Category Archives: U.Miami

Due to an aside I delivered in class, my Administrative Law students have expressed an interest in celebrating Groundhog Day, which is Feb. 2. My initial reaction was a bit negative: How, living in Florida, can this be anything but an ironic, even potentially offensive, celebration? Indeed, can we in Miami plan to celebrate whether winter will continue without giving the impression of rampant schadenfreude? Not to mention that our interests are probably the reverse of most the country’s: winter is good for us! It’s usually nice out (although this December was unseasonably hot).

But despite all this, I’m warming to the idea. Why not?

But this just leads me to another problem: How, in the absence of an actual groundhog (please no one bring one to class!) do we celebrate Groundhog Day. We are not going to watch the movie starring Bill Murray much as I do like it; it’s long and we have work to do. Other than that, or projects aimed at first graders, the web has been surprisingly little help…..

Suggestions anyone?

Announcement from UM:

After the spring semester, the U.S. Postal Service contract station on campus will have a new home with enhanced hours and days of service. By this summer, all mail services offered at the post office behind the University of Miami Bookstore will be available at a kiosk inside the store Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Currently, the stand-alone post office operates from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on weekdays and does not open on Saturdays.

“The University has long prided itself on offering students and the rest of the UM community convenient, dependable, courteous, and timely mail services and, with this transition, mail services will be even more convenient and dependable,” said Humberto Speziani, assistant vice president for business services. “The new post office will offer an additional hour of service every day and an extra day of service every week.”

The post office will be moving into a bigger, better bookstore, too. At the end of the spring semester, the bookstore is slated to undergo a major renovation and expansion. Enhancements include the addition of a second entrance, a new UM adidas store, and an expanded technology section with a wider selection of Apple, Dell, and other technology products.

Apparently that word–“bookstore”–no longer means what I think it does.

Feb. 5-6, Justice John Paul Stevens (Ret.), will be the keynote speaker at the UMiami Law Review Symposium: The Constitution on Campus. The symposium will “explore the recurring conflicts between administering institutions of higher learning and the constitutional rights of students. Panelists will provide an in-depth discussion of students’ due process, free speech, and Internet privacy rights.”

I’d set the DVR to tape the UMiami football game, so I could fast-forward through all the commercials and endless huddles and timeouts. But the DVR failed to tape it, and so when I sat down to watch the game late last night, there was none. Instead I got to watch the last 5:20 of last night’s Miami-Duke game live. When I joined the action, Miami was up by 10, and busy folding like a house of cards, as Duke moved the ball downfield at will. At times, Miami’s defense couldn’t even get itself lined up before the snap. Touchdown Duke.

Miami had three disorganized, listless, confused downs of what might technically be called offense although it wasn’t all forward yardage, and then kicked the ball deep, with about 2 minutes left.

Again, Duke marched down the field, aided by a succession of in some cases clearly legitimate but in at least one case deeply questionable pass interference calls against Miami. Duke scores the go-ahead touchdown (not without doubt as to whether the football made it to the end zone, but it was impossible to say with certainty that it hadn’t from the replay, so the ref’s call was not overturned) with 0:06 left on the clock.

Then, Duke kicks – maybe an onside attempt as it rolls (and rolls) rather than flies. Miami grabs it. Eight — eight — lateral passes later, Miami scores.

Then the officials confer. There’s a flag, claiming a block in the back (replays showed it was a clearly legal side block); they take it back. But was one of the player’s knees down before he threw the ball? From the back it looks like yes; on the replay from a more front view it looks like no (which was the ruling on the field, from a ref with a good view). After much back-and-forth, the touchdown stands. (Another view of it all here.) Jubilation ensues.

Today I saw a still photo that sure looks like the knee was down; I can only say that on the replay last night it didn’t seem to be. The ACC now disagrees.

They’ll be arguing about this one for years.

Note: I changed the embedded video to get a bigger better picture; also this version has the audio we heard in the live version.