Sep. 17, 2010 | The Miami Student

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

VOLUME 138 NO. 8

Friday, September 17, 2010

HDGS avoids cuts

By Erin Fischesser

In 1935, The Miami Student reported a new high in university registration. With the addition of 1,111 first-years, total enrollment at Miami reached 2,750. Just 10 years earlier, total enrollment was 1,556.

COMMUNITY

Morgan’s Canoe enforces alcohol rules

By Hunter Stenback Senior Staff Writer

While “cabrewing” — consuming alcohol while canoeing — has become a popular pastime among

Miami University students, it doesn’t go without consequences that could include a night in jail and a DUI. Morgan’s Outdoor Adventures in Brookville, Ind. has recently updated its alcohol policies to

News Editor

Many of Miami University’s Housing, Dining and Guest Services employees recently rallied in an attempt to stop a rumored outsourcing of their jobs.

According to Vice President of Finance and Business Serivces David Creamer, however, those concerns are unfounded.

“I’ve never initiated a conversation with a vendor,” Creamer said.

“We’ll go through some evaluations, but there is no decision made to give these operations to other venues.”

According to Creamer, if an effort to outsource jobs were being made by the university, it would be a very public and open process.

“No one has done anything because if we had it would be very visible,” Creamer said. “Once these things do start to occur, people will be aware it’s occurring.”

While several firms have reportedly approached the university with information, Creamer said it is not out of the ordinary.

“They do this all of the time,” Creamer said.

One of the companies mentioned by various employees of the department is ARAMARK, a Philadelphia-based food services company that is used at many schools across the country.

ARAMARK Director of Communications Karen Cutler said no decisions or official proposals had been made.

“There has not been a proposal requested or submitted,” Cutler said via e-mail. “At the request of the university, we supplied some general background information about our company and its capabilities.”

Still, Creamer did not rule out the possibility of cuts in the department in the future.

“We know that we have to find ways to operate in a more efficient way,” Creamer said. “A lot of (decisions) will take place as we continue to evaluate.”

Creamer believes the concerns of employees began when the Strategic Priorities Task Force released its draft report. He said some of the recommendations may have been misunderstood and many employees may not have read the report themselves, which may have contributed to misinformation circulating across campus.

Many student employees who work in dining halls and markets

wSee HDGS, page 5

City allows Sigma Chi to remain in fraternity house

By Taylor Dolven Senior Staff Writer

Sigma Chi has been given another chance.

A meeting held Tuesday decided the fraternity gets to keep their conditional use permit and continue living in their house.

Oxford city law states if a fraternity is no longer in good standing with the university, the city has the right to revoke its conditional use permit and therefore its right to live in the house, according to Susan Kay, chair of the Oxford Planning Commision.

On Monday, Kay said she could not see any reason to keep the permit in place and predicted a unanimous vote against the fraternity.

“It’s pretty much a done deal,” Kay said.

Yet Sigma Chi will keep their house.

Mayor Richard Keebler opposed taking action against Sigma Chi. “I don’t think we have anything here,” he said.

He described Sigma Chi’s

condition as a “simple suspension” and said he would not feel comfortable revoking the permit.

City council member Richard Daniels agreed.

“Doing nothing is the best action,” he said.

After rewording the motion five times, the commission decided Sigma Chi is now on “notice,” which means any future offenses will result in another meeting to discuss the possible revocation of their living permit.

President of Sigma Phi Epsilon Matt Frazier said he thought the lack of action was inappropriate.

“I think the city and the university really dropped the ball,” he said.

Frazier was part of a group of university and city members that helped create the living permit law. He said the bill was written in order to keep fraternities from operating underground without the permission of the university.

“They aren’t being harsh enough,” he said. “They’re talking the talk, but not walking the walk.”

Council member David Prytherch

THE

EMILY ESPOSITO The Miami Student

Sigma Chi, located on Sycamore Street, was founded at Miami in 1855. voted against the motion.

“The city staff is being sympathetic,” he said. “Fraternities need to know that a lot rides on their behavior.”

Representation from Sigma Chi was not present at the meeting and

WHAT’S YOUR SIGN?

Beginning this month, you’ll be able to get your horoscope, only in Amusement.

AMUSEMENT, page 7

GOTCHYA!

Though crime in Butler County has increased, Oxford specifically hasn’t seen any changes.

COMMUNITY, page 4

HOMECOMING

Soccer and field hockey will be playing at home this weekend for the first time this season.

Sat

ONLY

u

WWW.MIAMISTUDENT.NET SPORTS: CROSS COUNTRY The team heads to Michigan in an effort to continue their success.

An aquifer below the Great Miami River in Hamilton could bring new jobs to the area.

SUGA SUGA

Get the real scoop on Aspertame.

POLL: NEW BAR

FEATURE, page 6

87 q 56

wSee FRATERNITY, page 11

COMMUNITY: DRINK FRESH

SWEET SUITES

COMMUNITY, page 4

declined to comment.

Jay Bennettt, representation for the fraternity, wrote the commission a letter stating that it would be unlawful to revoke the permit because

SPORTS, page 12

CAMPUS, page 2

p

wSee CANOEING, page 5

CAMPUS

BACK ’N FORTH

College Suites will most likely be on the market ... soon.

prevent customers from going overboard while enjoying an afternoon on the Whitewater River.

According to Vice President and General Manager Gary Morgan, posted signs and more communication from staff are now necessary to combat the rise in excessive alcohol use on the premises.

“Our policy regarding alcohol is one that we feel we legally need to state, so that if there are any problems with people bringing alcohol, then we’ve at least stated our policy,” Morgan said.

“In reality we do not promote alcohol on the river, but we’re not the law enforcement agency that is in control of that. We control it ourselves through signage and informing people of our rules and regulations.”

Morgan said the need for more regulation is the result of the increased potential for liability and because of bad experiences with inebriated customers in the past.

“We’re doing this mainly for the safety of our customers, but we also have to take on the liability,” Morgan said. “It’s just like if you have a house party and people get intoxicated and they go driving down the road and they injure somebody or themselves, the person that hosted the party on private property and opened the door to the drinking is liable.”

Morgan said he finds the most effective way to combat risky behavior is to inform customers of the potential consequences they may face out on the river.

“We advise people to the reality of the rules

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

INSIDESCOOP

Miami University Office of Admission is beginning to target more transfer students.

MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO

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What do you think about a potential name change for new bar, The Wood’s?

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Campus

Friday

September 17, 2010

Editors Stephen Bell Courtney Day Amanda Seitz campus@miamistudent.net

NEWS MU cuts upperclass housing BRIEFS

By Kelley Horner

For the Miami Student

FYI Ecologist to lecture on landscape destruction Rutgers University professor of ecology, evolution and natural resources Steven Handel will speak Sept. 21.

Handel works as the director for the Center for Urban Restoration Ecology Handel works as a plant ecologist to restore damaged landscapes including the Kills landfill.

His free lecture, Can We Restore Nature Where We Live and Work?, focuses on environmental restoration.

Handel will discuss topics including destructive practices that have contributed to the suffering of wetlands, forests and lakes.

Handel will speak at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 21 in 128 Pearson Hall as part of the Gene and Carol Willeke Frontiers in Environmental Science Lecture Series.

Upperclassmen thinking about living on campus might want to think again.

Customarily Miami University has always allowed 1,000 upperclassmen, including junior and senior students, to live in residence halls.

However, for the 2011-2012 school year, the university is nearly cutting this in half.

“There will only be a specified number of beds available for next year’s third and fourthyear students,” Miami’s housing website said.

The reason for this change is the second-year requirement for living on campus put into place last year, according to Larry Fink, assistant vice president of housing.

The incoming first-year class of 2015 is projected to be around 3,400 students, with 2,800 rising second-year students, according

Students must register internet gaming devices As of Sept. 10, students are no longer able to access the Internet with unregistered gaming devices.

IT Services removed filters on residential networks that allowed gaming devices like Xbox 360, Wii and PSP to bypass network security.

Miami’s primary network defense component, CCA, malfunctioned earlier this year, causing problems with wireless service. However, CISCO and IT Services said the problems have been fixed. The CCA system aids Miami’s network in virus prevention and identity protection in addition to network attacks.

Students can register gaming devices through their BlackBoard homepage. For any questions or electronic support, contact the IT Services Support Desk at ITHelp@ muohio.edu or (513) 529-7900.

upperclassmen will have their own bathrooms and larger rooms,” Fink said.

Fink said students will be notified when they sign up for a 2011-2012 residence hall of the shortage in beds for juniors and seniors.

Additional information is posted on the housing website and in housing brochures.

Residence hall availability will be on a first come, first serve basis, Fink said.

Junior Zoe Hesp is not worried about finding a room for her senior year.

“I’m not going to have any problems next year getting a room since I’m actually staying in the same room as this year,” Hesp said.

However, Hesp said she is not a fan of the cutback in junior and senior residence halls.

“I think it’s unfair to upperclassmen that want to live on campus,” Hesp said. “...they’ve been the ones that have stuck

it out the longest and are the ones that really do want to live on campus.”

First-year Christina Penza said she is worried about the changes.

“I would like the chance to live on campus junior and senior year in case I couldn’t find somewhere to live off campus,” Penza said.

“This change will make it more difficult for me to get a room on campus in two years.”

According to the housing website, general room selection will begin for upperclassmen halls and Heritage Commons in October.

Applications for upperclass housing can be found on the Miami housing website at www. muohio.edu/housing.

Fink does not think the room selection process has any problems in store for Miami despite the shortage of junior and senior beds.

“We don’t anticipate having any problems,” Fink said. “The students have seemed to accept the terms.”

Miami targets transfer students Technology

Scholarship honors past MU football coach A scholarship to honor Miami University’s all-time winningest head football coach, Randy Walker ’76 has been made by Tammy Weikert Walker ’75. The private gift was given to Miami University’s department of intercollegiate athletics and Miami football.

The gift has also help to establish the Randy and Tammy Walker Endowed Football Scholarship. The scholarship will provide annual help to at least one Miami football student athlete.

The Walker family, including Tammy and Randy Walker, will be honored after the first quarter of the Colorado State University home football game on Saturday at Yager Stadium.

For more information about the Randy and Tammy Walker Endowed Football Scholarship, contact Jude Killy, director of development at 513-529-0343 or killyja@muohio.edu

to the Strategic Priorities Task Force, Fink said.

Although this year’s class was 3,650 students, Fink said the expected decrease in secondyears next year will be because of students transferring or not coming back.

“We plan on moving forward with the halls and are planning on keeping the same number of beds,” Fink said.

The plan the university has set up for the upperclassmen leaves residence halls for juniors and seniors open in Clawson, Hahne, Hepburn, Ogden, Porter, Scott, Swing, Bishop, Stoddard and Elliot halls as well as Heritage Commons, according to Fink. Fink said there will be a new option for juniors and seniors that may live on campus next academic year.

The Miami Inn will be made into a residence hall, creating around 100 more beds. The renovation of the hotel is expected to be complete in fall 2012.

“The plus-side to this is that

By Taylor Dolven Senior Staff Writer

Miami University is working to become more transfer-friendly.

Through building relationships with Ohio community colleges, the Office of Admission hopes to attract and enroll even more transfer students.

The State University System of Ohio has urged state institutions to work together to make it easier for students to attend and graduate from Ohio universities, according to Brian Jicinsky, assistant director and transfer coordinator for office of admission.

Although Miami welcomes both in-state and out-of-state students, the admissions office is targeting certain type of colleges.

“We have worked hard to

create pathways and develop relationships with Ohio community colleges,” said Kathy Pruckno, senior associate director for strategic recruitment via e-mail.

These pathways are strengthened through Miami offering specific scholarships, curriculum guidelines and assistance with transfer credits and course selections, Jicinsky said.

Channing Ahbe, a third-year transfer student from the University of Vermont, said Miami did a good job of helping her transition to the university. She was part of the transfer student living learning community.

“Putting all the transfer students in one dorm was a big time help,” she said.

Recruiting transfer students is different than recruiting first-year students, especially in this digital

Music to my ears

ALLISON BACKOVSKI The Miami Student

First-year Josh Durham spends free time between classes Wednesday practicing guitar in front of the Center for Performing Arts.

age, Jicinsky said via e-mail.

“Students often shop schools by going to the Web, which makes it difficult to know who and why they are thinking about transferring,” Jicinsky said via e-mail.

While it is hard to target transfer students from other universities, office of admission sends them information and invitations to visit once they receive a transfer form.

“We recruit students by visiting and developing relationships with community colleges, attending transfer fairs, (sending) targeted mailings and communication, a robust web presence, scholarships, offering prospective transfer student visit days on campus (and) a transfer student organization,” Jicinsky said.

Ahbe remembered receiving information packets and e-mails once Miami knew that she was interested in transferring. But what draws students from other universities to Miami? According to the admissions office, most transfer students come from other four-year schools.

Ahbe was attracted to the big school atmosphere, the small town feel and the business school.

“I like that it offers so many activities,” she said.

She is already involved with water skiing, club hockey and intramural hockey. The rise in transfer student numbers has to do with a bigger plan to enhance diversity at Miami.

“Transfer students bring diversity of thought and different experiences to the campus community, which enhances the overall experience for all students,” Jicinsky said.

park offers job opportunities

By Courtney Day Campus Editor

A $3.5 million site development grant from the Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) was announced this summer, marking a turning point in the Miami Heritage Technology Park (MHTP) project.

The technology park is something Miami University alumnus and MHTP director Todd Dockum has been working on for six years.

“The vision of the technology park is primarily centered on working with Miami to commercialize the intellectual property at Miami,” Dockum said.

Dockum said student engagement is one of the pillars of the project. He hopes to see students working on internships and helping with research.

He envisions cross-departmental research and business opportunities.

“The possibilities are really endless,” Dockum said.

First-year Kaitlin Pizzimenti said she thinks research and internship experience is important.

“College is preparing us to get out there, so to have that opportunity would be a great idea,” she said.

Pizzimenti said she knows upperclassmen who have been offered jobs after having these types of real world opportunities during college.

Dockum comes from a Miami family. His grandparents, mother, aunts and uncles all went to Miami and Todd received his MBA from Miami in 1988. The MHTP site has been in the family since 1951. His mother, who

wSee PARK, page 5

Miami alumna publishes third teenage novel in series Amy Wilkins For The Miami Student

Miami University alumna Laura L. Smith has written a new book in her series that was released Sept. 15.

Angry, the third novel in her series, follows the story of a teenager named Emma through the struggle and drama of her parents’ divorce.

The series of books, beginning with Skinny, published in 2008, follows the same group of five high school girls, with each book following the story of a different girl.

Smith said she chose to stick with the same five main characters so that her target audience, girls between the ages of 13 and 23, would come to think of the characters as friends, each with her own unique personality, ideally to help the tales resonate with readers experiencing different life situations.

Smith has chosen difficult topics like eating disorders, peer pressure and divorce because she believes these difficult issues are directly related to teens.

The topic of divorce, the focus of Angry is very near to Smith’s heart, and was her inspiration for writing Emma’s story. Her own parents separated while she was in high school and divorced just three years ago.

“I notice that these students (of divorced parents) are very tentative in engaging in relationships, even with professors, especially if it (parental divorce) happens close to the college years,” said Leonard Mark, professor of psychology. “It makes an indelible impact.”

Writing the book was cathartic for Smith, and she believes the current divorce rate, which hovers around 50 percent, leaves many kids feeling alone because their family is their whole world and divorce is

devastating to them.

“I have seen divorce greatly affect my friends,” Miami first-year Aaron Hudson said. “It was an incredibly damaging experience to them because they care for their parents so much and they cannot escape the fear that the same will happen to them in their future relationships.”

Smith encourages students to turn to a support network for help, just to have someone to lean on during this difficult period in their life.

“Divorce is so painful and there are so many emotions that you just can’t do it on your own,” she said.

Smith’s books all contain a Christian message of finding courage and strength during difficult times, and Smith herself is reassured of God’s peace through her characters’ discovery of serenity and comfort.

Smith said marketing makes the writing

process a very personal experience, enabling her to really connect with her readers, some of whom have become dear friends.

To aspiring writers Smith offers the advice to submit writing to popular and literary magazines and to develop portfolio of published writing in order to work up to submitting work to a larger publishing house.

Smith will speak Sept. 30 at the Miami University Art Museum to discuss the writing process.

Smith said she is also available and would love to speak to groups on campus, as she did last year during the Truth and Beauty Banquet sponsored by IDEA. She has also spoken to Miami sororities, high school students and various youth groups.

More information about Smith and her books can be found on her website, laurasmithauthor.com, and she can also be found on Facebook and Twitter.

THE MIAMI STUDENT

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“THE ORIGINAL MULTI-SITE SUMMER BUSINESS IN EUROPE PROGRAM – NOW IN ITS SIXTEENTH YEAR�

SUMMER 2011 MULTI-SITE BUSINESS IN EUROPE PROGRAM May 10 - June 4 Offered and taught by Professors Thomas M. Porcano (529-6221) and Wayne Staton (5237722) through the University of Louisville Base Cities: London, Paris, Munich, Lauterbrunnen, Athens, and Poros Field Trips: Numerous Courses: ACCT 490 – International Accounting - Equivalent to MU’s ACC 383 CLAW 490 – International Law - Equivalent to MU’s BLS 464 Six credit hours

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ALL MAJORS WELCOME!

4

Friday

September 17, 2010

Community

Editor Kelsey Bishop community@miamistudent.net

College Suites owner to change

By Bethany Bruner Senior Staff Writer

Male throws phone at ex-girlfriend At 9 p.m. Wednesday, officers met with a Miami University junior who said she had been nearly struck by a cell phone thrown by her exboyfriend after a dispute.

The female reportedly told police a series of incidents occurred after she ended their relationship earlier in the day.

The male reportedly made several threats both directly and indirectly through text messaging and Facebook.

The male reportedly threw his phone at her because he was upset.

The female said she was just documenting the incident and did not want to press charges.

Suspicious male walks into student’s home At 12 p.m. Tuesday, officers met with a Miami University junior who reported an unknown male in his mid-fifties with a scruffy face came to her door asking about some recent repairs to her house.

She reportedly asked the male if he was going to fix the other problems she had reported to Oxford Real Estate. He reportedly appeared to know what she was talking about, so she let him in the house.

As she was showing him some of the problems, he reportedly came into her bedroom. The female student reportedly left the room first and he followed a short time after her.

Once the male left, the student reportedly noticed her cell phone and iPod were missing from her bedroom. She reportedly searched her entire room and could not find either of the items. She reportedly called the phone several times, but it was turned off.

The male’s vehicle was reportedly a green sedan with a heavyset male with a white mustache behind the wheel.

Sophomore reports missing trees At around 3:15 p.m. Friday, Sept. 10, officers met with a Miami University sophomore on behalf of his fraternity.

The student reportedly told police that two trees in the front yard of the house at 224 E. Church St. had been cut down sometime between 3 a.m. and 9 a.m. that morning.

According to police reports, there was sawdust at the base of each tree indicating the use of a hacksaw.

No other damage was reported at the property and there are no suspects in the case.

College Suites will not be going anywhere soon, but the ownership of the property may be changing.

Oxford Economic Development Director Alan Kyger said College Suites has moved into a receivership because the previous owners were not able to meet their financial obligations.

Legally, a receivership is when

a third party takes over a property and manages the property to help recover funds and help to market the property for potential buyers.

The idea behind having a receivership in place is that another buyer can come in and purchase the property and then make it profitable again, according to Kyger.

Court documents filed with the Butler County Clerk of Courts show that realty company OXO1, GP LLC, as the

Violent crime rate increases in county

By Leslie Scott Staff Writer

Throughout 2010, the rate of violent crime has been increasing within Butler County. However, Oxford has not seen this increase occur.

Sgt. Jim Squance of the Oxford Police Department (OPD) said Oxford has never had a problem with violence.

“I have been (in Oxford) for 32 years and the violent crimes that have occurred are few and far between,” Squance said.

There are very few FBI-classified part one crimes in Oxford, Squance said. A part one crime includes issues such as robbery, rape, sexual assault, homicide and any type of felonious assault.

“It is hard to say why Oxford hasn’t seen an increase,” Squance said. “One reason might be because we’re in a rural area and it is hard to get in and out of town quickly due to a lack of nearby interstates.”

Miami junior Becky Goldstein agreed that Oxford is much more isolated, which means it doesn’t see as much crime as other areas.

“Not only is it a small town, but this town is fueled by the college community,” Goldstein said. “I think one of the major reasons we see increased crime is due to a poor economy and Oxford hasn’t really seen this downturn because students are feeding the economy here.”

The City of Oxford is only six square miles and houses three police departments. According to Squance, OPD, Miami University Police Department and Oxford Township Police Department are housed in the city. The Butler County Sheriff also patrols through town on occasion.

“We have a big law enforcement presence in a small town,” Squance said. “I think that really deters people from committing any violent crimes in Oxford.”

Crime could be increasing in other towns within Butler County due to the poor economy, Squance said.

“Since departments are hurting financially, less police are able to patrol around,” Squance said. “A low number of staff leads to increased crime.”

Miami junior Pete Taliaferro agreed that the economy could be a cause for the increased crime.

“I think that the lack of available jobs is what is fueling the crime,” Taliaferro said. “Personally, I think that until the number of jobs in the county increases, we will continue to see this increase in crime.

However, I am not worried about the increased crime coming to Oxford. Oxford doesn’t seem to be struggling economically as much as other areas.”

Goldstein agreed that a lack of jobs and companies closing down leads to people no longer having the income to purchase things.

Therefore, they resort to criminal activities.

According to Squance, there are things people can do to prevent becoming a victim. For example, not locking doors creates a target. The same goes for leaving valuables in plain sight in cars.

Squance said OPD really tries to advocate practicing good crime prevention habits.

Goldstein fears that as the economy gets worse, college towns will begin to see a negative effect. She thinks if Oxford continues to succeed, then the unemployed will come to town in hopes of breaking into this business world, which will ultimately lead to more crime.

Five Ohio charter schools to close

By Lauren Karch For The Miami Student

From the federal level to local districts, the existence of charter schools is a highly politicized topic.

More than 92,000 students are attending charter schools in Ohio, and the state is taking action to ensure better performance from these schools.

According to 2009-2010 school year data from the Ohio Department of Education (ODE), five charter schools across the state will be required to close by June 2011 and 19 are in danger of closing if their performance does not improve.

In the same year, however, ODE findings showed many charters outpace nearby public schools. In Dayton, eight of the 10 best performing schools were charter schools. Charter schools are more numerous than ever - an astounding 41 new charter schools opened this school year in Ohio.

Charter schools are K-12 institutions funded with public dollars and overseen by nonprofit or private groups.

This year’s closures are in compliance with 2005 legislation cracking down on chronically poorly

performing charter schools, said Emmy Partin, director of Ohio Policy and Research at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

“It’s a slight uptick, but it’s also a reflection of the laws that have been in place for several years now,” she said.

Fordham, a think-tank focused on educational policy, supported the 2005 legislation.

“We think it’s a good thing,” Partin said. “Schools that are chronically performing below level and not serving their students well should not continue to operate.”

Amy Doerman, principal of Dayton Leadership Academies’ Dayton View Campus, a charter school, said the quality of a school is dependent upon a number of factors.

“One of the major factors that differentiates the successful (schools) from the struggling ones is good leadership,” Doerman said. “That leadership goes hand-inhand with teacher quality, having the right people in the right seats on the bus. Having that be consistent is huge.”

wSee SCHOOLS, page 5

listed ownership. The company had an Oxford address listed, but the corporate headquarters are in Florida, according to its website.

Over the course of the summer, Texas-based Asset Campus Housing took over as “receiver” of the property.

According to paperwork filed in early August, Asset Campus Housing is the receiver of the College Suites properties. They are legally authorized to look into selling the property and are also given legal rights to hire someone to market the property for a future sale.

Kyger said all the legal movements may look scary, but students should not be afraid to live at College Suites.

“They’re not going away or ceasing operations,” Kyger said. “They’ll still be operational, it just might be under a different owner.”

Residents of College Suites said the current situation is not a

big worry for them.

Junior Lauren Madonia, a College Suites resident, said she didn’t know about the receivership.

“There’s supposed to be a resident director in each building, but I haven’t met ours,” she said.

“Other people might know about it through that, but I don’t.”

Madonia said knowing the situation with College Suites probably would not be a big factor in her decision about living there again.

“As long as someone’s running the property and taking care of what needs to be taken care of, like maintenance and stuff, then it wouldn’t really matter,” she said.

Kyger said while ownership may change, students should not panic and try to find other living arrangements.

“College Suites will still be around, so nobody should worry about that,” Kyger said. “They’ll still be here.”

SAMANTHA LUDINGTON The Miami Student

Miami University sophomores Homer Richards and Shawn Morreale look at information on signing a lease Thursday at College Suites.

United Way sets higher campaign goal

By Alex Tirrell

For The Miami Student

Despite widespread doubts concerning the economy’s full recovery, United Way of Butler County is setting its standards high this year and increasing its campaign goal by 3 percent from last year’s target.

The group looks to raise $2.1 million in donations between September and December. President and CEO of Butler County United Way Maureen Noe said this goal is achievable.

“It is based on the fact that some sectors of the economy are doing well, so we wanted to validate that,” Noe said. “But we also want to recognize that our needs are greater because of the economy.”

Noe said the goal is ambitious because the organization believes its new campaigning structure is more efficient and thus more profitable. New tactics for this year include dividing the campaign into three cabinets in West Chester, Hamilton and Fairfield.

“We feel that this focus approach is going to have more of an impact because we’ll be able to focus more on local companies and local needs,” Noe said.

Noe’s hope is that the more focus-intensive the campaign is, the more successful it will be. United Way’s other innovative campaign strategy is concentrated on the content of their message, according to Noe. “Our message is very concise,” Noe said. “We have two results that we look to achieve — that residents become self sufficient and youth grow into successful adults.”

The donations raised by the campaign will ultimately fund programs that benefit and achieve these two ends.

About 30 different agencies and programs received funding last year from United Way’s campaign, and Noe said this year they look to do the same.

United Way plans to give aid to agencies or systems that help facilitate the process of residents depending on their own resources, as well as ones that will improve the Butler County community.

Miami University housing and dining staff member John James is a strong believer in United Way’s commitment to enhancing the lives of the people in Butler County.

“I always give to United Way,” James said. “There are so many things funded through them, I feel better about giving to them than any other organization.”

First-year Shannon Kennedy agreed.

“It (United Way) is good because it brings together a lot of people and organizations and helps them be successful,” she said.

For more information on volunteering and donating to United Way and its campaign, visit http://www.bc-unitedway.org/.

THE MIAMI STUDENT

SCHOOLS continued from page 4

Doerman said when she took over leadership of Dayton View in 2004 the school was in academic emergency, the lowest rating given

by ODE. She said a major change in staff and actions to find dedicated teachers helped bring the school to its current “continuous improvement” rating.

This year Dayton View outperformed the Dayton Public School District.

Sponsorship is also important, Doerman said. Sponsored by the Fordham Institute’s sister organization, the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, Dayton View also contracts with Edison Learning, Inc., an educational management organization that manages all aspects of the school.

“I think good sponsors are key,” Doerman said. “As with any traditional district school, there are

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2010 ♦ 5 good and bad schools — the same is true of charters.”

Legislation enacted in fall 2007 requires that new school operators hold a record of managing at least one school performing at a passing rate. Partin said by setting the bar for sponsors higher the state hopes to lower the number of underperforming schools.

“To be honest, we think it’s a pretty low bar,” Partin said.

“You have to show that you have one decently operating school to get to open new ones. We agree with the concept of only letting high-performing sponsors start new schools, but there need to be higher standards.”

Doerman said Dayton View will continue to hold both its staff and students to high standards.

“Student turnover is an issue here in Dayton citywide,” Doerman said. “It’s important that we can keep the kids we get as much as possible. When you have stable students and stable teachers and stable leadership, that’s when you see big improvements.”

CANOEING continued from page 1

of the river, which includes being 21 years of age to drink in Indiana,” Morgan said. “Even though open containers for people of a legal drinking age are allowed on the Whitewater River, intoxication is not, and if you are caught over the legal limit then you’re arrested, you’re incarcerated, you have to post bail and you have to come back and stand trial. If you’re underage, then it’s compounded and you have other fines and penalties to deal with.”

According to Morgan, making the move to a stricter alcohol policy coincides with the company’s value of remaining professional and promoting paddle sports as an activity for people of all ages to enjoy.

“Some people get upset when they can’t get drunk on the river while canoeing, or go ‘cabrewing’ as they like to call it,” Morgan said. “But what we find is that nondrinking, under-control groups come back and there’s a surge in the business because people don’t want to canoe with people who are out of their head drunk and are not being responsible.”

Morgan said he has had nothing but good experience

park

continued from page 2 currently owns the land, is contributing the farm to the project.

“It’s very much an entire family project,” Dockum said. “I think that’s one of the reasons we’ve been so successful.”

But the success did not come easy. According to Kyger, Oxford Community Improvement Corporation (OCIC) applied in conjunction with the MHTP in 2008 in hopes of winning funding from the ODOD. They ranked 15 of 57 proposed projects in that award cycle, but only the top 13 projects were awarded funding.

After reapplying in 2010, the MHTP project was ranked highest of all the projects submitted.

OCIC Executive Director Alan Kyger said the grant money will provide funding to make the land, a farm just outside the City of Oxford on Route 73, useable for the first building in the park. The OCIC hopes the first building will house a data storage business that will serve as an anchor tenant and provide data storage for the potential research tenants in the future.

According to Kyger, the grant money will help build a road and bring in utilities, a sanitation system and a fiber optic line for high-speed data. He said it

with student groups that have made the trip this season.

“We just had a day party from Miami, and they were very well behaved,” Morgan said. “They adhered to the rules of the river, and I did not see any intoxication. We are working in conjunction with student leaders to mainly inform them of their responsibility because canoeing is a great, great sport, but when you add alcohol it really doesn’t mix.”

Miami junior Ethan Carey, who attended an outing to Morgan’s earlier this fall, said it makes sense that more caution is being taken compared to years past.

“As far as the law is concerned, I think people should be more aware of what some of the consequences are for cabrewing,” Carey said. “If you aren’t careful on the water, you could get into some big trouble, especially if you’re drunk.”

At the end of the day, Morgan believes informing customers of the proper etiquette on the water is the best way to look out for their safety.

“We are looking out for our customers and we are happy to work with people to inform them of the proper choices that need to be made to have a successful trip,” Morgan said. “We’re just trying to make it a safer place here on the Whitewater River.”

Morgan’s Outdoor Adventures can be reached at 765-647-4904 or online at http://www.morganscanoe. com/index.cfm.

will also offset the cost of the first building as incentive for the first business to locate to the park.

Now that the project has grant money behind it, Dockum said businesses are taking the technology park more seriously.

Dockum said he is now in the process of talking to potential data center operators about locating to MHTP. He said he hopes to break ground on the technology park in the next 12 months. As a condition of the grant, the first building must be built within three years. Dockum said he thinks bringing in more research tenants and creating more infrastructure for a fully functioning technology park will take 20 to 25 years.

The MHTP has committed to achieving platinum LEED certification. Dockum said he believes the environmentally friendly strategy will not only reduce the carbon footprint of the park, but also reduce the operating costs.

Dockum said he hopes the park will eventually reach a level where it will retain students in the Oxford area for jobs after graduation.

Kyger said the City of Oxford hopes the park will create more professional jobs in the Oxford area for Oxford residents and spouses of Miami staff and faculty.

“We would like to try to recapture as much of that population as we can,” Kyger said of Miami faculty and staff who choose to live outside the Oxford area.

HDGS

continued from page 1 throughout the university have become very active in the effort to save full-time housing and dining employees.

Junior Elmer Smith, an employee at Spring Street Market in the Shriver Center, created a Facebook group called SAVE MU FULL TIME JOBS. At the time of publication, the group had 778 members.

Smith said he created the group to inform the student body after he heard from other workers that two to three companies were planning to look at Miami’s housing and dining services and propose to cut many of the full-time jobs.

He was mostly concerned because of the tight bonds between the employees.

“These are not only workers, but they’re friends and family here,” Smith said. “They’re part of the Miami community.”

Senior Joshua Wagenknecht, a Haines Food Court employee, is also concerned about the future of the department and joined the Facebook group because of concerns for his own job along with the well being of full-time employees.

“They have to work really hard to make a sustainable living,” Wagenknecht said.

He said he has been working to publicize the possible cuts not only amongst his fellow workers, but also to students who utilize dining services on a daily basis.

“A lot of (my effort) is through my interaction with students while I’m at work,” Wagenknecht said.

He said if students compliment the dining services, he warns them of the possibility of cuts and encourages them to get involved.

6

Friday

September 17, 2010

Features

By Michelle Ludwin For The Miami Student

Bad bone density. Undeveloped bones. Osteoporosis.

These are some of the things that can occur in preteens when they drink too much diet soda and are not consuming enough calcium, according to Dr. Jeff Loughead of Children’s Memorial Hospital in Illinois.

“For boys at the ages of 17 to 20 and for girls at the ages of 15 to 17, they are consuming the most calcium ever,” Loughead said. “Drinking a lot of pop and not drinking a lot of milk is not going to build strong bones.”

Loughead said bone structure and bone density is at its peak for boys and girls that age. After this time period, bone growth and density discontinues. If not, there is a higher risk for weak bones and osteoporosis, especially for women.

Now what do all diet sodas have in common? They all have a substance called aspartame, an artificial sweetener approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that has around zero calories and is approximately 200 times sweeter than pure sugar, according to the American Medical Association website. Aspartame started appearing in soda in 1983.

Molly Loughead, a recent dietetics graduate from Ohio University, said consuming large amounts of diet soda everyday for years becomes a toxin in the body. She compared aspartame to being a drug like caffeine.

In 2005, according to the Coca-Cola Company’s website, Coca-Cola decided to launch a new product, Diet Coke with Splenda. Splenda is a sugar substitute, the little yellow packet most people see at restaurants.

Splenda took the place of aspartame in the new product, but there was just one little problem. People did not like the taste.

“I remember trying it,” Jennifer Molloy of Cincinnati said. “It tasted horrible and the flavor was completely altered.”

Coca-Cola discontinued Diet Coke with Splenda a year later and introduced Coke Zero in 2007.

“The problem with Splenda is it breaks down when cooked with,” Molly Loughead said. “So instead, when you cook with Splenda, it becomes one part sugar, one part Splenda. There has not been a way just to be able to use Splenda in that way.”

With the problems aspartame can cause to people’s bodies, there was a curiosity about soda drinking habits.

So just how many cans of soda are consumed by people that are of our parents’ age, our age and our younger siblings’ age?

The answer: enough.

A Case Study The Molloy family lives in a suburb just outside Cincinnati, Ohio.

Jennifer and Kevin both work downtown, while their son Sean attends school everyday. Every morning Kevin Molloy enters his kitchen, fills a glass up with ice and fills it with Diet Mountain Dew. Between the time he leaves for work and goes to sleep at night, he drinks one to two more cans of soda. Kevin drinks 18 to 21 cans of soda every week. That is 936 to 1092 cans per year.

Kevin said he grew up hardly drinking pop in his home, but more milk, water and iced tea. Every once in a while he would have pop during high school. “(One man) drank (Diet Mountain Dew) at my office and I made fun of him,” Kevin said. “Then he bought me a can one day and I really liked it. From then on I started drinking it in the morning.”

Kevin said he tried to stop drinking his sodas and quickly saw he was getting headaches and became tired. Those went away, and then one day he realized something.

“I do not like coffee, and I do not drink it,” Kevin said. “Diet sodas became my caffeine substitute and the only vice I have is drinking diet soda.”

Jennifer rarely drinks soda. She grew up drinking the same things as Kevin: water, milk and iced tea. Even though Diet Mountain Dew, Diet Coke and orange pop are found in their pantry, she sticks to coffee and other things.

Then there is their 13-year-old son Sean. He says he basically will drink anything.

“I like regular pop better, but our house has diet, so I drink it since it is there,” Sean said.

Compared to his dad, Sean will drink a soda every other day. Other than the diet pop in his house, milk and Capri Sun are the next best options according to his taste preferences. Sean also said parental influence was not a factor in why he drinks soda. He said it is all about what he likes and what he wants to drink at that particular moment in time.

My Family Sandy Ludwin grew up with a family that had Coke and eventually Diet Coke in the household at all times. She said her grandmother always had Coke in her house.

“I remember especially growing up in the south, it was always, ‘Do you want a coke?’” Sandy said. “Unlike where I live now, where it is, ‘Do you want a drink?’ That was just how it was back then and maybe

Editor Amelia Carpenter features@miamistudent.net

even a little today.”

She drank Coke products growing up and especially remembers drinking it as a teenager. Now Sandy drinks Coke Zero and Diet Stewarts Root Beer. However, unlike her parents, she only drinks one can a day, sometimes two.

Dave Ludwin drinks on average five cans of either diet or regular Mountain Dew a week. He usually drinks the soda with his lunch at work Monday through Friday and occasionally on the weekend.

He came from a household where soda was a rare occurrence. In college it became more available and he wanted to drink it.

“I drink soda upon taste,” Dave said. “If I do not like it, I am not going to drink it. That is why I really only drink regular or Diet Mountain Dew.” Growing up, there was not a restriction on what their kids could drink.

“I was never going to forbid the kids to drink stuff,” Sandy said. “But I would not let them drink coffee. If they wanted soda, have a soda. If they wanted water, have a water.”

As a child in the Ludwin household, I drank soda because it was there. I especially drink Diet Mountain Dew all of the time. I drink one to two cans of Diet Mountain Dew on a daily basis. Since the soda was always around, I got used to it growing up and never really knew the danger of drinking too much of it.

However, one of the most alarming things found through interviews is no one but my mother looks at the back of a soda can. The back of a soda has all of the ingredients.

Students Sophomore Tessa Purcell is no stranger to drinking pop. Her drinks of choice are Diet Coke or Sprite. However, she prefers Diet Coke.

“I only drink fountain Diet Coke,” Purcell said. “If my mom is out getting stuff, she will bring back two to three 32-ounce fountain sodas because she knows I do not like the cans.”

Purcell said Diet Coke was always around in her home growing up, so she got used to drinking it all of the time. She said if the soda was running low, someone in her family would run out and stock up just in case. At school she cuts down … sometimes.

“I started drinking at a younger age, but don’t as much now since my friends around me don’t,” Purcell said.

Purcell also said drinking diet soda helps curve cravings, like when some women crave chocolate.

Miami sophomore Alek Lucke rarely ever drinks soda … anymore.

Lucke grew up in a household where soda was always available if he wanted it. He said his mother lives on Dr. Pepper, and he tackled his own “addiction” with Dr. Pepper and Sprite during his junior year of high school. When he got to college and started drinking soda again, something happened.

“I realized when you stop drinking pop and a while later you start again, you feel sick,” Lucke said. “Water just doesn’t do that.”

Lucke said now the only time he will drink soda is when he has fast food, like Taco Bell or Burger King. If he does drink it without fast food, the soda has to be in a glass with ice or else it does not taste good to him.

“It is more work for me to actually get pop the way I like it if I am not getting it from a fast food place,” Lucke said. “Plus, when I got to school it was really easy to get water all of the time, so I did.”

Miami sophomore Brooke Warren grew up virtually never seeing pop.

“Growing up and still today my mother was very conscience of our health,” Warren said. “So the only time we saw pop is if we asked or if my dad ever brought it home.”

Warren said she rarely ever asked for her parents to bring soda home because she was not used to drinking it. Ask her today what she would drink if she had a choice, and it would still be water over soda.

However, that does not mean Warren does not like pop.

“I think Diet Dr. Pepper is completely delicious,” Warren said. “I love 24-ounce fountain Diet Coke also because it has less sugar.”

The Good and the Bad Even though people do choose to drink soda, there are some that simply cannot let Aspartame enter a person’s system. Phenylkenoturia (PKU) is a genetic amino acid defect where aspartame cannot be metabolized in the body, according to Loughead. Loughead said if too much aspartame is in the body, it could potentially leave long-term damage to the liver.

There is one thing to remember: aspartame is not just in sodas. Aspartame is present in foods such as gum, pudding, some candy and yogurt, according to Dr. Sanjay Gupta, senior medical correspondent for CNN, on his Expert Q&A blog in response to, “Is Aspartame Safe?”

The answer? Yes. The FDA deemed aspartame and other artificial sweeteners safe for the general public to consume within certain parameters.

In the “Is Aspartame Safe?” blog, Gupta challenges how much aspartame someone should consume on a daily basis. For every kilogram someone weighs, they can consume around 50 milligrams of aspartame. For a 120-pound woman, that’s 15 cans of diet soda.

HANNAH MILLER The Miami Student

Editor Anna Turner amusement@miamistudent.net

Amusement

Friday, September 17, 2010

7

psychic shiz

Horoscopes

By Julia Munro and Anna Turner For The Miami Student

ANNA TURNER The Miami Student

film

It’s game time, betch

By Curtis Waugh Senior Staff Writer

To the chagrin of girlfriends and wives everywhere, the NFL has returned to claim our lives.

As my personal favorite professional sport to watch on television (oh, trust me, there are many convoluted “favorites categories” like this in men’s lives), I am dead set on spending the rest of the Sundays this winter watching football.

What happens when the NFL and college football grow to be too boring? You guessed it, pick up a football movie.

You typically have three types of football movies (and sports movies in general, really): 1) The one that you saw as a kid and still watch today for nostalgic value, 2) the tearjerker of a comeback drama or 3) the balls-to-the-wall comedy/satire. Let’s start with category one.

Little Giants. Of course you remember this. Rick Moranis leads a ragtag group of boys and one girl to take on the reigning peewee champions coached by his brother, Al Bundy. The movie plays out exactly like you think it would with many Sandlot-esque situations and the good guys showing they can be relevant in a world of bullies.

Now I know The Waterboy does not quite fit into the Little Giants mold, but it is a comedy that we saw 12 years ago and I cannot in good conscience call it a satire. This movie is funny. It is Adam Sandler doing Adam Sandler at his best. Does the film drag down about two-thirds of the way through? Yes. Does the film paint a black and white picture of simple-minded good and

snobbish evil? Yes. Should you care? No. Get off your high horse and watch The Waterboy again.

And now for category two.

Football movies that generally come in the form of the tearjerker are about a group of people who have no business being on a football field coming together as a team. The gridiron is a place that is ripe for the direct physical contact between social classes that society typically wouldn’t let them get away with. That is why a lot of these films work.

I think we’re all thinking the same thing here in Remember the Titans. This movie seems to have gotten an unfair shake recently. This is probably because it made huge bank and studios have been trying to recapture that magic ever since.

Remember the Titans featured a great performance by Denzel Washington and had a cast and characters that an audience truly wanted to do well. I still enjoy it.

My favorite football drama really breaks the mold of what films like Remember the Titans tried to do. Friday Night Lights, based on the amazing book, was an unflinching look at what it was like to play high school football in Texas.

Football is a life or death game to towns like the ones depicted. The economy booms when the teams play well and people actually suffer when the teams fail. The story of the Permian Panthers’ quest to a state title resonates because of the duality of wanting and needing to succeed in life. They want to succeed, but how much of that desire is unselfishly attributed by each player and not imposed upon them by the town and so-

ciety around them?

A football movie with questions like that deserves to be seen. It’s not perfect, but it’s a breath of fresh air. Plus, it spawned one of the greatest television series in history of the same name. See that at your earliest convenience.

Now category three.

Comedies and satires are ripe ground for sports films, and football comedies have much less success in that arena than do other sports. Not much is better than making the audience laugh while sneaking in (and sometimes not really sneaking) jabs at the way our society works. The Longest Yard (1974) with Burt Reynolds is one of the best examples of this in sports film history. The remake of the same name in 2005 starring Adam Sandler is pretty much toothless crap (that I still get guilty pleasure out of watching) that defeats the purpose of the original.

The original took shots at everybody and every issue of the time. It held nothing back and it didn’t need to. And it was funny. You’ll be surprised if you haven’t discovered this one already.

Another good example of the satire aspect is Any Given Sunday. The NFL did not allow director Oliver Stone to use team and player likenesses and probably for good reason.

Any Given Sunday is a ridiculous look at how an NFL style locker room would look and operate. Mike Golic, former pro player, and probably countless others, dismiss this movie as if it is absolutely nothing like the way the NFL and teams operate. I believe Golic and I still enjoy this movie.

column

Being a slacker is no easy job

By Curtis Dickerson For The Miami Student

Both others and myself have encountered all kinds of prejudices on this campus, but none hurt worse than the prejudice of a professor against a student.

Recently, a professor used a derogatory, insensitive and historically marginalizing epitaph directed specifically at me. A word that, by all accounts, I thought had been lost to the prejudices of the history books. To be honest, it shocked me. Never in my life have I heard such violent language from the mouth of a professor directed at a minority group to which I ascribe. And the way she said it! Such venom, such hatred directed specifically to me as she spat the word in my direction with a furrow of the brow and a red gleam in her eye. Slacker, she called me. And, as she said it, I expected a collective gasp from the student body. Or even a reserved silence. Imagine my surprise when most of the students smirked at her usage of the s-word. A few even chuckled.

There is a serious bias on this campus that needs to be addressed. Too many students and faculty members are unashamed of their blatant laziphobia. Too often the plight of the motivationally challenged at this fine establishment goes ignored.

Having motivational issues is not a choice, as many on this campus archaically believe. Studies now show there is mounting evidence that links motivational issues with genetics, meaning that these students, these “slackers,” are inherently disposed to have an aversion toward school-related work. In the modern age it is simply irresponsible that students — let alone faculty members — would cling to the Judeo-Christian mythologies of “hard work and determination” somehow being connected to morality.

The nature of motivationally challenged people is historically

7 the

I N FA M O U S

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secretive. Because of the persecution that many face, there is a tendency of those with motivational issues to keep quiet about their diligence orientation, creating a divide in the community between those who are “out” about their orientation and those who are “closeted” about it. And naturally, as with any small town, Oxford is a difficult place for motivationally challenged people to live. Often we find ourselves driving to larger cities to seek company and companionship with people like us, but while here the persecution still hurts. Steps must be taken to increase motivationally challenged awareness on campus.

First, the Office of Diversity Affairs must recognize these students for what they are: a marginalized group of people that experience discrimination on a daily basis. I have considered submitting applications to be the student representative, but as of yet,have not found the initiative. Regardless, diversity affairs should appoint a motivationally challenged student to its panel to represent the needs of this group.

Second, specific safe zones need to be established around campus. These spaces would be constructed to be havens for the scores of students who self-identify as motivationally challenged. These areas would ideally be warm, friendly and, most importantly, textbook-free. It is vital that the university make these students feel welcome in at least one place.

Third, and most vitally, programs must be created to provide motivational sensitivity training to instructors. The classroom is the arena in which the greatest amount of discrimination against students with motivational issues is experienced. Instead of punishing students who do not complete their homework, professors should embrace these actions as a sign of diversity in their classrooms.

It’s not my fault that I don’t do homework. I was born like this.

Anyone who does not believe this is a bigot.

Aries: Your stubborn nature could begin to cause problems for you in the near future due to the feisty alignment of Jupiter and the moon. Try to calm down and listen to others. Actually, if you want to have any friends left, just don’t say anything for the next few days.

Taurus: Thanks to Uranus, connections with your roommate have never been better. Try surprising them with a midnight rave in your room, a classy night up at Brick Street Bar (just kidding, a classy night at Brick Street is an oxymoron) or bake them a cake filled with rainbows and smiles that everyone can eat and be happy.

Gemini: With Mars in the House of Vita, your natural instincts will be sharper than Edward Cullen’s teeth. Use this to your advantage — make a bet on the next Miami game, totally go hit on that babe and don’t even think about studying for that next multiple-choice test. And, furthermore, if you’re feeling like you can cross the street faster than that bus can drive 10 feet, go for it. Just do it.

Don’t think. Do it. Now. Cancer: This summer may have been great for you, but don’t get too cocky. The transition from summer to autumn will be as smooth as uptown’s sidewalks.

Luckily, the fall funk only lasts long enough for you to flunk a few tests. Try shaking it by drinking excessively — because, as history has proven over and over again, inundating alcoholism solves everything. Just ask Ernest Hemingway.

Leo: This month should be very good for you romantically, despite the dreaded freshman 15, or “water weight.”

Everyone will be dying to snuggle with the human teddy bear — more cushion for the pushin’, right? Except not really … you’re just fat. Be sure to shed the extra poundage before winter or you’ll be hibernating alone.

Virgo: It’s your birthday month, so celebrate with a night that would make Britney, Lindsey and Ke$ha jealous. Due to the movement of the adventurous Andromeda constellation, you’ll want to do something new and unexpected. In other words, it’s time to contract some serious sexually transmitted diseases, wake up in a dumpster (or a frat house, which is way worse) and lose your left shoe and your dignity as you walk home.

Libra: The relationship between Mercury and Venus bodes poorly for your personal relationships. Time to change your Facebook relationship status to “single, depressed, eating ice cream, watching Pretty Woman.” As Green Day so sagaciously stated, it might be a good idea to wake up when September ends. Your professors might not approve, but at least you’ll get your beauty sleep.

That way, once October rolls around you might be attractive enough to keep a relationship going.

Scorpio: Getting decent grades will come naturally to you this month, like sleeping in and loving the Jersey Shore. Be cautious about relying on luck and not doing anything, however, because clever Venus will soon turn against you at the end of the month. And no, I don’t mean she’ll send you a monthly gift (as in your period for the male readers that didn’t catch on). What I mean is that come Sept. 30, your car will be towed.

Sagittarius: Your family relationships might have been strained in the last few days of summer, but take heart: as Jupiter moves into the House of Genitor, you and your family will reconcile. This is especially true if your family is alien, like E.T., because they love Jupiter.

Use this to your advantage. Bake Dad a Jupiter soufflé as a way to apologize for driving his truck through the garage, or paint mom a Jupiter watercolor in lieu of paying her back for that $300 bail money.

Capricorn: Pluto works its no-longer-a-planet power this month, making you a social butterfly. Try exploring this brand spanking new audacity by trying out for an unusual team, club or cult. You’ll either meet some really great friends or some really sketchy creepers. Either way, this new, adventurous you will wind up regretting every life decision you make this month, apart from buying footie pajamas. That onesie is freaking amazing.

Aquarius: True to your aquatic nature as the Zodiac’s water-bearer, you’ve been drowning in homework, clubs and parties. Try to think before jumping into the deep end. Sometimes it takes careful planning and a bigger boat to get through the jaws of college. Unlike Ariel, you should think about your actions before selling your voice to the evil sea witch, because that crap will come back to haunt you.

Pisces: Due to the slow-moving Neptune, this month has been fraught with the dreaded procrastination disease. Get your immunization shot by practicing good study habits and eating lots of citrus fruit. Actually sleeping once in a while is an option, albeit a boring one. Or, you could take the not-lame approach and actually go out, get some action, go to class hung over and do it all again the next night. Boom: I just gave you the secret to college success.

Dirty football questions ...

7. Can we change field positions halfway through?

6. Did my incomplete pass ruin the evening?

5. What are your feelings on some double team action?

4. Can I tap that Astroturf?

3. Are you interested in a chain gang bang?

2. Does my extra pigskin bother you?

1. How can you tell if a girl is faking a roughing?

8

Friday September 17, 2010

Opinion

Editors Thomasina Johnson Jessica Sink editorial@miamistudent.net

➤ EDITORIAL

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

Standards must be same for all Greeks A

fter a March suspension from Miami University when the Blackwell Inn at The Ohio State University was trashed and a Sept.

2 violation of Oxford law, when a Sigma Chi brother fired a gun multiple times off of the fraternity’s balcony, the Alpha chapter of Sigma Chi fraternity has been given permission to continue living in their current residence. Oxford law states that if a fraternity is no longer in good standing with the university, the city has the authority to revoke its housing permit. However, Tuesday’s meeting of the Oxford Planning Commission resulted in merely placing Sigma Chi on notice. None of the members of Sigma Chi were in attendance.

The editorial board of The Miami Student is disappointed in the lack of response from both the university and the City of Oxford regarding the acts of Sigma Chi. The fraternity has had multiple sanctions, yet they have not faced any serious consequences for their actions. It

is embarrassing the university did not get involved in the situation and ensure the appropriate actions were taken.

In light of the recent publicity concerning sorority conduct, it seems the university is attempting to avoid drawing more attention to the problems by ignoring Sigma Chi’s behavior. All Greek organizations must be held to the same standards, as sororities that are suspended must give up their suites.

The City of Oxford must hold Sigma Chi responsible as well. If a fraternity poses a hazard to the safety and well being of the Oxford community, the city has the right and responsibility to respond. By acting they are also setting a precedent for future violations.

The current handling of the situation shows a lack of impartiality and accountability from all sides, and Sigma Chi must be held to the same criterion as all Greek life.

They should not be an exception to the rules.

Rule of thumb ... to Fiesta Charra’s Saturday reopening!

More queso, more fun!

... to less maxing and relaxing.

Shriver’s comfy couch nook is sorely missed.

... to cheap and creamy! $1 Milkshakes at Maid Rite help us celebrate the last days of summer.

... to Tuffy’s milkshakes.

Too much milk, not enough shake.

... to new Miami University bookstore.

Making buying textbooks less painful.

... to getting a DUI for cabrewing?

Safety first … we guess.

... Miami football’s win!

Victory against Eastern Michigan University last Saturday was sweet! Good luck against Colorado State this Saturday!

... to free champagne on your 21st b-day!

Break out the bubbly at Woody’s One Up!

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

EDITORIAL BOARD Catherine Couretas Editor in Chief Erin Fischesser News Editor Erin Maher Managing Editor Scott Allison Online Editor Thomasina Johnson Editorial Editor Jessica Sink Editorial Editor Stephen Bell Campus Editor Courtney Day Campus Editor

Amanda Seitz Campus Editor Kelsey Bishop Community Editor Katie Giovinale Sports Editor Amelia Carpenter Features Editor Anna Turner Amusement Editor Samantha Ludington Photo Editor Hannah Miller Art Director

Kinda nutty, but doesn’t taste too bad

CHAD STEBBINS The Miami Student

➤ LETTER

Student fees: bold action needed The Strategic Priorities Task Force (SPT) has posted on its website a remarkable document, 200 Ideas from the Frontier: Alternative Revenues in Higher Education, offering a host of revenue enhancement ideas, including school color days to promote bookstore apparel sales, early move-in fees for residence halls, early registration fees, course drop fees and retroactive course add fees, campus wineries and flea markets, for-profit educator leasing and academic department sponsorships (http://www.miami.muohio.edu/documents/ spc/NewRevenuePoster.pdf).

We salute this kind of outside the box thinking, and in the spirit of collective duty and shared sacrifice we offer the following additional proposals as ways to extract even more funds from students and their families: * A seat use fee for using a seat during class, coupled with a writing surface fee for writing on a desktop during class. * An exam fee for each exam taken in each class, with an additional exam grading fee for each exam graded (additional surcharge for essay exams). * A professor appearance fee for each class the professor attends (additional surcharge if professor is sober). * An office hour fee billed in five-minute intervals with a fifteen-minute minimum (additional surcharge if professor is awake). * A faculty concern fee if students would like their professors to care whether they learn anything or not. * A course grade fee, with higher grades commanding higher fees. * A recommendation letter fee, with the fee highest for positive recommendation letters and lower for letters that are so-so. * A PowerPoint fee for each PowerPoint slide shown in class, with additional surcharge if the professor turns down the lights in the room when exhibiting slides. * A graduation with distinction fee for all cum laude, magna cum laude and summa cum laude graduates, and the fee rising with level of distinction. * A Bob Evans Down Home Sausage Department of English sponsorship; a Tide Gets Clothes Cleaner Department of History sponsorship; and a Budweiser Here We Go! Student Justice Center sponsorship.

These fee proposals — offered in the spirit of the SPT document to, “capture high growth student populations and instructional services” — can be charged using student ID cards, and are only a start. Hopefully our proposals will elicit even bolder ideas from others, like outsourcing the administration.

James Brock (Economics) Philip Cottell (Accountancy) Thomas Hall (Economics) William R. Hart (Economics) Richard McClure (Decision Sciences) Jerry Miller (Economics)

Dalai Lama visit provides educational opportunity I was very excited to read my friend Dr. Nick Money in The Miami Student calling attention to the imminent visit from the Dalai Lama. He appropriately challenges the Miami community to apply its critical self-reflection to the question, “Why is the Dalai Lama’s visit such a big deal?”

Dr. Money poses a fictional character, Angelina, for comparison and asks why we should be any more excited about the Dalai Lama’s visit than hers. Angelina is a bank teller, has a conscientious, peaceful outlook, neo-Buddhist opinions and her boyfriend, Brad, who thinks she is a goddess.

Dr. Money is posing a very good question: why should we pay any more attention to one person over another when apparently they hold approximately the same views? This is a very egalitarian and down-to-earth perspective. The only difference, Dr. Money suggests, between Angelina and the Dalai Lama is that his divinity is more widely held. (Only love-struck Brad believes in the divine status of Angelina.) The excitement about tickets for the Dalai Lama, Dr. Money seems to be implying, is because he is a god and, even better, a celebrity on par with Lindsay Lohan.

Lest it be concluded that this is true, it should be noted there are many other reasons the Dalai Lama’s visit is a big deal. The Dalai Lama is a world historical figure, not merely because the paparazzi and celebrities think he’s cool. The Dalai Lama himself claims to be an ordinary person from a small town. He would not say that he was a living deity any more than Angelina, despite whatever beliefs others may hold. His word is not divine law and many people, myself included, will not hold with all of his opinions and decisions. Among the many views that differ between Angelina and the Dalai Lama that Dr. Money does not mention are those on the plight of his country, Tibet. The Chinese Red Army invaded in 1949 and the occupation has since had a devastating effect on Tibetan life and culture that continues to the present. As head of state in exile since 1959, the Dalai Lama may have some views we can learn a great deal from this situation.

There are other reasons to be excited about the Dalai Lama’s visit. Miami’s new relationship with the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics and the College for Higher Tibetan Studies is tremendously promising and fortuitous purely from an academic standpoint. There is much about the Dalai Lama’s visit to recommend. He is the head representative of a philosophical tradition, Tibetan Buddhism, and a culture that has been studying and contemplating peace and the expansion of compassion and awareness for more than 1,000 years. Public recognition and awards are merely celebrity hype, but the Dalai Lama was awarded many significant honors, including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

The Dalai Lama has dedicated much of his life to the knowledge and practice of mindfulness and non-violence and is worthy of our attention as an authority. Buddhism in general has a great deal to teach any thoughtful, open-minded person about the nature of mind, truth, consciousness and many other subjects. Rather than dismissing or trivializing those views, we might try to see what they might have to offer an inclusive, comprehensive and interdisciplinary understanding of the world.

In any event, those who want a more peaceful, mindful and humane future will be very interested to hear what the leader of Tibet and authority on its rich religious philosophical traditions has to say.

I agree with Dr. Money about the utility of questioning our motives and clarifying our interests regarding the Dalai Lama’s visit. I do not agree this is a good time for closed-mindedness and categorical opposition. The excitement about the good fortune in the Dalai Lama’s visit to an educational institution comes from adding to Dr. Money’s critical questions, “What can we learn from this?”

DR. RICH REES ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR reesr@muohio.edu

Opinion

THE MIAMI STUDENT

➤ THE CHRONICLES OF CURIOSITY

Introverts have much to offer I have many strong relationships. I enjoy going out. I engage in what I would like to think is “good conversation.” I raise my hand in class.

I’ve had boyfriends, and yet I am content to say I am a card-carrying introvert. I am part of the 50 percent of all people whose personality bestows on them a preference Chloe for the inner mind Esposito rather than the outer world.

Consumed by too much external stimulation, we introverts thrive on reflection and solitude. Our dissimilar extroverts prefer seeking out stimulation and thrive off of social activity to boost their mood.

Although extroverts and introverts have been labeled polar opposites, introverts being portrayed on more of a negative scale and extroverts on more of a positive scale, most of us do in fact share both traits.

Although there is no precise dividing line, why is it that most people in our country, being introverts, live in an extroverted world? This cultural tone is reinforced in the media, which portrays talkative, quick to act, spontaneous, people encouraging turbo speed actions over reflection. In the business world, bold introductions followed by aggressive and competitive follow-ups leave those who were born softer, yet just as qualified, left in the dark.

The notion, however, that “shy” and “introverted” is the same thing frustrates many. In fact, I would not consider myself shy at all. Personally, what makes me an introvert is my need to be in solitude when I’m stressed out, have a big decision to make, have a dilemma on my hands or when I have a lot of work to do. I must make it a priority to seek out “alone time” throughout the day to confirm that I’m on track. In addition, my ability to express my ideas stronger through writing rather than talking proves that I must go at my own pace and I need to reflect on what I’m saying before people hear it.

According to Bernardo J. Carducci, director of the Shyness Research Institute at Indiana University, the shy want desperately to form a connection with the people in the room, but find socializing difficult. Introverts seek time alone because they want to and choose to converse with those who they find comforting. Therefore, if extroverts get their juices flowing by external stimulation and introverts create it from within, why should introverts be placed at the bottom of the food chain? Just because extroverts are comfortable thinking as they speak, why is it so bad for introverts to strive in slow-paced interactions that allow room for reflection?

The answer is it isn’t. According to Ph.D. Laurie Helgoe, author of Introvert Power, “Neuro-imaging studies measuring blood flow reveal that among introverts activation is centered in the frontal cortex, responsible for remembering, planning, decision making, and problem-solving — the kinds of activities that require inward focus and attention.”

It is just this that makes me believe introverts have a strong place in the workforce. According to Miami University professor Mark Lacker, it doesn’t matter whether or not a person is an introvert or extrovert, but rather the value they bring to the table.

“Businesses don’t hire extroverts or introverts, they hire people who have value and accomplishments shown through writing or by mouth,” Lacker said.

Lacker also mentioned how there are typically no differences between introverts and extroverts when it comes to grading. “I look at assignments the same way employers do,” he said. “If the student dives in and takes the assignment somewhere else, it doesn’t matter if they raised their hand or not.”

Therefore, in a world that now revolves around digital communication, introverts today are able to communicate in a way in which they can reflect.

I have finally realized it is alright to be an introvert in a society that praises outspoken and quick to act people. Anyone can be valuable, however, in order to have value one must find his or her own unique way to create it — whether it be in an extroverted or introverted way.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER, 17 2010 ♦ 9

➤ ESSAY

➤ ATLANTIS LIFEGUARD

Miami must promote healthy eating Half is the new whole. When it comes to nutrition and weight, Americans seem to still be struggling. Many portions served at popular chain restaurants are “super sized” even though they are offered as a single entrée, according to a USA Today article.

Diet experts have identified this trend for years, and it hasn’t been getting any better. Nutritionists at the Center for Science in the Public Interest said two-thirds of adults and one-third of kids are obese or overweight. Wouldn’t you think these numbers would make restaurants change their menus to help? Half of most restaurant portions are actually the healthy and recommended portions by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to the USA Today article.

Portion sizes are misleading, so people think they are supposed to eat what they are served, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s nutrition director. Most people aren’t going to eat half a bagel, muffin or plate of pasta because they “know” the whole thing is defined as more than a serving according to the FDA. Most people aren’t constantly thinking about portion sizes unless they are dieting and actively trying to lose weight. On an everyday basis most people just eat what’s in front of them, which really isn’t even close to the FDA’s recommended serving sizes.

Maintaining weight during adolescence, especially during the transition from high school to

college, can be difficult. Going from eating home cooked meals and knowing exactly what’s going in your mouth to cafeterias and dining halls can weigh you down (no pun intended). Even though most universities, like Miami, provide some healthy choices and salad bars at every dining location doesn’t mean students are going to make the right decisions. And yes, we’re adults and should be allowed to make our own choices, but when some of the food provided is fried or oily, it’s harder than you might think. Even cooked vegetables could be coated in butter.

Don’t get me wrong, there are ways to stay fit and healthy, even when you live on campus and primarily eat in a dining hall.

The university provides nutritional facts and information on their website, www.hdg.muohio.edu. There you can find not only exact nutrition labels and ingredient lists, but also what lighter options are available at all locations. It’s also a good idea to check the daily menu options on BlackBoard so you can go where there are more healthy options. When I lived on campus, I always enjoyed eating at the à la carte locations because I could see my food being cooked and could control the amount of oil used and the ingredients the cooks included.

The transition from on to off campus is also another strange one. Since many students at this point haven’t cooked for themselves, don’t want to learn or

haven’t cooked for a few years, it’s hard to get back into it again or at all. Many students have also never grocery shopped for themselves. Learning how to buy what is healthy and making healthy selections if the first step. Being able to cook comes with practice, but if you put in some effort and make a few phone calls home to mom, you’ll get things rolling. The key to staying healthy is always being aware of what you’re eating. Don’t overindulge and try your best to always eat a well-rounded diet. Cooking for yourself is the best way to stay healthy, and it’s cheaper! The selections uptown are yummy, but after a while they’ll add some rolls to your tummy, so keep eating out in check.

Universities are a place of transition for many citizens and they would be a good community to promote healthier eating and lifestyles. Universities should be doing more than just providing healthy options. Promoting healthy choices, using organic ingredients and maybe even giving cooking demonstrations could be beneficial to students. Giving tips like healthier grocery shopping and tips for eating healthy at uptown restaurants could also help students here at Miami. There are so many ways to eat healthy and still give in to your cravings. The key is everything in moderation and learning what moderation really means seems to be the hardest part.

Samantha Friedman friedms3@muohio.edu

➤ ESSAY

VMAs: Always a sight to be seen If you’ve been itching for something dramatic, wild and memorable to surface from the Hollywood community, your eyes should have been peeled to MTV Sunday night when, according to mtv.com, 11.4 million people tuned in to the Video Music Awards (VMAs). This is the highest number of viewers since the 2002 show, perhaps because the VMAs have recently become the forum for celebrities to sport outrageous clothing and engage in uninhibited behavior.

This year this celebrity circus was hosted by late night TV personality Chelsea Handler. There couldn’t have been a more appropriate host for the occasion. At the start of the show, Chelsea encouraged the audience to hold true to the show’s reputation by shouting to them, “Be on your worst behavior tonight!”

Many celebs were willing to make fun of their images portrayed in the media with Handler. The show opened with Lindsay Lohan acknowledging her drug abuse and later Kim Kardashian mocked her obsession with Justin Bieber by announcing his performance right outside his dressing room.

Justin Bieber attempted to make himself seem “mature” by dancing with people smaller and younger than him. Little did we know those kinds of people actually existed.

The white carpet seemed to inspire a black and white trend among celebrities on Sunday, but fear not, there was still an abundance of jaw-dropping styles.

Katy Perry came solo to the show, but her husband was still there in spirit. If when you say spirit you mean on her nails. Yes, Perry’s manicure featured Russell Brand’s face on all of her fingernails. Boy do I feel sorry for that nail artist. Please ladies, don’t try that at home unless you want the boot from your significant other. If you’re taken aback by that style alone, take a breath because I haven’t even touched on Lady Gaga yet.

You have to give the girl props. She shows up dressed as a peacock by Alexander McQueen and claims the prestigious Video of the Year prize dressed in … butcher meat. According to mtv. com, over 50 pounds of meat were used in the

making of this dress with the use of no preservatives. Gaga was apparently trying to make a statement that we shouldn’t be treated like meat. Oh, Gaga, then why did you show up to the awards show wearing it? I guess you showed People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that you’re not limited to wearing fur. I’m sure they’re impressed with your creativity.

Don’t worry, the awards show did not go five minutes without, as Handler put it, addressing Kanye West as, “the big, black elephant in the room.” Handler taught potential winners how to ward off an invader during their acceptance speech, which poked fun at West’s onstage outburst when Taylor Swift won Best Female Video in 2009.

Swift hardly got revenge with her over-the-top ballad. Here are a few lyrics from her belowaverage song: “Thirty-two and still growing up now; who you are is not what you did.” It sounds more like she’s sympathizing with West versus laying down the law. Tay, you don’t have to be so understanding. You should have taken Chelsea’s advice and instead written a “Forever and Always” revenge-style song. We’d all be a little more entertained.

Kanye West closed the show with a song in which he condemned himself for last year’s events, talked about his decline in pop culture and toasted to “all the scumbags.” At least he knows nobody respects him. That’s admirable, isn’t it?

Whether it’s the outrageous stunts that people talk about for months after or over-the-top outfits that are continuously referenced, the VMAs never cease to amaze me. From Britney, Christina and Madonna all locking lips to Kanye ruining the dreams of a 19-year-old country artist and this year’s raw meat, this awards show is one that raises eyebrows and creates controversy. What will they have in store for us next year? We can only fathom what these senseless and crazy celebrities will do next.

Sarah Title

titlese@muohio.edu

cartoonists WANTED. The Miami Student is looking for cartoonists.

Email editorial@miamistudent.net for more information.

Elders deserve respect In 2008, the United States Department of Homeland Security used roughly $42 billion for discretionary and mandatory spending. Over the past decade we have become used to hearing about debts and deficits in the billions, or even trillions, of dollars.

Jensen Yet despite our Henry rising desensitization to numbers, $42 billion is a lot of money.

Now think about a new number: $50 billion. It’s from the budget for Medicare, which is the government-sponsored health insurance for Americans over the age of 65. You don’t have to be a math major to realize the $50 billion allocated for Medicare is considerably larger than the $42 billion for Homeland Security.

Reeling off exorbitant numbers would be no fun without a catch.

That $50 billion Medicare bill? It’s not the total cost of Medicare. It was merely the price tag on the physician and hospital bills for deceased patients during the last two months of their lives.

Health care will always be expensive. However, our system for treating elderly patients who are near death is detrimental not only to their well being, but also to our economy.

In a 2004 study, 90 percent of patients said they would prefer to die at home. When we think about our mortality, or that of our family members and friends, most of us express a desire to die peacefully in a comfortable environment rather than an unfamiliar white room with tubes and needles shoved in every possible orifice. Yet in one survey about deceased cancer patients, over 83 percent of individuals passed away in either acute care hospitals or chronic care facilities.

This is disheartening both for patients and the already-strained health care system. In an interview with CBS, a Dartmouth physician said just one day in the intensive care unit (ICU) can cost as much as $10,000. In most cases, maintenance in the ICU includes processes like mechanical ventilation, around-the-clock blood filtration, agents that artificially stimulate or depress muscular contraction and intravenous nutrition. While some of these visits are necessary, others may seem superfluous, like the report of an octogenarian who was already dying of heart failure receiving a pap smear (a gynecological test usually for younger women).

The CBS analysis approximated that up to 30 percent of hospital expenses were not likely crucial to the patient’s survival.

There are two ways the United States can attempt to rectify this problem. The first is through improved doctor-patient relationships.

In many European countries (with health care systems that are at the top of the World Health Organization rankings), there tend to be a “culture of open communication” in which the physician is able to speak honestly about advance care planning for the end of life. Patient education is also a factor. By informing individuals who have chronic illnesses about their realistic options, doctors may be able to help patients make decisions that are personally and economically beneficial.

We should also be placing more emphasis on palliative care, which strives to manage patients’ pain and symptoms and provide them with emotional and educational support.

Multiple studies have shown that palliative care can increase patient satisfaction and reduce medical costs like those associated with emergency room visits. More importantly, palliative care gives patients a chance to die with dignity.

As a result of the aging baby boomers, Medicare costs will boom as well. We need to be taking steps now to ensure we can afford to provide older Americans with respectful and effective care in the future.

10

FYI Page

Friday

September 17, 2010

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For Rent

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THE MIAMI STUDENT

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2010 ♦ 11

SOCCER

NEXT HOME GAME: 4 p.m. Friday vs. Eastern Illinois

’Hawks home with hardware

By Alex Butler Senior Staff Writer

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Freshman Jess Kodiak was named the Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Week after defeating Temple Sept. 12.

Not only does the Miami University soccer team have tired legs after a long road trip, but they may have tired arms as well.

After claiming the Eastern Tennessee State University soccer tournament title, three RedHawks (5-2) carried home hardware and boasted credentials heading into a battle with Eastern Illinois University Sept. 17.

Sophomore Jess Kodiak was named tournament MVP. Kodiak leads the Red and White with five goals and tallied two over the weekend.

The young wave of RedHawks continues to impress.

Freshmen Katy Dolesh and Kayla Zakrzewski claimed spots on the alltournament team.

Kodiak and Dolesh have both registered

goals in each of the last three games.

“It’s really great and I love playing here,” Dolesh said. “It’s a lot of fun and I just try to work my hardest to stay here because it’s a great opportunity and I take every chance I’ve got.”

The team will switch from red thread to white garb for six games starting with the Eastern Illinois University Panthers in Oxford.

“We have EIU and Evansville this weekend,” Head Coach Bobby Kramig said. “What I’m looking forward to in those games is for one, getting a chance to play at home. We’ve been six in a row on the road now and this has really been an extended road trip. For our kids to come off of six in a row on the road, having won four I think speaks very well of us.

We are looking forward to getting home and staying

home. As far as Eastern and Evansville, the challenge coming up for us this weekend is to stay focused and stay on task.”

The Panthers play in the Ohio Valley Conference and own a 3-4-1 record, having lost at home Sept. 12.

Dashing down the home grass will help the comfort level of Kramig’s young team and being under the revered gaze of RedHawk role models should motivate the Red and White.

“We are going to have our alumni back this weekend for soccer alumni weekend and we are also going to recognize our seniors for senior day on Sunday,” Kramig said.

“We can’t get distracted by those things. We have to have a good week of practice, improve on some areas in our game that still need work and hopefully continue to have good results.”

Kramig’s kickers surrendered just one score last weekend compared to the eight the weekend before.

They are looking to reclaim their reputation as one of the dominant defenses in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

Senior day on Sept. 19 commemorates the six seniors on the RedHawk roster before the team takes on the 1-4-1 Evansville Purple Aces.

Dolesh and her fellow freshmen are quickly forging friendships with upperclassmen and it has been a key ingredient in the latest tale of success for the RedHawks.

“They are very happy and encourage me to do better and keep me up if something bad happens,” Dolesh said. “They are all nice and welcoming and I like them a lot.”

Familiar and fresh faces will lineup for kickoff at 4 p.m. Sept. 17.

NEXT HOME GAME: 5 p.m. Friday vs. Indiana University

FIELD HOCKEY

RedHawks return to Oxford for first home series

By Drew McDonell

“Our team grew throughout the scrimmage,” Reeve said. “I thought it was useful as it exposed what we need to cover. It was a good test, Indiana is a good team.”

Because the RedHawks have already played IU this season, they have a slight advantage they do not usually have before most matches. The girls already know what to expect from the Hoosiers. Both teams have had several weeks to practice since the preseason match, making each team stronger than before.

IU was ranked 19 nationally in preseason polls, but fell out of the rankings after losing to Boston College 1-0. Both the Hoosiers and the RedHawks are currently unranked, but the RedHawks stand higher in the Kookaburra point system. The Hoosiers are currently 2-2.

Senior Christine Brightwell is ready for

Staff Writer

The Miami University field hockey team will play their first home game against the Indiana University Hoosiers (IU) Sept. 17.

“I’m excited for us to be playing at home,” Head Coach Jill Reeve said. “The road trips have been fun, but it will be nice to showcase what we’ve been working on as a team.”

The RedHawks have already competed against the Hoosiers this year in a preseason match up. The Hoosiers defeated the RedHawks 6-4, but overall the teams were evenly matched. The game went into overtime, which eventually led to a shootout.

Reeve sees the advantages of already playing IU.

the challenge.

“I am excited about playing these teams who have similar play as us,” Brightwell said. “There’s nothing better to a competitor than coming up against worthy opponents. If we put in the hard work, no one can stop us.”

The RedHawks then will travel to Evanston, Ill. Sept. 19 to take on the Northwestern University Wildcats. The matchup against the Wildcats will be a non-conference game, and it will be the RedHawks’ second game against a Big Ten team, a conference known for having large powerhouse schools that produce successful teams.

“Sometimes we let the name or reputation of our competitor determine how we will perform,” junior Jackie Nguyen said.

“Our biggest challenge is to remain consistent in our play. If we come out fast and

GOLF

continued from page 12 “There were a lot of low scores,” senior Nathan Sutherland said. “Austin (Kelly) shot low, (Matt) Stasiak and me shot low, almost everyone shot under par, so that’s always good.”

Lubahn was content with various aspects of his team’s play.

“We had a lot of rounds under par, which is a good sign, and we hit pretty well, which is a good sign,” Lubahn said. “We also had a freshman shoot a 131 over his last two rounds, which is pretty remarkable. I think we can do it, but our intensity has to be there for all 54 holes.”

Freshman Austin Kelly was the standout golfer in the Marshall Invitational. Coming off a shaky performance in Saturday’s tournament, Kelly bounced back finishing fourth overall in the individual scoring. Kelly was registered for the tournament as an individual, so his scores did not count toward Miami’s team totals,

FRATERNITY continued from page 1

www.oxfordcommons.net www.miamicommons.net

Sigma Chi nationals did not pull their charter.

However, another requirement for holding a permit is a fraternity must not be hazardous to the health, safety and well being of the community, according to the Planning Commision’s agenda.

strong, we are hard to keep up with” The girls do not let this factor intimidate them, which was proven after they knocked another Big Ten team, the University of Iowa, out of the rankings earlier this season.

Northwestern University is currently 5-3, and it is important not to underestimate their strength and ability. Top teams defeated the Wildcats, including the No. 8 Syracuse University and the No. 2 University of Maryland. These teams present fierce competition to anyone in their way, and the Wildcats stayed strong throughout these matches.

The team will defend their undefeated season and take on IU at 5 p.m Sept. 17 and then will head out to Evanston, Ill. to take on Northwestern University at 1 p.m.

Sept. 19.

but his performance was exceptional.

“I don’t know if surprised is the right word because he’s a good player, but he had a rough performance on Saturday at Purdue,” Lubahn said. “I didn’t know what to expect, but for him to come out and search for the right thing, then finding it and riding the momentum.

That’s difficult for a youngster to do — to keep making birdies, to keep the pressure on. Especially today, coming out and shooting a 66 really impressed me.”

Sutherland was happy to see Kelly’s success for a number of reasons.

“Obviously what Austin did was impressive,” Sutherland said. “We can all say that when we were 18 that we wouldn’t be able to shoot those scores. He’s a good player, and it’s a testament to our coach’s hard work. He’s obviously recruiting the right players.”

Moving forward as a team, the RedHawks will be looking to capitalize on the contributions from the scores of each team member. In addition, they want to continue scoring under par and playing particularly well in their putting and their short game, an area in which they struggled last season.

The golfers travel to Lexington, Ky. Sept. 20 and 21 for the Cardinal Intercollegiate Tournament.

Commission members were unaware that Sigma Chi member Rory Ward was cited for discharging firearms after firing a 9mm pistol multiple times off the house balcony Sept. 2.

Although the gun did not belong to him, according to police reports, the gun’s location in the house, along with a shotgun, is common knowledge.

Keebler said the incident was irrelevant.

“That isn’t what was brought to us today,” Keebler said.

Sigma Chi has been suspended since March 26, and the city was made aware of this suspension April 2.

Frazier said the issue should have been taken care of in the summer months to avoid a potential housing issue.

According to Kay, the commission was not able to vote on this issue sooner because of the summer break.

“We could not get the parties together in the summer,” Kay said.

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12

Friday September 17, 2010

Tailgating sign of true sports fan Brian Gallagher

Gallagher’s Going for Two

A

merica’s national sports pastime is not football, baseball, basketball or any other major sport in existence. In fact, tailgating is the pastime all Americans embrace.

The first tailgate was said to occur between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans before a rousing game was played. The type of game that was played has been lost to history, but it is known that the Pilgrims lost and were very sore losers (I think we all know how that turned out). Nevertheless, tailgating is an integral part of any sports event.

While football usually gets the most press for impressive tailgates, I’ve seen faithful sports fans set up a grill for anything from a cross country meet to a 40-and-over softball game. It’s as much a part of sports as SportsCenter.

In Cleveland, the city was attempting to change the opening time for the popular Cleveland Municipal Parking Lot or “Muni Lot” from 4 to 7 a.m. This doesn’t sound too unreasonable because not even the most diehard fans can have brats and beer for breakfast, right? Wrong. The fans were outraged, and over 4,000 fans have signed a petition to change the time back to 4 a.m. There aren’t many cities that could so enrage a fan base by simply denying them the right to tailgate in the wee hours of the morning. But for a team that has not seen a title since the 1964 NFL Championship (before the Super Bowl existed), sometimes the tailgate is the best part of the day. Before the game is actually played, the fans can hope that “this is our year.”

In New York’s new $1.6 billion stadium, fans have been forced to move from their usual tailgate spots based on their seat locations. They paid $10,000 for these seats, and now they can’t even tailgate where they want. Mayor Lenny Clotch from Ghostbusters should have said, “It’s every New Yorker’s God-given right to be miserable and treat other people like dirt,” AND to tailgate however they please. Assigned seating for a tailgate? It makes about as much sense as eating veggie hot dogs on game day.

Here at Miami University, finding a spot to tailgate is not as much of a problem as in New York or even Cleveland. Nevertheless, despite the recent losing seasons, there are still fans out in the parking lot every Saturday, rain or shine. This speaks to the true fan nature: they will be there when the lot is full and when it is empty.

So grab your tongs, your grill, your charcoal and set up a tailgate.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s for an MU game, a Cincinnati Bengals loss or a rousing intramural game, nothing shows more team spirit than a tailgate. Of course, you should probably go to the game too, but let’s take it one step at a time.

Check out www.MURedHawks.com

for schedule and ticket information

The Miami Student is looking for writers.

E-mail news@miamistudent.net for more information.

FOOTBALL

Sports

Editor Katie Giovinale sports@miamistudent.net

NEXT HOME GAME: 3:30 p.m. Saturday vs. Colorado State

MU gears up to battle Rams

By JM Rieger Staff Writer

After their first win of the season, the Miami University football team will try to win its second straight game for the first time since 2007 against winless Colorado State University (CSU).

Currently, Miami is tied with Temple University for first place in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division, but do not tell that to this team.

“The MAC standings are not discussed,” Head Coach Michael Haywood said. “We are only looking at one game at a time. We have great leaders on this team and the players are starting to have confidence in themselves.”

Miami’s defense has played extremely well this year, and they have shut down the offenses of both University of Florida and Eastern Michigan University (EMU). They are tied for 20th in the NCAA in rushing defense and they are in the top 30 in total defense and first downs allowed.

Stopping the run will be one of the keys to the game this week for Miami, as CSU enters the game with a true freshman quarterback, Pete Thomas, and they will try to help him by establishing a running game and then using playaction passes to throw the ball.

“We have pride in our defense in stopping the run and the pass,” sophomore defensive lineman Austin Brown said. “We have gotten a lot better on defense this year. We need to continue to read plays well and watch a lot of film because you can learn a lot from watching film on teams.”

The Rams enter Saturday’s matchup ranked last in the NCAA in scoring offense and ranked 115 out of 120 teams in total offense. Look for the RedHawks to put pressure on CSU’s quarterback and to force them into throwing situations.

“We really need to emphasize (stopping) the run,” Haywood said. “That is our first priority.

We need to make them a onedimensional team and create third

MICHAEL GRIGGS The Miami Student

Wide receiver Armand Robinson evades Eastern Michigan University defenders to score for Miami University Sept. 11. and long situations, something that we did not do a good job of last week.”

Meanwhile, Miami will try to continue their balanced offensive attack from last week, utilizing a strong rushing attack to open up the passing game. Senior running back Thomas Merriweather, who is coming off of a three-touchdown game against EMU, was named the MAC East Division Player of the Week, and he will need to play well again for Miami.

“We need to be able to run the football consistently,” Haywood said. “This will help create oneon-one coverage for our receivers and help the passing game.”

In addition, senior wide receiver Armand Robinson has had a spectacular season thus far, averaging nine catches and 100 yards per game. He is tied for fourth place in the NCAA in individual receiving stats, and getting him

involved early and often in the offense will be another key to look for this week.

“Coach (Morris) Watts has done an outstanding job of putting (Robinson) in multiple positions, making it hard (for the defense) to lock in and cover him on the field,” Haywood said. “(Wide receivers) Givens, Cruse and Paine have all had a good week in practice and they will help the passing game this week too.”

The Red and White may be without two key players this Saturday. Senior offensive lineman Bob Gulley left last Saturday’s game against EMU in the second half with an injury and will be a game time decision. Also, junior offensive lineman Brandon Brooks, who filled in for Gulley last week, has been limited in practice this week with a hamstring injury. He too will be a game time decision.

Miami is still looking very

VOLLEYBALL

RedHawks host Miami Invitational

By Michael Solomon Staff Writer

The Miami University volleyball team will host the Miami Invitational/Best Western Classic Sept. 17 and 18, looking to build on a strong performance last weekend in Ann Arbor.

The ’Hawks took down in-state foe Wright State University Wednesday night in Oxford before going 2-1 in Michigan last weekend.

Winning three out of their last four matches has brought the Red and White to a 4-6 record overall, after starting the season 1-5.

The schedule will not get easier this weekend, when Indiana University, DePaul University and Illinois State University come to Oxford. While the matches will be tough, the RedHawks believe they have the tools to play well and improve this weekend.

“I am expecting some tough matches that will challenge us and make us better,” said redshirt junior outside hitter Amy Raseman.

“Winning three games this last week was a step in the right direction, but we all know that we are capable of even more and crisper looking wins. Our team is gaining confidence as a well-rounded team and are striving to succeed regardless of who is on the court.”

Indiana, DePaul and Illinois State all pose different threats to the young RedHawks team. Practice this week has focused on ball control and hitters’ timing with the setter. If the Red and White can improve on that this weekend, they believe they have a good chance at winning all three matches against tough opponents.

“Indiana is a much improved team over

strong going into their game against CSU. Many of the leaders are starting to step up on the team, including redshirt junior defensive back Anthony Kokal, redshirt sophomore quarterback Zac Dysert, junior defensive lineman Morris Council and senior safety Jordan Gafford, and players are understanding their roles on the team.

“The captains are controlling the locker room,” Haywood said.

“Gafford is one of those guys and he tells me (after talking to the guys in the locker room), ‘Coach, the guys are drinking the Kool-Aid.’” Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 18 at Yager Stadium. The weekend is Miami’s Football Reunion Weekend, and over 100 Miami football alumni are expected to be in attendance. Fans can listen to the game on Miami’s ISP Sports Network or on WMSR at redhawkradio.com.

GOLF

’Hawks aim to fly as team

By Hannah R. Miller Staff Writer

MICHAEL GRIGGS The Miami Student

Jackie Lang bumps the ball in Miami University’s game against Wright State Sept. 8. last year,” Miami Head Coach Carolyn Condit said. “They have a lot of players that can put the ball down, especially when they get a good pass up, and I think they will be our toughest test. If we can pass well and put the ball away on the first set, I think we can do really well against Indiana and the two other teams we face.”

Miami opens the tournament at 7 p.m.

Sept. 17 against DePaul at Millett. The RedHawks will then take on Illinois State at 10:30 a.m. Sept. 18 before closing with Indiana at 7:30 p.m.

The Miami University golf team jumped back into action, playing in their first two tournaments of the season in a span of just four days.

On Sept. 11, the golf team was in West Lafayette, Ind. competing in the Purdue/Midwest Shootout and on Sept. 13 and 14, the golfers traveled to Huntington, W.Va. for the Marshall Invitational. Finishing in second on Saturday and in sixth after Monday and Tuesday’s rounds made one thing very clear for the RedHawks: they are capable of competing with elite golfers around the country, but it will require consistency, intensity and effort.

After Saturday’s rounds, Head Coach Casey Lubahn was pleased with his team.

“Saturday was a good start,” Lubahn said. “I think we put ourselves in position to have a great tournament even without our best stuff.”

After the conclusion of the Marshall Invitational, the sentiment was quite different.

“Today we’re kicking ourselves a little bit for not fighting a little harder, especially down the stretch,” Lubahn said. “A little effort here, and a little effort there and the result is totally different.”

Even throughout the somewhat disappointing tournament Monday and Tuesday, the team found some unmistakable positives.

wSee GOLF, page 11