April 19, 2011 | The Miami Student

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The Miami Student VOLUME 138 NO. 53

Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO

In 1970, The Miami Student reported the Butler County Area One Court had tried 144 people in connection with a student strike and occupation of Rowan Hall. Reports also alleged Ohio Governor James Rhodes asked Miami University President Phillip Shriver to blame the riots on the Butler County Sheriff.

Sororities play bumper boats on river By Jenni Wiener Campus Editor

Ninety-nine years to the day after the sinking of the RMS Titanic, Miami University sororities had their own maritime mishap. Having a formal on a riverboat may sound like a luxurious evening of dinner, dancing and beautiful scenery, but for Alpha Phi and Gamma Phi Beta sororities the evening of Friday, April 15 turned into a wreck, literally. “We were told that because of the rain and the high water, the boat would not be able to leave the dock for formal,” senior Tim Hogan, an attendee of Alpha Phi’s formal said. “The boat was going to stay tied to the dock and we were just going to have formal there. We just got food and everyone sat down to eat when we looked at the stadium in the distance and noticed we were moving.” Hogan went on to say some people started getting excited that the boat was moving and they thought maybe the boat would, after all, cruise down the river. “About 10 seconds later, we felt the whole boat shake,” Hogan said. “The DJ came over the speaker and said that this was not a joke, this was serious.” According to Alan Bernstein, owner of BB Riverboats, one of the ropes that attached Alpha Phi’s boat to the shore broke because of the rainstorm and the height of the water, causing that boat to come around and collide with the boat that Gamma Phi Beta was on. The atmosphere was a little tense after that and Hogan

wSee SORORITIES, page 9

CONTRIBUTED BY JENNA CARLSON

April shower displaces Sigma Phi Epsilon house residents By Amanda Seitz Special Reports Editor

The rainy weather was not just limited to the great outdoors this weekend. Thirty-six Sigma Phi Epsilon (Sig Ep) members are homeless after the Sig Ep house was drizzled with water from a fire sprinkler that was mysteriously set off. Fire Chief John Detherage believes the burst fire sprinkler at the 224 E. Church St. residence may have been struck at one point, causing it to falsely detonate. “I’m going to guess that there was some type of mechanical damage done to the (sprinkler) head,” Detherage said. The fraternity is still waiting to receive a damage report from the state, according to Sig Ep House Manager Andrew Flannery. The sprinkler head sprayed water for approximately 10 minutes before it was turned off, Detherage said. Sig Ep President Matt Ressmeyer said there is no official damage estimate yet but the house’s insurance company told him the costs could climb to $100,000. “It’s looking like the sprinkler head was just a misfire,” Flannery said. “They’ll fix up finishing repairs over the summer.” Ressmeyer said the fraternity is still unsure of actual dates for repair. The timeframe could be a few days or all the way until the end of the school year. Only one fire sprinkler went off but leaked through several floors causing damage so extensive that those living in the house have been forced to leave, Ressmeyer said. Flannery said he has been trying to place each resident in a new living situation. The university has offered 14 barrack-style spots in Hepburn Hall and College Suites has told the fraternity that they will temporarily house anyone in need for $14 per night. “Everyone is basically camped out at our annex housing or in dorm rooms,” Flannery said. No personal items were destroyed in the flooding. “We were really lucky,” Ressmeyer said. “The first sprinkler went off in the hallway and it stayed toward the hallways. We haven’t found any (personal items) yet that were damaged from

SCOTT ALLISON The Miami Student

Andrew Flannery (pictured above in his makeshift bed) is one of 36 Sigma Phi Epsilon members displaced by an apparent sprinkler malfunction this weekend at the fraternity’s house (right). the water.” Detherage said although the sprinkler reaction was most likely caused by mischief, criminal charges or fines will not be brought against individuals or the fraternity. “No fines, they’re going to get enough,” Detherage said. “There’s going to be some significant costs in the drying process.”

ASG clarifies date Associated Student Government (ASG) Off-Campus Senator Elections will take place Thursday, April 21, not Friday, April 22 as the ASG website incorrectly announced, according to Tim Hogan, student body vice president. “We traditionally have all elections on Thursdays since we usually don’t have good turnout with Fridays, especially with this being Easter weekend,” Hogan said. There will be a link under the “Institution Announcements” on Blackboard where students can vote, according to Hogan. The voting will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. There are 56 candidates running for the 24 open off-campus senator positions, according to Hogan. On the ballot, students will be able to select 13 candidates, Hogan said. “The by-laws say students can vote for 13 candidates to try to avoid students feeling like they have to vote and just picking out names,” Hogan said. “We try to avoid uneducated voting.” Students can see a list of the off-campus senate candidates’ names at www.muohio.edu/asgelections. Reporting by Lauren Ceronie

JULIA ENGLEBRECHT The Miami Student

Visiting female reports rape off-campus

RETRIEVED FROM WWW.MUASG.COM

This screenshot of the Associated Student Government website shows the incorrect date for off-campus senator elections. Elections will be held Thursday, April 21.

A 22-year-old female was raped between the hours of 11:30 p.m. Friday and 2:45 a.m. Saturday at a residence on North Campus Avenue, police reports said. Police reports said the victim was visiting Miami University students for the weekend and after attending a party Friday evening with her friends, she went to bed while her friends went uptown. She later woke up with a man on top of her, police reports said.


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