NC State v. Miami: UM STUDENTS... Time to Rise & Grind!

Sorry for the hiatus, but the beginning of the school year is never a jolly time. As a student at the University of Miami, I live, breath, eat, and sometimes cry, over my beloved Hurricanes. There are only 10,000 of us (+5,000 if you include graduate students) and most outsiders see our school as a public institution, probably due to the reputation of the football program. The stands at Sun Life Stadium are sparse at times, and the ruckus of the student section is sporadic depending on games and homework levels. But this Saturday, we're going to change that. Read beneath the break to see why!

For all currently enrolled students at the University of Miami, tickets to any home sporting event are free. GRATIS. Football, basketball, soccer, you name it. In previous years, there wasn't even physical paper involved for tickets! You simply swiped your ‘Cane Card (essentially, your student ID) at the gate and boom! You're ready to rock like a hurricane. Notice how I said ‘in previous years' earlier... This year, for the 2012-2013 football season, the ticketing office took a different approach for students when it comes to football games. Now, instead of not having to worry about tickets at all before we show up, the athletic department has created a system that involves ‘reserving' a ticket online. You login, print ‘em off, and boom! Go Hurricanes. Hell, the school even provides free buses to and from Sun Life AND they're air-conditioned!

Yet, this new system is, well, different. Most students were upset since it involved more steps. Why hinder the student body even more on showing up to games? Our attendance is lackluster at times. While attendance at the Bethune-Cookman game was subpar as a whole, nearly 60% of the student body showed up. That's impressive, especially given that it was a noon game against Bethune-Cookman. As a UM student, I can definitely attest to the fact that there are a ton of things to do on/off campus on any given weekend. Unlike FSU or UF, we have more entertainment options than rodeos in South Florida.

Nevertheless, this Saturday, our team needs us. After an epic win over Georgia Tech on Saturday, nearly 100 students showed up outside of the Hecht Athletic Complex to greet the buses filled with weary eyed coaches, players, and Mike James. It was a sight to see as Al Golden thanked us over and over again for cheering them on. Chants of "It's great! To be! A Miami Hurricane!" kept on going and going. High fives were thrown, and I attempted to chest bump one of the players (he won that battle). However, the most touching moment came when Malcolm Lewis crutched off the bus. Cheers yelling "MALCOLM LEWIS!" erupted from all the students and, for a brief moment, there was a smile across his face, the first one nearly all day.

We are a ‘Canes Family. These gentlemen live with us in the dorms, eat with us in the dining halls, and sleep in class with us. It's time to support them when they need it the most. UM STUDENTS. TIME TO RISE & GRIND.

12:00pm.

Sun Life Stadium.

Be the 12^th Man.

Awaken the Hurricane.

#IStandWithTheU.