The Miami Student Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826
VOLUME 139 NO. 12
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011
MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO
TODAY IN MIAMI HISTORY In 2005, The Miami Student reported that Miami University would have to pay $27,500 in fines for violations related to the Cleary Act. The Cleary Act
requires universities to inform victims of sexual assault if their attackers are back on campus and Miami was found to have failed to do this six times in five years. Miami was fined for one incident, but if fines had been issued for all six violations, the fines would have totaled over $100,000.
Hodge urges culture of engaging change By Jenni Wiener Campus Editor
“We need to create a culture that embraces change confidently and enthusiastically, a culture that sees change as opportunity rather than necessity, a culture that engages change to pursue excellence relentlessly.” This was the vision Miami University President David Hodge presented to students, faculty and staff at his annual address Thursday afternoon in Hall Auditorium. The president emphasized that not only is this the “Year of the Arts” at Miami, but it is also a time of change that will lead to a future of success. “Tradition provides an enduring base to our identity and it anchors our actions in our common values,” Hodge said in his speech. “On the other hand, this spirit of tradition, if carried too far, can
inhibit progress by generating resistance to needed change. How often, and in so many different circumstances, have we encountered the phrase, ‘We have always done it that way?’” Rapid change is impacting higher education and Hodge stressed that Miami needs to take advantage of the opportunities change can bring to advance the university. “We must act with intention and we must act now to create a culture that is true to our values, yet makes us a more agile, forward-looking university,” Hodge said. “I believe that a powerful way to think about the culture we need is through the lens of entrepreneurial thinking.” A necessity for entrepreneurship does not mean the creation of new businesses, Hodge said, but entrepreneurship as a way of thinking that can be embraced either by an
individual or an institution. One important quality that entrepreneurs share is that they are obsessed with opportunity and seek it everywhere and in everything, a quality and mindset that aligns well with the core educational values of Miami, according to the president. Student Body President Nick Huber said Hodge’s theme of pursuing excellence really resonated with him. “I’m big on encouraging students to take ownership of their Miami experience,” Huber said. “The only way to achieve excellence and entrepreneurship is if students take advantage of the opportunities around them. Hodge articulated his vision for the future of the university well, now it just needs to be translated to make the big dreams a reality.” Hodge went on to speak about the core qualities that distinguish an entrepreneurial
university, stressing the Miami plan for liberal education as a driver of innovation. It gives students the opportunity to “see the world” through different ways of thinking, Hodge said. Studying abroad or in different contexts is
“While our actions and research of today directly impact the world around us, the biggest impact of our actions have been and always will be the development of graduates who are exceptionally well prepared for their
This spirit of tradition, if carried too far, can inhibit progress by generating resistance to needed change.” DAVID HODGE
MIAMI UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT
another way to get a better view of the world and promote innovation. Although innovation has no impact without execution, Hodge said. Execution is the key to tackling “significant issues” in pursuit of Miami’s one very important goal: the creation of the best outcomesbased learning environment in the nation.
careers and lives,” Hodge said. “This goal is at the heart of everything we do and together we will create the very best outcomes-based learning environment imaginable.” To obtain this goal, Hodge said it is important for Miamians to strengthen and develop a culture that will allow the university and its members to thrive.
Miami has already started thinking entrepreneurially in many ways. Hodge highlighted that for the second year, Housing, Dining, Recreation and Business Services has achieved its best financial performance ever, through reinvesting in its residential and dining facilities without students having to pay a higher room and board cost. An example of this is the installation of the electronic door access system using smart card technology. The university has also taken its first steps away from using coal through the use of geothermal heating and cooling in Stoddard and Elliott Halls. This year, however, more attention will be devoted to a new approach of budgeting and the allocation
HODGE, SEE PAGE 7
ASG: students should Michigan, Ohio wage war of words, bypass WBC picket dollars over Ides of March bragging rights By Matt Levy
Senior Staff Writer
Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) had plenty to discuss
during their weekly meeting Tuesday night. Student body president Nick Huber brought up the issue of the Westboro Baptist Church’s announcement that they will come to picket Miami Oct. 25 and asked the senate to consider what course of action it wants to take. “This is an issue because the group is going to be here and they’re going to be saying offensive things to a lot of students,” Huber said. “We could have a positive event to draw in a large crowd away from the protest or we could try to play down this event as much as possible and try not to create a lot of fanfare.” The general consensus within ASG was that the best course of action for the student body would be to not engage the church in debate or rancorous counter-protests, but to go about the day normally and use the opportunity to celebrate Miami’s diversity. “I don’t think bringing any attention to this, whether individually or as representatives of ASG or Miami, is the best approach because organizations like the Westboro Baptist Church thrive on the attention you give them,” Secretary for Diversity Affairs Jonathan Wheeler said. “By having a peaceful protest or a peaceful picket or drawing large crowds of people, anything out of the ordinary course of day-to-day business for the sake of this group only does exactly what they want us to do.” Student Body Vice-President Matt Frazier agreed
and gave warning about the tactics the Westboro Baptist Church employs. “This group thrives on pushing people to the brink of what is legal and what is not legal, and as soon as they get someone to cross that line, they bring in the police,” Frazier said. “They’ll try to incite people to say or do things they would not normally do, so I encourage everyone to think about the group mentality. If they’re on campus and a mob occurs, it’s going to end very badly. It’s going to provide a lot of bad PR and the Westboro Baptist Church will be the only ones who get out scot-free.” The Westboro Baptist Church profits from suing anybody who attacks any of its members, according to Student Senate president Tom Kirkham, and they do not hesitate to file suit if attacked. Huber encouraged senators to educate themselves on the issue by watching documentaries about the church so they know what they are up against. Michael Trivelli, ASG’s Treasurer, suggested ASG and the Diversity Affairs Council should initiate a pledge to be circulated throughout the student body that would have people sign saying they will stay far away from the protest when church members arrive in October. This pledge, according to Trivelli and the senators who supported it, would ensure that church members are “politely ignored” while keeping away other students who might see fit to harass or attack the protestors. Senator Tom Hohman joked that Miami should have its groundskeeping staff out in full force mowing the lawns around the church when they speak. “When you watch [The Westboro Baptist Church], although the language they use is offensive, the protests themselves are laughable,” Huber said. “They try to incorporate pop culture but they just look goofy.” Debate about how to handle the protest will continue in the coming weeks.
By Sarah Sidlow Asst. Community Editor
With the Ides of March debut a week away and the college football rivalry still months in the making, Michigan and Ohio have begun a new competition. The states, both major players in the filming of Ides, are vying for bragging rights and face time on the big screen. George Clooney’s roots in northern Kentucky and Cincinnati appear to give Ohio the early lead. Clooney, who served as director, producer, screenwriter and portrayed Gov. Mike Morris in the film, was born in Augusta, Kentucky, along the Ohio River. His father Nick Clooney had a TV show in Cincinnati and George once made an unsuccessful attempt at the Cincinnati Reds line-up. But even the hometown hero found love for the Great Lakes State.
Michigan’s campaign Paula Czajka, the director of event management at the Dearborn Inn spent two days with the cast and crew while they filmed there. “I heard an interview later on the local news with George Clooney and he said he really enjoyed being in Michigan. He said it was a great location to film in,” Czajka said. The film crew also spent a good deal of time in Ann Arbor on the University of Michigan campus, where they created three separate film locations. “Between takes, Clooney spent a lot of time sitting and chatting with extras at the Arthur Miller Theater,” said Lee Doyle, director of the University of Michigan Film Office. “He joked a lot about U of M and the rivalry. He got the students rallied. He said that he really enjoyed the U of M and U of M sports, and that he had a strong dislike of Ohio State, which got everybody cheering, of course.”
PATRICK GEYSER THE MIAMI STUDENT
University of Michigan student Kate Woolliscroft, a junior screen arts and cultures major, said she appreciated Clooney’s ability to play up the crowd in Ann Arbor. As for her opinion on which state deserved bragging rights, she decided that it might be too dangerous a question to answer. “I am extremely biased with my love for America’s high five,” she said.
The Buckeye state While there is a lot of evidence that may point to Michigan as the favored ground for the Ides cast and crew, there are important things to note about the home state of Ohio. Unlike Miami, the University of Michigan was not branded in the film. In fact, the entire film takes place in Ohio during the Ohio presidential primaries. So while students in Hall Auditorium played attendees to a town hall meeting held at Miami, Michigan students in the Arthur Miller Theater pretended to attend a town hall meeting at Kent State, according to Doyle.
That branding provided great visibility for Miami University and the Farmer School of Business, which is something that Alan Oak, Miami’s assistant dean for external relations, values a great deal. “Although I guess that depends on whether or not it’s a lousy movie,” Oak added jokingly. Oak was also adamant that Miami was the best place for the movie. “I don’t know why [they filmed at other universities]. This is the best place for it. I suppose they needed a variety of locations,” he said. Clooney was also on campus to experience one of Miami’s most celebrated traditions: Green Beer Day. The following day, he talked with the extras about the excitement in Oxford, according to sophomore Katie Fidelholtz, who was an extra in the film. Clooney also spent some time making small talk and jokes with the extras on campus, including references to his two-time victory of People Magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” award, according to Fidelholtz.
Buying the vote While the politics played out in front of the camera, some policy decisions were being made behind the scenes as well. At the time of shooting, Michigan had the richest film incentives in the nation, which was a big draw for celebrities like Clooney, according to Lee Doyle, director of the University of Michigan Film Office. The state offered up to a 33 percent return off the location costs of filming, including personnel, and had no spending cap. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder cut this incentive program and capped it at $25 million, and according to Doyle, all of that money for the fiscal year has already been spent. Maybe when the dust has settled on these two battleground states, this sibling rivalry will ultimately have to concede to the parent Midwest. “Maybe that’s why he enjoyed it,” Czajka said. “Maybe he just liked being back in the Midwest. I’m just guessing.” The Ides of March premieres in theaters nationwide Oct. 7.
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CAMPUS
Editors Lauren Ceronie Jenni Wiener
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011
campus@miamistudent.net
Facebook not a tool for Miami admissions By Jessica Tedrick For The Miami Student
Facebook “creeping” isn’t exactly a new phenomenon. Most users know that anyone can be looking at their profile at any given time. Facebook users also know that before they get out into the job market they may want to take down some of their more scandalous party pictures. But what about college applicants? New studies by Kaplan Test Prep show that colleges have started to not only evaluate a potential student’s transcript
but also their Facebook page. Miami University does not use Facebook to help decide which students are accepted. Miami chose not to use Facebook as an admittance tool because of time constraints, according to Ann Larson, interim director of admissions. She said that the “concentration is on the information that the student has submitted.” Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, doesn’t use Facebook for admissions because of ethical concerns. Kenyon’s Dean of Admissions, Jennifer Delahunty, said they “aim to
practice ethical admissions” and that in order to do that while using Facebook the admissions office would have
said she worries that checking potential students Facebook would fall into an “ethical gray area.”
If [colleges] can look at Facebook, they can get an idea of what they’re really getting into.” ERIN MITROI
MIAMI UNIVERSITY SOPHOMORE
to check every applicant’s page, a task that they do not have time for. Delahunty also
Larson said she “respects both ways of looking at it” and she acknowledged that
some may see it as an invasion of privacy but that social networking makes what people put on the web available to anyone. She said students need to “be prudent with what they put on [Facebook].” Larson said the knowledge that some universities do use Facebook before accepting an application may caution students and serve as a warning sign that the content that they put on the Internet is seen. Miami sophomore Erin Mitroi said she believes checking Facebook would be fair.
“It’s your decision what’s on [your] Facebook,” she said. She added that checking the Facebook page of an applicant “makes sense” because a student does not have to represent their personal life on an application. “If [colleges] can look at Facebook, they can get an idea of what they’re really getting into,” Mitroi said. Perhaps Delahunty put it best; by looking at Facebook it is hard to tell “who [is] representing bad behavior or just bad taste.”
Committee considers calendar changes By Adam Giffi
Senior Staff Writer
The daily, weekly and semesterly schedules Miami University students operate by may soon face changes. As the Academic Policy Committee Calendar Subcommittee has been presenting their recommendations to the Board of Trustees, University Senate, Associated Student Government, regional campus representatives and others, new insights about a planned winter session have been revealed. The subcommittee’s draft report also included a recommendation to move towards more Monday/Thursday and Tuesday/Friday time blocks, eliminating the three day weekends that many students and faculty currently have and encouraging weeklong academics. This suggestion will not be included in the final report, but has led to an interesting campus discussion nonetheless. Marketing professor Maria Cronley serves as chair of the subcommittee. She stressed that all of the recommendations are just suggestions. If they are adopted, students will be adding a winter session to the current fall, spring and summer periods. Cronley said with this time, the university could potentially run online courses that begin the very first Monday of the new winter session and last until the start of the spring semester. She said study abroad programs could now run longer as well and leadership workshops and other academic activities could also be an option in this period. Students could also simply take the time off. “Like the summer session, this time would be an additional opportunity for students,” Cronley said. “But certainly none of these activities would be required.” Because students must spend a set amount of time in class to earn credits, accommodating the winter session would mean lengthening class periods. For instance, 75 minute classes would become 85 minutes, Cronley said. There would now be 14 weeks of instruction and one week of finals, versus the current 15 weeks of class and one week of finals. The recommendation for
more Monday/Thursday and Tuesday/Friday time blocks was designed to find space to add more twice weekly classes. “In our committee, we saw estimates that said only about 30 percent of students have a class on Friday which we think is low,” Cronley said. “Obviously, we think that students should be going to class five days a week. This is a university so we felt that we have facilities that could be utilized better on Fridays and we felt that potential change in the daily schedule would provide better space utilization across campus.” However, students like sophomore Kristen Timmons say that they need their work-filled Fridays free. “I don’t have class on Fridays and I didn’t last semester either,” Timmons said. “It took me some time to adjust to and I did waste a few Fridays, but now I’m using it to be productive and use it to get work done and even get ahead.” Others still, like first-year Thomas Leppla, see no class on Fridays as harmful. “It is an extra day to party,” Leppla said. “I would like to have Friday off, but I think in general college students are going to abuse it. It is an issue that will likely present itself elsewhere in the future. “This recommendation has received the most concern and we realize that, as a subcommittee, the idea of whether or not we should have more two day a week time blocks, or three day a week time blocks, or open time during the week, is a broader philosophical question for the university to answer as a whole,” Cronley said. The draft suggested that calendar changes will begin in the spring 2013 semester. However this date is not set in stone. “Implementation will be guided by the president and provost and eventually fall to an implementation team that would decide exactly when these recommendations, if any, become a reality,” Cronley said. “I think it is very likely that implementation would be pushed later, probably to the fall of 2013. But again, that’s not my decision.”
CORRECTION It is the policy of The Miami Student to publish corrections for factual errors found in the newspaper. In the Sept. 22 issue of The Miami Student Cecelia Shore and Jennifer Blue were identified as executive vice presidents of Academic Affaris, when in fact Shore is the director of the Center for the Enhancement of Learning, Teaching and University Assessment (CELTUA) and Blue is Associate Professor of Physics and Faculty Assessment for CELTUA.
LAUREN OLSON THE MIAMI STUDENT
THE WIND BENEATH OUR WINGS Top left: Sheridan Monroe performs her solo at the Wind Ensemble Chamber Concert Wednesday evening. Top right: Sean O’Neill on trumpet: Bottom: Raymund Jacinto playing his bassoon.
The ‘M’ book: helping first years navigate college life since the 19th century This is part of a series The Miami Student is running about the University Archives. All information in the following article was obtained from the University Archives with the help of University Archivist Bob Schmidt.
By Lauren Ceronie Campus Editor
By this time in the semester, most first years probably feel like they have the Miami University routine down. Everyone knows his or her way around campus, knows the people in their residence halls and knows the good places to go uptown. This is the way adjusting to a new place usually works, but Miami students used to have a bit of help adjusting to the Miami lifestyle through the trusty “M” Book. The “M” Book first appeared at Miami in 1925. It
was a pocket-sized handbook with an “M” emblazoned on the cover telling first-years everything they needed to know about college life. Similar pocket-sized handbooks had been appearing sporadically at the university since 1887, but no book was published yearly until 1925. The introduction of the 1947 “M” book declared, “This is it. It is sometimes known as the Hand-Book. It is the Freshman ‘Bible’ and one should read it cover to cover, assimilate its contents and digest them thoroughly. It is published mainly for the yearlings, so, reader, if you are a Freshman, peruse its contents thoroughly, or if you are an upperclassmen, read it so you can answer the Frosh questions intelligently.” The books contained helpful hints for students in a section called “What freshmen
ought to know,” as well as fight songs, calendars, lists of student organizations and lists of faculty. In 1897, the university had only 14 faculty members, all listed in the handbook. The books also mention The Miami Student as an organization to join. A special For Women Only “M” Book was also published at the university with helpful hints on what to wear to class, how to be a good hostess and appropriate ways to interact with men. The “M” Books were published yearly until 1973 when the practice was discontinued. According to “The History of the ‘M’ Book,” the culture and student attitudes in the 1960s made the book’s contents about school spirit and university tradition less relevant to students. The “M” Book made a comeback in 2000 after
Associated Student Government members rediscovered the handbook. It was discontinued again after 2003 due to lack of funding, however. The book was brought back again in 2006 with the hope it would be published for a few years after. The 2006 “M” Book contained a letter from the president of the university, a history of Miami, university traditions, advice on living in Oxford and, of course, the helpful hints. The hints today include “don’t walk on the Seal,” “play broomball” and “study for exams.” It also gives directions on how to do laundry and has a glossary of “Miami words.” By this time, first years probably feel comfortable on campus, but if they want some extra advice, they can always rely on a trusty handbook.
JUSTIN REASH SARAH SIDLOW
COMMUNITY
COMMUNITY@miamistudent.net
POLICE
BEAT
Student passes out in Speedway Around 5 a.m. Sunday, police officers were called to Speedway in reference to a male passed out inside the store. Upon arrival, the officer observed a white male sleeping just outside the front door. The male was seated on boxed cases of merchandise and was identified as 20-year-old Miami University student John Castell. The officer smelled a strong stench of alcohol and saw fresh vomit on Castell’s pants. Castell was passed out in the restroom earlier and customers were complaining to the store clerk, according to police reports. Castell was issued a citation for underage intoxication.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011
Historic Ohio college reopens doors By Shannon Pesek
Senior Staff Writer
Three years after closing its doors due to monetary issues, Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio is now preparing for the 2011-12 school year. Antioch was a liberal arts cooperative, which requires students who attend to complete six quarters of full time work, minor in a language, all while completing classes, explained Chief Communications Officer at Antioch, Gariot Louima. “This sets us apart from other liberal arts colleges, we have an
interdisciplinary focus, and are most distinguished by the full time work we require,” Louima said. Dean and Professor of the Cooperative Education program, Susan Eklund-Leen, stresses the importance of the students acquiring work experience while studying because of the acquired skill set and abilities. “Students are able to explore various fields, which helps them decide what things they need to improve on,” Eklund-Leen said. Miami University sophomore Katherine Holt found this form of education to be fascinating and something she wished Miami offered.
“I have a friend who goes to school in Singapore, and that’s how they do it,” Holt said. In 2008, Antioch’s campus closed at the end of the academic year, and shortly after, alumni mobilized to negotiate the repurchase of the college, Louima said. Antioch College is about an hour and a half from Miami, and about 20 minutes from Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. Monetary issues are not new for the college, which has closed several times due to financial problems and low enrollment, Louima said. The government structure of the college did not
Male reports stolen watch Around 4 p.m. Sunday, a male reported a burglary in his residence over the weekend. He stated he left work Friday around 10 p.m. and returned a few hours later. When he came home, he found his ground floor bedroom window standing open along with the blinds knocked askew. He claimed the window was unlocked and he didn’t notice anything missing at the time, according to reports. No report was filed at the time. He noticed later that his Michael Kors watch that was near the window was missing and called police. There are no leads or suspects at this time.
Female reports uptown burglary Around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday, a female reported her wallet, car key and smartphone were stolen at Brick Street Bar and Grill. The wallet contained $20 and a U.S. Bank Visa card. The phone was locked and the bank card has been cancelled with no activity showing on it since the theft.
By Michelle Rowley
For The Miami Student
Hoofin’ it down High Street
JULIA ENGELBRECHT THE MIAMI STUDENT
Students and residents participate in the State to State 5k/half marathon on Sunday, Sept. 25. Contestants started in Ohio and finished in Indiana.
State redistricting unlikely to affect Butler County politics By Catherine Ubry
For The Miami Student
Due to population shifts and increases in most electoral districts around the state, even counties like Butler County will be affected by redistricting changes. Ohio’s constitution requires the General Assembly to redraw and rewrite district maps throughout the state every 10 years. New maps are currently being redrawn and approved for state representatives. According to Butler County Representative Senator Bill Coley, “Representatives throughout Ohio have been meeting ever since the preliminary census data was sent from the federal to the state government.” By doing so, the representatives hope to determine new districts that will equitably represent the voters and communities throughout Ohio. The
new districts must be approved by the Apportionment board, which is composed of one Democratic member, Armond Budish, and four Republican members, Tom Niehuas, David Yost, Jon Husted and Governor John Kasich. Sophomore Adam Zsely expressed concern that with one party in control of the committee, bias could potentially play a factor. “It’s hard to see how the redistricting could be totally fair because the board that determines it is Republican in the majority,” Zsely said. “With only one Democrat in the minority on the apportionment board, I feel like it would be kind of hard to draw fair lines for the districts to be equally represented.” The Representatives of Butler County, however, have little to worry about. Although both the House and Senate districts in Butler County could see changes in their representation
due to population shifts, there will not be any huge changes in representation, insists Butler County Senator Bill Coley. Senator Coley said changes for the Senate will be subtle and hardly have any effect on Oxford at all. Coley said representation will stay mostly the same, with only part of Middletown experiencing some change. “Because of the rapid growth in Butler [County], some residents over near Middletown will face change because part of Middletown sits in Butler County and part sits in Warren County,” Coley said. “Butler County was over the constitutional limit of people so the people needed another representative. Each person’s vote should be equally represented.” Aside from a few district changes around Middletown, Butler County will see few changes.
New bar offers unique environment By Michelle Rowley
For The Miami Student
Heavy Hands College Bar opened Friday to ages 18 and up, despite rumors that the bar was going to be 22 and up. Matt Johnson, the Heavy Hands manager, has confirmed that the rumors that have been spread around campus throughout
help the monetary problems they had experienced, Louima said. The college was run by Antioch University, which can be found all over the nation. “The graduate programs of Antioch University spread across the nation and those are much more financially lucrative. The university decided not to put additional resources into our historic campus,” Louima said. To avoid this situation occurring again, the college revamped the structure of its institution by incorporating the language minor and refocusing the courses, Louima explained. “Former faculty
amplified the program that was already there, they traveled to alumni chapters across the nation to learn about new curriculum and refine what was already in place,” Louima said. The importance of a college such as Antioch is found in its real world preparation, Eklund-Leen stressed. “Education is more effective when partnered with work,” Eklund-Leen said,” The work place of the future is unpredictable, these abilities will help students be more mobile.” Students arrived back on campus on Sept. 24 and classes will begin classes Oct. 4.
Nationwide decrease in bee populations a cause for concern
Harassment leads to broken nose Around 2:30 a.m. Saturday, a man and his wife were walking to their residence. As they were walking past East Vine Street, two males were yelling obscene comments in reference to the wife. The male told the harassing males who were yelling to stop and they continued. One of the males, identified later as 21-year-old Miami University student Elias George, used his forehead to break the victim’s nose. The victim went to McCullough Hyde Memorial Hospital’s emergency room where he reported the assault. George was cited for assault and released.
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the past few weeks have no truth to them. The bar was always intended to be 18 and up, just like its major competitors. The bar is located uptown next to La Bodega on High Street. “We had a good laugh when we heard [the rumors],” Johnson said. Even with the substantial amount of bars uptown, Johnson does not believe
Heavy Hands will have a hard time competing. Sophomore Elizabeth Allread agrees that the bar will most likely not have a hard time attracting club-goers. “I think another bar being built uptown is great for the nightlife in Oxford,” Allread said. The bar is broken into two sides: one side is a pub-style “VIP room” and
the other is an 18 and up dance club. To set itself apart, the bar is offering 25 cent Natural Light cans and $1 shots every Wednesday night. To further separate themselves from other bars in town, Heavy Hands plans on charging very little for very strong beverages. As for those of legal drinking age, there is never a cover fee.
Homo sapiens have been around for approximately 200,000 years. In that time, we have evolved into the dominant species on Earth, with a population of approximately 6.9 billion. In contrast, the honeybee has been in existence for approximately 150 million years: the same amount of time as angiosperms (flowering plants). Within the past 17 years, this species has become nearly extinct, according to Alex Zomchek of the Butler County Beekeepers Association. Almost two decades ago, a species of bees was brought to the United States from a different part of the world for experimental purposes. The foreign bees, which were placed with bees of North American origins, were carrying a lethal parasitic mite called the Verroa mite. According to Zomchek, although the bees that were brought from foreign countries were immune to the mite, the North American bees proved susceptible to the destructive arthropod. Zomchek, who is in charge of a commissioned research project, has found that in a mere 17 years, a species that has been around for 150 million years has gone from an astonishing 2225 million wild hives, to absolutely zero. “We have literally lost every single wild bee tree,” said Alex Zomchek, a member of the Butler County Beekeepers Association. Zomchek believes we have a very serious crisis that requires much scientific research. “There are no more ‘Winnie the Pooh’ trees with beehives anymore,” Zomchek said. “They are completely gone.” Luckily, scientists have been breeding bees in captivity since Oxford’s own Lorenzo Langstroth invented the bee box in 1846. Langstroth’s creation made it possible for farmers to pollinate crops more effectively in much greater quantities. To this day, bee boxes are transported from coast to coast to pollinate mass crops. Three years ago, farmers could pollinate their crops
at a rate of $31 per bee box. Zomchek’s research has found that today, farmers pay upwards of $150 per box, and yet would still pay more; however there aren’t enough bees to meet the demand. Virtually every block crop in the United States relies on captive-bred bees. To put this into perspective, out of every three items we eat, one was grown because the bee boxes were brought to the farmers, according to Zomcheck. Due to the lack of bees, many of these crops are not being pollinated, resulting in a decrease in output of fruits and vegetables and corresponding increase in food prices. Few in the general public seem aware of the critical role bees play in our food industry. “It is unfortunate that most people in Oxford, the birthplace of modern keeping, don’t recognize the worldwide significance of the work of the Reverend Lorenzo Langstroth,” said Alfredo Huerta, associate professor of botany at Miami. There are many ways in which students can become involved and raise awareness for the increasingly important issue. The Langstroth Cottage, which is located on Miami’s campus, and the Butler County Beekeepers Association are two places students can learn about beekeeping and the importance of honeybees to our ecosystem. “Most people never think about where their food comes from and what is involved in that process,” Huerta said. There is also a beekeeping education center located right off campus that students are encouraged to visit. Huerta believes it is critical that the knowledge on this subject reach the public, especially the student population. “I think it’s important for students to know this because we are the future leaders of many industries,” sophomore Kristin Bell said. “We are the future farmers, chemical engineers, and other people involved in the industry. With the information that we are privy to, we could potentially fix the issue.”
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OPINION
Editors Noëlle Bernard Thomasina Johnson
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011
editorial@miamistudent.net
EDITORIAL The following piece, written by the editorial editors, reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.
Students must not encourage WBC by counter-protesting Associated Student Government discussed several methods to approach the Oct. 25 Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) protest that will be on a peripheral sidewalk on Miami University’s campus. The suggestions included having students sign a pledge to agree that they will walk an alternative route to not encourage the WBC protest. Another idea is having an alternative place where students can go to express their feelings, instead of counter-protesting. The editorial board of The Miami Student is proud that ASG is handling this important and difficult matter with maturity. Miami must not bring attention to the Westboro Baptist Church members and their protesting. If students actively protest the WBC, it will only fuel their fire and attract attention to their presence. This is exactly what the WBC wants and Miami must not become a part of the WBC’s success while in Ohio. Students must
educate themselves about the WBC’s strategies so they are prepared for their visit. Anger is a natural response when people see something unusual and perceive it as threatening. If students are shocked by the picketing or WBC’s message, their surprise may encourage student counterprotests or large crowds of curious students. However, Miami must help students by addressing this issue. The university should communicate what students, staff and faculty can expect from the picketing, where the protest may be and how to not encourage the WBC. ASG must also work with student organizations to promote campuswide education about the WBC. With their resources and leadership experience, ASG can play a vital role in inhibiting counter-protestors. Students must do their part to discourage the WBC picketing. In order to ignore the WBC, they should seek out an
alternate route while walking to and from class. The WBC is small, but picketing is what it does. The WBC may try to provoke students in order to file a lawsuit. Students must act maturely and not provoke the WBC members. Although this protest has many negative connotations, it also has a silver lining. The Miami community must think of the WBC protest as a time for the campus to shine with university pride. This is a critical time when we can show the WBC and the nation that we are better than the hatred that the WBC demonstrates. By realizing that many more important causes deserve our energy and time, we can conserve our resources to focus them on issues that really matter. With a well-prepared student body, WBC will leave campus discouraged from their picketing and students will fell more connected to each other and have a strong sense of pride in their university.
Rule of Thumb Birthdays Happy 21st birthday to Nicole, an awesome page designer!
The end of warm weather We wouldn’t complain if the cold and rain missed us.
The start of Adopt-a-School Here’s to another great year of teaching and serving.
Fall colors The gorgeous pallet of reds, yellow and oranges make up for the cold weather.
Pulling all nighters We swore we’d never do it again...
The Miami football game Good luck to all RedHawk teams this weekend!
The Miami Student Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826
EDITORIAL BOARD Sam Kay Editor in Chief
Lauren Ceronie Campus Editor
Bethany Bruner News Editor
Jenni Wiener Campus Editor
Noëlle Bernard Editorial Editor
Michael Solomon Sports Editor
Thomasina Johnson Editorial Editor
Amanda Seitz Special Reports Editor
NOAH CARL THE MIAMI STUDENT
LETTER to the editor
Students should make WBC visit about promoting tolerance First and foremost, Spectrum in no way endorses Westboro Baptist Church’s (WBC) beliefs, messages or content. We firmly believe their hateful speech is harmful to most individuals, including the LGBTQA, Jewish, Catholic, Muslim and military communities and their families. However, we must draw a line between what they say and their right to speak. Furthermore, there must be a divide — a wall of separation — between academic inquiry to the nature of groups such as WBC and support for their messages and causes. Most of Spectrum’s Leadership Team met with Hillel Gray, a professor who has studied the WBC and who has conducted numerous interviews with members of the Phelps family. We stand strong in our support for his work and of any public presentation of his studies that he wishes to pursue. We believe the first step to countering the effects of a group such as the WBC is to understand how and why they operate as they do and thus the best ways to undermine their tactics. Westboro Baptist Church is designed to picket. Their ministry involves “rebuking” sinners on the streets and in targeted locations. They are designed to have shock value, to illicit emotionally violent, knee-jerk reactions. They compare negative reactions and counter-protesting to the vilification of the Old Testament prophets and use it as a means of reinforcing
their doctrinal beliefs. Because of this knowledge, Spectrum will not host or endorse a counter-protest. While we understand that some people will feel the emotional need to counterprotest (and we will not stop them), we will focus on building our community, not the WBC. Spectrum will pursue a multi-faceted approach to WBC’s picket on Oct. 25. We will work with other organizations across campus to create an event to take place during the picket, but in a removed location. We have chosen to remove ourselves from the location in order to mitigate the effect that WBC hopes to have by sparking counter-protests and reinforce the positivity on which our community focuses. We will host a “teach in” discussion about hate groups from 3:30 to 4 p.m. Then, for the duration of WBC’s picket, we will have a “Rally for Love,” a coming together of Miami’s community to celebrate our diversity, our tolerance and above all, our respect for each other. This will be an opportunity to truly show our cohesion as a university and as a community. All are invited. The location will be determined once we are made aware of where WBC will picket. Spectrum will also organize alternate routes for passersby so that students, faculty and staff will be able to avoid the picket. We’ll deploy marketing materials and people to direct flows around the WBC in a manner that will mitigate the
effects that WBC hopes to have on passersby. Finally, Spectrum wants to provide a means for people to show support of the efforts against hatred and bigotry. We invite everyone to purchase a “Love is the New Label” T-shirt in our “White Out Hate” campaign. If you don’t want to purchase a shirt, simply wear a white top on picket day to show solidarity! A mass of white shirts symbolizing our devotion to love instead of hate will be extremely powerful. To purchase a “Love is the New Label” shirt for $15, email Billy Price (pricewc@muohio.edu) with your shirt size by Tuesday, Oct. 11. You can also get “No Hate on my campus” buttons from GLBTQ Services! View the shirt design and stay up to date on our WBC events at spectrummiami.wordpress.com. The goal of this approach is to promote positive messages and to avoid giving Westboro what they’re looking for — what they thrive on. It also mitigates the risk of escalation — physical or emotional — of a counter-protest; there’s no reason to risk the possibility of more hate. We want all people interested in promoting a campus of tolerance and acceptance to be a part of our event. WBC is a strong group — we are stronger. Let’s band together and do something that they’re not expecting.
William Price
Co-President, Spectrum pricewc@muohio.edu
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JUSTIN REASH COMMUNITY Editor
All letters must be signed in order to be printed. Please send letters via e-mail to: editorial@miamistudent.net We reserve the right to edit for length, content and clarity.
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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 OPINION
The bitter and the sweet
Guilty pleasures: everyone has them. For some, it’s chocolate, Britney Spears, Jersey Shore or Fantasy Football. For me, it’s fashion and music blogs. Fashion blogs take me away from the world of studying and work and into a land where style and celebrity gossip are happily married.
KARLI KLOSS
Blogger beware: your days may be numbered
Republican candidates must stand out to win
It’s pretty easy for people to wear their blogs on their sleeves. By doing this, bloggers often repel readers Music blogs let me discover breaking new artists and download songs for free: a win-win situation. Like all genres of blogs, there are many varieties in the garden of fashion and music. None of them are perfect, however. Often, after looking at a blog, I feel unsatisfied and a bit annoyed. Like the comedian Patton Oswalt said about New York City, “It’s a nice place to visit, but after awhile it turns your skull into a cage and your brain into a rat and the city is just a stick poking the rat all day.” These blogs never seem to quench my thirst for entertainment. Even if I think I really love a blog, it often turns sour. What’s wrong with blogs? Roz Chast, the ingenious cartoonist for The New Yorker put it simply with a pie chart in a recent issue. Every blog, it seems, can be broken into one
ESSAY ROBERT Gerlach gerlacrb@muohio.edu
I imagine North Korea as a desolate land full of brainwashed victims of a power-hungry, corrupt leader. This is probably how the American government prefers I picture North Korea. But I’m beginning to wonder whether I am a victim of America’s agenda or if North Korea is truly an unhappy place to live after all. The reason I began to question my preconceived notion is because of several mixed portrayals of North Korea available on the Internet. The official North Korean website, for example, shows a different perspective than most medias in America, as it boasts about all of the business opportunities North Korea has to offer. Contrary to popular belief, Americans can and have been traveling to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) also known as North Korea.
GUEST ESSAY ROBERT FAUsZ FAUSZRA@muohio.edu
Surprise, surprise – the new Armstrong Student Center will be built out of … wait for it: red brick! Before seeing any photos or drawings of what the building will look like, any student could guess that the new student center would feature a brick exterior with an off-white trim. This is the style that architects call “Georgian Revival Architecture” and of which Miami University cannot seem to get enough. It’s getting old;
preceiving reality
THOMASINA JOHNSON
of three categories: “stories about crap somebody cooked, knitted or sewed,” “conspiracy theories” or “self-promotion.” In theory, one could do far worse than sharing recipes, exposing ancient alien secrets or wanting a book deal on the Internet. However, the problem with blogs is that
they are too often freeform and more word-vomit than intelligent writing and artful presentation. It’s pretty easy for people to wear their blogs on their sleeves. By doing this, bloggers often repel readers. For example, Tavi Gevinson, the 15-year-old fashion blogger, treats her blog Rookie like a scrapbook of her life. Her projected image certainly comes through with each posting; but is this a good thing? Is she digging herself into a hole by only discussing what a 15-year-old thinks about? Another example is the music blog Chemical Jump. The blogger, Nate, markets his blog as a site, “bringing you the latest tracks and remixes by some of the world’s greatest DJs and producers.” Sounds simple and awesome, right? Who doesn’t like to get free tracks
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that are brand-spanking new? However, Nate paints himself into a small corner with his blog. He frequently posts pictures of mostly naked, faceless women to accompany tracks. As a woman who appreciates art but doesn’t like to be objectified by some dude, I have stopped visiting the blog as frequently because I feel alienated by the constant use of senseless nudity. Blogs must try to reach out to attract the biggest audience possible if they wish to increase their marketability. This doesn’t mean they should pretend to be someone they aren’t, but small editorial changes can make a world of a difference. Changing the tone of your language, as in the case of Tavi, or artistic choices, like those of Chemical Jump, will make your blog more relatable. The more visitors you get, the more advertising money you can make. After all, blogs are very important parts of the news and entertainment world. Many bloggers have signed book contracts because of their well-written and presented blogs (remember “Look at that F*cking Hipster” or Stuff White People Like?) Don’t feel discouraged by the huge number of bad blogs — with some creativity, ambition and readership smarts, you can go out there and create a cult classic.
Two phrases have stuck with me since I began studying politics. The first was uttered by my high school government teacher: there are few things in life more pointless than a presidential primary debate. The second was repeated a few times in the fall of my first year (the 2008 presidential season) by my first political science professor: I don’t like any of the candidates because to want to run for president you have to be crazy, and I don’t trust crazy people. Though it’s been a few years since I heard those nuggets of wisdom, the truth behind them has done little but strengthen as I have delved deeper into the realm of political science. The next presidential election is 13 months away, but here we are already waist-deep in campaign coverage. Newt Gingrich is still chugging along. Herman Cain is going green with his flippant comments relating to three-page legislative bills. Michele Bachmann is trying to separate her tea-stained tresses from those of Sarah Palin. Ron Paul is working to connect with an independent base by appearing on The Daily Show. Mitt Romney is looking as dashing as ever with his pricey smile and suits. And last but not least, Rick Perry has made a complete ass out of himself in three successive Republican primary debates. Third quarter campaign finance reports will be due
soon, with the top three (Romney, Perry and Paul) alleged to be reporting millions in campaign contributions. Millions. Just let that sink in for a moment. As of right now, there are seven leading contenders for the Republican bid, according to Fox News; but that’s not even counting the periphery hopefuls, who don’t have a shot but are collecting campaign money anyway. All of this funding is going towards not the presidency, but the chance to fight your way to the point where you might have the chance to become president. At the end of the 2008 election, it was reported that primary to finish, across all candidates, $5.3 billion was spent between the presidential and congressional elections. The ‘American Dream’ that anyone can become president has more than a few caveats, one of the largest being you need to have access to obscene amounts of money. Very few candidates have an extra billion lying around to spend on buttons and flyers and luncheons at the Ritz Carlton (with the exception of Donald Trump who, thank God, removed himself from the race). That means that interest groups, big business, and all forms of advocacy are getting their sharp little nails into anyone hoping to take on the monstrous job of captaining the U.S.S. USA. And I agree; you’d have to be crazy to want that job.
Honestly, I have an illinformed opinion of the Republican candidates thus far. But, I’ll go back to what my government teacher told me years ago: watching people from the same party argue about how he or she is right when they are all making the exact same point is about as fun as an 8 to 5 schedule on Fridays. I won’t schedule classes on Friday unless absolutely necessary, and I won’t watch six identical gray suits lob pot shots at each other unless I’m tied down. My opinion of talking heads and political pundits is scathing at best — mostly due to media attention such as we are already seeing. Debates are supposed ‘to cover the issues’ but that is not what you’ll see until the actual presidential debates once the Republican primary grinds to a halt — at a time now projected to be as late as mid-June. Every night another Fox Newscaster or CNN reporter will be given a prime little slice of the news to update you on what these hopefuls are saying. Which amounts to just about nothing. And that’s not even a Republican dig —primaries were not designed to start this early and last this long. To quote President Obama as he gave his jobs speech a few weeks back, “The presidential election is [13] months away, and we have more important issues going on right now. It’s time we focused on them.”
America’s perception of North Korea may be skewed as access opens According to the United States Bureau of Consular affairs, three Americans have been to North Korea since 2009 that have not returned. They didn’t stay because they preferred the North Korean lifestyle but because of long-term imprisonment on the charges of illegal entry or “crimes against the state.” The U.S. government openly warns citizens about entering the country, but if you’re dumb enough to go, make sure you tell the U.S. Bureau of Consular Affairs and register through the North Korean Administration. If something were to happen to an American while in North Korea, there is little that can be done since the U.S. does not have an embassy in the DPRK and will only go through other embassies, such as Sweden’s, in case of serious emergencies. And although some gutsy Americans still
remain in North Korean prisons, many have come back with video footage and new perspectives of the isolated, mysterious nation. Most of the videos and stories show an unhappy North Korea occupied by the oppressed, but some show a lighter side that you’d never expect. National Geographic has a documentary titled Inside North Korea. In the documentary, an American eye doctor visits the communist nation to find that it suffers from extreme poverty and health problems. The video shows North Koreans who are happy with what they have and who appear thankful for being apart of the Great Leader Kim Jong-il’s nation. The citizens are taught to hate America and if they attempt to leave, are sent away to “family work camps.” From this negative view, it is clear that North
Koreans are manipulated into artificial happiness. Even videos posted by Koryo Tours, an agency that guides tourists through North Korea, illustrate quite a different view of life in the country. These videos show North Koreans laughing, shopping and enjoying their lives. What’s interesting about the videos is that the tourists, mostly from America, China and Europe, are enjoying the culture of the DPRK as well. One of the scenes shows tourists playing ultimate Frisbee, of all things, with North Koreans citizens in the capital city of Pyongyang. In addition to tours, North Korea has begun building resorts and now offers luxurious cruise lines that stop in various North Korean coastal cities. North Korea has recently started this initiative to bring more tourists to its country, which is slowly
ERIN KILLINGER THE MIAMI STUDENT
bringing its policy of isolation to an end. The government has done this for two reasons. The first is to bring foreign currency into their economy and the second is to convince foreigners that life in the DPRK is not so bad. Whether the tours give an honest profile of life in North Korea or create an illusion for visitors is unknown to me. But given that visitors are
forbidden to stray away from their tour group, it makes me think that there is much of North Korea that Kim Jong-il does not want us to see. With all of these different views regarding the DPRK going around, I’d like to check it out for myself. So if anyone else is tired of going on Royal Caribbean cruises every year for spring break, let’s book a cruise in North Korea.
Invitation to Miami architects: imagine life without bricks people want to go to college in a technologically advanced and trendy environment – not something from the 19th century. Save that for museums. Four major Ohio universities south of I-70, Ohio University, Miami University, the University of Cincinnati and the Ohio State University, were all founded during the 19th century. However, OU and MU are the only buildings that still build in the same style that was popular when
the colleges were founded. Are UC or OSU any less historic since they build in more modern architectural styles? In 1989, UC enacted their master plan, which included multiple famous architects to build notable buildings on UC’s main campus. Architects like Frank Gehry, Michael Graves and the firm Morphosis designed the Vontz Center for Molecular Studies, the Engineering Research Center and the
shiny new Campus Recreation Center, respectively. The UC master plan allows students and visitors a visual fieldtrip through what the brilliant architectural minds that make up their generation are doing today with technology, materials and current issues at hand, like sustainability. UC honors its history by restoring some of the historical buildings, while embracing the present by building in a style that reflects the archi-
tectural trends of today. The result is a literal timeline of styles since the inception of the university. Miami’s campus is undoubtedly beautiful – the fall colors are coming in and fallen leaves will soon be dotting the fading green grass. On a crisp, overcast day, the sight of the reds, ambers and faded green colors against a canvas of red brick buildings and a grey sky is a sight not easily beaten.
But imagine if the automobiles of today still had the same look that they had 50 years ago? One would ask, “Don’t designers have anything different to offer?” The buildings on campus become so plain that students and visitors begin to overlook them – they become part of the landscape. Step up Miami architects and let’s have some more innovative architecture. We could use some Steven Holl or Peter Bohlin.
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Editor Amanda Seitz specialreports@miamistudent.net
SPECIAL REPORTS
Miami parking wants to cut costs and better serve students By Amelia Carpenter ONLINE STAFF
It’s not all about nailing students with tickets in the world of Miami University parking. Assistant Director of Parking and Transportation Services Vanessa Cummings would argue instead that, “we’re here to help you.” Cummings said that’s the office’s priority, and changes throughout the year will help cut costs and better serve students. The office has to balance a budget of its own, separate from the university. Among the changes are tweaking Miami Metro routes and times and the implementation of a new software. The Metro routes are set to change as soon as spring semester, and the new software should launch in late November or early December.
Parking means business Parking is an auxiliary to the university — essentially a self-sufficient operation within the campus police department — that has bounced around from being its own entity or under Housing, Dining and Guest Services for several years. MUPD has overseen parking since February 2010. Change didn’t stop then, however. Employees within Parking and Transportation Services took on more responsibilities after the university budget crisis resulted in eliminated positions including former director of parking Perry Gordon’s
position. His post was eliminated in July. Vice President of Finance and Business Services and Treasurer David Creamer was forced to find ways to organize the number of public safety issues more efficiently and moved the auxiliary back under Miami University Police Department. “At the end of the day, the decision was mine and none of these choices were easy,” Creamer said. “This is not the fun part of the job. There are great implications when we provide them with that notification (they’ve been laid off).” MUPD Lieutenant Ben Spilman has since managed the responsibilities of Parking and Transportation Services director. “(Parking and Transportation Services now) operates with fewer staff, but it does not diminish services we are making available to students,” Creamer said. “The reductions to students are as transparent as possible.” Creamer said the service has not diminished and performance remains high. “In my mind this is a good decision in regard to other choices I might have made,” he said.
Costly, but crucial update The state-of-the-art software costs about $100,000 and will update the current 12-year-old system, Cummings said. The new system will have expedited billing, appeal and ticketing services and will use less paper. The use of recycled paper as well
with total revenues of $1.2 million for FY08.
The moneymaker
ERIN KILLINGER THE MIAMI STUDENT
as renewable hangtags and stickers were implemented this fall. “It’s going to be a major undertaking for the next few months,” Cummings said last spring, adding that transferring the existing data will be a time-consuming process to change to the new system. Student accounts will be linked through the BannerWeb website and students will have the option of paying fines through the bursar or online with a credit card with the new system. In the meantime, ticket officers are handwriting tickets. There’s no way to look up a car’s ticket history, so no warning citations have been issued during the implementation process. The new electronic ticket machines will put an end to undeserved first-offense tickets. Each student is granted one warning each fiscal year. Cummings said students who have recently received tickets without a warning should consult the parking office in the Campus Avenue Building within 10 business days to exchange. Cummings said some
Miami Metro routes are rarely utilized and are a waste of fuel and money. “We need to be more efficient in the use of the buses,” Cummings said, adding that student input will be weighed heavily for the new routes and times. Parking services will hold an event as early as midOctober for students to give their feedback. “We want to get student input to look at the routes,” she said. “We need (the students) to be honest.”
By the numbers The majority of Parking and Transportation Services revenues are from car fines and permits. In fiscal year 2010, fines were $680,431 and permits brought in $655,406. Revenues for car fines totaled $779,906 during fiscal year (FY) 2009. Permit revenues were $631,809 for the same year. Parking and Transportation Services generated $1.6 million in total revenues for both FY09 and FY10 with $81,000 net decrease in funds. Car permit revenues
increased 78 percent in FY08 primarily due to improved costs and access starting in February 2008 to the Campus Avenue Building Garage, which opened in 2006. The North Campus Garage opened in July 2008 and originally, students could not park in the North Campus Garage until after 5 p.m. and it was $1 per hour with a $10 daily maximum. Since February 2008, anyone could park in either garage for 50 cents an hour with a daily maximum of five dollars. Students, faculty and staff could purchase a daytime pass valid from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. for the North Campus Garage for $25 a month or $100 a semester. Overnight passes for either garage were $75 a month or $300 a semester with a university permit. University permits cost $100 a year. Overnight parking in either garage is not permitted otherwise. The addition of the second parking garage behind the School of Engineering and Applied Science contributed to the $85,014 parking garage revenues
The North Campus Garage holds 670 parking spots and on average, cycles two to three times through each week day, Cummings said. That means the garage is collecting revenue for more than 1,800 spots a day. Cummings said about 40 percent of students drove to class during the 2010 to 2011 academic year. Spilman said numbers were unavailable for the current school year because students were still registering vehicles. Cummings said she doesn’t expect to collect more than 50 percent parking citation fines because of the one-time warning policy and visitor vehicles being difficult to track down. Collecting less than 50 percent total citation fines has been a trend for many years, according to Cummings. “We’ve collected on less than 50 percent of our tickets,” she said. “How much of that will we actually collect on? It’s hard to know.” Revenue had to be generated by increasing costs for parking services. Spilman said they hoped to decrease garage traffic in the North Campus Garage by raising the price for the first hour. “We’re hoping people will think before driving to campus [not] simply driving in to class,” he said. “There is such a problem with traffic congestion anyway and it was kind of feeding the problem with [it being] very cheap to drive in for one hour.”
Global disease and development experts visit for symposium By Sarah Piteo
For The Miami Student
If disease and development of people in other countries is an unexplored avenue for you, you may want to consider attending “Disease and Development in the Global City,” a symposium being held at Miami University. The event will be held 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 6-7 at the Marcum
Conference Center. People from universities all over the country will be on campus to speak about things such as Tropical Malaria, Disease and Culture in a Peripheral City and much more. Miami faculty members will also be speaking at this event. Amanda McVety, a history professor who is cochairing the event with José Amador, said she will be
speaking about how the Ethiopian government pursued development by changing living things in Ethiopia. Pricilla Wald will also be speaking about the new film Contagion, in theaters now, starring Matt Damon, Kate Winslet and Jude Law. This is the first year an event such as this will be taking place on campus. Miami first year Katie Austria said she is
enthusiastic about attending. “I am so excited to attend this event,” Austria said. “The event list looks great and hearing speakers from other universities will be an awesome experience.” The symposium is free to take part in and attendees are at liberty to come and leave as they please. The event is sponsored by the department of history, the Humanities
center, the Center for American and World Culture and Latin American, Latino/a and Caribbean Studies Program. It will be hosted by the Miami University Humanities Center and the E.E. McClellan lecture series. Tim Melley, the director of the humanities center, said this is a big event for the relatively new Miami University Humanities Center.
“The conference is a fantastic example of the socially relevant, cross-disciplinary conversations we are trying to foster,” Melley said. “The event addresses a problem of major global importance and brings together thinkers from disciplines as diverse as history and biology. I hope to see a lot of faculty and students there.”
HODGE, FROM PAGE 1
of resources, with a committee working on Responsibility Center Management, an approach that encourages more entrepreneurial thinking to enhance the capability for tracking, measuring and evaluating key data. Academic advances “range from new curricula to new majors, from new research clusters to new laboratories,” Hodge said. Huber said he hopes the student government can help encourage change and entrepreneurship. “I think that one of the things I’m lucky to have as student body president is a community of strong leaders,” Huber said. “Having a voice within that group can have a trickle down effect to the students we advocate for. Also, I plan to observe what is hindering the student body from achieving success so that I can take it to the administration, and together we can remove all road blocks.” Sophomore Sally Stearns said she really enjoyed Hodge’s speech. “He was so personal and I could tell through his words that he really cares about each and every student,” Stearns said. “It really struck me when he talked about the importance of deepening and strengthening our sense of culture because diversity is so important on our campus.”
8
SPORTS
Editor Michael Solomon
sports@miamistudent.net
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2011 Matt Fitzgerald Bits by Fitz
please move over BaseBalL I’ve spent a little time on baseball previously, taking jabs at the “No. 1 game in America,” but I figured I’d dedicate a little more attention to baseball’s decline. Specifically honing in on Major League Baseball and possible causes of the aforementioned decline of baseball as the MLB season finally winds down, I’m also out to prove that pro football is currently America’s top sport. Allow me to explain. Let’s focus on Steve Berthiaume’s recent piece on ESPN about how beautiful 162 games are. Sentimental, yes, but perhaps misguided. Berthiaume touchingly explains that you can check in anytime and be thrilled and “baseball as a daily experience is the real payoff.” Happy days. He argues that football is “fast food” as it requires only a few hours of attention and the other days are spent “mindlessly” analyzing the game and fantasy football projections. His biggest beef with football is actually, really, ARGUABLY the biggest reason it feasts on ratings. Football is fast, it’s quick,it’sarushandessentially the athletic zeitgeist of the current generation. Everyone is on the go in this day and age. The day almost all of us have the most free time is on Sunday, which is when the NFL is in action. Following baseball every day, watching with NFL Sunday intensity, is akin to watching every single one of the ongoing Republican debates leading all the way up to the primary elections … only way worse and even more time consuming Well, depending on how you opine with respect to Michele Bachmann. Or politics in general, that is. Baseball was enthralling when computers didn’t sit on your lap. Baseball was engaging when things like smart phones didn’t exist. Baseball was electrifying when multitasking and mass consumption of information wasn’t as prevalent in society. Then all that
stuff happened, existed and took shape. Then baseball’s steroid era rolled in. Stop the bleeding! But you can’t, because baseball is too boring. It’s slow! If football is highspeed Internet, baseball is dial-up. Football gives fans something to look forward to every week without consuming their time on a daily basis. In fact, one could argue, in a Nick Naylor sort of way, that the reason America is not more civically active is because it spends too much time planted on the couch, watching its throwback bat-and-ball sport that everyone loves. Sure, that’s dramatic, but in the NFL, college football, you name it, every single game matters. Out of 162 games in the MLB ... what happened in game 46? No one cares. The reluctance to accept football as America’s top sport seems to relate to the state of the media today. Established, veteran journalists will preach about objectivity, the way things used to be, how to be as succinct, rigid and structured as possible, and frequently pull a pseudo copout move whenever something like, say, “the future of journalism,” is mentioned. Technology is exploding with emergence of new ways to create media, but most respected people in the field drone the same old, 30-year-old song. The point is, sometimes things get dated and it’s no one’s fault. What’s more interesting to more people today, The New York Times getting their facts straight or what just went up on TMZ.com, which could be totally fabricated and false? Bleak, isn’t it? As for relevance: how about asking the same question 30 years ago? People would probably say, “What’s a dot COM?” Times change! People like it fast! Embrace change, fellow citizens, and I don’t mean Barack Obama change! Are you ready for some football?
NEXT HOME GAME: 1 p.m. Saturday, vs. Cincinnati
’Hawks aim to take bell
JESSI THORNE THE MIAMI STUDENT
Junior tailback Dan Green tries to shake a Bowling Green State University defender for extra yards last Saturday. Green and the RedHawks are looking to give Head Coach Don Treadwell his first victory against the University of Cincinnati.
By JM Rieger Staff Writer
The Miami University football team, still looking for their first victory of the season, will face off against the University of Cincinnati Bearcats (3-1) this weekend in the annual Battle for the Victory Bell, the fifth oldest rivalry in college football. Miami (0-3 overall, 0-1 MAC) has struggled in the turnover department and they will face one of their biggest challenges this season in Cincinnati, who is tied for the best turnover margin in the nation. Meanwhile, the RedHawks have lost the turnover battle each of their first three games and have one of the worst turnover margins in the country. “We need to stay focused and [improve] ball security [this week],” sophomore wide receiver Nick Harwell said. “We need to keep believing and play for each other.” Harwell has been one of the biggest offensive playmakers for a Miami squad that has struggled to move the ball down the field. The ’Hawks are 100th in total offense, 105th in scoring offense and are second-to-last in rushing
offense. Harwell will go for his third straight 100-yard receiving game this weekend, which would put him elite territory with RedHawk great Martin Nance, who had three straight 100-yard receiving games in 2003 and four straight in 2005. One of the biggest keys to the offense’s success on Saturday will be the play of the offensive line. The Red and White gave up six sacks last week against Bowling Green State University, partially due to the absence of junior center JoJo Williams. Williams and redshirt junior offensive lineman Matt Kennedy are both day-to-day and the coaching staff has monitored their progress closely throughout the week. Miami’s offense has also struggled to put points on the board once they enter the red zone. The Red and White are six for nine in the red zone this season, while opponents are converting their red zone trips into points a whopping 93 percent of the time.
Despite these obstacles, players and coaches are still optimistic about this season. “We just need to play together,” redshirt junior defensive lineman Mike Johns said. “We are doing a lot of things right. The first few games we were very undisciplined but I think we are correcting those things and have a good chance to win this game.” Defensively, the Red and White will look to shut down one of the most dynamic offenses in all of college football, led by redshirt senior quarterback Zach Collaros and senior running back Isiah Pead. Pead is averaging over 100 yards on the ground per game, while Collaros is completing 66 percent of his passes on the year. Miami has played extremely well on the defensive side of the ball but may face one of their biggest challenges of the season this Saturday. The Bearcats are fourth in the nation in scoring offense and are averaging
just under 50 points per contest. “Offensively they’ve got a lot of weapons,” Head Coach Don Treadwell said. “They have, in my opinion, one of the best running backs in the country. He is the real deal. Those guys in particular, [Collaros and Pead], make it obvious why they score a lot of points.” Look for Miami to rely on their dominant passing attack to move the ball down the field, especially considering that Cincinnati is allowing over 280 yards per game through the air. Defensively, the RedHawks will have to make some adjustments to shut down Collaros and Pead, but expect them to continue to put pressure on the quarterback, which they began to do last week against Bowling Green. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET at Yager Stadium. If you cannot make it to the game, fans can listen to the game on Miami’s IMG Sports Network or on WMSR at www.redhawkradio.com.
Miami hopes to sweep away MAC opponents at home By Tom Downey
For The Miami Student
The Miami University women’s volleyball team returns home for two games this weekend against the University of Buffalo Bulls and the University of Akron Zips. The first game will be 7 p.m. Friday against the Bulls. Buffalo’s record currently stands at 8-8 overall and 1-1 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The Bulls swept the RedHawks last year in their two matches. However, Miami owns a commanding 20-4 record all time against the Bulls. Like many teams in the MAC, Buffalo lost several of their top players from last year. Their record so far this year includes wins over the Syracuse University Orange and the Cornell University Big Red. “We have to be at the top of our game and do a better job at blocking in order to win,” Head Coach Carolyn Condit said. The game will likely be a great match and will probably be very close. Sophomore Madison Hardy will likely have to continue to her
outstanding defensive play for the Red and White to beat the Bulls. Following the match against the Bulls, the ’Hawks host the Akron Zips. The game will be at 7 p.m., Saturday The Zips current record is 3-12 overall and 0-2 in the MAC. The Zips swept their own invitational earlier in the season, but have since lost eight in a row entering this weekend. Last year, the RedHawks split the two matches against the Zips. “Akron presents very different challenges than Buffalo does,” Condit said. “Akron is a team that relies on their left side attack and plays good defense. We had a good week of practice and I think we can sweep this weekend for the home crowd.” In order to do so, the team will need a strong performance from all their attackers, including senior Amy Raseman. After the conclusion of the game against Buffalo, the team will host Meet-theTeam-Night. The event will be held on the court and there will be refreshments
served. The players will be introduced through a video and each player will say something about the teammate that they roomed with during the preseason. In addi-
We have to be at the top of our game and do a better job at blocking in order to win.” Carolyn Condit HEAD COACH
tion, the assistant coaches will be introduced. Coming off strong defensive performances in a win over Kent State University and in a loss to Ohio University last weekend, Hardy was named the Miami Female Athlete of the Week. She had 26 digs combined for the two matches, good for a 4.33 per set average. She currently ranks 74th in the nation with a 4.71 dig per set average. This is the second time she has won the award this year.