University unveils giant U statue on campus

UM President Donna E. Shalala, Vice President for Student Affairs Patricia Whitely, and Sebastian the Ibis pull the tarp off the newly installed U statue during Homecoming Opening Ceremonies.

It adorns everything from letterhead and T-shirts to the helmets worn by the school’s football players. Now the University of Miami’s iconic symbol—the orange-and-green split U—can be found in one of the most visible locations on campus.

UM unveiled a 7-foot-tall statue of its ever-popular logo on October 12 on Foote University Green. Situated between the Iron Arrow mound and the Rock, the 1,000-pound steel-and-aluminum icon serves as a reminder of the institution’s spirit and traditions.

“It’s the perfect location,” announced Nawara Alawa, president of UM Student Government, which spearheaded the drive to get the statue erected. “Every student is going to pass that statue at least once a day. If they’re on their way to something important—like a test or an interview—we’ve asked the students to touch the statue for good luck, support, and a show of spirit for their University of Miami family.”

The sculpted U, half orange and half green, sits atop a 32,000-pound concrete base. It was funded through the Student Activities Center project.

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI UNVEILS THE NEW ‘U’ STATUE

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Anthony M. Kennedy
Photo by Nick Madigan

Sonia Sotomayor
Photo by Jenny Abreu

On the book circuit to promote her new memoir, My Beloved World, United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor visited the University of Miami on February 1, giving an audience of mostly students a rare, in-depth look into her life—from what it was like growing up poor in a Bronx housing project and attending Princeton University to sitting in judgment on the nation’s highest court.

Sotomayor, the first Hispanic and only the third woman appointed to the Supreme Court, also talked about her love of books during the conversation-style event with UM President Donna E. Shalala.

“There is a beauty to words that visual scenes can’t create,” Sotomayor explained. “I think most people, and especially the younger generation, forget to let the creativity of their minds be provoked by words. That’s what books did for me when I found them.”

The event, presented in association with Books & Books, preceded by ten days a visit from one of Sotomayor’s colleagues, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, who delivered the Robert B. Cole Distinguished Jurist Lecture at the BankUnited Center Fieldhouse on February 11.

Kennedy, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 and is widely regarded as the court’s “swing vote,” also taught a Constitutional Law class at the School of Law, speaking at length about the Framers of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the separation of powers, and the concept of checks and balances. He frequently tested the students’ knowledge. “Are the words ‘checks and balances’ in the Constitution?” he asked. “I’ll buy you a bottle of beer if you can find [them].”

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