The Miami Student Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2013
VOLUME 141 NO. 5
MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO
TODAY IN MIAMI HISTORY In 1990, The Miami Student reported that the two-year pilot program for the Miami Metro bus system received a favorable response in a campus-wide
survey. Encouraging students to share their concerns, Director of Budgeting Ralph Gutowski said, “We can’t anticipate everything in advance, but we have to start somewhere.”
RYAN HOLTZ THE MIAMI STUDENT
CHEER UP!
The Miami University cheerleading team leads the way onto the field before Miami took on the University of Kentucky Saturday. The RedHawks lost 41-7.
App aids suicide prevention ‘Just in Case’ BY LIBBY MUELLER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Miami University Student Counseling Services (SCS) has recently released a new app, “Just In Case,” to help increase awareness about suicide prevention and equip students to address psychological distress in friends or in themselves, according to SCS Director Kip Alishio. The app was developed by the National Association of Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) organization in cooperation with eReadia LLC. It was made available to Miami as part of a pilot program, Alishio said. The app, when opened, provides scenarios that illustrate situations one might be in, such as: “I can’t cope,” or “I’m worried about a friend.” “If you click on any of those, it opens to information on how to determine when you or a friend may be experiencing psychological
distress or where emergency services might be needed,” Alishio said. “It gives you numbers to call and it does this for all three campuses, so this is relevant for students on the regional campuses.” Junior Torey Sweeney said the app will help students by giving them an initial place to go when symptoms of depression arise. “If they’re feeling depressed at least they have something look at, somewhere to start,” Sweeney said. The app is part of a broader ongoing suicide prevention initiative, but was made possible with SCS’s receipt of the three-year federal Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Suicide Prevention Grant last year. “We spent a lot of the last year organizing ourselves and developing a plan for how we’re going to proceed and what initiatives we think are really important,” Alishio said. “What we emphasized is training people in the Miami community so that they would be able to be aware of when a friend or a student seems to be
experiencing a period of psychological difficulty, being able to engage them and refer them to services.” Alishio said one of the major efforts has involved purchasing and putting into place a free online gatekeeper training program that any Miami faculty member or student can use. The program is called AtRisk and helps facilitate the Just In Case app by assisting faculty and students in determining when somebody may be at risk for hurting themselves or others. The Just In Case app was customized for Miami to include a link to the gatekeeper training and information specific to resources in the Miami community, such as SCS, according to Alishio. Currently, the app can be downloaded by going to the address http:// codu.co/aca32c on a smartphone or by scanning the QR code listed here, but Alishio said SCS plans to make the app available on its website and on the Miami app, which can be downloaded in iTunes, in the future.
“We’re hoping that it will help students to increase their awareness about suicide prevention and psychological distress and break down the stigma that they might be carrying with regards to getting help by recognizing that students do from time to time need that kind of help,” Alishio said. “Intervention is the best prevention, so the earlier people can recognize they are struggling with some issues, it is much less likely that they will ever get to the point that they will harm themselves.” According to the facts and figures on suicide published by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 2012, suicide is the third leading cause of death among people between the ages of 15 and 24 and the second among people aged 25 to 34 years. The prevalence of suicidal thoughts and suicide planning and attempts is higher among young adults between the ages of 18 and 29 than among adults over the age
of 30, according to the CDC. Senior Alexandra Ma said the app will provide students anonymity. “It helps you stay anonymous,” Ma said. “Some people don’t want people to know what’s going on in their lives.” Ma said she does not think many students know about the local resources available to them if they are facing psychological distress, and the app will help direct them to those services. Scan the QR code below with your smartphone to get instruction on how to download the app.
New BCRTA bus routes go green, leave some students in a lurch BY HANNAH HARP
FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT
With the new school year in full swing, mixed opinions are beginning to surface regarding the new Butler County Regional Transit Authority (BCRTA) buses, as students become accustomed to the new routes. The BCRTA took over student and community transportation in August. The university made this change as part of its recent dedication to environmental sustainability on campus, according to Director of Parking and Transportation Services Lieutenant Ben Spilman. According to the university’s 2011 Circulation Master Plan
Report, the goal for this project but also its surrounding areas, is ultimately “[reducing] Miami with routes to Meijer in HamUniversity’s transportation-re- ilton and Walmart in Oxford, lated carbon footprint 20 to 30 Spilman said. NEW RESTAURANT percent by 2020.” Members of “This investment in public OPENING the project’s steering committee transportation will not only agreed that the implementation benefit students and employof a holistic approach to bus cir- ees of the university, but also culation could help make this the greater community who objective a reality, according will have access to affordable Dakotas Restaurant will to the Master Plan Report, pub- transit,” Spilman said. be conducting open lished on the university website. Now that the BCRTA’s main cliInterviews At the A planning team, comprised of entele has returned for the acaElms Hotel Dakotas Restaurant will 75 S. Main St. Dakotas R students and community repre- demic year, the question at hand Oxford Oh sentatives, designed new transit is whether or not the change be conducting open be cond Parking available in the NEW RESTAURANT NEW RESTAURANT routes to further decrease the will be backed up by popular Interviews At the Parking Garage Intervi opinion. Many students living dependence on single-occupant OPENING OPENING Elms Hotel Elm vehicle travel around campus. off campus have reported beWednesday Sept 18 PHOTOGRAPHERS NAME THE MIAMI STUDENT Thursday Sept 19 75 S. Main St. 75 S. These will allow students, as ing negatively affected by the Butler County Regional Transit Authority (BCRTA) took Sept over as20 the new Friday well as members of the commuOxford Oh Oxf system at Miami in August. BUS, transportation nity not only access to Oxford SEE PAGE 8Parking available in the 10:00am – 7:00pm Parking a
NEW RESTAURANT OPENING
NEW RESTAURANT OPENING
Parking Garage Parki We are accepting Dakotas Restaurant Dakotas Restaurant will applications for all NEW will RESTAURANT positions. Excellent be conducting open be conducting open Wednesday Sept 18 Wednes work environment, Interviews At the Interviews At the OPENING Thursday Sept 19 flexible scheduling, fullThursd Elms Hotel Elms Hotel and part time positions Frida Friday Sept 20 75 S. Main St. available. 75 S. Main St. Oxford Oh Oxford Oh Dakotas Parking available in the Parking Garage
Dakotas Restaurant will
NEW RE OP
WednesdayDakotas Sept 18 Thursday Sept 19
10:00am –Parking 7:00pm 10:00am available 325 in the S. College Ave Parking Garage Oxford Ohio 45056
We are accepting Wednesday Sept 18 Restaurant will applications for all Thursday Sept 19
We are applica