December 9, 2011 | The Miami Student

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

VOLUME 139 NO. 29

friday, December 9, 2011

MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO

TODAY IN MIAMI HISTORY In 1990, The Miami Student reported that a visiting professor in the Educational Leadership department was under investigation by the FBI.

The professor had previously been president at Southern State Community College. The FBI was looking into allegations of improper financial practices at Southern State.

Alum to puzzle the nation

By Adam Giffi

Senior Staff Writer

Across: The name of the Miami University alum who has written a crossword puzzle that will appear in The New York Times.

The answer: 23-year-old Andrew Reynolds, whose long time hobby has landed him as a first-time author of one of the nation’s most prestigious puzzle pages.

Reynolds, who graduated from Miami with a chemical engineering degree in 2010, wrote crosswords for The Miami Student during his time here.

The New York Times famously accepts submissions for its crossword puzzles and Reynolds said that this was his seventh attempt. He explained his excitement when he was notified his puzzle had been chosen.

“I was pretty excited,” Reynolds said. “I didn’t have my hopes up, as I thought my first six tries were pretty good, and so I was caught off guard. I called everyone.”

He started writing puzzles in high school for fun after being inspired by his father’s and grandmother’s interest in crossword puzzles. Today,

Reynolds is a graduate student in urban planning at the University of Cincinnati.

He once again writes crosswords merely as a hobby; though he has made pitches to UC’s student paper to run his puzzles, they have so far shown less interest in his talents than The New York Times and The Miami Student.

Nevertheless, his hobby has paid dividends: a $200 prize. Inspired by his love for crosswords, and a little by the reward, he will continue to submit puzzles.

“There is a website that keeps track of the puzzles and the authors. About half the list are one time authors who probably reached their goal and don’t feel like doing it anymore,” Reynolds said. “I’m not done. I’ve already submitted two since.”

Reynolds said it usually takes three to four months to hear back. When he sent this puzzle in, in March 2010, he soon got antsy, as he felt the puzzle had great potential.

Reynolds emailed the editor of the crossword section, who replied saying that, while he liked the puzzle, there were a few issues and it had been rejected. Reynolds

ASG wants mid-term grades for all students

By Matt Levy

Senior Staff Writer

CONTRIBUTED BY ANDREW REYNOLDS

Andrew Reynolds, a 2010 alumnus and former crossword maker for The Miami Student will have one of his crosswords featured in The New York Times. fixed these problems, resubmitted it and was notified his puzzle had been chosen. This experience taught Reynolds a valuable lesson.

“The sky’s the limit. The biggest lesson I can pass on is that you shouldn’t be afraid or hesitant of contacting anyone,” Reynolds said.

“I learned to not be intimidated to contact someone I think is unreachable, because you never know what will happen. I will remember this in future job searches.”

Reynolds revealed that the theme of the puzzle is

Led Zepplin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” He admits that he is not the world’s biggest Zepplin fan. Rather, he chose this subject because he learned to be on the look-out for topics that could make for relevant and intriguing crosswords and this year marks the 40th anniversary of the song.

When asked if he could give any additional insights, such as an early answer, or at least a clue, Reynolds coyly gave a two-letter word for rejection: “No.”

With only one week separating students from their coveted winter break, members of Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) met one last time in 2011 to finish remaining business from this semester and begin preparations for the coming term.

As a result of the meeting, students may soon be able to view their midterm grades regardless of class standing, and student organizations may find ASG’s funding rules clearer.

Off-campus senators Ari Frum, Lizzie Litzow and Peter Dougherty presented a bill supporting midterm grade reports for all Miami students.

According to Frum, the current midterm grade report policy only applies to firstyear students, meaning there is no requirement for students to be able to view midterm grades if they are not first-year students.

“With this bill you can see where you stand in the middle of the semester and make a decision how to act from

there,” Frum said. “There is some incentive for professors to do this. If students see their midterm grades and see they have an F, they’ll most likely withdraw or improve their performance, so the class average grade will go up.”

According to Dougherty, many upperclassmen enrolled in Miami Plan classes are able to view their midterm grades in those courses because of the mixed nature of their class compositions.

However, while many Miami Plan course professors calculate midterm grades for entire sections, doing so is solely at their discretion.

“There’s no way we can force professors to put every single grade up and know what your grade is at any given moment, but we can recommend professors do this because it’s much better for both students and professors,” Dougherty said.

According to Dougherty, implementation would be left to individual academic departments.

ASG, SEE PAGE 15

Miami names Phyllis Wednesday proves problematic for pedestrians Callahan CAS Dean By sam kay

editor in chief

Usually a promotion means a longer title. For Phyllis Callahan, Interim

CALLAHAN

Dean of the College of Arts and Science (CAS), it is quite the opposite. Tuesday afternoon, Provost Bobby Gempesaw announced Miami University named Callahan Dean of CAS, effective Jan. 1, 2012.

Gempesaw said Callahan’s experience in the position and at Miami made her a very attractive candidate.

“Dean Callahan has a very thorough knowledge of the College, understands the diversity of its programs and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration,” Gempesaw said via email. “Her proven success as a leader along with a deep commitment to Miami University made her a clear choice to lead the College to continued success.”

Callahan served as Associated Dean from 2006-2008, Senior Associate Dean since 2008, and is a member of the zoology faculty.

Callahan said her goals for CAS include strengthening liberal education and

amending the Miami Plan.

“My goals for the college are really the college’s goals for itself,” Callahan said. “Being very strong in liberal education, continuing to offer great breadth and depth of course offerings … offer students engaging curriculum, opportunities for research and interaction with faculty.”

Callahan said she would like to see CAS requirements and the Miami Plan better aligned.

“We’re sort of the core of liberal education at Miami, I think the other divisions appreciate the contributions we make to the curriculum,” Callahan said. “I would like to see our divisional and university requirements aligned … I think CAS is absolutely central to the revision of the Miami Plan.”

Gempesaw said maintaining high quality education even as class sizes rise is also important.

“In the face of financial challenges, it is important for us to find a balance … I believe the Top 25 approach is an effective strategy to engage our students in the learning process,” Gempesaw said via email.

Callahan said adjustments to class size are being made “very carefully, and on a departmental basis.”

Growth also has a role to play in getting through tough times, according to Callahan.

“We’re looking at growth, too. There are faculty that are developing and proposing programs that will have the ability to attract new students,” Callahan said. “That helps us address financial issues as well.”

JEFF SALOMON THE MIAMI STUDENT

A medical evacuation helicopter prepares to transport Miami University first-year Xueyan Mi after she was hit by a vehicle near Western Drive Wednesday afternoon. Mi was one of three pedestrians involved in accidents Wednesday.

By Bethany Bruner News Editor

Wednesday made for a busy day for local law enforcement officials, as both the Oxford Police Department and the Miami University Police Department responded to three separate accidents involving vehicles and pedestrians.

The first accident occurred on campus near Hepburn and McFarland Halls around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday morning. MUPD Lt. Ben Spilman said the incident involved a bicyclist, classified as a pedestrian by the department, and a vehicle. Spilman said both parties involved were students.

Spilman said reports indicate that the bicyclist may have been on the sidewalk and then entered the roadway, but said the accident is

still under investigation and could not speculate if anyone was at fault.

The bicyclist was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.

Around 3:45 p.m., Oxford Police responded to a second accident near the intersection of U.S. Route 27 and Western Drive. The victim in that accident, 18-year-old Miami University first-year Xueyan Mi, was struck by a pickup truck while crossing the street in the crosswalk.

Mi sustained serious injuries and was transported by medical helicopter to University Hospital in Cincinnati. OPD Sgt. John Jones said on the scene that Mi was conscious at the time of her transport.

OPD Sgt. Jon Varley said as of Thursday afternoon, Mi was listed in stable condition at University Hospital.

The driver of the pick-up truck, 26-year-old Bernell Rumpke of Camden, was cited for failure to yield to a pedestrian.

Since March, at least three accidents have occurred at the intersection of Western Drive and U.S. Route 27.

This intersection in particular is of concern to Varley and the OPD. “We’re trying to think of what we can do about it,” Varley said. “It’s hard because you have three lanes of traffic going essentially different directions. It can make it dangerous to cross because it can be hard to see [pedestrians], even if they are in the crosswalk. It can be especially hard when it’s dark or there’s bad weather.”

Varley said the issue may be brought up at a future City Council meeting.

Around 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, a third accident involving a vehicle and pedestrian occurred at the intersection of West Chestnut and South Locust Streets. The driver, 29-year-old Alexandra Dee Vaneeghen-Weikel of Oxford, turned from South Locust onto West Chestnut and did not see the pedestrian. Weikel was cited for a traffic control violation.

The victim in that crash declined medical treatment on the scene, according to Varley.

Varley said local officials are concerned about the amount of accidents involving pedestrians and vehicles in recent weeks.

Wednesday is the fourth time in two weeks that a pedestrian has been struck in Oxford. On Nov. 26, 75-yearold Betty Ann Fryman was struck and killed while crossing College Corner Pike.

2

CAMPUS

Editors Lauren Ceronie Jenni Wiener

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2011

campus@miamistudent.net

Snyder retires after nearly 4 decades at MU

By Kaila Frisone

For The Miami Student

Steve Snyder will be retiring next week after 39 years of employment at Miami University. He began working in the Office of the President in 1997 and is currently the Executive Assistant to the President and the Secretary to the Board of Trustees.

Snyder graduated from Miami with a Bachelor’s Degree in political science in 1973 and also earned an MBA in organizational behavior.

He began his employment at Miami as a student

employee then worked for 19 years in the Shriver Center after graduation. He started as a Night Manager and worked his way up to Director of the Shriver Center.

Snyder was also the Director of Conference Services and Community Relations.

His 14 years in the President’s Office allowed Snyder to build trusting relationships with his colleagues. He thinks of his department as a team that has each other’s backs like a family. Snyder plans to maintain these relationships through phone calls, email, attending social

events and being involved in the community.

Snyder had many significant experiences at Miami such as hosting the Dalai Lama in 2010.

Claire Wagner, director of news and public communication, worked with Snyder in planning this event.

“It is so refreshing to work with somebody who keeps an even head in stressful situations,” Wagner said.

Wagner has worked for 21 years at Miami and said she will miss Snyder’s advice and calmness in hectic settings. She said Snyder always

considers what is best for the community and students when making a decision.

One of Snyder’s favorite experiences at Miami was serving as Interim Athletic Director in 2002 for a few months because of his love for sports.

He enjoyed being intimately involved with a different side of the university.

Although he will no longer be employed at the university, Snyder said he would be happy to be an adviser or someone to talk with about issues.

Snyder’s willingness to help others and the community is a testament to his dedication to

Oxford and the Miami community. He was elected to City Council in November and he plans to make that a priority next year. Community service is also high on his list of priorities.

Snyder said he is looking forward to spending more time with his family as a retiree. His daughters and granddaughters live out of state so he plans to visit them more often.

Snyder’s wife and daughters graduated from Miami.

“The Snyder family has benefited tremendously from our affiliation with Miami (and) our degrees with Miami,”

Snyder said.

Friday, the President’s Office will host a retirement reception for Snyder. The reception will take place from 4-6 p.m. in the Heritage Room of the Shriver Center and all community members are welcome.

Snyder said he is hoping that it will be a fun, lighthearted reception and is expecting some surprises from his colleagues.

“The folks I work with are pretty sneaky and they know how to keep secrets so I have no idea what they’re up to,” Snyder said.

Fourth Miami president:MacMaster of memory Honors offers degree

By Lauren Ceronie

Campus Editor

As final exams loom in the not-so-distant future, many students are probably wishing they had some sort of extraordinary skill to absorb the copious amounts of information they’ll be tested on. No doubt these students would be envious of Miami University’s fourth president, Erasmus Darwin MacMaster (1845-1849), who was renowned for his sharp memory.

MacMaster was known among his peers for being able to recall details from meetings and discussions.

The university president was even featured in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not for his photographic memory.

“Erasmus MacMaster could replace any professor in the school (Miami University), teaching without notes or textbook because he had memorized the contents of entire on every subject taught at the university,” read the blurb in Ripley’s.

While MacMaster may have been qualified to teach any subject at Miami, the students attending the university no doubt would have been opposed to his teaching. MacMaster was only president at Miami for four years, but his time leading the school was quite tumultuous.

MacMaster was only 38 years old when he became president of Miami but was still described by colleagues as “an impressive figure,

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. standing 6’3.” Long, prematurely gray hair fell to his shoulders, and gentle eyes shown from his smooth, beardless, pale, almost benign face. MacMaster never married and was considered by many a “scholarly recluse.”

While the idea is foreign to current students of public universities, MacMaster believed religion was an integral part of education. He wanted all the departments at Miami to be based on Christianity and even went so far as to say science classes had to portray a “distinct recognition of the relations which all the particular sciences bear to religion.”

Although he might have narrowed the scope of what professors could teach, MacMaster tried to expand the university several times during his presidency. He expanded the curriculum to include more liberal arts courses as well as the classics (Greek, Latin and mathematics). In 1845, he started plans for a graduate school, a medical school, a teachers training department and a department of technology.

MacMaster thought he would need $100,000 to $500,000 to expand the university, but the Board of Trustees turned down his proposal saying the university lacked the means.

Ironically, while

MacMaster was attempting to expand the university, Miami’s attendance dropped from 140 students to 68 students during his presidency.

This drop in attendance can be attributed to students’ distaste for MacMaster as well as smallpox and cholera outbreaks on campus during his presidency.

Miami students met MacMaster’s presidency with rowdy behavior and rebellious attitudes. In 1846, students demolished the university observatory and stole MacMaster’s desk out of his office. MacMaster had long-standing issues with the literary societies – the early fraternities – on campus.

The administration wanted the societies to disclose their members and the speakers they planned to bring in to address their members. The societies refused and said that their charters gave them the right to make their own laws and choose their own members and speakers.

In January 1848, the situation between the administration and students worsened when the students tried to close the doors of the academic buildings so professors could not get inside to teach. Students tore down the college bell and threw it into a well. The students who participated in these activities contacted the president of

Centre College in Danville, Ky. to ensure they would be accepted there if they were expelled from Miami.

Tensions between the students and the administration reached a peak in March 1849 when students attacked the Board of Trustees. The students dressed in costumes and masks and forced their way into a Board meeting. The trustees ran away, but the students herded them up and chased them back into town where a fight ensued.

At this point, many were calling for MacMaster’s resignation. This list included professors and Cincinnati newspapers. In October 1848, one Cincinnati paper said, “People are beginning to enquire why they are reaping no benefits from the rich endowments of Miami University.” The Cincinnati Daily Dispatch was more blunt in their disapproval of MacMaster, calling him the “great college killer.”

MacMaster left Miami in 1849 with less than half the amount of students he started with and $6,654 of debt. He went on to teach at the Presbyterian Seminary in New Albany, Ind., but his ardent anti-slavery views led to his banishment from the seminary. MacMaster was unemployed for a number of years and dabbled in farming during this time. He was eventually hired at the Northwestern Theological Seminary in Chicago.

for regional students

By Taylor Dolven Asst. Campus Editor

The opportunity to participate in the honors program is available this semester to students at Miami University’s regional campuses who are graduating with two-year associate degrees.

In the past, the honors program was only available to regional campus students planning to relocate to the Oxford campus or graduating from regional campuses with a four-year degree, according to Janice Kinghorn, director

these students,” she said.

Hounshell first looked into the honors program as a way to get involved in academic clubs. She credits the honors program with her new ability to think outside the box.

“Nursing is very analytical, cut and dry,” she said.

“The honors program is nice because it’s been a different experience as far as education goes.”

Kinghorn hopes to have about ten people per year involved in the program.

“Until it gets off the ground,

Visit www.regionals.muohio.edu/honors/apply.htm for an online application and contact info for both regional campuses. of the honors program at the Middletown campus.

“I want to bring all the advantages of the honors program to all of these students,” she said.

Associate degree honors students will complete the first two years of the honors program requirements for the four-year program.

“Because Miami Plan for associate degrees is smaller, the requirements are smaller as well,” Kinghorn said.

The demand for this program came from a nursing student named Dawn Hounshell who was attempting to complete the four-year honors program in two years, according to Kinghorn.

“We realized, wait a second, we need something for

we won’t know what kind of demand there is,” she said.

Hounshell said she is excited about the new development.

“I am just sad that it didn’t come sooner,” she said. “It would have been neat to be immersed in the honors community that Oxford has, but we are just getting up and running.”

Hounshell will be the first associate degree honors student to graduate from Middletown. She plans to continue her education and eventually get her bachelor’s degree from Miami.

“It’s great because I will be able to stay in the honors program,” she said. “I am really excited that the regionals finally got it.”

BEST library has room for more visitors, but not more books

By Lauren Ceronie Campus Editor

Students usually loathe making a trip to the library this time of the semester.

Study spaces are crowded, computer stations are packed and the line for coffee is almost unbearably long.

However, it seems students have had a much greater affinity for the new Business, Engineering, Science and Technology (BEST) Library as library staff has seen a 19 percent increase in visitors over last year at the Brill Science Library.

“We are excited in terms of the numbers we’ve seen,” said Jerome Conley, assistant dean of special libraries. “Based on preliminary data, we’re up 19 percent for year over year reference assistance so we feel that students are beginning to find the benefit in the BEST library.”

The data measures the amount of reference assistance students request, or the number of questions patrons ask.

The increase in visitors is likely due to the addition of

business and psychology materials to the library’s collection, according to Conley.

“Basically, because we added business and psychology to our collection, some of those students, we believe, are coming from those other disciplines,” Conley said. “We truly believe this library complements our other libraries.”

The new library’s close proximity to the Hub, the Farmer School of Business, the Psychology Building and the other disciplines it represents has also helped make the library popular, according to Conley.

The new library houses over 90,000 books to service all these disciplines, according to Science Librarian Kevin Messner. To fit all these volumes into the building, the creators of the BEST Library chose to use compact shelving that rolls together, eliminating the space needed for traditional aisles.

The shelves may look unusual at first, but most students have no problem figuring out how to get the materials they

need, according to Messner.

“We get a few students who get nervous and ask us for help, but for the most part, students are fine,” Messner said.

While the compact shelving saves floor space, the library does not have room for an infinite number of books.

Due to this, the library has a “no growth” policy, according to Conley.

The no growth policy basically states that as the libraries add one item to the collection, they must move anther item. That item can be put it in the Southwest Ohio Regional Depository (SOWRD) located on Miami University’s Middletown campus, it can be moved to Brill, the depository on campus or can be changed to an electronic format, according to Conley.

“No growth is a little more complicated than just ‘no growth,’” Conley said.

The materials moved to the depositories are not off-limits to students, according to Conley. Patrons of the library can still request the books that are not physically located in

BEST through the library’s online catalogue. Patrons can also request materials that Miami does not own through the OhioLINK interlibrary loan system.

“One of the things we at the libraries pride ourselves in is customer service or the ability to provide access to

scan the periodical the patron wants and send the material to the patron electronically.

“People have always been really happy with that because they can get information emailed to them, they don’t have to leave their office or their lab,” Messner said.

When deciding which

Based on preliminary data, we’re up 19 percent for year over year reference assistance so we feel that students are beginning to find the benefit in the BEST library.”

JEROME CONLEY

ASSISTANT DEAN OF SPECIAL LIBRARIES

the materials that the students, faculty, staff and the community are looking for,” Conley said. “Access to our students have not suffered whatsoever in this move to Laws library.”

To save space for seating, all periodicals were left in the Brill science library, according to Messner. Once a day, someone from the library will

materials to leave out of BEST, the library staff looked at what was available electronically and which books they had multiple copies of, according to Conley.

Librarians also look at what materials are being used the most, what are the subjects being used the most, and when they feel a book or journal is no longer in use,

that material is transferred to a depository.

“Someone said we were throwing away science books to make room for business books, that is absolutely not true,” Conley said. “It is true that we have a no growth policy here but, we don’t have a no access policy.”

Conley suggested consulting the trained library staff if students have difficulty finding materials they need. All the librarians have at least a masters degree and some have a higher degree and are available to help students find materials.

“At the moment, we have five subject librarians and we’re about to hire a sixth,” said Messner, who has a PhD in life sciences. “We have life sciences, business, psychology, engineering and maps and geosciences subject specialists. We hope to hire a new physical scientist subject specialist.”

In the meantime, the library staff is working on transferring books and journals online to increase availability to students.

www.miamistudent.net

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2011 CAMPUS

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‘Tonight Show’ hosts cello professor’s band University conserves

By Rebecca Peets

For The Miami Student

Pansy Chang, Miami University’s very own cello professor has performed in Europe, North America and Israel, all with Pink Martini; not the drink, but the band with which she plays. On Dec. 19, the group will perform on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

“I first started playing with the group in 1998, while I was a member of the Oregon Symphony in Portland, Oregon,” Chang said. “I have been performing with them on and off for the past 13

years, and my husband, Dan Faehnle, performs with the group as well.”

Chang performs as the cellist for Pink Martini, which is also the subject she teaches at Miami. Chang has taught at Miami for 11 years, while also playing as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral musician.

“Knowing that Pansy is such a successful and well traveled performer is a great motivator,” Piper Redman, one of Chang’s students, said. “Pink Martini is a really well known group and it’s exciting to know that you are learning from someone that

has so much musical experience and talent.”

Other TV shows Chang has appeared on with Pink Martini are The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O’Brien.

“We’ve also performed with many major U.S. orchestras: Boston, San Francisco, Houston, Seattle, National Symphony, Dallas, Los Angeles Phil, at some of the biggest venues, Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher, Town Hall all in New York and Hollywood Bowl,” Chang said.

Chang has also had

performances with the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington DC, the Oregon Symphony and many other regional orchestras in the Washington DC and Portland areas. She has even given master classes at the Beijing Conservatory in China and at Yale School of Music.

“It’s hard to keep up with all the famous and talented people Pansy has performed with,” Redman said. “Watching Pansy perform with Pink Martini on Jay Leno will be

MUSIC SEE PAGE 15

Center for Digital Scholarship opens in King Library

By Taylor Dolven Asst. Campus Editor

The Libraries Center for Digital Scholarship plans to fully launch next month in 303 King Library.

While the tools that the center has provided have always been available to library staff, this transformation into an official center makes them available to faculty and students as well, according to Head of Digital Initiatives John Millard.

“We are willing to work with faculty on digital projects, as well as provide them guidance and access to technology tools we have,” Millard said.

The center had an unofficial soft launch at the beginning of the fall semester and is still putting the services into place, according to Millard.

The digitizing tools at the center have always been there, but faculty were not completely aware of their accessibility.Assistant Dean of Instruction and Emerg-

ing Technologies Lisa Santucci said she noticed more and more faculty using the student CIM lab.

“We have all the unique machines upstairs that do amazing things, yet every summer, faculty came in and used the student multimedia facility,” Santucci said. “We thought we should create a space for

of the faculty. She said other universities have similar facilities.

“We just wanted to make sure that we were offering services that faculty need,” she said.

Faculty are very concerned about creating digital documents and preserving them, said Santucci.

One of the things that ex-

We have all the unique machines upstairs that do amazing things, yet every summer, faculty came in and used the student multimedia facility. lisa santucci

ASSISTANT DEAN INSTRUCTION AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

them to use.”

The center held a focus group of faculty from many different departments across campus and asked them questions about what their needs are regarding digital scholarship.

Santucci is very excited about meeting the needs

’TIS THE SEASON TO BE CRAFTY

cites the center’s staff most is that the center is made up of only existing materials, according to Millard.

Everything including the tables and chairs were taken from other spaces on campus where they were not needed.

“There is not one new

thing up there,” Santucci said. ”We have repurposed everything. We are trying to be very sustainable.”

Journalism professor Cheryl Heckler is using the center to digitize research for her next book about White Law Reid.

The center has helped Heckler obtain and digitize documents and Civil War correspondence from the Library of Congress with their permission. All of the materials are on 227 reels of film, which makes manipulating them very difficult.

“I cannot tell you how much this means for researchers on campus,” Heckler said.

In addition to the better quality of the digitized documents, Heckler said they are much easier to manipulate and access.

“This just makes me very excited about working with the material because the access is so much easier,” she said. “I am so incredibly grateful that the library staff decided on the project.”

energy during breaks

By Molly Leasure For The Miami Student

When Miami University students go home for the holidays, the university takes a vacation as well. According to Yvette Kline, director of sustainability and energy conservation, holidays are time to conserve energy at the university.

According to Kline, it is tough to put an exact dollar figure on the amount of money saved through these energy conservation actions.

“A general rule of thumb is that 1 percent is saved for every one degree of setback on the thermostat. Using this, we estimate savings may reach the 15 to 20 percent range during our long breaks,” Kline said.

Many spaces have sensors that adjust lighting levels and temperatures when a room is unoccupied so during breaks, they automatically shut down.

Miami sends out messages to the university community asking for faculty and staff cooperation during these periods.

Checklists are given to members of dorms before they dismiss to make sure energy conservation is taking place.

According to David Creamer, vice president of finance and business services, the administration asks that all electrical devices such as computers, copiers and printers be shut off during this time.

“We can’t ever totally shut down, but we do try to minimize operations,” Creamer said.

Some alterations like temperature control and closings are mandated during these breaks, oth-

ers like unplugging electrical outlets are voluntary.

The building temperatures are controlled through the central system, making it manageable to turn up or down depending on the season. But students and faculty also hold a great deal of power in reducing energy and cost while they are on break.

“This is important in assisting the university to meet the sustainability goals that President Hodge set last spring and it also helps us to reduce unnecessary costs. Both are important in today’s economically and environmentally challenging times,” Creamer said.

First-year Abby Purdum says she agrees with the conservation process.

“It’s important that all students follow the suggested guidelines about conserving energy because each little amount of energy a student saves adds up to a lot,” Purdum said. “It doesn’t take more than a minute to unplug everything.”

According to Kline, “conservation of energy is a continuous process.” This year, Rob Abowitz started the EcoRep program, where environmentally-conscious student volunteers promote conservation behaviors in their respective residence halls.

David Prytherch, associate professor of geography and sustainability coordinator is also working to enhance the Building Points of Contact program to reinforce conservation-related efforts in the academic and office buildings. According to Kline, as these networks grow, so too will the environmental, economic and health benefits to the community.

LAUREN OLSON THE MIAMI STUDENT

Above: Earring bowls and other ceramics were displayed in the Shriver Center, Dec. 7 and 8 as part of the Holiday Arts and Crafts show. Right: Linda Doss prepares bracelets and other pieces of jewelery for her display.

Jewish studies professor to deliver December commencement address

By Jenn Smola

Senior Staff Writer

Miami University students graduating next Friday will have the pleasure of hearing Charlotte Newman Goldy as the December commencement speaker.

Goldy, director of the Jewish studies program and associate professor of history, is the recipient of this year’s Effective Educator Award.

The recipients of the award have recently been the speakers at the December commencement, according to Kathy Squance, the president’s event planning assistant.

“At least through 1998 to

2004, the only speakers at the December commencement were a student representative and the president of the alumni association,” said Claire Wagner, associate director of university communications.

When David Hodge took over as president of Miami, however, he suggested that the recipient of the Effective Educator Award be the December commencement speaker, Wagner said.

Since 2006, the award recipient has been the speaker at December commencement.

The Effective Educator Award was established 28 years ago by the Miami University Alumni Association. The award

serves to honor special educators at Miami who have made profound differences in

for the award.

Goldy said she is very honored to receive the

At least through 1998 to 2004, the only speakers at the December commencement were a student representative and the president of the alumni association.” claire wagner

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

the lives of their students.

Each year, alumni from the five-year reunion class are invited to submit nominees

award, as well as have the opportunity to speak at commencement.

“The chance to teach for

10 more minutes is an honor,” she said, viewing her speech as a final chance to teach what she can to graduating Miami students.

As a part of Miami University’s faculty for 28 years, Goldy is very connected to the university.

“I think it does make the commencement more personal when (the speaker) is someone connected to you,” Goldy said.

As a teacher and a parent of a recent college graduate, Goldy said she can only speak from her own perspective. In her speech, Goldy said she will be talking from that perspective about the passing of time.

Senior Conner Smallwood is one of the students graduating next week. As a student of Goldy’s, he’s looking forward to hearing her speak.

“It’ll be a really cool experience to see her up there,” he said.

Smallwood has taken three classes taught by Goldy, one of which was his capstone.

“She’s incredibly passionate about her teaching. The fact that she (is) speaking at commencement didn’t surprise me at all,” Smallwood said.

December commencement will take place at 3 p.m. Dec. 16 in Millet Hall.

4

JUSTIN REASH SARAH SIDLOW

COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY@miamistudent.net

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2011

POLICE

BEAT State budget comes out on top Female reports stolen phone from Brick Street Around 1:30 p.m.

Monday, a female Miami University student approached the Oxford police in reference to her lost phone. On Saturday, the female was at Brick Street Bar and Grill when someone possibly took it out of her pocket while waiting in line. She attempted to find her phone by retracing her steps and calling it. The phone is now going straight to voicemail and the GPS capability is not enabled.

Residents notice property theft at off-campus house Around 4:30 p.m.

Monday, a male resident reported a break in at a home in the 100 block of Ardmore Drive. During the overnight hours the night before, an unknown subject entered the house and took several items.

The male found his roommates purse, which was in the house, out by the road in front of their house. An iPod and credit card were missing from the purse.

The male later came back home and discovered two gifts missing from underneath the Christmas tree.

He began to realize that it was possible that someone had come into the house and taken property. A bottle of tequila was also missing from the house.

Another roommate found a key in the front yard that does not belong to any of them. The key was collected for evidence.

Mystery suspect attempts break-in through window Around 2 a.m. Wednesday, residents of the 200 block of North University Avenue called the police in reference to property damage. A resident was lying in bed when he was startled by his first floor bedroom window breaking. The suspect(s) fled the scene before anyone could get a good look at them. The victim believes the suspects hit the window with their fist because he believes he heard two thumps before the window broke. The victim was not hurt during the incident.

CORRECTIONS It is the policy of The Miami Student to publish corrections for factual errors found in the newspaper.

In the Dec. 5 issue of The Miami Student, Katie Bailey was given the title Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. Her actual title is Administrative Assistant.

TMS www.miamistudent.net

ONLINE

By Rebecca Zemmelman

For the Miami Student

The common perception, based on the everyday reports of the media, is that Ohio’s debt is through the roof and its budget is unbalanced.

However, according to the monthly financial report of October and November from the Ohio Office of Budget and Management, Ohio is in fact slightly over its estimated savings and under our estimated spending.

December’s numbers will not be released until next week, but David Pagnard, the Director of Communications at the Ohio Office of Budget and Management predicts that there will be no radical change in the numbers, and Ohio will still be slightly ahead of the estimations for this month as well.

According to OMB reports from October, the state has taken in $96 million more in taxes and spent $268 million less

than estimated.

However, in terms of how this fiscal year will end, it is much too early to tell, according to Pagnard.

“The economy is so uncertain at this point. Any projection we would make at the state of the economy is so tentative. We are happy to see these results but at the end of the fiscal year, we will reassess,” Pagnard said.

According to Pagnard, Ohio’s economy is almost always a reflection of the National economy, which is why we hold our breath. The Fiscal year for Ohio begins on July 1 and ends June 30 of the following year, which means that this month marks almost the half-way point.

According to the OMB reports so far this year, it seems as if Medicaid is behind in payments in comparison to previous years.

Pagnard explained that Ohio has changed the method of payment for Medicaid this year so it appears as if Ohio is behind, but he is certain

that it will catch up by the end of the fiscal year.

With Ohio’s extra money, the government has been able to return money, for the first time this year, to a rainy-day savings account in event of unexpected happenings. This fund had been drawn down to virtually zero over the past two years.

One could ask, where is all of the extra money coming from? Who has been affected? According to the Mayor of Oxford, Richard Keebler, the Ohio government is balancing the budget on the backs of the cities and townships of Ohio.

Oxford had to plan for a 50 percent reduction from state-local shared funds this year, according to Keebler.

“They are escalating costs and not revenue, so instead of them cutting costs they can cut the distribution of taxes to the cities,” Keebler said.

Another plan devised from the Ohio government was the abolition of estate

taxes. The plan for this was to encourage people to stay in Ohio because their estate would not be taxed once they died; however this hurt the cities.

Estate taxes, on average for Oxford, accounted for $3.7 million, according to the Mayor. Oxford did not depend on this money, but

“A solid control over the state budget could lead to a positive economic outlook for the public. This is important because the perception of economic stability is a large factor when it comes to the public’s voting choices. If an incumbent is in office during an improving economy, then the public

We are happy to see these results but at the end of the fiscal year, we will reassess.” david pagnard

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS, OHIO OBM

certainly utilized it for capital improvements, according to Keebler.

According to Miami University junior political science major Libby Martin, in the past, it has been a trend that the state of the economy and the lack of a budget crisis can have a positive effect for incumbents during the election process.

might choose to re-elect this candidate,” Martin said.

So although the budget can certainly not be determined this early in the fiscal year, it is currently in a stable place. However, it is not to go unnoticed that this positive trend for the budget is producing negative effects for the cities of Ohio.

Butler County Republican Party fails to endorse candidates

By Morgan Schaffer

For The Miami Student

Getting the Butler County Republican Party’s nomination may be harder than it seems.

Dec. 1, the Butler County Republican Party did not endorse any local candidate running in next year’s election, including current county commissioner Charles Furmon and current Clerk of Courts Mary Swain.

The election was the first endorsement election for the 2012 ballot, according to Executive of Party David Kern According to Kern, candidates were not endorsed because none got the 60 percent required majority.

“It shows that we got a stable of qualified candidates who would like to have the job. We’ve got several,” Kern said.

Basically, the failure of any candidate to be

endorsed leaves out the subsequent elections, according to Kern. He noted that the decision will be made at the primary elections. The party itself is still solid, according to Kern.

“We are on an upward path. I would not try to read into this that it’s falling apart,” Kern said.

“I think it is more because they don’t see those leaders as able to get the job done,” Miami University College Republicans co-chair Briana Sakach said.

Candidates have been left unendorsed before and there have been three races in particular where candidates were not endorsed, according to Kern.

It is not uncommon for a candidate to not be endorsed, according to Butler County Republican Party office assistant manager Amy Sanders.

“It is difficult to have a race where 60 percent is endorsed,” Kern said.

Public office still searching to fill administrator seat

By Justin Reash Community Editor

The Butler County Administrator’s Office has been vacant since June 1, 2011 according to Interim Administrator Mike Campbell.

For the past six months, the county had been relying on a national recruiting agency to find its next administrator.

However, the county has decided to part ways with the agency and instead focus on searching for candidates through local and regional avenues.

“We do have a couple of people who have expressed interest in the position, but we are moving to another phase where we are looking at more candidates within Ohio,” Campbell said.

According to Campbell, the county is hopeful that thesearch will be over and a new official will be in place by the first quarter of the new year.

Campbell’s interim

position has provided him with valuable experience to help with his permanent job of being the Executive Director of the Port Authority. However, Campbell does not see himself becoming the permanent County Administrator.

“This has been very helpful with my original office, but it is not a career goal for myself,” Campbell said.

The County Administrator’s office is responsible for 22 different county departments and has 24 county buildings to maintain. The largest responsibility of the office is to manage over 5,000 resolutions brought to the county every year.

“The big thing is the resolution management system and managing a $500 million non-general fund budget amongst 2,200 employees,” Campbell said. “Basically, we deal with rent payments, leasing and purchasing for all of our departments and buildings.”

Erin killinger THE MIAMI STUDENT

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Architecture students to display semester’s work at Alumni Hall

By Emily Ketterer

For The Miami Student

Miami University Architecture and Interior Design majors, as well as faculty, family and friends will gather at Alumni Hall to celebrate the students’ hard work this semester with their annual open house 7-9 p.m.

Friday night.

The department welcomes anyone and everyone to attend.

With the end of the semester closing in, King Library is guaranteed to be packed with sleep deprived, coffee-chugging, sweatpants-wearing Miami students of all majors, silently bonding over one hope: “just let me survive finals week so I can get home and be with family.”

But when Architecture and Interior Design majors have to buckle down and get their final projects done, they have one perk: they already are with family.

“I feel like my whole

college career would have been different if I wasn’t in architecture. Alumni [Hall] is really like family, everyone is always there,” said Kat Roosen, a senior architecture major. “That’s what I love about the architecture department and that is why the open house is such a big deal. Our professors really care and are our friends.”

John Weigand, professor and chair of the Department of Architecture and Interior Design at Miami University was recently listed among DesignIntelligence’s 25 most admired educators of 2012.

“There are two big reasons for having this annual open house,” Weigand said.

“First, we want to promote a sense of community and it’s fun. Second, I think it is really important to be celebratory. Rather than doing all this hard work during the semester and just going home, we could acknowledge these students’ accomplishments.”

The department’s hard work and sense of

community seems to be paying off: The Fiske Guide to Colleges 2011 ranked Miami University as one of 20 “Public Universities Strong in Architecture.“ Junior interior design major Lexie Hunt is just ready to unwind with her friends after a long few weeks in studio.

“After weeks of no sleep, it’s just a relief to have fun, listen to live music, chill and see what everyone has been working on.”

First-year through senior student projects will be displayed at individuals’ desks while each studio selects a few projects to put on display in the hallways. At 8 p.m there will be a short ceremony while refreshments and live music will be provided.

The open house is free to attend for everyone.

The inhabitants of Alumni Hall also adopted a pet cat into their family this semester. “Archie” the cat will make a guest appearance at the reception.

www.miamistudent.net

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2011

When you’re finished reading

The Miami Student, please recycle!

5

Business school receives $5 million gift

By Justin Reash Community Editor

Miami University and the Farmer School of Business has received a $5 million gift from the Mitchell P. Rales Family Foundation.

The gift created the Mitchell P. Rales Chair in Businees Leadership, making it the first endowed chair for a dean at the university.

Current Farmer School Dean Roger Jenkins will be the first dean to hold the newly endowed chair.

Rales is a 1978 graduate of Miami and a co-founder of Danaher Corporation, a Fortune 200 company.

Miami University President David Hodge believes this endowment will help address two important aspects of the school.

“This endowment addresses two really important things,” Hodge said. “First, it provides critical resources and it will be used in part to fund the salary of the dean, which allows us to continue bringing in highly respected and accomplished people to that position. Secondly, the other half of the endowment income will be used for the discretionary fund the dean has to invest into the school every year.”

According to Hodge, Rales’ national reputation will provide further prestige and respect to an already nationally recognized program.

“When you have a strong name like Mitchell Rales aligned with the school, it adds to the stature of the university as a whole,” Hodge said.

This is not the first time Rales has given back to his alma mater. Rales gave a commencement speech for the business school and gave each graduate stock in his company, according to Hodge.

“When he spoke to the students, he told them to hold onto his shares for 15 years to teach them the value of long term thinking,” Hodge said.

This idea of smartly thinking about the future has translated to his continuing support of the university.

“Mr. Rales gave this donation to set the standard of expectation of how our deans should lead the school, and has challenged us to think boldly and consistently about the future,” Hodge said.

Assistant Dean of the Farmer

When you have a strong name ... aligned with the school, it adds to the stature of the university as a whole.”

DAVID HODGE

UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT

School of Business Alan Oak believes Rales’ contribution is a prime example of a proud and loyal Miami alum.

“He’s an example of an alum who was well prepared by his Miami education and he feels a desire to continue Miami’s excellence,” Oak said. “This compliments our strong faculty to provide our business students the best learning experience and we could not do it without the help of people like Mr. Rales.”

Junior finance major Tim Sardinia said, “I think it solidifies the business school’s reputation for years to come. I think this will help to make the dean’s position more competitive.”

6

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7

8

OPINION

Editors Noëlle Bernard ORIANA PAWLYK

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2011

editorial@miamistudent.net

LETTERS The editor

IT support initiative reaches out to save Miami money

MADELINE HRYBYK THE MIAMI STUDENT

In the Dec. 2 edition of The Miami Student the front page article titled “Miami spends millions, hopes to save more,” included a quote from me that was intended as background, rather than providing significant information regarding the work currently underway in support of Miami University’s overall budget reduction goals.

The IT support organization and process design initiative’s goal is to make support for information technology across Miami more efficient — not just IT Services. This work is in its early stages, and there are no preconceived ideas of what the future support model will look like. Reporter Taylor Dolven asked me for a sense of how this may impact

students and my answer was that we really do not know at this point. I mentioned that one model that has been discussed is a shared services center. In explaining how that might provide the efficiency needed, I said that each academic division has local support staff and that the ratio of local IT staff to the number of faculty they support varies from division to division. The shared services center could offer basic or “commodity “support at a common level for all faculty and staff.

Clearly, this background detail of one potential solution is interesting, but does not appropriately represent the status of this important effort. We do not know what the right solution is, and we are actively

engaging with faculty and staff across the university to identify their needs. Once we have that picture, the group will begin to build a solution.

Unfortunately, Dolven’s choice created a negative impression that has caused some to question the openness of the process. The key message is that this effort must produce savings to meet the university’s goals, along with an IT environment that serves Miami’s needs today and into the future.

Cathy McVey

Senior Director of Strategic Communications and Planning, IT SERVICEs mcveyc@muohio.edu

Reality matters: lack of results still prove flaws exist in Miami policies

PATRICK GEYSER THE MIAMI STUDENT

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

Students and professors should communicate on grades Associated Student Government (ASG) met this week to wrap up remaining business for the 2011 year and also to prepare for the coming term.

During the meeting, a proposal was made to release midterm grades not only for first-year students, but for all.

The current midterm grade report policy only applies to first-year students, meaning there is no requirement for students to be able to view midterm grades if they are not first-year students.

This would give all students the ability to view their grades, knowing their performance halfway through the semester.

While this proposal would be beneficial to students,

The Miami Student editorial board supports achieving a similar outcome through different means.

This board believes that if students are concerned for their grades, they should be able to ask their professor their grade at any point in the semester, and within a definite amount of time the professor should be able to give it to them.

It is crucial for teachers to put their time and effort into grading accurately, but not as crucial as it is for them to put time and effort into their course curriculum and teaching ability. Professors have their hands full already — there is a difference in grading scantron tests, but another if everything is graded by hand

for a large group of students.

Students should utilize faculty office hours more if they are really concerned about their grade. It is the responsibility of the professor to provide as much information as they can, but students should also share the responsibility and take initiative.

It would also be beneficial to any student if professors could at least get some sort of grade list or “standing” in the class before the final withdraw date for classes.

The important part of professors’ job is teaching — yes, it is essential for students to know their grade but professors and students should both correspond, utilizing the best way to distribute grades for their particular course.

The Miami Student

We appreciate that Denise Krallman and Andrea Bakker take our concerns seriously enough to respond to them, but we find their two rebuttals unpersuasive.

First, they state: “Contrary to Brock et al.’s assertion, a class of 200 students who meet together would be counted as a class of 200.

Breakout sections, where students are indeed meeting in classes of 20, would be counted separately as 10 sections of 20 students each.”

But this is exactly what we said in writing that a class of 200 students is counted as including 10 sections of 20 students each. We think we’re all saying the same thing: Such a class would be counted as one section of 200 students plus 10 more sections of 20, making it seem as though 400 students are involved and that half of them are enrolled in small classes when, in fact, there are 200 students involved and all of them are enrolled in a large class.

Second, they state: “Offices and departments across the university use a variety of methods to examine students’

engagement with their education, with an emphasis on students’ behaviors and the activities they participate in.”

But this is to engage in the Vietnam War Fallacy, where the Pentagon generated truckloads of statistics demonstrating we were winning the war when, in reality, we were losing it where it counted, on the ground.

The administration can do all the surveying in the world but, as we asked, if our students are so engaged in learning, how come we have to push so many of them so hard to get them to attend class, to complete assignments on time, to use office hours, and to not take off days early before breaks and holidays?

If they are so engaged why do they seem to view “breakout” sections of large classes taught by grad students as a way for faculty to spend less time in the classroom with less student-faculty engagement?

Facts matter, but reality matters more. If more of our administrators taught undergraduate classes and weren’t so removed from the

teaching enterprise at the core of the university, they might appreciate this distinction between statistics and reality.

Hopefully, this exchange can begin a dialogue on the actual state of undergraduate education at Miami and what needs to be done to address it. Who knows, a leader might even come out to provide some leadership on a matter so vital to this particular university.

James Brock

Moeckel Professor Economic Department brockj@muohio.edu

Philip Cottell Professor of Accountacy

Thomas Hall Professor of Economics

William R. Hart Professor of Economics

Gerald Miller

Professor of Economics, Emeritus

Rule of Thumb Semester being almost over Even though it’s bittersweet ending, the chaos of classes is almost over!

Exams Finals week is always a hassle.

B.E.S.T. having 19% visitor increase It’s great students are making use of new study spaces.

Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826

EDITORIAL BOARD Sam Kay Editor in Chief

JUSTIN REASH COMMUNITY Editor

Bethany Bruner News Editor

Sarah SIDLOW COMMUNITY Editor

Noëlle Bernard Editorial Editor

Lauren Ceronie Campus Editor

ORIANA PAWLYK Editorial Editor

Jenni Wiener Campus Editor JM RIEGER Sports 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.

Steve Snyder Best of luck in retirement!

Andrew Reyonds’ crossword Congratulations on getting a crossword in the New York Times!

www.miamistudent.net

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2011 OP ED

liberty and justice

9

ESSAY

Ty Gilligan

brad kent kentdb@muohio.edu

Republican candidates fail to convince voters Resolution should be of their electability, experience or charm about being honorable Picking a candidate to support in a political election has two motives: ideology and electability. Lately, it seems many people have been neglecting the idea that a presidential candidate should be electable.

What is electability? I believe electability includes three components: bipartisan support, a GOOD record of experience and charismatic appeal.

The first of these, bipartisan support is the most important of the three. I would argue that a candidate with a “high electability” would have broad appeal to people on BOTH sides of the political spectrum.

Our political parties are not as clean-cut as candidates would have you believe; a 2010 Gallup Poll of 23,000 interviewers showed that 31 percent of Americans identify as Democrat, 29 percent identify as Republican and 38 percent identify as Independent.

This poll supported what political scientists have always pointed out; that the American public is largely moderate and unaffiliated with either party.

I find it odd that our Republican candidates are

ESSAY Kiel Hawk hawkkw2@muohio.edu

Like stockings, ornaments and hot chocolate, several articles analyzing the pros and cons of purchasing real or artificial Christmas trees reliably emerge annually around this time of year. Some points of contention between real and artificial trees lie with the pleasantries involved with one or the other, such as the presence or absence of allergens, the fresh pine smell or evergreen needles. But most articles discuss the environmental advantages and disadvantages of each.

As somebody that fractions paper towels for messes that don’t require the whole piece, I always want everyone to make the most eco-friendly decision possible, but let’s put this debate into perspective.

In November 2010, PE Americas published a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) summary comparing the environmental impact of the most common type of artificial and real Christmas trees sold in the United States. The assessment was completed at the request of the American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA) and aimed to provide a cradle-to-grave analysis using a variety of measures more or less related to energy consumption and pollution.

The conclusion was that the greener option depends on multiple factors, but of course, the longer an artificial tree is used, the more environmentally favorable that route becomes. When kept for at least nine years, artificial trees seem to become the clear favorite. The best part of the LCA, however, was that in a brief, one-paragraph interjection amidst the lengthy article, the authors placed the Christmas tree dilemma in the sobering context in which it should be kept.

Americans on average cause the output of around 20 tons of CO2 per capita per year, while the life cycle of

largely far-right conservative, yet they think they have the ability to attract enough following from that 38 percent of independents that they could beat Obama in the 2012 election. It doesn’t make any sense. Especially in a time where our federal government is crippled by partisanship, why would we want to elect an outspoken partisan candidate?

Bipartisan support also includes having moderate stances on key issues to attract certain groups of voters. For example, GLBT rights are playing a big role in this race. Multiple polls including Gallup, Reuters polls this year, showed that around 53 percent of Americans support gay marriage, while, 70 percent of respondents between the ages of 18 and 34 support gay marriage. Additionally, a November 2010 CNN poll reported 72 percent of Americans support repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, which was overturned earlier this year.

Currently, only Gary Johnson and Jon Huntsman (both candidates polling in the single digits) supports

gay civil unions, while the nine other candidates oppose it. Likewise, only Ron Paul, Jon Huntsman and Gary Johnson supported repeal of DADT. This is an example of how the Republicans are shooting themselves in the foot with key issues. Young people (who, as we saw in the 2008 election, do indeed vote) are not going to vote for a socially conservative Republican candidate that is anti-GLBT equality. Republican candidates must move towards the center if they want any chance of winning an election against Obama.

The second factor of electability, a good record of experience, is also important. However, it must be the “right” type of experience to win over voters.

For instance, during Newt Gingrich’s time as Speaker of the House he was a very polarizing and partisan politician. Many Americans remember his time as speaker and will not be willing to support him. A candidate should have bi-partisan experience so that their record will help garner them supporters, not scare them off.

So having a “good” record of experience is key.

The final aspect, charismatic appeal is also very important in a candidate’s electability.

Americans want a candidate who shares the same values they do, and who seems like a “down to earth person.” Barack Obama is a perfect example of this in 2008; his experience was lacking, but his charismatic speaking garnered him bipartisan support, especially among young voters. This is another reason I don’t see Newt Gingrich as an electable candidate; he often comes off as pompous and arrogant.

Definitely not someone I would want to go out for drinks with. Personally, I would argue that Romney and Huntsman are the most charismatic candidates.

I am not suggesting that electability should be the ONLY consideration when choosing to support a candidate. However, a compromise between electability and ideology is definitely necessary. You may need to compromise some of your ideological beliefs in order to support a candidate that could actually win the election and further your cause.

Christmas trees have iconic symbolism

ERIN KILLINGER THE MIAMI STUDENT

Christmas tree, real or fake, only amounts to several kilograms of CO2 emissions. The impact of buying a Christmas tree ultimately amounts to less than 0.1 percent of the average annual American carbon footprint.

According to ACTA, nearly 27 million Christmas trees (about 19 million real trees) were sold in 2010 in the United States alone. According to a Michigan State University forestry study, about 1,000 fir trees can be planted on an acre of land if they are five to six feet apart. This means about 19,000 acres (7,600 hectares) were needed to cultivate Christmas trees last year.

One acre is equivalent to 0.00156 square miles, so about 30 total square miles for farms were needed to provide the evergreen fix for real Christmas tree junkies in America in 2010. For comparison, Oxford is 6.75 square miles and Cincinnati is 79.6 square miles.

Meanwhile, according to the UN News Centre, the average, annual global forest loss in 1990-2000 and

2000-2010 was 13 million and 16 million hectares, respectively. Now, we are talking about a chunk of land approximately the size of Costa Rica. Nearly two million hectares of rainforest were cut down on average annually from 1986-2005 in the Legal Amazon region of Brazil, the world’s second most beef-producing country.

In the deforested areas, 60-75 percent of the land was converted to pasture for meat production. Trying to make an environmentally conscious choice of which Christmas tree to adorn the living room is a noble battle, but there is a greater war at hand.

Of the 27 million Christmas trees sold in the U.S. last year, about eight million were artificial, according to the Clean Air Council. Two common environmental concerns raised about them are that they are made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and end up in landfills.

PVC is difficult to recycle, so most recycling centers don’t mess with it. Eight million artificial trees with at

most a couple of pounds of PVC for the needles equates to maybe 20 million or so pounds. Americans trash seven billion pounds of PVC annually. And remember, most artificial trees are going to be reused.

In addition to artificial pine needles, PVC is also used to make shoes, clothes, pipes, chairs, tubing, dishes, siding, flooring, bottles, bags, toys, TV’s ... you get the point.

Christmas trees are iconic which makes them an easy target for debate in the media. Upwards of 90 percent of Americans celebrate Christmas, including most secular Americans, so that prevalence lends itself to a relatable situation.

But in the future when you encounter an article or conversation regarding the environmental effects of artificial and real Christmas trees, don’t forget to keep it in perspective. Holiday conservation cheer should be spread throughout the year in more routine decisions.

Responsible consumerism is the gift that keeps on giving for generations to come.

With this being the final issue of The Miami Student before winter break, I wanted to take some time to encourage everyone to add two resolutions to their list of New Year’s resolutions. These resolutions are: 1. Take pride in all that you do.

2. Do the little things right.

Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Jimmy Buffett explain these ideas better than I ever could. King was quoted saying, “If a man is called to be a street

reading this.

When we read the newspapers or turn on the news, we find that the world outside our little Miami University bubble is rough.

Out of all the madness happening in the world however, there is still hope.

Page 2 of the Dec. 6 edition of The Miami Student told the story about students who ride across America on bicycles to raise money for people with disabilities.

These men raise thousands of dollars each, for the opportunity to support those in need.

Anyone can come in, punch a time card and go through the motions.

Anyone at Miami University can sign up for a class yet get on Facebook during class and go through the motions throughout the semester. sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry.

He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.”

Jimmy Buffett wrote a song from the perspective of a street sweeper, when asked why he went about his job so merrily.

The street sweeper replied, “It’s my job to be cleaning up this mess, and that’s enough reason to go for me . It’s my job to be better than the rest , and that makes the day for me.”

Whether it is studying for that Friday final, taking coffee orders in King Café or restacking the shelves at your supermarket during the break, perform your job with gusto. If you believe what you do does not matter, look closer. The little things matter in the long run.

They matter to the professor who decides whether to give you an 89 or a 90. They matter to the student having a terrible day when you greet him or her with a smile and a short chat while taking an order. I use King Café as an example because I eat lunch there every Monday and Wednesday.

I stand and chat for a moment with the cashier, the talk involves nothing ground breaking, but I walk away feeling better than before I had that interaction.

A simple hello and a brief discussion on how one another’s weeks are going is all that is needed. It turns an ordinary occurrence like buying a sandwich into a memorable occasion.

Each and every one of us has the power to influence another’s day for the better. It has happened to me, and I am sure it has happened to most of you

A story from USA Today titled, “Some reject retirement, keep working even into 90s,” explains how a 91-year-old woman rejects retirement and continues working six days a week at her jewelry shop.

Maxine Bennett, “just simply enjoys going to work every day.”

She takes pride in what she does, and it keeps her going. This story speaks to the larger message in this article. It is not about what you do, it is about how you do it.

Anyone can come in, punch a time card and go through the motions. Anyone at Miami University can sign up for a class yet get on Facebook during class and go through the motions throughout the semester. But to live the rich, fulfilling lives we all dream about, it takes more than that. It takes doing the little things right.

Never settling for less when we know more can be achieved. If Maxine Bennett, at 91, can go to work six days a week and still find it enjoyable, we can certainly drag ourselves to class day in and day out.

Please, enjoy the next few weeks. We can all use the time to recharge, to reconnect with family and friends, and to get ready for the next semester. So after opening those iPads and designer sweaters and jeans that you will all seamlessly integrate, prepare to get back to work.

The mess that exists outside our Miami bubble needs to be fixed, and who better to do it than Miami students.

Come back with these two resolutions: to take pride in all that you do, and to do the little things right. They will be essential for the rest of your lives. Happy Holidays and as one of my dear friends always says, “Be great, do great!”

TMS

www.miamistudent.net

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ASG,

FROM PAGE 1

year. According to Wadsworth, this is intended to alleviate confusion from student organizations, which sometimes get confused when to apply for which types of funding and improves efficiency by moving the underutilized administrative funding cycle.

“This bill could be summed up pretty easily by saying we’re just moving the third cycle up with the first,” bill co-author Dougherty said.

According to Wadsworth, the bill still allows for student organizations to hold events at the beginning of the academic term before the first funding cycle is processed, since the capital for those events will have been budgeted during Cycle 2 (second semester) funding.

“It would be more convenient and help people understand (the funding structure) better,” Wadsworth said.

“I think this is a great bill,” senator Kristina Jiminez said.

“It will clear a lot of confusion going on in student

orgs, and I know the trustees are very excited to see this happen.”

The bill was passed by unanimous consent. Other business in ASG’s meeting included the passage of a resolution thanking outgoing Secretary to the Board of Trustees and Executive Assistant Steve Synder for his

This bill could be summed up ... by saying we’re moving the third cycle up with the first.”

PETER DOUGHTERY OFF-CAMPUS SENATOR

years of commitment to Miami University as he retires from the university.

This reporter also received a quick moment of thanks from Huber and Secretary for Public Relations John Stefanski, as it was his final meeting covering ASG for The Miami Student.

MUSIC,

FROM PAGE 3 awesome. They are a fun group to watch and listen to so I’m really looking forward to their performance.”

Chang earned her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of Southern California and her Master of Music degree at the Yale University School of Music.

“Pansy is an inspiration to not only the cello studio, but the whole music department,” Jeni Berecek, one of Chang’s students, said. “I originally auditioned at Miami University because I knew that Pansy is an amazing teacher and musician. She has been a huge part of my life for the past four years and has made my college experience a positive one.”

Prior to joining the Miami University music faculty, she served for two years as Assistant to Professor Aldo Parisot and Lecturer in Violoncello at Yale University School of Music, and for four years as a member of the

Oregon Symphony.

“Everyone looks to Pansy for motivation and brutal honesty. She is an intense person, but the good kind of intense,” Berecek said. “She knows how far to push her students and we all respect her for never accepting anything less than our best.”

Chang was awarded a Fulbright Grant for study in the United Kingdom and was a semi-finalist in the Leonard Rose International Cello Competition.

“Pansy always puts a big emphasis on performance excellence. She knows that her students will respect her if she models excellence in her own performances,” Berecek said.

“We will be returning to LA and playing at Disney Hall for New Years,” Chang said.

“I remember a few years ago she gave a recital here and everyone was blown away by her stage presence and amazing musicianship,” Berecek said.

Be watching for Pink Martini and Chang on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Dec. 19.

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Student Body President Nick Huber volunteered to bring the issue up when he meets with the Executive Committee of University Senate.

ASG also enacted a major change to its student organization funding cycle.

According to Meghan Wadsworth, vice president of student organizations and co-author of the bill, ASG currently has three funding cycles throughout the academic year, with the first and second cycles coming at the beginning of each semester for event and capital funding requests and a third administrative cycle coming at the close of the academic year for student organizations’ administrative requests.

Under the Funding Restructure Act of 2011, the administrative third cycle will be merged into the funding cycle that occurs at the beginning of the academic

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SPORTS

Editor jm rieger

sports@miamistudent.net

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2011 brian gallagher gallagher’s going for two

patience is the key It’s that magical time of year once again. The air is crisp, snow may be on its way, Brett Favre is back in the news and college football coaches across the country are on the hot seat.

With the season rankings established, most colleges must now decide whether to fish or cut bait with their current coaches. Ohio State University couldn’t keep a secret about their early Christmas present of Urban Meyer (much to the chagrin of Luke Fickell) and Penn State University is looking for someone to fill the shoes that had strolled the sidelines for 46 years.

The process of college coaching in all sports is becoming more and more like a department store fitting room: try the coach on, if it doesn’t “fit,” get rid of him.

The short attention span of athletic departments and fans everywhere have created a system that demands success immediately or the coach is run out of town.

One might think that this problem is not endemic to our own mid-major bubble in Oxford. But it was just last year that people began questioning whether or not Head Hockey Coach Enrico Blasi should be shown the door for his inability to win a national championship.

With the team sitting on an 8-8 record, the results of this weekend’s play against Ohio State could be enough for people to grab their firebrands and begin the call for his departure. But just remember that Miami University is known as the “Cradle of Coaches” for the coaches that have left Miami for greener pastures, so let’s not send a successful coach away to add to that legacy.

The aforementioned Urban Meyer will certainly be hard-pressed to fulfill the

NEXT HOME GAME: 1:00 p.m. Sat. vs. eastern kentucky

Red and White fall to Dukes

By Brian Gallagher

expectations of the Buckeye faithful. If he does not win early and often, especially against the University of Michigan, he’ll be finding “For Sale” signs in his front yard faster than he can say, “I should have stayed at ESPN.” Here are Meyer’s possible scenarios to keep the angry mobs at bay: go undefeated and win a national championship ... and that’s pretty much it. Anything else will certainly bring criticism, whether he is deserving of it or not.

I am not asking that athletic departments begin to accept mediocrity. Instead, I’m hoping that in their letter(s) to Santa, athletic directors and fans will ask for a little patience.

In our instant gratification society, though, that is often hard to come by. Athletes want injections of Toradol that will let them play, but that masks the pain of future injuries. Schools join conferences that will see them fly halfway across the country for a conference game just for a little extra cash. The mentality is to win, and to win now.

In this race to the top, it’s often hard to remember that coaches were once seen as teachers in a different classroom setting.

It may sound crazy, but perhaps they should not only be judged on the number of wins, but by the character of the athlete that goes through their program.

Of course, in a day and age when a coach at a public school makes more than any state employee this is a hard lesson to preach.

In the meantime though, hold off on the torch-andpitchfork mob and have a little patience. Because just like Cleveland sports fans say, “there’s always next year.”

For The Miami Student

LL Cool J once famously said, “Don’t call it a comeback,” and unfortunately for the Miami University women’s basketball team in their game against the Duquesne University Dukes (6-1), he was correct. The RedHawks took their show on the road to the Steel City and despite playing good defense and dominating the glass, they came up just short, losing 64-63, dropping their record to 4-3.

“Duquesne is one of the better if not the best team we’ve played this year,” Head Coach Maria Fantanarosa said. “We don’t want to put too much emphasis on the loss, especially given the progress we showed against a very good team.”

Miami was able to take an early lead on the heels of a defense that held the Dukes to just 1-11 shooting in the first eight minutes. A stagnant offense was unable to capitalize on this though, as the ’Hawks held only 10-8 with 10:51 remaining in the first half.

A 7-0 RedHawk run followed as Miami took its biggest lead of the game with just over eight minutes to play with a layup from sophomore center Kelsey Simon. The Dukes would not roll over and came right back, ending the half with a 29-26 advantage.

Duquesne pounced early in the second half and quickly built a 10-point advantage just two minutes in, extending their lead to 37-27. Miami bent but would not break, slowly chipping away at the Duquesne lead until they found themselves down only by five after a jumper by senior forward Rachael Hencke made it 62-57 with 3:39 to play. The Dukes would get only two more points in the game as the ’Hawks defense clamped down and did not

allow them to score again.

The rally was on when senior guard Maggie Boyer came up big with a jumper and junior forward Kirsten Olowinski followed with two of her 18 points to make it a one-point game with only 1:19 remaining.

A steal by junior guard Courtney Osborn with 34 seconds remaining seemed to have the RedHawks poised to finish off this CinderellaStory comeback and head back home with a big win.

But the basketball gods were

not smiling on Miami as three missed shots in the final 30 seconds denied the Red and White a victory.

In addition to her 18 points, Olowinski grabbed 11 rebounds for her second straight double-double. Osborn added 18 points of her own and sophomore guard Hannah Robertson stuffed the stat sheet with seven points, nine rebounds and five assists.

“Our next step to focus on is where to find one more point or one more shot to win games like that,” Fantanarosa

said. “[The team] did everything to give themselves an opportunity to win, so it’s definitely a step forward, confidence-wise.”

There is no rest for the weary as Miami must now refocus as they prepare for their next game at home against the Bruins of Eastern Kentucky University Saturday.

Tip-off is set for 1 p.m., so any student in need of a study break should head to Millett Hall to watch the RedHawks, as they look to continue their perfect home record.

SCOTT ALLISON THE MIAMI STUDENT

Sophomore guard Hannah Robertson has been a spark for Miami this season, averaging 10.4 points per game. The ’Hawks will look to notch their fifth win of the season Saturday.

RedHawks prepare for Buckeyes

By Tom Downey

For The Miami Student

SCOTT ALLISON THE MIAMI STUDENT

HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES! The Miami University Hockey team celebrates a shootout victory Nov. 12 against the University of Michigan. The Red and White are looking to bounce back against the Buckeyes after being swept by Northern Michigan University for the first time in over two years.

The Miami University RedHawks Hockey team faces a tough challenge this weekend during their home and home series against the No. 4 Ohio State University Buckeyes (OSU).

The Buckeyes are currently 12-3-1 overall and 9-2-1-1 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA).

Ohio State is currently riding an 11-game unbeaten streak.

The ’Hawks enter the series with an 8-8-2 overall record and a 4-6-2-1 mark in CCHA play. The Buckeyes are also first in the CCHA standings.

The Red and White enter the month of December after a strong November where they dominated the CCHA monthly honors. Senior goalie Cody Reichard won Goalie of the Month, freshman forward Austin Czarnik won Rookie of the Month and junior forward Reilly Smith won Player of the Month.

Czarnik was also named to the U.S. Junior Team preliminary roster.

“It was an honor to get both [awards],” Czarnik said. “Rookie of the Month was a big honor considering the team did well in CCHA honors. Making the USA team was also huge. It is all an honor.”

After the team’s tough series against Northern Michigan University, Head Coach Enrico Blasi explained how the team had to continue to improve.

“We have to get back to playing well,” Blasi said. “We just have to keep getting better and put the past behind us.

In our last ten games we are 6-2-2, so we are doing much better than during October.”

As their record and rankings reflect, the Buckeyes are a very good team. In addition to their 11-game unbeaten streak, OSU has won nine straight games.

“It’s an in-state rivalry and they are a really good hockey team,” Blasi said. “That’s how big it is.”

During their match up last year in Columbus, the Buckeyes swept the RedHawks. In addition, a win this weekend would give the Miami hockey program its 600th win.

One of the keys to the game will be who can win the defensive battle.

“A big focus for us is going to be the battle in the defensive zone,” senior defenseman Chris Wideman said.

“OSU is a big, strong team and they play pretty physically. It is going to be important to play smart, out-work them, and limit turnovers.”

Offensively, the Red and White will look to get a lot

of players involved early and will also be looking to some of their young players to continue their success.

“We have to play our game, get the puck low and get shots to the goal,” Czarnik said.

“Special teams are huge for us so if we do that well, we should be successful.”

The sweep at the hands of Northern Michigan Dec. 2 and 3 dropped the RedHawks to below .500 in the CCHA. It also puts them in a tie for eighth place with the Uni-

A big focus for us is going to be the battle in the defensive zone” Chris wideman SENIOR DEFENSEMAN

versity of Michigan, making this series against OSU even more important.

“This series is pretty important for the CCHA rankings,” Czarnik said. “We’re looking to climb up the standings sooner or later.”

The first game of the series will be played in Columbus Friday. The teams will then come to Oxford for Saturday’s game. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. for both games.