March 11, 2014 | The Miami Student

The Miami Student Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014

VOLUME 141 NO. 39

MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO

TODAY IN MIAMI HISTORY In 2004, The Miami Student reported the Oxford Police Department (OPD) sent out a press release warning students they would be out patrolling Uptown in the wee hours of the morning on the upcoming Green Beer Day. Underage drinkers were to be taken promptly to Butler County jail for the night.

MU advances in MAC tourney

BY ZACH MACIASZEK FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

For the second straight year, the RedHawks are packing their bags for Cleveland.

The Miami University men’s basketball team weathered a comeback from Kent State University in the waning minutes of the second half to earn a 71-64 victory and advance to the second round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

The RedHawks will take on their rival Ohio University, who defeated Ball State University in its first round match-up. This is the second year in a row the ’Hawks have advanced to the second round under head coach John Cooper.

“I’m really, really happy for our kids,” Cooper said. “Over the course of the season, this group could easily have tucked it in during some earlier times in the season. Yet still they’ve always found the resolve to come back and be competitive. And many games from a ‘man’ standpoint we’ve been outmanned, but they found a way to get a home [tournament] game and they found a way to take care of business.”

Sophomore guard Willie Moore led Miami with 17 points. He was followed by senior guard Quinten Rollins and junior guard Will Sullivan, who each scored 13 points.

Junior guard Kris Brewer paced the Flashes with 15 points on 4-13 shooting from the field.

Both squads shot an identical 45 percent from the field. The difference was at the foul line, where MU converted 24-31 attempts compared to Kent State’s 14-17.

Play was relatively even for both teams in the first half. The RedHawks flourished in transition,

forcing turnovers and pushing the ball down the court for attempts at the rim which often resulted in trips to the foul line. MU converted 13-18 free throws in the opening period.

But the offense became stagnant in the half-court and the ’Hawks struggled to develop any rhythm.

Miami managed only four assists against seven turnovers, but the story was not much better for Kent State who recorded four assists versus eight cough-ups.

On the RedHawks last possession of the opening half Sullivan was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 3.2 seconds remaining. He sank all three of his attempts to give the ’Hawks the lead 33-31. On the subsequent possession the Flashes’ Brewer banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to seemingly reclaim the lead and the momentum for Kent State heading into the locker room, but after official review the basket was wiped away.

The ’Hawks’ ball movement in the half-court was noticeably crisper in the opening minutes of the second half as they added to their lead.

Leading the way for Miami was Moore, who scored 11 points in the first ten minutes of the second half as MU built a 52-42 advantage. The largest lead they held was 13 points.

The Flashes, playing for their postseason lives, refused to slink away quietly into the night, riding a 15-7 run to pull within two points 59-57 with four minutes to go. The half-court offense stalled once again in the waning minutes of the game, as the ’Hawks took the air out of the ball and seemingly prayed for the clock to expire.

BASKETBALL, SEE PAGE 5

SCOTT KISSELL THE MIAMI STUDENT

NOTHIN’ BUT NET

The Miami basketball team lost the Batttle of the Bricks to Ohio University 82-76 in OT Saturday but they knocked off Kent State 71-64 in the opening round of the MAC tournament Monday night. Sophomore guard Willie Moore led the team in scoring in both games, with 24 and 17 points, respectively.

Knights in Shining Armor ride to town

College of Creative Arts holds forums for dean candidates

BY REIS THEBAULT CAMPUS EDITOR

CONTRIBUTED BY HAYDEN HYNDMAN

From left: Knights In Shining Armor co-founders Rick Snyder and Tony Pastiva pose with their pedi-cabs, Oxford’s newest form of transportation. Students can hail a Knight by calling 513-601-TAXI

BY MOLLY LEASURE FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

What started as a way to impress the ladies has turned into Oxford’s newest, and perhaps most distinctive, form of transportation. Thanks to an investment from the Miami University Student Venture Fund (MUSVF), two sophomore roommates have started Knights In Shinning Armor (KISA), an Oxford pedi-cab service designed to transport students all around town.

The new business just successfully completed its first trial run this past weekend. And, according to the cofounders, they have already pedaled in a few hundred bucks.

“We have already seen it will be a success, it can work here,” Co-founder and Miami junior Rick Snyder said.

This past May, Snyder and Pastiva were approved for funding as

part of MUSVF’s growing efforts to fund locally-started student businesses and grow the fund’s presence in Oxford.

The buggy-esque pedi-cabs certainly turned heads this weekend, with students taking pictures and snapchats of them and asking for rides all around Uptown just for the thrill of it.

“We even took moms and daughters from Sushi Nara to Decibel as moms were taking selfies,” Snyder said.

The initial concept was originally framed around giving chivalrous rides to ladies heading home from the bars late at night, Snyder explained.

“Knights that take you home, I joke they can even do the princess Diana Wave,” Snyder said.

The pedi-cabs can also be used for dates, according to Snyder.

“We can even come pick someone

up with flowers, and one pedi-cab even plays music,” Snyder said.

Snyder and his roommate, Miami junior Tony Pastiva came up with the idea last year after Snyder, a Westport, Conn., native, rode a pedi-cab in New York City. But this isn’t Snyder’s first rodeo. He has spent his past few summers operating a successful ice cream truck in his hometown.

Miami junior Abby Purdum expressed her interest when seeing the pedi-cab uptown.

“I would definitely use it, it would be a great way to end the night and I would feel much safer taking that then getting in a cab by myself,” Purdum said.

“Right now the only option is a taxi Uptown and the pedi-cab is a unique experience for people,” MUSVF president and Miami senior

TAXI,

SEE PAGE 8

In an academic year that has seen the hiring of a new Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of the Farmer School of Business, Miami is preparing to make another hire as candidates for dean of the College of Creative Arts attend open forums throughout the next seven days.

Of the three candidates, Miami currently employs two, one of which is the current college’s interim dean. The other, Leslie Bellavance, is a professor and dean of the School of Art at Alfred University in Alfred, NY. Bellavance’s forum is 4-5 p.m.

Wednesday, March 12 in Art 100.

She has worked in several university art departments since 1981, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and James Madison University.

Throughout her career, Bellavance has held administrative and teaching positions, along with working as an artist and, in her résumé, said if she is hired she will bring to the college her imagination and leadership.

The second open forum, Peg Faimon’s, Miami’s Department of Art chair, is scheduled for 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Thursday March 13 in room 109 of the Center for Performing Arts. Faimon has more than 20 years of experience at

Miami, working as a graphic design professor, the co-director of the Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media Studies (AIMS) and, most recently, chair of the Department of Art. Aside from her experience in the classroom, Faimon is the founder of her own graphic design firm Peg Faimon Design in addition to her experience as a founding director of Miami Design Collaborative.

Elizabeth Mullenix, Interim Dean of the College of Creative Arts and the third candidate for the permanent position, will have her forum from 4 to 5 p.m. Monday, March 17 in Art 100. Mullenix, who, in her application, said she did not originally intend to apply for the job, has several years of administrative experience in Oxford. She arrived on campus in 2006 as the Chair of the Department of Theatre and remained in that role until she was appointed interim dean last summer. Mullenix, a Cincinnati native, also teaches theater. Prior to her time at Miami, she taught University of Illinois and served as associate dean of the College of Fine Arts at Illinois State University.

The dean of the College of Creative Arts will oversee 158 full-time faculty and 100 undergraduate and graduate students in an academic division that has 10 available undergraduate degrees and six graduate degrees.

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CAMPUS

EDITORS REIS THEBAULT VICTORIA SLATER

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014

CAMPUS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

BLAKE WILSON THE MIAMI STUDENT

SENIOR SUCCESS

Women’s basketball celebrates senior night Saturday afternoon against Ohio University. From left: Kelsey Simon, Hannah Robertson, Haley Robertson, Kristin Judson and Erica Almady

Peace Corps makes MU cradle of service

BY EMILY C. TATE

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

With its ‘J. Crew U’ reputation and continually high placement on “Best Party Colleges” lists, perhaps Miami University is not the most likely candidate for an organization that requires its volunteers to serve 27 months in a developing country. However, for many years now, Miami has produced enough Peace Corps volunteers to be considered one of the Peace Corps Top Colleges.

Established in 1961, the U.S. Peace Corps is a service organization that sends American volunteers all across the globe to foster peaceful relations with other countries and promote sustainable development through educational, environmental and health programs.

According to its website, the

Peace Corps has produced more than 215,000 volunteers across 139 countries to-date. Of these volunteers, 876 have been Miami alumni, based on a Miami news article from February 2013.

Katie Sylvester, the Peace Corps Regional Recruiter for Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus, said Miami has always had a strong partnership with the Peace Corps, and as a result, the organization has invested a lot of time and recruitment in the university.

“When I first took this position in fall of 2010, there was already an inherent interest in Peace Corps [at Miami],” Sylvester said. “It was my job to cultivate that interest. Miami students want to be globally engaged, they want to learn more about and visit other countries.”

Sylvester said she could identify a number of reasons why Miami is such a top-producing Peace

Corps university – named 11 in the nation for medium colleges and universities in 2013.

For one, she said, the particular degrees offered at Miami tend to be a really great fit for the Peace Corps.

There are a lot of students here who are very service-oriented and do a lot of volunteer work.”

CHRIS SARVER

VISITING PROFESSOR

“For example, the department of Kinesiology and Health offers many relevant programs,” she said. “The education program at Miami produces excellent teachers and the Farmer

School [of Business] produces excellent business-minded students.”

Sylvester said each of those specific majors translates well into a related Peace Corps field.

In addition to the degrees Miami offers, its strong Peace Corps influence comes from several other factors, Sylvester said.

“Miami has one of the most involved career services departments I’ve seen,” she said. “And they have really strong study abroad and international education programs that spark students’ interests to travel and seek other global opportunities.”

Most of all though, Sylvester said it comes down to Miami’s core values as an institution, which ultimately transform into the core values of its students.

Visiting Assistant Professor of International Studies Chris Sarver served in Guatemala for the Peace

Corps from 1993-95. He has worked at seven different universities but said he did not know anything about Miami’s Peace Corps reputation when he accepted his position here. Now, having spent several years at the school, he was able to provide his own explanations for Miamians’ high interest in the Peace Corps.

“You have to have a passion for service and an interest in developing countries – that’s a prerequisite,” Sarver said. “But there’s a practical side to it. It’s very much for people who want to get into international service as a career – meaning learning a foreign language, having experience abroad, etc. – and this opens a lot of doors that could also lead to Peace Corps.”

Throughout his time here,

SERVICE, SEE PAGE 9

Engineering students chime in with new On her grind: MU senior electronic music system for Pulley Tower to present comedy sketch

LAUREN HUTCHISON THE MIAMI STUDENT

Pulley tower sits at the edge of Cook Field and serenades the students with its chimes for 10 minutes, eight times a day.

BY MARY SCHROTT FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

Though there is no pulling actually involved in the operating of Miami University’s Pulley Tower, over the past year, the tower has welcomed hands-on involvement from students in attempts to produce the best chime.

Senior Brian Breitsch, mathematics and electrical engineering major, was one of three students last year to get involved with the tower as he and recent graduates Aaron Pittenger and Brian Withrow

redesigned the system’s electronics for their senior electrical engineering capstone project.

With its new system “it sort of just operates itself,” Breitsch said The new system runs through a computer and is completely wireless; Breitsch is rarely physically in the tower.

The students were interested in finding a more effective way to operate the tower that was “really poorly designed,” Breitsch said. “We went in [to the tower] and were shocked.”

Many of the parts of the original tower were described to be old

military surplus supplies.

“We are actually saving the university money,” Breitsch said, “because they don’t need to hire maintenance workers for [the tower] anymore.”

In 2001, William Pulley gifted the university with the tower in memory of his late father, who was a 1925 Miami alum and former mayor of Oxford. Pulley Tower is a 50-bell carillon, located on Patterson Avenue adjacent to Bachelor Hall that plays for about 10 minutes, eight times a day.

The music the tower plays is manipulated completely electronically with its student-installed computer system.

“It’s a great resource to learn,” Breitsch said. “I really hope the university will continue to give design students the opportunity to work with the tower.”

The tower plays songs ranging from classics like “My Heart Will Go On” to more popular songs like “Call Me Maybe.”

First-year Kyle Guggenhiem said he personally enjoys hearing “Pirates of the Caribbean” medleys during his walk to class.

“It makes the walk better,

PULLEY,

SEE PAGE 9

BY VICTORIA SLATER CAMPUS EDITOR

Since she was a little girl, senior Jane Streeter knew she wanted to make people laugh. Inspired by the comedy stylings of famous “Saturday Night Live” faces like Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, and armed with writing skills cultivated by Second City in Chicago, Streeter is on her way to achieving her ultimate dream: becoming a comedy writer.

For her senior project, Streeter will present a comedy sketch called “The Daily Grind,” open to all students, 6 p.m. Thursday in Studio 88.

The Daily Grind will consist of 18 original sketches, all focusing on the monotony of college life, but in a fun and flighty fashion.

“It’s approximately an hour long, and is comprised of 18 individual sketches, all with a variety of characters. They aren’t directly connected, other then through the theme of college life, or ‘The Daily Grind,’” Streeter said. “Scenes will include everything from a professorstudent interaction to a frat party to a roommate disagreement.”

Streeter’s project has been in the works for almost a year, but she has nurtured a love for comedy writing for much longer. It all began when

she witnessed the talent of mainly female comedians on television.

“I fell in love with the idea of comedy writing as a career when I was influenced by the female driven cast of SNL in the early 2000s,” Streeter said. “Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph and Rachel Dratch were on during my formative years, and I knew I wanted to try to write what I was seeing on screen.”

Miami does not offer writing classes that focus strictly on comedy, so Streeter had to look elsewhere to gain skills necessary for comedy writing.

“Through lots of research, I found that the best way to get a ‘comedy education’ was through the Second City, [Upright Citizens Brigade] and [Improve Olympics Chicago Theatre],” Streeter said. “Classes are quite expensive, however, so when I found out Miami had a summer research grant program, I decided to apply.”

Streeter was accepted into last summer’s Undergraduate Summer Scholars program, offered in the Office for the Advancement of Research and Scholarship (OARS),

COMEDY, SEE PAGE 9

Greek life dances the night away in philanthropic POTH event

BY MARIAH SCHLOSSMANN

FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

Twenty-one fraternities, 15 sororities and two dance teams will gather Wednesday for Miami’s biggest dance party of the year.

Delta Zeta’s annual dance competition, Puttin’ on the Hits (POTH), which supports its philanthropy St. Rita’s School for the Deaf, will take place 7 p.m. March 12 in Millett Hall.

In the spring of each year, sororities and fraternities enlist new members to learn a dance to be performed and judged at POTH.

Each new member has a specific task —whether it be holding up props in the background or dancing on center stage, everyone is involved.

“It’s really fun to get to know our pledge class while preparing for a competitive event that benefits a good cause,” first-year Alpha Delta Pi sorority member Sara Lance said. “It is also a way for us to bond with the people that we’re working with.”

Each organization has the freedom to create their own theme and coordinate their outfits and dances, said POTH chair Lucy Lavine.

This is a popular way to organize

the performance because creativity is a large factor in the judging process. Every team is judged based on its performance to see who will win the trophy.

Four trophies are awarded at the end of the event after every organization has performed. Two of the trophies are awarded to the fraternity and sorority with the best dances, and the other two trophies are awarded to the organizations that raise the most donations, Lavine said.

As a national philanthropy, Delta Zeta supports the speech and hearing impaired. Locally, the alpha chapter of Delta Zeta

at Miami supports St. Rita’s.

Every year, a group of children from St. Rita’s attend POTH and participate by performing their own dance.

“Being able to see the children perform is so rewarding,” Lavine said. “It truly is the best part of the event because we get to see where all of our hard work is going.”

The whole purpose of the event is to raise money for St. Rita’s School for the Deaf.

“Each year, it is the job of the philanthropy chair of POTH to determine ways to make money, aside from having a participation fee and selling tickets,”

Lavine said.

This year, Delta Zeta raised money by selling t-shirts, creating a donation link online, holding two fundraisers and by creating a raffle to be had at the event. Every year, the participating organizations receive donation boxes to try and raise the most money for St. Rita’s School for the Deaf.

Last year, the entire event helped raise more than $15,000, Lavine said. This year, with the help of Miami University and other sources, Delta Zeta has hopes of raising that much, or more to benefit St. Rita’s School for the Deaf.

EDITORS JANE BLAZER CHRIS CURME

COMMUNITY

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014

COMMUNITY@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

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POLICE Local slices up a ‘pizza’ history

BEAT

On a scale from 1 to 10, how arrested are you?

At midnight Sunday, an OPD officer was traveling west on East High Street toward Bishop Street when a male stepped into the roadway immediately in front of his cruiser.

The officer had to brake intensely to avoid striking the male subject. The man stopped walking and stared at the cruiser.

He then put up his hand and continued to walk while pointing his finger at the officer.

The officer got out of his cruiser and told the subject to stop. The male continued to walk away so the officer ran, caught up to the male and grabbed his arm.

The male turned around and apologized, OPD said. The officer was able to identify the male by his Ohio driver’s license, which the male was unable to get out of his wallet himself. The license said that was 18 years old. The man was visibly intoxicated, according to the officer.

When asked where he was going, he said he was walking to Morris Hall.

The officer asked how much alcohol he had consumed that night and the male said “a little bit.” The officer asked how drunk the suspect was, on a scale from one to 10, and the male said, “six.”

The officer called for another police cruiser to help transport the suspect to OPD. When the second cruiser arrived, they placed him in the back. As the officer was filling out paperwork, he noticed the male was vomiting.

The Oxford Life Squad was dispatched because of his level of intoxication. The male had become increasingly intoxicated while waiting for the life squad.

So much so, in fact, that he was unable to get from the police cruiser to the ambulance without assistance. The male was charged with sales to and use by underage persons, disorderly conduct and crossing roadway outside of crosswalk.

I know why the caged bird sobs her eyes out At 3:30 a.m. Friday, an OPD officer responded to the 300 block of Miami Trail in reference to a suspicious female who was ringing the doorbell at a residence at which she did not live.

The arriving officer found the trembling female crying on the porch step. The officer asked where she lived and, through teary eyes, she said, “I don’t know.”

He asked for her ID, and she handed him a license from New York. She immediately attempted to take the license back, and instead hand the officer an Ohio license.

The Ohio license had the same name as the New York license, but a date of birth in 1994, making her 20 years old. The New York license was later found to be fictitious.

While speaking with the female, the officer was able to detect a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on her breath. Unsurprisingly, the sobbing female was also unsteady on her feet.

The officer also noticed a green bar bracelet on the suspect’s wrist, indicating she was 21 years old.

When asked about the wristband, she said “it’s my fault.

Don’t blame the bar; they didn’t know I used my fake.”

The female was cited with sales to and use by underage persons and certain acts prohibited. She was then delivered to her residence in Richard Hall.

BY MARISSA STIPEK

FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

Butler County resident Glenn Allen Davis recently won Mellow Mushroom’s Homegrown Challenge contest for his original calzone recipie, which will be featured on the chain’s March menu and which won him $1,000 and a trip to the company headquarters in Atlanta.

Mellow Mushroom is a restaurant specializing in pizza, but focused on offering simple, delicious food. Founded in 1974, they focus on a laid-back environment and unique dishes made with fresh ingredients.

The Homegrown Challenge contest was created based on the belief that everyone has a special recipe to share. Employees of franchises nationwide were encouraged to participate, though managers were not allowed to enter.

Davis works at the West Chester Mellow Mushroom, located about 40 minutes from Oxford. West Chester manager Phil Leisure said this was the first year of what will become an annual contest.

The categories were as follows: pizza, calzone, hoagie, salad and cocktail. Leisure said the West Chester store submitted an entry in every category.

Davis won the calzone category with his chicken cordon bleu concept.

“Each final contestant made their recipe for panel of judges, and the overall winner got $1,000.

Glenn finished second overall,” Leisure said.

Davis, who has been working at Mellow Mushroom just over a year, said he thought of the idea while working at the restaurant.

“Talk about the contest had been going around, and lots of fellows in the kitchen here are passionate about cooking,” Davis said. “They had been teaching me a lot. I blurted out the cordon bleu calzone idea and my boss loved it.”

Submissions were emailed to the corporate office, located in Atlanta.

About six weeks later, Davis got the news he had won.

From there, he and the other winners were flown to the Atlanta headquarters for a weekend of VIP treatment.

“They took us out to dinner at an extravagant Mexican restaurant and it was wonderful,” Davis said. “They put us up at the W hotel, which had a valet. Everyone knew your name. It was the closest I have ever come to feeling like a celebrity!”

Davis said he really enjoyed the experience and getting to see Atlanta.

“I never wanted to leave,” Davis said.

Throughout the month of March, a menu of winning items from each category is available at Mellow Mushroom Stores nationwide.

Leisure said all the homegrown menu items have been popular, but Davis’s calzone has been the most popular at the West Chester location specifically.

Davis is excited to see people try his dish.

“It’s been really touching,” Davis said. “I had a woman ask me to sign her menu. Without them [the customers], this wouldn’t be worth anything.”

Davis is also grateful to his company.

“I’ve gotten to meet [Mellow

Mushroom] people from North Carolina, Kentucky, Colorado, and there are nice people from everywhere. Mellow Mushroom has been a great company and I plan on being here along time.”

With people becoming more health-conscious in recent years, there is a growing market for local food. According to Leisure, Mellow Mushroom offers two specialty menus other restaurants might not: a gluten-free menu and a vegan menu.

“We are constantly redeveloping menus here, but those two have been on the forefront since we opened,” Leisure said.

This fresh, creative menu is what draws many customers to Mellow Mushroom.

Miami University sophomore Allison Van Horn said she loved her experience at a Mellow Mushroom in Nashville, Tenn.

“The environment was cool—it was kind of 70s and psychedelic, and the waiters were really nice,” Van Horn said. “We got spinach and artichoke dip and a white pizza with sundried tomatoes.The pizza was really fresh!”

Underclassmen rush to find off-campus housing

BY CONNOR MORIARTY FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

ASHLEY HORTON THE MIAMI STUDENT

NO ‘SOUER’ NOTES HERE

Mikaela Hartong and Sarah Custer perform “How the Other Half Lives” at the American Music recital put on by international music fraternities Delta Omicron and Sigma Alpha Iota at Souers Recital Hall.

CORRECTIONS It is the policy of The Miami Student to publish corrections for factual errors found in the newspaper.

The article titled, “Going for gold: Student trains for 2016 Olympics,” which ran on Friday, March 7, should have said Karan Sachdeva began running track in seventh grade. He began running cross-country his junior year of high school.

Miami University students are becoming accustomed to more than one form of rushing during spring semester. This year, students are racing to sign an apartment lease or house contract earlier than ever.

For several students, this month marks the beginning of their search of housing for fall of 2015. They are searching this early primarily due to rumors about how competitive the housing market is.

“I’m going to look at some houses right after class,” first-year Alex Abboud said. “I heard you have to sign really early here, and I really want a good house.”

Level 27 Apartments Leasing Manager Cody LaVelle said he has noticed students showing interest in looking for apartments abnormally early the past few years.

“Applications do not open until August of the year before, but we see students looking for somewhere to live much earlier than that,” he said.

LaVelle is not sure why this is happening, but he can attribute it to housing availability on campus and the amount of students attending Miami.

“The increase of enrolled students at Miami recently probably added to the competitiveness,” LaVelle said.

“Plus, the houses off campus usually go fast, which makes apartments go fast as well.”

The Oxford Commons east of campus however, has not seen a rise in competitiveness, according to Property Manager Andrea Mayer.

“We see most leases signed in October of the year before they will move in, and that has stayed true for a while,” Mayer said. “I have worked here for almost ten years, and I haven’t seen much change in the competitiveness.”

Whether off-campus housing is getting more competitive or not, students are not taking any chances by waiting longer to apply. First-year Kelly Higginson was rushed into renting an off-campus house with her sorority sisters shortly into her second semester, about 19 months before she will move in.

“Honestly, I don’t know why people decide to sign early, it’s just a thing where everyone does it so you feel obligated to do the same,” Higginson said.

In many cases, first-years say they

HOUSING, SEE PAGE 8

Delectable delicatessen delivers delicious delights

BY MEGAN GRAHAM FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

As I press myself into the doorframe next to the stovetop where Sam is operating, I try to keep my promise of staying out of the way while observing him work. The small kitchen is just barely big enough for one person, but Sam doesn’t seem to mind my company as he multitasks, preparing that day’s food and entertaining all of my questions. I listen to the pot of water boil and fill my lungs with the scent of fresh ingredients being blended together as I watch Sam demonstrate how to make one of La Bodega’s most popular dishes, spicy macaroni and cheese.

He quickly stirs a browning, sizzling, popping mixture of flour and fat: roux, he explains, a thickening agent for sauces.

“A lot of places use cornstarch to make the roux because using flour leaves more room for error and can take longer,” Sam commented, “but I use flour because it tastes better, it adds more flavor.”

That seems to be the common theme for La Bodega, located on West High Street. Sam Markey, the general manager and chef, prepares

all of the food made each week, sometimes each day, from fresh, organic and, when possible, local ingredients. The cozy eatery, described by the owner as, “kind of like your mom’s living room,” takes pride in serving nothing but clean, delicious food to the community of Oxford, Ohio.

La Bodega opened its doors in 1989, with Diana and Dean DiPaolo at the helm. At the time, Dean DiPaolo’s family also owned a successful catering company, an upscale restaurant and a pizzeria that occupied the space before La Bodega. Currently, La Bodega serves a refreshing break from the chain restaurants and dining halls threatening to run small businesses out of town.

Diana describes her vision in the beginning as an, “old world deli.” Considering herself a foodie and continuously looking for new and unique recipes, she recalls being the first in the area to use a panini machine, a fish smoker, and serve espresso. They were the only place to serve a range of gourmet and ethnic foods like tapas, falafels, and muffalata sandwiches to traditional meals like lasagna and grilled rosemary chicken. “People begun ‘cocooning,’” Diana comments,

referring to a term used to describe the movement of staying home and creating a safe place, which explained the limited seating as a sign of the time where carryout was key.

Tessa Thomas, who has worked as a server at La Bodega for several years now, described the typical dayto-day as steady business, serving both Oxford residents and Miami students. Tentatively responding to a question about powerful chain restaurants moving into the area, she delivers a carefully crafted answer making sure not to step on anyone’s toes, but when asked about Miami’s new winter term, a six-week break for students, her demeanor visibly changes. A slow exhale and quick nod, Tessa responds, “it was slow.”

Sam, who has been at La Bodega for 14 years, trained under Georgia DiPaolo, Diana’s brother-in-law, at their family restaurant. He commented on their long-standing success before the recession hit in 2008 and the increasing rate of dining halls on Miami’s campus.

“I’m grateful to Miami, they provide a ton of jobs for the residents of Oxford, a couple of my friends work for them, and if I didn’t work here I’d probably be working there too,” he says.

“I just wish there was more of a symbiotic relationship with the university.”

Although he humbly doesn’t consider himself a professional chef, a title he says is tossed around too freely these days, watching him measure out seasonings, slice cheese and pour milk seems like a skill only an expert can do just as gracefully. When he describes how he was taught to measure spices by counting the shakes of the bottle and learned the feeling of how long it takes to pour a cup of milk, it sounds oddly like poetry.

Most of the conversation between Sam and me over the last few days has revolved around his desire to continue making quality food.

Watching him in the kitchen I can feel the pride that floated off of him when talking about the reason people keep coming back. He dolls out a small heap of the steaming macaroni and I take my first bite, trying to remember the last time I tasted something this good.

Walking out the door, I try to sum up why La Bodega is such a special place and Diana’s voice pops into my head, “I have a wonderful staff, the best we’ve ever had: they care,” she smiles, and there it was.

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ARTS & EVENTS

EDITOR LAUREN KIGGINS

ARTS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014

CONCERT REVIEW

No regrets booking Pusha T at Brick

LAUREN OLSON PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

G.O.O.D. MUSIC

Pusha T pleases fans at Brick Street Saturday as part of his “My Name Is My Name,” N. American tour.

BY E.J. BLAIR

FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

Rapper Pusha T put on a very rare performance at Uptown’s Brick Street Bar & Grill Saturday. The concert, which was an official stop along the rapper’s “My Name Is My Name” tour, was the first hip-hop booking in Oxford this year. When the time came for Pusha T to hit the

stage, he entered to a captive hip-hop audience eager for the night to begin.

While there was no opener scheduled before Pusha T’s performance, the bar still filled up early. Advance ticket holders showed up early; not only to socialize and have a drink, but also to claim a clear viewpoint of Pusha T’s semi-elaborate stage setup.

Because it was not a sold out

show, procrastinators were able to score tickets at the door. Around 10 p.m., the dimly lit pit area filled up, while the 21-and-up crowd lined up along the entire range of railing upstairs, ultimately taking up every area of valuable viewing space Brick Street’s intimate venue had to offer.

Pusha T’s DJ came on before him and started mixing rap music from the custom DJ booth set up on stage.

The booth also provided unique light enhancements for the night, which caught the audience’s attention as soon as they entered the venue.

However, this added production would also bring about technical difficulties later on. The DJ excited the crowd of mainly Miami students early by playing a set of commercial hip-hop tracks.

Dressed in all black and conspicuously donning a fur vest, the night’s headliner hustled out around 10:15 p.m. He opened with “King Push,” which was the first song off his most recent album, “My Name Is My Name.” Though it certainly was not one of the hit records Pusha T abundantly possesses, his god-like stage presence commanded everyone’s focus and attention.

Frequently grinning throughout his first few songs, it was evident the rapper signed to Kanye West’s “G.O.O.D. Music” record label was surprised by the positive vibes of the small-market crowd. The audience gobbled up Pusha T’s music early, voicing their pleasure through a chorus of “King Push” chants and loud applause. With the crowd on its toes, the experienced performer reciprocated the students’ energy through a series of verses from the melodic and radio-friendly tune, “Runaway” and the anthem trap-based

recording “Mercy.”

The night was not entirely flawless, however. Pusha T’s stage setup caused some minor difficulties in the performance later in the night, which irritated the then-inebriated fans. Unfazed, Pusha T’s cool built the room’s energy back up. He proceeded to drop classic songs such as his sinister sounding record, “New God Flow,” and the decade-old hit

by The Clipse, “Grinding,” before making the crowd erupt with a menacing verse off his “Don’t Like Remix” by Chief Keef.

Pusha T’s highly-animated stage deliveries complemented his rhymes and catapulted him through the performance. And even after tricking fans into thinking his show was finished, he returned to the playing of his glorious-sounding single “40 Acres,” assisted by a guest who covered The Dream’s distinct chorus.

Pusha T was a huge grab for a venue of Brick Street’s size and location, and for an avid hip-hop fan, I would say it was definitely worth the price of admission.

Rapper G-Eazy is set to headline March 15 along with guests Rockie Fresh and Kurt Rockmore.

Soul2Soul sings their way to semifinals

BY LAUREN KAMMERLING

FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

Soul2Soul, one of Miami University’s all-male a cappella groups, will compete in the semifinals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) this Saturday, following their first-place win at the quarterfinal round in February.

The quarterfinals took place at Centerville High School and pitted Soul2Soul agains nine other college a cappella groups from around the region.

In addition to a first-place finish, the group took home three other awards. Music Director Justin McKay received an individual award for outstanding arrangement of “Hey Ya” by Outkast, Business Director Cameron Holland took home Outstanding Soloist and the entire group took home the award for outstanding

choreography for their set.

Soul2Soul President Kyle Motts said he could not be more proud of how the first round went for the group and for all of the individual recognition members of the group received.

“It was great to see the other guys in the group get recognized for their talents,” Motts said. “They worked so hard and it was great to see that with us all up there together.”

While not an official award that night, Soul2Soul vocal percussionist A.J. Searle won an audience-voted vocal percussion battle against the beatboxers from the other groups, helping Soul2Soul dominate the quarterfinal competition.

When asked about the win, Searle said it, “set off a real emotional high because right after that we started winning all the awards and I just went into a little bit of shock.”

This first place finish will now

send the group to the University of Michigan this Saturday to compete against the nine other groups for the Great Lakes region that placed first or second in their quarterfinal round.

If Soul2Soul takes home first place against the nine other groups at semifinals, they will move on to the finals in New York City.

Soul2Soul is the re-branded group formerly known on campus as The Remnants. The new name comes from a classic Remnants song called “Good Old A Cappella (Soul To Soul)” that the group felt represented the group’s spirit as well as their old name.

“We wanted to keep it about being friends first and singers second,” Motts said.

This semester, the group will spend their spring break recording an album.

Check out @Soul2SoulMU on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

ARTS & EVENTS CALENDAR TUESDAY MARCH 11

WEDNESDAY MARCH 12 The Miami Wind Ensemble delves into chamber music with a performance of Mozart’s Quintet in E flat major for Piano and Winds, K. 452 with pianist and Chair of the Department of Music Bruce Murray at 7:30 p.m. in Hall Auditorium.

SATURDAY MARCH 15 Faculty musicians Harvey Thurmer, violin, and Frank Huang, piano, will present a program of Mozart, Saint Saens, and a premier of Mark Lehman’s Sonatina for Two Violins featuring violinist Amy Kiradjieff, as part of a weeklong celebration of Mozart. The recital is at 3 p.m. at Souers Recital Hall, Center for Performing Arts.

THURSDAY MARCH 13 Queens College’s Amy H. Winter will explore the Art Museum’s “Reading the Signs: The Art of H.A. Sigg” through discussion of the language of the natural world invented by Sigg. The lecture begins at 6 p.m. at the Art Museum auditorium.

SUNDAY MARCH 16 Duo Montagnard, comprised of saxophonist Joseph Murphy and guitarist Matthew Slotkin, will perform at Souers Recital Hall, Center Performing Arts, at 7:30 p.m. Past programs include compositions by Astor Piazzolla to Toru Takemitsu.

Michael Angelo DiLauro of Robert Morris University will present his documentary, “La Mia Strada (My Road)” which “offers personal perspective on ethnicity and culture linked to ancient and contemporary Italian culture and history of families divided by an ocean with its Italian-American counterpart.” The event is 7:30 p.m., Irvin, room 40.

FRIDAY MARCH 14 Stage Left, Miami’s student-run musical theater organization, will perform ‘Moon Over Buffalo’7 p.m. in the Armstrong Student Center’s Wilks Theater. Tickets are free and can be purchased at the box office in the Shrive Center.

MONDAY MARCH 17 Journalist Jose Antonio Vargas will present his lecture, “Define American: Lets Talk About Immigration” and discuss experience writing for the nation’s leading news organizations. Tickets are free and are available March 12 for the Miami community and March 15 for the general public at the box office in Shriver Center.

BEN TAYLOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

BRASS IN THE BACK

Trumpets contribute to the overall timbre of the Symphony Band Wednesday featuring works by Saint-Saens and Frank Ticheli.

BEN’S BOOMBOX

Live reading shapes fiction Reading words on a page can be both imaginative and, at times, a bit difficult; only the writer knows how the words should be read and how to correctly say the sentences.

Writers pubBEN lish books, MEINKING stories and poems after many drafts and public readings.

What the public readings do for the writer is give the words a life; while the writer reads his or her piece, he takes note of which sentences make the audience laugh or react in some way. Everyone wants to be the comedian, but it’s really hard to be funny on paper.

Last Thursday at the Leonard Theater in Peabody Hall, two lovely writers read pieces from their newlypublished collection of short stories of fiction. Tessa Mella read from her collection, “Lungs Full of Noise,” which is the winner of the 2013 Iowa Short Fiction Award. She told the story of a group of sisters who lived in a house that eventually gets swallowed up by the tide. As they wait for the return of their mother, their food runs thin and their mind runs in that direction too. This story is printed in her collection surrounded by many others and her book can be purchased at the bookstore.

The closing reader was David James Poissant; the author of the Simon & Schuster published collection, “The Heaven of Animals.” David was kind enough to read two stories for the audience. First, he read an unpublished story simply titled, “The Story.” It told the story of a “story” with personifying language of revisions and drafts and how a story can go into the world a boy waiting to become a man. The writing puns continue as the story meets a poem and they have a baby. This is surely one story I can’t wait to read again. The second story David read was about a man who is visited by a personified wolf, the spirit of his dead brother. It was an interesting take on how gifts can be exchanged and how much a gift can really mean to someone. The most expensive gifts are nice but the ones filled with love can mean so much more.

Both authors graduated from the University of Cincinnati and managed to make a trip up to Miami for their debut tour. Professors clouded the theater with their presence but the majority of the audience was students, many of whom attended the program to check off a mandatory appearance to such an event. The students left the reading with more insight than they could have hoped for. Back in the classrooms, they will have an idea of how their own writing can one day be read to such a crowd, influencing the young aspiring writers who sat in the same seats as they did.

www.miamistudent.net

TUESDAY MARCH 11, 2014

SESSION IV Broomball Traditional Leagues in Co-Rec, Men’s, Women’s & Fraternity

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For the Amusment of Youth: Early Board & Card Games in Special Collections Featuring a presentation by Professor Sarah F. Krom, Interactive Media Studies, on modern gaming and an exhibit tour led by Kimberly Tully, exhibit curator.

Enjoy refreshments and hands on play with reproductions of the exhibited games.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 2014 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM Havighurst Special Collections Gallery King Library ~ Third Floor

Libraries

Monday, March 31, 2014 Play Begins

TEAM REGISTRATION FEES Broomball $145 6 games

Recreational Hockey $325 6 games

Visit the Intramurals website for details on league descriptions — MiamiOH.edu/ICE Questions? 513.529.9800

5

6

OPINION

EDITORS EMILY ELDRIDGE NICOLE THEODORE

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014

EDITORIAL@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

EDITORIAL

The following piece, written by the editorial editors, reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.

TMS editorial pages in place to facilitate civic conversation Clashes of opinion and argument often occur within the creased centerfold of The Miami Student, the home of the editorial section. This is where relevant and valid discussions of Miami and Oxford life take place—and The Miami Student Editorial Board invites readers to comment and get involved in these conversations. It is a public forum meant for the sharing of opinions backed up with facts and personal experiences that may be different from our own.

“What is the contribution of a good editorial page? With no selfish intent, it provides an informed and independent view on topics, from how the schools are run to who should be president,” Washington Post reporter Fred Barbush said about the importance of an editorial section.

The heart of this section can only beat with the help of the Miami and Oxford community in the form of commentary submissions and Letters to the Editor.

Editorial Editor of the Washington Post Fred Hiatt said Letters to the Editor “are a great conversation between the paper and it’s readers.” Letters to the Editor are also unique to democratic societies. The right to express ourselves freely is one many of us take for granted-- a right some confined to state-run newspapers would probably die for, and may have already.

It is also the only place in the paper where we can really take a stand on issues that matter to the editorial board and the community. Where the rest of the paper is supposed to report on all sides, the editorial page is supposed to pick one and argue why we believe and feel that way. The editorials, the columns and the commentary are not supposed to cater to one person, side or subject and please the audience necessarily — they are supposed to challenge the way a reader thinks and provoke democratic discussion. All columns and Letters to the Editor are also the opinion of the writer, and do not always reflect the view of the paper.

The editorial board and its editors also publish a range of topics

and letters to the editor in an effort to create a montage, a carefully chosen mosaic of opinions and experiences that will contribute to the development of a wellrounded reader. If an issue or an opinion ever seems too distant from the way you think or believe, then we want you, the reader, to respond. The Miami Student Editorial Board encourages you to fill those spaces with your thoughts and opinions, because after all, this page is created with our readers and community in mind.

The page has certainly undergone a transition within the last few years and in our efforts to endorse credible and reliable arguments, the section editors require every writer to provide sources, quotes and statistics with their arguments, no matter how much they may vary from our own opinions.

Sound editorials should take after news pieces in their effort to conduct original reporting and provide relevant facts and data when necessary. The editorial board holds itself to these standards when it comes to the biweekly editorial, where we discuss an important topic and come to some sort of consensus on the issue. The majority of these editorials are intended to shake things up, question the status quo and get the community talking. This is, after all, the true job of an editorial page.

The editorial section will continue to publish polls to gauge readers’ opinions on subjects, ask for responses from readers via social media and call for letters to the editor and commentary submissions. This important page functions at it’s best when a range of opinions are represented within the black and white lines, giving others a chance to weigh in and figure out what they may or may not believe in. The board would like to hear from you; please send us letters to the editor and commentary submissions to editorial@miamistudent.net The Editorial Board looks forward to the future development of this section and your participation in its conversations.

Rule of Thumb Password changes Thanks for looking out for our cyber-safety, but we’re running out of password ideas.

24/7 Emporium The market in ASC is now open 24/7 for all you night owls.

PATRICK GEYSER THE MIAMI STUDENT

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Kosher food availability important to community A response to an article in The Miami Student titled, “Not so kosher: Strict religious diets may present challenges for students” I was so pleased to see the awareness on kosher food. Most Americans eat some kosher food every day, but chances are they aren’t aware of it. Take a walk down the aisle of any supermarket and you will see the kosher symbol.

As a local rabbi eating kosher all my life, I feel it’s a great and important topic to be recognized.

Most of the information I will cite is years of research as well as experience with helping others with kosher questions.

For centuries, kosher consumers ate home-cooked meals, prepared with fresh food from a trusted butcher, baker, fisherman and farmer.

In the 20th century, self-serve grocery chains sprang up across the United States. With the rapid industrialization of America’s food supply, products made in factories hundreds of miles from home appeared on store shelves. Concerned communities hired Rabbis to serve and “Mashigaich,” supervise, in country-wide factories and even to far flung countries, to certify that the process of the products were in fact kosher.

To people’s surprise, there is a

growing number of kosher consumers all across the country with kosher products in U.S. supermarkets reaching 125,000.

The umber of year-round Kosher-eating Jews, Muslim and other religious groups or non-religious consumers has reached a staggering amount of 4,800,000!

People have enjoyed kosher food for various reasons: health, safety, vegetarian dietary reasons and its taste or flavor.

I feel strongly that if kosher were more available to students many would give it a try and benefit.

RABBI YOSSI GREENBERG YOSSI465@GMAIL.COM

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Ag-Gag bills damage our nation’s reputation In 2012, an animal rights group named Mercy For Animals released videos showing workers at a Bettencourt Dairy in Idaho beating, stomping, dragging and even sexually abusing cows. If you were a legislator, what would your reaction be to these findings? You’d probably want to punish the abusers in this situation. However, that’s not what is happening.

The Idaho governor signed a bill a few weeks ago that imposes jail time & fines for people who secretly film animal abuse at Idaho agricultural facilities. Isn’t the rule not to kill the messenger?

This is just one instance of many Ag-gag bills being implemented

or proposed into state laws. Aggag is a general term referring to anti-whistle blowing bills that make it illegal to film animal abuse in farming practices.

Similar laws have been implemented in Utah, Iowa, Missouri and a few other states.

Besides being a blatant violation to the first amendment, these laws set a dangerous precedent.

If we demand transparency from our government, should we really demand different from our food?

As Nathan Runkle, executive director of Mercy for Animals stated, “Not only will this Ag-gag law perpetuate animal abuse, it endangers workers’ rights, consumer health and safety, and the

freedom of journalists, employees and the public at large to share information about something as fundamental as our food supply”.

Factory farms endanger our health, the health of animals and our country’s ethical foundation. If we continue to pass Aggag laws to silence opposition to these monstrosities, we risk harming our nation’s reputation as well. We must encourage discovery and the sharing of new information rather than criminalizing such speech.

JOSH SCHULTZ

SOPHOMORE, POLITICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE SCHULT11@MIAMIOH.EDU

The MiamiStudent: There’s an app for that! Well, not yet. But we’d like one!

If you’re interested in designing a smartphone app for The Miami Student, please e-mail online@miamistudent.net for more information.

The commentaries and letters to the editor featured on this page do not reflect the majority opinion of The Miami Student. Questions, comments or concerns can be submitted in essay or letter form to editorial@miamistudent.net or eic@miamistudent.net. Anonymous submissions will not be published.

Pedi-cabs If it shortens the long walk back from Uptown to our apartments/ dorms, we’ll take it. p. 1

Parents visiting ASC We love seeing all the parents taking a tour of ASC with their kids — they all looked quite impressed.

Language requirements Being able to speak a foreign language is great but should it really be required for some majors?

KATIE TAYLOR EDITOR IN CHIEF EMILY CRANE NEWS EDITOR EMILY ELDRIDGE EDITORIAL EDITOR NICOLE THEODORE EDITORIAL EDITOR LAUREN KIGGINS ARTS AND EVENTS

CHRIS CURME COMMUNITY EDITOR JANE BLAZER COMMUNITY EDITOR VICTORIA SLATER CAMPUS EDITOR REIS THEBAULT CAMPUS EDITOR TOM DOWNEY SPORTS EDITOR

www.miamistudent.net

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014 OP ED

7

MILAM’S MUSINGS

Our priorities in rape cases are out of wack: SAK backlog has become a big problem The rape kit backlog, more accurately known as a sexual assault kit (SAK) is one of the most egregious problems facing police precincts and crime labs across the United States.

After someone is sexually assaulted BRETT in the United MILAM States, the victim’s body acts as the “crime scene.” The individual undergoes a grueling four-to-six hour examination of their entire body for the perpetrator’s DNA. That DNA is collected into a SAK, but the kits go largely untested.

DNA evidence sitting untested in a laboratory means perpetrators go uncaught. These kits go untested for a variety of reasons including lack of resources, personnel and perhaps most vexing, precincts not willing to direct priority to rape cases. The latter is the work of rape culture at play. That is, blaming the victim

for the assault.

The Department of Justice’s 2011 report, “The Road Ahead: Unanalyzed Evidence in Sexual Assault Cases,” stated that many jurisdictions do not send a SAK to be tested because the victim is a prostitute, on drugs or mentally ill.

Such biases against victims in our criminal justice system should be considered unacceptable.

According to the report, the roadblocks to ending the backlog are likely worse than one can imagine.

“A recent National Institute of Justice (NIJ) survey found that four in 10 of the nation’s law enforcement agencies — 43 percent — do not have a computerized system for tracking forensic evidence, either in their inventory or after it is sent to the crime lab,” the report said.

There are no numbers on how pervasive the backlog is because most jurisdictions do not track the number of kits. However, the federal government has estimated the number to be in the hundreds of thousands.

Also worth keeping in mind is the unique nature of a

COMMENTARY

sexual assault. Once a SAK is tested, especially one from years back, the process of notifying the victim is tricky. It seems counterintuitive: wouldn’t you want to know new evidence was discovered about your attacker? But half the victims do not want to be notified. Some do not want to become steeped in the criminal justice system, some have put it past them through counseling and a myriad of other reasons.

In conjunction with that complication is the varying statute of limitations across the states on sexual assaults. If there is an untested SAK from ten years ago, but the statute of limitations on sexual assault is only five years, then that clearly creates a problem.

Scott Berkowitz, president of the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) gets it just right.

“It’s appalling that tens of thousands of rapists remain free, even though police possess the evidence to identify and convict them,” he said.

Fortunately with pressure from organizations like RAINN, there has been great progress in

tackling this problem.

New York City had a backlog of 17,000 kits in 1999. Within four years, they eliminated it. According to End the Backlog, the cost incurred was $12 million. They used a “forklift approach” wherein they outsourced the kits to private crime labs.

More promising was that after NYC’s new policy of testing every SAK in police custody, the arrest rate for rape jumped from 40 percent to 70.

So we know this can be done.

To help with that endeavor, Vice President Biden and Attorney General Eric Holder have recently stated that in President Obama’s proposed 2015 budget, $35 million would be allocated to communities across the United States to clear the backlog.

“We look forward to working with members of Congress from both parties to secure the passage of this budget proposal. This is not a partisan issue,” Holder said.

He is absolutely correct. This is not a partisan issue in the slightest. I certainly have spilled many words on the Student’s pages decrying the federal government and

where they go astray, but this is something they should be doing.

In fact, given that it costs $1,200 to $1,500 to test only one SAK, $35 million seems like a paltry sum. Progress has to start somewhere, though.

There is something else the federal government could do that would help the backlog: end the War on Drugs. Much of the resources, personnel and priority that are taken away from sexual assault cases are dedicated to fighting this 40-year-old fruitless war.

To enforce the drug laws in the United States costs $42 billion annually. Now compare that to the $35 million we allocate to addressing rape cases and consider that it took $12 million to eliminate the backlog in just NYC. Our priorities are clearly disproportioned.

Maybe if our federal, state, and local governments and police precincts declared a War on Rape with real victims, then the backlog problem wouldn’t be a problem anymore.

SENIOR, PHILOSOPHY MILAMBC@MIAMIOH.EDU

COMMENTARY

Satirical take on a current policy Liberals as lesser men: Debunking the myths crisis: Surrender Ukraine to Putin behind the stereotype of men from the left In the west, many condemn Putin’s actions. Perhaps they haven’t gotten the big picture; please allow me to elucidate.

In the long run, Putin’s seizure of Crimea, and hopefully all of Ukraine, will make the world a better place. He’s doing the U.S. a great favor. Ukraine is a very troubled country and, most importantly, annexation is what its population wants. Once Russia takes Ukraine off our hands, maybe it will snatch other Post-Soviet countries too.

With all the support I’ve been seeing in the Russian news for Putin, I’m amazed he even bothered to send protesters from Russia to start proMoscow rallies in Ukraine.

The coming referendum in Crimea will show great support for joining Russia. Not only are Russian troops preventing Ukrainian NeoNazi-Fascist-Ultranationalist thugs from threatening Crimeans, but also, as anyone following politics knows, elections in Russian lands are historically fair. Even in Chechnya, a region torn by civil strife where there is open rebellion against Russia, 99.59 percent of the population turned out to vote and voted 99.82 percent in favor of Putin. In fact, elections were so safe that in one Chechen precinct 107 percent of the people were able to vote. If only electoral participation were that high in America. These statistics should allay the unfounded fears that the referendum will be “illegal” or “illegitimate.” Everyone in Crimea will be able to safely vote under Russian protection, and probably even the occupying soldiers and imported Russian protesters.

That’s why the talk from the West is highly offensive; the Russian government is fair and completely in the right. Why stop Putin from using force to reunite Russian peoples with their Motherland? After all, when has that justification been a problem before? Putin is just protecting oppressed Russians.

In 2008, he invaded to stop the villainous Georgians from harming their Russian minorities. Today, he does the same against the Ukrainian Neo-Nazi-Fascist-Ultranationalists, and someday he may need to protect Estonian Russians (who make up 24 percent of the nation’s population) from exploitation by brutal Neo-Nazi-Fascist-Ultranationalist Estonian marauders. Perhaps, he could even need to intervene in the United States, as our countless

Neo-Nazi-Fascist-Ultranationalists can’t wait to persecute the 3 million Russians in America.

I welcome Putin’s example and call on all nations to do the same.

China ought to act to protect the world’s ethnic Chinese, especially those in Taiwan. And I call too on Mexico, to protect the rights of the millions of Mexican immigrants languishing in poverty or prisons in the United States. Mexico, China and any nation with a border dispute or an expatriate population should, and hopefully will, heed Russia’s example and build up armies to press other nations for their rightful lands and their people’s rights.

Since Ukraine is an economic catastrophe, it’s better for us that Russia takes it and shoulders those burdens. Since we’re just climbing out of a recession ourselves, it would be best not to impose any sanctions or do something else that might risk upsetting global markets. And, because our wealth is more important than upholding international law, preventing aggression or ensuring human rights, we shouldn’t risk it for any of those silly things. Not to mention, if other countries militarize, as I suggested, the U.S. could make a tidy profit selling weapons.

Everyone wins.

I applaud Putin’s actions. The man is kindly helping relieve America of its need to care for the world.

Let a new era of isolation dawn!

The world can be free of brutal American imperialism, and we can finally go back to minding our own business, like the good old days before 1941. The outside world rarely bothers us, why should we bother it?

Everyone can solve their problems however they’d like: war, genocide, you name it! It isn’t our place to get involved. We’ll need to keep an eye on South America, but leave Asia to China, Eurasia to Russia, ignore Europe and let the Middle Easterners and Africans sort out their differences among themselves. Who cares what happens to them? They’re not Americans. Hopefully we will do the right thing and appease Russia’s desires, as the world will greatly benefit. Then western leaders can return home to declare, “We have achieved peace in our time.”

If you’ve been tuned into the Ukraine situation, especially recently, you’ve probably heard the hum of Republican criticism over President Obama’s handling of the situation growing louder and louder.

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham tweeted that the lack of a stronger response to Benghazi was enough to “invite this type of aggression [from Russia].”

“In Ukraine, we’re seeing the direct consequences of a failure of American leadership,” echoed Republican Senator Ted Cruz, criticizing Obama for receding from the world, abandoning allies and failing to show resolve.

Putin, Cruz submits, “has taken a measure of President Obama and has determined that he has nothing to fear from the United States, and that is why he is proceeding with impunity.”

Clearly, Republicans are too busy shamelessly slinging mud at Obama to fully grasp the irony of the situation; it is they, if anyone, who are “inviting aggression” by actively sabotaging Obama’s domestic agenda, imposing their own out-of-touch policies and criticizing his every move internationally.

Besides, anyone who has a basic understanding of what is transpiring in Ukraine will tell you that America’s options are greatly limited.

However, for now, let’s just focus on the underlying message here: Democrats, specifically liberal men, are “soft” – not just with regard to their views on foreign affairs, but personally as well.

Obama has been plagued by

this from day one. Conservatives want you to see Obama, and more generally, male Democrats, as “lesser” men than male Republicans. They would like you to believe liberal men are a bunch of latte-drinking, hybrid-driving, hipster Nancy-boys uninterested in the staples of American alphamale culture, e.g. ignorant patriotism, greed, guns and drinking.

The bully metaphor is often used by conservatives to drive this point home. Another example is the Republican National Committee’s “Rush GOP” college outreach effort. The aim is to associate the Republican Party with fraternities, the cauldron of alpha-male culture for American young men.

In part, this portrayal is a rebellion against the intellectualism and cultural domination of the left. Fox News is the principal agent of this rebellion. They promulgate the narrative of Democrats as belonging to one of two categories: unenlightened, gullible minorities or marginalized, elitist whites (how dare Obama combine both!).

Think of the ridiculous furor evinced by the online holiday ad for the Affordable Care Act. Fox News’ Andrea Tantaros claimed the “disgraceful” ad was depicting the American male as a “two handed … manchild with footed pajamas” and “a hot chocolate drinking doofus in a onesie.” The National Review also chimed in, stating that Americans deserved the “parade of over-educated and under-experienced perpetual children who don’t think twice before dressing a grown man up in footie pajamas

[now running the government].”

Putting aside our curiosity over exactly how many hands Tantaros’ real man is supposed to have (two seems normal to us) for the moment, the main problem with these rather archaic simplifications of what is “manly” is whether that is even a relevant characterization in a society that is supposed to prize feminine and masculine attributes equally.

These and other characterizations of liberal men go beyond questions of homophobia and a rebellion against cultural openness. Lurking behind this idea of Obama and liberals not being “manly” is a still-simmering patriarchal fear of not just feminized men but also of women’s increasingly indispensable role in the highest levels of political decision-making.

There is nothing “unmanly” about believing that feminism was a good thing to happen to Western society, that social justice is a worthy and necessary goal of self-government, or that how you dress has no bearing on your sexual preference.

Conservatives are risking alienating many younger voters by continuing with this exclusionary and bigoted rhetoric.

The authors are executive board members of the Miami University College Democrats.

KEARY IARUSSI

SENIOR, DIPLOMACY & GLOBAL POLITICS

IARUSSKP@MIAMIOH.EDU

JACE SMITH

SENIOR, INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

SMITHJJ4@MIAMIOH.EDU

When you’re finished reading

The Miami Student,

RILEY KANE

FRESHMAN, HISTORY AND DIPLOMACY & GLOBAL POLITICS MAJOR KANERE@MIAMIOH.EDU

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TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014

The Miami Student Oldest university paper in the United States, established in 1826

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TAXI,

FROM PAGE 1 Aizaik Zimmerman said. , MUSVF is a student investment group dedicated to funding student and alumni start up ventures. Affiliated with the Page Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at the Farmer School of Business, the MUSVF was founded on a grant from Procter and Gamble ande donations from several Miami University alumni. It is one of the only school-sponsored undergraduate funds in the United States. KISA is one of the seven investments the organization is currently supporting.

Zimmerman said he hopes this will open the doors for more stu-

HOUSING, FROM PAGE 3

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USAC_New_6x5_B&W.indd 1

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21/06/13 6:47 PM

feel pressured into making the commitment of renting a house early.

With a task as daunting as solidifying their housing and roommate plan almost two years ahead of time, anxiety is normal.

“It was strange at first thinking I was already signing for a two year house lease for junior and senior year, but I’m happy it’s done and I’m able to have that solidified,” Higginson said.

According to many students, the competitiveness of housing may have to do more with getting the best choice, and less with getting no choice at all.

According to CKC Rentals Business Operations Administrator Pam Lindley, CKC Rentals recommend students sign house and apartment leases very early based on competitiveness of

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“There is a real opportunity here you can make it happen.”

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When can students find these Knights in Shining Armor? The electrically-charged pedi-cab service will run on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays Saturdays and Sundays now that the weather is getting warmer.

There are only two pedi-cabs so far, but they hope to bring the service to other college campuses in the future. They charge $5 total for one to two people and $7 dollars total for three to four.

To call a KISA ride, dial 513-601-TAXI. highly-demanded locations.

“We opened our leases for Stewart Square Apartments for the 20152016 school year on March 4 and they are already 80 percent taken up,” Lindley said. “And we only have one space left above Fiesta Charra. These are very popular locations so, like off campus houses, we see them go fast.”

CKC Rentals is one of the few Oxford housing rental agencies that open leases based on student demand. According to Lindley, CKC Rentals allows leases to be signed when they see the most interest in their locations.

“Students come to us early looking for somewhere to live, so we open the leases,” she said. “This is our third year of doing this more than a year before tenants will actually move in.”

With the various housing options on campus, students are not hard pressed for getting in somewhere.

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BASKETBALL, FROM PAGE 1

Rollins was huge for MU in the final minutes. He drove into the paint and converted a layup with 1:25 remaining to keep the ’Hawks ahead.

Later he swerved his way through the lane into a clutch, spinning layup with 32.6 seconds remaining to make it a two-possession game.

“I was just being aggressive,” Rollins said. “Every time that we play Kent State, they’ve always given me a lane. They’ve opened up too much to where I can drive right or left, just giving me an angle and

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Sarver learned of Miami’s various stigmas but has developed his own perspective on the student body.

“Miami has this reputation of being J. Crew U and what not, but there are a lot of students here who are very service-oriented and do a lot of volunteer work,” he said. “It’s been my experience that the students here, regardless of their backgrounds, have a real genuine interest in this kind of thing.”

For senior Nicole Theodore, who is now in the midst of the Peace Corps’ application process, this was not something she had always wanted to do but something that eventually just made sense.

“I always had this weird urge to do something to help the world since I was like 12 [years old],” Theodore said. “When I was little I would always watch documentaries on the Discovery Channel with my dad, and it just made me want to travel and go help.”

Theodore studied abroad in Kosovo last summer, and her experience ultimately led her to apply to the Peace Corps.

“Kosovo, for me, was extremely

COMEDY, FROM PAGE 2

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and was granted $3,000 to take sketch writing classes at the Second City in Chicago. Second City is an improvisational comedy organization that has churned out dozens of notable comedians such as Steven Colbert, Tina Fey and Steve Carell.

During her time at Second City, Streeter learned the intricacies of crafting a comedy sketch, as well as the importance of the editing process.

“In these classes, you are taught various types of scenes and then your classmates perform what you’ve written so you can see what works and what doesn’t,” Street said. “Obviously if a scene is acted out and there is silence — which has definitely happened to me — you know there are things that need to be tweaked, or perhaps completely scraped and re-written.”

Streeter came out of her eight weeks of classes with a polished project — a one-act show — which would eventually provide the foundation for “The Daily Grind.” Working alongside her co-director, Dallas Ray, and a cast of six students, she was able transform her original project into a multi-sketch show that will demonstrate her knowledge and enthusiasm for comedy writing.

“Turning my written words into a performed production was a scary idea, but one that was encouraged by everyone who knew of my project,” Streeter said.

PULLEY, FROM PAGE 2

especially on the really cold days,” Guggenhiem said.

Though the tower has a diverse playlist, Pulley still likes to check up on his chimes.

“Mr. Pulley complained once that it wasn’t playing classical sort of songs,” Breitsch said.

Breitsch’s involvement with Pulley Tower is one of the many instances in which he has been able to marry his two passions of music and engineering. In 2012, Breitsch spoke at TedXYouth@Columbus about his Kinect musical interface software he developed at his Summer At The Edge internship program under the AFRL’s DiscoveryLab. His software produced music based on human movement, like dancing.

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I can take advantage of that angle and use my body weight to create more space.”

Cooper had high praise for Rollins’ play during closing time.

“I thought [he] absolutely figured it out today,” Cooper said. “He stepped up when we needed him to and just brought some toughness and made some plays down the stretch.”

After Kent State’s Brewer converted two free throws to pull the Flashes back within three, Sullivan was fouled and sank both his freebies. From that point on, Miami sank all its free throws and the game was decided. eye-opening in terms of poverty,” she said. “It was the experience of Kosovo and meeting a fellow Miami alum there who was in the Peace Corps that led me to apply.”

Theodore explained Miami’s presence in the Peace Corps in a similar fashion as both Sylvester and Sarver, but she attributed most of it to study abroad programs.

“I honestly think it’s because there’s so many abroad opportunities focused on helping people,” she said. “Miami just does so much in terms of [study] abroad programs and volunteer service. You can be involved in really anything, but the only way you’re going to really learn these things is by going there yourself.”

Since beginning the application process with the Peace Corps in November, Theodore has taken advantage of some of the resources Miami provides through the organization, such as office hours and the spring career fair.

Representatives for the Peace Corps come to Miami several times a year, where they hold information sessions and have open office hours. At these events, helpful Peace Corps employees like Sylvester are available to answer questions and explain the process to anyone interested.

“Together we have assembled an extremely talented cast who make us laugh every rehearsal.”

Streeter’s film studies professor, Kathleen Johnson, was one encourager who helped her with the editing and production aspects of her project.

“I helped her think through producing, honing the script, blocking and the language of direction,” Johnson said. “The script has a lot of college humor, but focuses on the more poignant themes of college.”

While Johnson played a major role in both inspiring Streeter and assisting her as she constructed her sketch, she emphasized paying Streeter credit where it is due.

“She is truly a remarkable person who is pushing ahead with the project in front of her,” Johnson said. “She is someone who will absolutely make her mark. She will be alumna that Miami will certainly be putting on the front page of the newspaper one day.”

Skeeter hopes to see a sizable crowd at “The Daily Grind” on Thursday, given its relatable college content and humorous appeals.

“It’s ultimately a show about life, and the things that happen that keep life from being monotonous,” Streeter said. “We all have that roommate that can’t clean her dishes or that hookup we wish we could take back. It pokes fun at things that perhaps seem specific to you but in reality are fairly universal to all college students.”

For free tickets to see “The Daily Grind,” visit brownpapertickets.com In fact, Breitsch is planning on returing to his Kinect music program at Miami’s Kinetics Festival April 6 at Millet Hall. Miami’s annual Kinetics Festival is a “celebration of people powered propulsion,” according to its website www.oxfordkineticsfestival.org.

Now a senior, Breitsch is planning on attending the PhD program at Colorado State for electrical engineering. However, he said he appreciates his hands-on time with Pulley Tower, not only for the engineering experience but also for the way it has allowed him to become more in touch with his campus.

“Sometimes I’ll have these moments, especially since it’s my senior year, where I’ll be walking around the tower and think ‘Wow this is a really cool place to be’ and sort of take in the moment,” Breitsch said. “It’s almost like walking around Disney World.”

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SPORTS

EDITOR TOM DOWNEY

TUESDAY, MARCH 11, 2014

SPORTS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

JOE GIERINGER

SOFTBALL

ENJOYING THE OUTDOORS THROUGH OTHER SPORTS

MU splits doubleheaders

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE

BY JORDAN RINARD SENIOR STAFF WRITER

In the last week I’ve been handed several subtle reminders of outdoor activities. I’m thinking about going deep-sea fishing one afternoon on spring break, a friend is setting out to hike the Appalachian Trial and my father reminded me of my first deer that I got a few years back. Little conversations to be sure, but they were powerful enough to remind me just how fun each of these activities is.

I know when we think of sports, we hit the American big three first: football, basketball and baseball. I myself go for hockey and lacrosse. Still others jump for golf, tennis, soccer or swimming. Yet rarely do we gravitate to those outdoor few; those outdoorsman activities that seem to be lost on a majority of the most recent generation that would rather stay in and watch reruns of Game of Thrones and eat half a bag of potato chips.

For those of you who haven’t been fishing, that’s surprising to me. Heading up to goalie camp in Ontario every summer, from the time I was 7 to just before I started high school at 14, that was my favorite things to do. A few friends and I would pack our kayaks with food, drinks, poles and tackle boxes and paddle out into the middle of Gull Lake, where a few rock formations made up small island chains we could claim as our own, spending the twilight hours fighting mosquitos and laughing at one another’s misfortunes as the big catch would continuously find ways to elude us.

This is Muskoka territory, cottage country named after the First Nations chief of the mid-1800’s.

If you find yourself in Gravenhurst, you’re either going fishing, playing some puck or both. Weber’s on Highway 11 is a worldfamous burger joint and a favorite spot of foodies passing through, but other than these options, there isn’t much going on in this quiet, central Ontatrio district.

For those fishermen, the name of the game is walleye. Pike were meaner and tougher than their tastier counterparts, though they merit mention as well. Largemouth bass were in good supply and a chunk of hotdog, a worm or two or a smaller fish were all preferred bait. We amateurs would spend hours out there on Gull Lake, a narrow offshoot of larger Lake Muskoka. I honestly don’t remember if we ever caught very much – we were too busy in our own little world, devising private nations and the adolescent pipe dreams that were suited for Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom.

Time seemed to stand still on the lake and fishing was the key to this universe.

What did stick with me, though, were the sunsets. God, they were beautiful. Pink and purple, orange and red, the Canadian sky was a canvas for the divine, and as night fell, we were overtaken by a serenity that I’ve rarely felt since. It’s been nine years since I’ve been on that lake with friends whose faces are beginning to fade, but that feeling of peacefulness and joy is impossible to forget.

Hunting, too, is a patient waiting game that brings you in tune with nature, though it has the power to drain you physically as well as emotionally. Bird hunting is one thing – the frigid, frost covered mornings, the dog holding fast as you and your group get into position, spreading out yards apart to maximize coverage and ready to spring for several quail or pheasant if more than one surprises you. Birds are small and weigh very little against the conscience. When you kill something bigger, that’s when gravity weighs a bit heavier on you.

I killed my first deer in

November of 2011. After waiting nearly three hours in a half-fallen sycamore tree, a snort broke the silence hanging over the cold air.

Two does had entered the riverbed about 100 yards downhill, and they were starting to make their way up towards me. As I watch and wait patiently, there’s a tap on my shoulder, and it’s my father. He was coming to check on my progress and just as he was about to whisper to me, he saw me raise my rifle. The two of us waited for what seemed like an eternity as the both deer meandered on towards our tree.

They were obscured by brush most of the way, and my dad was growing impatient. He began to nudge me, urging me to take a shot before they saw us or caught wind of our smell. In my amateur mind, I knew better. I waited for the bigger of the two to come into view, and between two oak trees it turned about to give me a clear shot of its broadside. Between breaths and between heartbeats, I slowly applied pressure to the trigger. The 1895 Mauser engaged, and a clean shot dropped the 180-pound doe.

If you’ve ever killed something bigger than yourself, then maybe you’ve experienced this moment. It’s brief and fleeting, but for those few seconds it’s hard to shake. As I saw her tail wag a few times and a final few breaths leave her nostrils, an overwhelming guilt washed over me. My heart was pounding in my ears and the testosterone pumping through me was something else, but for those few seconds I felt a profound sadness. Not half a minute went by and that feeling gave way to a near euphoria at the prospect and a clean kill on my first ever shot hunting, but that momentary pause was important for me. It reminds me, to this day, that while the sport is fun, it carries with it a counterbalance and a reminder that you’re taking the life of a creature bigger than yourself.

After gutting it and dragging it uphill for nearly a mile to where we could pick it up with a fourwheeler, we iced it down, loaded it up, and took it to a processor.

We donated nearly 50 pounds of that deer to Kentucky homeless shelters, which, more than anything, made this experience a worthwhile one for me. I still have the shell of that shot I fired, and though I haven’t bagged a deer in the last couple of times out, it still remains one of the most intense and awesome moments of my sporting career.

Yes, you read that right. Sporting career was an intentional phrase. Enthusiasts and amateurs rarely consider it because of the recreational nature of their pursuits, but hunting and fishing are sports through and through.

I never belonged to a league or club, or had fans of my work that would watch me play, but these manly and worthwhile endeavors were some of the most fun I had, and fragments of these experiences rank up there among some of the ones that I had in an ice rink or on the turf.

It’s a shame more people don’t give these hobbies a try. Fishing is relatively inexpensive, can be done while multitasking and is simple to learn. Hunting requires a more delicate touch, gun training (depending on what state you’re in, rifles might not be legal to use) and decent property, but is still a worthwhile activity if your situation can support it. In an age where consumerism and media constantly invades our lives, it’s important to take a step back and enjoy the outdoors. Little moments like that first kill or a beautiful sunset have stuck with me so far in my young adult life and will continue to do so with each passing year.

The Miami University softball team had its ups and downs over the weekend as it split its doubleheaders with Austin Peay State University and Canisius College. The RedHawks (6-10) are now three weekends away from their MidAmerican Conference opener.

In the first game against Austin Peay, Miami struck quickly with three RBIs in the first inning from senior second baseman Kristy Arbour, senior catcher Kayla Ledbetter and senior first baseman Allie Larrabee.

The Lady Governors struck back with two solo shots in the second, but ’Hawks offense kept at it with Larrabee and junior shortstop Kylie McChesney driving in runs in the third while Ledbetter hit a two-RBI single in the fourth. APSU tacked on another homer in the fifth to round out the scoring as Miami won 7-3.

Larrabee and sophomore outfielder Taylor Shuey were the cogs in the RedHawk attack, accounting for four hits and four RBIs. Despite giving up three home runs, the pitching staff performed well, giving up only three hits outside of the dingers.

The second game of the doubleheader featured a pitchers’ duel, as BLAKE WILSON THE MIAMI STUDENT there were only six hits. The lone score came off an Austin Peay hom- Senior pitcher Paige Myers winds up during Miami’s 7-3 win over Austin Peay. er in the top of the second and the Red and White were unable to sus- doubleheader as it got a three-run “We started off slow today in the tain any offense in the game. Sopho- homer in the first. Miami answered beginning [of the doubleheader] so more pitcher Amber Logemann in the bottom of the inning with a it was good to bounce back,” Shuey threw a complete game three-hitter. sacrifice fly ball from McChesney said. “We always talk about get“They [Austin Peay] played to make the score 3-1. Ledbetter got ting 1 percent better, but we probgreat,” head coach Clarisa Crowell a solo shot in the third, but it was ably needed to get 10 percent better said. “They had great pitching and not enough as the Golden Griffons from the first game. I’m proud of the defense. We weren’t very lucky tacked on runs in the fourth and sixth team… We showed that we were today, but I’m proud of our play- innings to win 6-2. gritty out there.” ers and the heart, attitude, and efLedbetter accounted for half of The offense picked up some key fort that they showed. We just need the team’s hits with two, as Miami hits on the afternoon as Arbour went to put things together. I loved their was unable to sustain offense for 3-4 in the while junior third basefight and grit and that we don’t much of the game. The pitching staff man Remy Edwards and freshman give up. Amber Logemann threw also had its struggles allowing eight utility player Eryn McCarver each great today.” hits, six earned runs and five walks. recorded two hits. Logemann had Logemann said she pitched well The ‘Hawks kicked off the scor- another strong performance as she for the most part. ing in the second game with a RBI went five innings with four hits and “I was generally pleased [with single from sophomore first base- six strikeouts. how I pitched],” Logemann said. man Hailey Reed and the lead The RedHawks return to ac“The home run was just a ball that held until Canisius reeled off two tion in the Michelle Smith Spring got away from me… We gave it our runs in the fifth. The Golden Grif- Break Tournament this weekend all today, but we have to keep posi- fons walked sophomore designated when they take on the University of tive. We [as a pitching staff] need to player Jenna Modic with the bases Maine, Seton Hall University, the keep staying ahead of the count and loaded to take the game into extra University of Connecticut, Boston keeping hitters off balance.” innings. Shuey played the role of University and the University of St. Canisius drew first blood in hero with a two-out RBI to give the Joseph’s over the course of three days in Clearwater, Fla. the opening game of the Sunday RedHawks a comeback victory.

HOCKEY

’Hawks split final regular season series

BY JOE GIERINGER SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Miami University hockey team battled its way to a 2-1 win over National Collegiate Hockey Conference rival University of Denver Saturday night, snapping a fourgame skid and ending the regular season on a high note. Junior forward Blake Coleman scored both goals in the contest and both goals in Friday night’s 5-2 loss.

Pioneer senior netminder Sam Brittain continued his dominant season with a 36-save effort in the Friday contest. Miami fought its way back into the game during the second frame thanks to Coleman’s second goal, bringing the RedHawks back within one goal and bringing the total to 3-2.

Freshman forward Emil Romig scored almost exactly halfway through the third period to make it 4-2 and junior defenseman Joey LeLeggia finished the Red and White off with an empty net goal with seconds remaining. Coleman’s two

goals now tie him for the team lead with sophomore forward Riley Barber, as both he and Coleman have 18 on the year, though Coleman was sidelined for 11 games with an injury.

“It feels a little bit weird getting from practice shape to game shape,” Coleman said. “It took a few games to get my wind back under my belt, and I’m just trying to keep the shifts short to stay effective.”

He couldn’t have been much more effective than when he netted the two goals Saturday on a line with classmates Austin Czarnik. The Pioneers and RedHawks traded strikes in the second period just 37 seconds apart and despite 29 combined shots in the middle frame, the teams entered the third deadlocked in a 1-1 tie.

Miami scored within the first five minutes, but the goal was disallowed due to the puck being knocked in by a RedHawk glove. At the 7:33 of the final period, Coleman blocked a shot and grabbed the puck for a breakaway chance. He faked a forehand shot and pulled the puck to his backhand, netting the game winner. Mi-

ami finished the third period by outshooting DU 24-7, putting together one of their most complete games of the year and gaining some much needed confidence heading into the NCHC tournament.

“Saturday night was certainly the most committed that we saw from our team in a lot of little things that they did,” head coach Enrico Blasi said. “They were rewarded with the win. You always want to go into the playoffs on a good note and feel good about what you’re doing, so certainly that was a huge win for us … and we’re playing arguably one of the best teams in the country.”

Blasi knows his team will face its biggest test of the year when they face St. Cloud State University on the Huskies’ home ice in next weekend’s best of three series, but the RedHawks have a good win to build off as they finish the week’s practices. Miami also split the series with St. Cloud State two weeks ago, so it has the knowledge that a first round upset is not out of the question.

MAC tournament: women’s basketball WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Western Michigan........82 Miami University...................73

The Miami University women’s basketball team fell in the opening round of the Mid-American Conference tournament to Western Michigan Univesity. Freshman forward Nicole Anderson led the way for the RedHawks, scoring 18 points and grabbing six rebounds.

A full recap is available online at Miamistudent.net.