The Miami Student | October 29, 2021

ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES

Volume 150 No. 3

Miami university — Oxford, Ohio

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Since then, many theories have circulated, ranging from murder to temporary amnesia (mostly owed to a witness who claimed they saw Tammen the next morning, unable to remember his name and asking directions to the nearest bus stop).

There has even been a theory purporting that Tammen was gay and secretly recruited by the CIA because of this.

Fisher Hall was torn down in 1978, but a body was never found.

However, some claim to have spotted Tammen — both alive and as a ghost — over the years.

Regardless of what happened, the case of Ronald Tammen may prove to be one of Miami’s most intriguing mysteries for years to come.

HAUNTED MIAMI:

Myths and mysteries ASST. DESIGN EDITOR MACEY CHAMBERLIN

SHR-HUA MOORE ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

on campus, but it will give a brief summary of some of the most disturbing disappearances and foreboding figures in Miami’s history.

Robert Frost once said Miami University’s campus was “the most beautiful campus ever there was.”

But he neglected to mention its reputation as a school plagued by the unexplained and unnatural, from Helen Peabody’s ghost to the mysterious disappearance of Ronald Tammen.

The following is by no means a collection of every spooky incident

A fish, then nothing: The disappearance of Ronald Tammen The date was April 19, 1953. For Ronald Tammen, it was a night to do psychology homework after a weekend of running errands and performing with the Campus Owls jazz band, playing the string bass.

For the rest of the university, the day would mark Tammen’s disappearance from both Fisher Hall and the planet.

Tammen had been surprised earlier that evening with an ambiguous yet chilling symbol: a dead fish pulled from a nearby lake, tucked into his bedsheets. While some have speculated that the fish represented a threat by an unknown mafia, it was later revealed that the fish was simply a practical joke pulled by fellow student Richard Titus — the two frequently pranked each other.

APEIP: Miami cuts programs and reallocates resources with multi-year review process SEAN SCOTT ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR Three years.

That’s how long Miami University’s energy co-major has to grow from 25 total students to 20 per class, or it may disappear forever.

“We’ll give it a go,” said Jonathan Levy, director of the Institute for the Environment and Sustainability (IES).

For Levy, the energy co-major stands out from environmental science programs at other colleges.

“I wouldn’t go so far to say that [the major is] unique, but I think the energy co-major is unusual,” Levy said. “I think that there are a lot of jobs in the energy sector for which that co-major would be useful on someone’s resume.”

Levy said students could pick up sustainability or environmental science co-majors with an emphasis on energy, if the co-major gets cut. If another program was at risk, though, the story would change.

“If sustainability was going away because we didn’t have enough members, I would be terribly concerned

AS A PART OF ITS MOST RECENT STRATEGIC PLAN, MIAMI CREATED A PROCESS TO REVIEW EACH PROGRAM OFFERED BY THE UNIVERSITY PHOTO BY JUGAL JAIN

about that, because I think some things need to exist no matter what the numbers are,” Levy said. “ … How in this day and age could you argue that [sustainability] doesn’t belong in the university setting?”

The numbers that put the energy co-major on the endangered list came from an academic review process called “Academic Program Evalua-

tion, Improvement and Prioritization” (APEIP), that began in fall 2019.

Since then, energy hasn’t been the only program to face elimination.

The team In June 2019, the Board of Trustees approved the Strategic Plan, a list of 30 recommendations for Miami to prepare for the volatile future of CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

This Issue

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY Why do professors in certain fields make so much more than others? Our Asst. Campus & Community Editor found out.

- page 5 ENTERTAINMENT Our Asst. Entertainment Editor loves horror flicks, and he's letting everyone know which are must sees.

- page 12

SPORTS Blaiden Kirk on the rise as a popular sports TikToker. The ardent Browns fan discussed his love of sports, computers and more.

- page 20 FOOD Our Food Editor releases her definitive rankings on the best candy this Halloween - page 11

OPINION Highlighting her own experiences with Miami's Title IX office, one columnist is calling for change.

- page 22 STYLE What will Miami students be wearing this Halloween? A style writer weighs in.

- page 14

What happened next, however, was anything but a joke.

Tammen was last seen going into his room with fresh sheets. His roommate returned at 10:30 p.m. to an empty room with the lights still on and Tammen’s psychology textbook open at his desk. Other than what he had been wearing that night, everything else he owned was still on campus — his car, his wallet and his beloved bass were untouched.

He was never found.

Love and barbed wire: The Miami motorcycle ghost This legend begins with a love story.

Supposedly, a farmer and his daughter used to live on the outskirts of Oxford in the 1940s. The farmer didn’t approve of his daughter’s boyfriend, who used to cause a ruckus driving through the streets at night to meet with the young woman. The farmer consequently forbade the man from seeing his daughter during the week or at night.

The two lovers devised a system to circumvent this rule: after the girl’s parents went to sleep, she would drive up to a nearby 90 degree turn, park on top of a hill and flash her lights three times to signal that the coast was clear for her boyfriend.

The furious farmer decided to put a permanent stop to the shenanigans by stringing up barbed wire at shoulder height at the bottom of one of the hills. One way or the other, the man wouldn’t be able to see his daughter at night again. The next night, the man went to pick up his girlfriend and propose to her.

Instead, he was decapitated by the wire while driving down Oxford-Milford Road.

It is said that if one goes to the lovers’ spot (the first four-way stop after going past Yager Stadium and CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

“Halloween Kills” lives up to the name, but not much else ENRICO MEZA-CUADRA THE MIAMI STUDENT Ever since the release of “Halloween” (2018), fans (myself included) have been eagerly awaiting the release of its sequel, “Halloween Kills.”

The 2018 film, a soft reboot of the series, served as a sequel to the original 1978 “Halloween” movie and erased the previous sequels’ as canon. It was also a return to form for the series, which had only gotten worse and worse with each release in the last few decades.

“Halloween” (2018) was suspenseful, true to the series, had pretty great kills and a mostly coherent plot — more than what could be said about any of its predecessors.

With the same director as the previous film, David Gordon Green, I had high expectations for this sequel.

Unfortunately, “Halloween Kills” did not live up to the first film’s hype.

Most of the original cast returns for “Halloween Kills,” aside from those who didn’t make it through the movie. A whole host of new and old characters are introduced and given significant screen time, and it’s painfully obvious they only exist to be killed by Michael Myers or provide annoying fan service.

The central plot follows the hunt of Michael by the people of Haddonfield.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR As the seasons change in Oxford, our Editor-in-Chief reflects on endings, new beginnings and everything in between.

- page 2 HUMOR See the news that didn't make the news ... because it didn't happen.

- page 17

PHOTO FROM @HALLOWEENMOVIE ON INSTAGRAM

However it tries to keep the idea of Laurie as Michael’s target, the subplot of the Strode family itself attempting to survive, people like Tommy Doyle trying to get revenge on Michael, and even a weird and random love subplot with Laurie and Officer Hawkins.

“Halloween Kills” makes a habit of bringing back characters from the original 1978 film and trying to make them plot-relevant, without developing them at all. They all boil down to one trait and are inevitably killed by Michael throughout the film.

Tommy Doyle and Lonnie Elam, two of these returning characters, CONTINUED ON PAGE 13

This Month

2 FYI

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Most awarded college newspaper in Ohio at the 2020 Regional Mark of Excellence Awards by the Society of Professional Journalists.

TIM CARLIN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Briah Lumpkins Managing Editor Owen Berg Design Editor David Kwiatkowski Senior Campus & Community Editor Abby Bammerlin Cosette Gunter Madeline Phaby Lexi Whitehead Campus & Community Editors Lukas Nelson Sports Editor Jack Schmelzinger Asst. Sports Editor Rebecca Wolff Opinion Editor Ames Radwan Asst. Opinion Editor Zach Reichman Photo Editor Jake Ruffer Asst.Photo Editor Shr-Hua Moore

Sarah Grace Hays Multimedia Editor Sam Cioffi Magazine Editor Emil Barr Business Manager

Sean Scott

Fred Reeder Jr. Faculty Adviser

Sat

Sacha Bellman Business Adviser Aim Media Midwest Printer

Asst. Campus & Community Editors Macey Chamberlin Soren Melbye Asst. Design Editors

David Kwiatkowski Entertainment Editor Maggie Peña Sean Scott Asst. Entertainment Editors Megan McConnell Social Media Editor

Erin McGovern Lorena Ianiro Hannah Potts

Advertising information: Send us a letter?

11/13

Tues 11/16

Madeline Phaby Food Editor

Designers

11/6

Sat

Jessica Robinson Humor Editor

Taj Simmons

Thurs 11/4

Owen Berg Style Editor

Maggie Peña

Things to do

barrea@miamioh.edu eic@miamistudent.net

The Miami Student is published monthly during the school year by the students of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.

The content of The Miami Student is the sole responsibility of The Miami Student staff.

Opinions expressed in The Miami Student are not necessarily those of Miami University, its students or staff.

Thurs

Bagel and Deli Competition

Donald W. Fritz Pavilion

7:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m.

Teams will create a bagel and a creative name and compete to have their bagel sold at Bagel and Deli.

Mutts Gone Nuts!

Hall Auditorium Expect the unexpected as canines and comedy collide in a smash hit performance.

7:00 p.m.

Dance Theatre Winter Concert Harry T. Wilks Theater

7:30 p.m. 9:00 p.m.

This concert includes dance pieces choreographed by dance professionals, faculty and students

Opera at the Art Museum Art Museum

Join Mimai Opera for an evening of opera arias and a season preview of The Light in the Piazza.

6:30 p.m.

Etiquette Dinner

Courtyard by Marriott Hamilton

6:00 p.m. 7:30 p.m.

11/18

Prepare yourself for professional, formal and interview dinner events - with a delicious meal.

Fri

Skate-In Movie feat. Mamma Mia

11/19

Come join MAP at Goggin Ice Center for a showing of Mamma Mia while skating.

CORRECTIONS POLICY

The Miami Student is committed to providing the Miami University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication.

Goggin Ice Center

9:30 p.m. 11:00 p.m.

From the Editor’s Desk:

Endings and new beginnings TIM CARLIN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Falling leaves, changing wardrobes and a growing crispness in the air.

It’s easy to tell when autumn finally arrives in Oxford. But this year, the changing season feels different. This year, it feels permanent.

My last trip through the Butterfield Farms corn maze.

My last Oxford Halloween.

My last stressful class scheduling endeavor.

My last fall in the town I’ve called home for more than three years.

As the last remnants of summer fade away, I’m left with a pit forming deep in my stomach. A knowing feeling that the memories I make this year will soon be just that. Memories. And as we round out midterm season, the ticking of a clock counting down toward graduation next May only gets louder.

I feel a sense of urgency with every passing moment. Like if I don’t make each one mean something, they will amount to nothing.

But when I’m overwhelmed with this urgent need to make memories out of each moment, I try to force myself to pause. To take stock of all I have been able to do thus far.

I remember the countless hours I spent in Hepburn Hall’s basement common room freshman year, meeting new friends and solidifying years long friendships.

I remember the late morning breakfast dates with friends, discussing our collective foggy memory of the prior night spent Uptown.

I remember the nights I spent

working various MAP events, laughing and dancing more than I actually worked.

But above all else, I remember The Miami Student. The family I’ve made here. The skills I’ve learned within the lime green walls of this newsroom that will (fingers crossed) propel me into a meaningful career.

And these memories help ground me. They bring me back into the present moment and make the inevitable pain of next May more bearable.

Because there is inherent pain in endings. One that comes with knowing that an experience has served its purpose in your life. That you’ve grown, so much so that your current settings begin to feel cramped.

But there is beauty in endings, too. A beauty in knowing that a place and its people have impacted you so greatly that leaving will be harder than you had imagined.

A beauty in the new beginnings that lie just ahead, beckoning you into the unknown.

And after all, isn’t that what life is all about? The journey from where you came from to where you’re going.

Even though these fast approaching endings feel permanent, there’s really an impermanence to them. New beginnings are predicated on endings. The next great thing can’t arrive until the current one fades.

So as I breathe in the crisp, autumn air, watching the leaves float down from their trees, I want to honor the endings, the new beginnings and every beautiful moment in between. @timcarlin_ carlintm@miamioh.edu

Sat 11/20

Superhero Moonlight Skate Goggin Ice Center Unleash your inner hero at Goggin’s Superhero Moonlight Skate.

9:30 p.m. 11:00 p.m.

HAUNTED MIAMI:

Myths and mysteries

CONTINUED FROM FRONT Beta Headquarters on your left) and performs the system, they will see the headlamp of the ghost.

The Murder in Reid Hall: Bloody handprints While the disappearance of Ronald Tammen remains a mystery, the murder of Reid Hall Resident Assistant Roger Sayles in 1959 was not.

On the evening of May 9, Sayles was trying to resolve a dispute between two residents when one of them pulled out a gun. The resident shot Sayles, then killed himself with the same weapon.

Sayles fell bleeding against a nearby door, leaving two bloody handprints as he died.

As the years went by, students claimed they witnessed some strange occurrences, such as noises around the area where the murder happened.

The most striking feature, however, was the appearance of Sayles’s two bloody handprints on the door where he died.

Some claimed they saw the handprints appear after staring at the door for a while, while others said the handprints had been sealed within the door forever after a new coat of varnish was applied.

Reid Hall no longer exists; it was torn down in 2008 to make room for the Farmer School of Business. While there haven’t been any more accounts of paranormal activity yet, beware if you see bloody handprints in the basement of Farmer.

Peabody Hall: Don’t piss off Helen We now come to the story that Miami

is most known for: the ghost of Helen Peabody.

Peabody Hall used to be the Western Female Seminary, a prominent building in the Western College for Women that existed next to Miami from 1855 to 1974 when it merged to become part of Miami’s Western campus.

Helen Peabody, the first principal of the college from 1855 to 1888, was infamous for her opposition to co-education.

She didn’t trust any of the men from Miami who sometimes came onto the campus grounds, a conviction rumored to be held beyond her death It’s said that Helen Peabody’s ghost still watches over the women of Peabody Hall while haunting the men that walk its corridors and sleep in its rooms.

One such haunting supposedly happened to Andy Duley and his roommate in the early 2000s: after criticizing Helen Peabody in front of her large portrait in the hall’s lobby, the two men were subjected to objects falling down unprompted in their room and random message notifications on the phones that were provided to students at the time.

After unplugging their phones, they got an RA, only to discover that the unplugged phones had more than 200 calls and messages on them. The messages were all recordings of their comments about Helen Peabody.

While there are many more stories about mysteries and ghosts on Miami’s campus, one thing is certain: if Robert Frost had stayed on campus for long, the most beautiful campus may have turned out to be the most haunted one. @hua_shr moorese6@miamioh.edu

3

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Sexual Assault: A continuing issue on campus

been far from safe,” Al Khafaji said. “My peers and I have had numerous uncomfortable and uninvited experiences on this campus, and the lack of action from the university is disheartening.”

Al Khafaji said the low number of bulletins this semester is indicative of another problem on campus.

“This does not mean that people are not being sexually harassed [or] assaulted,” Al Khafaji said. “It just means that students feel unsafe to report them.”

The term “fondling” in the recent safety bulletin also sparked frustration for Al Khafaji.

“It is sexual assault, call it what it is,” Al

“Change is slow when you’re dealing with a cultural issue.”

- Josie Carter

DESIGNER ERIN MCGOVERN

EMMA WILCOX THE MIAMI STUDENT The student body has grown accustomed to receiving emails from the Miami University Police Department (MUPD) reporting various crimes throughout the semester.

However, this semester students have received fewer safety bulletins relating to sexual assault and interpersonal violence (SIV).

An Oct. 11 safety bulletin marks the latest of the semester related to sexual assault; a noticeable change from previous semesters when, at times, multiple sexual assault bulletins were sent out each week.

But this decrease in safety bulletins doesn’t necessarily indicate a decrease in sexual assault on campus.

A safety bulletin is not sent out for every reported incident. MUPD only issues safety bulletins if there is a continued threat to the campus community.

The MUPD Annual Security and Fire Safety Report provides crime-related statistics for academic years 2018 through 2020.

MUPD received 28 total reports of rape and nine fondling incidents in 2018. In 2019, the department received 32 rape and five fondling reports, the highest of recent years. During the 2020 academic year, 23 rapes and two fondlings were reported.

Since August, MUPD has received 12 reports of sexual offenses occurring on campus.

Jaymee Lewis-Flenaugh, assistant dean of students and deputy Title IX coordinator, works with colleagues and students to develop prevention and response efforts.

Lewis-Flenaugh stressed the prioritization of student voices and ideas in her work and taking steps to mitigate further trauma following a report.

“When we are coming to make these decisions, we actively choose not to engage a group without student voice because there is time and distance for us [faculty and administration] when it comes to this type of experience,” Lewis-Flenaugh said. “And our student body is incredible to be advocates for the people that they represent.”

Lewis-Flenaugh serves as the chair of the

response subgroup within the Coordinated Community Response Team (CCRT), a committee of faculty, MUPD representatives, Oxford Police Department (OPD) representatives, students and community members.

The CCRT meets twice a month to discuss, plan and carry out initiatives to combat SIV on campus.

Lewis-Flenaugh said the subgroup aims to make sure people know where to report and what happens after they report.

Professors, resident life staff and administrators are mandatory reporters, meaning they must file a report if a student discloses an incident or assault to them. Survivors can also report to MUPD or OPD. Reporting a sexual assault provides survivors with resources as well as potential academic, residential or employment accomodations. Survivors are also given the choice whether or not to pursue a legal investigation.

However, students like senior political science major Shams Al Khafaji remain concerned about safety and security on campus.

“As a woman of color, this campus has

Khafaji said. “I cannot properly express the amount of anger and disappointment I felt when I saw it was regarded as ‘fondling.’ Reporting it as ‘fondling’ or ‘groping’ does not make the fact that a student was sexually assaulted any better.”

The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network includes incidents of fondling or unwanted sexual touching under the definition of sexual assault.

Al Khafaji was not alone in this sentiment.

Josie Carter, junior psychology major and founding president of Sexual Assault Survivor Support (SASS), was also disappointed in the recent bulletin.

“Language like that downplays and normalizes men touching women and just brushes these events off,” Carter said.

Despite this, Carter is hopeful.

“Change is slow when you’re dealing with a cultural issue,” Carter said. “But I think if we have the right people in administration and student groups [are] being supported there definitely can be change.”

Miami isn’t alone in struggling to address sexual assaults, and room for improvement remains.

“There is still a lot of victim blaming attached to the issue,” Carter said. “The university and community need to be more trauma informed and learn how to be a better ally to survivors.” wilcoxee@miamioh.edu

4 CAMPUS & COMMUNITY

BAMMERAJ@MIAMIOH.EDU

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

APEIP: Miami cuts programs and reallocates resources with multi-year review process

DESIGN EDITOR OWEN BERG

CONTINUED FROM FRONT higher education. Points 19 and 20 called for curriculum reviews of all undergraduate and graduate programs, laying the groundwork for APEIP. “In order to grow strategically, resources must be reallocated,” the Board wrote in the Plan. “ … We do not have the luxury and financial capacity to be all things to all people.”

On Aug. 1, 2019, Jason Osborne’s first day as Miami’s Provost, he inherited the Board’s recommendation for “a committee appointed by the provost to oversee this review.”

Osborne appointed Stacey Lowery Bretz, a professor of chemistry, as committee chair.

She led a team of two additional provost appointees, five faculty members from University Senate, two student representatives and an additional seven division representatives – one from each academic college plus the graduate school.

“It was a shared governance process where we got some faculty and staff with either an inclination or expertise in this area to guide the process, to help the departments look at their metrics and make decisions,” Osborne said.

The committee met 14 times between Nov. 2019 and Feb. 2020 to draft the process and identify points for departments to consider when evaluating their programs.

Bretz said the committee didn’t tell faculty and departments how to make decisions on their own programs, but rather how to use data to inform their decisions.

“We did not set out to create benchmarks that defined [what a sustainable program was],” Bretz said. “The process instead was built through shared governance to ask faculty to work with a common data set.”

A data-informed process The data collected through APEIP was far-reaching, covering 133 bachelor’s degrees, 15 co-majors, 66 master’s degrees, 13 doctoral degrees, 13 undergraduate certificates and 24 graduate certificates.

Departments generated workload data, considered university applications by major and identified courses of concern with high rates of students receiving a D or an F or withdrawing (DFW rate).

to do with the mission of the university, or with the ideals of a liberal arts education, or anything like that,” Wagner said. “… What they were trying to do is find out where there are sort of expensive courses … that [don’t] have very many students.”

To Wagner, the five categories prioritized financial motivations over educational outcomes.

“The way we’re being asked to think about what to sunset, what not [to], aren’t [sic] to do with a sort of sense of our role as an educational institution, our mission as an educational institution, our goal as a liberal arts institution,” Wagner said. “It’s just about money.”

When the process deemed a program unsustainable, that program was recommended for sunset, meaning it would be removed as an option for incoming students to pursue.

Osborne said finances didn’t drive decisions, but that students benefit from decisions that take their tuition dollars into account.

“Students are paying a lot of money to be here, and what we’re trying to do is be the best stewards of those resources that we can,” Osborne said.

“The taxpayers of Ohio support it, so it’s really about stewardship and giving students what they’re looking for.”

Denise Taliaferro Baszile, associate dean in the College of Education, Health and Society (EHS), served as interim dean of EHS from January through June of 2021. Before then, her associate dean position involved conversations on how APEIP would affect the college.

She said the data collected didn’t necessarily determine the outcomes for programs.

“Data is something to consider, is something to deliberate on,” Taliaferro Baszile said. “It shouldn’t be, in my opinion, that this data equals this decision … We’re taking into consideration what we already know about our programs. We’re taking into consideration how we manage our resources and our budget and what kind of investments we can and cannot make. To me, all of that has to be on the table.”

Getting results In Sept. 2020, Bretz presented preliminary results to University Senate. Most of the 276 programs evaluated were rated as either “continuous

ing (CEC) listed 93.3% of programs as continuous improvement, with the remaining programs described as “teach out,” meaning current students could finish their degrees but no new students would be admitted.

EHS rated 39% of its programs as significant difficulties, the highest proportion of any academic college.

Taliaferro Baszile said administrators in EHS made an effort to keep faculty involved when reporting initial ratings, though they didn’t always agree on the results.

“Some of the times, we came out with the same kind of assessments, and sometimes our assessments didn’t necessarily perfectly align,” Taliaferro Baszile said. “But we were able to have discussions about programs that maybe we needed to sunset.”

Departments then generated action plans and got feedback before receiving final ratings, which broke each preliminary category in two.

Majors with continuous improvement could be listed as either “potential new resources,” meaning the college may allocate additional faculty or funding to the program, or “minor difficulties,” which meant the program wasn’t in danger but had room for slight improvements.

Those with significant difficulties were either recommended for “program restructuring” or labelled a “sunset program.”

Sunset Chris Makaroff, Dean of CAS, said the Dean’s office gave each program a chance to implement strategies to boost enrollment or restructure to better use resources rather than directly suggesting any programs should sunset.

“As Dean, I could have just said to programs – instead of giving them significant difficulties – I could have said, ‘No, you just need to shut the program down,’” Makaroff said. “I did not do that with any of our programs.”

In some cases, Makaroff and his team responded to departments’ action plans by recommending they sunset certain programs with low enrollment. For struggling bachelor’s degrees like botany, the benchmark was set at 15 graduates per year.

“Neither the BA [bachelor of arts] nor BS [bachelor of science] in Botany have come close to the target thresh-

“The thing that disturbed me was that there were no questions that had to do with the mission of the university, or with the ideals of a liberal arts education, or anything like that...”

- Cathy Wagner The APEIP committee evaluated programs in five categories: external demand (job placement), internal demand (growing enrollment), dynamic curriculum (classes with distinctive focus and depth), program outcomes (faculty achievements/experiential learning and career outcomes) and efficient operations (revenue generation and resources used).

Cathy Wagner, professor of creative writing and president of Miami’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), thought the data faculty had to evaluate their programs on was concerning.

“The thing that disturbed me was that there were no questions that had

improvement” — programs which had positive student outcomes — or “significant difficulties” — programs with data that suggested difficulty.

In the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), 36.5% of programs were identified as significant difficulties, while 58.7% were continuous improvement.

The College of Creative Arts (CCA) identified one third of its majors as significant difficulties, just more than the 31% at the regional campuses’ College of Liberal Arts and Applied Sciences (CLAAS).

In the Farmer School of Business (FSB), 100% of programs were identified as continuous improvement. The College of Engineering and Comput-

olds of 50 enrolled students and 15 graduates per program per year,” the CAS response to the biology department’s action plan reads. “ … To avoid sunsetting both or folding Botany into a track within the BA and/or BS Biology programs, the department’s plan must … sunset either the BA or BS in Botany and create a teach-out plan for it.”

Despite the original response to the action plan, both programs were given a final rating of “program restructuring with significant difficulties.” The question of whether to combine or sunset both programs will be readdressed in three years.

“Our goal is to have viable majors

that meet the needs of our students, not to specifically shut down majors,” Makaroff wrote in an email to The Miami Student. “But at the same time, I can not justify offering a large number of very low enrollment classes that are required for majors … to graduate.”

Other departments opted to shift their focus away from majors without being told to.

J. Scott Brown, department chair of sociology and gerontology, said his department decided to sunset the gerontology major and instead focus on a minor program to better serve students across campus.

“Students from other [academic] colleges, for example, often … it’s useful for them to have some study in gerontology and aging as an area to be part of their training, leaving Miami,”

build my resume and have more relevant coursework that I’ll need if I get the job that I want.”

Though programs like energy and gerontology have been put at risk by APEIP, Bretz said the process was meant to be an inventory, not an axe to cut programs.

“The Strategic Plan didn’t say, ‘Let’s do APEIP every year,’” Bretz said. “It didn’t say, ‘Let’s get rid of academic programs.’ It was, ‘Let’s take a pause, and let’s do a comprehensive review of all of our academic programs, and see where we are with regard to student success, meeting employer needs [and] the efficiency of delivering the programs.”

Continuous improvement Majors defined as continuous improvement also had to generate action plans to move forward.

Andrew Reffett, chair of accountancy in FSB, said his program graduates between 160 and 170 students each year, though undergraduates tend to add accountancy majors later in their college careers, so first-year classes are smaller. Because of this, he said the department planned to focus on recruitment strategies moving forward.

“Our strategy is focused on — at least for the undergraduate program — student recruitment and retention,” Reffett said. “So our efforts to both recruit more students in general, and also recruit more students from historically underrepresented groups.”

Reffett said his department identified two courses with high DFW rates: ACC221 Intro to Financial Accounting and ACC222 Intro to Managerial Accounting. Both are core courses for all FSB students, and Reffett said his department will work to lower the DFW rate.

“The strategies were initially generated at the departmental level and then presented to the dean, and feedback was received,” Reffett said. “I don’t know that there were significant adjustments after the dean’s office review, but it was somewhat collaborative.”

Even though a majority of CAS majors were identified as continuous improvement, Makaroff said the college overall has been stagnant. As a result, none of the 113 programs that received final ratings in CAS were identified for potential new resources, while 12 were opted to be sunset by departments.

“Because of COVID, we were all

“Our goal is to have viable majors that meet the needs of our students, not to specifically shut down majors,” - Chris Makaroff

Brown said. “But if they were in a college other than CAS, that would be difficult to double major in. So focusing on the minors allows us to reach more students, more broadly across campus.”

The undergraduate gerontology major was introduced 20 years ago.

Since then, Brown said, it hasn’t had more than about 40 students at once and rarely welcomed more than one or two first-year majors each year.

“It’s definitely a faculty decision,” Brown said. “… That lack of prospects for growth, it wasn’t reaching as many people as we wanted, so we want to focus it more broadly.”

For junior gerontology major Ana Vasconcellos, the email this summer saying the department would stop accepting new undergraduate majors came as a shock.

“It was a little disheartening,” Vasconcellos said. “There’s a huge increase in the aging population currently, and even though people choose not to really look at that part of our population, it’s increasing rapidly … In my personal opinion, I would consider it to be a mistake.”

Even though APEIP impacted her own major, Vasconcellos had no idea it existed.

“I knew that [the university was] reviewing gerontology,” Vasconcellos said, “but I didn’t know that they were doing [an academic program review] as a whole.”

Tom Peters, sophomore mechanical engineering major and energy co-major, said he hadn’t heard of APEIP, either.

“I don’t think most students knew that that even happened,” Peters said.

“I haven’t heard a single person talking about it.”

Despite this, his own co-major could stop accepting students in as little as three years.

“Why cut [energy] when there’s 25 kids really getting something out of it?” Peters said. “I get it, they might have to hire extra staff and stuff. But at the same time, at least for me, this is like the perfect thing I want to help

in a hiring freeze, and then we’re just sort of coming out of it right now,” Makaroff said. “So there are programs that have large numbers of majors, their majors have grown, that will probably eventually get net new resources … but that hasn’t happened yet.”

FSB identified 14 of its 23 programs for potential new resources.

None are set to be restructured or sunset, though two had already been shut down by the time APEIP began: the BS in interdisciplinary business management and graduate certificate in analytics for professionals.

At the regional campuses, six of the 21 programs evaluated will be sunset, five of which come from the Department of Justice and Community Studies. Seven may get additional resources in the future.

CEC didn’t opt to sunset any of its 13 programs, though the BS in general engineering is already on a teach-out plan. The BS in computer science may see new resources as a result of APEIP. CCA will sunset four of its 24 programs, including the Master of Music in Music Education and Master of Art in Performance, Theater & Practice.

Seven programs were identified for potential new resources.

Of EHS’s 59 evaluated programs, four are already on teach-out plans, and an additional three will be sunset, along with 14 that will be restructured.

The college identified 16 programs for potential new resources.

While it can be hard to say goodbye to certain academic programs, Wagner said it’s the reality of working at a university.

“It’s true that there are probably some programs where there isn’t enough demand for a program, and it should go away,” Wagner said. “That can be painful for the faculty who invested time and energy in that program, but it should go away. So we should have a clear and careful and fair process for doing that.” scottsr2@miamioh.edu

5

PHABYMR@MIAMIOH.EDU

“We often feel defeated”:

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Call center employees worry about clogged phone lines

JAKE RUFFER ASST. PHOTO EDITOR Before March 2020, Miami University’s Crisis Call Center was a giant box of phones stored in two suitcases.

Before February 2020, Scott Walter, assistant vice president of Student Life, said he never had to use it.

“It looks like something from Star Wars,” he said of the massive metal emergency initiative.

Walter is one of an expansive group of Miami staff that have been responsible for managing the call center as it became a staple of Miami’s pandemic operations.

Student Life shares the responsibility with Enrollment Management, and Walter estimated the number of staff to fall in the 60s or 70s. Miami IT also developed an email method of service when campus cleared out in March 2020.

The call center is separate from the one run by Student Health Services (SHS), yet both are overrun with callers.

SHS takes more than 6,000 calls per week. The final paragraph of the COVID Response Team’s Oct. 21 email reads, “Call Health Services at 513529-3000. Please be patient as Health Services is experiencing a high call volume.”

Both parties often field calls from students and parents alike about issues outside their focus.

“It used to be called the Crisis Call Center,” Walter said, “and now it really is more of a call center/self-help/get-

ting people directions. Or trying.”

Beth Tonyan, a nurse practitioner with SHS, wrote in an email to The Miami Student that people mostly called to ask about vaccine requirements, MedProctor concerns and surveillance testing. Tonyan said SHS employees worried that those calls were drowning out students looking to make appointments or seek personal medical help.

“Our concerns that sick students and employees were on a lengthy hold and could not make an appointment in time grew higher,” Tonyan wrote.

Walter said that beyond getting calls about extraneous topics, some people call to complain about mask mandates, vaccine requirements or other COVID-19 rules.

“In the beginning, half the calls we were taking were, ‘We support you.’”

Walter said. “The other half were, ‘You’re a horrible human being.’”

He said he understood those kinds of calls, in that they came from places of uncertainty and isolation.

Those kinds of calls have decreased this year, but callers can still get frustrated when they can’t find an immediate answer to their question. Walter hopes people know that it’s not for lack of trying.

“That’s where I go back to at the end of the day,” Walter said. “What I want them to know is that everybody, no matter what the question is, wants to try to help them get the answer.”

Tonyan shared a similar stance, wishing SHS had greater call-taking capabilities.

“As much as we want to answer ev-

DESIGNER SHELLY BOEHN

eryone’s question, there are often times that Health Services is not able to,” she wrote. “When we are unable to, we often feel defeated. In the end, we are looking out for the best interest in our students and employees of Miami.”

Carole Johnson, associate director

Compensation and competition:

How and why professor salaries differ

of news and communication, wrote in an email that the employees callers come into contact with have their best interests at heart.

“Our call centers are there to provide that ‘real-person contact’ we all crave when we need help,” Johnson

SEAN SCOTT ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR Associate, assistant and full professors in Miami University’s Department of Theatre pulled an average salary of just more than $75,000 in 2019.

For accountancy professors, the average was just shy of $225,000.

Data compiled by The Buckeye Institute, which publishes salary data for public universities in Ohio, reveals a stark disparity in faculty compensation across Miami’s academic divisions. Of the 62 professors – excluding deans and associate deans – who made more than $200,000 in 2019, more than 50 taught in the Farmer School of Business (FSB).

But David Creamer, senior vice president for finance and business services, said the gap in salaries isn’t unique to Miami. The university has to compete with private sector jobs to attract talent, and the market varies across different fields of expertise.

“In disciplines like engineering, computer science, business, they tend to be the individuals as much in demand in the private sector as they may be within higher education,” Creamer said. “Some other disciplines are primarily being employed in higher education, and it’s a matter of what the market is suggesting about their compensation.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that computer scientists across all sectors make an average of $96,770 per year, with the highest earners making more than $135,000 in transportation and manufacturing. By comparison, Miami’s computer science and software engineering faculty average is just less than $116,000.

In addition to private sector opportunities, faculty salaries take into account the additional responsibilities professors take on.

Most faculty are hired on basic 9-month contracts, and when they

teach over the summer or during J-Term, their salary increases. Other factors include administrative positions like department chairs and leading experiential learning opportunities like study abroad programs or research.

Some faculty positions come with built-in endowments from private donors. FSB has endowment contribution tiers that determine which positions carry the donors’ names. A $2 million contribution gets a chair position, while a donation of $300,000 goes toward the salary and related research of a specific professorship like the “PricewaterhouseCoopers Professor of Accountancy” position.

“There’s something that makes [endowed positions] unique,” Creamer said. “You’re trying to recruit … somebody to that position that has national ranking. As a result, to compete for that type of position, the pay tends to be much higher and may be more aligned with what some of the executive compensation looks like.”

Melissa Thomasson, associate dean of faculty affairs and personnel in FSB, wrote in an email to The Miami Student that the college has 32 faculty with named professorships which help the school remain a competitive hirer.

She wrote that it’s especially important for FSB to offer competitive salaries for professors in fields like accounting where there are few PhD programs nationally.

“Compounding the problem for some departments, like accountancy, is that there are not a lot of schools that train PhDs,” Thomasson wrote. “As a result, many universities compete for a scarce resource.

This drives wages up.”

For Cameron Tiefenthaler, a sophomore double majoring in political science and human capital management and leadership, the difference in compensation isn’t surprising. Like all business majors, she pays a $100 per credit hour surcharge for each FSB class.

“People will jokingly say like,

‘Oh, what’s it for?’” Tiefenthaler said. “ … I have heard some people say that, ‘Oh, we have to make sure that the professors are paid a competitive wage, especially in the business school.’”

Tiefenthaler’s management professors in FSB have an average salary of more than $185,000, more than double that of political science professors in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), who average just more than $88,000.

Provost Jason Osborne said the university has little control over what fair salaries across departments look like.

“We’re not creating or dictating the market,” Osborne said. “We’re responding to the market because we’re trying to compete with other institutions for the best faculty we can get.”

Osborne said the university relies on state and national data compiled by the College and University Professional Association to keep faculty pay competitive.

Across national institutions, for example, full professors of business average $118,000. Nationally, assistant to full English professors make between $60,000 and $86,000, while Miami faculty in English average more than $87,000.

“If we’re out of alignment with the market, we’re either going to pay way too much, or we’re not going to get anybody,” Osborne said. “So we pay close attention.”

Tiefenthaler said unless market pressures change, there’s little chance of a decreasing wage gap across departments at Miami.

“As a society, we don’t place enough value on arts … No one’s going to justify realistically paying a painting instructor $200,000,” Tiefenthaler said. “That’s just the way it is. So, in order to fix that … society would first have to put a greater emphasis on the importance of those areas.”

@jakeruffer rufferjm@miamioh.edu

Faculty and Alumni Exhibition on display at Miami University’s Art Museum ALICE MOMANY STAFF WRITER

DESIGN EDITOR OWEN BERG

wrote. “They tirelessly go above and beyond to work with a caller because, in the end, we are all striving for the health and safety of everyone.”

For the past four years, faculty and alumni associated with the Department of Art at Miami University have been creating pieces to display in the Faculty and Alumni Exhibition at Miami ’s Art Museum.

The exhibition, which showcases 55 artists and 64 works of art, debuted on Aug. 24 and will continue to show until Dec. 11. The exhibition routinely shows every four years and brings together pieces created by current faculty in the Department of Art, emeritus professors and alumni of the Department of Art. Jason Shaiman, curator of exhibitions at Miami, said the exhibition does not have a theme, so artists can submit any piece they’ve created within the past four years.

“Very often, our exhibitions have a specific theme,” Shaiman said. “This exhibition allows the people to come in and just view art more for art’s sake and not have to consider how the works respond to a concept or a theme.”

Because there is no theme, artists are encouraged to create pieces outside of their typical mediums. The exhibition displays different types of art, from paintings to sculptures to fashion.

“There’s such a wide variety of abstract, as well as representational, pieces and a wide spectrum of media,” Shaiman said. “Everything from woodwork to ceramics, photography, printmaking, painting. Everyone has different interests in art and different styles, and I think this exhibition really represents that.”

The Faculty and Alumni Exhibition is one of Shaiman’s favorite to curate because it’s a chance for current students at Miami to view past students’ work as well as their teachers’ pieces.

“It’s a unique opportunity for people to see the work of the faculty and the alumni because in most instances, the alumni, once they graduate, go on to do other things and don’t really have the opportunity to present their work here, and most faculty don’t show at their home institution,” Shaiman said.

Olivia De Leon, a junior studio art major at Miami, said she’s seen the exhibition twice since its opening. De Leon enjoyed the exhibition because she has personal connections with many of the teachers who have work displayed.

“I’ve had all these professors, so it was really interesting to see their works,” De Leon said. “It was really nice

to see that they’re practicing artists and not just teaching it.”

De Leon thinks it’s important for art students to visit the exhibition because it’s a chance to see the techniques her professors explain in class.

“A lot of the stuff that they teach in class, I saw it as an example through their work,” De Leon said. “My painting professor, Dana Saulnier, always talked about color a lot and the mixing of color, and when I saw his piece, I was like, ‘Oh that makes total sense.’”

Dana Saulnier, a professor of studio art in painting, has two pieces of different mediums in the show.

His painting, “Late November,” was created in 2019 and depicts a landscape with themes of tragedy. His sculpture, “Untitled,” was created at the beginning of the pandemic. In dialogue with the painting, the sculpture is based on landscape and also notes themes of tragedy.

This is Saulnier’s fourth time showing at the Faculty and Alumni Exhibition, and he plans to show again at the next one. Saulnier thinks the exhibition is a great way to display the art created at Miami.

“I think a lot of times, art is invisible at Miami, and I want viewers to see the vitality that is in the work of the alumni and the work that’s of the faculty,” Saulnier said. “I think it’s important that viewers can see the range of choices, the range of making and the high quality of the work that’s happening here.”

Jack Green, director of the art museum, said work from the art department, dance department and the emerging technology in business and design (ETBD) major have come through the exhibition, but Green encourages all students to visit the museum to see the accomplishments of the students, faculty and staff.

“I hope they get a sense of the creative output of Miami University,” Green said. “I hope that they’ll find some joy and opportunity for reflection in the works.”

Green hopes the exhibition will inspire current students to submit their work in the future and encourage faculty to present their work.

“We hope that through this exhibition, it will encourage support and future contribution,” Green said. “We hope to engage with many more artists and hopefully others will come back or join us for this opportunity in the future.” @alicemomany momanyaj@miamioh.edu

scottsr2@miamioh.edu INSTRUCTORS DISPLAY ARTWORK AT THE ART MUSEUM ASST. DESIGN EDITOR MACEY CHAMBERLIN

6 CAMPUS & COMMUNITY

PHABYMR@MIAMIOH.EDU

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Miami screens Iowa newspaper documentary ahead of premiere

THE DEPARTMENTS OF MJF AND HISTORY HOSTED A SCREENING OF “STORM LAKE” LAST WEEK. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR COSETTE GUNTER

SEAN SCOTT ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR Miami University’s Department of Media, Journalism and Film (MJF) joined with the Department of History for a special screening of “Storm Lake” on Tuesday, Oct. 19.

The documentary, set to debut publicly next month, was co-directed by Beth Levison and Jerry Risius. It follows Art Cullen, a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and editor of the local newspaper in Storm Lake, an Iowa town with just more than 10,000 residents, as he localizes issues from immigration to COVID-19.

The Storm Lake Times is staffed by a small team of 10, including Cullen’s wife Dolores, son Tom, brother John and dog Peach.

Cullen said his role is to share how both national stories and local events impact his community. The Storm Lake Times reports on issues ranging from heavy rain due to climate change slowing corn growth to deaths in the community.

“It’s important to know who had a baby and who died in a community of 10 or 15 thousand,” he said.

MJF senior lecturer Patti Newberry co-hosted the event with Andrew Offenburger, an associate professor of history.

“I’m a proud product of the state of Nebraska and always excited, of course, when the true heartland of the country is celebrated,” Newberry said.

Offenburger, who earned his undergraduate degree at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, offered a course last spring centered on the town: HST450E Researching Midwestern History. He’ll offer the course again next semester and build on the research of the last

“I never expected a place like Storm Lake to be the subject of a documentary.”

- Erin Renk class.

“It is a fascinating little town,” Offenburger said. “It’s not like what you would think of when you think of small town Iowa. It is, in fact, a majority Spanish-speaking population now.”

After the screening, Levison and Cullen joined students for a virtual Q&A session.

Cullen stressed the importance of local media to students, a heavy theme within the documentary. He said students can counter news deserts — large areas with no local coverage — by taking initiative and starting news organizations of their own.

“When you don’t get hired at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, then you go to work in Algona, Iowa, instead,” Cullen said. “It’s just that simple … You gotta start somewhere.”

Levison said she hopes the documentary will inspire journalists in communities like Oxford, which doesn’t have a dedicated newspaper unaffiliated with the university.

“I’m really floored by the responsibility that you guys have that there isn’t a local newspaper in Oxford and that you are shouldering that responsibility … ” Levison said.

“I’m hoping that in places like Oxford we can have conversations like these.”

Erin Renk, a nutrition major from Algona, said it was surreal to see a film based on a town less than two hours from her home.

“I pass through Storm Lake a lot, so I just loved it,” Renk said. “I love hearing more about Iowa … I never expected a place like Storm Lake to be the subject of a documentary.”

Levison succeeded in her goal of education with Renk.

“I was not familiar with [news deserts], and it makes sense, but it’s just not something you really think about,” Renk said, “ … just the importance of community journalism and how big a role they were able to play in the community.” scottsr2@miamioh.edu

Laptop struggles and solutions:

The modern student’s dependence on tech

LEXI WHITEHEAD

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR Canvas. Zoom. Google Drive.

In 2021, a working laptop is a student’s lifeline to all things college. Everything takes place online, from homework assignments to class registration.

Lyndsey Carter, a sophomore marketing major, only realized her laptop’s importance after it stopped working.

“I can only describe [the feeling] as complete panic because everything that we do at school is primarily on our laptops,” Carter said.

Carter’s laptop broke for the first time a few weeks after moving onto campus her first year. She called the MiTech Campus Store, and they said they could fix her laptop but couldn’t give her a loaner while it was being repaired because she didn’t purchase it through Miami’s Laptop Program for students.

The MiTech Campus Store’s Laptop Program is mainly marketed to incoming students and is an opportunity for them to purchase a laptop with a three-year warranty through Miami and gain access to discounts on repairs as well as loaner laptops.

Kelly Adelman, assistant general manager of technology at the MiTech Campus Store, said they can’t give out loaner laptops to all students because they have a limited supply — 30 Dell laptops and 30 Macbooks. Those in the laptop program pay a $35 fee, included in their laptop purchase, for access to loaners.

“The students are buying into the program to get them those discounts on software services and access to the loaner pool,” Adelman said.

About 1,000 new students signed up for the Laptop Program in both the 2021-2022 and the 2020-2021 school year, a little less than 1,700 in the 2019-2020 school year.

Carter knew about the Laptop Program before her first year but opted to buy a used Macbook for $500 from a store in her hometown, Dayton.

For comparison, the laptops available through Miami’s program are all upward of $1,000.

Because she needed a quick fix and couldn’t get a loaner laptop, Carter decided to go home to get her laptop fixed.

“I ended up going home the next day and going to the place I bought it,” Carter said.

“My dad had to drive down here to pick me up, I went home to get my laptop fixed, and then my mom had to drive down here and bring me back and drive back home, which was kind of inconvenient.”

Last month, Carter’s laptop broke for the second time. It would have cost $500 to get it repaired through Miami, which she could not afford.

“Once again, I had to leave Oxford, go back to Dayton to the place where I bought my laptop, and they actually ended up fixing and solving the issue for only $50,” Carter said.

MiTech can help any students, no matter their laptop model, for free walk-up support, which is any support that doesn’t require checking in their laptop, such as help with installing software. For repairs, however, employees are only certified in repairing Apple and Dell laptops.

“They receive training – the Apple and Dell training to do those hardware repairs – and are authorized to do those repairs for an Apple or Dell warranty,” Adelman said. “So

DESIGNER ALESSANDRA MANUKIAN

for example, if you have a Lenovo laptop, we aren’t certified, we don’t have the training and we can’t do warranty work under Lenovo’s name.”

Carter was only able to get back to Dayton because a friend who was driving to Columbus offered to drop her off on the way. For students who don’t want or can’t get their computers fixed at Miami, transportation is an issue, particularly for underclassmen who don’t have cars.

The nearest Apple Store is in Cincinnati, and the nearest Best Buy is in Hamilton. As for laptop repair in Oxford, The Computer People and PC Repair and Upgrade are local businesses but are also out of the way of campus and are run out of houses.

“I feel really lucky that I only live an hour away, and that I had the ability to go home and get it fixed on my own, but I also just had really good luck,” Carter said. “If that were to happen to me and I lived five hours away … I couldn’t imagine spending $500 at Miami to get it fixed.”

One resource Carter was initially unaware of was King Library’s laptops for check out.

Nick Kneer, strategic communications coordinator for King, said the library has 10 Macbooks and 10 Dell laptops available for three hours of in-library use, as well as 60 Chromebooks, which students can check out for five days at a time.

“The libraries have a lot of different items available for checkout, so it’s not just books and journals,” Kneer said. “We also have a lot of equipment and technology, and laptops are a big part of that.”

Carter found out about King’s laptop check-out from a friend who slid up on her Snapchat story about her laptop. She went to King and checked out a Chromebook until her laptop got fixed, but was disappointed with the computer.

“The laptops themselves aren’t horrible, but they’re also not up to par with the amount of time you’re spending on them to do your work at Miami,” Carter said.

Leah Logan, a first year marketing major, used one of King’s chromebooks for the first two months of this semester after her laptop screen shattered the day before classes start-

ed. She did not share Carter’s disappointment.

“I actually never really had an issue,” Logan said. “I think that it was a good solution, just because you clearly need to do homework on your laptop, and I’m in a coding class so I had to bring a computer to class … I don’t even know what I would’ve done without that option.”

Kneer said there are a lot of reasons students may want to check out a laptop from the library.

“Whether it’s as simple as you forgot yours at home and you’re on campus … or you can’t afford one or yours is broken – there’s all sorts of reasons why you might need one, so the libraries are looking to fill that gap for students,” Kneer said.

Logan took her laptop to MiTech to get it repaired, and they had to send it away to fix it, which ended up taking about two months.

Because Logan also did not go through the Laptop Program, the repair cost her $400.

“It’s kind of stressful sending your computer away and having to pay to get it fixed ... [It broke] the day before I started college classes, which is already stressful. Most of my books for classes were online,” Logan said.

Although it was an overwhelming experience to start college without her own personal computer, Logan was glad to utilize King’s resources. The Chromebooks are only available for five days at a time, so she had to go back and keep renewing her check-out, but she didn’t mind.

“In the moment, it was definitely more stressful, but Miami offered a solution; not having to pay for a loaner computer was something that took a lot of the stress off,” Logan said.

Carter said her experience with a broken laptop showed her that having access to a laptop at all is cause to be thankful.

“I feel so grateful that I have the opportunity to be able to afford a nicer laptop,” Carter said. “I feel like everyone here takes that for granted, because one moment I had a great laptop, the next moment I had nothing.” @nwlexi whitehan@miamioh.edu

Miami University Communications places faculty as national experts CHLOE KLING

THE MIAMI STUDENT

SEAN SCOTT

ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR Miami University faculty and even President Greg Crawford have made themselves available as writers and sources for national media and city newspapers across the country in a formal effort to position faculty as nationally recognized experts in their fields.

The placement strategy has landed professors’ and administrators’ quotes and writing in national outlets including CBS News Radio, Inside Higher Ed and Forbes, as well as local media from the Cincinnati Enquirer to the Dayton Daily News, said Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Jamie Hunt.

“We have a great thing here at Miami,” Hunt said. “We’re an excellent institution, and we want to have broader recognition of that across the country. Part of the strategy for doing that is getting our faculty placed as experts in national media outlets or large metro media outlets.”

Since the start of the semester, Crawford has written about how to educate entrepreneurs for Forbes and been quoted by the Cincinnati Enquirer. He also collaborated with Doug Lankford, chief of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, to write about retiring Native American mascots for Inside Higher Ed. “I write as part of a concerted effort to raise the profile of Miami University and higher education on a national level,” Crawford wrote in an email to The Miami Student.

Crawford said he takes careful consideration in what he chooses to write.

“While sometimes there are pieces that just flow from idea to manuscript, often most pieces I write take time and patience,” Crawford wrote. “I bounce ideas off of people about topics — what do they find interesting? What do they think is important? What is something not talked about that should be talked about?”

Rodney Coates, a critical race and ethnic

studies professor, has also been credited for editorials, research and poems. He started writing in college, and has since been cited in the Cincinnati Enquirer, CNBC, the Hamilton Post and SAGE Press.

The university typically reaches out to Coates with questions regarding his profession, which led him to write about the border patrol agents and the humanitarian crisis in Texas.

“I edit my own work,” Coates said. “I send [my work] out blatantly and sometimes target a particular publication because I feel that it’s more in line with their audience and their editorial policy.”

Coates said his ideas come from trends he sees in both the academic world and current events.

“I do research in both current news and current events but also in scholarly sources,” Coates said. “Over time, I wind up seeing some trends or things that bother me and I’ll write an editorial about it.”

Coates said his experience as both a professor and a writer benefits Miami and its goal of publishing professors.

“Sometimes Miami will be contacted by our news bureau and a news source,” Coates said.

“They will say, ‘Hey, we’ve got an issue dealing with blank. Do you have any experts on this?’ and those faculty who identify themselves by their content area will be contacted.”

A majority of placements involve staff being interviewed as expert sources rather than writing about topics themselves. In recent weeks, reporters have quoted Miami faculty on topics from how video games impact mental health to nursing home staff shortages.

Hunt said the university relies on the online service ProfNet to connect professors to reporters. When a reporter needs an expert in a specific field, they post a pitch and a deadline. Then, Hunt and her team follow up with Miami faculty.

“We look at our faculty list of people and propose one of our faculty experts by spelling out what that person’s expertise is, maybe linking to other interviews that they’ve done,”

Hunt said. “And then, hopefully, the reporter will contact us back.”

Not every faculty member knows how to speak to the press, though. That’s where Jessica Rivinius, director of university news and communications, comes in.

Rivinius hosts workshops with faculty members interested in sharing their research with the public. She said she focuses her past experiences as a journalist to explain what reporters look for in interviews.

“I … give them a look at what it’s like to be a journalist,” Rivinius said. “What are [journalists] facing? Multiple deadlines and trying to get things in media formats. So I try to get them thinking about that.”

When faculty go into interviews, Rivinius said she recommends they write down three points they want to get across. She has them practice during the workshop and encourages researchers to avoid technical jargon when speaking to reporters.

“We talk about some words previous researchers have used in media interviews,” Rivinius said. “You can find another word for bifurcate or milieu. Just talk like a regular person.”

Reporters don’t always reach out to experts first. Rivinius said the university has pitched more than 20 faculty members as experts on emerging topics since March, ranging from supply chain shortages to the Afghanistan withdrawal.

Rivinius said the expert pitches have led to more than 430 placements. When a large media organization like the Associated Press runs a story, smaller outlets across the country pick it up and run it, leading to higher exposure.

“Everyone is trying to get their voices out and be showcased as thought leaders,” Rivinius said. “It’s good public relations … I want to help elevate [faculty] voices and their research. I want to help tell their story, whatever it may be, whatever they talk about or research and find interesting.” klingcc@miamioh.edu scottsr2@miamioh.edu

WHITEHAN@MIAMIOH.EDU

7

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Climate Cafes offer up-close engagement with climate task force members

COSETTE GUNTER

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR In Room 002 in Upham Hall, you wouldn’t normally expect to find some of Miami University’s biggest sustainability projects and project leaders.

However, throughout this semester, this room is home to intimate conversations about Miami’s carbon neutrality progress thanks to Miami’s sustainability department’s Climate Cafe series.

With three sessions down and two more to go, members of the Climate Action Task Force (CATF) and other presenters have opened up to the Miami community to chat about topics like student engagement, transportation, diversity efforts and more.

The idea for the series came from Denali Selent, the student representative on Miami’s CATF. Selent said that while doing research on ways to get the Miami and Oxford community involved, she found her inspiration.

“I think it was an organization of high schoolers who I saw were hosting these cafes, and I was like, ‘That seems like a really cool idea,’” Selent said.

Selent said she wanted to make sure the community was included and in the know when it came to what progress was being made on the Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitment

(PCLC).

“A lot of times, initiatives like this might not get a lot of involvement from the community,” Selent said, “so [this is] just a way to really give people a place to share their ideas, their thoughts, their concerns and that way we can make the most robust plan possible by getting as much input and reflection as we can.”

Adam Sizemore, co-chair of the CATF and director of sustainability, said everyone in the community has a part to play in the efforts toward carbon neutrality.

“In the midst of all of [our] work, we wanted to increase our communication outlets,” Sizemore said, “ … not just as a form of letting the campus know what’s going on and what we’ll be doing, but to also add the collaborative component to it to where it’s not just the task force that’s coming up with ideas, that we’re really bringing in the ideas of the campus community.”

David Prytherch, professor of geography, presented at the first Climate Cafe on Sept. 15 about transportation and carbon offsets.

Prytherch said they’re in a great stage in their process to open up conversation with the community.

“We’ve formed these committees, we’ve got some really great people who are very knowledgeable and we’ve started to frame out some objectives that we think we need to accomplish, but

it’s the perfect time to open it up to the public to say, ‘Are these the right objectives?’ or, ‘Are we on base?’”

Prytherch said it’s amazing that a university of Miami’s size is able to provide close engagement opportunities for students and the community.

“You can sit down your first semester and be involved in a conversation with the campus architect,” Prytherch said. “The next one that’s with Cody Powell, you can sit down in a conversation with somebody who supervises hundreds of employees and millions of dollars in university operations.”

Sizemore said he hopes the talks will strengthen engagement across campus and encourage faculty, students and staff to become part of the overall process.

“The level of engagement at Miami is just phenomenal [from the] students [in] what they want to accomplish and how they’re willing to be a part of that journey with us,” Sizemore said.

Selent said now that students are back on campus, she’s hoping to see an increase in student engagement, especially with an interest in the Climate Cafe events.

“I’m hoping after all the cafes have occurred we can make them more of a regular thing and keep having them throughout the upcoming years,” Selent said, “just as a place for people to come and share their input, share their ideas, any concerns

or criticisms they have of the work the task force is doing … and feel comfortable sharing and hearing updates.”

Sizemore also said they plan to create an online forum for people that can’t come but still want to share their concerns and opinions, and when that is released it can be found on their Instagram page. guntercr@miamioh.edu @cosettegunter

GRAPHIC PROVIDED BY MIAMI UNIVERSITY

The Miami Apiculture Society:

Bigger and bee-tter than ever

Huston said. “Before COVID-19 we would do bee prom, which was a big get together that we did at the end of the spring semester.

We also did “Fambee” Feud this semester, where we sent out a survey with lots of questions, and people formed teams to compete with others and answer them.”

The other main type of meeting that MAS members attend are hive inspections, where members have the chance to don beekeeping suits and check up on the four hives behind Boyd Hall.

Senior geography and sustainability major Armando Cabrera, “Armando Cabeera” in the “GroupBee,” serves as the beemaster general for the club.

He ensures that hive inspections go smoothly and helps educate members on beekeeping in general.

He explained that hive inMIAMI APICULTURE SOCIETY CREATES A BUZZ WITH ITS FOUR BEEHIVES. PHOTOGRAPHER KENNETH DECROSTA spections were more than just looking at the bees for a while. ence was Rocco Huston, or “Roccomb Hiveston” SHR-HUA MOORE “We try to do inspections every Saturday, but as he is known in the organization’s GroupMe ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR chat, aptly titled “GroupBee.” A senior microbiol- we sometimes do it on a different day of the week, For most students, Saturdays are for sleeping ogy major, Huston serves as the club’s president. weather depending — the weather has to be above in after a too busy week or recovery from a fun- He joined as a first-year in 2018 after researching 60 [degrees Fahrenheit] and not rainy,” Cabreit for a University 101 class assignment and has ra said. “What we do varies, but it basically boils filled Friday night. down to opening up hives, seeing how bees are, But for students in the Miami Apiculture Soci- watched club attendance triple over the years.

“In the very first meetings a max of 10 people and sometimes we’ll do sugar shakes, checking for ety, Saturday mornings mean trekking out to the meadow behind Boyd Hall to check on the four would come, and different people would come to mites or demonstrations.”

One of the biggest threats posed to bees today hives that the club monitors, housing a combined different things,” Huston said. “We had a pretty big dip in attendance [due to COVID-19] but now is the varroa mite, an invasive species that has total of 120,000 bees.

The Miami Apiculture Society (MAS) is the we’ve had a lot of interest from everyone — it’s established itself in almost every beehive and, in vampire-like style, preys on the hemolymph first student-run beekeeping organization on Mi- amazing.”

Members of MAS do more than just beekeep- (blood) of honeybees. ami University’s campus. The club welcomes stuCabrera said MAS checks for mites in hives dents from all backgrounds, regardless of whether ing — they also participate in activities like painting bee-themed rocks and planning events cen- through the sugar shake, an innovative method they have beekeeping experience. that helps determine how many mites are in a One student who joined with no prior experi- tered around bees.

“We kind of do a grab bag of different things,” hive.

“We take a sample size of 300 bees and cover them in sugar so the bees shake themselves off,” Cabrera said. “We then filter, pour water [into the jar apparatus], and the sugar dissolves but the mites don’t. Using alcohol to check for mites is more accurate, but it kills the bees and this method spares them all — I don’t think I could lead inspections where we kill 300 bees per hive in front of everyone.”

MAS doesn’t spend all of its time monitoring the bees for pests, though. Members also harvest honey from the hives with a honey extractor, a device that spins the desired beehive frames around so the honey can collect at the bottom.

“I love the honey,” Cabrera said. “I remember the [extracted honey] two years ago had a really interesting botanical quality — it tasted like fresh meadow flowers and whatever smell came out of the meadow.”

Cabrera shared a fun fact about how bees get attracted to certain flowers.

“The way flowers encourage bees to come back is that they lay trace amounts of nicotine in their nectar and it gives the bees a rush, which drugs them to come back to the flower,” Cabrera said.

MAS gets things like honey extractors from Alex Zomchek, a researcher and apiculturist at Miami who serves as a mentor and advisor to the students in the club. He said that beekeeping is important because bees and other pollinators are crucial to the health of humans.

“The short equation is that bees equal health,” Zomchek said. “The longer equation is that in order to have a healthy healthcare system you need healthy people. To have healthy people you have to have good nutrition, to have good nutrition you gotta have abundant and affordable fruits and vegetables. To have that, you need pollinators, and to keep pollinators you need beekeepers.”

The Miami Apiculture Society currently meets at 6 p.m. in 201 Upham Hall on Mondays. Find them on the Hub or email beemail@miamioh.edu for more information. @hua_shr moorese6@miamioh.edu

Study abroad enrollment rising

A MIAMI STUDENT CAPTURED PHOTOS OF BRUSSELS FROM A ROOFTOP BAR AND VIANDEN CASTLE IN LUXWMBOURG WHILE STUDYING ABROAD THIS SEMESTER. PHOTOS BY ANNA SIMILE

MAGGIE PEÑA ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR After a rocky two years of falling enrollment and restricted travel, Miami University education in Luxembourg and across the globe is back in full swing.

Two years ago, in March 2020, students at Miami’s Luxembourg campus were sent packing back to the states following former President Trump’s announcement of travel bans to Europe.

This time last year, 30 students studied abroad in Luxembourg. But this semester, the program is hosting 101 students in Europe, said Ryan Dye, the director of Education Abroad.

Anna Webster, a junior kinesiology major and a student in Luxembourg this semester, always had plans to study abroad.

“My mom studied abroad in high school,” Webster said. “She went to Ecuador for a year, and she always talked about how incredible it was and how much fun she had, and so I knew that when I went to college I wanted to study abroad.”

Despite prolonged effects of COVID-19, Webster said the pandemic hasn’t strongly affected her experience in Europe.

While some students were disappointed in not being placed with a host family due to COVID-19 concerns, Webster applied to live in Miami-sanctioned apartments from the beginning.

As for traveling, Webster said European countries take their precautions more seriously than the U.S. Different locales enforce their regulations more heavily than others, but almost everywhere requires some form of masking and proof of vaccination and/or a recent negative COVID-19 test.

Webster has visited Paris, Italy and Germany, but her favorite destination has been Amsterdam, despite the overcast skies and looming showers during her visit.

The people in Europe, she said, aren’t as friendly as Americans. But in Amsterdam, she felt nostalgia for her home country.

“I really liked Amsterdam,” Webster said.

“In Amsterdam, the people were a lot friendlier, and so it felt a little bit more like home.”

Anna Simile, a senior anthropology major

also studying in Luxembourg, was one of the few students who got placed with a host family.

She said it’s been everything she could ask for and more. “[My host mom] has made me several Luxembourgish dishes,” Simile wrote in an email to The Miami Student. “In return I made her some buckeye desserts and American chili. She’s so sweet, and her daughters are so much fun. I truly couldn’t have asked for a better family here.”

Simile said her Luxembourg classes highly encourage students to travel and record their experiences.

“I’m in an art history class, and for our final project we have to pick a painting or a piece of architecture that we have seen in person during our travels and discuss it,” Simile wrote. “I’m also in a music history class, where we get credit for going to concerts at the Philharmonie in Luxembourg City. I wouldn’t say the classes are easier or harder, they just have different expectations and assignments.”

Though the classes aren’t harder, Simile said the travel aspect can add a unique sense of anxiety missing from life in Oxford.

“Sometimes it can be stressful to balance

classes and traveling, especially because there are classes on Fridays,” Simile wrote. “Sometimes the weekend feels a little bit like being put in a pressure cooker to get to your flight or train or bus on time and making sure you’re back for classes, but that’s why we came on the trip, right?”

Luxembourg students left this week for a weeklong study tour, one of the only travel events sponsored by Miami alumni and with an itinerary made by professors. Simile traveled with her class to Slovenia, while Webster is spending the week in Poland discussing the rise and fall of Hitler.

While Dye is satisfied with the study abroad program this semester and hopes that students enjoy their time exploring the world, he believes the numbers will only go up from here.

“There’s a lot of pent up demand that we are working very hard to satisfy,” Dye said. “And we’re very optimistic that the study abroad enrollment for the next foreseeable future is going to be quite strong.” penaml@miamioh.edu

8 CAMPUS & COMMUNITY

KWIATKDM@MIAMIOH.EDU

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Open Door Clothes Closet: A space for gender affirmation through clothes LEXI WHITEHEAD CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR The Center for Student Diversity (CSDI) celebrated the opening of its Open Door Clothes Closet on Wednesday, Oct. 13. The clothes closet will serve as a place for transgender and gender diverse students to get clothing that affirms their gender.

The opening included statements from transgender students and Jamie Kuhlmeier, a graduate assistant in the CSDI who helped with the project, as well as a ribbon cutting ceremony. A reception and open house followed.

The clothes closet project began in 2019, when Hannah Thompson, former associate director for LGBTQ+ Initiatives, had the idea.

She applied for and received grant money from the M.I.A.M.I. Women’s Giving Circle in early 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic put the project on hold.

Kuhlmeier got involved with the project in January 2021, when Rhonda Jackson, former administrative assistant for the Women’s Center, recruited her.

“We kind of picked up the reins where it had been left because the pandemic ceased movement to work on it,” Kuhlmeier said. “So we picked it up, and we said, ‘Okay, let’s make this happen with the grant money.’”

Madi McGirr, CSDI student intern and marketing chair for Spectrum, also got involved with the project.

“The overarching goal of the closet is to make institutional change to make gender diverse and trans students feel welcomed at Miami and feel valued in our community,” McGirr said.

Kuhlmeier and McGirr met with transgender and gender diverse students to hear feedback on what those students wanted to see in the clothes closet.

Syd Steck, another CSDI student intern who helped with the project, said they worked on recruiting transgender voices.

“We asked a lot of questions, we got a lot of volunteers on different things,” Steck said. “We wanted the closet to be created by and created for trans and gender diverse students, and building that was really important to us.”

One concern they heard from students was that buying clothes to affirm their gender could be a financial burden, and they wanted the clothes closet to relieve some of that burden.

The clothes closet is stocked with plenty of clothes, from pants and t-shirts to dresses and jackets. But it also has things like jewelry, shoes, purses and underwear, which can be important items in affirming gender.

“You don’t have to pick and choose if you want to come into the space and take things that reaffirm your gender,” McGirr said. “Underwear is a part of that, we want you to have that. Jew-

elry is a part of that, we want you to have that.

Shoes. Anything that we are able to offer you, we want to, to the best of our ability.”

Kuhlmeier said community support of the project allowed them to focus funding on different things students felt were important.

“A lot of our clothes are donated and because so many people had so much to give, we really wanted to focus our fund on what people said that they wanted,” Kuhlmeier said.

Brand new underwear, including binders, which serve to flatten the chest area, was one thing students said they wanted to see in the clothes closet.

Eliana Balit, a senior anthropology major, came to check out the clothes closet and said they were glad to see binders were included.

“I’m really excited that they did the underwear thing because that’s a really underlooked part of transitioning, especially with the binders because … a decent binder is pretty expensive,” Balit said.

Balit said they will probably use the clothes closet to get a new binder because theirs is starting to wear out.

“It’s really nice to then not have to worry about, ‘Oh no, my piece of gender affirming clothing is starting to wear out. What do I do?

Can I afford another one?’” Balit said.

Accessibility was another important factor CSDI wanted to keep in mind while creating the clothes closet.

Clothing runs from sizes XS to 4XL. Jewelry is hung low enough for wheelchair users. The installed clothing rack makes the clothes easy to grab. A low lighting setting is available to make the space a calmer environment.

Steck was one of the students who spoke at the opening ceremony, and they used the opportunity for a call to action.

“Coming and celebrating today or being here listening to the trans and gender diverse people speak – [don’t assume] that that means … everything’s better and we don’t need to be thinking about these trans students anymore,” Steck said.

Although the clothes closet only addresses one of many transgender issues on campus, Speck is excited to see how it will benefit gender diverse students.

“This is a really small part of it all but to be able to help with this is one less thing on [trans students’] plates, one more support that they have,” Speck said. “And to me, I know firsthand that that can make all the difference.”

Students can visit the Open Door Clothes Closet, located in the CSDI office, by making an appointment on its website. At their appointment, students can explore the clothes closet, try on clothes and choose some to take home.

Anyone interested in donating new or gently used clothes or accessories can bring them to

THE CSDI’S OPEN DOOR CLOTHES CLOSET PROVIDES FREE CLOTHES AND ACCESSORIES FOR TRANSGENDER AND GENDER DIVERSE STUDENTS. PHOTOS BY LEXI WHITEHEAD

the CSDI front desk. McGirr also said CSDI is always welcoming suggestions for its programs, including the Open Door Clothes Closet.

“We wanted to … encourage trans students to be visible and to be comfortable in their own bodies here on this campus,” McGirr said. “And

that’s what we want moving forward is to just create a space for trans students to feel comfortable here.” @nwlexi whitehan@miamioh.edu

“It’s almost been a miracle to me”:

How one local shepherdess built her flock

BETHANY CANTWELL IS A FIFTH-GENERATION FARMER AND STARTED AURORA BLUE FARM IN 2015. PHOTOS BY HANNAH THERIAULT

SEAN SCOTT ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR It was National Farm Safety and Health Week when the anaesthesiologist put Bethany Cantwell under for her surgery on Sept. 22.

The injury? A trifecta of torn ligaments in her leg – ACL, LCL and meniscus – plus a fractured tibia.

The cause?

A farming accident.

This summer marked the first time Cantwell and her husband, Seth, lived on-site with their animals – a flock of chickens, two pigs and about 60 sheep, though only the lambs born this year are currently living in the Cantwell’s new barn.

Cantwell, a fifth-generation farmer, met her husband while living in the Cincinnati suburbs and attending law school at the University of Dayton. She lived on a third of an acre, enough to tend a garden and keep a few chickens as a hobby.

“I was doing a lot of things that were very peaceful and calm to me, and therapeutic in a way,” Cantwell said. “It was a way to destress from law school.”

As her hobby progressed, Cantwell missed the sheep she grew up with at home. In 2015, the pair decided to lease land near Oxford to start Aurora Blue Farm and build their flock.

The jump from law school to farming was natural for Cantwell.

“There’s a lot of rules and regulations involved with [farming], so having a legal background was very beneficial and less intimidating, I would say, to getting started in a business,” she said.

At first, Cantwell focused on Katahdin sheep,

which don’t have to be sheared. At her height, she maintained a flock with 65 ewes, mature breeding females.

A couple years ago, she switched her flock over to primarily Icelandic and Jacob sheep, both breeds that need to be sheared twice a year.

The shift meant she had to build her flock up to a sustainable number of ewes.

Early this year, the Cantwells started looking for a permanent home. They were living near the Black Covered Bridge in Oxford while their flock lived on a leased farm near Hamilton.

In April, Cantwell saw what would become her home for the first time: a house, a barn and a few more structures surrounded by acres of fields. The backyard had two pear trees.

“Eventually, I would love to have a full farmto-table dinner here at the farm,” Cantwell said.

“We have a garden space now that I can have that’s gonna be … probably a quarter acre just for our own consumption.”

Her family moved into their new home in July and brought with them their chickens, the two kunekune (“coo-knee coo-knee”) pigs and the youngest lambs to start making her visions reality.

“It’s almost been a miracle to me, having always rented farms from other people and always working with what they have established,” Cantwell said. “It is a breath of fresh air to come to this barn … This barn is like the perfect, perfect barn, and now coming to our own place and having farmed for so long, you envision exactly what works and what doesn’t.”

On August 20, the couple closed on the property.

On August 25, Cantwell pulled out a ladder out to one of the pear trees. A few pears in, the ladder collapsed, and Cantwell ended up

sprawled on the ground.

She said she heard a pop come from her leg and knew it was bad.

“It was really more of an emotionally, mentally crushing event than it was physical,” Cantwell said. “I was really, really upset about it, because I kept thinking, ‘Please don’t need surgery, please don’t need surgery.’”

At first, Cantwell thought she was just facing a fractured bone. When she realized the damage was more severe, though, surgery became inevitable.

“It could have been my back, or I could have hit my head,” Cantwell said. “I could have done all different sorts of things. But it was mentally harder on me because I wasn’t out here doing all the chores every day since this happened.”

Cantwell’s typical day involves caring for dozens of animals. To feed the lambs, she has to climb a ladder and throw down hay from a loft, a task that’s impossible in her leg brace, so her husband has picked up responsibilities while she recovers.

On her farm, Cantwell makes sure every part of her animals are used. Her Icelandic sheep produce milk, and she uses the wool from her sheep to make dryer balls. She cleans and sells sheep skulls and tans skins, a process she wrote a book and teaches courses on, sometimes as far away as Martha’s Vineyard and Delaware.

Part of Cantwell’s job includes saying goodbye to members of her flock.

When Cantwell takes a lamb to the butcher’s, it’s an all-day affair. Between loading the lamb, driving an hour-and-a-half to the nearest butcher and waiting, the ordeal adds up to a minimum of four hours.

At the butcher’s, she picks up sheepskins and skulls from other farmers, part of her phi-

losophy on using every product an animal has to offer.

“It’s always the hardest to explain to someone who doesn’t farm,” Cantwell said. “It’s not necessarily a happy day … What I feel good about, though, is that they’ve lived a good life on this farm, and we have given them the utmost care that they deserve, and they’re going to feed a family or multiple families.”

Cantwell really does have a deep care for her animals. She can walk out among her flock and tell the stories of each individual sheep.

Andromeda, one of her smallest lambs, was born a twin to mother Ali, but Ali rejected her after three days, so Cantwell raised Andromeda from a bottle in her home.

Bernice was born this year to mother Beatrix, whose own mother Bettie Jo just had twins Bernadette and Burt. Burt and Beatrix love to make friends, but Bernadette would rather live and let live.

Polly was tiny when she was born, earning her the name after Polly Pocket. Now, she’s pregnant and one of the biggest sheep on Cantwell’s property, though most of the ewes and breeding males are still next door in a different barn until the previous owners can harvest their fields of soybeans that take up most of the land.

“I’ve kept sheep longer than I should have … because I felt so guilty about taking them, but you have a duty and a responsibility to be an ethical farmer,” Cantwell said. “At the end of the day, what we do is they’re either staying here for their wool or for their meat … I know that what they’re getting is a good quality of life here out on pasture, exactly how they’re supposed to be living, in the sunshine, in the grass.” scottsr2@miamioh.edu

9

GUNTERCR@MIAMIOH.EDU FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Miami choirs take steps to promote gender inclusivity

The return to in-person classes causes professors to modify their absence policies EMMA WILCOX THE MIAMI STUDENT

THE CHORALIERS ARE CHANGING THEIR DRESS CODE TO BE MORE GENDER-INCLUSIVE. PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHORALIERS

CLAIRE LORDAN ASST. MAGAZINE EDITOR Of the nine different vocal performance groups registered for undergraduate students at Miami University, four define themselves as specific to one gender or vocal type. But members of those groups have begun to advocate for change within their organizations.

Open Fifth, a nationally recognized all-male a cappella group, recently took on its first ever female member, first-year music performance major Angel Thunderstorm.

Thunderstorm, who is a transgender woman, auditioned for Open Fifth during her first week at Miami. Though she identifies as female, her vocal register still fits within typically male-dominated parts.

“It didn’t really make sense for me to join one of the typically female a cappella groups on campus, since they don’t perform music with lower singing parts,” Thunderstorm said. “So even though I identify as a woman, I still sing in the male register.”

Despite being a new member of Open Fifth, Thunderstorm said she has felt nothing but inclusion from the other members.

“They’ve all been really accepting of me and my identity, which is really nice,” Thunderstorm said. “At the end of the day, we all love singing, and we all joined Open Fifth so that we could perform together. We all have that in common.”

The Choraliers, a historically all-female choir on campus, have recently changed their language around auditions to welcome more students.

Hannah Prentiss, Choraliers president and senior political science major, has helped lead the charge toward a more gender-inclusive environment.

“We’ve tried to stop using the word ‘all-female’ to describe our group, because it can be harmful to students who don’t feel that ‘female’ describes them,” Prentiss said. “If we have a

male-identifying or nonbinary student that sings in a higher register and wants to join, we want them to feel welcome here.”

In addition to changing the language around group members, Choraliers has recently elected to alter their dress code for performances. In the past, all members of the choir were required to perform in dresses or skirts. Now, performers can choose any kind of formal wear that makes them feel comfortable.

“We really want students to know that this is a safe space,” Prentiss said. “And that no matter how you want to identify or dress, you have a place here.”

Though Prentiss has pushed for gender inclusivity in Choraliers, she does not envision adding baritone or bass students to the group.

“At the end of the day, we’re still a treble choir,” Prentiss said. “All our music is in treble clef, so that’s still an aspect of our group that I don’t see changing anytime soon.”

The TrebleMakers, an all-female a cappella group, has also taken steps to promote gender inclusivity within its organization. Unlike the Choraliers, however, they don’t plan to stop identifying as an all-female organization.

Bailey Miller, TrebleMakers president and senior psychology and professional writing major, believes TrebleMakers’ role as an all-female organization brings members closer together.

“I think we’re really proud of our status as an all-female group,” Miller said. “We’re a closeknit group of female singers that all love to sing.

It definitely poses a challenge for us, with not having male voices, but we love getting to perform as a female group. It’s really empowering.”

TrebleMakers takes steps to promote inclusion within its group such as allowing performers to wear what they like during performances.

“What brings us together is the music and performing together,” Miller said. We want to share that with everyone.” lordance@miamioh.edu

Miami University has returned to faceto-face instruction this semester, posing a challenge for professors to accommodate sick or quarantined students while prioritizing in-person teaching.

Miami outlines general attendance policies in the University Policy Library. Each professor is given freedom to develop their own attendance policy, but are required to recognize and accommodate excused absences for religious observances. The only health condition faculty are obligated to excuse is pregnancy and related conditions.

According to Miami’s COVID-19 Campus Updates, “Faculty are strongly encouraged to work with students who miss class due to a death in the family, serious illness or other critical circumstance.”

Juliete Aini, a sophomore psychology and global diplomacy and politics double major, was recently sick. Her professors had varying attendance policies, and some classes were easier to keep up in than others.

“One professor allows people to attend over Zoom and still receive full credit, so everything’s easily accessible online, and you can still kind of attend class,” Aini said. “And then a few of my other professors just gave me notes for that day. But then for some [classes], I just missed everything.”

Aini also said discussion-based classes were more difficult to make up because of the nature of the course.

“My 300-level political science class … she gives you the slide notes, but that’s about it. Most of the things she says in class, though, are really important and just the most basic things are on the slides,” Aini said.

Katie Feilen, assistant teaching professor of biology, anticipated the need to be flexible with attendance this semester.

“I designed my class at the beginning of the semester understanding that we were going to still be experiencing many of the impacts of the pandemic,” Feilen said. “So for each class period I give my students options that include coming to class in person, attending virtually on Zoom that is

presented through the classroom technology, or watching the recording of class and completing the makeup assignment.”

Monica Schneider, professor of political science, designed her classroom strategy to accommodate the needs of her students and her family.

“We are still in a pandemic,” Schneider said. “My children could get sick or have to quarantine. My husband or I could get sick or have to quarantine. I wanted to have a design that was fair to everyone and allowed everyone to stay on track no matter what was thrown our way.”

Schneider uses Top Hat, an online learning platform, to assign participation questions to students who were absent from the class discussion. She also posts video lectures for students to review material they missed.

The priority remains face-to-face instruction, so students utilizing the alternatives while sick are still likely to miss out on important aspects of class.

“I wanted to have a design that was fair to everyone to stay on track no matter what was thrown our way.”

- Monica Schneider

Feilen acknowledges the discussion opportunities of in-person classes that can be difficult to translate to the Zoom population.

“Right now I know that my focus is on my students in my classroom and so sometimes the students that are Zooming in are not able to fully experience all the benefits,” Feilen said.

The return to in-person instruction was highly anticipated by students and staff, but the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are still being felt.

“I’m tired and not feeling 100%, and I’ve heard my students say they feel the same way,” Schneider said. “We are all doing our best.” wilcoxee@miamioh.edu

“I was just so touched”:

West coast mother and daughter warmed by Midwestern hospitality MAGGIE PEÑA

ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR Homesick: she’s from California, living in the middle-of-nowhere Ohio, after all.

Physically sick: she’d had a sinus infection since she moved in a month before.

And to top it all off: her dog had just died.

First-year psychology major Isabella Fordyce had more than a couple reasons to be crying on September 13. It didn’t help that her roommate was studying in their shared living space, so Fordyce had to relocate to the dim, echoey stairwell of Tappan Hall.

Her mom, Jessica Fordyce, was far more than an arm’s length away. In sunny California, 2,500 miles away, there was little she could do to comfort her eldest daughter, the first she had sent away to college.

So she did some research.

Scouring the Miami University Parents and Family Members Facebook page for a restaurant to deliver chicken noodle soup to Tappan Hall, she settled on Bob Evans. But night was falling, and restaurants around Oxford were approaching closing time – the online order form for Bob Evans wasn’t working.

“So I called Bob Evans and spoke to a woman and explained to her that I was trying to order it online,” Jessica said. “And she said ‘Oh, try doing it through DoorDash.’ And she told me I needed to download the app.”

But DoorDash didn’t work either.

Back to the phone Jessica went.

Jessica knew her daughter was sick in her residence hall and hadn’t eaten dinner. When she explained this to the woman on the phone,

assistant manager Amanda Neeley-Horsley, she was met with a Midwestern hospitality that warmed her California heart.

Neeley-Horsley said she would send an employee over to the hall (for $5) to personally deliver the food, with no charge to the family.

“I was just so touched and crying,” Jessica said.

As tears welled in Jessica’s eyes, she explained the hat trick of Isabella’s misfortune, the euthanasia of their 11-yearold dog. Neeley-Horsley wasted no time throwing biscuits and pumpkin pie into the meal, again at no charge.

The day after her daughter was showered with hometown, family-farm food, Jessica posted the story in the Parents Page. The post was screenshotted and posted JESSICA FORDYCE WAS LOOKING FOR CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP FOR HER DAUGHTER WHO WAS SICK IN TAPPAN HALL AND SHE SETTLED ON in Oxford Talk, where it BOB EVANS. ASST. PHOTO EDITOR JAKE RUFFER gained over 1,000 likes and 100 ager said it was just a simple act for someone in alongside a picture of the half-eaten dessert. comments from the community.

Jessica contacted corporate to make sure People praised Neeley-Horsley for her kind- need.

“A lot of people were talking about ‘hero’ and Neeley-Horsley got the recognition she deness, one commenter saying it was one of the best posts of the season. But the assistant man- everything, and I’m by far no hero,” she said. served and also gave the restaurant a glowing “[I’m] just trying to make somebody’s day.”

Yelp review. Then, over family weekend, Jessica Isabella, who echoed her mother’s sentiment got to meet the woman who restored her faith of Midwestern hospitality generally lost on Cal- in humanity. ifornians, said Neeley-Horsley’s generosity did She paid a visit to the Oxford Bob Evans, and make her day, and reminded her that the world gave Neeley-Horsley flowers, thanking her for is not all bad. everything she had done.

“I guess it was just nice even having a supThe small-town feel of Oxford reassured Jesport system, like even with strangers,” Isabella sica that she sent her daughter to the right place. said. “It was just super nice and made me feel a “It made me feel better that I sent my daughlot better and cared for.” ter to school in the Midwest,” she said. “[I] sent Much to her Cleveland-native roommate’s her to a very caring place, and she kind of wantsurprise, this was also Isabella’s first taste of ed that small-town feel, and I feel like these are Bob Evans’ ‘down on the farm’ food. the benefits of having a smaller town.”

She was not disappointed.

“This is honestly the best pumpkin pie I’ve penaml@miamioh.edu ever had,” Isabella wrote in a text to her mother,

“A lot of people were talking about ‘hero’ and everything, and I’m by far no hero.

[I’m] just trying to make somebody’s day.”

- Amanda Neeley-Horsley

Food

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PHABYMR@MIAMIOH.EDU

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Prohibition-themed restaurant to take on Oxford in late October CHLOE KLING THE MIAMI STUDENT Pickle and Pig, a prohibition themed restaurant, is coming to Oxford.

The owner, David Hornak, said he hopes that when the restaurant opens on Oct. 28, it will transport guests back in time with its 1920s theme and Prohibition-style food and drinks.

Hornak is also the owner of The Elms Hotel

its own way and will be made in house. These menu items, as well as others, will provide the upper-scale dining experience that Oxford is missing.

Maria Weese, an associate professor of information systems & analytics at Miami University, believes Pickle and Pig will be a spot for the whole community to enjoy.

“I know that when parents come to visit, they are often looking to take their students out to a nicer restaurant,” Weese said. “It certainly seems that this restaurant will fill a void in the restaurant selection in town right now.”

Hornak said Pickle and Pig’s name originated from the homemade pickles that will be a table starter and the “blind pig” aspect of the Prohibition, which is what speakeasies were secretly known as.

Senior marketing major Meghan Doheny thinks the entire community in and around Oxford will appreciate a new themed restaurant.

“It may even attract more residents due to it not being a ‘stereotypical’ college bar or restaurant,” Doheny said.

“Since [Pickle and Pig] is marketing itself as a unique dining and drinking experience, all people of Oxford will be intrigued to check it out.”

There is plenty of room to accommodate customers. Hornak explained the setup in a Clue-like style, with different rooms following themes like “the study” and “the longue,” similar to the board game.

Hornak said he hopes Pickle and Pig will be “a great place to have fun and enjoy good food [for students].”

“This restaurant will fill a void in the restaurant selection in town right now.”

- Maria Weese

and Gaslight Brewhouse.

Pickle and Pig is connected to The Elms but has an entrance between the hotel and Buffalo Wild Wings, replacing the restaurant and bar MIA. Pickle and Pig’s menu features items like duck fat frites, made-to-order charcuterie boards, a plethora of styled burgers, fine cut steaks and bourbon-based cocktails.

Hornak said each menu item is unique in

Repairing my relationship with food MADELINE PHABY CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR Given that I’m The Miami Student’s Food Editor, it’s somewhat ironic that I’ve always had a complicated relationship with food.

From a young age, I loved to eat. My family has hours and hours of old home videos that we watch every couple years, and I’m slurping up spaghetti, shoving cake in my face or munching chips in nearly all of them.

As I grew up, that love never waned. But I soon learned that eating constantly is a lot cuter when you’re 5 than when you’re 10 or 12.

As a tween and young teenager, I was a dedicated athlete who practiced softball nearly every day. My parents cooked healthy meals, and they watched what I ate like a hawk.

It didn’t matter. I was still a chubby kid, and my classmates made sure I understood that I should be very ashamed of that fact.

I don’t have a body type that’s conducive to skinniness. It’s just a fact – my dad doesn’t either, and that’s where I get it from.

I definitely grew into my body more when I hit puberty, and I wouldn’t characterize myself as fat, or even chubby; I’m just kind of stocky.

When you’re a teenage woman, though, none of that matters. I desperately wanted to be skinny.

I heard somewhere that diet has a larger effect on your weight than exercise, and I took that and ran with it. I downloaded MyFitnessPal when I was 16, and the rest was history.

Every ounce of sustenance I consumed was accounted for. Whether it was a single Oreo or the barbecue sauce I dipped my chicken in or even a stick of gum, I wasn’t letting a single calorie escape documentation.

Food went from being one of the greatest pleasures in my life to becoming a sort of currency. If I burned 500 calories in a workout, I could have dessert after dinner; but if I didn’t have time to exercise, I had to severely limit my caloric intake that day.

I did lose weight – quite a bit of it, actually. But I still wasn’t skinny, because I couldn’t change my body type.

Once I realized my painstaking efforts were never going to pay off the way I wanted them to, all hell broke loose. I went from being borderline malnourished to eating three giant meals a day and snacking constantly in between.

Every couple months, I went back to MyFitnessPal and restricted myself, but I’d always fall off the wagon and end up eating

uncontrollably again. It was an awful cycle, and I ended up heavier than I’d ever been before.

It took a painfully long time for me to realize it, but I had an eating disorder.

That’s a hard fact to admit. Even harder to admit, though, is that I would likely still have an eating disorder had I not started a medication that killed my appetite.

I think my eating problems were definitely linked to my ADHD, because I frequently ate out of boredom or restlessness.

When I started taking Adderall, I began to channel my restlessness into productivity.

Now, to be clear – I was prescribed Adderall because I have ADHD, not because of my eating disorder. The way it’s helped me regulate my eating has been an unintended benefit.

“When you’re a teenage woman, though, none of that matters. I desperately wanted to be skinny.”

- Madeline Phaby

For my first few weeks on Adderall, eating was physically uncomfortable, and it took my stomach a while to become less sensitive. Being nauseous all the time sucked, but it did force me to only eat when I was hungry and avoid foods my stomach didn’t agree with – things I should have been doing all along.

Several months later, the constant nausea has passed, but those healthier eating habits have remained. Now that I’ve finally struck a balance between binge eating and starving myself, I am extremely happy with my current weight and also feel nourished and fulfilled.

More importantly, though, I’ve learned to love food again.

Food tastes so much better when you aren’t ridden with guilt and anxiety over calories with every bite you take, and eating is one of the few small joys in our otherwise cruel world.

Take it from me: being skinny isn’t worth harming yourself, and it certainly isn’t worth depriving yourself of your favorite foods.

So, go ahead – grab another slice of pizza. You deserve it. @madphabes phabymr@miamioh.edu

PROHIBITION-THEMED RESTAURANT PICKLE AND PIG IS SET TO REPLACE MIA.. ASST. PHOTO EDITOR JAKE RUFFER

Pickle and Pig will be open late on the weekends with hopes that the crowd will stay far into the night. With a full bar, the restaurant offers different concoctions of drinks, and some may even change colors. Because bourbon cocktails were popular during Prohibition, customers can expect to see upwards of 50 different options to choose from.

Hornak wants to build a reputation here in

Oxford and put his new restaurant on the map.

He said his goal for the restaurant’s reputation is to have great food.

However, Pickle and Pig seems to have a few secrets up its sleeve: Ordering a blind pig might just get you somewhere special. @chloekling22 klingcc@miamioh.edu

What your barista thinks of your seasonal Starbucks order EMMA WILCOX THE MIAMI STUDENT Starbucks has launched pumpkin spice, signaling the start of fall. Customers look forward to the return of pumpkin all year, and I brace myself for the holiday season as soon as pumpkin spice syrup is delivered.

Most of the time, your barista is probably too busy to really care what you order, but I’m a judgemental person, so here are my thoughts about Starbucks’ seasonal drinks.

Pumpkin Spice Latte This is a classic, and Starbucks would face a riot if they ever get rid of it. I think it’s a little boring because it really is just a latte with whipped cream on top, but it’s only available a few months out of the year so I guess that makes it special enough. Try adding a couple pumps of white mocha to complement the pumpkin.

Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew This is just the edgier version of the pumpkin spice latte for the customers who can’t give up their cold brew addiction. Other than constantly running out of cold brew and vanilla sweet cream, I have no beef with this drink.

Apple Crisp Macchiato I have forgotten what I was making and put caramel drizzle instead of apple drizzle on one of these so many times, but those customers just got an exclusive caramel apple macchiato instead. This drink is the first new flavor Starbucks has launched in the last year that isn’t terrible and just might be redemption for the kiwi star fruit refresher they cursed us with.

Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino You are most likely a child under ten whose mom told you that you can’t have coffee.

Chai with Pumpkin Foam This is not officially a fall Starbucks drink, but if you don’t like coffee and still want pumpkin, this is for you. As long as you order it iced, though – please don’t make

me put cold foam on your hot drink.

Salted Caramel Mocha RIP. If only there wasn’t a national shortage of toffee nut syrup.

Peppermint Mocha Spoiler, we carry peppermint year round. I barely consider this a holiday drink; it’s not special if you can order this literally any day of the year. But a peppermint mocha is one of the most popular winter drinks, and Starbucks advertises this heavily, so I’m clearly fighting a losing battle with this one.

Toasted White Chocolate Mocha I have worked through two holiday seasons and still do not understand how this is different from the normal white mocha we carry all year. This is definitely the weakest link of all the holiday drinks.

Caramel Brulee This drink is just kind of middle of the road. Starbucks brings it back every year, but not many customers get pumped for it. Clearly people like it enough to keep it around, but I want an explanation for how this made the cut but gingerbread was discontinued.

Pistachio Latte I do not understand why so many things are pistachio flavored.

Nor do I understand why this was launched with the holiday drinks.

What is truly upsetting is that you can order a pistachio frappuccino – it just doesn’t feel right. To each their own, but I personally hope Starbucks doesn’t bring this back.

Irish Cream Cold Brew A customer once asked me if there was alcohol in the Irish cream cold brew – girl, I wish. But for real, if Starbucks comes out with another drink that has cold foam, it just might be my last straw, I can only remember so many variations of one recipe.

Whether you like one of the classics, or are one of the loyal pistachio latte drinkers, I hope you get your caffeine fix from your favorite seasonal drink this week! wilcoxee@miamioh.edu

PHABYMR@MIAMIOH.EDU

11

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Want to do well in school?

Your body needs fuel

A definitive ranking of America’s most popular Halloween candies MADELINE PHABY FOOD EDITOR I realize this is an extremely hot take, but I’m not a huge fan of Halloween.

I don’t like anything scary or spooky, dressing up stresses me out and it just isn’t my vibe in general.

The one thing I’ve always loved about the holiday, though, is the candy.

A website called candystore.com (seems legit, I guess) recently conducted a survey to determine the most popular Halloween candies in the United States. The results were: 1. Reese’s Cups 2. Skittles 3. M&Ms 4. Starburst 5. Hot Tamales 6. Sour Patch Kids 7. Hershey Kisses 8. Snickers 9. Tootsie Pops 10. Candy corn This list is fine, I guess. But, because I love a good ranking, I’ll be rearranging this list in the order I think it belongs.

I N ORDER TO STAY ON TOP OF ALL YOU HAVE TO DO, MAINTAINING A BALANCED DIET IS KEY. BLEND, FORMERLY MEIN STREET, IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY DINING OPTIONS ON CAMPUS. PHOTO BY BRETT MILAM

REAGAN RUDE THE MIAMI STUDENT Microwave ramen, midnight delivery pizza and dorm room cereal often come to mind when picturing a college student’s diet. Not all students eat like this, but some say it can be difficult to maintain a healthy diet while grappling with college life.

Victoria Bordfeld, a dietician at Miami University, said everything is fine in moderation, but eating a balanced diet with plenty of nutrients will ensure that the body and brain are performing at their best, which is especially necessary for taking midterms or getting around campus.

“It is important for college students to fuel themselves properly so that they are able to perform well academically, fuel workouts, participate in any student groups and other student life activities,” Bordfeld said. “Getting proper fuel of protein, carbohydrates and fat, increases energy, mental focus, supports movement and supports a healthy immune system.”

Rebecca Young, director of student wellness, said healthy habits not only have immediate benefits, but can help students in the long term as well.

“A lot of behaviors you pick up during these four years can linger beyond that,” Young said.

“Learning these healthy skills now actually leads to a lifetime of wellness.”

Charlotte Piszel, a sophomore geology major, said her busy course schedule sometimes complicates finding time to get to a dining hall.

“My Mondays are kind of crazy,” said Piszel. “I usually just grab stuff from vending machines in the buildings where my classes are or bring snacks in my bag,” Piszel said she feels spaced out during

classes if she doesn’t eat before, which affects her ability to pay attention.

Labor shortages brought about by the pandemic have further complicated student eating habits by creating long lines outside dining halls.

Whether it’s because of early 8:30 a.m. lectures, back-to-back classes or a loss of appetite due to high levels of academic stress, it’s not uncommon to hear of students skipping meals.

“I’ll go out with someone and they’ll be like, ‘I’m so hungry I haven’t eaten anything all day,’” Piszel said. “That’s not good for you.

You need energy to sustain yourself.”

Nutrition experts agree that skipping meals can have negative effects.

“As a dietitian, I would not encourage students to skip meals since it can affect energy levels, and can cause individuals to overeat later on if they are feeling deprived,” Joanna Saba, a dietitian at Miami, wrote in an email to The Miami Student.

While making sure to eat is important, what you put inside your body matters too.

Miami’s dining halls work as a team to develop menus with plenty of nutrient-dense options.

“Our dining commons offer a variety of food options, including healthier items (lean meats, whole grains, vegetables), along with more ‘comfort foods’ such as pizza and french fries,” Saba wrote. “We want students to have a variety of choices so they can dine according to their preferences.”

Piszel said the dining halls have made healthy eating easier due to their convenience.

“I know I would not be cooking myself foods like chicken and roasted vegetables without planning ahead,” said Piszel. “It’s nice to have it there and not have to think about it.”

Dining halls help students in residence

halls fuel themselves, but for those living off-campus, tight budgets can stand in the way of getting enough nutrients.

Young said students can eat healthy on a budget by finding ways to save money, such as buying seasonal produce, buying locally at farmer’s markets or purchasing items in bulk.

In addition to strategizing what types of food to buy, Young also recommended planning ahead as a cost-effective way to achieve a balanced diet.

“You’re going to spend a lot less if you plan your week than if you’re trying to scramble and buy food each day to eat,” Young said.

Audrey Bailey, president of the Student Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, said a key step in promoting healthy eating patterns at Miami is dismantling the toxic culture around food.

“In college, [many] young girls view eating less as a victory. But really, it’s not,” Bailey said. “Food is something more than just calories or means to an end; it’s also a way for you to achieve your goals and be your happiest and healthiest self.”

The Office of Student Wellness offers many awareness campaigns dedicated to nutrition and even has a “Nutrition November” month.

In addition, Miami’s dieticians are able to meet with students to help them form healthy eating habits.

“The RD team at Miami are more than willing to meet with individuals who are having any issues finding food options at certain times of the day,” Victoria Bordfield, a dietician at Miami, wrote in an email to The Student. “[We are] happy to meet with students to help them navigate the dining halls to find foods that best support their needs.” rudere@miamioh.edu

I’m in love with the Mountain Dew (sung to the tune of “Shape of You”) ern food made by Colonel Sanders himself.

Bottom five (in order from ‘absolute worst’ to ‘less offensive’): Baja Blast - I will not be taking opinions on this. I do not understand how people voluntarily drink this. I tried it one (1) time at my local Taco Bell and physically spit it into the trash can. It tastes dull and bitter at the same time, like an original Mountain Dew flavorgone-wrong. The only redeeming quality is its beautiful mint color.

Diet Mountain Dew - I’m generally not against diet flavors of pop, but I will not pay money to drink something that tastes like it was left open under my bed for a few weeks.

MAGGIE GAZES LONGINGLY AT THE LOVE OF HER LIFE. ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR SEAN SCOTT

MAGGIE PEÑA ASST. ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Mountain Dew is the love of my life.

I know I will get hate for this, but it’s time I go public with this love affair. I don’t drink coffee, and I don’t drink tea (go ahead, make your assumptions — you’re probably correct). I don’t drink Red Bull or Monster.

I get my daily caffeine fix from the unnaturally-colored bright green concoction, made primarily of high fructose corn syrup and chemicals I won’t even attempt to pronounce.

Since the drink’s inception by the Hartman Beverage Company in the 1940s, 144 different flavors and variations have been introduced.

Some were region-specific, some were low-calorie/sugar-free and some have been discontinued.

Of the 144 variations, I have tried approximately 15. That’s 10%, if you round.

So maybe I haven’t tried them all. But as an avid daily drinker of this synthetic nectar of the gods, I have strong opinions of the various flavors.

Mostly: Baja blast is trash.

But more on that later. Here’s my top five and my bottom five. If you disagree, you’re probably wrong. But thanks for playing anyway.

Top five (in order of ‘best’ to ‘still good, but not perfect’): Liberty Brew - This is hands-down the best flavor to have ever existed. This discontinued drink was only sold in stores from 20192020; A far too short stint for the berry-flavored liquid. Frost Bite, another blue variation, came out as a Walmart-exclusive in 2020, and tastes eerily similar to the Fourth of July blue drink.

But hey, I’m not complaining.

Thrashed Apple - This flavor came out in 2021, and tastes exactly — and I mean exactly — like those green caramel apple pops. It’s way too sweet to drink on a regular basis, and it’s an even uglier green than the original Mountain Dew, but I have drank at least one bottle every week since its debut.

Merry Mash-Up - Christmas!

Original Mountain Dew - It’s a classic.

You can’t go wrong with the original. And yes, I do currently have 24 bottles sitting in my room.

Sweet Lightning - This is a Kentucky Fried Chicken exclusive. The peach-flavored soda pairs perfectly with the down-home south-

Major Melon - I’ll be honest, I was really excited for this. A watermelon-flavored drink?

Delicious, and perfect for a hot summer day.

Update: It was not delicious. It tasted way too artificial (ironic, I know), and I only drank six bottles of it because I stupidly bought a whole pack before vetting it.

Rise Energy (all flavors) - My qualm with this one has nothing to dew (lol) with the taste, but the fact that I get violently jittery after just one can. For reference, a 16.9 oz. bottle of Mountain Dew contains 77 mg of caffeine; a 16 0z. can of Rise Energy contains 180 mg of caffeine. I’ll let you do the math.

Flamin’ hot (this is a prediction, but I stand by it) - I don’t even think I need to explain this one. It’s literally flaming hot Cheetos in caffeine water. How could this possibly be good?

Should I stop drinking Mountain Dew because of the possible adverse health effects?

Sure. Will I? Absolutely not. In fact, I can’t wait to try the new flavor — Gingerbread Snap’d — which may find itself next to Flamin’ Hot on my list. penaml@miamioh.edu

10. Hot Tamales Why are these number five on the list?

I have yet to meet anyone who willingly chooses to eat Hot Tamales. Sorry if you’re one of those people, but I don’t understand you.

9. Tootsie Pops Tootsie Pops aren’t ranked this low because I don’t like them – in fact, I like them quite a bit.

But my parents always bought a giant bag of them on their weekly shopping trips, so I grew up eating them nearly every day.

For that reason, they’re not very exciting to me.

8. Hershey Kisses I’m not a huge fan of solid chocolate in general – I prefer either fruity candy or chocolate with other ingredients in it. Hershey Kisses are cute, and I’ll eat them, but they’re pretty “meh.”

7. Reese’s Cups I have a lot of controversial opinions, but the one that I receive the most backlash for is not liking peanut butter. I’ve always thought I might be slightly allergic to it because my throat always burns when I eat it, but that’s not the point of this column.

It’s hard to enjoy Reese’s Cups when you don’t like peanut butter, so that explains why they’re ranked this low. I still think they’re objectively better than the candies I ranked below them, though.

6. Snickers I’ve noticed an interesting phenomenon: ask someone what their favorite chocolate candy is, and you’ll probably get a variety of answers (Twix, Kit Kats, Reese’s Cups, etc.)

Nobody ever says Snickers. I’m sure some Snickers-enthusiast out there is shaking their fist at me right now, but I’ve just never met one.

5. M&Ms M&Ms are good! If I’m offered a funsized packet of them, I will gladly take it.

That said, they’re boring. They don’t excite me. That’s why they’re ranked squarely in the middle.

4. Skittles Skittles are complicated for me – I think they’re really good, but they seem to have more potential for staleness than other candies. And there’s nothing more painful than biting a rock-hard Skittle.

3. Candy corn I will take no dissenting opinions on this: candy corn is delicious, and people that hate on it are simply uncultured.

That said, only the OG candy corn is worth eating. I’m not sure why, but those pumpkin things make me nauseous (sorry, Lukas).

2. Starburst Starburst came very, very close to topping my list. They have great flavor and texture, and they’re one of the few candies I actively seek out.

My one beef with Starburst (and I’ll admit, it’s a stupid beef) is that they’re individually-wrapped. I can’t stand having a huge pile of wrappers after eating a pack of Starburst, and that small detail separates number two from number one.

1. Sour Patch Kids God, I love Sour Patch Kids. They aren’t excessively sour, they have great texture and they come in a wide variety of types and flavors (the watermelon ones? Elite.)

As a kid, I felt blessed every time someone tossed a packet of Kids into my pillowcase. As an adult, I spend questionable amounts of declining dollars on them at Emporium.

They are the best Halloween candy, and they’re also the most popular Halloween candy in my home state of Illinois. Coincidence? I think not. @madphabes phabymr@miamioh.edu

Entertainment

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KWIATKDM@MIAMIOH.EDU

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Good grief, I miss Charlie Brown Halloween dates with my mom MAGGIE PEÑA ASST. ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR It’s 9.30 p.m. The howling wind and clear, Oct. 31 sky fall away behind the squeaky screen door.

The second I step inside, I toss my heavy bag to the floor and begin the process of disrobing. First, the cold shoes. Then, the paper headpiece.

Finally, I painstakingly remove the whole paper doll costume my mom had spent hours meticulously cutting out and decorating.

I couldn’t just carelessly remove my favorite Halloween costume ever.

Free from my slightly-hard-to-walk-in but oh-so-darling outfit, I ran to the kitchen. Like a hunter-gatherer, I grabbed milk, mugs and Swiss Miss, plus bread and cheese for myself.

The perfect dessert to share between an exhausted yet dedicated mother and a rambunctious 9 year old high on Halloween fun.

My ears perked at the “Great Pumpkin Waltz” ringing across the opening between my living room and kitchen, and I pleaded with the microwave to warm our hot chocolate drinks faster.

I couldn’t miss one second of the annual tradition.

Every year, my mom would take me trickor-treating. We’d come home after a long night out, and we’d drink hot chocolate while going through my haul to make sure none of the candy was poisoned (because if the Dum-Dum wrapper is slightly unwrapped, it’s probably poisoned).

But my favorite part of this night was always watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.”

Animator Bill Melendez and composer Vince Guaraldi bring Charles Shulz’s comic strip to life in an iconic way that has stood the test of time.The cartoon has a runtime of

25 minutes, but has some of the most quotable and memorable scenes from any piece of media in the last 55 years.

From Charlie Brown’s repeated line “I got a rock,” to Sally yelling at Linus in frustration after missing “tricks or treats” to wait for the Great Pumpkin, to Snoopy giving Lucy a smooch on the lips during bobbing for apples.

It’s the perfect encapsulation of childhood innocence mixed with adult humor; A timeless classic suitable for the whole family.

The whole Peanuts gang has always been one of my favorites. My mom has a Snoopy plush hanging from the rearview mirror in her car.

Every holiday, she dresses him up in a different handmade, felt costume: A red, white and blue tophat for the Fourth of July; A tuxedo and rose for Valentine’s Day; Bunny ears and a colored egg for Easter.

My mom watches lots of black and white movies and hunting-for-Bigfoot shows. We don’t often find ourselves sitting down and watching things together.

But Linus dragging his blanket across the ground and sending his letter to the Great Pumpkin always brought us together during the fall season.

Now, I sit in my dull apartment, 20 years old and candyless, longing for the childhood innocence of watching Charlie Brown with my mom while she checked and doubled-checked to make sure I was safe from the candy poisoners lurking in my small town.

What I wouldn’t give to watch Charlie Brown trip over a football or Snoopy fight the Red Baron just one more time, snuggled up next to my mom, warming myself from the frigid October night.

Good grief. penaml@miamioh.edu

Experience new worlds in Coldplay’s “Music of the Spheres”

PHOTO FROM @COLDPLAY ON INSTAGRAM

ABBEY ELIZONDO THE MIAMI STUDENT Coldplay released its latest concept album, “Music of the Spheres” on Oct. 15, something I’ve been waiting for since they released their last album in 2019.

I’ve loved Coldplay’s style and conceptual mindset since I first heard the songs “Viva La Vida” and “Yellow” as a child. This album has everything from alternative rock to pop-techno, plus many collaborations with other artists.

As a concept album, it’s worth it to listen from beginning to end since the order has importance.

The first time I listened, the experience was calming and balanced.

“Higher Power,” “Coloratura” and “Let Somebody Go.” I listened to “Coloratura” many times before the other songs came out, and for a song that is ten minutes long, I’m thankful it ends the collection instead of being placed awkwardly in the middle.

My favorite songs are “Coloratura” and “People of the Pride.” Coldplay has become increasingly political and aggressive since their song “Guns” from their last album, something I need more of in my life. “People of the Pride” is directly tied to the current political climate in the U.S., with heavy lyrics and a killer bassline that picks up the timing of the album’s tone.

The album does have some strange songs, though.

“Biutyful,” my least favorite song, comes near the end of the album. Chris Martin’s high-pitched, altered voice takes me out of the album.

I appreciate trying to add different styles in a single album, but it’s too strange, even for this set of futuristic songs.

Out of the nine songs on this album, “My Universe” surprised me the most. It features the K-Pop band BTS. With a repetitive beat and universal lyrics, this song appeals to many who decide to add it to their favorite playlists.

As a long-time fan of Coldplay, I think this new album serves as a bright picture for the future. “Everyday Life” felt like a reflection of the past preCOVID-19, especially after 2020 and the emotional turmoil the album was able to express before such a hard year for everyone.

“Music of the Spheres” will appeal to all kinds of listeners with its unique blend of sound that allows you to experience an entire universe of beautiful music.

Rating: 8.5/10

“This album has everything from alternative rock to pop-techno, plus many collaborations with other artists.”

PHOTO FROM @SNOOPYGRAMS ON INSTAGRAM

The thing I love most about this album is the concept that each song is its individual planet in an imaginary universe that Chris Martin created before writing the album. Coldplay’s previous concept albums have had the same hidden messages throughout the songs in each album, and I appreciate that they haven’t lost their original style while blending it with popular music genres.

Three singles preceded the album’s release:

@earlgreyincense elizonar@miamioh.edu

Adele is easing back into the musician’s life EVAN STEFANIK

THE MIAMI STUDENT Six years have passed since Adele last showed her face in the music industry – now, she’s ready to face her future.

Adele confirmed her long-awaited fourth studio album “30” just two weeks ago. Rumor had it that her comeback was on the way, with mysterious projections of the number “30” popping up on buildings around the world.

The last year to earn an album from Adele was her 2016 smash-hit Grammy winner, “25.”

The success from “25” deemed her the master of the pop ballad and made her one of the most powerful voices in today’s music.

Following the announcement of her newest lead single, “Easy on Me,” both fans and casual listeners debated over the sound they wanted to hear from a matured Adele. Some hoped she would return in a risky change-of-genre, and others pressed onward for her signature orchestral sound — the major selling point of chart-toppers like “Hello” and “Rolling in the Deep.”

“Her name is such a force in the industry that ‘30’ will attract audiences regardless of its success in singles.”

The song and its music video dropped Oct. 14, and relieved those who wished Adele would stick to what she knows. The track picks up where “25” left off, promising fans that she won’t abandon the heart of her sound in transitioning to this new era.

Adele assures her fans that she’s actually re-

formed what she’s used to – and after enduring her worst year at 30, she trusts the musician she became from it.

After a hiatus following a public divorce and a second vocal surgery, “Easy on Me” welcomes back a wiser Adele. She sounds healthier than ever before – her breath floods out from deep within her.

She’s strong, but supported, and pours over the notes with ease.

In a bare first verse, she sings in her element.

Digging for gold in a murky river, Adele confesses that she feels hopeless, and is drowning in the absence of her music and her fans.

The second verse comes in with a pulsing drum, beating the song forward. Adele regrets wasting so much of her time and heart with the love that always held her down. Now, she wants to break free and find herself.

The chorus breaks her down to her most vulnerable. She asks for grace from the public who expects of her, from the love that she gave up, and from herself as a growing artist.

She didn’t choose to be famous at 19, but now she’s choosing to make the life her own.

Stripped down to a mostly stagnant piano line, Adele rains down in gentle runs to mourn the missing years of her life.

Long-time listeners will find references to Adele’s older albums in the song’s music video – the tarps on the furniture channel “21’s” “Rolling in the Deep”, and the house she moves away from resembles “25’s” “Hello.”

The only detraction from the song’s potential for long-lasting success is its bridge. Following a dissonant riff that never moves, the lines draw short, and they never hush down to build tension. Adele performs better in songs like “Rolling in the Deep,” where the bridge takes you under a tunnel, before shooting back into the final chorus.

“Easy on Me” doesn’t reach the same fever pitches that her older works do, leaving casual listeners without the catharsis they need to play

PHOTO FROM @ADELE ON INSTAGRAM

it back. In that case, this lead single probably won’t top the charts forever.

However, Adele isn’t looking for statistical success.

Adele wants to step back from the legendary status, and acknowledge herself as human.

The coming album will answer for that transformation – what did it take her to stop feeling such a pressure for success? What inspired her to follow her instincts?

She rebuilt her home and her heart over the break, and uses this lead single to open up about the process.

Adele prepares the world to meet an evolved woman, and implores everyone to be understanding.

“Easy on Me” reflects over her past mistakes, and asks forgiveness for the ones she’ll make in the future. She’s trying to navigate her life just like anyone else – only she has had to do it in

the public eye.

Nobody expects Adele to let them down. In fact, her name is such a force in the industry that “30” will attract audiences regardless of its success in singles.

Nevertheless, it shouldn’t shock anyone that “Easy on Me” broke the global record for streams on its first day out.

“Easy on Me” might not last dominate the public’s ear forever, but Adele will sing on.

People can always trust her to be the voice that breaks their heart.

In the face of global unrest, Adele will return as the emotional explosion that the music world is begging for.

Listen to “30” on Nov. 19..

Rating: 7/10 stefanec@miamioh.edu

KWIATKDM@MIAMIOH.EDU

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

The best horror to watch this year SEAN SCOTT ASST. ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Listen, I love a good fall film. I’m right with Campus and Community Editor Lexi Whitehead’s vibey fall movies list (“Fantastic Mr. Fox” and “Scooby Doo” were inspired picks, truly).

But it’s spooky season, not pretty leaf season.

Spooky means horror.

With that in mind, it’s time for another list.

A more, ahem, horrible list. Cuts have been made, and I’m not sorry about it. We don’t celebrate classics here.

Older than me “The Shining” (1980): It’s referenced in every horror movie and TV show for a reason, and that reason is it’s incredible.

“The Silence of the Lambs” (1991): Imagine naming your child Hannibal and thinking he’ll grow up to be anything other than a cannibal.

Dude’s mom was testing fate, and she failed.

“Children of the Corn” (1984): Objectively the worst movie on this list. Was I scared? No. Do I recommend it for a good laugh or two? Absolutely.

“Night of the Living Dead” (1968): Fun fact: The graveyard scene was filmed about 20 minutes from my house.

Found Footage “Chronicle” (2012): Not really a horror movie, but I’m putting it here to make a point that there are better found footage options than “The Blair Witch Project” or “Paranormal Activity.”

“Cloverfield” (2008): I’ve never seen “Godzilla,” but I assume it feels something like this minus the “character holds the camera” gimmick.

“The Taking of Deborah Logan” (2014): Genuinely frightening and surprisingly poignant flick about documentary filmmakers following a woman with dementia.

Franchises “The Conjuring” (2013 - present): Currently

at eight movies and growing. The best is “The Conjuring 2,” and the funniest is “The Nun.” “A Quiet Place” (2018 - present): A perfect standalone monster film, an acceptable sequel, and presumably many more to come as long as they keep making Paramount money.

“Fear Street” (2021): Three movies released over a span of three weeks. Assistant Entertainment Editor Maggie Peña does a better job of selling it than I can.

Foreign films “The Platform” (2019): A Spanish flick about a skyscraper prison where prisoners are fed once a day by a descending platform. For personal reasons, the most uncomfortable I’ve been during a movie.

“Pan’s Labyrinth” (2006): Guillermo del Toro’s horror-fairy-tale-period-piece-military-drama epic works better than it had any right to.

“Train to Busan” (2016): It has a train, and it has zombies, all you really need for a tense bloodbath of a movie.

Natalie Portman does horror “Black Swan” (2010): Natalie Portman won an Oscar for her performance as a childish ballerina who starts to crack under the pressure of a leading role. But she thought she was making a docudrama.

“Annihilation” (2018): A team of female scientists go into a giant bubble from outer space that landed on a lighthouse.

horror.

Modern classics “It: Chapter One” (2017): My third-favorite coming-of-age film, except this one happens to feature a murderous clown that lives in the sewers.

“Gerald’s Game” (2017): For reasons that are entirely her business, protagonist Jessie ends up handcuffed to a bed next to the body of her dead husband.

“Us” (2019): A 2019 movie carried by its female lead, Lupita Nyong’o, who didn’t get enough recognition because the Academy hates

A24 Supremacy “Midsommar” (2019): A 2019 movie carried by its female lead, Florence Pugh, who didn’t get enough recognition because the Academy hates horror.

“Hereditary” (2018): A 2018 movie carried by its female lead, Toni Collete, who didn’t get enough recognition because the Academy hates horror. If you’re bored 20 minutes in, don’t worry — Shit’s just about to hit the fan (or the pole, I guess).

“The Witch” (2015): Listen, it’s dense. Not

DESIGNER SADIE VAN WIE

Ariana Grande is a coach for “The Voice,” and everyone should be excited LILY FREIBERG STAFF WRITER After many years of hearing Ariana Grande’s high belts and whistle notes, we finally get to hear her wisdom as the new coach in NBC’s “The Voice.”

If her reported 20- to 25-million-dollar salary doesn’t show how big this is, then I don’t know what does.

I have been a huge fan of Ariana Grande since 2019, and I was so excited to hear she was going to take Nick Jonas’ spot in the singing competition.

While some people might be a bit skeptical on how she’ll fit in with the other coaches with being new to the show and going up against “The Voice” veteran, Blake Shelton, I think she’ll do an incredible job whether one of her contestants wins or not.

Ariana Grande is one of the most talented vocalists today. She has an incredible range, and she’s applauded for her vocal technique. She also has Broadway training, so she’s used to live performance and doesn’t have to rely on autotune to sound amazing.

Her vocal training will benefit her team a lot; She shared her knowledge on the voice when she commented on contestants’ blind auditions and dissected their vibrato and range.

Previews showed she was bringing in Kristin Chenoweth, Broadway sensation, as a guest for the Battle Rounds, and I was pumped about it.

Could you imagine working with both Grande and Chenoweth?

It’s evident Ariana has knowledge of the voice as an instrument. As she says in a video describing what was in the lunchbox she gave her new team members, “Maintaining a healthy instrument is the most important part of being a vocalist.”

I bought myself some lemon enicha throat coat tea when I had a throat virus, the same brand and flavor Ariana Grande gave her team.

If it works for Ariana, I must be doing something right.

Her success will also give her an advantage. Of course, all of the coaches are successful artists, but Ariana Grande is hip with the times.

In the past couple years, she released a concert film of her Sweetener World Tour on Netflix and her sixth album, “Positions,” with songs that climbed to the top of the charts and became TikTok trends.

Ariana is determined to help her team become successful artists, whether they win or lose. Her connections and skyrocketing popularity will help her do just that.

From the already aired episodes, Ariana fits

right in. Her pitching skills improved, she picked up on the fun competitiveness between the coaches and she even threw in some of her own competitive strategies such as a “thank u, next” button.

One of my favorite moments from the Blind Auditions was when a contestant showed the pic“THE VOICE” AIRS EVERY MONDAY AND TUESDAY AT 8 P.M. ON NBC.. PHOTO FROM @NBCTHEVOICE ON INSTAGRAM

tures she took with Ariana during her Honeymoon Tour years ago. Ariana’s reaction was so cute, and she left a lipstick stain on the photo strip for the contestant.

It’s moments like that where you’re witnessing Ariana Grande the person and not Ariana Grande the popstar. Fans will get to see a new side of her.

I think Katie Rae or Bella DeNapoli have a really good chance of winning. Their powerhouse Battle Round performance was incredible. While Katie has a rich lower-register, Bella has an amazing upper-register. Ariana can help them both with their runs and expanding their ranges.

“The Voice” airs every Monday and Tuesday on NBC at 8 p.m. @LLFreiberg freibell@miamioh.edu

Editor picks – October STAFF REPORT Every month, our editors contribute to a Spotify playlist where they each put in their five favorite songs of the month. Read about our favorite picks from the playlist, and listen along with us by clicking the link or scanning the QR code below.

“VALENTINE” – 5 Seconds of Summer Although the title alludes to a sweet, light-hearted holiday, the sunken beat, discordant harmonies and drawling vocal lead by Luke Hemmings situates the listener right into a dreamy, mysterious romance. If Halloween love appeals to your spooky heart, I highly suggest you give this song a listen. – Cosette Gunter, Campus & Community Editor “NO BODY, NO CRIME” – Taylor Swift (feat. HAIM) This is a murder mystery full of intrigue, backstabbing and setups, all narrated by the queen herself, T. Swift. When “evermore” first came out, this song was my instant favorite, and its spooky vibe is especially relevant during Halloween. I would fully let Taylor Swift murder me, so take that as you will. – Ames Radwan, Asst. Opinion Editor “HOT PATOOTIE - BLESS MY SOUL” – Meat Loaf Nothing gets me in the Halloween spirit more than watching my favorite spooky movies, and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” is definitely near the top of that list. This is one of my favorite songs from the movie, and although it’s not particularly Halloween-related, it captures the fun spirit of the holiday. – Lexi Whitehead, Campus & Community Editor “I’M IN LOVE WITH A MONSTER” – Fifth Harmony Good Halloween songs are few and far between. They usually have a very loose tie to the spooky celebration, and this cut from the “Hotel

Transylvania 2” soundtrack is not much different. The song is about being in love with someone who is bad for you but not caring at all. Toxic?

Yes. However, the song makes me miss my days of being a diehard Harmonizer. This is a perfect song to dance the night away with your friends in costume. – David Kwiatkowski, Entertainment Editor “SEVEN DEVILS” – Florence & The Machine I for one am scared of Florence Welch singing about how she is going to murder me violently.

Backed with spooky keys, she makes it clear that holy water won’t save you, and no rivers or lakes will put out the fire she lights. Nothing is more Halloween than a crazy arsonist and no hope of escape. – Sean Scott, Asst. Entertainment Editor “CALLING ALL THE MONSTERS” –China Anne McClain China Anne McClain is nothing if not iconic.

From her “A.N.T. Farm” days comes this masterpiece, filled with werewolf howls, a pitched-down, demon-like narrator and cinematography from the music video fit for a feature-length Hollywood film. Halloween songs are hard to come by, but no Oct. 31 party of our generation is complete without the indelible voice of Miss McClain. – Maggie Peña, Asst. Entertainment Editor “LIL THING” – Knox Fortune This song isn’t super Halloween-y, but it’s great on a gloomy day. It’s the kind of song that you’d want to wake up to on a foggy morning as you roll over and squeeze the person you love. If you want to put on a track that makes you think of that special someone, this is the song for you.

It’s a “Lil Thing” to brighten your day. – Rebecca Wolff, Opinion Editor “SCARY MONSTERS AND NICE SPRITES” – Skrillex I picked this dubstep classic because it has

SCAN THE CODE TO CHECK OUT OUR PLAYLIST FOR THIS MONTH!

“Scary Monsters” in the title. But giving it a listen today, 11 years after its release, I am simply awestruck by how hilarious this song is. The way it tosses and turns between sweet synth leads and utterly violent bass drops is ridiculously campy.

Throw it on the aux at your next Halloween party if you’re a real risk taker. You’ll be in for a frighteningly good time. – Owen Berg, Design Editor “THE BALLAD OF MONA LISA” – Panic!

At the Disco This song isn’t strictly Halloween, but it fits in with the spooky vibe. The beginning instrumental gives an eerie feeling, followed by Brendon Urie near-whispering the first line. The song gets more upbeat as the story goes on, but still maintains its spooky aura throughout. - Lukas Nelson, Sports Editor “MARCHE AU SUPPLICE” – Hector Berlioz, Symphonie Fantastique Berlioz composed the piece while high on opium, and the music represents people marching up to a guillotine. The pizzicato section near the end represents their bouncing heads after the deed is done. It’s fun; Hector was definitely high while comprising it. It’s flirty; Listeners get to witness musical death up close and personal. Most of all, it’s fresh; Those bouncing heads are all newly chopped off. - Shr-Hua Moore, Asst. Campus & Community Editor

everyone’s about period pieces masquerading as scary movies. But it’s the film that launched Anya Taylor-Joy’s career, and that alone makes it worth the 1600s accents.

TV shows “The Haunting of Hill House” (2018): The only option, my favorite TV show ever, the best thing Mike Flanagan has ever done. We follow the Crane children through catastrophic family events in their past and present. Episodes five and six are my favorite pieces of media ever. scottsr2@miamioh.edu

“Halloween Kills” lives up to the name, but not much else CONTINUED FROM FRONT are irritating figures who embody that basic role of ‘male protector full of testosterone and blinded by anger.’

This wouldn’t be as irritating if it didn’t take away from the much stronger core of characters developed in “Halloween” (2018).

In the first film, Allyson Strode feels like a legitimate teenager. She is terrified of Michael and the whole situation with her grandmother, but “Halloween Kills” tries to make her a vengeful and brave hero in place of the wounded Laurie. It feels unearned in her development as a character, and she is very ineffective in everything she does.

Laurie falls almost completely to the wayside in this movie. She feels like an afterthought, only featured in cutaways from the central plot to set up the third film in the series.

There’s even an out of place attempt to comment on mob mentality and witchunting, almost like a jab at cancel culture.

In a Halloween movie … about hunting a mass murderer.

On top of the incoherent plot, there’s several flashbacks and attempts to keep continuity with the two previous films, but they’re often more confusing than enlightening. All for the sake of this new series continuing on.

It feels like this movie could disappear completely and the continuity would be perfectly fine in the upcoming conclusion film “Halloween Ends.”

It does so little to actually advance the series, outside of a cliffhanger ending.

The only reason this movie is watchable is the kills.

“Halloween Kills” is absolutely a fitting title for this film. Michael kills more people than ever, and at some points it feels like an action film with group brawls wherein Michael takes out one grunt after another.

The kills themselves are hard to watch at times.

A few in particular took it to the extreme and caused gasps from the audience in the theater. It’s a gorefest that will be applauded for its practical effects and editing with these kills.

To the movie’s credit, Michael himself now feels like an unbeatable monster who embodies evil more than ever.

Outside of this, I have very few good things to say.

As a fan of films, “Halloween Kills” is a mess full of unnecessary subplots, bad side characters and a lack of focus on anything it introduces. Not a single new character was worthwhile and the originals only got worse. My excitement for the finale has died down considerably.

As a horror fan, it kinda goes hard.

Not gonna lie.

Rating: 4/10 mezacuem@miamioh.edu

style

14

BERGOE@MIAMIOH.EDU

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

What Miami is wearing: Halloween Edition crown, and fake blood) and glam for a memorable Halloween look.

New Perspective Three different looks, one iconic character.

ABBY SHOWALTER THE MIAMI STUDENT Considering the spookiest day of the year is right around the corner, many Miamians find themselves scrambling for the right costume.

This year students will most likely be dressing as an iconic character from their favorite movie or pop culture icon that is meaningful to them, making the

costume more special and fun.

As Halloween approaches, here’s what I think Miami students will be wearing.

Shagadelic Baby!

One of the top costumes I’m expecting this year – the Fembot – comes from “Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery.”

To make it even easier, Dollskill is selling the costume set in both pink and purple on its web-

As “Jennifer’s Body” surges in popularity after initially flopping at the box office more than a decade ago, many have been sharing their Jennifer Check costumes on Instagram.

The purple color guard costume, sold by Dollskill, already sold out in all sizes before October even began. Jennifer also has an amazing winter dance look and iconic concert outfit which can be sourced easily online or at your local thrift store DESIGN EDITOR OWEN BERG with some craftPHOTOS FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS ing.

With Megan Fox’s site. This costume is fun as both a solo or group look that will be fun increasing popularity and media attention, Jennifer is bound to be and flirty. a big look this year, any way you play it.

There Will be Blood Carrie, Steven King’s titular Sell Me This Pen character who gets covered in A couple’s costume that will pig’s blood when she is crowned prom queen as a joke amongst her live in infamy – Jordan and Naioclass, is an easy, scary, and iconic mi Belfort.

Not only is The Wolf of Wall look for Halloween.

The costume is both easy to Street a favorite among Farmsource (needing only a pink dress, er School of Business students, but it’s a fun costume that won’t

be approached with the “What are you?” question from anyone who’s seen the movie.

Easily sourced for both parties as a turquoise dress and a suit, this costume offers minimum effort with maximum results.

Oops, I Did It Again In the wake of recent Britney Spears documentaries and the surge of the #FreeBritney movement, I’m expecting anything and everything Britney this Halloween.

Similar to the MANG group costume in Netflix’s Ginny and Georgia released this past February, going full Britney is another great group costume or solo look that fits a variety of styles.

If going as a dynamic duo, Britney and Justin Timberlake’s 2001 American Music Awards all-denim outfits are a great way to go.

With low-priced denim available in a variety of thrift stores, sourcing this couples costume is both cheap and sustainable.

Globalization Mr. Worldwide, Mr. 305, Pitbull – a man of many names, and one great costume.

Dressing up as Pitbull has been extremely popular this past year.

From sorority big/little reveals to bald parties or even just for a TikTok, Pitbull has been all the rage.

As Pitbull has been touring again, I hope to see many bald heads this upcoming Halloween.

Whether going solo, with a group of friends, or with a partner, make this Halloween one to remember by finding a fun costume. showalar@maimioh.edu

Celebrities in fashion:

the intersectionality between stars and design

DESIGN EDITOR OWEN BERG

AZUL COOK THE MIAMI STUDENT It’s common to hear of a celebrity launching a beauty product or a clothing line these days. No celebrity is merely an actor, actress, musician or comedian anymore.

In order to maintain relevance in the public eye, celebrities feel the need to do something more.

This isn’t exactly a new development.

“The first time we really started seeing outside influences on fashion was with hip hop,” said Rebecca Robinson, a professor in Miami University’s fashion department.

As time progressed, however, this extended across much more of the performing world. Since the rise of hip hop in the 1970s, celebrities of all disciplines have broken into the fashion scene.

These figures range from names that might be more expected like Britney Spears or Rihanna, to other stars that people might not usually associate with fashion, like Melissa McCarthy or Rebel Wilson, both of whom are usually comedians.

“Rihanna’s beauty and lingerie

collections ... They did a lot in fixing holes in the market,” Robinson said. “Fenty had options for a wider variety of skin tones, and her lingerie went up to sizes that other lines just didn’t.”

Celebrities are often able to break into these spaces due to their public status and name recognition, according to an article in Psychology Today.

However, a lot of these celebrity lines or collaborations are done purely for financial gain and notoriety.

“For things like perfumes, colognes, eau de parfum, what have you, the packaging actually costs more than the product,” Robinson said. “The money is not in the product, it’s not in the clothing.

It’s in the licensing.”

Many celebrities who don’t seem like they’d have any connection to the fashion industry are still releasing clothing lines.

Glamour Magazine compiled a list of more than 30 celebrities who own fashion brands.

Some aren’t surprising, like Kate Hudson, Kylie Jenner and Kim Kardashian. But others are a bit more unusual, like Ellen DeGe-

neres, a comedian and talk show host, who released her fashion line ED in 2015.

Glamour described ED as offering “everything from clothing and accessories to pet, baby, and home items.”

Another unexpected name

dresses, hoodies, jewelry, and more. In fact, Meghan Markle wore a Serena brand blazer during her tour of Australia and New Zealand in 2018, according to Glamour.

However, decisions regarding these fashion lines aren’t entirely

decades the intersectionality between celebrities and the fashion industry has only grown. This pattern will most likely hold true well into the future.

Some of the crossover might be for the best, and will serve to fix some of the holes in the market.

“The first time we really started seeing outside influences on fashion was with hip hop” - Rebecca Robinson

from this list is Serena Williams.

While it might be normal to think that Serena would release an athletic line, her fashion line, Serena, is anything but.

Instead of athletic wear, “Serena” is a collection of fashionable

up to the celebrity.

“Some celebrities are very involved with their lines, others are hardly involved at all,” Robinson said.“They make very few decisions for their line.”

Throughout the last several

Some might crash and burn, and fade into obscurity. Either way, the future of fashion seems to be almost synonymous with the future of fame. cookjb3@miamioh.edu

BERGOE@MIAMIOH.EDU

15

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Romanticism and nature at Paris Fashion Week KAYA YOUNG THE MIAMI STUDENT While edginess and opulence took center stage in many of this year’s Paris Fashion Week shows, designer Georges Hobeika stood out with a different direction.

The relatively new couturier’s ethereal collection, named “Orchidée Précieuse” (Precious Orchid), evoked imagery of fairy tales, nature and magic. A quintessential example of the fantastical, dreamy wonder that Paris symbolizes.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, society has been in an uncertain and fearful place. Many aspects of life have become muddled in this mess, and lack excitement and hopefulness. Hobeika responded to society’s recent changes and conflicts in a particularly beautiful way through classic elegance, romanticism and dreaminess.

Over the last couple years, people have been immersed in storytelling as quarantine brought everyone inside to spend time binge watching TV and movies. The comfort of fantasy and idealizing life has become popular, so this romantic and idyllic aesthetic is perfectly fitting.

Hobeika evoked the art nouveau style by including nature imagery and flowing, loose structures. Each look drew inspiration

HOBEIKA’S MOST RECENT SHOW WAS ETHEREAL AND ROMANTIC, DRAWING INSPRIATION FROM THE ORCHID FLOWER. PHOTOS FROM @GEORGESHOBEIKA ON INSTAGRAM

the air, looking soft and dainty.

Hobeika nailed this in each and every piece of the collection. He

“While Saint Laurent used subtle sensuality and empowerment through reclamation of female sexuality, Hobeika embraced elegance and femininity to empower women.” from and evoked the meaning and imagery of the Orchid flower.

The orchid flows and swirls in

used free-flowing fabric and an assortment of delicate colors and textiles. Many of the garments

were made up of a variety of soft pastels and floral detailing. Some were decorated with feathers, jewels, petals and prints.

One of the standout looks was a pastel pink, one-shoulder gown with a fluid sheer bottom and magenta feathers and silver embroidery across the torso. Another magical pink dress was magenta with a midi-length, A-line skirt. It was made up almost completely of feathers with a pink sequined corset. These dresses simultaneously showed the delicacy and power of feminine romanticism beautifully.

Many of the garments also used pastel yellows and blues.

One fitted blue gown was sheer

with light pink feathers and embroidery forming swirling shapes creeping up to the shoulder. The fluidity and movement in the garment brought the nature imagery in a very subtle and soft way.

Many of the other garments in the collection weren’t quite as colorful. The looks made up of black and neutral toned fabric with fewer embellishments allowed the silhouettes and movements to do the talking.

This collection also gave symbolism into themes of female empowerment, much like Paris fashion powerhouse Saint Laurent did in its Spring/Summer 2022 ready-to-wear collection.

While Saint Laurent used sub-

tle sensuality and empowerment through reclamation of female sexuality, Hobeika embraced elegance and femininity to empower women.

According to the overview of the collection on Hoebeika’s website, “the knots, pleats, ruffles, patterns, attesting to the knowhow of the Maison’s workshops, enliven the refinement of these outfits designed for modern goddesses.”

The collection is made for the woman who is empowered and energized through nature, fantasy, etherealness, and tenderness. youngkr5@miamioh.edu

Paris Fashion Week: Acne Studios and the debate of deconstructed fashion

ACNE STUDIOS’ MOST RECENT COLLECTION EVOKED THE DECONSTRUCTIONIST MOVEMENT OF THE 80’S. PHOTOS FROM @ACNESTUDIOS ON INSTAGRAM

MIHAELA MANOVA THE MIAMI STUDENT It is no surprise that high fashion brand Acne Studios made a comeback to the fashion scene.

The Swedish brand returned last week to Paris Fashion Week to host its first runway show since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Acne studios debuted a fall-esque collection, filled with see through fabrics,

Are you a: • writer • photographer • designer • or illustrator?

deconstructed silhouettes, and bright colors.

Acne Studios founder and designer Johnny Johansson decided to take a new approach with his looks this season. Johansson brought to the runway boxy leather jackets, lace up socks and wooden platform shoes.

The designer also opted for hues of orange, cerulean blue, pastel yellow and even bright spring green.

The collection had elements of deconstruction, as threads were seen purposefully dangling from the models’ sleeves.

Fashion United writer Rachel Douglass talked about the historical references within the collection.

“Corsets played a huge role in the collection, some designed with baroque floral patterns, reminiscent of medieval-like garments though with futuristic twists,” Douglass wrote.

This season, the introduction of these futuristic pieces makes way for the deconstructionist movement.

To fall under the category of “deconstruction,” the garments should look unfinished or in the process of finishing. They could also be disassembled and put together to form something new through techniques like mixing fabrics or cutting already finished silhouettes. There could also be exposed stitching, hanging threads or even holes.

According to Yugen, the origin of deconstructed fashion comes from three designers who are from “the uncrowned royal family of destruction:” Yohji Yamamoto, Rei Kawakubo and Martin Margiela.

During the 1980s, the fashion scene was overrun by designs that were seen as polished and form fitting. Yamamoto and Kawakubo sent frayed edges, tears and layered fabrics down the runway, along with silhouettes that were loose and unshapely.

Those designs inspired designers like Margiela and Vivienne Westwood to create their own spins on deconstructed fashion, as Westwood would include rips and tears in her punk-inspired collections.

The term “deconstructionism” was coined by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in the 1960s. According to fashion blog Making The Unfinished, the term is “normally applied to text but also describes breaking down conventions and normal boundaries.” The term could not only be displayed through fashion, but also through architecture and music.

Even though deconstructionist clothing is made by elite fashion houses, the aesthetic has made both fans and critics of the movement. The idea of “looking poor” but selling the pieces at a high price made people dislike the way the clothing was mar-

keted.

In the 80s, The Washington Post recounted how Bloomingdale’s displayed a “willowy model in a drab-colored, raggedy, tattered dress.”

A small protest of homeless people and their advocates formed outside of the store. Their stance accused the company of mocking the poor just so that the rich could get dressed up like them.

In 2015, Kanye West’s Yeezy line received the same criticism as the rapper-designer was selling distressed sweaters for over $1,000.

Yet, today there are more fans and critics via Twitter. Among the ones who support the movement, Twitter user @samaradanielleb said, “The new deconstructed fashion is just what we needed. We’re finally moving into more futuristic designs.”

On the contrary, user @sabrinaydm98 said, “Anti-fashion/deconstructed fashion can become a bunch of overpriced rags that are NOT worth the price.”

In the end, the era of deconstructed fashion is still upon us. From the 80s until now, we will bear to witness more collections showcasing the art of tearing and putting textiles back together. manovamd@miamioh.edu

Visit miamistudent.net to Join the TMS Team!

Humor

16

ROBIN119@MIAMIOH.EDU

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

ALEX COULOMBE THE MIAMI STUDENT Jitter Juice. Liquid Energy.

Rocket Fuel.

Caffeine has become a point of contention in our society. Health nuts will tell you to stay away, that it will cause irreparable damage in your future, and yet, more companies are putting this suspicious drug into their products.

For example, the editor of this column? She is avidly against all caffeine, believing it to be a product of the devil. While I, the writer, believe it to be a gift from God (yes, capital G. It’s that good).

I wouldn’t even be writing this article if I didn’t have 200 milligrams of the Lord’s finest coursing through my veins.

Humans on Caffeine

Still against caffeine? Well, you know that old question, “If all your friends jumped off a bridge would you follow?” According to some source on the internet, 85% of the American population consumes at least one caffeinated beverage a day. So, 280 million of your closest friends just jumped off a bridge, are you ready to take the leap?

Let’s take a look at what caffeine can do for you.

The number one usage of caffeine is to stay awake and increase brain performance. Well, one study found that caffeine dosages of 50mg increased brain performance by 5% in a one-hour period.

What would happen if you were to consume more? Say you took 500mg. That’s a brain power increase of 50%. Good, but I think we

“I wouldn’t even be writing this article if I didn’t have 200 milligrams of the Lord’s finest coursing through my veins.” can do better.

Let’s say you replaced your entire daily food intake with caffeine, that’s 453,000 milligrams of caffeine. You’re probably thinking, how in the world could you get that caffeine level in a day? Well, my favorite method is via pill, it’s quick,

efficient, and feels the most illegal which increases the rush!

Regardless, that amount totals a brain power increase of 45,300%.

Now once you can get over the numerous voices screaming in your head, you’ll finally be able to access all corners of your brain and complete your one measly task for the

day.

I’ve made my case, this glorious substance, the gift from God, the best legal psychoactive drug there is, are you ready to jump off a bridge my friend? coulomam@miamioh.edu

Time travel is real and I can prove it HARRISON CRONE

THE MIAMI STUDENT If you like living in a stable universe of reason, you have me to thank. I was an assistant store manager at Marco’s Pizza by the age of seventeen. I’d like to think this was due to my performance, but upon reflecting on my experi-

his name, but I’ll call him Frank.

He was seventeen, decent looking — about a seven, with luscious, long red hair that flowed like the waters of Niagara Falls. Of course, given a chance to go home early, he blasted out in his blue Ford pickup truck.

We got an order for a single pizza soon after Frank left. Many

ing my community.

The truck had seen better days; it was rusted on the trim, the dashboard was cracked, and the leather on the wheel torn. It was a truck that gave “Pimp my Ride” nightmares. He had a long red beard and a Bass Pro Shop trucker hat, with a spooky face that screamed tragedy.

“In fact, I believe owning a Ford is a hereditary disease. With this in mind, I asked Frank if anyone in his family had a long red beard and a tragic lifestyle.” ence, I believe I got there by sheer desperation for upper management. As a lackluster manager, I made bad judgment calls frequently.

There was one particular night in which, surprise, ole Harrison was a dunce. I sent my only pizza maker home half an hour early, as we were slow. I do not remember

sad single people lived in my town who would order a single pizza to fill the hole in their existence.

Thus I thought nothing was too out of the ordinary.

Like all the others, the man arrived at the store looking like a train wreck. He was the owner of yet another blue Ford truck. Indeed, the Ford disease was ravag-

I wasn’t a fan. He smelled of beef jerky and gave me bad vibes.

Because of this, I rushed his order out to him. Here is where things got bizarre.

Before parting into the darkness, where surely a man like him feels comfy, he leaned out and simply asked, “Is Frank working?”

Typically when this question is

asked, I deny it no matter what.

I don’t want to be known as the manager that reunited Ted Bundy with his prey. However, bad vibes led to bad judgment. I told him he had just left to get this man out of the drive-thru and back under the bridge he came from.

Instant regret was painted on his face. He looked distant, as if his life-long mission had failed — not a very good sign for me.

The man then said, “Tell Frank to be honest to Ben and himself,” an even worse sign for me. For context, Frank and Ben were best friends.

Who was this man, and how did he know that?

Over the next 24 hours, my curiosity tortured me until I saw Frank again at work. At this point, I assumed the stranger was perhaps a relative to Frank. He looked a lot like Frank and drove an eerily similar truck.

In fact, I believe owning a Ford is a hereditary disease. With this in mind, I asked Frank if anyone in his family had a long red beard and a tragic lifestyle. He said, “Of course I do!” Instant relief washed over me, the mystery was solved, and my subconscious obsession over this man was gone.

Sadly, this relief was shortlived. It turns out that the uncle who fit the description was stationed in Germany at the moment. The question remained: who the hell was this man?

The red hair, the same truck,

and the defeated look on his face knowing he had missed Frank led me to conclude that this gentleman was indeed Frank from the future.

Panic set in quick and my brain scattered to find something to disprove this conclusion.

I never looked at the name on the order in my urge to get Mr. Beef Jerky out of the drive-thru.

Looking at the name on the ticket would destroy the entire theory.

Surely it would not be Frank, and my role in the sanctity of the universe would be reduced to a paltry assistant manager, not a guardian of continuity.

Upon investigation, the name on the ticket was indeed Frank.

I was but a teenager; what was I to do? What are the ramifications of me not telling him?

Indeed it was an important statement; time travel is no joke.

However, I am a man of lousy judgment: I never told Frank what I was supposed to.

One month later, I found out that Frank was having an affair with Ben’s girlfriend. After 19 years of friendship, they became mortal enemies, and that’s on me, I guess.

But also, the universe hasn’t been destroyed, so who’s the real bad guy? My money is on Bezos. cronehr@miamioh.edu

Click on this article and all your dreams will come true JOEY VOSS THE MIAMI STUDENT Ok, I know what you’re thinking.

I clicked on the article, now where is my Gucci belt and lifetime supply of gummy bears? Where is my personal butler who is forced to be my best friend and keep the paparazzi out of my rose garden? But most importantly, where is my dignity?

I feel for you. I truly do, because three months ago I was asking these

Peru.

As things go, my information was publicized. I became framed as the figurehead for this hostile gang. The gang led a successful coup, and though I was innocent, I was behind bars in another country not a day later, yada yada yada.

Now, looking back at where things went wrong … I spot a few areas in which maybe I overlooked a thing or two: Turns out, social security is private.

NOT a social thing to bring up during

“Tell your children you love them and lock yourself in your doomsday shelter. Help will be on the way.” same questions. But behind prison bars in South America. I was given a similar, yet deceiving prompt: “Click this link and fill out a brief survey on your personal social security information for your chance to win a FREE ~all-inclusive~ trip around the world.”

And guess what? I WON. But apparently my personal information was leaked and ended up in the hands of a hostile drug cartel located in

conversation with a stranger.

I don’t know how it is even technologically possible that I clicked a link on a paper flyer… but here we are!

Around the world? The Earth is flat, dummies. Should have done a simple fact check before making a fool of myself on a public domain.

Anyways, that is the topic of today’s discussion: SCAMS! They are everywhere! In your DMs,

your online girlfriend’s Facebook page, the sushi at gas stations, under your bed, floating around in the air giving you COVID … or however that works.

The point is, you have to be on your game at all times!

Now, how do we look out for these snakes in the grass? These big chuguses of evil? What do we do if we are in the middle of watching “The Price Is Right” and get a mysterious phone call by a charming man with an oddly digital-sounding voice?

Thankfully I’ve compiled a condensed cheat sheet of tactics you can use to defend yourself: Ask Your Mom Moms know everything! From making your favorite meatloaf dish to sewing the hole in your blankie to helping you turn on the washing machine, moms know it all! So next time pause, and tell your scammer, “Hold on, let me ask my mom real quick.”

The Panic Attack Hang up your phone immediately.

Turn it off. Wrap it heavily in tin foil.

Put it in a shoe box. Then a bigger shoe box. Then tie a weight to it and throw it in a nearby pond. Call your bank and cancel everything you have ever signed up for.

Tell your children you love them and lock yourself in your doomsday shelter.

Help will be on the

way.

The Reverse Scam Now this one isn’t for beginners. I suggest you practice this one on at least a handful of grandmas in your vicinity.

Or one will work if your grandma has dementia like mine (just wait a little bit between practice sessions to get a fresh start). Ok, now repeat after me, “I don’t know… what is your credit card number?” Clever innit? You’d never know what is possible without asking.

Alright I’ve done my duty to keep fellow members of the online world safe by giving my expertise and safety precautions. Now it is up to YOU! Stay safe out there, and remember: TRUST NO ONE (except for me!

Scan the QR code) vossjs@miamioh.edu

SCAN THIS QR CODE TO MAKE ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE. HUMOR EDITOR JESSICA ROBINSON

17

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

ROBIN119@MIAMIOH.EDU

How to Have a Sexy Halloween When You Go to School in a Cornfield SETH MYERS

THE MIAMI STUDENT As Halloween looms ever closer, college students and sexually repressed cosplayers alike ponder only one thing: what costume should I wear, and how can I make it as sexy as possible?

For students of Miami University, however, another obstacle stands in the way of those hot n’ heavy harvest hookups and Halloween hangovers we so look forward to. Namely, finding a suitable party habitat in Oxford, Ohio, the land of the corn and home of the unshaved country boy, presents a seemingly insurmountable challenge.

But fret not, dear reader, as this article will provide you with the five essential steps you need to enjoy your Halloween while surrounded by husks instead of hunks!

Invite the Right Friends Friends can always disappoint you. They can bail on your party, get together with your crush, talk about you behind your back and more. In times like these, I turn to the one I know I can always depend on, my scarecrows.

Scarecrows will never leave you behind, talk behind your back, or partake in any sexual activity without your intervention. In other words, you have complete control over every aspect of your scarecrow’s life. If that isn’t a healthy

model for relationships, then my scarecrow boyfriend Jonathan and I don’t know what is.

Choose the Right Snacks Carving a pumpkin this year?

Great!

But instead of throwing out your gutted pumpkin spaghetti like an amateur, put it in some nice Tupperware and save it for later. Why, you ask? Raw pumpkin guts’ effect on the body is twofold, acting as both a natural hallucinogenic and an aphrodisiac.

With this nifty (and completely legal) tool at your disposal, you can turn any environment into an awesome Halloween wonderland!

Plus, that tall, lanky scarecrow over there is starting to look a lot like Timothée Chalamet, isn’t it?

Wear a Sexy Costume The most exciting part of the Halloween season is creating the perfect costume to impress that special someone on the dance floor.

There are a few key elements to consider when choosing your costume, however.

1. Identify your target!

Who are you trying to impress?

Is it a man, woman, or scarecrow?

Knowing your target audience and what they are attracted to is a vital step in determining how you should dress.

2. Know your body type!

What costumes best complement your figure? Should you dress in something more form-fitting,

like a sexy scarecrow nurse, or something loose and flowing like a scarecrow ghost? Maybe you want to show off that hard work at the gym by wearing nothing but a Roman toga and a burlap sack over your face! Knowing what looks best

These three steps will help you to create the best Halloween costume at your party. Your crush will be bursting with straw and excitement to dance with you!

Create a Banger Playlist What Halloween party is com-

“As Halloween looms ever closer, college students and sexually repressed cosplayers alike ponder only one thing: what costume should I wear, and how can I make it as sexy as possible?” on you will help create an outfit to really turn heads.

3. Be economic!

Costume pieces can get expensive, and many college students work on a tight budget, so get creative with how you make your costume! Go to thrift stores, borrow from friends, or go to farms to get great deals on costumes or loose straw!

plete without a playlist of all the season’s spookiest hits?

This year, however, instead of playing “The Monster Mash” or “Thriller,” try kicking it up a notch with a ghastly and groovy original soundtrack! To give you some ideas, my personal playlist consists of an audiobook of Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart,” karaoke covers of every Nine Inch

Nails song, an MP3 recording of a pig giving birth, and just the narration from Disney World’s Haunted Mansion ride.

Pick the right music, and you won’t have to worry about any awkward silences falling between you and your scarecrow party guests!

Do Something That Truly Scares You The most important aspect of any Halloween party is finding ways to inspire a sense of festive fright. Here in Oxford, there are plenty of ways to scare yourselves and others. Maybe you invite your job prospects to your hallucinogenic, scarecrow-populated party!

Maybe you do the demon-summoning dance on the Seal outside Upham! Maybe you go to Brick Street! Whatever you do, it should be something that fills both you and your scarecrow companions with true dread.

Well there you have it, dear readers. Follow these five steps, and you can create the sexiest, spookiest, scarecrow-iest Halloween party Oxford, Ohio has ever seen! For more general life advice, follow my subreddit r/manlovesscarecrow, and check in again soon to learn about how you can turn Thanksgiving family conflict into a Thanksgiving family party! myersse5@miamioh.edu,

THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES JESSICA ROBINSON HUMOR EDITOR

RYAN HOCKING THE MIAMI STUDENT

Least popular friend in the group only included in suicide pact out of pity

Miami University revises COVID-19 guidelines to keep up with current misinformation

Woman adds 4 packs of Natty Lite to her dowry, is now a favorite among freshmen

Florida Governor cuts funding for surgical center after surgeons Journalism major refuses to stop continue to wear masks taking notes during date, says excitedly, Man kills Noodles the pug and steals his bones, saying “it’s always a bones day now”

“But there might be a scandal!”

Professor sits in agonizing silence after no one laughs at sexist joke

England announces Prince Man, faced with difficult choice Phillip did not die, still between eating at Martin or waiting in the car for eating off Brick’s floor, dies someone to get him “Farmer boys” added to list of slurs no longer allowed on Company offers unpaid, Miami University’s campus

indefinite maternity leave for all mothers

Greg Crawford wears bald cap, embarrassed by beautiful, golden lion’s mane

Man who camps outside classroom of CHM 141 every night for the best seat is still failing

Helen Peabody seen leaving Peabody Hall last Tuesday for her weekly Tuffy’s Toasted Roll

18

Sports

NELSO156@MIAMIOH.EDU

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Miami football ‘Lights the Night’ for Cancer Awareness

LUKAS NELSON SPORTS EDITOR A little bit after 8 p.m. on Oct. 14 in Yager Stadium, the overhead lights surrounding the field suddenly turned off.

Approximately one hundred people, including many current Miami University student-athletes, flicked on their red, yellow or white lanterns and started walking along the sidelines.

They did one lap, then two. The stadium lights turned back on, but some decided to take an extra lap.

The walk was part of the team’s “Light the Night” event. Sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), “Light the Night” is an event to raise awareness and funds for those affected by blood cancer.

Miami football has been actively supporting LLS since 2015. Usually, the team attends the annual “Light the Night” event in Cincinnati. This year however, LLS wanted a smaller in-person event and held a virtual event as well.

Instead, Miami’s Director of Football Operations, Matt Yoches, had the idea of holding the event in Yager Stadium for the first time.

Yoches emceed the event, telling attendees where to stand and when to turn their lanterns on.

“Yoches did an unbelievable job,” Head Football Coach Chuck Martin said.

President Gregory Crawford and his wife, Renate, were in attendance, as well as Director of Athletics David Sayler. Martin and his assistant coaches were there, along with many members of Miami’s football team. Athletes from the women’s basketball and softball teams also attended the event, among others.

“It’s just wonderful to see all the student athletes and the teams pick up the cause for cancer,” Crawford said.

Upon entering the stadium, there were two tables set up near the bleachers. One table had white paper bags with sharpies. Patrons could write the names of people close to them who had died of cancer.

After writing the name of a loved one on the bag, attendees lined up the bags on the sideline at each yard-line marker.

Another table had red, yellow and white lanterns. The colors were symbolic: white lanterns were for cancer survivors, while yellow lanterns were for those who had lost a family member or friend to cancer. A red lantern showed solidarity to those affected by cancer.

“Cancer affects all of us,” Martin said. “...

Like we tell our (players), if you haven’t dealt with it yet, you’re all gonna.”

Quintin Richardson was one of the people carrying a white lantern. Richardson, an Oxford native, was diagnosed with Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Feb. 2016. He was just 6 years

(TOP) THE LIGHTS TURNED OFF AT YAGER STADIUM AS ATTENDESS TURNED ON THEIR LANTERNS. THE EVENT WAS ORGANIZED BY MIAMI DIRECTOR OF FOOTBALL OPERATIONS MATT YOCHES (PICTURED, BOTTOM LEFT). PHOTOS BY ZACH REICHMAN

as a punter from 2004 to 2008. Richardson is grateful for the team’s continued support of Quintin.

“It means a ton. I mean, that’s the type of support that helps build the foundation to help families get through these tough situations like that.

And they’ve been there since the beginning.”

As of 2018, Richardson is cancer-free.

At 8 p.m, a message from LLS played on the video board. At the conclusion of the video, attendees were instructed to flick their lanterns on. The stadium lights turned off,

“It’s just wonderful to see all the student-athletes and teams pick up the cause for cancer.”

- President Greg Crawford old.

A year later, Miami made Richardson an honorary member of its 2017 recruiting class.

Richardson’s father, Jake, is a Talawanda graduate who played on Miami’s football team

NOVEMBER 5

Volleyball Miami vs. Ohio 7 p.m. @ Millett Hall

NOVEMBER 6

Volleyball Miami vs. Ohio 5 p.m. @ Millett Hall

NOVEMBER 9

Football Miami vs. Buffalo TBA @ Yager Stadium

NOVEMBER 12

“It would be nice if we could grow this a little bit more to the Oxford community and really have it be a larger thing,” Sayler said.

Martin envisions the event becoming not just a staple in Miami Athletics, but for the entire student population. “(We’d) like to keep expanding on it,” Martin said. “Like, have it be a campus-wide thing where we have hundreds and hundreds of people here.”

Martin called the night “humbling, but rewarding.”

“You feel guilty, you feel appreciative … everything we take for granted,” Martin said.

“You have a bad day, we all have bad days, we all have stuff we complain about … and then you come out here and you think, ‘What do I have to complain about?’”

UP NEXT

Hockey Miami vs. North Dakota 7:05 @ Goggin Ice Center

NOVEMBER 13

and all anyone could see were red, yellow and white lights.

Everyone took a lap around the sidelines once, then twice, before the stadium lights turned on again. Patrons could walk as many laps as they wanted, but mostly people stood around and talked, soaking in the night.

“I thought it was amazing when they turned off all the lights, and you had to light up your balloon and you kinda see who’s been affected by it,” wide receivers coach Israel Woolfork said. “On a day to day basis, a lot of us in this stadium tonight may not have known that a family member or friend has passed away or has won the fight against cancer.”

While the event wasn’t originally supposed to be held in Oxford, it may have found a new home in Yager Stadium. Sayler and others have discussed plans to hold this event in Oxford, and to expand the event to people in the Oxford area.

Men’s Basketball Miami vs. Lamar 2 p.m. @ Millett Hall Hockey Miami vs. North Dakota 5:05 @ Goggin Ice Center

NOVEMBER 16

Football Miami vs. Bowling Green TBA @ Yager Stadium

NOVEMBER 17

Men’s Basketball Miami vs. Stetson 7 p.m. @ Millett Hall

NOVEMBER 20

Men’s Basketball Miami vs. Heidelberg 2 p.m. @ Millett Hall

NOVEMBER 23

@LukasTheDream nelso156@miamioh.edu

NOVEMBER 26

Men’s Basketball Miami vs. Defiance College 7 p.m. @ Millett Hall

Hockey Miami vs. LIU 7:05 p.m. @ Goggin Ice Center

NOVEMBER 24

Hockey Miami vs. LIU 5:05 p.m. @ Goggin Ice Center

Women’s Basketball Miami vs. Northern Kentucky 6 p.m. @ Millett Hall

NOVEMBER 27

NELSO156@MIAMIOH.EDU

SPORTS 19 Men’s basketball schedule: Four key dates to watch

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Men’s basketball hopes to be one of the best teams in the MAC

JUNIOR GUARD DAE DAE GRANT SIZES UP A DEFENDER DURING A FEB 12 LOSS TO AKRON PHOTOS BY ZACH REICHMAN

LUKAS NELSON SPORTS EDITOR

On the wing, redshirt sophomore Javin Etzler could be looking at a bigger role on the team this season. While Etzler played sparingly last year (9.9 minutes per game), Owens praised his shooting ability and IQ. “He’s a very savvy basketball player,” Owens said. “But his ability to stretch the floor and shoot the basketball is something that helps him play with a lot of guys.”

While Ayah chose to return for another season, his playing time isn’t guaranteed. Miami rotated three centers last season: Ayah, and seniors James Beck and Eli McNamara.

Ayah started the most games out of the trio and led the team in shooting percentage, shooting 56.7 percent from the field. Beck started the least amount of games among reMEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH JACK OWENS (BOTTOM) DOESN’T WANT TO PUT A CEILING ON HIS TEAM’S SUCCESS THIS SEASON. PHOTOS BY ZACH REICHMAN turning centers, but was effective off the J’NAI KNOX bench. He averaged 7.1 points per game THE MIAMI STUDENT and 4.9 rebounds per game.

McNamara showed flashes of skill, Miami men’s basketball coach Jack Owens has no intentions of limiting ex- but was the least productive of the trio. pectations for the Miami RedHawks this Sophomore Jackson Ames may also be in contention for minutes. season.

Looking ahead to the season, Owens “I’m not putting a ceiling on this noted a few newcomers whom he thinks team,” Owens said.

Owens has good reason to be optimis- will positively impact the team.

Sophomore forward Kamari Williams tic.

This year brings plenty of familiar fac- who transferred from Boston College, es on the roster, including sixth-year cen- freshman guard Marr Avance and freshter Precious Ayah and fifth-year forward man forward Curtis Harrison IV are just Dalonte Brown Sr. The pair announced a few.

Williams, a 6-foot-7 forward, averaged their intent to return for a fifth year last just 2.6 points per game and 1.2 rebounds Spring. “[There’s] nowhere else I’d rather be,” per game. He will likely come off the Brown Sr. said. “I’m 330 rebounds away bench, but could end up starting by the from 1000 to be second in school histo- end of the season.

Avance and Harrison IV are the only ry, that’s something that made me come two members of Owens’ 2021 recruiting back, too.”

Last season, Brown Sr. became the class. Avance is from Indianapolis, while 37th player in RedHawk history to pass Harrison IV is from Cincinnati.

Last season Miami went 12-11 overall 1,000 career points. He averaged 13.5 points per game last season and led the and 9-8 in the MAC, recording its first winning season since 2009. team with 7.4 rebounds per game.

Both Brown Sr. and Grant attested the The team also returns guards Mekhi team’s recent success to newfound chemLairy and Dae Dae Grant. Lairy started all 23 games last year and averaged 12.8 istry on and off the court. “[In] the locker room and weight points per game, shooting an efficient 45.5 percent from the field and 41.6% be- room, we talk a lot and it’s fun,” said Grant. “Everyone gels together.” hind the 3-point line.

Owens agreed and said each memLairy, a senior, is 244 points away ber of the team has a wristband with the from reaching 1,000 points in a career.

Grant spoke highly of Lairy’s develop- quote “do your job, play hard, no excuses.” ment since last season.

“Those are things we play and live by,” “Khi has been working very hard on and off the court,” he said. “It’s really Owens said. “[The team is] more playbeen showing and I’m excited for him. He er led than coach led. That’s the beauty of what we have now and hopefully that has a knack and tenacity to want to win.”

Of course, Grant is no slouch himself. translates to more wins.”

Looking ahead to the season, Owens The junior guard led the team with 13.7 noted a few players whom he thinks will point per game last season, including a blistering 41 percent from three and 87.2 positively impact the team.

The season kicks off with an exhibition percent from the free throw line. Grant game against Capital University, followed earned a Third-Team All-MAC spot for by 11 non-conference matchups. Two his effort.

Miami’s backcourt was a bright spot games to highlight are the University of last year. Along with Grant and Lairy are Cincinnati in Millet Hall Dec. 1 and the redshirt junior Myja White and redshirt Clemson Tigers away Dec. 14.

The RedHawks start their 20-game senior Isaiah Coleman-Lands. White usuMid-American Conference (MAC) schedally started alongside Grant and Lairy and provided much-needed defense and ule against the University at Buffalo shooting. He made 41 percent of his Bulls, the same team that knocked them 3-point attempts last season and often out of the MAC Tournament Quarterfinal.

Brown Sr., Grant, and Owens all agree guarded the team’s best player. on one of the team’s main goals: to be one Coleman-Lands was the sixth man for the RedHawks in 2021. Though he didn’t of the top teams in the league.

Catch the RedHawks in Millett Hall start a game, he was fourth on the team in minutes played and was second in assists. Saturday, Nov. 13 against Lamar UniverBrown Sr. also expects sophomore sity. guard Bryson Tatum to be a factor on the team this season.

“I think he’s definitely gonna turn a lot of heads this year,” Brown Sr. said.

knoxj@miamioh.edu

Miami men’s basketball Head Coach Jack Owens is excited for the team’s non-conference schedule.

But not for the games you might think.

Yes, the RedHawks will play Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) teams Georgia Tech and Clemson, who each made the NCAA Tournament last season.

However, Owens is looking forward to other non-conference opponents like Bellarmine, Lamar, Stetson and Indiana State.

“Games like that are definitely gonna get us ready for conference play,” Owens said.

Now, here are four games to watch for the team this season: NOV. 9 @ GEORGIA TECH The RedHawks open the 2021-22 season against Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponent Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets were an NCAA Tournament team last season, losing to Loyala-Chicago in the first round as a No. 8 seed.

Georgia Tech lost its star power forward and 2021 ACC Player of the Year, Moses Wright, but returns seniors Michael Devoe, Bubba Parham and Jordan Usher.

“Any time you can play NCAA Tournament teams, it’s gonna be a great game for us,” Owens said.

DEC. 1 VS CINCINNATI On the first day of December, the RedHawks will play an old foe in Millett Hall. Miami hasn’t played Cincinnati in men’s basketball since Nov. 29, 2011, when the Bearcats beat the RedHawks 56-47.

The last time Cincinnati traveled to Oxford was Dec. 10, 2010.

The contest will be the 148th meeting between the teams. Cincinnati leads the series, 94-53.

“It’s gonna be a great atmosphere, great game,” Owens said. “Hopefully this is something we can build off of as well.”

While Cincinnati has had recent success on the hardwood, the team has fallen on hard times after losing former head coach Mick Cronin. The Bearcats had a 12-11 record last season, a far cry from its usual standard, and saw six players enter the transfer portal immediately after the season.

DEC. 14 @ CLEMSON The RedHawks go on the road in December to face off against another ACC opponent. Clemson also made the NCAA Tournament, losing to Rutgers as a No. 7 seed.

The Tigers lost Second-Team All-ACC power forward Aamir Sims to the NBA, and guard Clyde Trapp transferred to Charlotte.

Still, they return junior guards Al-Amir Dawes and Nick Honor and senior forward Hunter Tyson.

JAN. 18 VS OHIO The reigning MAC Champions — and March Madness Cinderella — travels to Oxford on Jan. 18. The Bobcats came into the MAC Tournament as a five seed last season, but made an improbable run to win the tournament, defeating Kent State, Toledo and Buffalo.

Ohio was given a No. 13 seed for the NCAA Tournament and matched up against the No. 4 seed, Virginia. The Bobcats defeated the Cavaliers 62-58 in one of the biggest upsets in the tournament. The team ended its run by losing to the No. 5 seed, Creighton, in the second round.

First-Team All-MAC guard Jason Preston was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft, but the team retained forward Ben Vander Plass, who used his extra year of eligibility to return for his fifth season. Also returning for the Bobcats is forwards Ben Roderick Dwight Wilson III, as well as guard Lundon McDay. Full Schedule • Nov. 4 vs. Capital University (Exhibition) • Nov. 9 @ Georgia Tech • Nov. 12 vs. Lamar University • Nov. 17 vs. Stetson University • Nov. 20 vs. Heidelberg College • Nov. 23 vs. Defiance College • Nov. 27 @ Western Illinois University • Dec. 1 vs. University of Cincinnati • Dec. 4 @ Indiana State University • Dec. 14 @ Clemson University • Dec. 18 vs. Bellarmine University • Dec. 21 vs. Spalding University • Dec. 29 @ University at Buffalo • Jan. 1 vs. Central Michigan University • Jan. 4. @ Bowling Green University • Jan. 8 vs. University of Akron • Jan. 11 vs. University of Toledo • Jan. 15 @ Western Michigan University • Jan. 18 vs. Ohio University • Jan. 22 vs. Northern Illinois University • Jan. 25 @ Ball State University • Jan. 29 @ Eastern Michigan University • Feb. 1 vs. Kent State University • Feb. 5 @ University of Akron • Feb. 8 vs. Western Michigan University • Feb. 12 vs. Bowling Green University • Feb. 15 @ Ohio University • Feb. 19 @ Northern Illinois University • Feb. 22 vs. University at Buffalo • Feb. 26 @ University of Toledo • March 1 @ Central Michigan University • March 4 vs. Eastern Michigan University @LukasTheDream nelso156@miamioh.edu

’Hawks Talk

- Miami Football Recruiting Twitter account references “Squid Game”

Sports

20

NELSO156@MIAMIOH.EDU

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Cincinnati wants the NWSL – and it shouldn’t

A fan at heart:

A glimpse into the rise of Miami’s TikTok sensation WES PAYNE THE MIAMI STUDENT

MICHAEL VESTEY STAFF WRITER Content warning: This article contains themes of sexual and interpersonal violence.

Soccer is the best sport in the world.

There, I said it. You know my biases now. I’ve grown up with soccer – most of, if not all of my earliest memories involve the sport, whether watching England play on the television with my dad or going out to soccer practice at the local middle school.

The US Women’s National Team (USWNT) is something to be genuinely proud of as an American – it’s something we are the best in the world at, in a sport that really hasn’t entered the mainstream until the past few decades.

Women’s soccer sees similar participation to men’s at the high school level, and even greater at Division I colleges, with 333 schools having women’s programs compared to 205 men’s. With the USWNT pushing for its third consecutive Women’s World Cup trophy in Australia and New Zealand in 2023, there has never been a better time for women’s soccer in American history.

Unless you’re talking about the National Women’s Soccer League, or NWSL. Three weeks ago, The Athletic reported allegations from former players Sinead Farrelly and Mana Shim, both of the Portland Thorns, that head coach Paul Riley had sexually coerced them. Multiple times in Farrelly’s case.

Riley was fired from the Thorns at the end of the 2015 season, following the report of those allegations to Thorns management – but that was as far as the allegations ever went at the time.

In addition, the players also alleged that Riley, as well as Thorns general manager Gavin Wilkinson, made repeated inappropriate comments about the womens’ sexuality.

In 2017, Riley was hired by the North Carolina Courage, where he remained as head coach until his firing on Sept. 30, hours after The Athletic published its report. Wilkinson remains in his post with the Thorns.

Following a statement from NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird stating that she was “shocked and disgusted” to read about the allegations, Alex Morgan, a star player for the USWNT as well as the Thorns during the period of the alleged incidents, provided evidence on Twitter that the league was informed of the allegations, both in 2015 and earlier in 2021, and chose to take no action.

The next day, Commissioner Baird resigned.

FIFA, the sport’s international governing body, announced an investigation into the allegations. U.S. Soccer also launched its own investigation, spearheaded by former United States Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates.

Professional women’s sports are ludicrously underfunded in our society. The minimum salary for an NWSL player is just $22,000, with the maximum being $52,500 per season. Both fall well short of the Major League Soccer (MLS) minimum of $81,375, let alone the MLS average of just under $400,000.

We have a duty to support women’s soccer in this country – but we can’t do it at the expense of allowing abusers to continue to perpetrate horrific acts against women.

The NWSL turned a blind eye, as did Women’s Professional Soccer before it, and the Women’s United Soccer Association before that – all for the sake of keeping professional women’s soccer in this country.

We don’t have to court the NWSL to bring a pro women’s team to Cincinnati. Let’s go a different route.

Cincinnati has everything it needs to host a professional women’s team.

We have a beautiful new stadium, incredible training facilities (both designed with a future women’s team in mind, per the Enquirer, and a hometown hero in Rose Lavelle, one of the top players on the USWNT. MLS, the men’s professional soccer league, is on the verge of accepting its 30th team. With the debut of teams in Louisville and Kansas City this season, the NWSL now has 10.

We have the infrastructure in place to create a better league, and one without the factors of desperation and history that led leaders within the NWSL to ignore abuses for years.

We have an increasing number of owners that are willing to invest in their cities, building incredible stadiums both in MLS and in the United Soccer League, the second division of American men’s pro soccer. America has the world’s largest pool of female managers, staff, referees, and owners.

Let’s do better.

Protect the players. @VesteyTMS vesteymj@miamioh.edu

the balance doesn’t happen,” Kirk said. “Sometimes I have to put off making content for days and sometimes I have to put off school for days.”

In order to create more stability in his work, Kirk has passed on certain deals. He compares it to “load management,”the kind of rest we see in the NBA on a weekly basis.

When he isn’t creating content or doing schoolwork, Kirk finds time for his other passion: music.

“Whenever I have free time, I always play my guitar,” Kirk said.

“I’m a part of the Guitar Club at Miami, and every single week it’s the one thing I look forward to the most outside of my main commitments.”

Over winter break, Kirk plans on writing and recording an album.

He hopes to release it on his birthday, Feb. 3. He draws his musical inspiration from Will Wood and the music duo “I Don’t Know But They Found Me,” both popular indie artists.

Kirk said creating content changed the way he views and fol-

For many in the Miami University community, social media and the internet serve as entertainment and an escape from the reality of classes and the stresses that daily life brings.

For junior Blaiden Kirk, however, social media is a way of life.

Kirk, a software engineering major from Columbus, is a rising star in the sports realm of social media.

He dedicates hours a day to creating content, most notably for his TikTok and for his podcast, Stay Hot. Kirk is a ball of energy, always smiling, always finding something to talk about, and always cheering on the Cleveland Browns.

His room is a technology lover’s paradise. His hand-built P.C. sits beneath his desk, the top half lined by several monitors, each displaying something different he’s working on.

This entire display sits alongside a microphone and other various podcast equipment. On the other side of the room, a ring light rests in the corner, ready to be used at a moment’s notice. A guitar sits in the opposite corner.

He started at the beginning. During the pandemic, Kirk decided to start creat“I was bored. I ing content on TikTok like many others. He laughs as started making he remembers how it all Madden videos, and started.

“I was bored,” Kirk said.

I was good at it.”

“I started making Madden videos, and I was good at - Blaiden Kirk it. I realized after that it wasn’t a sustainable source of content, and that football in general was what I really wanted to talk about.”

Not long after Kirk started post- lows sports.

“I watch more games at once now, ing his analysis, he started to gain and that can be exhausting,” Kirk views and followers.

“Near the end of last summer, I said. “Usually I would just watch the hit 40,000 followers, and I had just Browns, but now I rewatch games I confirmed my first media deal,” Kirk missed to find things to talk about.”

Despite the added element of said. “That was the point where I knew it was legit. That was the mo- searching for content, Kirk still enjoys football the same way any fan ment.”

While his rapid growth of suc- would.

“I wouldn’t say anything has cess has been exciting, it hasn’t come without its challenges. Kirk sighed as changed on that front,” Kirk said. “If you look at my Twitter I tweet just he thought about his struggles.

“Finding a balance between like any other fan would. When I get school and making content is the into analyst mode, I get into analyst biggest challenge, and a lot of times mode, but at heart I’m a fan.”

MIAMI JUNIOR BLAIDEN KIRK IS A RISING STAR ON SOCIAL MEDIA. PHOTO PROVIDED BY BLAIDEN KIRK

Kirk’s fanbase is composed of other sports fans, and their continued support makes him continue to grow and love what he does.

“They started calling me ‘Lemon Boy’ after an exchange I had on Twitter,” Kirk said. “I pushed the meme a little harder, and now you can’t find a single video without someone saying ‘lemon’ in the comments. The support is incredible.”

Kirk, along with his business partners Matt Sponhour and Theo Ash, records several episodes a week for their podcast, “Stay Hot.” “I think a podcast, if done right, is the most profitable form of content that you could possibly do. We knew we could do something big with the right group of people.”

Kirk detailed the encounters he has with supporters in Oxford, saying he gets recognized on a somewhat regular basis.

“During my intramural flag football games, people love to talk to me about it and I just laugh about it,” Kirk said. “I’ve also been recognized just uptown with my friends, and that’s really cool.”

In terms of future plans, Kirk has no idea what’s next.

“I’m not sure what the dream is at this point,” Kirk said. “I’d like to continue my software engineering and doing the podcast, but other than that who knows?”

Kirk offered advice for others trying to create content.

“You just gotta start,” Kirk said.

“Find some half-decent lighting, record yourself and put yourself out there. Figure out what others are watching and go from there.” @wespaynetms paynetw@miamioh.edu

The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat:

a long-suffering fan reflects on a semi-successful season

MADELINE PHABY CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR It’s hard not to be romantic about baseball.

It’s the only sport in which a guy who’s 5’6” can beat a guy who’s 6’7” in MVP voting. Despite its 150-year history, new records, no matter how miniscule, are set on a near-daily basis. Those in search of a pick-meup can find an abundance of stories of players having the best games of their careers immediately after suffering a personal tragedy.

For those who love rooting for the underdog, the ballpark is paradise.

As a fan of a team who had not won a division title in more than a decade prior to this season, I know a thing or two about rooting for the underdog.

The best thing about baseball, though, is that the underdog sometimes wins.

Prior to the 2021 season, ESPN ranked the White Sox as the 7th best team in baseball. Not too shabby, but they were projected to end up with a record of 84-78 and given a 33% chance of making the playoffs.

That same article named center fielder Luis Robert as the team’s most exciting player. It also states that the Sox’s best case scenario – winning 95 games and the division title – could only be achieved if the team stayed healthy.

Just a few weeks into the season, Robert tore his hip flexor and would ultimately spend more than three months on the injured list. On June 9, rookie second baseman Nick Madrigal tore his hamstring – a season-ending injury. On July 5, slugging catcher Yasmani Grandal tore a tendon in his knee and was out for almost two months.

Taking into account star left fielder Eloy Jiménez’s spring training injury that kept him out of the lineup until late July, the Sox had an uncomfortably long stretch in which nearly half of their starters were on the IL. They did a shit job staying healthy, and they didn’t win 95 games.

They won 93.

By the all-star break, our lineup was composed of random journeymen, rookies that were rushed through the minors to take over for injured starters, and just a few famil-

iar faces that had escaped the injury bug.

By the end of July, we had the largest division lead in baseball by a generous margin – nine games up on Cleveland.

This ragtag group of Sox seemed to have an aura of magic surrounding it – they won game after game against teams that were much better than them on paper.

When the team returned to full strength in late August, all bets were off. I knew my Sox were bound to make a playoff run.

Frankly, I didn’t know how to act.

Watching your team overperform after years and years of underperforming (or just straight-up sucking) creates a sort of impostor syndrome.

Does this team really belong in the playoffs? Can they hang with these other star-studded clubs?

What if it was all just a fluke, and they get knocked out in the first round?

I had to stop myself from spiraling into those thoughts, so instead, I reflected upon how we got here.

The Sox last made the postseason in 2008, not counting the abbreviated 2020 season in which everyone and their mother made it. I became a serious fan in 2009, which would be hilarious if it weren’t so sad.

For most of the 2010s, the Sox were mediocre at best, but it didn’t feel that way to me. Because I’d never seen a postseason team, I didn’t know any better. I still cheered loudly after every win and sulked for every loss, even if none of those games meant a thing because the team was firmly in third place.

As cheesy as it sounds, even though the team was mediocre, my experience as a fan was anything but.

Since I became a fan in 2009, I’ve watched two perfect games and two no-hitters by Sox pitchers. Not many fans can say that.

I’ve attended dozens of games and have sat in nearly every section of Guaranteed Rate Field. I’ve eaten more hot dogs with grilled onions and mustard than I can count. I ran the bases on the field on my 10th birthday.

As a kid, I cried every time I went to the game and the Sox lost; I took it personally. At my first Crosstown Classic game against the Cubs, I dumped my Sprite on a Cubs fan in

front of me and played it off as an accident. My only excuse is that I was 11 at the time.

I’ve poured countless hours into watching the Sox on TV. For years, I watched nearly every game in my basement with my dad; nowadays, I usually watch in my dorm room alone. It’s lonely, but I still text him continuously throughout the game.

I’ve spent the majority of my life loving the Sox, and even though I’ve always been competitive, the lack of winning never made me love that pathetic team any less.

Still, though, I had more than earned a postseason team. Keeping the faith during year after year of “rebuilding” isn’t easy.

As I prepared to witness my first

Being surrounded by 40,000 people who shared my excitement and desperation was an emotional experience. But, because there’s no crying in baseball, I suppressed my urge to tear up.

My dad caught my eye, though, and gave me a knowing look. He knew I’d been waiting my whole life for this.

On Oct. 1, 2012, the Sox destroyed the Cleveland Indians, 11-0.

It was a great win, but it was too little, too late – they would narrowly miss making the playoffs, despite being in first place for 126 days, after a horrendous spiral at the very end of the season.

I was devastated, of course, but my love for my team never wavered.

“As a kid, I cried every time I went to the game and the Sox lost.”

ever postseason Sox team, I thought of that watery-eyed 10-year-old kid who agonized over every pitch of every game.

I thought about how proud she would be. *** It’s 7:08 p.m. on a Sunday, and my heart is racing.

I’m at my very first playoff game, and Dylan Cease just threw his first pitch for a strike.

I was in my capstone class when my dad texted me saying he’d snagged two tickets to game three of the ALDS. I had to bite my lip to keep from audibly gasping.

The Sox were down 0-2 after dropping both games in Houston, so I knew there was a very real chance I’d be watching the Astros complete the sweep in-person.

Thankfully, that didn’t happen – the Sox did win that game. But they lost the next one and were eliminated, so my excitement about the singular win was short-lived.

The crowd remained hopeful until the very last pitch, though. When your team is in the playoffs for the first time in 13 years, you don’t just throw in the towel after two losses.

I made that clear in a letter I wrote to the Sox that night, which I still have saved in my notes app to this day.

“Dear White Sox, Many people would call me crazy for writing a fake letter to a sports team, but I am.

You have probably noticed that many of your fans are disappointed in your performance lately.

I’m not.

Sure, you’ve had some rough games, but you’ve had solid ones as well, and you’ve learned from your mistakes.

I wore my favorite Sox sweatshirt to school today, and many people said to me, ‘How could you wear that with the way they’ve been playing?’

I just told them, ‘It’s called faith.

Ever heard of it, you Cubs fan?’ They just looked at me like I was crazy and walked away.

Maybe they hadn’t heard of faith.

Or maybe they’re just ignorant.

Anyway, I just want you to know that I believe in you, even if no one else does.” @madphabes phabymr@miamioh.edu

NELSO156@MIAMIOH.EDU

SPORTS 21

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

RedHawks see similarities to 2019 season LUKAS NELSON SPORTS EDITOR Through its first six games of the 2019 season, no one saw the Miami RedHawks as a conference championship team.

The RedHawks had a lackluster 2-4 record, mostly from an underwhelming non-conference performance.

Miami lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes to start the season. After a home win over Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponent Tennessee Tech, the team suffered blowout losses to Cincinnati (35-13) and Ohio State (76-5).

All three of Miami’s non-conference losses ended the season in the Associated Press’s (AP) College Football Top 25 Poll. Still, it’s hard to keep morale going into conference play with such a lopsided record.

“The start of our season in 2019 was anything but glorious,” Senior Safety Sterling Weatherford said.

After a home win over Buffalo to start Mid-American Conference (MAC) play, the RedHawks dropped an away game against cross-division opponent Western Michigan, dropping their record to 2-4.

It was a home win against Northern Illinois that started the win streak. Miami beat the Huskies at Yager Stadium, 34-27, to improve to 3-4.

From there, the RedHawks won the next four games, including a win over rival Ohio University in Athens.

While the team lost its season finale to Ball State, its 6-2 conference record was good enough to win the MAC East Division and make a trip to Detroit for the MAC Championship Game.

The RedHawks beat Central Michigan, 26-21, to win its first conference championship since 2010.

So far, this year’s team has had a strikingly similar season.

In its non-conference slate, the ’Hawks beat FCS opponent Long Island, but lost to Cincinnati, Minnesota and Army.

Again, Miami won its first MAC matchup at home, but lost to Eastern Michigan, dropping its record to 2-4.

Of course, this is exactly where the RedHawks are comfortable.

This time around, the team isn’t panicking.

“It’s just the ups and downs of the season,” Weatherford said. “I was talking about it the other day just how good of a taste 2019 left in everybody’s mouth.”

Wide receivers coach Israel Woolfork sees plenty of parallels between 2019 and this season.

Young players like Weatherford, Ivan Pace Jr, Lonnie Phelps, Brett Gabbert and Caleb Shaffer are just a few names who stepped into larger roles in 2019. All besides Weatherford were true first-years in 2019, and now are key cogs on the 2021 team.

This year, players like second year defensive back/linebacker Matthew Salopek, third-year defensive back Cecil Singleton and Kansas State transfer running back Keyon Mozee have stepped up this season.

Gabbert, the 2019 MAC Freshman of the Year, has only played in four games so far due to injuries, but fourth-year quarterback A.J. Mayer has done an admirable job filling in for the starting quarterback.

WINS OVER CENTAL MICHIGAN (TOP) AND AKRON (BOTTOM) HAVE THE REDHAWKS BACK IN CONTENTION IN THE MAC. PHOTOS BY CAROLINE BARTOSZEK (TOP) AND ZACH REICHMAN (BOTTOM)

“You look at the defense, they’ve had a lot of young guys step up the past couple weeks,” Woolfork said.”

The offensive line has had some

A TMS PODCAST

young guys step up. And then the quarterbacks. Brett kinda stepped up in 2019, AJ came in and threw some ropes.”

This time, it was Akron who may provide the team with the win it needs to break through. The Zips came to Oxford and lost, 34-21.

The RedHawks were dominant in the win, as seniors Jaylon Bester and Andrew Homer both scored touchdowns.

Homer and Bester both played huge roles in the conference championship season. Both were injured for the entire 2020 season, and have been in and out of the lineup with nagging injuries.

Both of them are getting healthy at the right time, along with the rest of the team.

“A lot of times, we seem to get healthy later in the year, I don’t know why,” Head Coach Chuck Martin said.

The team’s newfound health arrives just in time for the bulk of the conference schedule. The team faces off against rival Ohio University in the Battle of the Bricks, then plays two straight home games against Buffalo and Bowling Green before ending its season on the road against Kent State.

Woolfork says the team plays better as the season progresses.

“If you look at it, our best games are how we play from October to November. That’s when (we) start to get it together, so I’m super excited for that,” Woolfork said.

Woolfork and Weatherford both talked about trusting the process and playing the way the team needs to play going for-

ward. Still, it’s easier said than done after the team’s lackluster start.

It’s so much harder when you’re in it,” Weatherford said. “When you’re in the struggle, when you’re 2-4, or don’t have a winning record, it’s a lot harder to see the bigger picture and just stay composed and trust that we’re doing it the right way and it’ll pay off by the end.”

Woolfork is confident the team can replicate 2019’s success, and

“The start of our season in 2019 was anything but glorious.”

- Sterling Weatherford praised Martin’s leadership in helping them get there.

“I think with our team and the way Coach Martin coaches us and how we live our life is, as the year goes on we continue to play good football,” Woolfork said. “Because we don’t change who we are, we don’t change our practice habits.”

Woolfork summed up the team’s mindset simply.

“We stay the course.” @LukasTheDream nelso156@miamioh.edu

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Join the TMS Team! miamistudent.net/page/join-us

Opinion

22

WOLFFRG@MIAMIOH.EDU

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

Love, Honor and Title IX KATE STUMPH THE MIAMI STUDENT Content Warning: This column deals with themes of sexual and interpersonal violence.

Universities have a problem, and Miami University is no exception. We all receive the nearly weekly bulletins, detailing a sexual crime on campus or within the Oxford community.

I read these with apprehension and discontent. I quickly delete the emails, wondering to myself, “Will they ever end?”

But, how widespread of an issue

identifications. And this number only accounts for the incidents that are reported.

Many are not.

And I, as well as a disproportionately large number of students at Miami University, are a part of this 13%.

But what happens after the fact?

What happens after the incident is reported here at Miami?

In my case, the answer to this question is not much. It’s time to share the truth.

I began my correspondence with Miami University’s Title IX office in Jan. 2021. I sent in my report form, and promptly received an email from

Directive (NCD) is an official University document meant to protect both individuals in question.

The perpetrator was not permitted to contact me in any way, and I couldn’t contact them. The issuance of an NCD does not remain on anyone’s disciplinary record, though breaching a No Contact Directive is a violation of Community Standards, and can constitute grounds for suspension.

So I requested the issuance of such a document. I couldn’t bear the thought of seeing their name on a screen, let alone anything else. It wasn’t a difficult choice in the slightest. It seemed as though we’d both be better off protected.

I was then asked if I wanted to pursue formal action against my assailant.

I chose not to.

These cases and their aftermath are triggering, harmful, and scary.

To me, a possible ruling felt like a validation or an invalidation of my feelings.

I’d seen friends of mine go through this process at Miami, and I’d held and supported them when it didn’t go in their favor.

It seemed as though it never did.

And though part of me was happy to feel safe, a little bit of me wanted to fight for the people I’d seen broken by this process and by sexual violence

“We must show love to the survivors of sexual violence, and it’s time we honor and respect their truth.”

is this, you might ask? According to the RAINN sexual violence webpage, approximately 13% of all undergraduate students experience some type of sexual violence, across all gender

the Title IX coordinator regarding my next steps.

In many of these cases, a No Contact Directive is issued at the request of the victim. For those of you unfamiliar with this term, a No Contact

Exercising consistently is one of the most important things a student can do SAM NORTON THE MIAMI STUDENT Everybody always tells you that college is full of free time.

And while that may be true, due to fewer hours of the day taken up by classes, that free time can quickly be filled up with other activities.

Homework, studying, clubs and relaxation always seem to invade every bit of time not taken up by school itself.

However, what should be a vital part of a schedule is often overlooked by busy and stressed college students — and that is staying active.

I have found that creating a routine of exercise has been greatly beneficial, both for my physical and mental health. Yet it can be difficult and confusing for college students who are not sure how to begin or fit it into their schedules.

Staying active can be many things, from routine exercising, like lifting weights and going on runs, to playing sports and hiking. There is no one way to stay active, and, in fact, it is always good to have multiple outlets.

Running, whether that be high-intensity intervals or a longer jog, has many health benefits beyond better cardio. According to Better Health Channel, it can help one lose weight, build stronger bones and increase muscular strength.

Furthermore, weight training is a great compliment to running, although their mutualistic connection is often overlooked. Many people feel that they have to choose one or the other, but the truth is that if you want to benefit your overall health it is important to cross-train.

This is because each activity benefits the other. In terms of lifting, running improves stability and coordination, whereas for running, lifting leads to fewer injuries due to increased strength and muscle mass.

Running outside is great, but with colder months coming, the Rec Center and other gyms on campus provide treadmills and other cardio machines, as well as a variety of weight training equipment. There is also an indoor track, ⅛ of a mile, above the basketball courts.

It can be daunting to start exercising in a gym setting when one has never done it before.

Thankfully, the Rec Center provides many options for beginners, including group fitness and personal trainers.

On the other hand, it is important to still have fun while

staying active, and sports are a great way to do that.

Miami has a great intramural program, with tons of different sports offered in men’s, women’s, and co-ed leagues. Although some of the fall leagues are coming to an end, there are many more still to come in the winter, all of which can be found on Miami’s Intramural Sports page.

Yet, as I mentioned before, many college students struggle to find or use free time to stay active.

But the truth is that exercising does not have to take up huge chunks of time. A 20-minute jog yields huge benefits, and a full lifting session can be completed in 45 minutes. There is no need to set aside hours of time, and in fact, overworking like that can lead to fatigue and actually cause more harm than good.

I would argue that exercising is as, if not more, important than spending time relaxing. While I would not say that you should not relax at all, one hour of exercise and one hour of relaxation is much better than two hours of relaxation.

Along with the obvious physical benefits, exercising is very important for mental health, and can help with stress, anxiety and

“I have found that creating a routine of exercise has been greatly beneficial, both for my physical and mental health.”

even depression.

The human mind and body is an amazing machine, and we have the ability to use it to its full potential. Don’t be afraid to start or change the way you stay active. Fitness is a journey, ever-changing, but the benefits you will see will certainly make you glad you took that step. nortonsm@miamioh.edu @samnorton_10

as a whole. I wanted my assailant to know what they did, and I wanted them to answer for it.

But, as much as I wish it was, this wasn’t the end for me and my Title IX case.

My assailant violated the NCD, which launched me into a whirlwind of evidence collection, Community Standards hearings and pain.

I knew the hearing with the Community Standards office would not note or discuss the event that precipitated the issuance of the NCD, but I felt it was time. I wanted to be brave for the people who don’t get this chance. It was my perpetrator’s time to answer for their wrongdoings.

I spent hours crafting my opening statement and gathering evidence. I recited it to my parents, friends, and peers through watery eyes, to ensure I was speaking my truth.

I spoke to therapists and professionals, and did breathing exercises to help myself sleep at night. I was restless, the bags under my eyes grew purple and I shook while leafing through evidence submissions.

My perpetrator came to the hearing thirty five minutes late with no statement prepared. They’d done no research, made a vague explanation and promptly left. The ordeal brought my mother to tears – how could someone act so blatantly flippant?

I won’t disclose the ins and outs of this case, but I’ll say that my perpetrator received a colloquial “slap on

the wrist.” A “tap,” really. I read the ruling in silence, pursing my lips.

I asked the office to extend the NCD, since the perpetrator had already violated it once. But the office declined, telling me there were no grounds to do so.

I was confused and disheartened.

I felt betrayed. I believed in “Love and Honor” with my heart and soul, and this is what I had to show for it?

I didn’t feel very honored, nor did I feel very loved.

The Title IX and Community Services offices failed me, and they have failed many other bleeding young students.

We need to do more than show first year students the “Tea Video” and send them on their way. It’s time we revise this system and subsequently, Miami’s culture, with a mind toward enthusiastic consent, sensitivity and validation.

We must show love to the survivors of sexual violence, and it’s time we honor and respect their truth. At a University that showcases pride in their students, we should extend that pride to our students in need.

For more information on Miami’s Title IX Hearing process, follow this link.

If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault, sexual violence, rape, or struggling with PTSD, please contact the RAINN hotline at (800) 656-HOPE (4673). stumphkg@miamioh.edu

Boo!

A scaredy-cat’s journey AMES RADWAN ASST. OPINION EDITOR When I was in high school, I woke up to the radio every morning at 6:20 a.m. sharp.

My favorite radio station back home in Tampa, Mix 100.7, played the best songs in the Bay, and this had the added benefit of me not having to turn on any music while I was getting ready in the mornings.

The only month of the year in which I would refuse to have the radio as my alarm, and would deal with the screeching beep of the normal alarm tone, was always October.

After all, every once in a while, my wake-up time of 6:20 a.m. would align with commercials instead of with songs. And during the month of October in Florida, where theme parks reign supreme, radio station commercials are full of spooky horrors advertising that haunted-after-dark event that every park seems to be doing nowadays.

I will never forget the day in Oct. 2016 when I made the decision to stop listening to the radio during “spooky season.”

Instead of waking up to “Closer” by the Chainsmokers and Halsey, which was the chart-topper at the time, I woke up to screams, cackles and creepy music, with a

getting better at dealing with horror in general, I still hate jump scares.

Growing up, my best friend Brooke and I were polar opposites on this subject. She loved all things horror, gore and haunting, whereas I could barely look at fake blood without feeling faint.

She mercilessly made fun of me about it, of course, but that was all in good fun.

It is actually thanks to Brooke that I have begun to grow past my scaredy-cat tendencies. After being a ridiculously talented theatre kid in high school, she started working at — full-circle moment incoming — Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights as a scare actor in 2019.

I go to school in Ohio, and I’m never home in Tampa during the month of October, so I have never gotten to attend Halloween Horror Nights to see Brooke at work. I do, however, make her send me photos and videos of herself in costume, and whenever I go home, I spend hours listening to her tell stories about people she scared and the best reactions she got from them.

That’s made me think about the fact that all of these people at horror theme parks or in horror movies are just that … people.

People like Brooke, who probably go home and tell their friends a funny story about the kid who just dabbed when they tried to scare him.

As long as I can remember that they’re people doing their job and enjoying it, I don’t get quite as scared anymore.

I’ve also gotten more into horror movies over the last few years, too. A group of guys from my corridor freshman year once invited me to a horror movie night they were having in the fourthfloor common room, and we watched In the Tall Grass and Hereditary.

That was a lot of fun. I particularly enjoyed In the Tall Grass, because I love a good plot twist. If you’re looking for a horror movie to watch this October, that’s my recommendation.

I also recently watched Malignant (it’s an eh movie, but there’s a decent plot twist) and The Conjuring. At the time of writing this, I’m going to Kings Island this Saturday with my roommates and friends for the Halloween Haunt event.

Willingly.

If you’d have told me five years ago that I would have actually enjoyed watching doors slam and witches creepily perch atop wardrobes, or that I would be looking forward to going to a haunted theme park event, I would have laughed in your face.

That’s what growing up is about, though. And though I’ll always be a bit of a scaredy-cat, this cat is ready to not be so scared anymore.

“It was just an ad, but I was terrified. I have always been a bit of a scaredy-cat.” voiceover informing me that “terror is taking center stage.”

It was just an ad, but I was terrified. I have always been a bit of a scaredy-cat.

The librarian ghost in the first Ghostbusters scared me so badly that I refused to watch the rest of the movie until three years later. When I was in second grade, I used to walk around with my hand on the back of my neck because I was afraid that a vampire would come up behind me and kill me.

Even the fourth Harry Potter book, which my mom and I read together when I was a child, gave me such horrible nightmares that my mom almost wouldn’t let me read the rest of the series.

Horror movies, especially, were a nogo. I gave my first horror movie a chance in my freshman year of high school, when my boyfriend at the time convinced me that Halloween would make a great October movie date. During one of the jump scares, he snuck his hand around my back and grabbed the back of my neck to scare me even further.

It worked — I think I jumped five feet out of my skin. Even today, though I am

radwanat@miamioh.edu

23

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

WOLFFRG@MIAMIOH.EDU

The Song of Monster Hall MADELINE NORTHUP THE MIAMI STUDENT “Mama, I’m scared,” I said, as I squeezed my mother’s hand, quivering.

We were visiting Miami University, my father’s alma mater, that day. Every year, my family would make the hour-long trip to pick up school supplies and to let my father reminisce and recount the years he had spent in the red brick buildings.

That particular visit was a hot one, even for August. And, after walking for what seemed like miles to my little feet, I needed a break. So, my mother and I set off on a journey around the campus, searching for open buildings or even the tiniest sign of a cracked door.

Eventually, we reached Upham, one of the grandest buildings on the property. Entering through the doors facing Academic Quad, we made our way up the stairs to the third floor, searching for a place to freshen up.

Named after Alfred H. Upham, who served as president of the university for 17 years, Upham Hall stands at the hub of campus, framing Bishop Woods and facing the seal.

It was built on the site of former poet-in-residence Percy MacKaye’s shack, who resided there during the 1920s. It is currently the home of the College of Arts and Sciences – as well as many monsters.

As we walked through the dark hallways with nothing but a phone flashlight to guide us, we spotted a rectangular patch of light on the ground. Rushing towards it, we reached the illuminated section, and I gasped in horror.

Before us stood a mule deer, its mouth gap-

This was not Upham Hall; it was Monster Hall.

Now, I am grown, an 18-year-old woman on my own at the same university I visited every year. I no longer harbor such childish fears of stuffed deer and dark hallways.

Yet, as I was scheduling my classes in June, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sentimentality as I discovered I had a class in Upham Hall.

I had long forgotten the location of the exhibition, and no longer cared. It was just a far-off memory.

But, four days into the fall semester, the memory came creeping back into my mind as I made my way up the stairs to the third floor of Upham. A violent storm had hit Oxford that day during my International Studies course, and my hopes of going to the library had been dashed.

So, as I entered the doors to the third-floor sociology wing, searching for a place to study, I saw it – the very monster that had given the hall its nickname was before me once again.

Nothing had changed. The dusty orange and mahogany tiles were barely distinguishable as I walked to the patch of light, sitting down on a bench parallel to it. The overhead lights were off, despite the early time, and the sound of eerie silence resonated throughout the hallway. I looked down both sides of the wing, the aroma of old books enveloping me.

As I sat there, staring into the deer’s dull black eyes, I could faintly hear the squelch of shoes on the tiles, rainwater finding its way into the building. A door opened in the distance, its hinges creaking with the pressure. Someone coughed in a classroom, the harsh note echoing off the walls.

This was the song of Monster Hall.

Getting up, I walked over to observe the constructed habitat, as I had never given it a close look.

The deer stood at the forefront of the exhibit, its brown fur matted to its back. Its legs stretched upwards, giving it the balance necessary to retrieve the dead leaves it craved. A red fox slunk towards the deer, its mischievous eyes peeking over the top of the glass. Even a gray squirrel stood hidden in a tree, a muskrat and a groundhog peeking out of a hole in the rocky recreation.

A beautiful backdrop framed these animals, a stark contrast to their creepy appearance. A blue sky over a babbling brook and grassy land presented a picturesque example of the beauties of nature. Oh, how the real animals let it down.

“Oh my god, what is this?” someone cried behind me, breaking me out of my trance. A woman had climbed up the stairs, just as I had many years ago, and discovered the monster. Her voice showed bewilderment as her eyes scrunched up in confusion.

I knew the feeling.

So, as I watched her walk off, bemused by her similar reaction. I knew that, despite its impressive exterior architecture and decoration, the building would always be – to me, and to everyone else – Monster Hall. northumk@miamioh.edu

“A door opened in the distance, its hinges creaking with the pressure. Someone coughed in a classroom, the harsh note echoing off the walls.”

ing open, devouring dead leaves off a tree. Its antlers jutted out on each side of its head, their sharp appearance threatening to break the glass that enclosed the deer.

But the scariest part of this unsightly exhibition to my terrified young mind was its eyes; dull, expressionless orbs looking back at me, illuminating a body devoid of life and soul.

I cried out, running down the dark hallway, dragging my mother with me as I went. When I exited the building, my five-year-old self vowed I would never go back.

Pinterest University

HALLE GRANT

THE MIAMI STUDENT All throughout high school, especially senior year, we fall into the Pinterest board rabbit hole of perfectly decorated dorm rooms and glorified healthy dining hall meals. We are given this false sense of what college life is really like, in addition to how much freedom and ease really does come with it.

From the dorm rooms to the food options to the lengthy walks around campus, we had it all wrong. Who let us believe that this transition would be a piece of cake?

In my own experience, I remember sitting in my silent COVID-19 study hall making a Pinterest board of what I wanted my dorm room to look like. Little did I know that I would be living in what was essentially a shoebox that was being ventilated with recycled air from the surrounding dorms.

I arrived on move-in day, equipped with more command strips than you can imagine, only to find out I wasn’t allowed to hang my Pinterest-inspired wall decor unless I used one of the five or six “S-hooks” the school provided us with.

After unpacking and decorating that day, I was forced to send back multiple IKEA bags with my parents due to lack of the space I thought I would have. A rude awakening, to say the least.

Not only has the black mold in Peabody Hall spoiled dorm life for me here so far, but the long walk to go anywhere from my dorm has also contributed to the frustration. Just to get from Peabody to Armstrong or Academic Quad, I have to set aside 20-30 minutes for my walk.

I spend most of my time sitting in Armstrong or King Library in between classes just to avoid getting all sweaty and gross from the walk to go back to my dorm.

And to think I thought my seven-minute walk to school back in high school was bad.

During the process of choosing a school to attend in the fall, everyone is so set on who their roommate is going to be, how they’ll decorate the dorm to match and how much fun they’re going to have together. It’s not a party 24/7 like you may think, especially in the eyes of those who have never had to share a room with someone before.

Sharing a dorm is a rude awakening, as everyone has different class schedules, sleep schedules, study habits and overall life routines. Though you may try so desperately to be best friends with your “roomie,” there’s no way to tell how you’ll live with someone just by talking to them via the Facebook page.

We romanticize this overall idea of freedom and not having our parents around to tell us what to do all the time, but with that comes the independent responsibility to eat healthy, keep our spaces clean and keep our grades up. So, that Pinterest-inspired dorm – that’s also your responsibility to clean and organize. No one is coming in to pick up dirty clothes or wash dirty dishes.

When it comes to the dining hall, it’s up to us to choose the healthier options instead of just going right for the pizza every night. Your mom isn’t going to be

“From the dorm rooms to the food options to the lengthy walks around campus, we had it all wrong.”

right there to slap you on the wrist and direct you towards the grilled chicken and rice instead. Sure, you can always find ways to spice up dining hall food to make it more enjoyable and healthy, but all I know is how much I miss my mom’s cooking and my biweekly Trader Joe’s trips.

Along the lines of freedom and not having parents around, we count down the days until we’re on campus without a curfew and can hang out with friends all night. As someone who had a strict curfew growing up, I was so excited for this aspect of college life.

To my surprise, I’ve often found myself going home early, just from being so drained from the school week and not having any desire to stay out all night.

This goes along the lines of having to be responsible for yourself and staying on top of schoolwork, limiting what days you choose to go see friends and how late you stay out. Though we have the option to go out and have fun every night, we have to face reality and remember why we’re even here.

It’s not always fun and games. It’s all about balance. granthn@miamioh.edu

“Staphylococcus found on bar floor: infectious agents or partygoers?”

CARTOON BY SOREN MELBYE

24

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2021

STAFF EDITORIAL

It’s complicated…

The following reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.

To mask, or not to mask? That is the question.

Monday, Oct. 25 marks the deadline for students, faculty and staff to get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. If unable to do this by the scheduled time, registration for second semester will not be possible for students, and employees will be in jeopardy of losing their jobs.

This puts us in the unique position of knowing that our entire community, with the exception of exempted individuals, will be fully vaccinated by next spring.

So, the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not the university will continue to mandate masks indoors.

When our editorial board sat down to discuss this issue, we put it to a vote. We ended up seven to six in favor of ending the mask mandate starting next semester. However, after a long-winded debate over the topic, we ended

up with a different answer: It’s complicated.

There are so many factors to consider in this equation that our board was left with too many question marks to take a definitive stance.

With the town of Oxford’s own mandate ending on Dec. 13, it takes the certainty of a COVID safe community outside the realm of certainty.

Miami University is the largest employer in Butler county, and because of that, this decision will set a precedent for COVID culture throughout the region.

As we talked our way through the complexity of this topic, we tried to consider every sector of our community: vaccinated, unvaccinated, immunocompromised, professors, students and staff.

We don’t know what the right answer is, but we exhausted every point of logic we had as we debated the question at nauseum.

The university must do the same.

If you decide to get rid of masks, consider keeping them for the first two weeks to account for mass travel from students’ hometowns.

Maybe leave the question of masks in the classroom up to professor discretion, as older adults are more likely to suffer severe COVID symptoms.

Consider what to do with exempted students. There has been mention of continued COVID restrictions for this group, but will you follow through?

Before you decide, take into account potential breakthrough cases, continuous weekend travel and Butler County’s low vaccination rates.

We expect logical and thoughtful answers to all of the questions your decision will bring up.

And the opinion of the community itself needs to be a part of that outcome.

An open forum with students, faculty and staff should be a step in this process. Whether it be online or in-person, there needs to be an effort to hear all voices.

Whatever the university decides will create a ripple effect.

So please, give it the consideration it deserves. Trust us, you’re going to need it.

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