Volume 151 No

PARKING NOW INCLUDES DESIGNATED COMMUTER SPOTS. PHOTO BY JAKE RUFFER MEGAN MCCONNELL

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

After Miami University announced a new zonal parking system, some students are left confused, but Miami officials hope that the change will help decongest lots.

The changes came in early August and divided commuters and residents among three outer lots: Chestnut Fields, Ditmer and West Millett. First-year students are required to park in the West Millett lot. However, upperclassmen may purchase a permit for Ditmer or Chestnut Fields.

In previous years, students could purchase a permit for any lot.

These commuter and residential parking areas are denoted with signs throughout each lot, and overflow parking is available for anyone with a parking pass at Millett.

All parking permits can be purchased daily or per semester. The daily pass is another new development this semester; previously, students could only purchase semester-long permits.

Overflowing lots inspires change

Andy Rosenberger, director of parking and transportation services, said in previous years, the Chestnut Fields and Ditmer lots filled up quickly compared to the West Millett lot, causing congestion and frustration among commuters.

After researching three different parking systems used by other universities, the zonal system was adopted in an effort to decrease traffic and minimize carbon emissions.

“That’s the goal,” Rosenberger said. “To make sure when you come to campus and you know what lot you’re going to, you know there’s going to be a spot there for you.”

For some students, this new parking system is inconvenient. Paolo Papalia, a first-year finance major, lives on Western Campus but is required to keep his car at Millett despite his proximity to Ditmer.

“Ditmer is easier for me to park,” Papalia said. “I think what they should do is assign each student based on where they’re living at.”

Some upperclassmen also dislike the location of these outer lots. Daniel Coates, a senior political science major, lives off-campus but is unable to use his car due to the distance of these lots from his classes.

“Whenever I have to get to campus for something, my options are very, very limited,” Coates said.

Additionally, students parked in the West Millett lot are required to move their vehicles before home football games.

Rosenberger said compared to other universities, like Oregon State University, Vanderbilt University and University of California-Davis, these inconveniences are minor. Butler County Regional Transit Authority buses make frequent stops to pick up students from Millett, and all legal spots on-campus are free parking for students throughout the weekend.

“What we’ve found is that some of these other universities are making their first-year students walk double what we’re asking students to do,” Rosenberger said.

New system causes some confusion for students

Since implementing the new zonal system, parking enforcement officers have sent several emails and warnings to residential students parked in the wrong area. Last week, officers started ticketing.

Despite some confusion, Rosenberger said the new system seems to be working.

“We’ve driven around and there’s not an outer lot where there’s not parking,” Rosenberger said. “There’s space for anybody: commuters or if you’re residential.”

However, Papalia said he’s had difficulty with the new zonal parking system and that the commuter and residential sections are difficult to distinguish, despite signage throughout the lots.

“Ditmer is designed much better because one corner of the parking lot is all for commuters, and it’s separated by the actual road path,” Papalia said.

Although students got an email detailing the new parking changes, Papalia didn’t see it and received several warnings before getting a $75 ticket after parking in the wrong lot and zone.

For students confused about a recent warning or ticket, Rosenberger said they should reach out to Campus Services and appeal it.

“What we’re trying to do is manage a complex parking system to get people to obey by the rules,” Rosenberger said. “If you follow the rules, you should have a place to park because that’s the way we’ve designed it.”

Maps detailing the new parking sections are available online.

@meggy_nicole mcconnmn@miamioh.edu

Student art installation criticizes litter on campus

“THE STUDENT BODY” HOPES TO START DIALOGUE ABOUT LITTER. PHOTO BY GRACE AXLUND

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

“Found object art; in the art world that’s what we would call ‘The Student Body’ piece,” said Billy Simms, Western Center Coordinator, who worked with Vogt as an advisor through the Western Center’s Summer Scholars program.

Simms encouraged Vogt throughout the summer to bring the vision he had for “The Student Body” to life.

Vogt also got feedback from his peers in the Western Center, which he said helped him refine his vision and shift his approach to more effectively get his message across. The feedback helped him shift from a two-dimensional approach to a three-dimensional form, embracing the physical form of the trash and taking up space.

The creation of “The Student Body” took almost two years. The first year was consumed by the process of collecting litter on campus. After he had collected enough trash, he started building the final sculpture using the critiques he’d received on his earlier prototypes.

“It was very much a fluid process, just because I was working with a whole bunch of different materials … I was having a conversation with the trash, in essence,” Vogt said. “There was a lot of give and take and there was a lot of adaptation.” Vogt said, the piece is meant to start a conversation about preserving the beauty of campus, focusing heavily on mortality, change and societal issues. “I don’t even really like to think of myself as the artist for this piece,” Vogt said. “I like to think of all of us, as a culture and as a community, as the artist of this piece … Maybe you’re not the person who threw something on the ground, but just by being a part of this culture and letting this happen on campus, we’re all complicit.” Vogt presented his sculpture and his inspirations for the piece to students, faculty, friends and family on Sept. 8. Eli Davies, a junior at Miami and a friend of Vogt’s, attended the unveiling of “The Student Body” in the Western Center. “I think it does a good job highlighting how much litter [Miami] has … As he was talking about this, I was kind of thinking that it is the trashiest campus that ever there was,” Davies said Vogt also has other pieces on display in the Western Center, located in Peabody 22. His series “Nostalgic Memorial” will be displayed there for the rest of the semester, as will “The Student Body.”

cicognij@miamioh.edu

Multiple Oxford restaurants and two dining halls receive critical health code violations

MULTIPLE RESTAURANTS AND DINING HALLS RECENTLY VIOLATED HEALTH CODES. PHOTO BY JAKE RUFFER

JACK SCHMELZINGER

SPORTS EDITOR

The Butler County General Health District health inspectors have issued “critical violations” to six Miami University on-campus dining areas. Five Oxford restaurants were also given critical violations when inspectors visited earlier this month.

Violations in Oxford went to SDS Pizza, United Dairy Farmers (UDF), Skyline Chili, Asia Market and Dairy Queen. On the campus side, MapleStreet Station, Martin Commons, Yager Stadium East Concessions, Market Street at McCracken and Western Dining Commons all got dinged.

MapleStreet Station received a critical violation when it was inspected on Aug. 26 because cream cheese wasn’t being kept at the proper temperature.

Western Dining Commons was inspected on Aug. 30 and also received a critical violation because of an insufficient air gap between the flood rim and the water supply inlet of a selfserve beverage station.

Martin and Market Street were inspected Aug. 30, and Yager Stadium Concessions was inspected Sept. 9.

Martin Commons received one critical violation, and Yager Stadium East Concessions and Market Street at McCracken each received two.

Martin’s food contact services weren’t easily cleanable, Yager had an issue where pressurized water wasn’t available to all fixtures as required, plus an insufficient air gap between the flood rim and the water supply inlet at a soda fountain.

McCracken had a handwashing sink that wasn’t accessible and foods not being held at the proper temperature.

SDS Pizza was hit with three critical violations and ten non-critical violations. When it was inspected on Aug. 25, it received a repeat violation for unclean food-contact surfaces, and the other two critical violations were for storing food without a proper date marking and the presence of live insects.

On Aug. 25, UDF also received two critical violations, one for unclean food-contact surfaces and another for not storing food at the proper temperature. Skyline was inspected on Aug. 31, and its singular critical violation was for an insufficient air gap between a flood rim and a water supply inlet.

Jimmy Johns, inspected Sept. 7, and Dairy Queen, inspected Aug. 31, each received one critical violation. Jimmy Johns was cited for not storing food at the proper temperature, and Dairy Queen was cited for improperly storing poisonous or toxic materials.

Asia Market was cited on Aug. 25 for lacking in cleanliness of equipment, food-contact surfaces and utensils. Asia Market also had refrigerated, ready-to-eat foods that weren’t properly date marked.

Earlier in August, Miami University Catering, Gaslight Brewhouse, Kofenya and Patterson’s Cafe also all received critical violations.

Citizenship and Democracy Week

SEPTEMBER 19-22, 2022

U.S. District Court Naturalization Ceremony

Monday, Sept. 19 | 10 a.m. | Quad and Lawn, Hamilton Campus Join us on the Hamilton Campus as we host the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio for the formal swearing-in of approximately 75 new U.S. citizens.

Live On-campus Proceedings: Ohio 12th District Court of Appeals

Tuesday, Sept. 20 | 10 a.m. | Harry T. Wilks Conference Center, Hamilton Campus The Ohio Court of Appeals for the 12th District will meet on campus to hear arguments in two pending appellate cases in the Ohio courts.

Blood Drives

Tuesday, Sept. 20 | 10 a.m. –2 p.m. | Johnston Hall Parking Lot, Middletown Campus donortime.com/donor/schedules/drive _ schedule/62120 Wednesday, Sept. 21 | 10 a.m. –2 p.m. | Schwarm Hall Parking Lot, Hamilton Campus donortime.com/donor/schedules/drive _ schedule/62075 Give back to your community by giving blood and enjoy some free merch! Appointments with the Community Blood Center’s Bloodmobile can be made online, above.

Lecture: “Authority and Democracy” Featuring Daniel Ziblatt

Wednesday, Sept. 21 | 5 p.m. | Shriver Heritage Room, Oxford Campus In this lecture, Daniel Ziblatt, Ph.D.,co-author of the 2018 “New York Times” bestseller, “How Democracies Die, ” and the Eaton Professor of Government at Harvard University, will discuss what history tells us about the state of democracy today and what may lie ahead. Presented in cooperation with the Miami University Humanities Center. Visit MiamiOH.edu/Menard-Events for remote attendance.

Rapid Rights!

Thursday, Sept. 22 | 10–11:30 a.m. | Schwarm Hall Dining Area, Hamilton Campus Miami students share their research via brief presentations on some of the key civil liberty issues that face Americans today.

Campus Free Speech Forum

Thursday, Sept. 22 | Noon-1 p.m. | Jack Rhodes Study, Mosler Hall, Hamilton Campus Participate in a non-partisan, open forum to discuss free speech law and contemporary free speech controversies, including the limits of on-campus speech, the scope of protections for social media platforms, and more. Come ready to share your ideas! Moderated by Daniel Hall, professor of Political Science and Justice & Community Studies.

Careers in Civic Engagement Fair

‘One of the world’s most consequential figures’: Former Poland president Lech Walesa gives lecture at Miami

FORMER PRESIDENT OF POLAND LECH WALESA TALKED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY IN A LECTURE TO THE MIAMI COMMUNITY. PHOTO BY HENRI ROBBINS

LAURA GIAQUINTO

STAFF WRITER

A dissident championing democracy, Nobel Peace Prize winner and former president of Poland, Lech Walesa, spoke at Miami University this past Thursday to students, faculty and Oxford community members.

While he spoke in-depth about the invasion of Ukraine and his past dealings with Russia, Walesa also spoke about the future and how students like those at Miami fit into it.

“I have to convince you, you are responsible for the world,” Walesa said.

The lecture was hosted by the Menard Family Center for Democracy. Anna Kłosowska, professor of French, served as translator for the event, which was held in Taylor Auditorium and live streamed over Zoom. Before moving to the U.S. for graduate school, Kłosowska grew up in Poland during Walesa’s rise to prominence.

A member of the working class, Walesa was a shipyard worker in Poland until being fired and having to support his family of eight children through temporary work. Walesa joined with other activists in the 1970s to organize non-communist trade unions.

In the summer of 1980, Walesa led a worker’s strike in the shipyard he had previously been employed by, demanding workers’ rights. Walesa became leader of the region’s Solidarity Movement, and that workers’ strike set off a wave of strikes throughout Poland that led to the eventual overthrowing of the Soviet Union’s communist reign in the country.

“The theorists all said there was no chance [of overthrowing communism] without war,” Walesa said. “I said ‘who asked you?’”

Walesa discussed creating a new European Union to adapt to the current political climate.

“Half of Europe wants to be free, and the other half says no,” Walesa said. “And each side is convinced their ideas are more valid.”

Walesa classified the issues facing our world into three broader problems.

First, Walesa says leaders must define what the foundation of this new global period is as different countries have different foundations. Second, they have to keep countries motivated to work together when there are no breaks. Third, they need to decide what economic systems will guide the current generation.

“Communism is better than capitalism periodically, but it’s so unique, and we must realize it has never succeeded. So we are left with capitalism,” Walesa said. “Putting aside the free market, we have to adjust everything else.”

The event attracted a broad audience with those within the Miami community and those not on campus.

John Forren, executive director of the Menard Family Center, said the Center’s goal for the event was to have the Miami and Oxford communities think deeply about politics and their role as citizens in a democracy.

“What [Walesa talked] about is ultimately not just about Ukraine or Russia, it’s really about the future of democratic self-determination in the world,” Forren said. “So when people leave these kinds of events they’re thinking deeply about what does it mean to live in a democratic country?”

The audience included those who knew deeply about Poland and Walesa’s background, and those with less in-depth knowledge who were interested in hearing a prominent figure speak.

Alyssa Molina, first-year mechanical engineering major, said she’s never been in the presence of someone who’s made such a big impact on the world, so the experience was gratifying.

Molina said when her family was driving to move her in at the start of the semester they drove past signs for the lecture, much to her dad’s excitement.

“I was like … that sounds like a really cool opportunity,” Molina said. “It was cool to hear his opinions on everything.”

Molina’s dad was also watching the lecture from the Zoom.

Olivia Pucciarella, sophomore journalism and media and communication major, said she’s interested in Eastern European politics because a lot of her distant relatives lived there.

“I’m a super huge fan [of Walesa’s]. I think it’s super cool how labor unions essentially overthrew a tyrannical government,” Pucciarella said. “It was more of a quiet, peaceful revolution than a violent overthrow, but I think it’s really interesting how a labor union was essentially what saved a country.”

giaquiln@miamioh.edu

Ohio credit transfer initiatives help to make the process for transfer students simple

GRAPHIC BY ERIN MCGOVERN

META HOGE

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

In fall 2021, 241 students took their first classes at Miami University. But it wasn’t their first year in college — They were transfer students.

Transferring to Miami

Gigi Garceau, a junior psychology major from Cleveland, attended American University in Washington before transferring to Miami. Garceau said she decided to transfer due to a combination of the tuition cost and the highly competitive environment at American.

“It’s very politically charged,” Garceau said. “I was just kind of uncomfortable with the level of discourse on a day-to-day basis.”

Garceau said the transfer process was simple and the Miami administration was helpful. The application was the same as the open enrollment one, except instead of clicking ‘open’ she clicked ‘transfer.’

Garceau also applied to transfer to Ohio State University (OSU) but couldn’t find housing. Miami administrators helped her find a residence hall she liked and made her feel comfortable.

Transferring out of Miami

Austin Shields, senior finance and operations management double major, transferred from Miami to OSU in fall 2021.

During his time at Miami, he was on the pre-med track. Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Shields realized he wanted to pursue his other passion of business.

Shields said part of the reason he decided to transfer to OSU’s Fisher College of Business was that he wouldn’t have felt welcome in the Farmer School of Business (FSB).

“You don’t see as much diversity within Farmer, at least from my perspective because I was never in Farmer,” Shields said. “I was always in the College of Arts and Science (CAS) at Miami, but I knew people in Farmer and they just kind of reinforced that statement. Being a part of a minority group, I chose to go to a place that was more friendly and accepting.”

Shields said he didn’t have to communicate with Miami administration much about transferring.

“After OSU received my transcripts, I [contacted Miami’s] Office of Admissions and I was like, ‘I’m transferring to OSU, I’ve already received my transcripts and I’ve already accepted my offer,’” Shields said. “‘I need to just put in my account that I’m not a returning student,’ and they just simply said okay and did that.”

Shields is now listed as an inactive student with Miami, but he has the opportunity to reactivate his student status at Miami if he decides that OSU isn’t for him.

Both Garceau and Shields had their credits transfer to and from Miami smoothly

Carolyn Haynes is Miami’s Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) representative for Ohio Transfer 36 (OT36) and Transfer Assurance Guides (TAGs), which makes sure course credits transfer between Ohio universities.

OT36 helps students transfer credits for general education courses. It has six categories that align with most of the Miami Plan requirements. The TAGs help students receive credit for introductory courses in their major.

“[Say] a student successfully completes a course which is an introduction to macroeconomics at an Ohio public university (which has been approved by the statewide faculty panel to meet the approved outcomes for that TAG) and then transfers to Miami,” Haynes wrote. “That student would receive credit for the course at Miami that has been approved for that same TAG (in this case, ECO 202).”

If a student is transferring to Miami from an out-of-state college or university, they need to provide a syllabus and other materials, such as assignments, reading lists and a weekly schedule, for the course they want to be transferred.

“It was so easy, and everyone in the administration at Miami is super helpful,” Garceau said. “So if I had any questions, they were always answered right away, so I thought it was really easy.”

Making the transition work

Garceau said the advice she would give to people going through the transfer process is to go to social events specifically for transfer students and to put yourself out there.

One of the social events Garceau went to was a breakfast during the first week of the semester where she got to meet other students.

Garceau said even though it can be scary because the other students at these events are strangers, they’re one of the best ways to meet people.

“Get out of your room and go to these [events],” Garceau said. “Even though it seems daunting, because it’s like, ‘Oh my gosh, being with a bunch of people I don’t know, hanging out together.’ But that’s how I’ve met so many people. Doing the little things.”

Higher acceptance rates don’t necessarily mean lower opinions of Miami — or a high acceptance rate

SHR-HUA MOORE

ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

For the class of 2022, Harvard University had a 4.59% acceptance rate. The chances for prospective college students looked better if they applied to Ohio State University, settling in at 52%. Ohio University’s main campus was close to guaranteed admission, with a rate of 87%.

Miami University’s admissions rate?

For applicants looking it up on Google, they’ll find it listed at 92% on Collegedunia.com, the first search result.

The rate is up from 74.6% in 2018, but university officials say that doesn’t necessarily reflect the current rate of acceptance at Miami.

Bethany Perkins, assistant vice president and director of admissions at Miami, explained that the number reflected the high rate of acceptance during the COVID-19 pandemic — it has not been updated on most websites to reflect new numbers.

“We had to work pretty aggressively to meet our class numbers in fall 2020 due to COVID,” Perkins said. “There were a number of factors that impacted the high admission rate in 2020 that we didn’t necessarily see in future years, including this past fall.”

Although the 92% acceptance rate shown online may not be accurate for this academic year, some students worry it will bring down Miami’s Public Ivy reputation.

Alex Wieland-Ducher is a senior studying chemistry at Miami. He was accepted in 2019, when the acceptance rate was close to 80%. He wasn’t happy with the perceived increase in acceptance rate. He said the rate may not affect Miami now, but could in the future.

“Miami’s reputation is not going to be immediately influenced, but I see [the rates] being an issue for people, say, two years down the line,” Wieland-Ducher said. “It’s going to take some lag time to really be seen by people, but for people that would be accepted anyway in the future, they are definitely going to have some issues.”

For Campbell Ryall, a high school senior from Minnesota, the high acceptance rate actually encouraged her to apply to Miami.

“I guess [the acceptance rate] would be nice since I know that [Miami] would most likely be a safety school for me,” Ryall said. “It’s like it would be a for-sure option in case I didn’t get into any of the other schools I’ve applied to.”

Ryall said online acceptance rate didn’t greatly influence her opinion of Miami. She placed greater importance on the programs a college offers.

“I think [acceptance rate] is important, but not as important as the individual programs themselves,” Ryall said. “For example, Indiana University has over a 50% acceptance rate — the Kelley School of Business there has such a good reputation, but it’s not a school with a ten percent acceptance rate or anything.”

Daryl Zazycki, a first-year mathematics major, said Miami was not his first pick, but he still decided to come after being rejected from three of his four top schools, and the fourth one being too expensive.

Zazycki doesn’t view the seemingly high acceptance rate as reflective of the Miami he’s experienced so far, though.

“Honestly, [the acceptance rate] doesn’t seem like it should be that high,” Zazycki said. “In my biased brain, compared to other schools that have similar acceptance rates, we seem a lot better.”

Brent Shock, the vice president of Enrollment Management and Student Success at Miami, agreed that Miami’s acceptance rate does not reflect the quality of its education.

Still, he said it was important to make sure the acceptance rate was reported accurately.

“I think it’s a number that actually gets more attention than it should, but I do think that because people assign an incorrect meaning to that number that it’s a number that we just have to naturally watch and pay attention to,” Shock said.

Wieland-Ducher disagrees.

“I don’t like [the higher rates] that much,” Wieland-Ducher said. “COVID has hit everyone, but it’s two years on, we don’t really need to be that coddling anymore. I can understand admissions being rather [lenient] for the first year or maybe two, but if it gets past that we’re going to have an issue.”

Wieland-Ducher, whose mother used to work as a professor at Miami, said more students coming to Miami could have a negative toll on staff. The result, he said, could be a worse learning environment and burnt out professors.

Overall, Shock said he isn’t too concerned about the university’s reputation. Plus, acceptance rates don’t equal enrollment numbers.

“I think [acceptance rate] is a silly number, if that makes sense,” Shock said. “It’s a silly number because people assign meaning to it, but it does not equal prestige and it does not equal the strength of the institution.” moorese6@miamioh.edu @hua_shr

Oxford Originals finds new location and new opportunities

REECE HOLLOWELL

STAFF WRITER

Initially opened in early 2022, Oxford Originals is a studentrun business for those looking to professionally record music. Unfortunately, due to various complications, it was closed before the end of the spring semester.

Now, it’s back.

“Oxford Originals started out as a project at the old space, but looking back at it now, that’s just a joke to what it’s turned into,” said Michael Burns, Miami University senior marketing major and owner/manager of Oxford Originals. “After almost a year of gathering equipment and knowledge and engineers and having help, the place has really formed into a fullyfunctional recording studio.”

Burns is referring to 7 ½ East High St. where Oxford Originals has made its new home. Located beneath Juniper, he said the space is much more suitable than the former Oxford Copy Shop building on Poplar Street.

“At the old place, I was under the impression that if you rented a building that everything came along with it, like the occupancy level and all the regulations,” Burns said. “After finding that not to be true and working with the city, they had me bring an architect in, and basically he said that the space I was in was not up to code and just would not work with what I wanted to do.”

After searching around Oxford for a suitable replacement, Burns found his home thanks to a quirk of the building’s history.

“Juniper used to be a bank, so the concrete slabs are six inches thick. No sound escapes, you can’t hear anything from outside, it’s perfect for a space like this,” Burns said. “You can be as loud as you want, as noisy as you want … you can do anything.”

Burns said he has always loved music, so turning that passion into a business made sense — especially in Oxford, where options are limited.

“Recording studios nowadays aren’t seen as profitable because people can do stuff like this on a different scale at their own home,” Burns said. “But if they want to do it right, and if they want to make something that means something to them that’s quality and has every gadget you could possibly want, this would be the place to do it.”

The new space offers many amenities: a professional-grade mixing station, a stage full of live instruments and amps, an isolated booth for recording and an outdoor patio.

It’s the perfect environment for artists like Zac Kelly, a sophomore university studies major, to record their music.

“I’ve got my own little home studio, if you will. It’s like a microphone and some speakers, but it’s nothing compared to the equipment that they got at Oxford Originals,” Kelly said. “Recording is a lot easier for any artist, any genre.”

Kelly, who produces and creates hip-hop music, said the atmosphere was incredibly friendly and welcoming, which put him at ease.

“We hung out for like 15, 20 minutes and caught up, got comfortable and then I just got into the studio and started recording,” Kelly said.

Juggling his roles as a business owner and a full-time student is a large factor in how Burns runs Oxford Originals.

“It does get overwhelming at times, but that’s why this place is open by appointment,” Burns said. “It’s ready to go any time of the day, but until someone actually signs up or wants a tour or something, it’s shut down, so that works around my schedule a lot more.”

Burns isn’t the only person working at the studio. He’s hiring other managers to expand the hours of operation. He’s also bringing in engineers like Lyric Kiani, a first-year graduate student, to run the technical side of things.

“There’s a group of students who started High Street Records, and I was originally part of that,” Kiani said. “It was through that that I met Mike Burns … so whenever he has a client I’ll come in and help out with it because it’s no big deal.”

Kiani said the recording process strikes a balance between professional and playful, with the ultimate goal to get artists the tools they need to succeed.

“You want the client to be as relaxed and comfortable as possible while recording because heaven forbid they think they’re being judged,” Kiani said. “My favorite thing is to slap on a crazy effect … and then they start messing around, whether it’s autotune or reverb or delay and they’re just like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s so cool!’”

Beyond producing and recording, Burns is also expanding the scope of Oxford Originals’ services.

“A lot of my business has been as a rehearsal space,” said Burns. “I’m trying to venture out as a music production company too, so that not just the studio can throw concerts but we can rent out equipment to other people and throw concerts for them wherever they want.”

Burns is excited about the future of Oxford Originals, and said he expects for it to be around for a long time.

“I hope to keep advancing in equipment because I’ve just found it’s never done, like you always need something,” Burns said. “I think in five years this place will have everything you will ever possibly need and more.”

@HollowCentral hollowrr@miamioh.edu

OXFORD ORIGINALS MADE ITS NEW HOME AT 7 1/2 EAST HIGH STREET. PHOTO BY REECE HOLLOWELL

OXFORD ORIGINAL’S NEW SPACE USED TO FUNCTION AS A BANK, WHICH MEANS THE THICK WALLS ARE IDEAL FOR RECORDING. PHOTO BY REECE HOLLOWELL

THE NEW SPACE OFFERS MANY AMENITIES: A MIXING STATION, A STAGE FULL, A RECORDING BOOTH AND A PATIO. PHOTO BY REECE HOLLOWELL.

Visa applications, COVID-19 and other challenges facing international students

THIS YEAR, 1,400 STUDENTS ARE NON-U.S. CITIZENS AT MIAMI. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

STILL MAKE UP LESS THAN 10% OF THE STUDENT POPULATION. PHOTO BY JAKE RUFFER.

ALICE MOMANY

ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

ANNA REIER

THE MIAMI STUDENT

In 2020, Peiyu Yang was excited to start his first year at Miami University, but he knew his experience would be different from most students.

Yang, a junior media and communications major, is an international student from Shanghai. Every year, he flies across the world to attend school.

“My high school Chinese teacher recommended I come [to Miami] because lots of my high school classmates also went to Miami,” Yang said.

International student population declines

This year, Miami has students from 82 different countries, but the number of international students is lower than in previous years.

According to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), in 2018, about 2,500 students came from other countries, about 13% of the student population. In 2021, the number decreased to about 1,000 international students, about 6% of the student population.

“We had seen a slight decrease already before COVID, but COVID really caused a significant decrease in our numbers,” Molly Heidemann, director of the International Student and Scholar Services at Miami, said.

This year, the number has increased. Heidemann said about 1,400 students are non-U.S. citizens, but international students still make up less than 10% of the student population.

Of all the countries Miami’s international students come from, China has seen the steepest decline in the wake of the pandemic.

“[Students from China] were 85% of our international student population at the height, and they’re still by far our number one … last time I checked maybe 58% of our international student population [is from China], but that’s a big decrease,” Heidemann said.

Although Heidemann said she isn’t sure what the cause of the decrease is, she suggested that COVID played an important role as well as changes in the Chinese economy, the one-child policy, nationalism and building up their own education system and political relationships.

William Xue, a junior studying emerging technology in business and design, said he took a gap year because of the pandemic.

Although Xue, from Jiangsu, China, didn’t face any issues renewing his visa, his parents advised him not to travel abroad for the 2021-22 school year. Xue took remote classes for the 2020-21 school year, but Miami did not offer remote learning for the 2021-22 school year.

“My parents didn’t want me to take a risk because of the COVID pandemic, so I just stayed at home for one year and prepared for my graduate applications,” Xue said.

Visa process causes complications

International students typically come to the U.S. on an F-1 student visa. To obtain a visa, the student has to be admitted to the school they plan to attend.

Once admitted, the school sends the student a Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status, the I-20 form. After receiving the form, students must schedule an interview at their nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

During the interview, the student has to demonstrate English proficiency and prove they have enough financial resources for one year of study. The interviewer will ask the students questions about their purpose for going to the U.S., their intended major, why they want to go to school, how they intend to pay for their education and their long-term plans after school.

The interviewer then decides whether or not the student qualifies for a visa. Students complete a new I-20 form each year, but the visa is issued for up to five years.

Xue said although the application process takes time, he has never had a problem with getting approved.

“No, I’ve had no issues, mostly because I don’t think they will reject your application if you are approved to the college,” Xue said.

Although students can still be denied despite college approval, Yang agrees with Xue that the process is fairly easy.

“I think it’s not very hard,” Yang said. “I think it’s easy, but some people who are a first-year, they will be nervous because of the interview process.”

The pandemic caused consulates to shut down, preventing face-to-face appointments.

Heidemann said COVID isn’t preventing anyone from studying in the U.S. anymore, but they still have issues getting students to Miami. Because consulates were not operating, appointments were backlogged, and embassy workers are still trying to work through all the applications.

Not every student that applies can make it to Miami’s campus

About 15 students couldn’t make it to Miami this year. Brent Shock, vice president of Enrollment Management and Student Success, said this number is typical. He said most students who are prevented from coming to the U.S. either didn’t get their visa approved in time, or their visa was denied.

“It was extremely difficult to get a visa in an appropriate amount of time to actually get here for the fall semester, so they had to request emergency appointments, which was a whole process,” Heidemann said. “Many of them were able to get an emergency appointment and get here, but we did have some that just were not able to get an appointment in time.”

Bethany Perkins, director of admissions, said Miami has no control over visa approvals.

“That is typically unfortunately something that belongs to the country and is the responsibility of the country,” Perkins said. “There are some countries that we already know tend to have higher denial rates, but that is not something that Miami can control.”

Perkins said both Kenya and Nigeria have higher denial rates. If a student is denied a visa, Perkins said they need to reapply and go through the application process again. If the student can’t get an appointment, they can defer their admission.

“We work with those students and allow them to defer their admission to a later term, so they still stay in the fold,” Perkins said. “They’re able to maintain their scholarship [and] their admission decision, and we work with them closely for being able to arrive at a later time.”

Perkins said despite the fall in numbers, Miami is working to attract more international students. @alicemomany momanyaj@miamioh.edu

@AnnaReier reieram@miamioh.edu

Students of Song: Miami’s newest choir for social justice

EVAN STEFANIK

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Miami University’s peer-run social justice choir, Students of Song, launched in spring 2022 and is building momentum toward a showcase in spring 2023.

Founding president Diana Kwak, a sophomore choral and general music education major, explained the choir’s purpose.

“Students of Song emerged as a way for music students to engage with repertoire that we don’t really get in our canonized curriculum,” Kwak said. “There’s also a very fine line between performing a song to celebrate it and performing a song to appropriate it.”

Through lesson modules and open-dialogue seminars, the choir explores the historical context behind their music more deeply than standard choirs.

Last semester, the group studied the “Justice Choir Songbook” and centered work around events in Ukraine. This semester, the group will emphasize topics like gun violence and reproductive rights.

“We spend approximately half of the time discussing the meaning of a song and half of the time learning it,” Kwak said.

Kwak sings in the choir and also teaches it — a resume opportunity for her career pursuits. She applies skills from her classes to promote music’s influence in society and activism.

“One of the composers of our songbook was at a protest and realized that people could have used a song there,” she said. “Music has purposes in our everyday life, so why don’t we use it to take part in social conversation?”

The choir focuses on collaboration and reflection without political charge. Any prospective singer can participate in Students of Song and help select its music.

Jacob Horley, a sophomore biological physics and pre-optometry co-major, joined the choir despite having no musical experience past middle school.

“I think it’s for anyone who’s even slightly musically inclined or enjoys hearing about social issues,” Horley said. “There’s never that outside, academic pressure where you have to perform for an adult.”

Aside from reexamining his singing voice, Students of Song pushed Horley to interact with and better understand social justice.

“I got super into it because I was able to share my own knowledge I had been learning through my Critical Race Theory class,” Horley said. “Students of Song shows you how to be receptive to other opinions without feeling attacked. There was never a negative moment. It was all constantly moving forward.”

Students of Song is looking to register on The Hub, which is possible with support from faculty advisor and music professor Jeremy Jones.

“I contributed early on in the process, simply by encouraging Diana Kwak to create such a group,” Jones said. “Students are able to work together to build agency in this unique ensemble designed to allow students to discuss important topics in our society and make connections through choral music.”

Alongside social justice, Kwak’s goal is to make choir more accessible to non-music majors. Anyone interested can visit the Students of Song GroupMe.

“Everything that you think you know about music and your ability to do music is probably different from what you think and from what anyone has ever told you,” Kwak said. stefanec@miamioh.edu