Vol. 95, Issue 12
April 7 - April 22, 2025
The Miami Hurricane THE
OFFICIAL
STUDENT
N E W S PA P E R
OF
THE
UNIVERSITY
OF
MIAMI
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI TURNS 100 By Jenny Jacoby Editor-in-Chief
It all started with a 160 acre plot of land, a $10 million donation and a dream. “Miami should and can have a university, and the ideal place for it is at Coral Gables,” George E. Merrick announced in an advertisement on December 18, 1921. Merrick’s ambitious optimism was generational. He was born to two-college educated parents that took a risk moving to the young City of Miami. When they arrived, his mother, passionate about supporting her children’s education, opened a school on their property and enrolled ten students. It’s no wonder then that when Merrick set out to establish a city, he wanted a university to define it. Within three weeks of UM being awarded its
charter, the city of Coral Gables was incorporated, setting the stage for the next century of educational pioneers. At the time Merrick declared his desire for a university, there were only 42,000 residents in all of Dade County, now known as Miami-Dade. As of fall 2024, 40,500 people call UM home. More than half are faculty, the rest are a mixture of undergraduate and graduate students. On April 8, 2025 UM celebrates the day its charter was granted. A celebration that against all odds, the University of Miami was able to persevere, climbing so high as to have once been one of the top 40 universities in the country, according to the U.S. News and World Report. “One thing is clear: From the beginning this institution has attracted the uncommon confidence and support of visionary people,” Edward Foote wrote in his 1987 Annual Report. For all intents and purposes UM should have
failed before it even began. Less than a month out from the first day of class and already behind construction schedule, 150 mile per hour winds ripped through Coconut Grove into Coral Gables. What followed was worse. Florida’s land boom had evaporated and the Great Depression was underway. There could not have been a worse time to get a university on its feet. Faculty worked without guarantee of a salary and students endured “cardboard” accommodations in incomplete buildings. Had it not been for the innovation of Bowman Foster Ashe, the first president of the university, UM would not have survived its funding deficit. According to environmentalist Marjory Stoneman Douglas, supporters of Ashe’s vision were so committed that they were “willing to gamble their lives” to help lay the foundation for a school with the potential to become great.
“Proud as I am of what has been accomplished for Miami in Coral Gables, I am prouder of this University beginning than of everything else put together,” Merrick said. “For years, I have hoped and worked for this day, and even though we are just starting in this work, I am sure it is in the hearts of all Miami that this good start is to have year after year such a bigger and broader culmination as can be limited only by our dreams.” Under fireworks, on Lake Osceola’s steps overlooking the campus, UM will ring in its 100th birthday, a commemoration of more than 200,000 graduates, some of the best moments in sports history, groundbreaking research and medical innovations and the dedication that has defined what it means to be a ’Cane. Merrick — a legacy of innovation and education — we can confidently say that there has been no limit to your dream.
The woman at the heart of the U
We need 100 more years of The Miami Hurricane
By Lauren Ferrer
By Editorial Board
Dr. Patricia A. Whitely arrived at the University of Miami in 1982. Now in her 43rd year of service, the senior vice president for student affairs and alumni engagement has left a permanent mark on the school. Through acts of remarkable kindness and a non-stop commitment to serve, Whitely defined the student experience at UM.
More than 3,200 newspapers in the United States have closed since 2005, leaving only about 5,600. Newsroom employment at U.S. newspapers dropped by nearly half (47%), from about 71,000 workers to 38,000 between 2008 and 2019. The paid circulation numbers for daily weekday newspapers are even more alarming. They have plummeted from almost 63 million in 1985 to less than 21 million in 2022. On college campuses, newsrooms are also losing steam. Staff sizes have dwindled and many have abandoned the practice of printing a paper all together. Stories have been left untold, leaders have not been held accountable and campuses have lost a sense of connection. For nearly 100 years, The Miami Hurricane has powered through various struggles, delivering pivotal information to students and recording the university’s history. But, our work is only worthwhile if people read it. Without interest and faith in our reporting, our articles are only words. To last another 100 years, we need our readers. It’s up to you to help us save it.
Managing Editor
SEE NEWS PAGE 2
TMH through the decades By Keira Faddis Staff Writer
There’s no “U” without The Miami Hurricane. Since 1929, the student newspaper has brought award-winning coverage of national and local events to students. From WWII to Title IX to TikTok, the student newspaper has evolved with the times, growing from a four-page broadsheet to a modern digital presence. Ninety-six years in, TMH continues to tell the stories that shape the U.
Ed Storin, Hurricane managing editor, 1951.
Photo Courtesy of University of Miami Archives
CONTINUE ON OPINION PAGE 6
Centennial Celebration: April 8, 2025 on the Coral Gables campus
SEE A&E PAGE 10
Miami’s all-time football team By Sports Staff
The University of Miami features one of the most prolific college football programs the sport has ever seen. 384 professionally drafted players, 36 Consensus All-Americans and two Heisman Trophy winners have led Miami to five national championships throughout its storied history. Here’s the Hurricanes’ all-time football roster, carefully crafted by the sports staff at The Miami Hurricane. SEE SPORTS PAGE 14
What
What
What
What
Canes Carnival
Block Party
Concert
Fireworks Show
Free rides, games, and music, presented by Hurricane Productions.
Free food from 6-8:30, live music and more around the Student Center Complex.
Frost School alumni concert, hosted by TV host and alum Jason Kennedy.
A dazzling fireworks display over Lake Osceola.
When
When
When
When
5-9 p.m.
5-9 p.m.
7-8:30 p.m.
8:30 p.m.
Where
Where
Where
Where
Foote University Green
along Miller Circle
Lakeside Patio
Lake Osceola