August 29, 2017 | The Miami Student

Establish 1826 — Oldest college newspaper west of the alleghenies

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Volume 146 No. 1

Miami University — Oxford, ohio

“Jersey Shore” star to headline mental health forum

MIAMI PI PHI SHUT DOWN After chapter closes, newest pledge class frustrated

MENTAL HEALTH

Jake Gold Asst. News Editor Vinny Guadagnino, a former reality star best known for his role on MTV’s “Jersey Shore,” will be the keynote speaker at Miami’s second annual mental health forum at 6p.m. on Sept. 7 in Hall Auditorium. The event is co-hosted by ASG, Student Counseling Services, the Interfraternity Council, the Panhellenic Council, MAP and RHA. The total cost for the event hasn’t yet been determined, but Guadagnino’s $20,000 speaking fee will be paid for by a special student affairs fund, according to ASG secretary of finance, Caroline Weimer. The funds will not come from ASG’s discretionary spending budget.

The mental health forum will be held in an interactive Q&A format.

Students can ask questions via Twitter about Guadagnino’s experience with mental health issues.

After his anxiety and depression spiked, Guadagnino left “Jersey Shore,” and became an advocate for several causes — mostly mental health, but also LGBTQ rights, animal rights, and bullying. continued on page 8

greek life

Céilí doyle asst. news editor

President crawford addresses the student body photo by Agnel Gelfuso

WElcome, CLASS OF 2021 Audrey Davis News Editor Filling the shady grass and walkways of the Hub, the 3,864 members of Miami University’s class of 2021 were welcomed by President Greg Crawford during Convocation 2017 last Friday morning.

The class of 2021 was chosen from an applicant pool of over 30,255 students with an average ACT score of 28.3. Over half of the students come from Ohio while the rest span 43 states and 18 countries.

The current first-year class is the most diverse class in Miami’s 208-year history with 16.9 percent of domestic students of color. Additionally, 8.4 percent of students are international and 15.2 percent on first-generation college students.

“Miami’s ability to attract this number of such accomplished and diverse students speaks to the national and global reputation of a Miami degree,” said Susan Schaurer, assistant vice president for enrollment management and student success and director of admission in a press release.

To help acclimate the incoming class into college

life, the campus and the Oxford community, the university introduced the First 50 Days program, including more than 350 events.

At Convocation 2017, President Crawford highlighted the importance of diversity on campus.

“We seek ways to engage diversity in the classroom, in the library, in the laboratory, in the speakers we invite to campus and in the special events we host,” President Crawford said.

The keynote speaker of convocation was Stephen T. Williams, mayor of Huntington, West Virginia, named “America’s Best Community.”

Williams spoke of his experience revitalizing the community of Huntington through the Huntington Innovation Project which completely transformed the town. He also talked about the struggle of combatting issues similar to those addressed in Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance which was the required summer reading book for incoming first-years.

Student body president Maggie Callahan, Renate Crawford and Oxford mayor Kate Rousmaniere were also featured speakers at Convocation.

It was a warm spring day in Oxford and Sophie Maness, then a first-year student, was anxiously awaiting initiation. Following the initial ceremony with the rest of her pledge class, she and a few other girls whose last names started with the letter “m,” sat excitedly in Minnich Hall counting down the minutes until their names were called.

On April 8, Maness officially joined Miami University’s Pi Beta Phi chapter, or “Pi Phi,” along with 59 0ther new members of the 2017 pledge class.

Four months later, on Aug. 8, the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women international organization issued a press release announcing that Miami’s chapter was closed, effective immediately.

For Maness and her fellow sisters, the decision came as a shock.

“Before we were initiated, we had a meeting where we were told our nationals was going to be deciding if we were at risk of losing our charter,” Macontinued on page 8

Student suspended for sexual assault suing Miami Miami temporarily prohibited from disciplining student, court says Emily Williams Editor-in-Chief A student suspended for violating Miami’s Sexual Misconduct Policy has filed a lawsuit against the university, claiming the school violated his right to due process.

A hearing in late April found the sophomore guilty of sexual assault for engaging in sexual conduct with a female student “on two occasions...without her knowingly being able to consent.” He was suspended until

May 2019 and banned from campus.

But the student, referred to by the alias “John Nokes” in the lawsuit, says the sexual encounter was consensual.

In a court decision on Friday, the student was granted a motion for preliminary injunction, which prohibits the university from imposing “disciplinary sanctions” on Nokes. In effect, this decision would allow the defendant to attend the university until a decision is reached.

Claire Wagner, spokeswoman

continued on page 8 Student sit on lawn outside Armstrong photo by Jugal Jain

Meet the New ’Hawks The class of 2021 has arrived. A transfusion of fresh faces and optimism to the student body, Miami’s youngest class is another record year in terms of diversity, applications and high grades. However, inside the admission stats and behind the Welcome Week crowds are individuals stepping out of their hometowns and into the unknown. This weekend, The Miami Student struck out to meet

these fledgling Redhawks and collect their stories. Interviews revealed that first-years widely agree that everyone is “really nice” and the campus is “super pretty.” Roommate confidence is at an apparent high and people expressed genuine excitement about going to class. It’s a humble sampling, but here’s some faces from the class of 2021.

See more photos on page 2 A.J. Newberry

news p.3

MU DINING MAKES MAJOR CHANGES Maplestreet now has a buffet, and Harris has closed its doors.

nEWS p.3

PACKAGE CENTER MOVES TO SHRIVER The new facility sports updates, but comes with a 24-hour time stamp.

CULTURE p.4

OPINION P. 9

FALL IN OX: CAN’T MISS EVENTS

ADVICE TO THE CLASS OF 2021

From apple butter to Trevor Noah, the best of this season.

What we wish we’d known during our first days on campus.

SPORTS P.12

‘HAWKS PRE-SEASON PREVIEW What to expect from MU football, soccer volleyball and field hockey

pro-tip: bikes go on streets. not sidewalks.

2 news Career Services debuts new name, location campus

Megan Zahneis TMS Magazine editor Miami University’s Office of Career Services has moved to the east wing of the Armstrong Student Center, with a new name and new leadership to boot.

The new name of Career Services, the Center for Career Exploration and Success, reflects the expanded role the center will have on the entire student life cycle, from orientation to graduation.

“The elevation of the title correlates with the elevation of the role of Career Services,” said Jen Franchak, assistant vice president of the new Center for Career Exploration and Success.

Franchak was selected to lead the revamped office following a national search. She previously served as the executive director of academic, career and personal development at Xavier University, where she oversaw first-years and strategic retention efforts.

Franchak is working to expand the hours of Miami’s career consulting department for the 2017-2018 school year. It will be open later in the evenings and offer open office hours on Sundays to cater to students’ availability.

Franchak and her team have also started to grow employer development activities out of state in places such as California, Texas, Massachusetts, Illinois and New York. Franchak said these areas are being targeted because many students are recruited from these states and return there after graduation.

Career Services has also moved away from Miami’s CAREERlink website and has launched a more student-friendly product called Handshake, Franchak said. Handshake is used by many other colleges and universities, so employers can upload career opportunities to multiple institutions’ sites with just one click. Miami’s Handshake will be launched this summer.

The center’s new location in Armstrong officially opened May 17. Franchak said this central location enables the center to be more accessible to students and increase in-person engagement with students, faculty, alumni and employers.

Franchak said employers who visit Miami to recruit students will enjoy greater visibility to the student body in Armstrong than in Career Services’ previous home, Hoyt Hall.

“Our campus location will now be in the living room of our campus, and we plan to leverage this to enhance student success,” Franchak said. “It makes it much more convenient for students to drop by in between classes and during the evenings to take advantage of our services and events.”

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Tuesday, August 29, 2017

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First year, first glimpse PHOTOS, STORY BY RYAN TERHUNE PHOTO EDITOR

Charlie Hoffman, of Batavia, Ohio, is pursuing a classics degree. In his search for a NROTC program close to home, he briefly considered Ohio State University but was charmed by Miami’s campus. “I’m just really excited to study mythology,” Charlie said.

Marina Deevers, left, a fourth-generation Miamian, and Alyna Bidlack, an engineering major from Pittsburgh, Pa., are roommates in Dodds Hall. Alyna wants to have “the full Miami experience,” and Marina is happily along for the ride. “I want to continue to push my own boundaries and discover what I’m really capable of,” Marina said as the pair returned from a five-mile trek to Walmart.

(above) Tiffany Robinson wants to travel the world and plans to major in international studies. Her study abroad wish list features Luxemburg, France, South Korea and China, where she plans to pursue her passion for other cultures. She’s still finding her way around campus, but plans to take advantage of the opportunity to explore and “choose [her] own path.”

(right) “Campus seemed seemed smaller when I visited, but it’s bigger now that I have to walk!” Mary Driscoll said. She wants to stay involved with the arts, declaring a music minor alongside a business degree. A choir enthusiast from Naperville, IL, Mary is looking forward to Mega Fair and plans to audition for Miami’s Choraliers.

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Tuesday, August 29, 2017

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MAPLESTREET’S MAKEOVER dining

JAKE GOLD ASST. NEWS EDITOR Miami made major changes to its dining offerings over the summer, renovating several facilities and, notably, closing Harris Hall.

The decision to close the aging Harris Hall was made after reviewing student traffic patterns, according to an online announcement from Dining Services.

Meanwhile, the university hopes a revamped Maplestreet Station will meet the needs of students living on south campus. The new additions to Maplestreet Station include an expanded meal-swipes option (dubbed Maplestreet Commons) and an a la carte location called Maple Grill.

The Q, Delish and Starbucks will remain at Maplestreet Station, and the menus at Maplestreet Commons and Maple Grill will replace those formerly offered by Encounter, Americas, First Stop and Pacific Rim. Maplestreet Commons, according to the Dining Services announcement, offers “pizza, a deli, paninis, custom stir fry, pasta, burgers and aller-

RYAN TERHUNE PHOTO EDITOR Students gather for lunch in the newly opened Maple Street Commons,, which condensed a number of dining venues into a single buffet style destination.

gen-friendly options.” It will replace First Stop, Pacific Rim and Americas. Maple Grill’s menu includes burgers and chicken, plus the quesadillas and quinoa bowls from Americas.

But Maplestreet is not the only dining hall getting renovated, and Miami is no stranger to dining changes. Bell Tower Place and Pacific Rim (formerly at Maple Street), fully a la carte locations, were converted to a

buffet at the start of last year.

When students complained that meal swipes were less valuable than declining balance, Dining Services introduced a declining balance-heavy meal plan. Yet, students and parents are still frustrated with the meal plan: The Miami parents Facebook group is filled with upset comments about dining options and availability.

Maplestreet isn’t the only

on-campus location that saw change this summer. In the second phase of Armstrong Student Center’s renovations, Miami introduced three new dining options. The Toasted Bagel, occupying what was formerly Traditions, will serve breakfast and lunch bagels. In Armstrong’s new East Wing is Café Lux, a coffee shop inspired by Miami’s Luxembourg campus, and Red Zone, a sports bar-style restau-

rant serving arena food and featuring repurposed floors from Withrow Courts.

Bell Tower Commons, too, is expanding. A la carte options – formerly breakfast sandwiches, pizza, deli sandwiches, coffee, and smoothies – will now include to-go stir fry and a salad bar.

The menu at Bell Tower changed slightly, too.

“Bell Tower used to be the spot for custom stir fry, and now I’m pigeonholed into three blends,” sophomore Carson Myers said. “Why is student dining continuously restricted?”

Miami’s dining changes don’t stop at the physical locations.

Starting this semester, Miami will no longer serve dishes containing nuts in buffet locations to accommodate students with nut allergies. Prepackaged items containing nuts will be available at a la carte dining halls.

And, for consistency’s sake, all buffets now have a single naming convention: the suffix “Commons” will be attached to the end (“Western Dining Buffet,” for instance, will become “Western Commons”).

Miami dining officials did not return requests for comment.

Crash turns to drug bust Package Center moves to Shriver CRIME

Emily Williams Editor-in-chief Early Wednesday morning, a Miami student’s car crash on the drive back to Oxford ended in his arrest.

Though the student wasn’t injured, Preble County officers who responded to the crash found he had about $30,000 worth of marijuana in his car.

Paul A. McCabe, 20, was driving to Oxford when he fell asleep at the wheel, he told deputies.

His car drifted off the road and rolled over off U.S. Route 27 just south of Eaton, OH, according to an incident report from the Preble County Sheriff’s office.

When deputies responded to the non-injury crash at 5:11 a.m., they searched McCabe’s vehicle and found 12 vacuum-sealed bags containing at least 15 pounds of marijuana.

According to the report, when the first officer pulled up to the scene of the crash, he saw McCabe walking in the cornfield

just south of the crashed vehicle, which the officer found suspicious. Deputies asked McCabe to retrieve the bags he had stashed in the cornfield.

McCabe brought back three bags which he said contained “pot, edibles and wax.” Everything was his, McCabe told officers, except for eight Xanax pills which were in the car.

McCabe was asked to take a sobriety test, which he passed, according to the report, and was taken to the Preble County Jail.

Officers also seized $952 cash from the vehicle.

McCabe was charged Thursday in Eaton Municipal Court with a third degree felony for possession of marijuana, a first degree misdemeanor for possession of drugs and a minor misdemeanor for possession of hashish.

McCabe goes by his middle name, Asher, according to the Miami University directory, as well as his university email address. He is a sophomore management and leadership major

Stagnant ASG budget forces funding cuts ASG

JAKE GOLD ASST. NEWS EDITOR Student organizations seeking funding from Miami’s Associated Student Government this semester will likely receive 15 percent less money than requested, ASG Secretary of Finance Caroline Weimer told The Student.

In addition, Weimer said, ASG’s debt relief program — which was created last year by former Secretary of Finance Alex Cary to help overspent organizations get out of debt — is being cut entirely.

Club sports will also see large cuts in funding (possibly up to 55 percent, said Weimer) for another consecutive year, and ASG’s own discretionary budget will lose approximately one percent of its current $91,000. Miami Activities and Programming (MAP), which has a non-negotiable $250,000 allotment, is not losing any funding.

The cuts are coming, Weimer says, because ASG’s total allowance hasn’t grown in years.

“We’re working on increasing the budget,” Weimer said. “It’s just unfortunately true that this is the year that everyone is going to feel the pinch and have to curb their spending a little bit more, but if we swallow it a little bit this year, in the years to come

it should be a lot better.”

In the spring semester, student organizations getting funding from ASG received 10 percent less than their requested amount — to “keep ASG within budget for the year,” Cary said in an email in February.

If ASG kept the debt relief program in place, Weimer projected that organizations would get 20 percent less than requested this year. By abolishing the debt relief program, ASG can afford to cut just 15 percent.

“We thought it was really important to cut [the cutbacks] down as much as possible, because, as we saw in the spring, there were a lot of organizations that could not do nearly as much or any of what they planned to do at all,” Weimer said. “It’s an unfortunate situation that we’re in, but there’s not much we can do given the funds that we’re given.”

Hopefully, Weimer says, student orgs won’t have to suffer much longer. Student Affairs Council has given verbal approval to incrementally increase ASG’s budget over the next several years, dependent on successful handling of the funds. A 10 percent increase for ASG next year, and possibly more after that, is being planned.

RYAN TERHUNE PHOTO EDITOR The renovated Shriver Center features a new package center, featuring a new automated locker system with 24/7 access for students.

CAMPUS

KRISTA SAVAGE THE MIAMI STUDENT The start of the school year also marks the opening of a new student postal and package center, which was previously located at Wells Hall. The new location, at 113 Shriver Center, officially started receiving and delivering mail Aug. 3.

The new mail and package center will be similar to the old system, but will be more efficient, said Matthew Frericks, senior director of auxiliary planning and facilities.

The most significant addition is the use of storage lockers where students will access their individual packages using a selfserve system. Now, rather than students having to receive their packages from an employee, they will pick up the package straight from an automated locker.

Packages coming from UPS, Fed-Ex and DHL are loaded directly into the lockers, increasing speed.

“This helps out when students

are tracking their packages,” said Frericks. “When they get the delivered notification from the company, they also get one from us.”

At the Wells Hall location, Frericks said, the packages were sometimes held for a longer time before the student could pick them up because the center received up to 2,000 packages a day.

When a student’s package arrives, the student will receive an email notification. That student will have a total of 24 hours to retrieve the package from the lockers. Lockers are accessible 24/7 with the use of students’ Miami ID’s.

After the initial 24 hours, packages will be moved to the customer service area where they will be kept for 48 hours before being returned to the sender. The customer service area is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

In the email notification, students will be given a pickup code and a barcode, to either enter or

scan to receive open the locker with the package. There are thirteen sections of lockers, and students are told in the email which locker to open.

Students can have a friend pick up a package from the lockers for them by forwarding the email.

There are several different-sized lockers to accommodate packages of different volumes, but if a student orders a package too large to fit in any of the lockers, it will be accessible through the customer service area.

The new center is built to accommodate all of the university’s mail and package needs and has built-in refrigeration and other accommodations for students’ medications, flowers and other items that require special storage.

Students also have the option to go to the new package center website and request package delivery to their residential hall.

Students will also still be able to send mail and ship packages through the student package

RYAN TERHUNE PHOTO EDITOR

4 culture

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

9,000 feet up, then right back down: Skydiving with the MU Dropouts Alison Perelman Culture Editor The door of the plane flies open and is pinned to the wing. The cold rushes in — somewhere below 20 degrees.

“Okay, Alison, swing your feet out,” Scott shouts over the noise of wind and the engine.

I bring my legs around and out from under myself. My right leg gets caught by the winds and I jerk it back. Why did I not think about that happening? I tell myself to focus on the small platform, left leg now.

Breathe. I don’t feel my heart pounding. Maybe it has stopped completely. This is it, the moment it becomes real. I’ve been waiting for it to hit me and it finally has. I probably look terrified.

I am no longer aware of my actions. It’s as if the connection between my brain and muscles has been numbed, and things are simply happening around me. My hands are guided to the harness — hold on. My head tilts back. Breathe. What am I about to do? Thumbs up. Lean forward, rock back and down.

---- We pile into the van — me, Noah, Mom, Nana, Britton and even her dog, Indy. I’m the only one here to skydive. The rest are just part of the audience.

Scott, one of the divers who works at Skydive Warren County, drives us back to the base. I feel anxious, maybe butterflies. I’m almost fidgety, distracted. I’m not paying attention to the questions my nana asks or the answers Scott gives. But it still

hasn’t hit me yet.

I fill out a few pages of paperwork, sign my life away.

Then I stand around to wait for further instruction.

Nate Mara, president of the MU Dropouts club, is here — he arranged the whole thing for me. The Dropouts are Miami’s skydiving club. Mara, or another exec member, comes out just about every weekend for members of the club to jump. The group also periodically takes trips to Chicago to experience indoor skydiving in a wind tunnel. Two other students are here to jump for their first time, sophomores Adrianne Miller and Saif Alnuaimi.

“I don’t like waiting,” Miller says.

Her sleeve consumes her hand and covers her mouth as she bounces between feet, but she claims to be excited.

“I’ve always wanted to do it.”

Alnuaimi sits alone, eating what appears to be a full breakfast meal from Pulley diner.

This doesn’t seem like a great idea to me for someone who’s about to

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jump out of a plane. I had only a banana earlier.

Scott calls us over for training. We gather around, listening and mimicking motions as he explains how to jump, fall, pull the parachute and land. It all seems simple, but I worry that I won’t remember any of it once I’m out of the plane, plummeting toward the Earth.

The three of us get geared up to go — wind suits, harnesses, gloves, altimeters, goggles. Adrianne goes first, and then it’s my turn.

I do a quick interview for the camera that will capture everything once we’re in the air.

We walk over to the plane, and I realize now that I actually want to do this.

The engine roars and wind from the propeller whips under the wing where I stand. But then the pilot says we have to wait for the clouds to clear so there’s visibility.

We head back to the warmth of the building and wait.

And wait.

And wait and wait and wait.

I sit with my family and stand under the propane heaters, check the sky outside and check again, watch as a second big group goes through their training. I notice our names on a TV screen with our ETAs. Mine reads 45 minutes.

The minutes go by but soon jump back up to over an hour. I get asked twice if I want to take the harness off — no, I’m pretty comfortable and it’s keeping me warm.

But the excitement has faded away. Even my anxiousness is gone. I’m just pissed. Why do I have to wait so long? I don’t even want to go skydiving anymore.

Eventually, I take off the gear and glare up at the still partly cloudy sky. I pace around, trying to decide what to do. I’m ready to leave and forget it. I look around and notice that almost everyone else has. Then the woman at the desk finally says there’s a good chance.

I gear up again and we get the okay.

I clamber into the plane, squished on the floor next to the

Humans of Oxford | Jake Schultz: A man of many fish Angela Hatcher Opinion Editor

claire mullaney THE MIAMI STUDENT continued on next page

UPCOMING EVENTS • Welcome, welcome back, or hello again!

Whether you’re an upperclassman, the new kid in town, enjoying retirement, or somewhere in between, these events will help you find your place at Miami and around Oxford.

• Newcomers or late sleepers, don’t miss Oxford’s very own Farmers Market. A favorite for students and locals alike, the market is a chance to see what Oxford has to offer. Stroll through stalls of fresh fruits and vegetables, pottery, vibrant flowers, handmade jewelry and more.

There are always friendly faces and vendors eager to tell you their story. The Farmers Market is a great place to take your parents when they come to visit. It is held near Uptown Park at 8 a.m. noon every Saturday until October, 9 a.m. - noon every Saturday until December and then 10 a.m - noon every third Saturday from through April.

• There may not be a movie theater in Oxford, but there are plenty of viewing opportunities. Miami Activities & Programming (MAP) is hosting a Movie Night in Central Quad at 9 p.m. on Sept. 1, with more to follow throughout the semester.

For a large guy, Jake Schultz drives a tiny car.

His head barely brushes up against the roof of his dark blue van. He nods to the music I’m playing: “When You Were Young” by The Killers.

“Do you know this one?” I ask.

He glances over at me, flashing an apologetic smile. Yet another alternative rock song he doesn’t know. I sigh.

We drive on, only 20 minutes into a two-hour ride to Westerville, Ohio, in the north suburbs of Columbus.

All for a damn fish tank.

When Jake asked me to tag along, I unassumingly said yes, eager for what I presumed to be a short road trip — not being from Ohio, my geography skills are null. When I found out Westerville is practically a world away, I gave Jake the evil eye.

But we went. Because Jake loves his damn fish, and good friends don’t let other friends pick up fish tanks from strangers on Reddit alone.

A sophomore biology pre-med major, Jake is studious and average. He’s attractive, kind — maybe too kind — and naive. He plays broomball and volleyball. He’s an RA. He’s just like any other student on campus.

Except his room is SeaWorld.

A subterranean utopia, Jake’s room is home to three fish tanks and one large fish poster.

• Live performances are a good alternative option too. The theatre department’s first production of the semester, “The Flick,” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 27-30 and at 2 p.m. on Oct. 1.

“The Flick” follows Rose and Avery, staff members at a run-down movie theater, as they search for connection amid change and boundaries.

• Stage Left will also soon be putting on their production of “Cry-Baby: The Musical.” It’s not too late to get involved — try your skills on the stage instead of enjoying from the audience. Auditions will be held from 6-10 p.m. on Sept. 12-13 and you can sign up on their Facebook page.

• While the weather is still nice, entertain-

Fish tank No. 1 dominates the space on his desk and is held up by two books.

Fish tank No. 2 is currently leaking and will be offline for the remainder of the semester.

Fish tank No. 3 is the “Fish tank de Reddit,” home to one fishy friend.

Dozens of plastic water gallons litter the room and large buckets filled with Lordknows-what are strewn about, along with pieces of homework, dirty dishes and socks.

But his fish tanks are pristine, fluorescent lights making each spectacle an underwater wonderland.

“This is a branching frogspawn. It lights up at night and retreats during the day,” Jake says. “And this one here is a neon green toadstool …”

He drones on and on about his coral reef, not realizing how boring this all sounds to the average plebeian. His eyes light up, a brighter blue than the water reflected in his tank.

He tells tales of that one time the power went out in his room and he hand-circulated his tank for almost four hours straight, how he came to love his fish — a reminder of home — and how he’s at peace when he’s taking care of his tank.

His fish are one of the three most important things in his life

“Fish, the pursuit of scientific inquiry and my friends,” Jake says with a wiry smile.

El fin.

This piece was originally published on February 14, 2017.

ment can be found off-campus as well with musical performances in Uptown Park. The community’s Summer Music Concert series will extend throughout September with performances at 7:30 p.m. every Thursday As a part of the Performing Arts series and Homecoming weekend, the Bundy siblings — all Miami alumni — will take the stage at 8 p.m on Sept. 15. to share their unique, folk sound.

• For the more active students, there is much to do outside or at the Rec center. Take advantage of the Rec’s free week for all fitness classes, and experience a new way of working out with Light Up the Night. At 8 p.m. on Sept. 7, wear your bright-

JUGAL JAIN THE MIAMI STUDENT

est clothes and enjoy glow-in-the-dark Zumba and kickboxing. The Oxford Community Arts Center (OCAC) also offers many different dancing opportunities.

• Everyone can begin to get into the fall spirit, and Oxford is the perfect place. The 11th Annual Harvest Moon Festival will be held from 12-4 p.m. on Sept. 30 in Uptown Park. Enjoy music and booths, and a healthy homemade meal — a nice reprieve from dining hall food, if you don’t want to cook for yourself.

• Don’t miss the chance for more delicious, fall-flavored food at the Apple Butter Festival.

Apples, cider, pumpkins and gourds — all good for baking or decorating. A jar of fresh, warm apple butter is a must have this autumn! Stick around to learn about the history of farm life, or take the opportunity to explore Hueston Woods and all it has to offer. The Apple Butter Festival is from 10 a.m.

- 5 p.m. on Oct. 7 at the Pioneer Farm House in Hueston Woods, and admission is $4.

• And never be afraid to get ahead of the game

— purchase your tickets now to see comedian Trevor Noah as a part of Family Weekend at 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 7.

• This list is far from complete/comprehensive, so always be on the lookout for what’s happening around town. Keep checking the Culture page for previews, reviews, profiles, and more about what’s going on at Miami and in Oxford.

If you ever have an event that you’d like covered or a story worth telling, email Alison Perelman at perelmak@miamioh.edu.

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Culture 5

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

MU Dropouts continued from previous page

pilot. Now I’m nervous.

The plane rattles as it makes its way across the grass. I keep my head down, waiting for takeoff. The familiar flip in my stomach tells me we’re off the ground.

I look out the window and then at my altimeter — still 8,000 feet up to go.

I can feel the temperature change in the tips of my fingers and toes. At 5,000 feet, Scott starts to strap us tightly together.

I focus on breathing.

---- We somersault, the world turning, upside down for just a second. Then we fall through the sky. But it doesn’t feel like falling — my stomach doesn’t drop, I don’t wake with a jolt. The air resistance holds us up, guiding us as we speed toward the ground.

I don’t close my eyes, but I don’t see anything either.

Everything is a blur of white and blue.

It’s as if I’m outside of my own body, my brain making its own decisions — the surge of adrenaline forces me to open my mouth, making me want to exclaim my sudden awe and joy, until I quickly realize that’s not a good idea.

I almost miss Scott’s signal, even though it’s right in front of my face. Then I notice him pointing to the altimeter and move both hands to grab for the safety-orange toggle by my hip. I find it and pull.

We’re quickly jerked upright, suspended and floating through the air. I suddenly feel like myself again.

“Alright, you can take your goggles off so you see more clearly.”

I pull the goggles down to my neck and look around. I let out a laugh. “Oh my god!”

“So what’d you think, Alison?”

“That was incredible. I can’t believe I just did that.”

I can’t think of any other way to describe what had happened in the past 30 seconds.

As we glide down to the ground, Scott points out things that are just tiny spots to me. I look around in wonder at the blue horizon that seems so close and the patches of green and brown beneath my dangling feet.

And, whether from adrenaline or wind, or both, I can’t stop smiling.

This piece was originally published on October 28, 2016.

Ryan terhune photo editor

Photo exhibition highlights Oxford’s African-American communities Devon Shuman managing editor When Miami junior Raechel Root took the podium at the Oxford Community Arts Center last Friday, she immediately asked former Miami professor Hugh Morgan to stand for recognition. All eyes turned to the back of the room.

But nobody stood.

“Put your hand up, Hugh,” Root said, eager to celebrate the man responsible for the night’s featured exhibit.

But again, Morgan refused to make himself visible.

He was here to cast a light on others, not himself.

On the second Friday of every month, the OCAC hosts a celebration of the arts, complete with music, food and art exhibitions. This past “Second Friday” featured Morgan’s photography exhibition, “Shining a Light on People in The Shadows,” a collection of photographic portraits of the historic African-American communities in Oxford.

The exhibition, which was supported by the Oxford branch of the NAACP, highlighted a wide variety of images from these communities — families and friends, churches and places of business, people

laughing and people kissing, serious faces and stoic faces.

As Root explained, these images presented a part of Oxford unknown to many in the Miami community.

“It’s kind of an invisible part of the community, as the title suggests,” she said. “I like that it was generated by members of the community…

And I think there’s kind of a tension there sometimes between Oxford, the town, and Oxford, the campus of Miami.”

Root, who is the art director at Kofenya, had worked with Morgan before on the “Humans of Kofenya” project. A regular at the coffee shop, Morgan came in one day and told her about his idea for this new photo project.

During his years as a journalist, Morgan had covered the civil rights movement and had met many civil rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ever since, he has been deeply passionate about the fight for equality.

“It opened my eyes to the fact that we are all equal and that we should do everything we can to proclaim that message,” he said.

Morgan asked Root to help with the design and publicity for the event. She

College nomads: Moving out and moving on Emma SHibley the miami Student When my brother and I were home for Easter, my mom welcomed us with bowls of Raisin Bran and big mugs of decaffeinated tea, long hugs that started with her telling us how good it was to have us home, even just for 24 hours, and that ended with a kiss on the cheek. She let my brother fall asleep in the recliner and let me take the last granola bar in the pantry.

She bent the old rules and put our dishes in the dishwasher for us when we, so used to dining halls and drive-thrus, forgot. But she had one firm request of us before we headed back to Oxford: Stop by the house.

To contextualize: We still call it “the house,” but we don’t live there anymore. My mom and stepdad recently completed a downsizing move from the house where I grew up to a condo-apartment thing close to I-675. Within the past month, the house found a buyer: a military couple relocating from Virginia in early June.

My brother, Lee, felt like we wouldn’t have time to make that visit on Easter Sunday — he had to pick up a friend from the airport later that afternoon and wanted to get on the road as soon as possible. He and my mom kept hedging toward an unsatisfying compromise — that we’d skip it that day, but he would squeeze in a trip home some day this summer before the new owners moved in.

“Today’s the last chance you’ll have to see the house with furniture in it,” my mom finally said. The sale wouldn’t close for another month or so, but this would be our last chance to say goodbye when it was still recognizable as home.

So, with 30 minutes to spare before we absolutely had to be on the road so as to not be late to our evening social and extracurricular commitments, we drove over to Blackbirch Drive, kicked our shoes

off in the garage and stepped inside.

I’ve been home more often than Lee this semester, so it wasn’t my first time seeing the house in full-on sale mode: countertops clutterless and gleaming, our senior pictures gone from the dining room wall, crystal-clear window panes and a vase of nearly-fresh flowers in every other room.

But then I went upstairs to my room. I hadn’t seen a floor that bare, a carpet that clean since we had been the ones on the buying end, flying from Kansas to Ohio over spring break of my fourth grade year to house hunt. The realtor brought choose-your-own-adventure books in a reusable grocery bag for me and my brother to leaf through in the car when we got bored of the grown-up talk of square footage and school districts, numbed to the distinguishing features of any particular house after seeing a dozen every afternoon.

I can picture one house I sort of liked from that week of searching — a tri-level with red siding and a steep driveway on a tree-lined street. In the backyard, a maze of terraced decks surrounded a kidney-shaped swimming pool. Once we’d stepped inside and learned that the last owners were smokers, we didn’t come back for a second look.

“They say you can do it, but it’s really impossible to get that smell out of the walls,” my mom said. I nodded silently and wrote it down in the notebook I was carrying, a little investigative journalism student in the School of Moving Away.

I don’t even remember ever visiting the house that we eventually settled on: the one on Blackbirch Drive, the house with two staircases, one by the front door and one leading up from the living room in the back.

“Safer in case of a fire,” my mom said soberly. “We’ll get you kids one of those rope ladders you could hang out

also offered to assist with the technological aspect of it after she took a look at his computer and found 200 separate image files saved on the desktop.

Morgan also enlisted the help of Barbara Cox, a member of the Oxford branch of the NAACP. Like Root, Cox saw this project as a wonderful opportunity to feature Oxford’s lesser-known communities.

She described the university as the “In-community” in Oxford, explaining that many individuals on Miami’s campus don’t know much about those who have lived on the outside their entire lives. This inspired her to title the project, “Shining a Light on People in The Shadows.”

“They’re in a sense marginalized,” she said. “Hugh wanted to spotlight them and give them the recognition they deserve.”

Cox helped Morgan set up interviews and photo opportunities. Their mission brought them all over Oxford, from barbershops to political rallies, from weddings to family reunions. Cox described this as an eye-opening experience.

“It’s been amazing for me because I’m African-Amer-

your window.” But when I heard there’d be two staircases, I could only imagine double the twinkle-lit garlands across banisters for Christmas, double the white wooden spindles to peek my face through, double the carpeted terrain to scramble up on all fours just for the hell of it.

That was all in 2007. Now, after two years of gradual decluttering and months of intensive sprucing up, the house looked beautiful, fringing on perfect: way, way more so than our life had ever been when we’d lived there. This was the house that the three of us — my mom, my brother and me — moved into after my dad died. For every happy or fun or special memory I could think of in a room, I felt ones of grief, too, and ones of bittersweet rebuilding. I cried as I said goodbye to my bedroom, the screened-in porch, the music room where our baby grand piano still regally sat. I cried three more times in the car before we even reached the highway.

When I moved out of my dorm room in Tappan at the end of last year, I didn’t feel sad. I’d hardly spent any time there, except to sleep at what could be loosely defined as “night” and do my makeup in the mornings. My side of the room had only been truly clean on movein day and had gotten more and more overstuffed with t-shirts and papers as the year had rolled on. I adored my roommate, but among my mess, I could never relax enough to think of it as home. Moving out was merely a relocation of all my stuff. I wasn’t losing anything.

This past year in Stoddard has been different — I actually spent time in my room while I was awake. I’m still often cluttered, but I didn’t cram my drawers and closet and desk with quite so much stuff — there was room left for me to actually live. I put postcards from a summer visit to New York and train tickets from my study abroad in Italy on the wall. My roommate and I have maintained a twoweek supply of emergency chocolate in a basket atop the microwave. The floor looks like wood, and we have three windows. I’ll miss this room in two weeks when I move out.

ican, and I am connected to the university community and not so much to the African-American community,” she said. “I got to really know people I didn’t know before.”

The majority of those attending the event seemed equally impressed with the project, flocking to Morgan throughout the night to congratulate him on a successful exhibition. But Morgan remained adamant that the night was not about him.

“I am the least important person,” he said.

“What’s important is not who took the pictures. What’s important is the people in the pictures. And what they represent.”

Root expressed confidence in the success of the exhibit, citing the power of photography to instill empathy in the viewer.

“I’m glad, especially now in 2017, post-election, that this exhibit is happening and that people are seeing a very powerful representation of communities that other people may be trying to marginalize,” she said.

This piece was originally published on February 14th, 2017.

And I’m still an underclassmen: So far at Miami, I’ve only known on-campus living, where ownership is spread thin among dozens to hundreds of residents in a hall. I can’t imagine what it’ll feel like to have an entire apartment in which to plant my roots, a kitchen and bathroom and front door and laundry machine to call my own. It’s a good thing the apartment I’m living in next year doesn’t have much of a yard; if it did, I’d probably be overwhelmed with the pure domesticity of it all and stick a hand-painted flag in the ground like an astronaut and declare that, as one large step for Emma-kind, I’d never leave.

But that wouldn’t work, even if it might feel triumphant over these inevitably changing addresses at the time. For the year after next, I’ll be moving to somewhere else in Oxford. And another move to somewhere else in Oxford the following year. And finally, finally, when I finish my degrees, I’ll move somewhere else entirely, maybe Chicago or New York or Atlanta or somewhere in western Europe.

Young adulthood is nomadic.

New roommates are found and new leases are signed. Google Chrome will have to keep re-learning new shipping and billing addresses to autofill. I can’t make any promises for rooms with three windows, houses with two staircases or one lovely screened-in porch.

But home is what, and where, we make it. Hopefully, we will always a roof and walls around us. If we at least have some semblance of a floor, we will always have somewhere to lay when we get overwhelmed by the world.

And though our roommates might get concerned, we sometimes need to just lay on the floor for a while. Or tape up more bizarre ephemera on the walls.

Or fill the fridge door with post-it notes of funny stuff that gets said. Or keep the windows open until December.

Or whatever else makes it feel like ours.

This piece was originally published on May 2, 2017.

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Tuesday, August 29, 2017

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To All Members of Our Miami Community, This week, across all our campuses, we welcome more than 5000 new undergraduate and graduate students and more than 300 new faculty and staff members to our community. We also welcome more than 17,500 returning undergraduate and graduate students and almost 3600 continuing faculty and staff members in our community. The diversity of our backgrounds, races, identities, religions, experiences, political beliefs, languages, and talents is inspiring and provides us all with the exceptionally rich Miami University living, working, and learning experience.

At Miami, our individual and collective responsibility is to create and maintain campuses that are welcoming and inclusive for all. Harassment and discrimination based on one’s race, ethnicity, nationality, political beliefs, religion, gender or sexuality, or on any other characteristic which makes us unique, are antithetical to Miami’s core values and are unacceptable on our campuses.

We unequivocally reject hatred, racism, bigotry, intimidation, and violence. We embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion.

In a democratic society, the true test of our beliefs and values is how we express and respond to disparate views. We affirm the right and even the obligation of members of our community to speak out about issues with which they disagree, but to do so in a manner that is respectful and does not violate the rights of others. While we respect a person’s right to free speech, as an academic and intellectual community we must stand united against those who attempt to elevate themselves by degrading others, and must reject bigotry, racism, and slurs. We choose to rise above exclusionary rhetoric, rather than respond in reactionary ways that give unwarranted regard to voices of intolerance.

Our obligation as students, faculty, and staff is to listen, to understand, and to think critically about issues, especially those that divide us. We all have the power and the responsibility to treat others with respect and to make our fellow students, faculty, and staff feel included and valued. This requires a high degree of rigor and intellectual integrity and a commitment to fostering respectful and inclusive discussions.

To facilitate and encourage opportunities for meaningful and respectful discussion of important issues, the Provost’s Office will continue to support a series of workshops organized and coordinated by our faculty that will address the value, importance, and challenges of creating a truly inclusive environment.

We will continue to celebrate the ways in which Miamians come together to support, respect and appreciate each other. We are committed to inclusive excellence and are focused on being the kind of community we want to be, deeply rooted in education, discovery, inquiry, intellect, integrity, and character. We welcome all of you to the 2017-2018 academic year!

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Fall Sports Preview: Soccer, Volleyball, Field Hockey from page 12

year. Rey attests that the senior class is motivated to maintain the tradition of Miami’s successful volleyball program. The seniors and the team’s other returning members found success last season by way of playing to advance to the NCAA tournament, where it lost 3-1 to Oregon.

“I’m excited to show the conference and the volleyball community what we’re all about,” Senior libero Maeve McDonald said. “And to bounce back from last year -- we didn’t really finish how we wanted with the MAC tournament.”

The RedHawks have a target on their backs and have been favored to win the MAC via a poll by coaches in the conference, though Rey said the team is familiar with the pressure.

McDonald elaborates: “[We’re] focusing on what we can focus on and what we can control – serving, passing, all that – and keeping confidence in ourselves and each other.”

Moving forward, volleyball will play Xavier today in Cincinnati at 7 p.m.

Field Hockey Miami’s field hockey team is favored to do well in the MAC, picked to place second. The team played two games in Albany, NY winning both this weekend. The RedHawks beat No. 18 University of Albany 2-1 in overtime on Saturday and Siena College 7-0 on Sunday.

A strong start to the season excites the team, as it looks to keep the momentum and energy that was developed in practice and has translated into their game play.

“The team has worked so hard in the past two weeks and in the preseason to have the wins pay off, this weekend, gives us a lot of excitement for the future,” senior back Makenna Colby said.

Last season, the team was 12-8 overall and 5-1 in MAC play, losing in the second round of the MAC tournament during postseason play. The team has recently began sacrificing individual drills in practice in favor of working on their game structure.

Nine freshmen aim to help the 21 returning players use practice and non-conference games as preparation for conference play.

“Our team is a good mix of very strong upperclassmen with very quick and talented incoming class,” head coach Inako Puzo said. “We have nine new players and we’ve been working to incorporate this in our game structure and philosophy.”

Puzo focuses on leadership on and off the field and hopes this manifest itself in growth during the season. He wants his players to be better at the end of the season than at the beginning, and a better team than the year before. The athletes have bought into the mentality and the disciplined environment.

“We shouldn’t worry that much about the scoreboard but how we play and our attitude,” redshirt senior back/midfielder Mariona Heras said. “Our main goal of the season is to fight and not give up.”

Field hockey will fight for a win against University of Massachusetts-Lowell at home this Friday at 5 p.m.

book titled “Control The Crazy: My Plan To Stop Stressing, Avoid Drama, and Maintain Inner Cool.” He also launched a clothing line with an anti-bullying message (the shirts read “F--- Bullies”).

He’s also a member of the Jed Foundation, a mental health advocacy organization.

But despite his fame, ASG’s secretary of media relations, Gaby Meissner, believes that Guadagnino will provide a relatable voice to students.

“As we opted for a younger speaker, we felt that Vinny’s past experiences, on and off of the show, will relate to what many Miami students are currently encountering,” Meissner said.

So when ASG sought a

speaker, the cabinet quickly settled on Guadagnino (though, Meissner said, ASG also considered Demi Lovato and other mental health professionals).

RHA president Sarah Fraley, whose organization contributed $2,000 for the event, was initially unsettled by a speaker like Guadagnino.

“I remembered the show, and I thought...um, maybe,” Fraley said. “[But] he’s dealt a lot into the topics of depression, anxiety, social pressure, a lot of the things that he himself felt on the show, and which would be relayed back to our community because we all grew up watching it.”

In addition to Guadagnino’s interactive speech, the coordinating organizations have

lined up several other speakers for the forum. Will Ziegert, ASG’s secretary for on-campus affairs, will introduce the speakers. Student body president, Maggie Callaghan, will speak to her personal experiences with mental illness.

Rose Marie Ward, a public health professor, will speak about resources from Student Counseling Services available to students.

At the event, the organizers have resources in place for students who react to the forum or have additional questions.

Notably, some organizers hope that this event will be record-breaking. The Guinness World Record for largest mental health lecture is 538 students. Maybe, Fraley says, Vinny can help us beat that.

Pi Beta Phi Closes from page 1

it would be decided within a week and if that were the case we were not going to be initiated.”

Former Pi Phi member sophomore Julia Edie said their president, senior Elizabeth Glover, read aloud to the chapter a letter from headquarters’ Grand Council that claimed the organization would not give the “go-ahead” to initiate the 60 girls in the 2017 pledge class on April 8 if they believed the sorority was going to be shut down.

Shortly after Miami’s greek recruitment in January, Pi Phi was placed on social probation by the Pi Phi headquarters.

The chapter had already been working with Mary Tatum, their probation officer, prior to recruitment.

However, the Pi Phi headquarters ultimately allowed the chapter to initiate the 60 girls in the 2017 pledge class in April.

“We did have the option to wait to be initiated until the fall,” Edie said. “But who is going to be the one person out of 60 girls who would choose to wait? It didn’t seem like a very positive mindset.”

While Maness, Edie and the rest of the girls who joined Pi Phi in the spring understood the chapter was in jeopardy, they believed the chapter’s standing with their national representatives had improved at the end of the 2016-2017 school year.

Tatum, their probation officer, congratulated the girls at the last chapter meeting and told the members that it was okay to place a deposit down for a date party during the 2017-2018 school year, Maness said.

All 60 members of the 2017 pledge class ended up paying

their first year dues to the Pi Phi headquarters, which was $672 each for a grand total of $40,320.

The girls were told the money would be going toward “their experience.” However, that experience only lasted officially from April 8 to Aug. 8. Three of those months were spent off campus during summer break.

Eily Cummings, a spokeswoman for the Pi Beta Phi international organization, acknowledged that warnings had been communicated to the Pi Phi executive board throughout the past several years.

“Each Pi Phi new member was given the option to choose whether she would like to be initiated or not, knowing the chapter was on probation with Pi Beta Phi, and the charter was in serious jeopardy,” Cummings said.

Additionally, Cummings confirmed that the dues paid by the 2017 pledge class were for the experience delivered by the chapter in the spring.

On July 14, all of the Pi Phi members at Miami received an individual email from the Pi Phi Grand Council informing them that the council would be taking a vote on whether or not the chapter would be closed.

The council cited in their email to Miami’s Pi Phi members that “the Fraternity has invested a great deal of resources into Ohio Zeta [Miami chapter] over the past 10 years. And Grand Council has not seen indicators that these resources have resonated with the chapter or made a positive impact on the member experience.”

The Grand Council encouraged the girls to write letters, which they would read before taking the vote.

All 60 members of the 2017

pledge class sent a letter in, as well as a professional action plan that suggested the implementation of three committees devoted to academics, campus involvement and philanthropy. The girls also contacted MUPD in the hopes of conducting a seminar on alcohol abuse in the fall.

“A lot of these events that nationals hold against us happened when I was twelve,” Maness said.

Maness was referring to an incident in 2010, in which the Pi Phi chapter was suspended for a year after poor behavior during a spring formal that left the Lake Lyndsay Lodge in Hamilton trashed and damaged.

When the Pi Beta Phi Fraternity for Women announced the closing of Miami’s Pi Phi chapter, specific reasons for the shutdown were not given.

Headquarters cited “many factors” that “led to this decision,” namely that members had not met their chapter’s standards “in regards to risk management and the lack of commitment to Pi Beta Phi’s core values.”

According to Cummings, there are no official plans to open up a dialogue between the university and the headquarters in regard to re-establishing a Pi Phi chapter at Miami.

“There is not a current return agreement in place with the university but Pi Phi hopes to have conversations with the university regarding this possibility,” Cummings said.

Edie and Maness, despite the disappointment, remain optimistic their pledge class will remain friends.

“It was a short experience, and I’ll miss the feeling of being involved in a community, but our sisterhood will continue,” Maness said.

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10 opinion

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

hartjt@mIamioh.edu

editorial:

WElcome, Class of 2021

Miami administrators sit at Convocation Photo by Jugal Jain

With the new year comes another addition of around 4,000 students to the Miami University family.

With an average ACT score of 28.3 and high school GPA of 3.75, the academic credentials of the class of 2021 are sound. However, there is much more to college than class, and therefore much more to know upon entering Miami than simply the advice that will help with academic success.

First, it’s important to understand that Miami has a reputation. From nicknames such as “J. Crew U” and headlines in recent months involving the drinking culture, the image of a school that works hard and plays hard is one that has been hard to shake over the years. But this fact doesn’t mean that you should surrender your personality to the crowd. Understand that fitting in should not involve a change of your wardrobe or forcing yourself to become part of a culture that is often a perception and not a reality.

Understand, too, the political and social movements inherent to our time. With a polarizing presidential election behind us and renewed racial and social justice issues (the recent white supremacist rally occurred in a college town, the University of Virginia Charlottesville),

A letter from the (new) editor-in-chief Emily Williams Editor-in-chief I remember the moment I decided to become a journalist. It was in December of my senior year of high school, and I was driving to the library. Or maybe the bank.

Wherever it was it was somewhere close, but my 10 minute drive turned into a meandering 30. It was raining, as it does on most of my favorite days.

Nelson Mandela, former South African president and anti-apartheid revolutionary, had just died.

NPR’s entire program was dedicated to Mandela and the vigils held worldwide in his honor.

I don’t remember anything in particular that was said or who the journalists interviewed, but I remember that I started crying as I looped around and around the city block, not able to turn off the radio.

I wanted the opportunity to do what those journalists were doing — to take that confusion, that grief, those memories, that admiration and make sense of it, to make a narrative that says, “This is important. Don’t forget it.”

The first week at Miami, I joined The Miami Student with one goal — to become a better writer.

Within a few weeks, I had another goal — to be the editor-in-chief someday. Well, readers, I am happy (and, to be frank, nervous) to say that day is here.

An extremely condensed version of my resume: Junior. Majors in journalism and marketing.

Native of Dayton, OH. Three

years with The Miami Student, in writing and editing positions.

Twenty-one years a relentless optimist.

My hopes for the following year are high, maybe imprudently so, but I cannot stress enough to you, as a reader, how deeply I hope to do this thing well.

It’s not difficult to find critics of journalism, especially in 2017, but the sentiment isn’t new. Hell, even Gandhi didn’t like journalists.

“I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers,” he said.

And I get it. Journalists don’t always get it right, but, I believe, there is a key difference between the journalists that Gandhi resented and the journalists I try to emulate.

That difference? Earnestness.

To be earnest is to show sincere and intense conviction. Both elements are equally important: to be entirely free of pretense and to put one’s full effort and energy to the task.

The journalists who do both, I believe, though they may make mistakes, are truly in the practice to better lives.

It’s a huge responsibility. To publish a news article is to say that you have amassed quotes and facts and figures and photos and observations and crafted them into a digestible collection of paragraphs that represent, as Carl Bernstein put it, “the best obtainable version of the truth.”

It almost sounds crazy. Maybe it is.

the potential for disagreements to arise in the dorms, on the campus greens and in the classroom is rising. The need to confront and challenge these beliefs, though, at all levels of discussion, is an urgent one, and one that the youngest students here will have to face for the next four years.

In conjunction with that last point lies a more general but equally paramount tip: Keep your head up. It is very easy, especially within the first few weeks, to only pay attention to the more basic activities fundamental to the college experience.

But there is more to pay attention to besides class and going out. Pay attention to the policies and events that, though they may not involve a new drink special, can still greatly affect your overall university experience.

This year, for the first time, credit, in the form of swipes, for students’ meal plan will not carry over beyond one week. Students now must pay attention to their use of swipes and better plan how they will get the most out of their money each week. This is just one example of a policy change that is of chief importance to the student populace. Other potential changes, from university policies to City of Oxford laws

to Associated Student Government issues will matter, even if they aren’t the most entertaining bits of news.

But, it’s your money, time and resources that are at stake when such discussions take place. Strive to be a part of them, but at the very least, be a diligent observer.

There too is the more fundamental advice that all first-years should heed – learn to be self-sufficient, go to Megafair and join groups early, take advantage of the numerous facilities on campus (library resources, office hours from professors, recreational facilities) and pay attention to your class schedule and requirements. But understanding the more big picture reasons for why you are here and what you want to get out of your four years is a goal that demands thought. Additionally, the fun (and safe) stuff and cultural experiences are things that you should absolutely partake in, but those things without communal awareness and self-responsibility will render your degree a simple piece of paper.

These years may seem daunting now, but with some effort, it can be easy to transition into the college life. Just make sure you keep the important things in mind along the way.

To The Editor: What the convocation speakers missed

But that’s something that I love about journalism — the audacity to try to make sense of the things that are going on around us every day.

The Miami Student is no stranger to criticism. Though we hold ourselves to professional standards, I urge readers to remember that The Miami Student is a living, evolving classroom.

Absent from the list of challenges for the Class of 2021 advanced by Convocation speakers, was the most panoptic by far: our warming planet. Love and honor notwithstanding, the daily belch of carbon dioxide from our commerce is of overarching consequence. This fact of

life should be served as food for frequent thought, if little else.

Nicholas P. Money Western Program Director and Professor of Biology moneynp@miamioh.edu

Regardless of the age of our publication, even the most seasoned members of our current editorial staff are still neophytes in the realm of journalism.

We’re students who aren’t removed or immune from the events and issues which we write about on our pages. We live them and feel them and experience them, too.

But we are earnest. We are eager. We are open to criticism and open to learning.

Our office is on the third floor of the Armstrong Student Center, room 3018. If you have something to share, something to tell us — a critique, a story or just a hello — please, come see us. Sure, you can comment on our Facebook, but nothing can compare to a face-to-face conversation.

Though I cannot guarantee that I’ll never make the wrong call or overlook an error, I can guarantee this: I will listen. I will be open. And I will be earnest.

This piece was originally published on March 28, 2017.

Dr. Renate Crawford sits at Convocation Photo by Jugal Jain

Ask Angela: Going in on going green Dear Angela, Hello! Lately, I’ve been thinking about trying the “Devil’s Lettuce” … all my friends do it and I really want to try, but I’m kind of scared … that probably sounds silly, but I’ve never done it before and I’m not sure if I’ll like it. I also don’t want to look dumb because I don’t know how to smoke out of a bong … thoughts? Any advice is appreciated.

Sincerely, Considering Going Green Dear Considering Going Green, Repeat after me. Green is good, all the time. All the time, green is good. Amen.

Welcome to church.

I could write a 20 page paper in MLA or APA format with in text citations and a bibliography about all the reasons why the Spicy Spinach should be legal in all 50 states for medical and recreational use, so I’m pretty freaking pumped to answer your question, Considering Going Green.

First and foremost, you have to consider going green for you, not because of social pressure or because you think it’s the “cool” thing. Pot is a choice, and for some, it’s a great choice — it’s THE choice — but ‘le weed’ is not for everyone.

My philosophy in life is that of a “Yes” Man. Try everything once and if you

hate it, don’t do it again, but at least you can say you tried it and you’ll probably get a hilarious story out of it.

My advice? You do you, my friend. I can’t really give you a definitive green light or red light answer on this because it’s illegal. At the end of the day, the choice is entirely yours. All I can do is help you along the way, and I have several thoughts.

1.) As for this “I also don’t want to look dumb because I don’t know how to smoke out of a bong” business — for the love of God, do not smoke out of a bong for your first time. You have to be able to crawl before you walk and walk before you run. Similarly, you have to work your way up to Nirvana. You don’t hike Mt. Everest for your first hiking trip, you know what I mean? Are you catching my drift here? Baby steps.

2.) Going off that point again, you have to smoke for the first time with the right people. Find yourself a Obi-Wan Kenobi ganja jedi master and you’ll be the young padawan. Obi-Wan didn’t laugh at Anakin Skywalker the first time he swung a lightsaber. You’ll want to find yourself someone who won’t laugh when you start violently coughing after your first hit. You need someone who will be patient, show you how to do the weeds and then buy you copious amounts of Cool Ranch Doritos.

3.) Lower your expectations because many people do not get high the first time they smoke pot. I have found zero scientific evidence to back this up, but ask around. I promise it’s a legit “thing.”

Don’t be dumb about your weed-y endeavors. It is still illegal for recreational use in Ohio and I want you to be aware of that because, like everything in life, there are consequences for your actions. And no matter how many times I will the law to change with my mind and the power of positive thinking, you have to have a script and medical documentation in Ohio to start blazin’.

In addition to that, it’s a drug. And like any drug, you can develop a dependency on it. Like my man Oscar Wilde said, “Everything in moderation.”

So in light of that, let me hit you with some fast facts: Eight states have legalized recreational use of marijuana. They are: Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Alaska, Colorado, Maine and Massachusetts. I hear Colorado is lovely this time of year. Perhaps a vacation is on the horizon for you. Spring break, anyone?

More than 20 states have decriminalized/legalized marijuana for medical purposes, including Ohio, so progress is on it’s way.

According to the American Cancer So-

ciety, THC, the thing in cannabis that makes you feel like you’re floating on cloud nine, has been reported to relieve pain and nausea in cancer patients and even stimulate appetite in patients going through chemo. CBD, more fancily known as Cannabidiol, can help reduce anxiety and even seizures.

It soothes tremors for people with Parkinson’s. It helps with Glaucoma. It spurs creativity in your brain. It mellows you out.

99.7 percent of the world’s problems can be solved with marijuana.

Yes. I made up that statistic. It is entirely false. But can you imagine how much happier the world would be if everyone just ripped a fat one from that bong you know Obama was hiding somewhere in the Oval Office (RIP) and just talked about life and the universe and stuff, man?

Damn. I see trees of green. Cannabis plants too. I see them bloom. For me and you.

And I think to myself … what a wonderful world.

Sincerely, Angela Hatcher tmsaskangela@gmail.com This piece was originally published on February 28, 2017.

hartjt@mIamioh.edu

opinion 11

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

A.J. Newberry newberaj@miamioh.edu

be prepared to talk american politics in europe up to date on my current events. I could not let an Amsterdam Uber driver know more than an American politics major. If you go to Europe, do not expect to be harangued by liberals, but be able to defend your position and enter into conversations with local degenerates when given the opportunity.

Paolo Federico-O’Murchu federips@miamioh.edu This piece was originally published on May 2, 2017.

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Have any questions you’re dying to have answered in The Student?

Ask Angela! email tmsaskangela@gmail.com

over, and find it ludicrous that a major party argues over the right to universal health care.

Regardless of one’s political affiliation, studying abroad is a worthwhile experience. Europeans have far less stake in American legislation and as such, do not display the same vitriol towards it. Their disagreements with Trump are ideological and not personal. A benefit to being abroad is that I often felt like I was representing America in my conversations and as such, kept

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A couple weeks ago, on my way back from the Luxembourg campus, I encountered a group of teenagers in a gazebo adjacent to my house. These teenagers are Luxembourgish degenerates. They worship Machine Gun Kelly, party in parks and none of them are in school nor working. This motley group drew me into conversation; I live in a small town and the sight of another teenager surprised them. They were clearly engaged in nefarious activities; bottles were strewn everywhere and the smell of smoke was in the air. After assuring them that no, I’m not a cop, I’m an American, we started talking. One of the first questions asked by a Luxembourgish miscreant was how I viewed Speaker of the House Paul Ryan’s healthcare legislation. This was an introduction to the amazing American political fluency exhibited by many Europeans.

This semester of mine spent in Luxembourg has been absolutely extraordinary. Going into it, though, I had concerns that I would be out of the loop in America. Today is an extraordinary time in domestic politics, and citizen participation has never been higher. Grassroot movements are forming in my hometown and cities across America. As a politics major/nerd, I was worried there would be limited discourse available in Eu-

rope. I was wrong.

I quickly learned that a taxi driver in Barcelona knows more about America’s international policy than most political science majors at Miami. As soon as most Europeans heard my accent, the first question was “How do you feel about Trump?” Everyone from baseball players to waitresses have researched opinions on his policies concerning everything from Israel to North Korea I am not a Trump supporter, which makes these conversations easier. In a small melting pot like Luxembourg, which is home to many different cultures from France, Germany and Portugal, there is no large nationalistic movement. I do sympathize with my pro-Trump friends, however. I was at a pub in Dublin when an Irish couple overheard my American friend and me. They turned to us and asked us about politics, and after my friend proudly said he was pro-Trump, the couple said they would not let us leave until they showed my friend the error in his ways.

It was a long and unproductive night for all involved.

Many conservative friends of mine will understandably not admit to voting for Trump when in Europe to avoid consternation. The political leanings of Europe favor former President Barack Obama much more than Trump. Europeans take for granted many of the social safety nets that Americans debate

M I AM I U A ND C O M N

Paolo Federico-O’Murchu Columnist

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improving lives everyday

5120 College Corner Pike • 420 Wells Mill Dr. (513)523-8888 • (513)529-2739 • www.muccu.org MUCFCU is not a legal entity of the University

12 Sports

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

simansec@mIamioh.edu

Football returns to the field FOOTBALL

Coburn Gillies Staff Writer Despite falling short, playing in the St. Petersburg Bowl last December painted a promising picture of what was to come for Miami football. In the last six seasons, the anticipation—the palpable excitement coming into a season—has never been greater than it has for the 2017-18 season.

Nine starters return to a defense that ranked inside the 2017 NCAA Top 25 at the end of the 2016-17 campaign. The efficient, redshirt junior quarterback Gus Ragland officially takes the reins of an offense that returns eight named to the first-team.

“Kids worked hard for about nine months, in the offseason, and then in fall camp. They’ve had a great offseason,” head coach Chuck Martin said. “Their strength-and-conditioning program got them really ready for fall camp. They were locked in all camp.”

Successful teams bear one commonality -- the desire to get off to a quick start. This is something that the RedHawks will be looking to accomplish.

“We haven’t gotten off to a good start at Miami in quite some time -- probably since 2010. And I don’t even know how that season started,” Martin said.

While optimism has spread throughout the program, Martin wants to assure everyone that the rebuilding effort is far from over.

“I think, in some respects,

it’s complete—when you get here three years ago, and it’s 0-16,” Martin said. “The first thing we talked about was becoming relevant in the conference, and trying to win a conference championship. A big part of the rebuild is complete.”

Junior offensive lineman Sam McCollum said, “I think it’s on the way to being complete, but we still haven’t played a game yet.

So we still have a lot to show ourselves and show everyone else.”

Depth is a facet of the team that has been turned on it’s head -- what used to be a problem for the squad is now a strength.

“It’s nice to come into a season with experienced players that have played, and played at a high level,” Martin said.

Not only do the ‘Hawks boast depth throughout, but this is being matched with skill-based progression.

“Everyone seems to be growing and progressing, like Coach [Martin] wanted us too,” McCollum said.

With this advancement, both sides of the ball have seen offseason improvements.

Expect the offense to be spearheaded by the quarterback-wide receiver combo of Gus Ragland and third-team All-Mid-American Conference junior James Gardner.

Last season, Ragland was staggeringly productive with his chances while filling in for the injured, previous starter quarterback junior Billy Bahl, halfway through the season. He erupted and threw for 1,537 yards, 17

touchdowns, all while throwing one interception. On the ground, the double-threat ran for 202 yards and two touchdowns.

James Gardner, who has looked phenomenal in this offseason, appears ready to take the conference by storm, improving in areas such as route-running.

His sophomore year saw the wide out lead the team in receiving with 750 yards, 45 catches and six touchdowns -- good enough for a 68.2 yards-pergame average. Based on these numbers, this year could be special for him.

After a surprising Top 25 finish, the defense has taken on a new mantra.

“We’re making a name for ourselves: The Mob,” senior safety Tony Reid said. We’re going to try to cover for everything -whether it’s tackles for loss, turning the ball over and helping out our offense by setting up great field position.”

Defensively, expect MU to be anchored by Reid—who led the team in tackles with 98—and De’Andre Montgomery. A junior linebacker/defensive back, Montgomery is a ball-hawk in the secondary. Last season he co-led the team with four interceptions.

Miami opens up the campaign on the road against Marshall University. The RedHawks haven’t beaten the Thundering Herd in the past six times the teams have faced off. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., as the Oxford contingent eagerly awaits.

After fall camp started on Aug. 6, football is ready for the reuglar season. Photo courtesy of Angelo Gelfuso.

Fall Sports Preview: Soccer, Volleyball, Field Hockey Season Preview

Emily Smanskis Sports Editor Several of Miami University’s varsity sports teams were hard at work before students began returning to campus. After several weeks of practice and several games played, soccer, volleyball and field hockey look forward to the rest of their seasons. Now, as students start classes, these teams start their runs towards Mid-American Conference play and strive for championships.

Soccer Miami’s soccer team spent the month of August preparing for the two exhibitions and four non-conference games they have played. The team started their season with interim head coach

Hugh Seyfarth after former head coach Bobby Kramig suddenly announced his resignation and retirement on Aug. 4. Seyfarth has coached the team to an 0 wins-4 losses-0 ties record (0-2-0 at home, 0-2-0 away) and stresses professionalism and execution as ways to improve.

Seyfarth expects his players to demonstrate professionalism by being ready to play, reading the game well, understanding how to start on time and by being deliberate.

“Of course, we want to win games and do all that, but I think we have to improve every day we train,” Seyfarth said. “Every game we play, we’re trying to get better.”

Last year, the team ended the season 8-9-2 overall and 5-4-2 in the MAC.

This year, the team opened with a 3-0 loss to St. Louis on Aug. 18, then the RedHawks didn’t allow more than two goals in their following three games.

However, 2-0 losses to Louisville away and to the University of Miami at home forced the ‘Hawks to break their scoring silence in their fourth game – a 2-1 loss against Wright State at home.

“Sometimes the win or loss doesn’t tell the whole story,” Seyfarth said. “Especially, in the non-conference story.”

The losses don’t show the steady improvement of shots by the RedHawks from two in their first game to 14 in their most recent – outshooting Wright State by four. The losses also don’t show the 13 freshmen and 13 returning players who are working hard to produce wins.

“It’s nice to see at practice how hard everyone’s working,” co-captain senior midfielder Katie Alexander said. “No one’s backing off, everyone’s pushing each other to get better and it’s really helping our team out as a whole.”

Seyfarth echoes Alexander’s thoughts and notes that the team has had solid practices and video sessions, undoubtedly important as the team takes on Illinois at home this Sunday Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. looking for their first win.

Volleyball Miami’s volleyball RedHawks have also already opened their season at home and find themselves with a 2-1 record. They look to be consistent and repeat much of their success from last season, though with a new team.

“We’re looking to be really consistent and true to ourselves

and not trying to be who we were last year but being who we’re supposed to be this year,” associate head coach Chuck Rey said. “Our focus this year, is championship habits and we’re trying to make championship habits over and over and over again.”

The team took on Western Kentucky, Southern Illinois and Northern Arizona in the Miami Best Western Sycamore Inn Invitational at Millett Hall on Friday and Saturday. The ‘Hawks lost to Western Kentucky 3-1 (22-25, 2025, 27-25, 19-25), then responded with a 3-0 win (25-22, 25-18, 2513) against Southern Illinois and a 3-1 win against Northern Arizona (25-17, 22-25, 25-21, 25-22).

The RedHawks have five freshmen and six seniors, this fall preview page7

The End of an Era: Head soccer coach Bobby Kramig retires Emily simanskis Sports Editor soccer

Bobby Kramig, who defined Miami soccer for three decades, is stepping down as head coach.

“Coaching soccer at Miami has been one of the great joys of my life,” Kramig said to Miami Athletics. “While I can’t imagine life without my team, it’s time for me to spend more time with my family.”

Kramig announced his retirement due to personal reasons and preferred not to comment to The Miami Student at this time. Hugh Seyfarth, former assistant coach of the women’s program, will take over as interim head coach.

“I want to thank Bobby for his deep commitment to Miami Soccer,” director of athletics David Sayler said to Miami Athletics. “His passion for Miami is unmatched and his tenacity was paramount in moving to our current era of women’s soccer.

We have never known a women’s soccer match without Bobby on the sidelines driving the team to success.”

Kramig’s success began when he joined Miami in 1983 as the head coach of the men’s program, which he coached to

138 wins, 143 losses and 21 ties (.492 winning percentage). He won three conference titles and twice was named MAC’s coach of the year.

Kramig then began coaching the women’s soccer program during the men’s program’s final two years.

In 20 years as women’s head coach, Kramig amassed a 218-153-32 record (.581). His teams won the MAC tournament in 2001, 2001, 2002 and 2012 — more than any school in the conference — and competed in the NCAA tournament in those four years. Kramig’s teams won three NCAA Tournament matches, also a MAC record.

Though Kramig’s won-lost numbers are impressive, his legacy with the soccer programs can’t be seen on a score sheet or record book, but rather on a bulletin board outside his office.

The board is covered with Christmas cards and birth announcements, as Seyfarth said, because former players still want to share great news with their coach.

“His body of work is that he

Head soccer coach Bobby Kramig, announced his resignation and retirement on Aug. 4. Photo courtesy of Miami Athletics.

had 300 or whatever wins, and he couldn’t even tell you any of that stuff, but he can tell you when somebody’s kid was born and he can tell you when somebody passed the bar exam or someone was very successful in a business venture,” Seyfarth said. “Those are the things that really made him happy and really pleased him.”

Seyfarth has coached with Kramig since 1998 — long enough they can finish each other’s sentences. Fortunate for the soccer players who will feel the absence of their long-time coach, Seyfarth’s straightfor-

ward and blunt coaching style closely complements Kramig’s.

“There were times where I felt like he was the only one who truly understood what I was going through and was there for me through everything,” senior co-captain midfielder Katie Alexander said. “I think that’s the biggest legacy I’ll have from him.”

Senior midfielder co-captain Amy Malone choked back tears when she spoke about Kramig’s comments and “the little things he would say all the time” during practices and games.

Moving forward, the pro-

gram’s goal is to maintain a united team that produces athletes who are successful on and off the field, as Kramig always wanted.

“Our mission doesn’t change.

Our vision doesn’t change. Our goals don’t change – none of that changes,” Seyfarth said.

Kelsie Maloney will be the RedHawks’ new assistant coach.

She was interim head coach at Fairmont State University for the 2016 season.

This article was originally published on August 8, 2017.