March 15, 2011 | The Miami Student

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

VOLUME 138 NO. 44

MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

In 1937, The Miami Student reported Miami University athletic director George Rider had voiced his support for men’s basketball coach Johnny Mauer. The Miami men’s basketball program had recently finished its “seventh consecutive year of unsuccessful basketball.”

Striving for sustainability Oxford leaders, Miami students have conservation conversation

By Lauren Ceronie Campus Editor

Plans to develop the south side of Oxford while conserving its natural environment are under way. The development plans involve collaboration between the City of Oxford, Oxford Township, local conservation groups, Talawanda Local Schools and Miami University.

These groups are looking into ways to develop the south side of Oxford and create walking paths for students who will attend the new Talawanda High School. The goal is to do this while preserving the natural prairie grass, farmland and wetlands that exist in the area, according to former Oxford mayor Prue Dana.

“You don’t bulldoze a field and put up 50 houses, you have to find forest lines, wetlands and floodplains,” Dana said. “Development should respect those natural features.”

The plans to develop Oxford in an environmentally sustainable way began nearly a year and a half ago when the city SAMANTHA LUDINGTON The Miami Student applied for a grant for sustainable communities, according to Tom Kacachos, a member of the Oxford community, works with other Dana. The city did not receive the grant, but in the process of residents on development plans for the south side of the city. applying came into contact with Randall Arendt, an expert in

conservation planning, Dana said.

After making contact with Arendt, the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute brought him to Miami to speak about conservation planning and help the community develop plans for the south side of Oxford, Dana said. During the workshops with Arendt, the community discussed ways to develop Oxford while conserving natural land, according to Dana. Dana said she was impressed by the community’s ability to overcome differences during these meetings.

“It is really gratifying to see all different political groups working together for development around the high school and more environmentally friendly development,” Dana said.

Bradford Kasberg, a Wilks scholar, said he was impressed by the level of collaboration among the different groups at the meetings as well. At one of the meetings, attendees were given maps of the south side of Oxford and told to draw out what they thought should be done to the area, according to Kasberg.

When the attendees compared the maps, they found the different groups all had similar ideas for the development,

wSee CONSERVATION, page 8

Editor Amanda Seitz specialreports@miamistudent.net

SPECIAL REPORTS

Professors compete with laptops for students’ attention

By Jenn Smola Staff Writer

Restricted Access Some instructors are arguing that with Facebook, e-mail and online shopping at their fingertips, students simply aren’t doing what they’re supposed to on their laptops in class.

Journalism Director Richard Campbell began noticing students using their laptops for things other than note taking while he observed other faculty courses in the back of classrooms. Campbell recently began enforcing a no-laptop policy in his class in an effort to create a classroom environment without a lot of distractions.

“While I like to treat students like adults, I also think I need to create an environment conducive to learning,” Campbell said.

Accounting instructor Ron Collins also does not allow the use of laptops, mainly in his large classes. Although college students belong to a new generation of multi-taskers, laptops still distract in class, Collins said.

“I don’t feel (laptop use) is beneficial to the class as a whole and it ends up being a real distraction,” Collins said.

Collins said any material he puts up on the projector screen during class he also makes available to students on Blackboard so that they can pay attention in class instead of worrying about writing everything down.

“We don’t want to eliminate technology, just make sure it’s used appropriately,” Collins said. Miami professors aren’t the only ones cracking down on laptop use. According to a March 9, 2010 article published in The Washington Post, “Wide Web of diversions gets laptops evicted from lecture halls,” professors at George Washington University, American University, the College of William and Mary, the University of Virginia and others have banned laptops from their classrooms. Professors aren’t the only ones noticing the distractions.

A study published in The Journal of Information Systems Education regarding laptop use in college classrooms showed

some interesting statistics. According to the study, students generated more than 65 new screen windows on their computers per lecture. Sixty-two percent of those were unrelated to the course they were taking.

English instructor Tim Melley has personally witnessed distracted students at play during class. He also does not generally allow laptops in the classroom, noting that it’s difficult for students to stay on task when the World Wide Web is at their fingertips.

“If I had a computer (in class) I don’t think I would pay attention,” Melley said.

Laptops might be interfering with the integrity of the classroom, according to Melley, who mentioned that he has previously caught students looking up answers on the CliffNotes webpage during his English class.

Like other instructors, Melley said he began to see the downside of laptops when he was observing another faculty member’s lecture. Melley estimated that out of about 20 students with laptops, all but one were on

websites for online shopping, Greek organizations or social networking. Melley said he was most shocked when he saw a student actually watching a movie on his laptop.

“Students are in class to practice becoming better thinkers,” Melley said. “Laptops don’t do that.”

Information Overload?

While some students argue they can manage tasks on their laptop without consequences, the laptop study from The Journal of Information Systems Education reported multitasking has been shown to increase memory errors and processing time required to learn certain topics. According to the study, students who allocate more cognitive resources to pull up non-course-related material on their laptops show lower academic performance.

A person can only process so much information at the same time,

wSee LAPTOPS, page 8

Clooney film leaves extras in awe

By Noëlle Bernard Editorial Editor

George Clooney is known for his ageless good looks and acclaimed acting career.

He has snagged Oscar-contending lead roles and dated some of the world’s most beautiful women. Epitomizing Hollywood A-list glamor, he has left Miami University star struck.

Feb. 28 through March 4, the cast and crew of Clooney’s film, The Ides of March, settled in to Miami by barricading streets and taking over The Farmer School of Business, Millett Hall and Hall Auditorium. The everyday routines of students were disrupted by sightings of Clooney and Ryan Gosling across campus. Students lined up outside the buildings waiting for a chance to glimpse a celebrity taking a coffee break or walking from their trailer to the set.

However, not all students were separated from the celebrities by the yellow caution tape. A select few were privy to the Hollywood experience by participating as extras in the film.

Courtesy of Cincinnati’s Dare to Dream Casting, hundreds of Miami students gained access to Clooney’s sets.

Filming progressed throughout the week but March 3 marked the day the largest numbers of extras were needed. The annual celebration of Green Beer Day did not halt production. Instead, it stood as Clooney’s punch line while he entertained his extras. The two-day filming occurred inside Hall Auditorium.

“I drove by a house with like 500 people outside,” Clooney said. “It was hysterical. Bunch of

leprechauns.”

Clooney’s comedic antics filled Hall with infectious laughter. He kept the energy level of the extras high by imitating the female sign language interpreter to the point where the two appeared to be fighting in sign language.

“What she said,” Clooney said.

In return the translator said, “He looks much older in person.”

According to sophomore Olivia Boaz, who served as an extra, watching Clooney between takes made the lag time something to look forward to.

“George Clooney was hilarious throughout both days of shooting,” Boaz said. “He was making jokes every chance he got. I felt like he enjoyed entertaining us just as much as he enjoyed making the movie.”

March 3, Clooney used about 700 extras in Hall Auditorium. Eight different cameras were positioned on stage, backstage and behind the audience of extras. The entire auditorium was transformed to house the crew eager for the perfect shots of pantomiming extras.

According to junior and extra Chip Wood, being on a movie set was a unique experience. For instance, the stressed importance to not look directly at any camera was particularly difficult.

“It was interesting to see all that goes into setting up the scenes,” Wood said. “Being in the scene with a good cast is really cool. It’s not something a lot of people will be able to do in real life.”

The March 3 extras spent roughly six hours

wSee IDES, page 8

CONTRIBUTED BY JENNIFER BRATHER

Ryan Gosling, one of the stars of George Clooney’s movie The Ides of March, helped keep Miami University students who were extras in the star struck.

Behind-the-scenes interview with ‘Ides of March’ location managers Alan Forbes and Deirdre Costa

By Sam Kay Editor in Chief

The Miami Student sat down with Ides of March location managers Deirdre Costa and Alan Forbes in the basement of Hall Auditorium on the last day of filming. Interview highlights: Costa and Forbes have previously filmed at Miami University, 20 years ago, for Little Man Tate.

Miami was originally included in the script. Director George Clooney

almost decided to skip filming at Miami because of the long ride to campus, but knew as soon as he arrived that he wanted to film here.

Miami snagged the opening scene of the film, and at an estimated 10-12 minutes, will likely be the location with the longest appearance.

Forbes’ first impression of Green Beer Day: “At first I thought it was just bake-sales.”

Go to www.miamistudent.net to hear the whole ten minute interview.

2

Campus

Tuesday

March 15, 2011

Editors Lauren Ceronie Jenni Wiener campus@miamistudent.net

NEWS ASG elects two new senators BRIEFS

By Matt Levy

Senior Staff Writer

FYI Honor society celebrates Brain Awareness Week The National Honorary Society in Neuroscience, Nu Rho Psi, is celebrating Brain Awareness Week March 14 to 20.

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is a global campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research.

According to Zoe Ciambro Hesp, secretary of Nu Rho Psi, an ongoing brain scavenger hunt will be held all week between the Psychology building and Pearson Hall. There will also be a neuroscience poster session, where faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students can put up posters for speaker Barbara Knowlton from University of California Los Angeles, who will be speaking at 1:30 p.m. March 18 in Psychology 125.

To finish off the week strong, Nu Rho Psi will be holding a “Bowling for Brains” social at Oxford Lanes on Saturday, at 9 p.m. March 19. At the event, the winners and answers of the scavenger hunt will be revealed.

MU to offer new Chinese course Miami University’s Corporate & Community Institute will offer a sixweek course, “Chinese for Business Travelers.” Quanyu Huang, an expert on Chinese-American cultural and educational comparison and director of Miami University’s Confucius Institute, will teach the course. The course will teach the basics of Mandarin Chinese and practical information about Chinese culture. The course will meet March 22-April 26 on Tuesday evenings from 7 to 9:30 p.m. The class will be held at Miami’s Voice of America Learning Center in West Chester and will cost $189.

EVENTS Lupe Fiasco to perform at Miami University Lupe Fiasco is performing at Miami University for the Spring Concert held

by Campus Activities Council. He will be singing old hits, as well as songs from his new album, “Lasers,” which was released March 8.

The Miami only discount pre-sale begins at 9 a.m. March 21 and ends March 23 at midnight with tickets on sale for $25. General Public tickets are $30 and go on sale beginning March 24.

Eager students can reserve their place in line with a numbered line-place ticket, which are available at the Shriver Center Information Desk. The order of the place holders will be randomly selected on March 21 starting at 8:30 a.m. Students must be present for the selection to receive their place.

Tickets are available at Shriver Center Box Office.

CORRECTIONS It is the policy of The Miami Student to publish corrections for factual errors found in the newspaper. ➤In the March. 1 issue, article, “Miami investment portfolio in recovery mode,” Bruce Guiot’s title was listed as director of investments and treasury services, but he is now chief investment officer. The 4.5 percent listed as going towards scholarships referred to a 4.5 percent payout rate, while 48 percent went to scholarships last year, according to Guiot. The 1.75 number referenced by University System of Ohio and Board of Regents Press Secretary Robert Evans is a composite score that would put an institution on fiscal watch if at or below this rating for two consecutive years. The box that ran with the article said for July 1 to Jan. 31, the return rate was 13.5 percent — the return rate was correct but for July 1 through Dec. 31, 2010. Return rates referred to endowment and foundation pools combined. Non-endowment and separately-held funds are not reported to the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO).

Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) voted two new off-campus senators into office at their March 1 meeting. According to David Hall, ASG’s press secretary, the spots had opened up because two senators left office after break. Austin Hawley and Nick Huber took the two open spots in a closed vote.

Hawley, a political science major, said he plans to leave a definite mark on Miami while he is a senator.

“I would really feel comfortable in the role,” Hawley told ASG. “I love how you guys are really trying to impact Miami for the better and want to leave it a better place than when you

got here.”

Hawley said he plans to represent constituents from his fraternity as well as non-Greek students.

Nick Huber, a finance major and member of the Chi Psi fraternity, said he wanted to use technology to better connect students both on and off campus.

“I’d like to take a practical approach, such as reaching out to students through social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, sites students use every day,” Huber said. “I’d like to take a more proactive approach to empower off-campus students.”

According to Huber, a stronger presence within social media would enable ASG senators to connect with their constituents more. Huber also said he

supports an initiative by Student In addition to voting in the Body President Heath Ingram new senators, ASG also passed a that would sugbill encouraging gest Miami crethe university to ate a program for reexamine the “I’d like to take a class registraincoming firstyears providing tion process. The more proactive bill addresses guidance on how approach to improving the to be successful empower offefficiency of Miami students. campus students.” the BannerWeb “I think helping students underonline registrastand what they’re tion process, the Nick Huber New ASG Off-Campus Senator becoming a part frequency of of as they come in classes offered and shaping their and the option perspective will of implementing change things,” Huber said. peer-priority registration.

According to Hall, Hawley and According to Narmar Doyle, Huber might have to rerun for of- ASG secretary for academic fice during the general elections affairs and author of the bill, in April but will hold office until the end of the school year.

See ASG, page 8

w

Kasich promotes charter universities

By Jenni Wiener Campus Editor

A new plan to deregulate certain public universities is being promoted by Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Miami University, widely known as a public university with the feel of a private university, could become something of a hybrid between the two if Kasich’s plan moves ahead.

This idea for “charter universities” has been inspired by other states such as Pennsylvania and Michigan, which have been on this system for a long time, said David Creamer, vice president for finance and business services at Miami.

These states have given universities the chance to improve their current systems’ financial flexibility and also to reduce state regulations.

According to Creamer, the concept of “charter universities” is intended to give additional autonomy to certain public institutions that meet specific requirements. He said the state would no longer be the main form of funding for the university, meaning fewer tax dollars would be spent on colleges.

“I think it would be a form of privatization, but not fully,” Creamer said. “The university would still

be public by nature, but operations would be more private.”

Details of the idea have not yet been figured out and no formal proposal has been formed, Creamer said.

If, however, the idea is formally proposed, Creamer said he thinks Miami would be favorably considered.

“We would be interested in understanding the criteria and evaluating the details of the proposal to make a determination,” Creamer said. “But, since there is not a plan, we cannot make any commitments yet.”

Creamer said he does not know the economic expectations of the idea, however, he thinks it would help the budget in the long term.

“It is a mechanism to better enable institutions to be financially stronger,” Creamer said. “Hopefully it would only have positive outcomes to serve students and make the university stronger.”

Bruce Johnson, president of the Inter-University Council of Ohio, said this plan deals more with deregulating public education than with charters.

“The idea is to eliminate or reduce state bureaucracy and how administrators administrate,”

Roadrunner to discontinue services

By Marit Lovaas For The Miami Student

When students move off campus one of the things they look forward to is freedom from the residence halls. This new freedom often comes with the responsibility of paying bills such as electricity, water and cable.

In January 2011, one of Oxford’s biggest cable providers, Roadrunner Cable, announced it would be ending its services to Miami University on June 30, 2011. This was decided by Roadrunner Cable.

Roadrunner will discontinue its services because the number of costumers are declining, Amanda Wilson, a Miami IT representative, said.

No new cable companies will be replacing Roadrunner after the time of the services being discontinued, according to Wilson “Students living off campus will still be able to receive cable from Roadrunner, but there will be an additional monthly fee,” Wilson said.

Miami University IT representative Andrew Hehe said, “Roadrunner is still very much available, just not through Miami University.”

“With competing cable companies in the area like DirectTV or Dish Network Cable it is hard for Roadrunner, which was recently bought out by Time Warner Cable, to keep up with Miami students,”

Hehe said Since the number of subscribers has declined drastically in the past five years, Miami and Time Warner Cable have decided to shut down Roadrunner service, Wilson said.

Rachael Dmytriw, a sophomore at Miami, said she is excited about living off campus for the first time next year.

“It will be a new experience to live off campus but where am I going to get my cable from?,” she said. “Are there any other options, because I don’t know of any, and now the prices will most likely be high.”

For students like Dmytriw living on a tight budget, any bill can seem high.

“It would be easier to have Roadrunner cable since that is what I know of,” Dmytriw said. “Now I have to go through an unfamiliar cable company. I do not watch much TV in the first place so now I would rather go without it.”

Off campus students have been informed of the change that will take place this summer.

The students were informed by Roadrunner Cable.

Students on-campus received an email in early January explaining the situation. The university forwarded an e-mail from Roadrunner to all university students.

IT services can be contacted by phone for further information.

Johnson said. “There are a lot of state rules and a lot of issues.

This idea is trying to eliminate the bureaucratic red tape.”

This plan would hopefully reduce some of the university’s unnecessary costs, but not necessarily the tuition that the students pay, Johnson said.

“If the reforms eliminate or reduce bureaucracy, there will be more streamline and efficiency and

lower costs,” Johnson said. “To some degree if there are any cons to the idea, they would be that it is our responsibility to ensure state universities follow the same rules.”

Both Creamer and Johnson said there is a rumor that Kasich will mention the “charter proposal” in his budget on Tuesday, but Creamer said he would be surprised because he has not heard much about the idea yet.

Inter-University Council endorses Senate Bill 5

By Amanda Seitz Special Reports Editor

Ohio public universities are behind efforts to curb public union rights.

Ohio Senate Bill 5, which passed in Ohio Senate Wednesday, March 2, has the support of the Inter-University Council of Ohio.

The Inter-University Council represents all of Ohio’s public universities.

Council President Bruce Johnson spoke on behalf of Ohio’s 14 public universities Tuesday, Feb. 22 at the state capitol.

Johnson said he believes the bill will save universities money in collective bargaining agreements.

Ohio faces an $8 billion budget shortfall and many universities anticipate big cuts looming ahead.

Johnson said passing a unionbusting bill such as SB 5 would help prepare universities for less funding.

“I do believe (SB 5) will help,” Johnson said. “But it’s not the only answer.”

Johnson also credited collective bargaining agreements to increased tuition.

“Change of schedule, change of pay, there are lots of examples of collective bargaining contract permissions that limit management’s ability to keep tuition down,” Johnson said.

Johnson said while some members of the IUC were more bent on supporting the bill than others, a majority would like to see changes in collective bargaining.

“There’s been a consensus for quite a while that state universities need more autonomy on things like public sector collective bargaining,” Johnson said.

The University of Toledo (UT) voiced their support directly to Kevin Bacon, the commerce and labor chairman.

In a letter addressed to Bacon, UT President Lloyd Jacobs said he was not an “anti-union person” but in favor of reigning in their power.

In the letter, Jacobs described the relationship between unions

and the university as “excellent.”

Jacobs, however, said the inability for the university to assign employees to work at certain locations proves costly. “(This) results in unnecessary duplication of personnel,” Jacobs said. “It is estimated that we could reduce our labor costs by approximately $2.6 million were this not the case.”

Jacobs said while most union workers are efficient, those who are not are difficult to discipline.

“Due to the cumbersome progressive discipline process required under our contracts and the cost in management time to deal with (the) ineffective work, we believe that we are spending approximately $8 million in labor costs beyond what could be optimal in a situation that could exist after the passage of Senate Bill 5,” Jacobs said.

While Jacobs said approximately 42 percent of payroll workers are members of unions, other Ohio public universities do not have such a substantial number of workers belonging to unions.

Miami University only boasts two unions on campus and a small percentage of its employees are union members.

“The vast majority of our employees are not represented,” said Vice President for Finance and Business Services David Creamer. “Almost all of our policies, even for our organized groups, defer to university policy on things like benefits. So, there really aren’t those kinds of issues here that you may see at some of the universities.”

Miami does not have a faculty union and unions represent only food service employees and police officers.

Still, Johnson said the amendments in SB 5 would be beneficial for universities that will face slimmer budgets in the coming months.

“The question, ultimately, is how are we going to handle the fact that there’s less money?” Johnson said. “Are we going to do it with management authority or are we going to get bogged down?”

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TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2011 ♌ 3

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4

Tuesday

March 15, 2011

Community

Editor Melissa Tacchi community@miamistudent.net

Fingerhut resigns, plan remains

By Justin Reash For The Miami Student

Male hits pole and tries to duck officer At approximately 4:30 a.m.

March 6, Oxford Police Department (OPD) officers responded to the scene of a car crash at the Red Cloud Court Apartments.

According to police reports, a vehicle had struck a utility pole at the front of the complex and fled to the rear of the complex.

Officers reportedly found a vehicle in the complex with heavy front damage. Officers reportedly found the registered owner of the vehicle to have an address in the complex.

Officers reportedly noticed a male looking out the window from the owner’s listed apartment, who reportedly ducked behind the curtains when he was noticed. Officers went to the apartment and a resident reportedly said the driver of the vehicle had just gotten home. The male reportedly came out of his room and was identified as Miami University senior Sun Baek, 28. When asked what had happened to his car, Baek reportedly told officers nothing had happened.

Baek reportedly admitted to officers he had consumed alcohol.

Baek reportedly volunteered to come outside and told officers he was “going too fast to turn and hit the pole.”Officers reportedly noticed Baek had red, glassy eyes and the odor of alcohol on his breath. Baek reportedly performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was placed under arrest. At OPD, Baek reportedly blew a .16 on a Breathalyzer test.

He was charged with two counts of operating a vehicle under the influence and failure to maintain reasonable control.

Minor starts fire trying to steal gas At around 1 p.m. Monday, Oxford Police Department officers responded to a car fire at 5017 College Corner Pike.

According to police reports, a 16-year-old male inadvertently started a fire in an attempt to siphon gas from a wrecked Ford truck.The male reportedly punctured a hole in the gas tank with a screwdriver and a spark ignited the tank. The male reportedly escaped with only a small burn on his arm and called 911. The truck is a total loss and five other vehicles reportedly sustained damage from the heat of the fire. Two of the vehicles with damage were reportedly Miami University Motorpool vans.

The fire also reportedly melted telephone lines and Cincinnati Bell was alerted.

After four years in office, Ohio Board of Regents Chancellor Eric Fingerhut officially resigned from his post March 13. Former attorney general Jim Petro will take over for Fingerhut.

The Board’s Press Secretary, Rob Evans, said Fingerhut’s resignation is in part due to Governor John Kasich.

“Governor Kasich should be able to have Fingerhut his pick of chancellor, it’s the only way to be consistent,” Evans said.

Although the average term served by a chancellor is 10 years, Evans said that a new face will bring “new energy, ideas and perspective on what’s going on.”

According to Evans, Fingerhut was influential in creating Ohio’s “Strategic Plan for Higher Education.” This plan has three main goals. The first is to increase the number of graduates from higher education institutions to 100,000 per year.

The second is to increase the percentage of Ohio graduates living in Ohio three years after graduation. The final goal is to attract more degree holders into the state every year.

Despite Fingerhut’s resignation, Evans said that higher education will remain one of Ohio’s top priorities. After Fingerhut was appointed in 2007, the plan was mandated as legislation by a bipartisan group in the Ohio legislature, solidifying its continuity amongst different leaders such as the governor and chancellor.

“Higher education is not only a non-partisan idea, it is an incontrovertible one,” Evans said.

Miami University senior David Tracy agrees that the “Strategic Plan for Higher Education” will continue to prosper.

“I believe they will continue their 10 year plan

under new leadership,” Tracy said. “I think it is important for Ohio to continue to attract top talent for its universities.”

Miami graduate student Tyler Brest is also concerned with higher education talent staying in Ohio.

“If you bring in more talented professors, that’s the best way to jump start this plan,” Brest said.

He believes that the published work of these talented professors will gain Miami higher regard in the academic community. However, Brest said that Miami needs to attract graduates through financial means as well.

“That talent doesn’t come cheap,” Brest said.

Brest also believes talented graduates will need some encouragement from professors if they are to be convinced to stay in Ohio.

“I was definitely encouraged to apply to out of state institutions (after graduating),” he said. “I would love to go to a large city for a little while only because I am from Ohio.”

Community Arts Center to host gala fundraiser

By Hannah Stein For the Miami Student

The Oxford Community Arts Center will be hosting a gala to help fund their programs, such as classes on drawing, painting and acting, among many others, which are offered to the public, including Miami University students.

The Gala, which costs $75 for the night, will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. March 19, Gala chairperson Sue Clover said.

“There will be live entertainment (and) a variety of musicians,” Clover said. “We will have food from 10 vendors including everything from Arabian Nights to Paesano’s, sushi and just a whole variety of things. It’s just going to be a great night.”

The Gala is an event that aids in the funding of the Arts Center’s programs.

“A lot of the programs we have here are for the public,” Clover said. “We have art classes, drama or singing (and) drawing and painting for all ages. We have groups that come in and do concerts on the second Friday of each month.”

Clover explained that all the programs are free to the public and the Gala is a fun way to help fund them.

There are also two auctions, a live auction and a silent auction, which will take place throughout the night. The auctions will have around 100 items. According to Clover, the values of the items range dramatically.

“The low end is around $25 but we have a few things that could be valued at $2,000 or more. Whether we get that or not is doubtful, but that’s their value,” Clover said.

According to Clover, the silent auction will be conducted through bid sheets set out in front of each item with a starting bid and the bidder must raise the price at least $5. Whoever has the highest bid by the end of the night will receive the item. However, the live auction will have a professional auctioneer and will present the items like any live auction, Clover said.

The items that will be sold at the auction are “anything from vacation stays to artwork by many different kinds of artists,” Clover said. “There’s (also) afternoon tea for 12 and there’s is the possibility of hand drumming lessons.”

Another part of the Gala that will help gain funding money is the raffle. There are two levels for the raffle: the $75 prizes and the $50 prize, according to Clover.

The two prizes offered at the $75 level are a week’s stay a beach home in Destin, Fla. offered by Karen Schroer and a week’s stay in a cottage in Martha’s Vineyard offered by the Carol Immelt family. The one prize offered at the $50 level is a garden makeover

by Gardens by Kathy, offered by Kathy Baxter, Clover said.

Carol Immelt offered the cottage in Martha’s Vineyard through her brother Norman Butt. Butt is on the board of directors for the Arts Center and was able to ask

PHOTO COURTESY OF OXFORD COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER

Jim Michael grabs an hors d’oeuvres at the 2010 Oxford Community Arts Gala.

Immelt about offering the cottage as a prize.

“It’s been in the family for a long time and she just thought it would be good for someone to use it and donated it to the raffle for the Arts Center,” Butt said. “The cottage comes with all necessities such as linens and dishes and is offered the week of June 18 to June 25.”

Kathy Baxter, the donator of the garden makeover, has an art studio at the Arts Center, which is a separate business from her gardening business and wanted to do something to help benefit the Arts Center.

According to Baxter, the garden makeover will include a

Double D’s Diner closes doors

Attitudes Uptown celebrates 16 years in business

After four months of facing the realities of what it takes to be an Uptown business, the Oxford Double-D’s Diner has closed.

“Typically when a business closes it is due to a lack of sales,” City of Oxford Economic Development Director Alan Kyger said. “I know it’s hard to be in business and it takes a special kind of person to put their fortune on the line.”

According to Kyger, it has been said the diner may be moving to the downtown Hamilton area where it is less costly to open a new business. Kyger said he believes a great contributing factor to the diner’s downfall was the inconsistency of their working hours.

Initially, the diner marketed themselves on the fact they were open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “There were times when I would walk by the diner at 2 p.m. and they wouldn’t be open,” Kyger said. “As a customer that might deter me from going back because I would want to know exactly when they were open.”

Kyger also said the diner could have made a greater effort in marketing to Miami students, who account for approximately 80 percent of the uptown area population.

Miami University junior Megan Shefte also supported the idea that the diner should have presented themselves differently.

“I went to eat at the diner a few times and I thought the food wasn’t bad,” Shefte said. “However, the décor was seriously lacking. The walls were almost completely bare and it still had some remnants of Fiesta Charra inside.”

Attitudes Uptown will be celebrating 16 years in business with raffles and refreshments at 9 a.m. Friday, March 18.

Owner Tammy Wagner said the salon will give the first 50 customers who step in the door gift bags.

“It’s exciting to say we’ve maintained a business for 16 years so we welcome everyone to come in even if they’re not having anything done to participate in the raffle drawings,” Wagner said.

The hair and tanning salon will be raffling off baskets either filled with hair products or tanning supplies including a tanning package, according to Wagner.

The proceeds for one of the baskets will be donated to the Oxford Relay for Life.

“We usually raise about $200 per basket,” Wagner said.

“We figured since we are already inviting the community in this would be a good time to start raising money for these charitable events.”

Additionally, Wagner said due to distributer’s support, the salon will be providing a great retail sale for professional products throughout the course of the day. “This is a really exciting time for us not only because of our success but because a new product line was just put out as well,” Wagner said.

Wagner credits co-owner Mona Kerby along with all of the salon’s employees for their accomplishments.

“I believe our work with both the townspeople and the students led to our success,” Wagner said. “We also have a great staff here that we have maintained for several years and has kept us in a stable environment.”

According to Wagner, raffle winners will be announced at the end of the day.

Reporting by Melissa Tacchi

Reporting by Melissa Tacchi

gardener, herself, a garden architect, Margarette Beckwith and donations from two nurseries: Shademakers Nursery and County Line Nursery.

“You have a little bit of everything depending on the needs of the person who wins it in the raffle,” Baxter said.

“I think the free classes are an amazing opportunity for people to learn about the arts, and the gala is a great way to bring in funding,” Miami freshman Anne Gotwald said.

With all the different activities taking place throughout the night such as the auctions and the raffle, the Arts Center knows the programs will benefit greatly.

Students participate in police academy

By Leslie Scott

Senior Staff Writer Students are known to get involved with various activities around Oxford. However, the latest activity is the Oxford Police Department’s Citizen’s Police Academy.

John Buckhholz, Business Liaison Officer for the City of Oxford, is the coordinator of the Academy.

“The design of the program is to reach out to citizens, interact with them and familiarize them with police duties,” Buckhholz said.

The Academy is a seven-week program that has been going on since 2002. It is free to everyone and is heavily advertised the month before it goes on, Buckhholz said. It takes place every Monday night from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the College Suites Theater.

“The program really varies based on the time of year,” Buckhholz said. “Sometimes it has lasted up to nine weeks and others it is just seven. Some years we don’t have it at all, but one year we had the class offered in the spring and the fall.”

Buckhholz described the Academy as a class that is taught

by Oxford police officers. He emphasized that it is not a training program. It is meant to familiarize people with what officers do.

“If people enjoy the classes that much, there are always volunteer programs,” Buckhholz said. “The Academy is just

wSee POLICE, page 8

THE MIAMI STUDENT

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2011 ♦ 5

GRAD FEST 2011

n o i t a u d a r g r u o y l l a l l Fulfi ! t n e v e e n o t a needs March 15, 16, 17 Shriver Center , Multipurpose Room 10:00 am - 6:00 pm

6

Opinion

Tuesday March 15, 2011

Editors Noëlle Bernard Thomasina Johnson editorial@miamistudent.net

➤ EDITORIAL

The following pieces, written by the editorial editors, reflect the majority opinion of the editorial board.

Conservation planning workshops to benefit all T

he City of Oxford, Oxford other fairly and with equal importance.

Township, local conservation They overcame political differences groups, Talawanda Local Schools for the benefit of Oxford and the and Miami University are working surrounding area. together to develop the south side The incorporation of environof Oxford, while incorporating con- mentally-conscious designs is a servation designs. Projects include smart decision and a step forward making the new high school more for the future of the Oxford area. ecologically-friendly and creating It shows a vast improvement in walking paths for its students. ecological thinking, especially for The editorial board of The Mi- the Miami community, which reami Student apceived low environplauds the inclumental rankings in No matter what sive, teamwork the past.

This board is imapproach to makeach group’s pressed at the dediing Oxford more special interests cation by each group environmentally and goals in the involved.

Students sustainable. The planning were, the in Miami’s Wilks collaboration beLeadership Institute tween people of planners treated have discussed plans all ages and backeach other fairly grounds, from Miwith local landownand with equal ers, as well as comami students, to importance.

They ing up with design Talawanda High School leaders, to overcame political plans of their own. a renowned conMiami should differences for the continue servation planner. to encourbenefit Although tension age students to be of Oxford. existed between involved in the future Oxford Township of the Oxford comresidents and the munity. Getting even City of Oxford, more Miami students the community leaders set aside and community members involved their differences for the good of in the planning or construction prothe future of both the communities. cess of the eco-friendly projects No matter what each group’s spe- would prove to be beneficial for cial interests and goals in the plan- not only the students, but Oxford ning were, the planners treated each as well.

Laptop policies must be made case-by-case A

significant number of Miami a lecture class, students will most University faculty mem- likely abuse use of laptops for only bers are displeased with the pres- note taking. However, it is the stuence of laptops in their classrooms. dent who is responsible for his or The claim is students are abusing her attendance and final grade. In the their laptop privileges intended for more intimate setting of a discussion in class note taking. Many profes- class, the use of laptops is easily sors complain students are instead monitored and students should take spending class time online to pursue into account their grade may depend non-academic inon participation terests. Laptops are and attention. noted as distractions In addition, proWhile laptops can away from class lecfessors are in conhelp maintain a tures or discussions of how each conducive learning trol for students who class is structured. It experience for some is a professor’s job choose to manually take notes on paper. students, those who to keep students acRecently, professors tively engaged and choose to distance who view laptops it is the role of the themselves from a as distracting are student to be attenclass discussion by tive and prepared to implementing nolaptop polices in insurfing the web need learn. If neither party dividual classrooms. to realize they may is working together With new technolowill fail be distracting others. atoclassroom gies providing noprovide students internet options for and professors with classrooms, Miami the benefit of time may be on its way to a changing well spent. laptop landscape.

Miami professors need to look The editorial board of The Miami at classes individually to determine Student agrees that while laptops can the quality of time a class justly help maintain conducive learning demands. The usage of laptops has experiences for some students, those the ability to help or hinder the perwho choose to distance themselves formance of a classroom, yet this from a class discussion by surfing should be monitored stringently on the web need to realize they may be a case-by-case basis. Ultimately, distracting others. students are in control of their acaUltimately, a professor has the demic success and they deserve right to issue a no-laptop policy the right to choose how to develop but only on a case-by-case basis. In study skills.

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

EDITORIAL BOARD Sam Kay Editor in Chief Bethany Bruner News Editor Colleen Yates Managing Editor Scott Allison Online Editor Noëlle Bernard Editorial Editor Thomasina Johnson Editorial Editor

Lauren Ceronie Campus Editor Jenni Wiener Campus Editor Melissa Tacchi Community Editor Michael Solomon Sports Editor Amanda Seitz Special Reports Editor Samantha Ludington Photo Editor

NOAH CARL The Miami Student

➤ LETTERS

Real men defined by respect for others This letter is in response to the essay titled, “Don’t be afraid to be real.” While I agree with the major point of the essay, namely that honesty is essential for any relationship to flourish, there was one aspect that I believe needs clarification. The stereotyping of people based upon their number of sexual partners was brought up in this essay. It stated that, “If a male has a high number (of sexual partners), he is simply being a man.” Neither the people who set out to distinguish themselves based on their sexual exploits nor those who believe this praiseworthy are, in fact, men.

Being a man has nothing to do with one’s number of sexual partners. Being a man is about doing the right thing, because it’s the right thing. It’s about taking responsibility for your words, your actions and your life. It’s about constantly working to better yourself.

It’s about being able to walk down the street with your head held high because you know exactly what you stand for.

There are still real men out there. We are those that do not glorify others for their “experience,” but truly respect women. We are those that hold the door open for you as you enter the Farmer School of Business and say “thank you” when you swipe our i.d.’s at King Café.

We are a quiet, under-appreciated population of gentlemen who are often overshadowed by the distasteful attitudes of a few. We will continue to redefine what it means to be a man; please do not confuse us with the rest of the male population. Thank you.

Jimmy Trotier

Jftrotier@gmail.com

Miami should give speakers a chance In response to Ms. Guerrero’s letter in the February 24 edition of The Miami Student titled “Rice a bad guest speaker choice for Miami,” I must wholeheartedly disagree.

As a firm believer in science and finding trustworthy and reliable evidence, I categorically reject all of Ms. Guerrero’s biased socalled “sources” that somehow prove to her that Ms. Rice is guilty of some criminal activity. In the country I was raised in, I was taught to believe that someone is innocent until proven guilty. Has there been some criminal trial with Ms. Rice as a defendant? If so, I’ve somehow missed it.

In college, we are taught to accept nothing for face value, but to judge each and every piece of knowledge, and form our own opinions from what we hear. How can we learn anything if information is withheld? I agree with Ms. Guerrero that knowledge is power and that knowledge can accomplish both great good and great evil. However, good and evil are relative measurements, and what one views as good may be pure evil to others.

Therefore, I believe that no matter Ms. Guerrero’s opinion of the actions of Ms. Rice, she deserves the right to speak at Miami

University. Here, each student, faculty, staff and guest can listen to her remarks and make informed decisions for themselves about what they can or cannot learn from her. Isn’t that what makes free speech a cornerstone of our democracy?

The political implications of her visit are something that I feel are completely irrelevant.

Every person brings a new set of ideas and opinions to the table; its what makes our nation diverse. No matter what a person’s political beliefs are, they should not be restricted from speaking at Miami, nor should alumni, students, staff, or faculty view a visit from them as a grand approval of the person’s beliefs or actions by the university. We should welcome everyone to Miami, give them the opportunity to speak their minds, make thoughtful, and careful assessments of what we as people can take away.

Chris Traner

tranercb@muohio.edu

Obama’s words on Japan meaningless With news of the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan known to all Americans but the most devoted video game addicts, President Obama gave a news conference on March 11 in which he said, “Our hearts go out to our friends in Japan,” and, “Our prayers are with the people of Japan.” I dispute both statements and caution students of communication to recognize the vacuousness of these platitudes.

In what sense does someone’s heart “go out” toward the victims of a disaster? In the same sense, I suppose, expressed by Kate Winslet’s character in Titanic, as her hair swept back to the horrifying lyrics (“My heart will go on”) ejaculated by an equine-faced singer from the country to our north. My heart does not go out to anyone in Japan: not because I am especially mean, but because the term conveys so little meaning. There is, no doubt, a place for metaphor in speechwriting, but the “heart going out” one is really worn-out. More importantly, perhaps, Mr. Obama did not speak for “the American people,” when he said that the Japanese people are in our prayers. They are not in mine because I do not pray. If I believed for one millisecond that there was a God involved in this disaster, I would be inclined strongly to curse its existence. That would be heartfelt sentiment, wouldn’t it?

Nicholas P. Money Western Program Director and Professor of Botany moneynp@muohio.edu

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Opinion

THE MIAMI STUDENT

➤ THE BITTER AND THE SWEET

TUESDAY, MARCH 15 2011 ♦ 7

➤ PERSPECTIVE

Ohioans should heed Madison

No love for growth

Over spring break, my family and I were glued to the tube, in horror of the news covering the anticollective bargaining bill of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. The straw that broke the camel’s back, however, happened on the evening of Thomasina March 9. That Johnson night, Walker and the Republican senators violated the state’s openmeeting law by removing parts of the bill and ignored the state law requiring 20 senators to vote. There was no debate on the floor and no Democrats present, according to The New York Times. Being Wisconsinites, my sister and I knew we had to join the historic protest that had been going on for weeks.

The next morning, we drove to Madison, Wisc.

We arrived at the gleaming white capitol building mid-afternoon.

While the amount of people was less than what viewers saw on national TV (we attributed this to protesters’ work schedules), the protest showed no signs of surrender. My sister, her friend and I joined the throngs of protesters who chanted catchy phrases like, “hey hey, ho ho, Scott Walker’s got to go,” “What’s disgusting? Union busting!” and my favorite, “Tell me what democracy looks like! This is what democracy looks like!”

I took many pictures of the inspiring posters. One of the best that afternoon showed a “recall”- bearing badger (the state animal and mascot of the University of Wisconsin-Madison) attacking Walker’s face while Walker says, “Now settle down, Kitty.” This poster summed up the fighting spirit of the protesters: Scott Walker is one, but the people are many.

We lined up to go inside the capitol building. Several union workers handed us apples to give to protesters who had been inside for hours.

After being scanned by the police, we entered the elegant and classical marble building, decorated inside with mosaics and gleaming wood.

On the ground level, about 200 young adults and children were lying on the floor, creating a peace sign with their bodies that could be seen from the upper levels. AntiWalker posters were propped everywhere. As the children initiated each new chant, I was awed at their dedication to a cause brought on by senators that some of these children weren’t even old enough to vote for or against.

At night, State Street and the capitol building lit up with action and white lights. The street was packed with about 10,000 protesters, young and old alike. Musicians beat out a rhythm as thousands of people marched around the capitol.

We peacefully walked and chanted with older adults and small children. Workers in the offices above us gawked in constant amazement at the steady line of protesters.

Madison is not the only battlefield for the rights of people like teachers, nurses and policemen. I saw posters held by nurses from Minnesota and labor unions in Chicago. Ohio may soon be affected by similar legislature. March 2, a bill aimed at reducing collective bargaining rights passed the senate and is backed fully by the GOP, according to The Huffington Post. Thousands of Ohioans have been protesting, but it is not enough. Wisconsin unions have run inter-city and campus buses to Madison almost daily. Ohio union buses should do the same, making stops at universities like Miami to pick up students and staff who wish to protest.

These protests make a difference. With Walker’s poll numbers melting faster than Wisconsin cheese, people are calling for his recall. The hardworking protesters in both states have shown that we shouldn’t get mad, we should get even.

It’s that time of year again. It’s the time of year when New Year’s resolutions usually start to fade away and when Oxford starts to see weather that resembles spring. It’s the time of year that gives many Miami students “senioritis,” and the time of year when baseball fans start to ponder their team’s chances come September. Most importantly, March is a time of madness.

People of all ages take part in this madness that seems to unify the nation for the month of March.

It’s the only “perfect” sports playoff there is. Fans and players of Virginia Tech University and the University of Colorado might not agree, but the NCAA Tournament is one of the only “perfect” playoff scenarios that exist. There has been talk of the BCS in college football and whether or not there should be a playoff to determine a national champion. There has been talk of adding more teams to the MLB playoffs, as only four teams make the playoffs from each league.

The NCAA Tournament is “perfect,” and changing the field from 64 teams to 68 and potentially even 96 will ruin that.

Dancing. That’s what every team in Division I basketball hopes to be doing come March. Win a first round game or not, simply earning a bid to the NCAA Tournament can have some teams feeling like they just won a national championship. Look at the celebrations of Long Island University, the University of Northern Colorado and many other mid-major teams that made the tournament this year. Courts were flooded with crazy fans, and local announcers calling the game couldn’t contain their excitement. The NCAA Tournament is all about having at least one team from EVERY conference play in the madness. That is the NCAA Final Four Tournament. The NCAA increased the field from 64

MICHAEL SOLOMON teams to 68 teams this year, and have even considered changing that number again to reach 96. Ninety-six?

Are you joking? That will mean the whole 16-team Big East Conference and the entire Big Ten Conference will make the field. If anything, add some more mid-majors into that mix. Everyone knows that will not happen. Expansion is all about money, and the power conferences (Atlantic Coast Conference, Big Ten, Big East, Pac-10, Southeastern Conference and Big 12) will see more than 75 percent of their teams make it in, if not all of them. This year, 11 Big East teams made it in to a field of 68. Can you imagine how many of them will make it if the field increases to 96?

Increasing this field will take away from the team’s excitement they have when they earn a bid into the NCAA Tournament. Conference tournament championships won’t be as important. Those Blackbird fans from Long Island University who stormed the court last week will see their team potentially joined by runner-up Robert Morris University in the field of 96. Many people may see this expansion as the “more the merrier,” but if this field increases to 96 will not be as special and exciting. Having a field of almost 100 squads will no doubt make it harder for teams to win first and second round games, or even reach the Final Four. It will take away from the excitement this Tournament provides for the college basketball and non-college basketball fans that fill out their brackets in March. The NCAA Tournament is nearly “perfect” as is (sorry, St. Mary’s College of California and University of Alabama). We need to keep it that way.

SOLOMON is sports editor for The Miami Student

➤ THIS AND THAT

Sheen: media mastermind?

Charlie Sheen, you are a genius. After being one of the highest-paid actors on television, getting yourself into all sorts of trouble for domestic violence, you get fired from your show, Two and a Half Men, and manage to have Chris more fans now DeNicola than ever. You are still controlling the tube because anytime someone turns on the news they want to know what you’re saying. Getting a Twitter, incredible idea! Now you’re on tour across the country selling out so you can ramble about whatever it is the show is about, which right now no one knows. But that is exactly the point. Despite everything you’ve done, you’re still raking in the fans.

What’s happening now in Charlie’s world is nothing different from what he’s already been in trouble for. He’s notorious for using drugs, having incidents with call girls and already has a history for domestic

violence. Ever since the beginning of his career, the son of famous actor, Martin Sheen, has been in trouble. What’s different now is that he actually has control over just about everything now. With his quotes about “winning” and saying, “I’m on a drug, it’s called Charlie Sheen,” everyone is trying to get on the same drug. It’s trendy now to say you’re “sheening” it or doing something the way Charlie Sheen would. It’s absolutely incredible that just about any channel you turn to comes up with something about him. Just search his name on Google and you get more results than Barack Obama, by five times!

Only in America, the land of opportunity, can a man do as much damage to his reputation and still come out “winning.” The jury is still out as to whether or not this is just one huge publicity stunt or if Charlie is literally going insane. It’s about 50-50 at this point. Celebrities have been coming out defending him and giving him an offer of support, hoping that he’ll clean up his act. Alec Baldwin told him to apologize and Americans would forgive him. Forgiveness isn’t what

he’s looking for. In fact, in a way, Americans have already forgiven him with all of the popularity he’s gained. His show, “My Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not an Option” is selling out in minutes without anybody knowing what the show is about. If anyone was actually upset, aside from CBS executives, he would have been kicked to the curb like Tiger Woods and Mel Gibson.

Everything Charlie touches is turning to gold right now. The CBS executives are going to hold out, but if Charlie wises up and apologizes to them, they’ll hire him back and have higher ratings than ever, not that he needs Two and a Half Men. Who knows how long this wave of popularity will last? His life could be spiraling out of control and we could be tragically applauding it the whole way. However, it could all be calculated by a genius celebrity and his team of publicists, which is amazing. Either way, Americans should drink up their Tigerblood while they can and enjoy the show, because it doesn’t have an end in sight. So bravo Charlie! You are “winning” for now.

➤ ESSAY

Be prepared for the world’s end As we all know, the world is ending in the next few years. Some say it will end in 2012 because of an ancient Aztec calendar that ends in 2012. My personal theory is that it will end in 2013, because well, 13 is an unlucky number and that’s a pretty good reason for the world to end, right? Anyway, it’s ending, and I’ve got evidence.

Oppressive governments are being overthrown all over the place! This is the sort of thing that has never happened before, and is surely a sign that the world as we know it is shifting towards its end. Sure, there have been revolutions before, like the American Revolution, which allowed the United States of America to come into existence. And shortly after that there was the French Revolution, which ousted the corrupt and out of touch monarchy. There have also been revolutions in most of both Central and Southern America, as well as almost every country that once fell under the umbrella of European colonialism. We are having our own mini-revolutions in some of our own states right now, like Wisconsin. And boy is it terrifying. Fighting for bargaining rights of union workers is almost exactly the same thing as protesters being shot by their own government for having a dissenting opinion. Exercising your freedom of speech and calling your opponents totalitarian dictators is essentially the same as your opponents actually being totalitarian dictators. It just makes you wonder what our world is coming to. (The answer is: its end.)

Another piece of evidence is the slew of natural disasters that have been happening worldwide. According to MSNBC, “earthquakes, heat waves, floods, volcanoes, super typhoons, blizzards, landslides and droughts

killed at least a quarter million people in 2010 — the deadliest year in more than a generation.” From earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, flooding and heat waves in Pakistan and Russia, to volcanic eruptions currently occurring all around the “ring of fire,” the past year and a half have been full of the world “fighting back” against our destructive practices. Japan is a perfect example of this. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan last week destroyed plants thousands of Japanese citizens. We are antagonizing nature with our anti-ecofriendly ways, just like the dinosaurs did before that big meteor killed them.

Sure, the Earth has cycles and every couple million years the magnetic poles shift and change position.

Yes, there have been ice ages and climate changes and moves in tectonic plates since the beginning of Earth’s existence. None of them have caused the Earth itself to cease to exist. But that is clearly not what is happening now. The things happening in the world around us right now are obviously only related to our individual lives and how good of people we are. If we continue to be selfish and not eco-friendly, the world will end probably within the next year. Because that’s how quickly things change on a global scale. Not over hundreds or thousands or even millions of years, but drastically from one year to the next. Panic is our only option.

Forget about planning for the future, or trying to turn around our wasteful ways, we should just panic because it’s the end of days. Maybe someone should start building an ark.

Alice Ladrick

ladricae@muohio.edu

➤ LIBERTY AND JUSTICE

DOMA defends hate, not marriage The status of gay marriage in America is a confusing and conflicted situation. The Defense of Marriage Act, often shortened to its more sinister acronym “DOMA,” has created such a quagmire of red tape that certain departments of the government have Ty even disowned it.

Gilligan Luckily, DOMA is dying a slow but sure death, and the federal government will hopefully be putting the last nail in the coffin.

DOMA came into effect in 1996 and codified into federal law that marriage is between one man and one woman. No state was obligated to recognize the validity of gay marriages done legally in another state.

On Feb. 23, the Obama administration announced it would no longer defend the constitutionality of DOMA. An open letter from the Department of Justice on behalf of President Obama to Speaker of the House John Boehner cited that DOMA violates the equal protection clause of the Fifth Amendment.

Boehner responded to Obama’s rejection of DOMA by issuing a statement on March 9 saying the House of Representatives would defend DOMA if it ended up in Court. Recent polls indicate over 45 percent of Americans support gay marriage and upon learning that DOMA has absolutely no effect on heterosexual couples, I’m sure that number will grow even larger. Why would you oppose a law that denies other peoples human rights but doesn’t affect you at all?

Despite 8.9 percent unemployment rates (US Dept. of Labor), a government deficit of $14 trillion (US Treasury) and 14 percent of Americans living below the poverty line (US Census 2010), many Republicans and right-wingers seem to think that America’s No. 1 priority should be not letting gays get married. To say our politicians have lost sight of reality would be an understatement.

I find it both frightening and laughable that DOMA’s supporters think they are “defending” marriage by essentially, keeping gays out. If you want to protect the institution of marriage, making divorce illegal or raising the age of consent for marriage seems a more logical choice, but apparently denying gays their human rights is a better route.

DOMA is a strange issue; the same conservatives who advocate smaller government, the supremacy of states rights and less interference of the government in daily life, support a law which places the federal government as the head authority in recognizing marriage. Supporters of DOMA want to maintain the federal ban on gay marriages just in case any of those more “progressive” or “secular” states legalize gay marriage. I would think conservatives would support the concept that the will of the people in every state would determine whether or not to legalize gay marriage. According to NPR.org, six states in America have already done this. What I call shenanigans, conservatives.

DOMA has made America into a patchwork quilt of laws regarding same-sex marriage. Gay marriage is legal in six states, recognized in an additional three and civil unions are legal in 10 states, but there is little correlation between them. For example, gay marriages conducted in other countries are recognized in New York State, but they are not performed there. So if a same-sex couple in New York wants to get married they need to go to Canada then return to New York to have it recognized. Could you imagine if similar laws existed for straight couples?

I only hope that soon we can relegate DOMA to a chapter in a United States history book wedged between the chapters on the Civil Rights Movement and Women’s Liberation Movement, where it can serve as an embarrassment to the backwards mentalities and politics of our time.

THE MIAMI STUDENT

CONSERVATION continued from page 1

Kasberg said.

“The meetings were beneficial because we wanted to achieve the same things,” Kasberg said.

“The workshops helped push our ideas forward.”

One of the ideas brought up at the meeting was establishing environmentally-friendly pathways Talawanda students could use to commute to school, Kasberg said.

“I hope at the bare minimum we create a situation where high school kids can get to and from school safely every day,” Kasberg said.

Representatives from Talawanda High School, the centerpiece of this development, attended the meetings as well, according to Holli Morrish, Talawanda community relations director.

Building the high school in an environmentally-friendly way is important to the staff and faculty at Talawanda, the board of education and the citizens in the community, Morrish said.

The school is creating 300 geothermal wells to use groundwater

asg

continued from page 2 peer-priority registration would limit honors students and student-athletes to only registering ahead of other students in their class rank.

With the passage of the bill, the Office of the Registrar will make any final decisions regarding how scheduling could change.

Senator Michael Sinko said limiting priority registration for honors students will have adverse effects. He said that graduating seniors do not lose their class seats to first-year honors students as they are more than likely on different tracks and limiting the honors program will unfairly hamper

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2011 ♦ 8 to heat and cool the building and constructing low-flow toilets and drinking fountains, Morrish said. The school will also use a technology called “day lighting” where windows light the building during the day and sensors detect when the sun is setting and turn on lights in the building at night, according to Morrish.

“I expect conservation projects to continue on this property forever,” Morrish said. “We never want them to end.”

Several individuals currently own the land on the south side of Oxford and the land is zoned for office and residential use, according to Oxford City Manager Doug Elliott. While the community’s conversation about conservation planning has brought up interesting concepts, the landowners have the final say in how the land is used, Elliott said.

Kasberg said the Wilks scholars have worked closely with the landowners to discuss the development plans and ensure all opinions are taken into account.

“I hope the south side becomes an important part of Oxford and that conservation becomes not ‘a’ way to do things but ‘the’ way to do things,” Kasberg said. students participating who are double or triple majoring and still trying to graduate in four years.

Senator Matt Weber said all students, not just honors students, deserve a chance to graduate within four years.

“It’s great that the honors students want to graduate in four years, but I think it’s more important that everyone gets to graduate on time,” Weber said.

According to Senator Kyle DiDomenico, a forum including representatives from the honors program and the athletic department would be beneficial to formulating a peer-priority registration process.

Sections of the bill bringing attention to Bannerweb’s technical issues and calling for more sections of classes to be offered also received unanimous support.

LAPTOPS continued from page 1

according to Dr. Marilla Svinicki, an educational psychology professor at the University of Texas and co-author of McKeachie’s Teaching Tips: Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers.

“When something distracts you, it pulls cognitive resources away from what you’re doing, and it slows you down,” Svinicki said.

According to Svinicki, when one is presented with too much information or too many distractions, it puts an extra burden on that person’s working memory. This can lead to “cognitive overload,” where the person has more difficulty processing and learning the information.

First-year Christian Cook prefers laptop note taking and hasn’t experienced the cognitive overload issue Svincki cites as problematic.

“Taking notes on my laptop allows me to organize them as I write,” Cook said.The ability to multitask aside, laptop use doesn’t just affect the students who choose to use them.

According to Melley, computer notetaking tends to cause more of a disturbance than traditional pencil and paper note-taking.

IDES

continued from page 1 seated in Hall Auditorium pantomiming reactions to actors Michael Mantell (previously seen in another Clooney film, Ocean’s Thirteen) and Clooney on stage.

“I was amazed and a little surprised at the tediousness of the behind-the-scenes work,” Boaz said.

“We sat for four hours only to shoot a couple minutes of actual film. It was completely worth it though. I was in awe the entire time.”

About 150 to 200 of the Thursday extras were asked to return Friday, remembering their seated locations and dressed in the same outfits for the 8 a.m. call time.

According to junior Ryan Boyer, the experience of hours spent on set paid off financially by the end.

“Being an extra Thursday and Friday was so worthwhile because they paid you for your time,” Boyer said.

On Friday, Clooney introduced the newly rearranged scene to the

“The screen is quite intrusive for other students, as well as the clicking,” Melley said.

First-year student Ethan Vargo prefers traditional note taking and admits to being distracted by others’ laptops in class.

“I think it’s very distracting,” Vargo said. “Students should pay attention to what’s being said and respect the professors.” Other students think differently. Sophomore Grace Herbert uses her laptop in class, and finds it inconvenient when professors don’t allow laptops.

“I prefer taking notes on the computer because then they’re all right there and easy to access,” Herbert said.

Cook added it becomes a hassle when professors restrict the use of laptops.

“The time that I spend after class transferring notes from my notebook to my computer could be better spent studying,” Cook said. “It’s within teachers’ rights to ban laptops, however, it hurts the students who would use them for good more than it hurts the students who use them as a distraction.”

Far from over Students aren’t the only advocates for laptops. Dr. Glenn Platt, co-director of Miami’sArmstrong Institute for Interactive Media Studies, finds laptop bans in the classroom ridiculous. returning extras by the crowd with the names of the participating high profile actors, Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ryan Gosling.

“You’re in a scene with Ryan Gosling,” Clooney said. “Take it easy.

He’s wearing a lot of make up.”

Clooney kept up the energy by retorting cheers the extras gave Gosling and reiterating his own credibility as a successful and attractive actor.

“And the two-time sexiest man alive,” Clooney said. “I almost brought down the Batman franchise. That’s the last time I wore a rubber suit.”

Junior Nick Kereiakes was given the opportunity on Friday to stay on set longer to act as an intern to Clooney’s character.

“Basically I was an intern for the presidential campaign of the character that George Clooney was playing,” Kereiakes said. “They had me on a Blackberry in the back on a few of the scenes working away on e-mails and looking at the monitor for when George Clooney’s character was supposed to be debating.

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“I see nothing but upsides,” Platt said. “We ought to be requiring laptops. Our classes could be far richer if every student had a laptop.”

Platt pointed out using laptops in class provides students with a number of positive opportunities.

“They’re the medium and mechanism for taking notes,” Platt said.

He added that the machines are also useful for classroom feedback mechanisms and enable students to look things up quickly and easily.

Platt also added it’s the student’s responsibility to engage in class and the instructor’s responsibility to make classes engaging.

At some universities, concessions have been made to accommodate eagerlaptopusersandthosewhoaren’t too happy about the 24/7 web access.

According to the Washington Post article, Bentley University installed systems in classrooms that allowed professors to switch off Internet and e-mail access whenever they wanted.

Like others, management instructor Ron Schloemer wasn’t ready to allow laptops in classrooms. But despite being initially “very opposed,” Schloemer currently allows his students to use laptops in class.

“For those who are using it legitimately, it’s a great tool,” Schloemer said. “If they’re going to abuse the privilege, they’re hurting themselves.”

The three scenes that I’m in all have Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and Ryan Gosling.”Clooney’s visit marks a time in Miami’s history that students, faculty and community members will remember with the help of digital cameras and Facebook immortalizing the memories.

“In a heartbeat I would do it again,” Kereiakes said. “I think what makes it so cool is that I know I never will. It’s once in a lifetime you get to be on a set with George Clooney and three other big time actors. It’s just something that I don’t think will ever really set in that I got to do.”

police

continued from page 4 meant to focus on giving people a hands-on experience in order to understand our job better.”

According to Buckhholz, classes are normally half students and half Oxford residents.

“The type of student you see in these classes is one leaning towards a major related to this field such as psychology or criminal justice,” Buckhholz said. “A few have gone on to be policemen.”

However, Buckhholz explained people join for many reasons.

“I had two international female students from China,” Buckhholz said. “I asked why they chose this class and they explained that women would not have this opportunity where they come from.”

Miami University junior Erica Norman thinks it is really interesting that many different people (even those with an unrelated major) choose to take this class.

“I never really knew it was offered,” Norman said. “But I think it is a great opportunity for students who are curious about the way things work. It really allows people the chance to understand the police a lot better.”

According to Buckhholz, the Academy is a great opportunity for people to ask officers anything they want.

The Academy generates further interest in volunteering, Buckhholz said.

“Most internships last a semester long,” Buckhholz said. “But students can continue to volunteer for multiple semesters on end. It is a great résumé builder and a great way to set you apart from the crowd.”

Miami junior Jessie Rains thinks it is a great idea for people interested in having a career involving law enforcement.

“The job market is so competitive these days that it just seems so smart to take this class,” Rains said. “It just seems like common sense to take this course. It doesn’t last that long and it’s free.”

To learn more about getting involved with the Academy, contact Buckhholz at (513) 839-4781.

THE MIAMI STUDENT

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2011 ♦ 9

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For rent Single units available for 11-12. Roommate Matching available for 11-12. 513-523-2015 or www. parkplacerealestate.net for more info Camp Counselor! FUN and REWARDING Summer Job Opportunities in Cincinnati! Enjoy the out-doors while leading and teaching children recreational activities as a summer day camp counselor. Weekdays 9:30-3:30 PM. Positions include: basketball, drama & singing, gymnastics, maintenance, male group counselors, nature & camping, bb air rifle, soccer, swimming instructors (current life guarding required, WSI preferred), team sports and other activity leaders. Camp Session: June 20 ñ July 29. Pre-camp work available in May; staff training held 5/21 & 5/28 & evening 5/27. Cincinnati location near Winton Woods. Call Camp Wildbrook 513-931-2196 or email Campwildbrook@cinci.rr.com

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Sports

THE MIAMI STUDENT

TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2011 ♦ 11

Dateless ‘Hawks ditch dance for CBI

By Alex Butler Senior Staff Writer

With just 10 points at halftime, the Miami University RedHawks could have cowered and crashed. But that’s not what coach Charlie Coles teams have done historically and its not what the Red and White did Thursday night in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament.

After shooting 18 percent in the first half and overcoming a 20-point deficit, the RedHawks fought for a date to the NCAA tournament in the second half and forced two overtimes but fell short 82-75 to the University of Akron Zips.

“I’m so proud of our guys,” Coles said. “Guys were crying in the locker room. Do you realize how long that has been? I wanted to make sure they were real tears too.”

With the loss, all hopes of reaching the national dance floor evaporated as the RedHawks needed to capture the MAC tournament crown to get in the field of 68.

Senior Nick Winbush jump-started the comeback when his second half three-pointer made the score 34-17. An onslaught of RedHawk three-pointers and a pair of free throws by guard Allen Roberts cut the lead to nine points with just under 10 minutes remaining

COLUMN

continued from page 12 bracket blank (true story). My Uncle Steve picks his teams based on which mascots he believes will win in a fight: golden bears versus red storm, spiders versus badgers, you get the idea.

On the other hand my sister picks solely on team colors and has proceeded to beat me, a self-proclaimed bracketologist, the past four years.

The word bracketology is not just something invented by ESPN, it is an actual science, albeit a fickle one. In fact, Phoenix University recently added a degree in this emerging field.

The origin of the word comes

HOCKEY

continued from page 12 play, extending his point-streak to 15 games.

Just 16 seconds into the second frame, Miele skated in on Greenham’s stick-side, sending the puck bar-down behind the Alaska goaltender to put the ’Hawks up one.

At the halfway point of the period, Miele intercepted a pass at neutral ice while the RedHawks were shorthanded. Miele fed the pass ahead to senior Vincent LoVerde who stopped just outside the crease and jammed the puck in behind Greenham, putting Miami up 3-1. On the play, Miele tallied his third point of the game, his ninth 3-point game of the season.

With the RedHawks on the power play two minutes later,

BASKETBALL continued from page 12

Miami’s fight came to an end when Osborn tried to draw a charge call against the Eagles but failed. Eastern Michigan made its free throws and held onto the lead the rest of the game.

The RedHawks finished the game shooting 40.9 percent on 27-for-66 shots and were out-rebounded by Eastern Michigan 47-37. Osborn led Miami with 17 points and eight assists.

Osborn has led her team throughout the entire season, and ends the year with a total of 520 points, the fourth highest point total in RedHawk history.

Olowinski had 14 points, earning her 13th double-double of the season. Boyer also had 14

in regulation.

“To go from 10 points in the first half,” Coles said. “I wanted to sneak out the back door. But I told them, ‘we can make this a game.’ I still think we could have won that game. But we didn’t.”

The ’Hawks effort in the uphill climb was astonishing as they amassed 53 points in the second frame. After a late game fouling spree, the Red and White found themselves down 63-60, but it was the MAC player of the year snub Julian Mavunga that found a hot shooting Jon Harris for a game tying threepointer with just a few seconds remaining, sending the game to overtime.

In the first bonus period, the Zips (21-12) and RedHawks (16-16) went punch for punch before another late Harris three skimmed the rim.

Six missed free throws down the stretch from the MAC’s best free throw shooting team doomed the RedHawks as did two Zip three pointers ending any shot the Red and White had at going to the dance.

“Sometimes it’s better to not have to say anything to the guys after the game in the locker room because we left it all on the floor,” associate head coach Jermaine Henderson said. “We have to be proud of them.”

With a boast worthy non-conference

from the Latin bracus, meaning “a head to head challenge” and –ology, meaning “the study of.” Out of this comes the art of predicting the winners in each game. However, the harsh nature of this particular discipline means that even the most skilled doctoral candidates may fail to beat those who do not even watch a game before the tournament starts. But that is what makes this time of year so special.

So take a chance and fill out your bracket using whatever method suits your madness. Personally, I like Syracuse University, Brigham Young University, San Diego State University and Kansas University, but don’t take my word for it, I couldn’t even beat someone who picked teams based solely on their color scheme.

Camper sent in a shot and Smith picked up the rebound, finding the back of the net and giving Miami a three goal lead.

Head Coach Enrico Blasi liked what he saw in the second period from his team.

“One of the big keys in our game is to be a plus in the first and last minutes of each period, and Andy Miele scoring that goal right off the get go in the second period really set the stage for that,” he said. “Then to score that shorthanded goal and then the power play goal right away, that really helped the momentum go to our side and stay there.”

In a scoreless third period, the ’Hawks maintained their lead from the second for a 4-1 final.

“We played with a purpose, to get to Joe Louis (Arena),” Blasi said. “We executed when we needed to, killed a lot of penalties and played very well.” points and Almady had a careerhigh 12 points.

“We had a hard time finishing the game,” Fantanarosa said. “I felt like we played well for 36 minutes, but we didn’t put in the whole 40.”

The ’Hawks finished the season 11-19 overall. While not the season the Red and White had hoped for, Fantanarosa is still optimistic about what her team can do in the future. As she had said following Miami’s loss against Bowling Green State University Feb. 19, her team has been building this season in order to be a stronger team for next season.

Next year, Miami will have four seniors and two juniors on its roster. The RedHawks will meet this week to reevaluate their season so that they can go into the 2011-2012 season as an older, more consistent team and a force to be reckoned with in the MAC.

schedule that could be considered the premium in college basketball, Henderson looked back on the RedHawk résumé with a smile.

“I challenge anybody to look at that schedule and say, ‘you guys you got some losses where, what were you thinking?’” Henderson said.

Orlando Williams scored 16 points to lead the RedHawks. Mavunga had a huge night with 14 points, 18 rebounds and six assists. Roberts scored 14 points for the Red and White while Winbush netted nine. Guard Brett McClanahan scored a game-high 20 points for the Zips.

After the loss, the Red and White accepted a bid to participate in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI). The first round opponent for the ’Hawks is the University of Rhode Island Rams.

Tip off with the Rams is set for Wednesday, March 16 at 7:00 p.m. in Kingston, R.I. “We just need to find a way to pull off the upset,” Henderson said. “The upset that Miami has traditionally gotten; the upset that we need to propel us into postseason play. We certainly don’t hang our heads because we know we left it all on the floor.”

The Ram rumble will be the ’Hawks second CBI appearance and first ever against Rhode Island.

MICHAEL GRIGGS The Miami Student

Junior forward Julian Mavunga drives past Bowling Green State University’s Dee Brown Feb. 26 at Millett Hall.

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12

Tuesday March 15, 2011

How to pick a winner in March

HOCKEY

Sports

Editor Michael Solomon sports@miamistudent.net

NEXT GAME: 4:35 p.m. Friday vs. University of Notre Dame

’Hawks earn trip to Detroit

Brian Gallagher

Gallagher’s Going for Two All across the United States, there are three big weeks coming up that everyone looks forward to. No, it’s not wedding season, it’s March Madness season. That magical time of year when everyone in the country cares about basketball and for many it’s the only time they care. Thousands of people will fill out a bracket with the hope of winning the office pool or gaining bragging rights over their friends. With over 18 quintillion possible combinations of filling out a bracket, you have a better chance of being struck by lightning, bitten by a shark and winning the lottery on the same day than predicting a perfect bracket. So with such a small chance of “winning” why is this such a unifying time? While it does offer some of the best basketball of the entire year, people enjoy it because it’s so unpredictable. People love to see

The BCS might be rigged, the MLB playoffs give a team up to seven chances to move on, but the “tourney” is one-and-done. an underdog come out on top and in no other sporting event is this more on display than in the NCAA tournament. The BCS might be rigged, the MLB playoffs give a team up to seven chances to move on, but the “tourney” is one-and-done, losergoes-home, which no other sport can offer.

One thing March Madness has proven year in and year out is that there is no surefire way to predict a winner.

Everyone has their own method of picking. My friend Louis, a theoretical physics major, swears he has an algorithm that can predict the outcome of every game based on only 100 different factors. However, Louis placed second to last in our pool last year — which I should add involved no wagers or monetary prizes whatsoever (because gambling is bad, just ask Pete Rose) — only beating my 6-year old cousin who got distracted after five minutes and left half of her

wSee COLUMN, page 11

MICHAEL GRIGGS The Miami Student

Senior Carter Camper and his teammates celebrate during Miami’s 4-1 win over the University of Alaska Fairbanks March 11.

By Hannah R. Miller Senior Staff Writer

Following a first-round bye in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) tournament, the Miami University ice hockey team hosted the University of Alaska at Fairbanks in the second round at the Goggin Ice Center March 11 and 12.

Playing in their first games since Feb. 25 and 26, the RedHawks swept the Nanooks, winning by a score of 4-1 both nights. With the victories this weekend, the Red and White head to Detroit, Mich., on March 18 and 19 for the CCHA Championship Weekend.

“We’re playing great hockey right now,” senior Andy Miele said. “I’m excited for the team.”

Friday’s game featured physicality from both sides and Alaska’s tight-laced defense was able to slow the offense of the RedHawks.

The Nanooks got on the board first, find-

ing the back of the net behind Miami goalie Cody Reichard on a shot from the point by Bryant Molle.

In the second period, the ’Hawks lit the lamp, as senior Carter Camper found junior Chris Wideman open at the top of the circle.

Wideman faked a shot and then sent the puck in over the glove-side of Alaska goaltender Scott Greenham, tying the game at one.

In the third period, the Red and White came together, finding the offense that had eluded them in the first two frames. Senior Justin Vaive picked up the puck along the boards and sent a pass cross-ice to freshman Max Cook. Cook gained control of the puck, pulled Greenham out of position and found junior Patrick Tiesling for a backdoor tap-in on what proved to be the game-winning goal. Just past the halfway point, Miele extended his point-streak to 14 games with a one-timer over the stick-side of Greenham. With just over two minutes to play,

sophomore Reilly Smith notched his 25th goal of the season to solidify the 4-1 victory for the ’Hawks.

“Something we talked about is coming back when we’re down a goal or two and staying consistent and positive,” Smith said.

“Obviously that showed this weekend, and it’s a huge step for our team.”

Saturday’s start mirrored Friday’s game with Alaska scoring first. After a shot from the high slot was picked up down low by Scott Enders, Chad Gehon tapped it in behind Miami junior goaltender Connor Knapp for an early Nanook lead.

Ten minutes later, junior Trent Vogelhuber sent the puck to classmate Cameron Schilling as he entered the offensive zone. Schilling sent in a hard one-timer from the point, tying the game at one. Miele picked up an assist on the

wSee HOCKEY, page 11

BASKETBALL

RedHawks fall to Eagles in first round

By Melissa Maykut Staff Writer

The Miami University women’s basketball team’s 2010-2011 season ended Saturday, March 5 after a heartbreaking 82-74 loss to the Eastern Michigan University Eagles in the first round of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Tournament.

The 12th seed RedHawks got off to a fiery start against the 5th seed Eagles as junior guard

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Maggie Boyer, sophomore forward Kirsten Olowinski and sophomore guard Courtney Osborn hit three-point shots and junior forward Lillian Pitts made two free throws, putting the Red and White up 11-0.

With 12:24 remaining in the half, Miami was up 21-9, but the Eagles cut the gap to six at 21-15. The RedHawks held onto their lead, going on a 12-4 run. Going into the half, the

Red and White led the Eagles 45-30.

Miami’s fire from the first half was put out in the second half as Eastern Michigan controlled the first four minutes.

“It was like a tale of two halves,” Head Coach Maria Fantanarosa said. “First half we played great. Our defense was solid and we executed the plan well. But the first three minutes of the second half it went down

to a two-point lead.”

The Eagles went on a 15-1 run and took their first lead of the game with 14 minutes left to play.

The lead bounced back and forth throughout the remainder of the second half. Down by three, the RedHawks went up 67-64 with layups from freshman forward Erica Almady and junior forward Rachael Hencke.

wSee BASKETBALL, page 11

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