The Miami Student Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826
FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 2013
VOLUME 140 NO. 51
MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO
TODAY IN MIAMI HISTORY In 1951, The Miami Student reported the announcing of a contest to take place at Omicron Delta Kappa’s annual carnival. Two trophies were to be awarded to the gentlemen who grew the “longest and most unusual beard.” According to the article, the bristly beards would be checked for authenticity.
Corpse flower is not dead to the university
DAMIEN WATSON THE MIAMI STUDENT
The ‘corpse flower’ attracted thousands of visitors to the Belk Greenhouse Wednesday. The flower only blooms every 30 years and can grow to reach 20 feet tall and 16 feet wide.
JANE STREETER AND VICTORIA SLATER
FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT AND CAMPUS EDITOR
A rare flower bloomed in Western’s Belk Greenhouse on Miami University’s campus Tuesday evening. Scientifically known as the titan arum, but more commonly called ‘the corpse flower’ for its unmistakable odor, greenhouse manager and botany professor John Keegan said it is one of less than 200 to have bloomed via cultivation since it was scientifically described in 1878. Keegan said such a rare feat will earn Miami a place in history among the likes of the Kew Gardens in London, England, the Botanic Garden in Bonn, Germany and the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney, Australia. Keegan described the flower’s odor, likening it to that of rotting mammals, hence the colloquial name, ‘the corpse
flower.’ According to him, the flower evolved to smell that way in order to attract pollinators and insects, which the flower then feeds upon. Keegan said the flower may only bloom for as little as 24 hours, but that students currently can still see its open petals. “The flower is still open, but it is dying down a bit,” he said. While the flower is in bloom, appointments to the greenhouse are not necessary, and Keegan said he just wants students be able to see the unique flower while they can. “The greenhouse has been open 8am [and while] it blooms, we will stay open until 10 to 11 p.m.,” he said. Junior Allison Norenberg expressed her excitement about the blooming flower. “The flower seems like a really delightful thing to take a walk to go see,” Norenberg said. “All my free time will be spent looking at
that flower ... I don’t get to smell rotting meat very often.” However, it’s not just students that should take the opportunity to see it while they can. This particular flower has been growing for over 12 years, and is drawing gardeners, flower enthusiasts and rancid meat lovers to the Boyd Hall Greenhouse for miles, according to Keegan. “We’ve had over 3,000 people in the greenhouse this week,” Keegan said. The flower can also grow to reach 20 feet tall and 16 feet wide, according to Keegan, and may be another reason why so many people have visited it. He said that the specimen, in addition to the attention it has garnered throughout the past week, has had an impact on the university as big as the flower itself. “The effect it has had has just been amazing, for both the community and the university,” he said.
Miami fires Fantanarosa as women’s basketball coach TOM DOWNEY SPORTS EDITOR
Miami University Athletic Director David Sayler fired women’s basketball Head Coach Maria Fantanarosa April 4. Fantanarosa had been the head coach for 15 years and had a 237-212 record at her alma mater. “I think first and foremost Maria did a really solid job here as a Coach and as a person she’ll be missed in this department,” Sayler said. “She has a great personality and really did a solid job as far as coaching. That being said, we’re graduating our kids, they’re doing well in school, they’re doing well in the community, but I don’t think we have to settle for just that. I want to win conference championships at the same time.” Sayler said he expects to compete for more Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships in women’s basketball. The RedHawks won just one conference title under Fantanarosa. “Its time to do all the things that Miami continues to do, but on top of that, yes, I would like to see us competing and winning MAC championships on a more regular basis,” Sayler said. “If you look back on the women’s side of our ledger; we’ve won 10 MAC championships in the last four years, so clearly there is a recipe here that works on the women’s side of things. But for some reason in basketball it just hasn’t been able to take that next step on a consistent basis as I would like.” The ’Hawks finished last season with a 19-13 record, going 10-6 in conference before getting bounced by the University at Buffalo in the second round of the MAC tournament. They fell to the University of Illinois in the first round of the Women’s National Invitational Tournament. For a team that was projected to win the MAC East, it was a disappointing season, Sayler said. “I think everybody was disappointed in the result,” Sayler said. “We were picked preseason number one in the league and when you end up finishing sixth basically, I don’t think anyone feels that we achieved as much as we could have this year.” Sayler said he is not trying to send any type of message to other coaches with the firing of Fantanarosa. “I don’t believe that there is such a thing as sending a message when
someone’s career is at stake,” Sayler said. “I think you make each decision that you need to make based on the decisions that are in front of you. If other people take that and extrapolate that into some kind of message, that is their decision. It is certainly not something I intended to do.” Sayler said he has already been talking with potential candidates and has met with about 15 of them. He said he has an idea of what he is looking for in a new coach. “We’re really striving to find someone that has a great track record of success,” Sayler said. “On the court, not only with the other things as a given, but also just of what they’ve been a part of as a coach. Winning programs,
MARIA FANTANAROSA
winning conference championships, going to NCAA Tournaments; those things are going to be important in what we look for.” Sayler said he would prefer to hire a female coach, but would not rule out hiring a male. “I think anytime you can hire a qualified female for the position, that’s what you’d prefer to do,” Sayler said. “But I do think at this point, and as critical of a hire as this is for us, we need to hire the best person. Certainly if they are female, that would be even better…” Sayler said he has high expectations for Miami and for the women’s basketball program. He also said he expects to improve Millett Hall. “I think along with doing some facility improvements to Millett, my long term plan is to have us in the top third of the league each year,” Sayler said. “Balls bounce funny ways, kids get hurt I understand you can’t win every year. I think we should at least be in competition to be in the top third of the league every year.”
International journalists stress the dangers of reporting in Russia BY VICTORIA SLATER CAMPUS EDITOR
A panel of five Russian journalists discussed the future of investigative journalism Wednesday at the Marcum Conference Center. Moderated by Director for Russian and post-Russian studies Karen Dawisha, the event featured back and forth banter from the esteemed journalists regarding both the growth and decline of journalism as Russia has conformed to Vladimir Putin’s arguably authoritative presidency. Putin is currently serving his third presidential term in Russia. He was first elected to the Russian Federation in 2000 and was chosen for a third time through a Democratic election by the Russian citizenry May 2012. The discussion began with background information from Natalyia Rostova, who focuses on human rights and conflict resolution at her news agency Slon.Ru. She explained that journalism in Russia is under strict scrutiny from the government, which controls and censures any news media that prints political opposition.
“There is more control now,” she said. “It is set over major news outlets but has now moved down to smaller newspapers.” As a result, Rostova said investigative journalism lacks prominence within Russia. “Investigative journalism is not prestigious,” she said. “These journalists are not paid well and are under a lot of pressure by the government.” Editor in Chief of Forbes magazine’s Russian edition, Elizaveta Osetinskaya, responded to Rostova’s remarks by contending that there is an evident paradox between Russian media today and that of fifteen years ago. “Journalism today is much more strong,” she said. “International media has helped to improve standards, new technology increases competition and there are improved ways to disclose information, like databases.” Freelancer for Bolshoi Gorod magazine and Esquire Russia Svetlana Reiter responded next, asserting that she is “optimistic” about the future of journalism in Russia, and expects a news database like America’s República will soon be
implemented, collecting money from readers and providing them with the most solid, credible information available in return. There was a tangible change in tone when Elena Milashina, recipient of the 2013 International Women of Courage Award from the U.S. Department of State, took the microphone. Milashina writes for the Novaya Gazeta newspaper, one that is highly regarded for its investigative work into social and political issues. Milashina’s fellow at this newspaper was Anna Politkovskaya, a journalist whose vocal opposition toward Vladimir Putin led to her assassination in 2006. Four of Milashina’s former colleagues have been killed on duty, she said. Milashina explained that her goal is to dig to the root of the truth, no matter what consequences transpire as a result. “We understand justice cannot be reached,” she said. “It is our mission to get to the truth.” Ivan Ninenko, deputy director of Transparency International-Russia and co-anchor of a weekly TV show that discusses corruption, argued that
in Russia, independent news agencies pay less. Thus, journalists are more likely to work for state news channels to ensure they are paid. “How much does a journalist value his independence versus his money?” he said. “To be a businessman in Russia, you need to have good relations with Putin.” Osetinskaya provided a certain level of backlash in response, maintaining that good relationships with the Russian government are not necessary. “You do not need to have a good relationship with the government to succeed,” she said. “In each Forbes issue, we publish stories about entrepreneurships without any reference to the state. These are real, difficult cases, but they can be done.” When asked a question by an audience member concerning a journalist’s ability to be independent but not in opposition to the state, Milashina explained this can be achieved if the journalist adopts a level of neutrality. “You can be a political journalist that is not against politics but against corruption,” she said. “When I do my work for my journal and my
newspaper, I just don’t take sides. I look for facts, I put them together and I analyze.” Osetinskaya left the discussion on a positive note, emphasizing that Russian journalists need to move forward with an optimistic attitude. “We need a positive agenda,” she said. “We need a position, some measures, things to do now. We can’t just protest everything. We need to live somehow. We need to fight for health care or pension plans. We need to fight for many things. We need leaders with positions that help us move on with this agenda.” Junior Morgan Hawn, who attended the discussion, said the most significant aspect she learned was how much journalism in Russia has changed over the course of two decades. “I think the most important thing I took from the panel was the difference between journalism in Russia 15 years ago and journalism today,” she said. “When I read stories written by a Russian journalist I will take into
RUSSIA,
SEE PAGE 4