The Miami Student Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826
VOLUME 139 NO. 14
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2011
MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO
TODAY IN MIAMI HISTORY In 1971, The Miami Student reported that the village of Oxford had officially been named a city by Ohio’s Secretary of State. The change was prompted by
the 1970 census results, which showed Oxford as having a sustained population of over 5,000. The increased population was due to a new procedure with the census that counted university students as residents of the city in which they attend school. This boosted Oxford’s population from 6,800 to over 18,000.
Miami breaks ground for student center By Lauren Ceronie Campus Editor
Thursday afternoon was perfect for the Armstrong Student Center (ASC) groundbreaking ceremony. The sun shone brilliantly as representatives from student organizations on campus joined with administrators at Miami University and Mike and Anne Armstrong for the ceremony located at the Hub. The Armstrongs pledged $15 million to the center, which is projected to cost a total of $53.1 million. The ceremony began with a procession of representatives from various student organizations. The representatives walked from the Tri Delta Sundial to the Hub, carrying ceremonial buckets of dirt that they poured into a box. Miami President David Hodge joked about the procession during his speech. “To be honest, I think we got this all wrong, aren’t we supposed to be taking dirt out of the hole instead of putting it in?” Hodge said. During his speech, Hodge focused on what the ASC would help Miami become. “The heart of this building is bringing together Miami students as individuals, study groups and perhaps most importantly, more than
400 student-led organizations that give a vibrancy to this campus,” Hodge said. “This center will be the center of the student experience, enhancing everything that happens here academically, providing for personal friendships and social activities, but most especially, building those intangibles that make our students and our graduates so special.” Part of the reason the ASC can be built is the current student body’s contributions, according to Hodge. He congratulated students for their contributions to the center that many of them will not benefit from. “This is about building a Miami that will be stronger and better for the next century and beyond,” Hodge said. Mike Armstrong also spoke at the ceremony. Like Hodge, Armstrong commended students for their participation in the building. “Every Miami student that was involved in this past and present should be very proud today,” Armstrong said. “The student government worked hard to keep the student center a university priority.” Armstrong shared his vision of the ASC as a student destination spot as well as a place for learning. “The student center is a
ROBERT WAUGH THE MIAMI STUDENT
Miami University President David Hodge addresses the crowd at Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the Armstrong Student Center, which is scheduled to open in 2013.
learning place, it’s studentcentric, faculty friendly, computer active, with government space, meeting rooms and lecture halls,” Armstrong said. In an interview after the
event, Armstrong said he enjoyed the ceremony and was looking forward to the completion of the ASC. “I think this was a marvelous event. When I heard the
groundbreaking was in October, I thought ‘lets see, it could snow, it could rain, it could freeze, it could storm or it could be a nice day, but that’s a one out of five,” Armstrong
said. “It’s just been a beautiful day, it’s been a very nice ceremony and now we’re off to the races to build a marvelous student experience for many generations to come.” During the interview, Armstrong pointed to the gutted buildings on the site of the ASC. “It’s not that today is a start,” Armstrong said. “We’re underway, they’re at work and it’s going to be fabulous. The Armstrong student center is a place to turn dreams into reality and potential. Let’s build it and enjoy it for generations to come.” Gratitude toward ASG and its efforts to build the ASC was a theme among all speakers. Student Body President Nick Huber brought his predecessors, including 2010-2011 Student Body President Heath Ingram, to the stage to thank them for their efforts. Huber quoted two excerpts from The Miami Student to show Miami’s need for a student center. “Now that Miami’s enrollment is the largest in its history, there is a glaring need for the very facilities provided in the proposed student center. Throughout the nation,
ASC, SEE PAGE 9
Kasich names student trustee ‘For Women Only’ handbooks to fill seat vacant since April encourage lady-like behavior, after unexplained delay lay out rules for campus life By Annie Stenback For The Miami Student
Ohio Governor John Kasich announced Tuesday that Lot Kwarteng will represent Miami University as the second student on Miami University’s Board of Trustees, serving a term beginning Oct. 4, 2011 and ending Feb. 28, 2013. Biennially, the governor, with the assistance of Associated Student Government (ASG), picks two students to represent the student body on the board of trustees. Since April, only one student, senior Matt Shroder, has represented the Miami student body on the board of trustees. Three finalists were given to the governor’s office in December 2010, according to Director of Institutional Relations Randi Thomas. However, an appointment was not made until about 10 months later, this past Tuesday, Oct. 4. The Miami Student contacted the governor’s office Oct. 2 and 3 to see why the selection of the new trustee took much longer than normal, but did not receive comment until after the name of the new student trustee had been released. With a two-year appointment, the student trustee acts as a lia son between the student body, including Associated Student Government, and the board of trustees. The board of trustees is made up of outside figures appointed by the governor to serve as the highest autho rity at the university alongside
the president. Though it was rare to only have one student on the board for such an extended period of time, when Thomas was student body president, there was no student representation at all. As a member of Miami student government, Thomas along with many others, worked on the approval process to appoint students to the board of trustees. “We worked with student governments across the state of Ohio to lobby and advocate the Ohio Senate to put the bill through, and obviously the House as well,” Thomas said. Miami was one of the leading institutions in the state of Ohio student governments that advocated incorporating students onto the board of trustees. The process of appointing a student trustee starts with the application process. Once ASG has received applications and resumes, 10 or 20 students are brought in for an interview process. This interview process is one student being interviewed by the student government as well as the current student trustee. After the interview process, the roster is cut down to between three and five of the most qualified students whose names are then submitted to the governor’s office for the final decision. After communication with the governor’s office, especially during the beginning of the 2011-2012 school
year, ASG was aware that the governor would reach a decision towards the end of September or beginning of October, according to Thomas. Now that the approval process is complete, it is Matt Shroder’s job as the senior trustee to teach the junior trustee how the university is governed through the board of trustees, as well as the president and the executive council. “At first when you apply [for the position], you don’t really know what it all entails,” Shroder said. “Overall, the experience is a great one. I have learned how to communicate well, not only with people who could be my teacher, but also CEOs at different corporations where there are trustees.” Kwarteng said he is excited to learn the ropes and represent the student body. “Now that I’ve been appointed, I’m looking forward to learning a lot and to working with President Hodge and administrators to improve the quality of life here at Miami,” Kwarteng said. With the application process for Shroder’s seat starting around November, ASG was relieved to finally fill the second position. “This university exists for students, it’s not only an institution, but a place for personal growth,” Shroder said. “So you need to have some kind of student opinion and concern that is being voiced to the board of trustees.”
By Lauren Ceronie Campus Editor
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. When students come to college, they experience a good deal of newfound freedom. This is widely accepted to be a rite of passage among young adults. However, young adults, particularly young women, didn’t always have the level of freedom we experience today. In fact, a Miami University group used to publish a rulebook called “For Women Only” that gave the girls of Miami tips on how to act like a young lady. The “For Women Only” handbook was mentioned last week in an article on the “M” Books in The Miami Student. The “M” Book was a pocketsized handbook with an “M” emblazed on the cover telling first years everything they needed to know about college life. “For Women Only” was a similar sort of handbook published by the Women’s League. Many editions featured a Native American girl on the cover and throughout the book. The League, a division of the Miami campus government, called the handbook “a social and administrative bluebook.” The books laid out university rules on campus government councils,
curfews, guest policies and interactions with men, to name a few. The books also gave tips on dress, beauty and etiquette. While the rules laid out in the “For Women Only” books may seem strict to Miami women today, the Women’s League seemed to think rules had gotten too lenient at the time. “We’ve grown away from strait-laced corsets, but if we also grow away from some of the other old and mellow customs we’ll lose much of the charm of living,” proclaimed the introduction of the 1947 “For Women Only” book. Some of the “old and mellow customs” previously mentioned included keeping perfectly made up and quaffed at all times. The 1947 handbook insisted that women should keep their makeup and clothes perfect at all times. “There’s that old line about beauty being only skin deep, but how far under the skin does one get on a first interview or date?” the book said. The handbook also gave guidelines on acceptable behavior for the consumption of liquor and on interactions with men that are quite different from the accepted social norms today. The handbook stated that even though Oxford was a dry town, “inebriated students are found occasionally.” The book also chastised any woman who was to drink during her stay at Miami. “Every time a student’s actions stray from the accepted
social patterns it reflects unfavorably on the reputation of Miami,” the book said. “It’s just plain selfish for anyone to pull down the value of his or her own and 5,000 schoolmates diplomas to have a ‘good’ time.” At that time, women were expected to be pleasant
If we also grow away from some ... customs, we’ll lose much of the charm of living.” FOR WOMEN ONLY
1947 HANDBOOK
hostesses and dinner guests at all times, and the book laid out 34 etiquette rules girls were supposes to follow at all times. While the Women’s League informed women of all the rules they were supposed to follow, it also informed girls of the fun they could have. The 1947 book mentions a dance called “The Gold Digger’s Ball” where women were to ask their date to the event. The book told readers, “Once a year women should have a chance to repay their big moments or to trap a man who won’t take more subtle bait.” “For Women Only” ran consistently from 1947 to 1969. The 1968-1969 handbook is the latest one the University Archives has on file.