for the university’s support.
Instagram user Diana (@deeceedubz) commented, “Unbelievable that Jewish people get killed and all anyone can say is “Palestine,” or “free Palestine.” How disgusting and inhumane are we as people to not consider the deaths that took place just because they are Jewish? Pure antisemitism. Disgusting.”
Pischedda’s emphasizes the difference between Hamas and Palestinian civilians.
“I think taking a stance against terrorists is perfectly fine,” Pischedda said. “If 1,400 civilians that existed don’t exist anymore and went through a horrible process of death, that’s something that we should be comfortable saying.”
Many events were held at the university, including a ‘Rally for Israel’ on and a vigil on held by the Arab Students Union, both with over 150 attendees.
“The University of Miami continues to lead the college campuses in the U.S. with non-stop devotion to the Jewish people and the land of Israel, and we will never forget that,” said Brianna Halpern, junior business major and president of Undergrad Chabad at UM.
Mona Abuzahra, co-president of the Arab Students Union and a senior at UM majoring in international studies and political science, grew up in the West Bank. Her family and friends reside in Palestinian territories.
“I do not advocate for violence and any regard, from either side of the border,” Abuzahra said. “I feel that it is quite ironic, though, that Palestinians have been undergoing suffering for the past 75 plus years and people have only started sharing their voices this year.”
To Abuzahra, the university’s message had a direct impact.
“Initially, the response did not surprise me,” she said. “I myself am against violence, but my question is where was your stance against violence my freshman year during the bombings of Gaza, or where is your stance against the ongoing Palestinian aggression that I have first-hand experienced on this campus? I am utterly disappointed and enraged, especially after seeing Julio [Frenk]’s silence now. A silence after 11,000 innocent Palestinians are being slaughtered at the hands of the Israeli/American government, and 20,000 are wounded.”
The university’s response has shifted student opinion at UM.
“It is a complete dishonor to be a ‘Cane, a shame to be affiliated with a university with such low regard to Palestinians’ life, a human’s life,” said Abuzahra.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon Faces Hazing Allegations After Video Surfaces
Late one night, The Miami Hurricane received a video of alleged hazing at one of the University of Miami fraternities. I, along with two of my coworkers at The Hurricane, helped investigate the validity of this video and put together the article, the first to break the news publicly. After publishing, we were approached by CBS 4 Miami about referencing our article and were also referenced on The Miami Herald.
Man killed in scissor lift accident at Centennial Village construction site
An accident occured on the University of Miami campus at the construction site of new housing development Centennial Village. Click the link to read the full story.