The Miami Student Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826
VOLUME 139 NO. 18
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2011
MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO
TODAY IN MIAMI HISTORY In 1999, The Miami Student reported that a group of students were working to change the Miami University Student Code of Conduct to include sec-
tions on sexual assault and sexual harassment. Two students, in conjunction with the Dean of Students, had developed a three-part plan to include new language about these issues. The plan involved workshops for students, examining the code of conduct and presenting to the Adjudicating Sexual Assault Conference in Dallas later in the year.
SPECIAL REPORTS
Editor Amanda Seitz specialreports@ miamistudent.net
Marching band gears up for Macy’s
MU ‘aggressive’ with alcohol violations By Adam Giffi
Senior Staff Writer
Recent data released from Miami University reports shows that Miami has usually has the highest number of on-campus liquor law violations per student of any Ohio school. In the most recent 2010 report, Miami University had 543 liquor law violations on campus while Ohio University (OU) had 521. This trend is not a new one— over the past five years Miami has proven to have the highest rates of liquor law violations on campus properties. In 2006, Miami University had 790 liquor law violations on campus, in that same year, the Ohio State University (OSU) had 703 of these violations and OU had 1,040 violations according to statistics logged by universities in compliance with The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. Both schools have significantly higher student populations compared to Miami. Data from the 2008-2009 school year reveals that a liquor law incident occurred for one in every 27 students at Miami. Comparatively in the 2008-2009 school year, OSU handed down violations for one in every 112 students, while at OU, one in every 46 students experienced a liquor law violation. The three universities represent the highest numbers for liquor law violations in the state for four year, public universities. Susan Vaughn, Miami’s director of ethics and student conflict resolution, suspects the numbers are largely due to the university’s overall stance on alcohol. “Alcohol is a huge concern and so I would say Miami is fairly aggressive
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Miami’s marching band is preparing to march in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.The band will be marching directly in front of Santa Claus during the nationally televised event. Miami’s band was chosen for its “quality and commitment to excellence.”
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By Lorraine Boissoneault
in dealing with alcohol. We have mandatory sanctions and we have expectations for enforcement,” Vaughn said. “So I actually would expect our numbers would be higher only because of the aggressive nature we take with addressing this problem.” Vaughn said Miami’s numbers vary based on the student body and not based on any changes in policy. She feels Miami is extremely diligent in its dedication to combating alcohol abuse. “Our policies haven’t changed in years and years and years. Our mandatory sanctions have stayed the same,” Vaughn said. “We don’t ignore it, we don’t give warnings and we don’t fail to document. I think there are certainly schools that have policies that say ‘First time, let’s just warn them, we won’t even make it official’ and so it doesn’t become a documentation.” Vaughan said prospective students and their families should be impressed with Miami’s dedication to
punishing students for alcohol violations. “I think they would say ‘wow, Miami means business here.’ Because it doesn’t make a lot of sense why an Ohio State, who is so much larger, would have so few alcohol violations,” Vaughn said. “If in fact they don’t have problems associated with alcohol, I would be surprised. But I certainly can’t speak for them and their enforcement.” Richard Morman, deputy chief of police at OSU, can comment on their enforcement. “We have not really changed our enforcement tactics and so that would tell me that maybe less high risk consumption is going on,” Morman said. “We certainly don’t ignore it here. We’re not doing anything less than we’ve done before. I think our effective enforcement and education efforts attribute to these
ALCOHOL, SEE PAGE 9
For The Miami Student
Which group on campus has been running laps, spending Monday thru Friday practicing and goes to games on the weekends? Here’s a hint: it’s not a sports team. It’s the Miami University Marching Band (MUMB), whose members will be making a return tour to perform at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade over Thanksgiving break (the band first participated in 2003). “Macy’s is very unique,” said Stephen Lytle, the director of the band. “It’s most well known outside the Presidential Inaugural Parade and the Tournament of the Roses Parade. Those rank in the top three of major band events that the general public will know about because they’re always televised.” The MUMB was selected by a committee in New York in April 2010 after submitting a portfolio that included letters of recommendation, information on the members of the band
and audio and video clips of the band performing. Wesley Whatley, creative director of the Macy’s Parade and Entertainment branch of Macy’s, said the MUMB will be the only college band performing. “Miami has an incredible music program. We recognized their quality and commitment to excellence,” Whatley said. “What’s appealing about a college marching band to us, and Miami specifically, is there’s the energy level and the playing ability of professional musicians. We want that beautiful commitment to excellence. Miami had a perfect combination.” The application process began about 18 months before the parade performance will take place, and the band has spent much of that time fundraising. Funding for their trip will come from fundraising, support from the university and other sources and individual student contribution. Now that the parade is a mere month away, it’s time for the band to buckle down and get to work. “We did a sight reading of the music back in August,”
Lytle said. The band began memorizing the music and the drills for the performance in midOctober because they wanted to focus first and foremost on sports events for Miami University teams. In addition to preparing the music and the marching, band members were encouraged to do physical training. “The parade’s long. It’s an hour and a half and six miles … the instruments are heavy, percussion has to play the entire time, we’re marching and playing the entire route ... it’s physically taxing,” Lytle said. “I’m not going to compare it to playing a football game, but in its own way you’re on for a very long time.” Students who are part of the 260-member band have been preparing in a number of different ways. “We occasionally run during practices and I run every morning because I like running,” said sophomore Peter English, who plays flute and has been in the band since his freshman
MUMB, SEE PAGE 11
Metro alters Local organic co-op Miami’s Phi Delta Theta grocery set to open chapter receives sanctions routes to avoid WBC visit By Amanda Vankoski
For the Miami Student
The MOON (Miami Oxford Organic Network) Coop Market is opening to the public Oct. 31 in Oxford. It is the first consumer-owner coop to be incorporated in Ohio in 45 years, according to the MOON Co-op’s President, Bernadette Unger. The 3,000 square foot natural foods market will sell locally produced fruit, vegetables, meat, organic foods, cleaning products and other items. The market is located at 512 S. Locust Tollgate Mall. It can be accessed from the landscaped area next to Little Caesar’s Pizzeria.
“I was very happy when I heard about the MOON Coop opening in Oxford. I think it will bring in a lot of people because it sells organic products, which are becoming increasingly popular. I know I would rather invest in organic products rather than processed since they are healthier,” said first-year Lauren D’Errico. Indeed, the MOON Coop wants to sell as much locally grown food and goods as possible. “Our goal is to sustain the local agriculture in our area and provide local and natural food that is top quality and readily available to
MOON, SEE PAGE 9
By Sam Kay
Editor in Chief
The Alpha chapter of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity has received sanctions from Miami University and its national organization. The Franklin County, Ind. Sherriff arrested about a dozen members of the organization in the early morning of Sept. 11 near Brookville, Ind. Most charges were related to underage drinking. The chapter self-reported the incident to the university and their national organization, according to Jacob Kingdon, Phi Delta Theta director of chapter services and a member of the Alpha chapter’s advisory board. “The chapter came to us immediately after the incident and worked with both us and the university on developing sanctions to hold themselves and their members accountable,”
Kingdon said. The national organization placed the chapter on “province president probation” through this academic year, according to Kingdon. The chapter still has full voting rights and can recruit new members, but has to fulfill multiple conditions of the probation. Miami is requiring the chapter to undergo alcohol education. At least 80 percent of the chapter’s membership and 100 percent of new members must attend, according to Susan Vaughn, director of ethics and student conflict resolution. Vaughn said this is the minimum possible punishment for an organization’s first offense involving alcohol. Jennifer Levering, director of the Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity
SANCTIONS, SEE PAGE 9
Due to the Westboro Baptist Church protest occurring at the corner of Spring and Maple Streets Tuesday afternoon, several changes have been made to Miami Metro routes that stop in that area between 3 and 5 p.m.. The blue, orange and Level 27 buses will have a temporary stop south of the west Shriver Center lot entrance. The green, red and express No. 2 buses will have a temporary stop in the southeast Cook Field lot by the steps near the crosswalk across State Route 73. The yellow and express No. 1 buses will have a temporary stop at the corner of Oak and Spring Streets, either at the stop sign or just east or west of the crosswalk.