The Miami Student Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826
TUESDay, JANUARY 22, 2013
VOLUME 140 NO. 31 TODAY IN MIAMI HISTORY
MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO
In 1940 The Miami Student reported on R. J. McGinnis, head of the University News Bureau, and the geology department and the tough question they had to answer: did a dinosaur yip, yelp, yodel, or roar? Hal Roach studios approached McGinnis with the question while filming “1,000,000 B.C.,” which cast dinosaurs in the leading role. The group wanted the film to have the greatest possible scientific accuracy, the writer of the letter said.
Miami band marches in inaugural parade By Katie M. Taylor Campus Editor
The Miami University marching band stood before President Barack Obama as he saluted the drum majors and gave the group a big smile. Miami’s presence at the 57th inaugural parade will not be forgotten. It was on a whim that band Director Stephen Lytle sent in the Miami marching band’s application to the Presidential Inaugural Committee in November. A phone call received in December informed him of the band’s admittance. According to Lytle, he got the OK to accept the opportunity, and then took the pleasure of informing the band. President of the marching band, senior Rachel Boden, said she couldn’t believe it. “Over Christmas break we got the email from our band director,” Boden said. “I don’t think any of us were really expecting it since it was kind of a last minute decision [to apply].” Boden said she was honored to get the opportunity to play in front of the president; she didn’t expect to get another chance to perform in such a notable event. “[My initial reaction] was disbelief because we had just done the Macy’s [Parade], so for us to now go to the inaugural parade, it’s like we’re going for the triple crown of marching band parades
here,” Boden said. “I think I was just shocked that we get another fantastic opportunity in my time at Miami.” According to Boden, the experience was made better than she could have ever imagined when the president and first lady acknowledged Miami’s performance. “When we passed the president, he stood up and he saluted the three drum majors, and he waved to the band, and the first lady was pointing at us and waving at the band,” Boden said. “It was just really, really exciting.” According to Lytle, he was informed that the first lady had personally requested the Miami marching band’s presence in the parade, which was a huge honor. Member of the band, sophomore Bobby Grandbois, agreed. He said the parade could not have gone better. “The way the crowd reacted to some of the stuff we did was really awesome … ” Grandbois said. “I am very honored. It’s [an experience] I will cherish for the rest of my life.” Boden said not only did the inaugural parade give the marching band a chance to represent the university, but the state of Ohio as well. “I think the most exciting thing
PARADE,
SEE PAGE 10
CONTRIBUTED BY MIAMI UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS
Top:The Miami marching band gets pumped up during rehearsal before the parade (Jeffrey Sabo). Bottom Left: The marching band appears on television coverage of the inauguration events. (David Miller) Bottom Right: Players ride the bus to the event in Washington, D.C (De’Niel Phipps).
Road to recognition: RedHawk women’s Talawanda School District hockey team fueled by students’ passion weighs security options By Katie M. Taylor Campus Editor
Miami University may be known for its highly ranked men’s hockey team, but few are aware of the women’s program, which was established at the university only three short years ago. With eight wins, eight loses and four ties, the young team continues to make efforts to improve its record. For most of Miami’s history, female students who loved the sport had no option but to leave it behind when they came to college, but in 2010, three students’ passion for the game inspired them to change that. Then seniors Natalie Dillon
A CALL TO ACTION
and Jessica Wood, and first-year Liz Wardlow got together to establish a women’s hockey team. According to Wardlow, Miami helped guide them through the process and get their plans in motion. “Everyone was really supportive,” Wardlow said. “Everyone at Goggin said they would help us in any way they could, and a lot of people involved with the men’s club team gave us a lot of help and showed us how they run their program.” The team is run by head coach Scott Hicks, assistant coach Jim Stearns and goalie coach Nolan Peduto. Hicks said he had doubts when
initially being approached for the position. He soon found accepting the role was the right choice. “I was really skeptical when I took the job, but every year it keeps growing and every year we get more passionate,” Hicks said. “It’s something that right now, at this point in my life, I can’t imagine not doing it.” Hicks has spent years coaching men’s hockey which allows physical contact and checking; the women’s version does not. According to him, this has made it an enjoyable learning experience.
HOCKEY, SEE PAGE 10
KYLE HAYDEN THE MIAMI STUDENT
Carl B. Westmoreland engages the audience in Hall Auditorium Jan. 21 at a Martin Luther King Jr. Day event. Westmoreland is the senior historian at the Freedom Center Underground Railroad Museum in Cincinnati.
By Chris Curme
For The Miami Student
The mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, Conn., has sparked a national conversation that the Talawanda School District has been having for years. Talawanda School Board member Mike Crowder said that over the past year the district has been reworking its crisis protocol. “The Sandy Hook incident didn’t start Talawanda’s discussion about safety,” Crowder said. The school district formulates its schools’ emergency response plans around recommendations given by the Oxford Police Department. According to Chris Rhoton, vice principal at Talawanda High School (THS), these recommendations change in the wake of tragic mass shootings such as those in Newtown, Conn. “We were contacted by the Oxford Police last school year,” Holli Morrish, director of communication and public relations at Talawanda High School, said. “They wanted us to know we were operating under a post-Columbine plan, and recent events had indicated protocol had changed.” According to Crowder, the district’s policy is now that children and teachers should exit the building in the case of an intruder, if it’s safe to do so. Rhoton said that this strategy differs from the past
protocol of remaining hidden in classrooms, and is a response to the Virginia Tech massacre in 2007. “[The VT shooter] was practicing for people lined up,” said Rhoton, “He knew his targets would be on the floor, covered up.” Rhoton and Morrish also mentioned that administrators and select teachers at the secondary level have been going through ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Information, Counter and Evacuation) crisis-training. Morrish said this program gives teachers more independence in how to deal with life-threatening situations. According to English teacher Claire Squance, this more “handson” approach allows teachers engaging the assailant if necessary. Morrish said beyond having an effective crisis plan and capable staff, the new high school building has security advantages provided by new technology. “This building can be locked down from a cell phone,” Morrish said. From his office, where a surveillance feed from the 87 cameras in THS is saved and monitored, Rhoton can lock and unlock every single door in the school. Crowder explained the purpose of the high school’s buzzer system, where a THS visitor must first be identified, then buzzed into the
TALAWANDA SEE PAGE 10