August 24, 2012 | The Miami Student

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

VOLUME 140 NO. 02

FRIday, AUGUST 24, 2012

MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO

TODAY IN MIAMI HISTORY In 1970, The Miami Student reported that the Miami University Senate defeated an experimental program that would test the benefits of credit-no credit

grading options for sophomores. The program would have required volunteer sophomores to take an entire course load of credit-no credit classes. An opposing professor said that “The credit-no credit system will not work for a student who is eeking to distinguish himself.”

Two fraternities receive temporary suspension

by Lauren Ceronie Editor in Chief

Miami University has issued a summary suspension to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Phi Kappa Tau fraternities following weekend misconduct by members of the two fraternities who, reportedly detonated fireworks in the fraternity houses.

The fraternities will not be allowed to participate in any activities until the full investigation is over and all members will be required to move out of the fraternity houses, according to Claire Wagner, associate director of university communications. This includes 37 sophomore students who will have to live on campus due to Miami’s sophomore residency requirement.

“We have high expectations for students at Miami,” Wagner said.

“The allegations are very serious and we are disappointed that students would do this.”

The incident began the morning of August 19 around 5:30 a.m., when police were dispatched in response to a fire alarm at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house, according to Jon Varley of the Oxford Police Department (OPD).

When the officer reached the house, he saw fireworks being shot from the third story of the neighboring Phi Kappa Tau fraternity house, Varley said. The Oxford Fire Department was also present due to the fire alarm, but received no cooperation from members of either fraternity, Varley said.

“They flat out refused to cooperate all around,” Varley said. “Initially all police were looking for were fireworks. Unfortunately this had to become more than it needed to be.”

Because the members refused to cooperate, officers obtained a search warrant and proceeded to search the houses. Inside they found drugs, drug paraphernalia and fireworks, according to Varley.

Varley said OPD believes the drugs found in the house were cocaine and marijuana, but a lab has yet to officially confirm this.

The officers also found that fireworks had been detonated inside the house. When officers entered the house they found members of the fraternity asleep in their beds despite the ringing fire alarm, according to Varley.

“They could have ignited inside the house,” Varley said. “The real

tragedy would have been if one of the houses had caught on fire some of the people might have never gotten out.”

Although no arrests have been made yet, Varley said there is an ongoing investigation and he anticipates that charges will be filed

by OPD and OFD. Miami will work with OPD in its investigation, according to Wagner.

Shooting off fireworks is illegal in Ohio, as well as possession of cocaine and marijuana.

“This happened before these boys had spent even five minutes in a classroom,” Varley said. “The Greek system is supposed to set an example. I wouldn’t want my kids to follow this example.”

Phi Kappa Tau’s national headquarters suspended the Miami chapter of the fraternity Tuesday, August 21. Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s national headquarters has suspended six members from the Miami chapter.

Wagner said she was not sure when Miami’s investigation would end, but did say that the university will be investigating both the organizations and individual members of the fraternities.

LAUREN OLSON PHOTO EDITOR

DAREDEVIL STUNTS

Professional BMX biker Thomas Ohler shows off some tricks for students outside Bell Tower Dining Hall Wednesday, Aug 22.

FSB Dean returns $1.25 University deals with housing dilemma million in consultant fees

BY Jenn Smola Campus Editor

By Allison McGillivray Campus Editor

The dean of Miami University’s Farmer School of Business, Roger Jenkins, voluntarily returned $1.25 million in independent consultant fees he received from Thomas Petters between 2005 and 2008, according to a statement made by the university. Petters is serving a 50-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2009 for fraud.

Jenkins turned over the compensation he received to Petters’ court-appointed receiver without any litigation, according to Jenkins’ lawyer Grant Cowan.

“This was a good result arrived at without litigation that contributes to the receiver’s efforts to provide compensation to people who invested with Petters and suffered economic losses,” Cowan said in a written statement.

According to Cowan, Jenkins was unaware of any of Petters’ illegal activity while he was providing consulting services to him.

“As with many other individuals who provided services to Tom Petters and his companies, Jenkins was shocked and dismayed to learn of the allegations concerning Petters and his companies,” Cowan said in his statement.

In 2010, Miami and the Miami University Foundation returned

FSB Dean Roger jenkins $5 million in donations received from Petters.

Petters made those donations between 2004 and 2006 as part of a pledge for $14 million to the university. Miami only received $5.2 million of that $14 million.

It is common for faculty to do consulting work outside the university employment, according to Deedie Dowdle, associate vice president of University Communication and Marketing.

“There is, I would say, an extensive amount of work done by faculty, deans, and administrators in partnerships with corporations and organizations and you would find that to be true at most universities,” Deedie Dowdle. “And as long as there is no conflict of interest we encourage that as part of engagement, outreach, visibility of for the university and civic involvement.”

Pick up

With the largest-ever first-year class arriving on campus, Miami University is over capacity of students it can house.

On move-in day, the university was at 104 percent occupancy, according to Brian Woodruff, director of housing options, meals and events.

“We were more than 250 students over what we call our standard occupancy,” Woodruff said.

According to Woodruff, one key issue that led to the housing shortage was the large first-year class size.

“The significant issue that’s gotten us to where we are is just the large [first-year] class,” Woodruff said. “We’re very happy that so many people are interested in Miami, but it does cause some

situations that we have to work through.”

Woodruff also said a number of sophomores lost their approvals to live in off-campus fraternity houses, which also contributed to the housing problem.

According to Woodruff, students without housing assignments have been placed in rooms in Hepburn, Dennison and Dorsey halls, as well as in apartments in the Miami Commons apartments off campus and on a volunteer basis with Resident Assistants (RAs), who typically have single rooms.

RAs who took the offer were offered $200 per week for the period of time they have a roommate as well as up to $500 in fall semester textbooks, Woodruff said.

Senior RA Ramune Bartuskaite said she received an email in the summer with the

opportunity to take a roommate, and decided to take the offer.

As an architecture major, Bartuskaite said she is often out of her room and in the architecture studio.

“I know that I’m not in my room all the time so I knew having a roommate wouldn’t be a problem,” Bartuskaite said.

Despite some challenges, Bartuskaite said having a roommate hasn’t negatively affected her RA duties.

“I think it’s fine,” Bartuskaite said. The only thing that is kind of a challenge is keeping my door open [for residents],” Bartuskaite said.

According to Woodruff, the university is working to get

HOUSING, SEE PAGE 8

Miami changes on-campus parking policy

BY Kennan Belau For The Miami Student

Miami University has made some major changes to the parking options available to students.

Changes to the parking permit system include combining the green passes for graduate assistants with red faculty passes, and eliminating purple passes in exchange for yellow passes for all off-campus students, according

to Lt. Ben Spilman of the Miami University Police Department.

The yellow pass only allows students to park in the Ditmer and West Millett parking lots until 7 p.m. After 7 p.m., students with passes are allowed to park in any permitted area.

Students also still have access to the parking garages, but only on an hourly basis, with rates still at $1.00 for the first hour, and $0.50 for each additional hour.

According to George MacDonald, assistant director of parking and transportation services, the rates have not changed from last year, however, the semester pass for parking garages has been eliminated.

Another parking policy change this year is that all street parking is restricted until 7 p.m.

PARKING, SEE PAGE 8

The Miami Student

every Tuesday and Friday!

2

CAMPUS

Editors JENN SMOLA ALLISON MCGILLIVRAY

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2012

campus@miamistudent.net

New furniture fills Miami residence halls

By Jenn Smola Campus Editor

Some Miami University students moved back to campus this year to find brand new furniture awaiting them in their residence halls.

According to Elaine Brandner, Miami’s senior interior designer, new furniture was installed in six residence halls across campus over the summer as a part of Housing, Dining, Recreation and Business Services’ long-range housing plan.

The new furniture consists of new beds, dressers, desks, mobile pedestals, chairs, mirrors and wardrobes in halls where built-in closets have been removed, Brandner said. Dodds, MacCracken, Ogden, Richard, Stanton and the Miami Inn residence halls received the new furniture.

According to Brandner, the furniture was chosen after students, Residence Life staff, Purchasing staff, residence hall managers and the carpentry shop reviewed several options. The furniture was then put out to bid, and Adden Furniture was awarded the bid, Brandner said.

The furniture cost $1,135 per set, and the university took advantage of low interest rates to borrow money by selling bonds to pay for the improvements, Brandner said.

Brandner said the goal was to provide students with more flexible and residential furniture.

Students have the ability to adjust the height of the new beds, which provides more options for arranging the other furniture, Brandner said.

“Students have the options of all these different [bed] heights,”

Oxford-Hamilton bus route opens to public

By Allison McGillivray Campus Editor

Miami University partnered with Butler County Regional Transit Authority (BCRTA) to open its regional route from the Oxford campus to the Hamilton campus to the general public for a $2 fare.

The service remains free for students, faculty and staff, according to Claire Wagner, associate director of University Communications and Lt. Ben Spilman of Miami University Police Department (MUPD).

The change is an extension of Miami’s initiative to incorporate more environmentally-friendly practices around campus and in the community.

“Part of the university’s sustainability commitments include creating a sustainable transportation network that’s open to the public,” Spilman said.

Senior Peter Rampa, who commutes between the Hamilton campus to the Oxford campus, said as long as students are still able to ride the bus he does not mind that it is open to the public.

“I don’t see it as too detrimental because the option for students to ride it is still there,” Rampa said. “I think that any way they can help to get students to and from different campuses is always a good thing.”

Miami’s partnership with the BCRTA allows students, faculty and staff to ride the bus between Oxford and Middletown for no cost, as opposed to the previous $2 fee.

Miami had previously provided a bus service between Oxford and Hamilton on its own for $114,580 the new partnership with the BCRTA, Miami will pay $115,000 to operate the buses, according to Wagner and Spilman.

Spilman said while the university is neither saving nor losing money by partnering with the BCRTA, they are receiving more services for their payment.

The Oxford-Hamilton bus will make new stops at places such as Fairfield Crossings, where there is a connection to the Cincinnati

Brandner said. “Several pieces can slide underneath.”

Sophomore Kelly Hendrickson said the flexibility of the new furniture gives her more space in her room.

“I think I actually have more storage than space this year,” Hendrickson said. “I live in a triple and it makes the room even bigger.”

Students also have options in terms of their desks, Brandner said.

The new desks are “split desks” that can be put with the mobile pedestal to create a larger desk.

“If you want it to be larger, you have the ability to make it larger, Brandner said. “It’s a lot of flexibility for students.”

The new desk chairs also

furniture, SEE PAGE 3

ELAINE BRANDNER THE MIAMI STUDENT

New furniture with a cherry finish was placed in six residence halls over the summer.

University has successful fundraising year

By Kyle Murray

Metro, according to Spilman, in addition to extending its hours. Where the bus previously ran 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., it will now run until midnight.

The Oxford-Middletown route will run 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Rampa said these extended hours and more destinations will better help students to commute.

“As someone who hasn’t ridden the bus much before it’s good to know that the flexibility and schedule are something that will help me plan commutes in the future,” Rampa said.

Miami began discussions with the BCRTA Spring 2012, though most progress was made this summer, according to Matt Dutkevicz, assistant general manager of the BCRTA. The BCRTA does not receive any funding from local taxes unlike most transit agencies, according to Dutkevicz. Local money is typically used to help fund the operation of transit agency buses.

As a result BCRTA seeks out local partnerships.

“We are always looking for opportunities for folks to contribute to transit, so we can draw out federal grant money and provide services throughout the county,” Dutkevicz said.

The $2 fare is collected by the BCRTA, but they do not intend to make a profit, according to Dutkevicz.

“The RTA is a political subdivision of the state,” Dutkevicz said.

“We’re not in this to make money.

We want to provide good service to the Miami community and the Butler County community, and we think this is a good partnership.”

BCRTA is planning additional improvements to the bus service such as placing GPS systems on the buses so that riders can look up the position of the bus on their smart phones, according to Dutkevicz. Miami and BCRTA also plan on partnering on a route between the Middletown and Hamilton campuses. The

Bus,

SEE PAGE 3

LISA GEHRING THE MIAMI STUDENT

New BCRTA buses, open to both students and the public, have begun routes to and from Walmart.

Marks said.

These resources will directly benefit Miami students in the form of scholarships.

According to Marks, one of the university’s primary fundraising goals is to raise $50 million for scholarships over the next five years.

Brent Shock, director of student financial assistance, said he looks

a portion of the interest earned on these investments is made available to students in the form of During fiscal year 2012, Miami scholarship funds.

University raised over $33 million Shock said he is optimistic that during its annual fundraising camsuccessful fundraising will transpaign, according to Kevin Marks, late to increased scholarships, senior director of development for and stressed the importance of campaign services. The campaign these funds to the wellbeing of received over 36,000 gifts from both the university. private and corporate donors.

Sophomore Jessica Byke receives The numa merit scholarbers indicate a ship and said she 15 percent inwas excited to hear crease from last about he success “I hope we can raise even more, we want to keep year, which is of Miami’s fundpeople excited about the opportunities that increased a positive step raising campaign. resources provide.” towards conByke said the tinuing to imFarmer School of kevin marks Business, one of prove facilities, SENIOR DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT FOR CAMPAIGN SERVICES the beneficiaries of t e c h n o l o g y, research opporthe campaign, was tunities and reone of the main cruitment and retention of top-notch forward to an increase in available reasons she came to Miami. faculty and students, Marks said. scholarship funds.

“I think it’s awesome that they did Like many organizations, Miami “We saw a reduction in [the so well so they can help make Miami felt the economic impact of the 2008 2009-2010 school year] in the more affordable because it is one of global financial crisis. amount of scholarship dollars we had the more expensive public schools,” “It took everyone including Miami to award because the investments Byke said. a while to get back on its feet in terms earnings decreased,” Shock said.

Marks looks forward to another of fundraising abilities,” Marks said.

Over the last two years, available successful fundraising year and the Marks said he is hopeful that the scholarship funds have remained benefits it would afford. success of this year’s campaign will steady at around $6.5 million accord“Miami is very appreciative of the continue into next year. ing to Shock. support we receive, the gifts we raise “I hope we can raise even Shock said scholarship funds each year really helps to strengthen more, we want to keep people ex- available to students rely on stock the school and enhance the educacited about the opportunities that market performance. Endowments tional opportunities for today’s and increased resources provide,” to the university are invested and tomorrow’s students,” Marks said.

For the Miami Student

ASG cabinet members prepare for new year

By Tammy Atha

Senior Staff Writer

Though the academic year has just begun, the new cabinet for Associated Student Government (ASG) has been hard at work with plans that concern all students at Miami University.

Each member of the ASG cabinet has their own goals for their position. Some of the goals include: a revamping of Miami’s academic advising, ideas for larger and more collaborative student programming, new plans for student organizations concerning the Armstrong Student Center (ASC), and an initiative to get Miami students to vote in the upcoming Presidential election in November.

Student Body President John Stefanski has several plans for the new school year.

Stefanski stressed the importance of academic advising for students, especially for those who are newer to the university.

“When [Vice President] Lizzie Litzow and I were campaigning, we were going around everywhere and saying ‘how many of you actually had a legitimately good academic advising your first and second years?’ and the hands weren’t going up,” Stefanski said.

Stefanski said the “one size fits all” approach to academic advising is something he wishes to change,

so that advising is more personal and customized to the individual students’ needs.

Jonathan Wheeler, Secretary for Diversity Affairs, said he would like to see more collaboration between different groups for several reasons.

Wheeler said he believes student programs are done more efficiently when student organizations are working together in collaboration.

Stefanski has plans for student organizations concerning the ASC, which includes the division of student groups between the offices at Shriver Center and the new union.

“A lot of things are happening right now at Miami in terms of us looking to the future of this University,” Stefanski said.

Litzow has plans to get Miami students out to vote for the Presidential election in November 2012.

“I’ve been working on making sure everyone who wants to be registered to vote can be,” Litzow said.

Litzow has been working with faculty and student organizations like the Women’s Center to promote voter registration.

The Women’s Center and the League of Women Voters of Oxford will be providing voter registration 10:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday, August 27 on the front patio of Shriver.

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FURNITURE, FROM PAGE 2

provide options. The new chairs are on castors, but can also be detached and used as gaming chairs, with a base that be used as a laptop surface, according to Brandner.

These new chairs also replaced the old tilt-back chairs in 12 residence halls across campus, according to Brandner. Since many students tend to bring their own desk chairs, the university is working to replace all the tilt-back chairs on campus, Brandner said.

According to Brandner, new furniture will be installed as halls are updated.

“As we’re renovating we’re replacing,” she said.

The new furniture also has a darker cherry finish, which gives the rooms a “more residential” feel, Brandner said.

Junior Leah Hastedt said

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2012 CAMPUS she agrees.

“It definitely feels more homey,” Hastedt said.

Hastedt said she was surprised when she saw the new furniture on move-in day.

“At first moving in it was kind of weird because I missed my desk,” Hastedt said. She said initially she missed the shelving that went with the old desks, but has warmed up to having all the surface area of the new desk.

Miami also used the furniture replacement as a way to give back, Brandner said. Initially, the furniture was put up on a website for bidding, but when that process was proving unsuccessful, Miami turned to Adden Furniture. The company was able to load up the old furniture and distribute it to people in need in North Carolina where their headquarters is located, according to Brandner.

Hastedt said she wasn’t aware the

university had given the old furniture to people in need, but said she thought it was neat the furniture could go to a good cause.

“That’s another reason to embrace the change even more,” Hastedt said.

When you’re finished reading

The Miami Student,

3

BUS,

FROM PAGE 2

BCRTA already provides a route between Middletown and Hamilton but it does not stop at either of the regional campuses.

According to Wagner, the BCRTA buses are also accessible to people in wheelchairs.

Wagner is enthusiastic about the partnership and thinks it will be beneficial to Miamians.

“I hope people take advantage of it,” Wagner said.

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Editors OLIVIA HNAT Hannah Stein

COMMUNITY FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2012

COMMUNITY@miamistudent.net

Ohio law reduces voting time

By Rebecca Zemmelman staff writer

As the upcoming election approaches Tuesday, November 6, it is no secret that Ohio is going to play a very important role in the outcome. This past week, the Secretary of the State of Ohio, Jon Husted announced that every county in Ohio will have uniform hours for early voting, according to Deputy Press Secretary of the office of the Secretary of State, Alexis Zoldan.

There will be 230 hours of early voting offered beginning 35 days prior to the election.

Depending on the county, the recent announcement shifts when early voting occurs but does not necessarily reduce total early voting hours.

Absentee “mail” voting will also be accepted at that time, Zoldan

said. The order given by Husted is effective by law, and it is required that the Board of Elections in the 88 counties of Ohio follow suit, according to Deputy Director of the Board of Elections in Butler County, Jocelyn Bucaro.

be eligible. “[This process] is all for uniformity,” Zoldan said on behalf of Husted.

This new schedule excludes weekends from the dates available for early voting, and according to

“This is another example of how Ohio politics are among the most, if not the most, hotly contested and critically important in the nation.”

Logan Dick

MIAMI UNIVERSITY SENIOR

The hours are as follows: all polls will be open for voting between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays between Tuesday, October 2 and Friday, October 19. During the two weeks leading up to the election, they will be open between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m.

An absentee ballot must to be postmarked by November 5 to

Bucaro, the switch in schedule decreased the hours that the Butler County early voting polls would be open by six hours. Bucaro said she did not see this as a large problem.

Absentee voting is still an option for voters. Bucaro explained that it is not necessary to declare the reason as to which voters choose to vote early. Voters can either send

a form to their Board of Elections, which returns a ballot that can be turned in personally or via mail.

Zoldan also emphasized how easy it is to vote in Ohio regardless of the shift in the early voting hours. For the first time in Ohio, Husted decided to send every registered voter an absentee ballot application.

Logan Dick, a senior Political Science major at Miami commented on the political dispute that has come from the loss of opportunity that voters have to get to the polls early.

“This is another example of how Ohio politics are among the most, if not the most, hotly contested and critically important in the nation,” Dick said. “Every vote counts, which is why each party feels so strongly about this issue. I believe that we need to not limit but grant greater access for people to vote; it absolutely should be accessible for everyone.”

Oxford looks to attract more retirees Uptown updates

BY Olivia Hnat Community Editor

W R I T E R S !

Oxford City Council is planning to investigate how to attract more senior citizens to the community.

During Tuesday’s City Council meeting, councilor Kate Rousmaniere announced the Housing Advisory Commission will begin to look at ways to make the City of Oxford a more popular retirement destination.

At the end of the City Council meeting, Rousmaniere said, “[The] Housing Advisory Commission has talked about doing an affordable housing study, for some time.

And so we are in the middle of discussing whether or not we want to do an affordable housing study and include in it information on elderly housing. ” “A goal of the city is to attract diverse people. We want to find a way the city could attract retirees to Oxford,” Rousmaniere said later.

The Housing Advisory

Commission would like to study how developing housing for elderly in Oxford and promoting it as a retirement destination would influence Oxford’s economy.

There is an oversupply of student housing in Oxford. Seniors and retirees can be potential tenants and property owners, according to Rousmaniere.

In addition, because a large portion of Oxford’s economy relies on Miami University students that leave for the summer months, a higher senior population in Oxford could balance out the irregular economy.

“Seniors buy local, they are a steady population and attract certain services,” Rousmaniere said. “They are good community members.”

The potential conflict to the argument that more retirees in the area Oxford would be good for the economy is that they do not pay income taxes.

Junior Meryl Small said she recognized other drawbacks to the Oxford community that would

SOME WILD RENOVATIONS

not attract seniors.

“There are definitely parts of Oxford where seniors could live,” Small said. “I think if they lived close to campus they wouldn’t be attracted to the young environment. If I was a retiree I would not want to live by loud music, big parties and the unkempt homes that are typical of where some students live.”

According to Bailey McClellan, a senior gerontology major, senior citizens would be beneficial to the community.

“The first thing I thought of is that it would be another resource,” McClellan said. “Not only for the gerontology center but there would be more volunteers. It would continue their involvement in the community.”

Although the plan is in its infancy, McClellan said she agrees that it has potential benefits for Miami University.

“It would be a great way for students to realize there is a partnership opportunity,” McClellan said.

Richard Mandimika THE MIAMI STUDENT

Buffalo Wild Wings rennovated its interior and revealed it at the beginning of the school year.

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By Hannah Stein Community Editor

Oxford should expect some changes to Uptown this semester.

In addition to changing locations, new businesses will be moving in Uptown, according to Oxford EconomicDevelopmentDirector, Alan Kyger.

A new restaurant, Yum Yum Authentic Chinese and Carryout, opened on 24 E. Park Place this summer.

By the Ounce (BTO), the frozen yogurt store has now changed its name to Frozen Yogurt International (FYI), Kyger said. He said due to a split in management some branches had to change their name and the Oxford branch, located at 26 W. High St, was one of them.

A new coffee shop is opening on 21 Lynn St. This will be a custom bean-roasting store for coffee enthusiasts, Kyger said.

A new bar, O-Pub opened last week, Kyger said. O-Pub is located at 10 W. Park Place, adding to the many other bars in Oxford.

BlueTique, a new retail store, opened just this week on High Street. It is the fifth accessory and apparel store in Oxford.

Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt will now be moving to Uptown as well, Kyger said. It will be located at 9 W. High St. Moonshine Printing, originally located on Locust Street will be moving Uptown, but according to Kyger the building it will be moving into hasn’t been fully constructed yet, so when it moves is undetermined.

Kyger also said it is rumored there will be a Napa Auto Parts store out on College Corner Pike.

The store is a member of the chamber of commerce but currently has no location yet, Kyger said.

City Council discusses sidewalk repairs, summer drought

By Olivia Hnat Community Editor

Oxford City Council met for the first time Tuesday evening since the Miami University academic year began.

Mayor Richard Keebler and the council members renewed a resolution authorizing the City of Oxford to provide Fire and EMS services to Oxford Township, Butler County and Ohio.

The City Manager’s office updated City Council on the curb, gutter and sidewalk repairs of Oxford city streets. The city ordinance requires property owners to take care of those areas, while the city takes care of roads and trees. Council

discussed how the maintenance would be funded, and how taxpayers on the areas in question would be affected.

During the meeting, Michael Dreisbach of the Oxford City Manager’s office said, “We did assessments in advance of three projects in the city. Many people repaired their concrete on their own. There are only 12 parcels… that will face assessment. Should we pass the ordinance; the owner will have up to thirty days to pay cash for the work that is done on the property. Otherwise we will assess it to the county tax role and they will have five years to pay it off at a five percent interest rate.”

The assessments include

properties on Locust Street, Foxfire Drive, Tallawanda Road and High Street. Miami University’s Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Nu, on Tallawanda Road are two of the 12 parcels that require assessments for sidewalk, gutter and curb repairs.

The assessment determines the actual cost that will be given to property owners based on repairs needed to fix sidewalks and curbs.

The City Manager’s office also addressed the drought that is affecting Oxford and surrounding areas.

It assured City Council that water supply was not in danger of being too low.

“There is no need for restrictions,” Dreisbach said.

“Hopefully when fall rains come everything will get back to normal.”

The city had to tap into the Seven Mile Aquifer, located off the Miami River Watershed, to meet higher demand of water supply, after Miami University students returned to campus.

At the meeting, the Oxford Police Department also addressed Miami University’s move in week and reported the number of arrests for this year is at a three-year low. In 2010, there were 119 arrests, followed by 76 in 2011.

This year there were 72 arrests.

City Council also voted on zoning map amendments and routine budget adjustments.

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FRIDAY, aUGUST 24, 2012

5

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OPINION

Editors RACHEL SACKS SARAH SHEW

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2012

editorial@miamistudent.net

ESSAY andrew geisler

geisleaj@muohio.edu

Todd Akin represents an offthe-rails Republican Party

PATRICK GEYSER THE MIAMI STUDENT

EDITORIAL

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

Fraternities’ dangerous, reckless actions reflect poorly on university, student body as a whole At 5:32 a.m. August 19, fire alarms and fireworks sent members of the Oxford Police and Fire Department to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Phi Kappa Tau houses. Members of both fraternities face charges involving igniting fireworks illegally, possession of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The Miami Student editorial board expresses disappointment in the individuals who caused this disturbance. This incident is particularly disconcerting because it occurred before classes began, therefore setting a bad precedent for the Greek community already this year.

The extreme disregard for safety by members of these fraternities is also disturbing. As OPD Sgt. Jon Varley said in the article, officers found members of the fraternity asleep in their beds despite the ringing fire alarm. Had a fire started in the house, it is very possible members of the fraternity could have perished. Miami University and the Oxford community have already experienced the pain of losing students to house fires. The actions of

these fraternity members are at best foolish and at worst, their actions could have been deadly.

In light of the penalization of Sigma Chi last spring, fraternities and sororities should be more, not less, careful in their nightly endeavors.

Playboy Magazine recently ranked Miami University as the number nine party school in the nation, and while we all enjoy having a good time, our focus in school should still be on academics. Situations like this not only affect the individuals and fraternities involved, but Greek life as a whole; they also negatively impact the university’s reputation and the student and alumni body as a whole.

We are tired of bad behavior by certain members of the Greek system and we are tired of how it reflects on us.

We understand that not all members of the Greek community misbehave and that many members in fact give a great deal back to the community. But, as we have seen in the past, the actions of a few members can taint the entire system as

well as the university.

While the university has punished misbehaving fraternities and sororities, sometimes severely, we believe perhaps a change in university policy may be necessary to prevent more incidents like this from happening. The risk of probation or suspension has not been enough to deter bad behavior by certain fraternity and sorority members. The university could impose stricter punishments on individual members of the Greek community before their behavior gets out of hand. This might be a way to weed out members of the Greek community who are not role models. The university could also reward those fraternities and sororities that are leaders and that are role models.

Students in the Greek community should take greater pride in their position at Miami as role models, particularly for underclassmen looking to join such organizations.

To the members of Phi Kappa Tau and Sigma Alpha Epsilon, as well as the student body: remember how your actions affect the character of the university we all love.

When you’re finished reading

The Miami Student,

Perhaps the best illustration of the idiocy of current Missouri Republican Senate candidate and sitting Representative Todd Akin would be to list the multitude of prominent Republicans who have called for him to drop out of his race.

Suffice it to say Ann Coulter and Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown have finally found something to agree on this cycle.

Or maybe it would be to simply remind readers that Akin clearly was a worse listener in high school biology class than I was.

Which is pretty bad since by some miracle, I came away with a B-.

But all jokes aside (because this is no laughing matter), you have to be a complete know-nothing to actually say and mean that in cases of “legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try and shut that whole thing down.”

Akin’s comments represent the perfect political storm.

Not only were they politically untenable, they also don’t pass the basic human decency test.

Cue the outrage from both sides of the political spectrum. For once, they’re both right.

As many have said, rape is rape, attempting to qualify the act’s legitimacy is demeaning to victims, and everyone’s intelligence.

The loud response to Akin’s comments from party elders has been a positive sign for frustrated GOPers who view the Tea Party’s ascendency as negatively as Tea Partiers view Bush 41’s tax-raising budget deal in 1990.

But don’t take heart too early, because a constitutional amendment banning abortions and not protecting the right in cases of rape and incest once again found it’s way onto the Republican convention platform Tuesday.

And though most Republicans are generally pro-life (I am admittedly of this position), according to a recent Washington Post/Kaiser Family Foundation Poll, only twenty five percent say abortion should always be illegal - the position Akin espoused.

Mainstream conservatives no longer represent the heart of the Republican Party, and when people like Akin mouth off, it’s none more than a sad reminder of this fact.

All of this was somewhat avoidable, and it’s really due to the conservative movement’s inability to provide a coherent governing vision throughout the 2000s that we sit in this sad Tea Party infested space.

Instead of limited, efficient government, Americans have a conservative party that wants government in many of the wrong places and in none of the necessary ones.

Crass conservative political observers will be upset by the fact that all of a sudden abortion is at the center of the national conversation - a place Republicans interested in winning (myself included) do not want any social issue.

But maybe these conservatives should look inward and realize that it’s much easier to adopt reasonable positions, like being pro-life with exemptions for rape, incest, and the health of the mother, than to have to try and keep the fringe positions hidden in the attic while they yell and scream about the unemployment rate.

This is good short-term tactical politics, but its bad long-term political strategy.

Because at some point, an Akin comes out of the attic on accident, and independents - the people you need to actually win - who don’t want to pay high taxes, but aren’t for all that other stuff will see the party’s true colors and will not like what they see.

I’m not sitting here saying conservatives should become liberals and categorically support a woman’s right to get an abortion.

I’m simply suggesting a softening of an unnecessarily hard-line position.

Republicans need to be thinking of how to become more than the old rich white guy party.

In a country that’s changing demographically, this is their number one problem, and the Akins of the world do nothing more than compound this great problem.

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2012 OP ED

RACHEL’S REFLECTIONS

THE RIEGER REPORT JM RIEGER

RACHEL SACKS

London Olympics show the value of the media filter

Stopping the “I’m Sorry” trend I just do not understand most of pop culture today, what its purpose is, or why it even exists.

For today’s example of questioning pop culture, I shall be examining the popular saying, “Sorry I’m not sorry.” (Are the kids still saying that these days?)

So many questions are brought up in my mind when I hear this phrase.

Questions such as: In what “real world” situation would you ever need to use this ridiculous saying?

Do college students, or those who desperately wish to be back in college only use this ridiculous saying?

Do people realize that, “Sorry I’m not sorry” is a ridiculous saying?

First, you are merely contradicting yourself when you say this; it is the same as a double negative and nobody likes those. Second, if you are sorry about something that you’re not sorry about, why did you do it in the first place?

Which brings me to my real point, which is not to question the existence or meaning of this unreasonable, nonsensical saying.

Instead I am here to urge you, my young and malleable peers, to stop saying it. In fact, stop apologizing all together.

When I say stop apologizing, I don’t mean for physically or emotionally injuring someone, either accidental or completely on purpose.

You should not do either of those.

And for all intents and purposes, I am extending the context to all life decisions. Not just the ones you make Friday night at the bar.

What I mean is that we should stop apologizing for our actions, for our choices, and for who we are. We should not be apologetic for merely expressing the choices we make in life.

And ladies, this one goes out to you especially, for we are too often the ones most likely to ask for forgiveness or express regret at what we have done.

I truly believe that women are too apologetic, and this affects our position in society. If we are continuously apologizing for any and everything we do, how will anybody take us seriously?

Have you ever heard Michelle Obama apologize for her seriously awesome arm muscles? What about Jessica Valenti for writing too much about feminism? I don’t remember Christiane Amanpour, Meryl Streep or Hillary Clinton being sorry for the choices they made that led them to be successful.

Of the 46 gold medals won by the United States in the Olympics this summer, women won 29 of those. I have heard criticism about women in the Olympics being too strong or too masculine, including the allegations over Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen’s record-breaking win and drug use, but I have never heard any of these women say sorry for being dedicated to something they love and working hard to get to where they are.

Another woman not sorry for her choices? J. Crew creative director Jenna Lyons.

After a photo of Lyons painting her son’s toenails hot pink circulated throughout the media, Lyons simply stated in an interview with New York Magazine that, “that’s what we were doing: I was painting my nails and my son wanted his nails painted, too. I’m not surprised that he was interested in what I was doing.”

A son wanting to spend time with his mother- it was as simple as that.

Lyons does not go groveling to the press or the company she works for, expressing guilt over a potentially controversial situation. She merely explained the situation.

To establish our place in the world, stop apologizing. It’s like what Tina Fey said in Mean Girls: “You all have got to stop calling each other sluts and whores. It just makes it okay for guys to call you sluts and whores.”

Okay so maybe not exactly, but we have all got to stop apologizing for anything we want to do or have done. It just makes it okay for people to not take us seriously or walk all over us.

I am not sorry for writing this piece. I feel it had to be said. Next time, thanks to the wise tweet of Jack Black, I think I’ll explain why YOLO is ‘carpe diem’ for stupid people.

7

#NBCFail.

This Twitter hash tag defined NBC’s coverage of the Games of the XXX Olympiad during the first week.

Within the first three days, tweets using this hash tag increased from 212 to over 20,000, according to Mashable.com.

But despite the significant increase in social media users since the Beijing Games four years ago, especially on sites like Facebook and Twitter, the London Olympics was the most-watched television event in history.

NBC aired over 5,000 hours of coverage, the most in Olympic history, much of which was streamed live online, but then tape-delayed and aired in primetime.

This tape-delay created controversy where audiences often knew the results before the event aired, including a promo for “Today” showing the winner of a swim meet minutes before the event aired in primetime.

However, even these blatant spoiler alerts did not turn fans away.

NBC pulled in record audiences and increased their advertising revenue across traditional and digital platforms.

This included a 300 percent increase in digital ad sales compared to four years ago, according to AdAge.com.

Even in the age of aggregators and social media, the media is still relevant.

The ratings from the London Olympics clearly define the old, but new role the media is playing: the information filter for audiences.

With over 5,000 hours of coverage, there was no possible way for even the biggest couch potato to watch every event in the twoweek span.

And many viewers did not want to spend the time or energy to sort through and find the key events and the big names — they wanted it handed

to them on a platter, which is exactly what NBC did.

Digital media has created a problem and a solution for media organizations.

Audiences can customize, aggregate and find breaking news for free almost anywhere on the Internet.

But they cannot understand the significance or find high-quality coverage for free.

This is why newspapers, television and other media outlets will continue to exist, albeit in a different form.

Nowhere can you find indepth analysis of the latest political movement, economic trend or sports event than on traditional media.

Traditional media still filters relevant, high-quality content for audiences, and until people suddenly have hours to dedicate to finding relevant news, news organizations will remain important

organizations devote to covering the same breaking news — audiences can find that information anywhere for free, and this coverage simply segments ad revenue for media organizations, making it harder to monetize content.

But targeted, high-quality news and event coverage — i.e. the London Olympics — have built a new path for media organizations.

Tweets about the London Olympics increased by 120,000 percent compared to the Beijing Olympics, according to The New York Times.

NBC’s unique integration of digital and traditional media has shifted the industry, and other media organizations will soon follow this trend.

NBC took a risk few were willing to take.

Prior to the start of the games, there were actually reports that NBC might lose money

But despite the significant increase in social media users since the Beijing Games four years ago, especially on sites like Facebook and Twitter, the London Olympics was the mostwatched television event in history.

NBC aired over 5,000 hours of coverage, the most in Olympic history, much of which was streamed live online, but then tape-delayed and aired in primetime.” to audiences.

Major newspapers provide high-quality investigative reports, television stations provide succinct high-level news and NBC owns and streams Olympic coverage.

But the elephant in the room is how will news organizations adjust and target coverage to relevant audiences through tools like social media?

There is no need for the plethora of resources news

on the Olympics, even after paying nearly $2 billion for broadcast rights.

Instead, NBC not only made money, but also has opened the door for media organizations.

The Olympics demonstrated not only the significance of the media, but also how media organizations will continue to control and filter information, even in the digital age.

But that is exactly what the customer wants.

ESSAY ian joyce

joyceih@muohio.edu

I love everyone: reasons why maintaining hope in others is the only way to live While the originality of my writing is certainly lacking, I enjoy rocking the boat a little bit.

This is not a total down on Tuesday’s article by Sarah Shew, just my own spin on it, because I liked the premise but disagreed with some of the opinions.

I only have room to take up the ones I am passionate about.

So here is a short breakdown of the groups that comprise “the everyone” I love and why I love them.

1. Small Children. I love small children because they teach us hardened adults how little joy we have.

Children smile or laugh 300-500 times a day on average while adults smile or laugh only 15-30 times a day on average.

And if they are not crying or laughing, then usually they are indeed plotting the end of the world because they always tend to be blatantly honest with the truth, a word and practice our culture would

rather avoid because it can be politically incorrect and cause conflict (oh no!).

2. Females ages 18-23. I agree these girls settle for much less than they should when it comes to relationships.

But I love that there are women out there who are living lives that constantly beckon for boys to become men (shout out to my girl).

I have hope there will be more women like that, but let’s be clear, most women are hoping men start caring about something more important than their breasts and buttssuch as a confident, humble, serving heart, ready to dish out respect to men who are willing to dish out true love.

3. The elderly. The scientific “proof” behind old people smelling bad was said by the researcher John Lundstrom who conducted the study that it probably has more to do with negative perceptions of old age, rather than with the odor.

Oops.

And besides, who isn’t excited to be an elderly man or woman?

I long for the day when I can look my grandkids in the eyes with a Gandalf-long pipe, puff smoke rings in their faces, and tell

I love small children because they teach us hardened adults how little joy we have.”

them adventurous tales of “young Ian” as I pass down all the wisdom I have gathered from my life.

4. Adults. I love it when adults ask me intentional questions.

It’s like they’re interested in my life or something. It’s a

nice change of pace from a generation that overwhelmingly looks out for “numero uno.”

5. People who are in love in public. I hate when people make out in public; that I attest with.

But I find it quite pleasant when I see a couple holding hands while smiling, or even a quick peck on the cheek.

It gives me hope that students are out there who actually realize a relationship is more than a beer, a bar, a bed and a crappy walk home.

And I especially love it when I see a married couple doing these things, because it gives me hope that some people still believe marriage is a persevering, lasting covenant which runs deeper than conflict.

6. Males ages 18-23. While it is true that boys at the bars generally gyrate against other girls creepily, don’t tell me guys should be hated for it when girls wear skirts that seem to forget to cover some

essential body parts (even in January).

If women of this age group hope for respectable love, maybe starting with respectable dress apparel on a Saturday night would be a good place to start.

More specifically, I love: 1. People who are always happy.

Because the truth is they are not always happy.

Sometimes they are sad, but they are always full of joy.

Usually it is because their joy rests somewhere safe, hidden, and longer lasting than this life.

Instead of hating it, ask them why.

Because chances are, we are missing out on a weighty perspective.

These are the people I love, because these are the people who, when I look into a mirror, help me see where I am dirty.

I guess the real question is, if this isn’t us, then how do we get clean?

ESSAYISTS The MiamiStudent WANTED. is looking for essayists.

Email editorial@miamistudent.net for more information.

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2012

HOUSING, FROM PAGE 1

students out of temporary housing as quickly as possible and expects students to be out of the temporary housing in Hepburn hall by the end of this week.

“It’s completely our goal to relieve the pressure as quickly as we can,” Woodruff said. “We absolutely have just been working diligently to give these students…their permanent rooms.”

Woodruff said rooms will open up as the university determines which students did not show up this semester, as well as if students withdraw, transfer or leave to study abroad.

Though students are being placed in permanent housing as soon as possible, one male sophomore RA said he’s worried his roommate might be around longer than the few weeks he was initially told.

“They were kind of deceptive about what ‘temporary’ actually was,” he said.

The RA said he could tell the housing situation wasn’t good when even administrators appealed to the RAs during their August training.

“We could tell it was desperate,” he said. “They kind of put us on the spot.”

The RA also said that with residents frequently stopping in and out, he thinks his roommate feels like he can’t stay in the room for long.

“It’s a huge inconvenience for everyone involved,” the RA said.

While Housing, Dining, Recreation and Business Services (HDRB) and the Office of Admissions communicate about firstyear sizes, Woodruff said this year’s housing situation could lead to even more communication in the future.

“We do coordinate with them,

but it is true that we’ll be having even more discussions now after this year, about just how important it is that we do all work together,” Woodruff said.

According to Woodruff, overall students and families have been understanding about the issue.

“In general…we really have seen parents and students both being very flexible, very patient, very understanding of the situation,” Woodruff said.

Woodruff said the university is working hard to place students in permanent housing and making them comfortable in the meantime.

“It’s our job and it’s our pleasure to provide comfortable safe places for students to live,” Woodruff said. “We are working very hard to get students out of temporary spaces, and [for] the ones who are there that we’re making it as nice as we can for them.”

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PARKING, FROM PAGE 1

In the past, some streets would open at 4 p.m., and the rest of the locations would open at 7 p.m., but this caused confusion and led to illegal parking across campus, according to MacDonald.

“We made the 7 p.m. parking on the streets uniform to keep things more simple and hope this results in less citations,” MacDonald said.

The new policies have negatively affected junior Kaitlin Pizzimenti, who said she planned her class and work schedule around being able to drive to and from campus under last year’s parking regulations.

“I feel that the parking changes would have been received better if they had been announced when students were scheduling for their fall semester classes so they could make appropriate plans” Pizzimenti said.

However this was not possible as the changes were not finalized until August 6, MacDonald said.

Some students say another negative consequence of the changes is an inhibited ability to attend extracurricular activities

beginning at 7 p.m., or at least making them on time.

Junior Anna Hartman, said she was late to a meeting at 7 p.m. because of the recent parking changes.

“I made it to campus on time, but I sat in my car until seven because I didn’t want to get a ticket” Hartman said.

These changes were made due to construction and efforts to comply with Miami’s sustainability commitments, according to Spilman.

“We lost over 200 parking spaces due to the construction, and there are no plans to create new parking” Spilman said.

Parking and Transportation has opened up new areas to help mitigate the lost parking, but about 17 parking spaces were still lost for both blue and red passes, according to MacDonald.

According to Spilman, Parking and Transportation is also working on creating a sustainable transportation model, both financially and economically.

“Single occupant trips to and from class create congestion and increase pedestrian risk” Spilman said.

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SPORTS

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sports@miamistudent.net

FRIDAY, AUGUST 24, 2012 Andrew Geisler Going Long with Geisler

strasburg should not be shut down The Washington Nationals’ ace Stephen Strasburg is 15-5 with a 2.85 ERA on the best team in baseball, but due to his history of injuries (most recently Tommy John surgery last year), the team plans to shut him down after he hits 180 innings.

Strasburg currently sits at 145.1 innings meaning he’ll likely be shut down sometime in mid-September and miss the playoffs.

You’d really expect experienced baseball hands like Nationals Manager Davey Johnson and General Manager Mike Rizzo to be smart enough to realize what a ridiculously stupid idea this is.

In sports and life, it’s always comfortable to plan out a path and stick strictly to it, even when circumstances change. Consistency is often a virtue, but in this case it’s not.

The Nationals could legitimately win the World Series this year. This is a fact. They’re having one of those special years in sports where everything just seems to fall into place.

But Rizzo, Johnson and the Nationals medical staff still plan to spurn this stroke of luck.

They want to preserve Strasburg for the future. And they likely think there will be plenty of World Series in their future with the young nucleus they’ve put together.

You know, kind of like how the Dolphins figured they would be back to get the 49ers next time after they lost Super Bowl XIX with second year star quarterback Dan Marino in 1984. Marino played 15 more years. They never made it back.

But at least they went for it.

They didn’t try to protect their young star from injury and give up their special season in the process.

With Strasburg wearing a sweatshirt and spitting sunflower seeds in the dugout, there’s pretty much no chance the Nationals win the World Series.

Memo to the Nationals: this is sports. It’s unpredictable.

People get hurt. Especially people like Strasburg who throw a baseball 99 miles per hour on a regular basis.

This decision is nothing more than hubris of the worst order, and also goes to the heart of a basic problem with baseball today.

Managers and management have decided the game can be chalked up to a bunch of formulas you plug into a computer in an attempt to take emotion out of the process. But baseball isn’t math. And ignoring the human component like the Nationals are doing right now is always foolish.

I’m not even completely crushing the Moneyball approach; I like that Billy Beane tried something new because he had no money.

But human decisions can’t be based solely on statistics.

But there are no statistics backing the decision to shut down Strasburg, just a spineless brand of caution.

Baseball is a game of feel and instincts. It always has been and always will be. And if Mike Rizzo and Davey Johnson used their baseball instincts here, something tells me they would go for it.

There’s something special going on in Washington this summer and it’s foolish to act like it will ever be replicated again.

Strong receiving corps leads ’Hawks into 2012

MIAMI ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

Senior quarterback Zac Dysert leads a strong passing offense into the 2012 season. Dysert threw for over 3,500 yards and 23 touchdowns last season.

By Tom Downey Senior Staff Writer

Redshirt senior quarterback Zac Dysert and junior wide receiver Nick Harwell will once again lead the Miami University football team this season. The duo helped to combine for the nation’s seventh-best passing offense last season and the team will be looking to replicate that magic again this year.

“I expect the whole team to work as hard we can and to play for each other,” Harwell said. “Hopefully, we can make it back to Detroit this December.”

Harwell is the nation’s leading returning receiver after ranking fifth last season with 1,425 yards. Harwell caught 97 balls last year, nine of which went for touchdowns.

“We want to do our best as a team, but I want to try to match my numbers,” Harwell said. “I want to contribute to the team as much as I can.”

Senior wide out Andy Cruse will be expected to pick up some slack

with the graduation of wide receiver Chris Givens. Cruse caught 43 balls for 391 yards and four touchdowns.

Dysert threw for 3,513 yards last season and 23 touchdowns. He was also forced to use his legs due to the RedHawks’ struggling running attack, leading the team with 125 carries and tying for the team lead with four rushing touchdowns.

Sophomore Dawan Scott came to Miami as a running back but is now the team’s third and final starting wide receiver and has big-play potential. Scott caught only 20 balls last year, but averaged 21.2 yards per catch. He would have ranked second in the nation in yards per catch and would be the nation’s leading returning player in that category had he caught enough balls last year.

After ranking dead last in the country in rushing offense last season while starting five different players, the Red and White will try to find a more consistent running game this season.

“It is much improved, but we can

always get better at everything,” Harwell said. “It is improved a lot from what it was last year. I like what I see.”

Sophomore tailback Robert Williams III, who walked on to the team in 2011, will likely start the season opener. Despite never playing in a collegiate game, Williams ran for 98 yards in the team’s most recent scrimmage. Junior running back Erik Finklea, the team’s leading returning rusher, and freshman running back Jamire Westbrook continue to battle for the starting spot as well.

The offensive line loses guard Brandon Brooks, who was drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Houston Texans. However, senior center Joseph (JoJo) Williams said the offensive line will be improved this year.

“Last year it seemed like we relied on Brooks a lot,” Williams said. “Without Brooks, I feel like everyone is stepping up to the table to fill that void and competing every day. The competition is better than it was last year. I feel like we’re a much better line as a whole even though we don’t have that individual talent.”

Miami also has an impressive freshman class this year, which was ranked No. 1 in the Mid-American Conference by Athlon Sports.

“Rokeem Williams; dude is unreal as a freshman receiver,” Harwell said.

“Westbrook is working for a starting spot. He runs real hard. [Freshman offensive lineman] Brandyn Cook is already starting.”

Williams agreed with Harwell.

“Cook is really impressive,” Williams said. “He has a chance to be really, really good down the road.”

The Red and White kick off their season Sept. 1 with a trip to Columbus to take on the Scarlet and Grey.

Volleyball sets up for Thunder Invitational

By Jordan Rinard For The Miami Student

The Miami University volleyball team hopes to build on a season where it went 4-0 in the last four games of the regular season against Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponents en route to a 16-16 overall record and a loss to Ohio University in the opening round of the MAC Tournament.

The team made strides in 2011, sweeping both Bowling Green State University and the University at Buffalo.

Head Coach Carolyn Condit returns for her 28th season at the helm of the Red and White, looking for one more win to get to 500 wins at Miami and two more wins to get to 600 for her career.

The Red and White return nine lettermen in 2012 along with four starters and a libero: seniors Amy Kendall, Christina Menche, Lisa Treadway, Meg Riley and Madison Hardy, respectively.

Kendall had an ace/set ratio of 6.90, the highest on the team while Treadway had 1.56 kills per set last season. Menche led the team with 529 digs in 2011, Riley had 464 assists and Hardy had 529 digs in the 2011-2012 campaign.

Over the course of the offseason, Miami took a trip to Europe to compete with volleyball teams overseas and take in the sights and sounds of Vienna, Slovenia and Italy. The women faced a team from Austria, the Slovenia Junior National team, OK Sempeter and the Italian Junior National team.

“We had a great time in Italy and played really well together,” Menche said. “It was a good finish to our season and it will be exciting to see what is to come next year. Europe was also a good time to connect with other teammates

and explore different historical sites in Austria, Slovenia and Italy. All of our hard work and fundraising paid off along with the help from all of our donors and alumni. We are grateful for everyone that made the trip possible.”

Condit has also set high expectations for the upcoming season.

“We lose no one in the backcourt and the rest of the team will be improved,” Condit said.

“We need to be No. 5 or higher as we get into the middle of the MAC season as we begin to pull ourselves up toward the top of the standings. We finished seventh and I’d like to see us finish in the top four.”

The RedHawks open their season in the Thunder Invitational against the Jaguars of Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in Huntington, W.Va. Aug. 24. The Jags’ (15-16, 8-10 Summit League in 2011-2012) are led by a quartet of upperclassmen: juniors Moriah Fair and Alexis Meeks, along with seniors Bethany Fogler and Kelsey Hoefer.

Fair led IUPUI in kills in 2011, while Meeks orchestrated the Jaguar offense with an average of 9.94 assists per set. Fogler set single season records at IUPUI last year with career highs in solo blocks, block assists and total blocks while Hoefer was second on the team in kills and third on the team in blocks.

“Going into the first week of school we feel very confident in the two weeks of preseason practices we have had,” Kendall said. “Our court chemistry and skills have improved and we are definitely going to be a team to contend with this year. We cannot wait to open up against IUPUI and play our game. The first match of the season is always exciting and we are ready to take it to them.”

MIAMI ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

The Miami University football team is one week away from its first challenge of the year. The RedHawks will face off against the Ohio State University Buckeyes Sept. 1 at Ohio Stadium.

RedHawk golfers tee up for season

By Joe Gieringer

For The Miami Student

With September right around the corner, the Miami University men’s golf team is revved and ready for the season. With seven returning golfers and four incoming freshmen, the RedHawks have high hopes for the upcoming year.

Head Coach Zac Zedrick enters his second year at the helm of the team. Zedrick spent the summer preparing for the season at coaching and recruiting events.

“There’s a lot of excitement around the program right now; guys are coming in, there’s a genuine sense of excitement and getting started,” Zedrick said. “There’s going to be a lot of competition at home. The team feels good about the direction of the program and they definitely feel they have something to prove.”

Along with getting the team ready for another year, Zedrick also spent a hefty amount of his time recruiting. “[There are] recruits interested in Miami that fit the profile, that will help from a competitive standpoint

but that will also exhibit the commitment to excellence that Miami has upheld for over 200 years,” Zedrick said.

The players also stayed busy during the summer, playing in tournaments around the country to stay sharp. Junior Mark MacDonald notched a first place finish at the Columbus District Golf Association Amateur Championship July 26 and senior Brett Tomfohrde tied for third at the U.S. Open Local Qualifying Tournament at Illinois’ Schaumburg Golf Club in May. Tomfohrde said he and his team would use the momentum from this summer to achieve personal and team goals this season.

“I’d like to definitely up my green and fairway percentages, as well as lower my scoring average and just have fun,” Tomfohrde said. “As a team we want better results and lower scores, to have fun and enjoy college golf. I want to enjoy it as much as I can, as it’s the last year with my team.”

The senior also said that with Zedrick entering his second season,

there is less of a learning curve as the year begins. “[Zedrick] is more experienced now and knows what he needs to work with us on; he knows our game,” Tomfohrde said.

As the season gets underway, Zedrick is not dwelling on past failures and missed opportunities, instead looking at the new season as a fresh start with a new set of goals.

“I don’t look back in that way, because every experience can be a valuable experience,” Zedrick said. “Changes we made are going to make things run more efficiently. Things will be simpler and much more focused. Focusing on the day-to-day stuff and personal performance promote us being as competitive as we can.”

He also said the team feels they have something to prove this season.

“They’ve got a chip on their shoulder,” Zedrick said. “This program is better than we showed last year.”

The RedHawks open play Monday, Sept. 10th at the Marshall Intercollegiate Tournament in Huntington, W.Va.