The Miami Student | August 29, 2018

ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018

Volume 147 No. 1

Miami University — Oxford, Ohio

ARMITAGE WAS DISCIPLINED BEFORE Incident involved bullying a student about religious beliefs CÉILÍ DOYLE NEWS EDITOR

AUTHOR WIL HAYGOOD ADDRESSES MIAMI FIRST-YEARS AND GUESTS AT CONVOCATION ON AUGUST 24. PHOTO BY JUGAL JAIN

Hope and soul in ‘Tigerland’ AUDREY DAVIS

MANAGING EDITOR

The year was 1968. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy had both been assassinated. Turmoil spread across the country, but in Columbus, Ohio, a segregated high school came together around two all-star athletic teams and stood in the face of diversity.

Thirteen-year-old Wil Haygood knew something special was happening in his community. He and his friends would beg their parents for the 50 cents it cost to watch the East High Tigers play basketball at the fairgrounds’ coliseum.

“They were more than just a team, because they were the soul and heartbeat and pride of the city’s black east side community,” Haygood (‘76) said.

“Everybody, even if you went to other high schools, followed the East High

“They were more than just a team” -Miami author Wil Haygood Tigers.”

In his previous stories, Haygood has covered the lives of Thurgood Marshall, Sammy Davis and a longtime White House butler. Now, in his latest novel “Tigerland” he tackles the story of the state-winning baseball and basketball teams at East High School in the ‘68-’69 seasons.

East High, Haygood said, was known in Columbus as the token all-black school.

Two and a half years before former Miami University professor Kevin Armitage was arrested for trying to hire a 14-year-old prostitute, Miami disciplined him for bullying a student about her religious beliefs and gluten intolerance on a study-abroad trip to Costa Rica.

In June of 2018, shortly after the FBI arrested him on the sex charge in Kansas City, MO, Armitage resigned from the faculty — he had been a professor of individualized studies in Miami’s Western program. He is now awaiting trial on a felony count for coercion/enticement of a female minor.

Armitage’s trial is scheduled for Monday, Sept. 24, though it will likely be pushed back on the court’s docket to January 2019. Armitage’s attorney filed for a motion of continuance to move Armitage’s trial to January 2019.

A prosecuting attorney on the case, CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

Haygood is proud of the story, which takes place in his hometown, though he only attended East High for one year before graduating from the integrated Franklin Heights.

At the time, East High’s district was illegally segregated. In 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education case ruled state-sanctioned segregation of public schools was a violation of the 14th amendment. This ruling should have CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

FORMER PROFESSOR KEVIN ARMITAGE WAS ARRESTED ON A SEX CHARGE IN JUNE. BOOKING PHOTO FROM WYANDOTTE COUNTY DETENTION CENTER

ARENA

City shapes new Art Commission Local advocates for the arts aim to shift economy and enrich area for all ages ARTHUR NEWBERRY THE MIAMI STUDENT

2014 GRAD LIZ KREHBIEL, CENTER, WITH FIRST YEARS CASSIDY EDWARDS, RIGHT, AND HER SISTER-IN-LAW RHONDA KREHBIEL IN FRONT OF THE MURAL THEY PAINTED ON THE VACANT FOLLETTS BOOKSTORE. PAINTED BACKWARDS FROM THE INSIDE, THEY USED A PROJECTOR AS A STENCIL. PHOTO BY ARTHUR NEWBERRY

Two years since the shuttering of Follet’s Miami Co-Op Bookstore, Jessica Greene, the executive director of Enjoy Oxford, decided to make use of the space left behind by what was once Oxford’s largest bookstore. Greene and the Chamber of Commerce put out a call to artists to design and paint murals on vacant storefront windows around Oxford.

Earlier this month, that ad hoc committee met under the new designation PACO (pronounced “paw-co”), or the Public Arts Commission of Oxford, to make recommendations to the city man-

This Issue Princess Theater closed for good

Myaamia Center wins federal grant

Despite community efforts, the Uptown landmark will be leased as restaurant space.

Director Daryl Baldwin continues the mission of revitalizing native languages.

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Please stop overachieving

‘Last Chance U’ star hits gridiron

Overcommitment only hurts your colleagues and classmates.

Backfielder Zedrick Raymond tests his mettle with the ‘Hawks.

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ager and city council on the implementation of public art in Oxford. The murals currently up around town were endorsed by its members.

Along with the city’s tax-supported bike trail, PACO intends to push the current council to change the appearance of Uptown. Edna Southard, the council representative on the commission, stated they’re, “interested in making (Uptown) more of a cultural destination and more welcoming to artists.”

Southard was instrumental in bringing many pieces in Miami’s sculpture park, such as Mark di Suvero’s “For Kepler” (“the big red thing” as many onlookers call it), and understands the value the arts bring to a community. Southard has also previously taught a course giving walking tours of art in Oxford.

“In my career as a museum curator and as an art historian, I always felt my job is to demystify art and that is what I’m doing now, too,” Southard said.

But out of the gallery, Southard knows the word “art” is not something everyone has experienced.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

TMS Travels page 4

2 NEWS

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018

‘Tigerland’ author talks race, past and present FROM PAGE 1

desegregated high schools everywhere; however certain cities, including Columbus, continued their segregationist practices well into the ‘60s, Haygood said.

When school began at East in the fall of ‘68, the white power structure was nervous about what the black students might do at the school, Haygood said.

“The leader of black America had just been assassinated,” Haygood said. “It was like the soul of the community had been stomped on and even worse. It was an unimaginable loss.”

At the time, Jack Gibbs, who

was East’s first black principal, made it his mission to tell the student body that they could not fall.

“He said, ‘We cannot do unwise things and let the city think that we don’t have control over our actions or who we are,’” Haygood said. “He instilled pride in the students, and I think because of him, the students wanted to prove that they could do something to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy, and the most attention from many people in the community, on a positive note, came to the school via athletics.”

“Tigerland” was given to Miami first-years a month before its wide release, after being selected by the first-year reading committee and

Planning Commission rejects housing proposal DUARD HEADLEY

ASST. CULTURE EDITOR

An attempt to bring a new student housing development within the mile square was stymied this week by Oxford’s city planning commission.

After the real estate development company Opus Development Company and the Oxford community spoke at length during a meeting on Tuesday August 14, the planning commission voted on the proposal.

The commission split the vote — there were three votes for the proposal and three votes against, and the tie resulted in a rejection by default. The commission will report a negative recommendation to City Council.

While the meeting featured other concerns, like the creation of a new mixeduse building in town that would feature a hotel, the vast majority of the focus was on a proposed rezoning of the Whistle Stop property that extends from West Spring Street to West Walnut Street.

The potential rezoning would turn what is currently property licensed for general business use into property that would be solely for residential use. If successful, the rezoning would allow for the construction of additional housing facilities that would likely end up as primarily student housing.

The applicant for the rezoning is the Opus Development Company, a real-estate development organization based in Minneapolis. Opus Development intends to create a high-end housing facility that could potentially hold over 300 residents.

“We feel strongly that doing something to revital-

ize and improve this truly underutilized land would probably be the best thing for the community,” said John Myefski, principal and president of Myefski Architects, a firm working with Opus on this proposal.

Even if Opus decides not to build on the land, rezoning ensures that any other developer could decide to do so in the future, and that the property would no longer be usable for general business development.

Several community members expressed concern that the rezoning and subsequent development would irrevocably change the nature of the neighborhood.

“Is this what we want our city to look like?” said one female citizen. “There are plenty of us in town who like to be able to walk Uptown, to have our kids walk Uptown. We ride our bikes to work. We like to live as urban as possible.”

Other concerns raised were increased traffic and the potential safety hazards due to the development’s proximity to the railroad tracks and that many existing student housing facilities have a number of vacant units already.

Conversely, some community members supported the proposal, claiming that the development would be good for the neighborhood and that it would create a stronger and more vibrant atmosphere in an area that desperately needs to be beautified.

After the planning commission delivers their negative recommendation, City Council will decide whether or not to officially reject the proposal. headledd@miamioh.edu

President Gregory Crawford.

“It’s very magical for me as a Miami graduate to return to this school to share this book with the freshman student body,” Haygood said. “I also think that the book is very timely with all of its themes, themes that we are seeing in the headlines today. “It’s such a national story in its scope and in its epic sweep.”

People in the U.S. tend to gravitate toward sports stories such as “Friday Night Lights” and “Remember the Titans,” Haygood said.

“These are all great stories with a meaning outside the world of sports. [“Tigerland”] was just a story that spoke to me as a cultur-

al historian and a journalist. If you think it’s a story about sports, you tend to come to it with excitement built up. If you can take the reader deeper into the narrative and make some strategic turns like I do in ‘Tigerland,’ it’s so much the better.

You’ve given the reader a sports story, but in my situation, you’ve also given them a story about this nation.”

Though the story takes place 50 years ago, it is relevant to today’s society, Haygood said. Today, while there is more respect for the black community and black representation across all levels of government, there is more to be done, he added.

davisa10@miamioh.edu

City seeks safer streets for cyclists

CYCLISTS CAN NOW UTILIZE OXFORD’S BIKE BOXES TO CROSS INTERSECTIONS MORE SAFELY. PHOTO BY JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

BEN DEETER

STAFF WRITER

Earlier this summer, the City of Oxford’s streets and maintenance division began installing new intersection markings on Locust Street to make the area safer and more accessible for cyclists.

The new design creates what the city calls “bike boxes,” which are designated areas painted bright green where cyclists wait at signal intersections.

“The bike box comes into play in high density traffic areas,” said Michael Dreisbach, the service director of the city’s service and engineering department. “[The city is] very aware of the complicated traffic patterns around Locust Street, and the bike boxes and dedicated bike lanes are there to help.”

Locust Street runs in front of the shopping complex that includes Kroger, T.J. Maxx and Capitol Dry Cleaners. There are 18 cross streets and several of them don’t have a clean path to the other side of the street.

There have been nine accidents involving cyclists in Oxford over the past three years, per Oxford Police Department (OPD) statistics.

According to the city’s website, the intent of the boxes is to prevent accidents between bicycles and motor vehicles, particularly when bicycles go straight while motor vehicles turn right.

The boxes sit in front of the white line where motor vehicles are supposed to stop, giving cyclists a more

visible space to sit and wait at red lights. Cyclists enter the boxes from the designated bike lane on the far right side of the road.

After entering the box, the motorists behind the box should stop at the white line, not crossing over into the box, even if there isn’t a bike.

Once the light turns green, everyone goes through the intersection and motorists give the right-of-way to cyclists.

The bike boxes complement the city’s “Complete Street Corridor Safety Improvement Plan.” Enacted in 2014, the plan involves the creation of safer roads with more diverse options for Oxford residents to get around town. The options include things like installing dedicated bike lanes and creating better multiuse paths.

David Prytherch, city councilor and former chairman of the city’s planning commission, said the conversation about safety and Locust Street specifically has been had before.

“The planning process to make our streets safer and more accessible has been going on for about a decade,” Prytherch said. “[The plan] really set out the idea that Oxford should be safe and accessible for all modes of transportation.”

Prytherch, who’s also an associate professor in Miami University’s geography department, specializes in urban geography and diversity.

Part of his research focuses on making streets more equitable spaces.

He said much of that principle can

EVENTS THIS WEEK

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“There’s no doubt it can be linked to the people in power in Washington right now,” Haygood said. “Promoting civil rights is not on their agenda. It’s painfully clear.”

He hopes “Tigerland” will help to show there can be triumph at the end of a journey, especially if it’s a difficult one.

“When you show this to people, then you tend to gain converts. You tend to change people’s attitudes, maybe not their minds, but their attitudes.”

“Tigerland” will be officially released on September 18.

be applied in Oxford.

“If you think about it, one of the single largest and most important spaces in the city is the street,” Pytherch said. “It’s not just infrastructure, it’s public space paid for and used by everyone. In the 20th century, the street became dominated by cars. But recently, cities have realized that streets need to serve broader goals. They need to be safe for all users. They should be beautiful. They should be livable.”

The boxes have faced criticism from members of the community.

Much of the emphasis has been directed at motor vehicles’ inability to turn right on red if a cyclist is sitting in the box, waiting to go straight.

Both Prytherch and Dreisbach opted for safety over convenience.

“Our roads are here to accommodate all forms of transportation, including pedestrians and bicycles,” Dreisbach said. “Hopefully motor vehicle drivers can understand how this helps bikers who are at a disadvantage on the road.”

“Change is not easy, and planning is a work in progress,” Prytherch said. “I think that with change, you have a goal, you implement the design that helps you get the goal, but you maybe have to deal with unintended consequences.

“Locust Street is still primarily an automobile corridor,” Prytherch continued. “The reality is that people don’t feel safe walking to their own library, and there will be tradeoffs.” deeterbj@miamioh.edu

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Events to catch this week on Miami’s campus and in Oxford

Mega Fair

Love & Honor 5K

M.O.V.E. Bootcamp

Football vs. Marshall

Slant Walk

Yager Stadium Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Lewis Place Saturday 10 p.m.

Yager Stadium Saturday, 1 p.m.

Today, 6-9 p.m.

Come find your place at Miami and check out the over 400 student organizations. From the MU Dropouts (our skydiving club), to business organizations, Greek life, student media and more, there is something for everyone. You don’t have to be a first-year to try something new.

Run for Love and Honor with a 5K to celebrate homecoming weekend. The event, in collaboration with various student organizations, will help fund student scholarships. The $25 event includes a shirt and swag bag. Register for the event online by August 30 or on-site on race day for $30. The movie “Draft Day” will play at the end of the race.

Get moving with the Crawfords! Miami & Oxford Value Exercise (M.O.V.E.) is a free, monthly fitness class hosted by President Greg Crawford and Dr. Renate Crawford outside their home. Free T-shirts are provided to participants.

Nearly 200 people attended the most recent bootcamp. The event is open to the University, the Oxford community and local alumni.

Cheer on the RedHawks at the homecoming football game versus The Herd.

Head to Yager at 1:30 for a pre-game tailgate then help break the student attendance record to be #10f8089 and make Miami history.

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

3 NEWS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018

Hopes of Princess Theater revival demolished

PHOTO OF THE PRINCESS THEATER FROM THE TMS ARCHIVES.

SAMANTHA BRUNN NEWS EDITOR

The efforts to save the Princess Theater have failed, after the former Uptown fixture was recently leased to a restaurant.

“Flickering hope to revive the theater, like the marquee, is extinguished,” David Prytherch, a city councilor, Miami associate professor of geography and founding member of Friends of the Princess Theater, wrote on the Friends of

the Princess Theater Facebook page last Friday.

Prytherch was one of over 3,600 friends of the Princess Theater who was saddened to see the outcome.

“What a long saga of missed opportunities,” Prytherch wrote.

The revival efforts began when the theater was initially offered to the City of Oxford as a donation from the previous theater group.

The theater shuttered for the first time in 2012 when the city hesitated to accept the donation, due to a

desire to conduct environmental analysis of the space and other preliminary checks.

Then the theater group reneged on their promise of a donation, instead selling to a group of four investors in the meantime: Matt Rodboro, Chris Rodboro, Lindsay Myers and Ted Woods.

At the behest of the investor group, the theater briefly reopened in 2014 and subsequently experienced a fire, leading to the eventual re-development of the building.

Federal grant to further language revitalization JULIA ARWINE

MANAGING EDITOR

DARYL BALDWIN (CENTER BACK) DISCUSSES BREATH OF LIFE 2.0.

CONTRIBUTED BY KAREN BALDWIN

which more than 100 tribal representatives from dozens of language communities investigated documents in the archives of the Smithsonian containing Native American languages. Many of these languages had gone dormant, but through Breath of Life they began to be recovered and— in the case of myaamiataweenki, the Miami Tribe’s own language— learned and spoken again.

“In our modern English rhetoric when languages cease to be spoken we call them extinct or dead,” Baldwin said. “In our field we tend to call them sleeping languages. If there’s adequate documentation, as there is for the Myaamia language, then who says it can’t be revitalized?”

The three-year grant from NEH will go towards funding Breath of Life 2.0: Indigenous Language Revitalization through

Enhancement of the Miami-Illinois Digital Archive, which will build upon the accomplishments of Breath of Life’s first iteration.

The Miami-Illinois Digital Archive (MIDA) is an online database that compiles and organizes data and translations of the Miami-Illinois language along with images of the primary source documents for further research and analysis.

Baldwin and others at the Myaamia Center, especially David Costa, director of the center’s language research office, are working to create the Indigenous Languages Digital Archive (ILDA), which is modeled after MIDA but will include languages from beyond the Miami-Illinois region. At the moment, ILDA only has one language in its database: CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

DARYL BALDWIN (RIGHT) CONTRIBUTED BY KAREN BALDWIN

Updates to this story will be available online at miamistudent. net. brunnsj@miamioh.edu @samantha_brunn

Miami author honored at Convocation AUDREY DAVIS

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency that funds projects and programs in the humanities across the country, awarded Daryl Baldwin, director of Miami University’s Myaamia Center, a grant to fund a project on indigenous language revitalization on Aug. 8.

The grant totals $311,641 and is one of 218 awards distributed to projects nationwide as part of NEH’s third and final round of funding for the fiscal year, which altogether totals $43.1 million.

The grant had to be applied for, and competition was high.

“In addition to providing for construction and capacity-building projects at museums, libraries, and colleges, NEH grants support a wide range of public programs that bring humanities ideas, experiences, and resources to communities large and small,” read the Aug. 8 NEH news release.

The Myaamia Center does collaborative work to bridge the gap between the university and the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, for whom the school is named.

Baldwin is a member of the Miami Tribe and a founder of the National Breath of Life program to revitalize native languages, including and especially the Miami Tribe’s own.

The first National Breath of Life program began in 2011 as a two-week biennial workshop in

The original 1913 framework was demolished and construction was completed of a new theater shell with student housing attached.

Because the inside construction of the theater was left incomplete, the search for a theater operator able to shoulder the potential $600,000 to $800,000 cost of finishing the building was difficult, Prytherch said.

There was a city-wide economic development push for the Princess Theater. The Community Im-

provement Corporation agreed to a revolving loan fund and city council expressed an interest in funding the design for the space on the condition the investors provided a reasonable rate for rent.

With these economic incentives, Danny Heilbrunn of the Danbarry Group was interested in operating the potential theater.

Last year’s Miami’s Associated Student Government heavily advocated for the rebirth of the Princess Theater as well.

Former ASG President Maggie Callaghan and Vice President Luke Elfreich “kept this at the front burner and facilitated meetings with the University administration and building owners,” Prytherch said.

Despite these efforts, “The owners never really presented an affordable rent offer and they chose to lease to a restaurant,” Prytherch said. “That’s effectively the end of the Princess Theater.”

Prytherch believes maybe more could have been done to save the Princess, but the community and city did what they could to try and make it happen.

“Had there been more sources of local funding — from the city, from Miami — that would have bridged the gap,” Prytherch said.

“Ultimately, it would have become a restaurant long ago were it not for the visibility students and community members brought to it.”

Miami President Gregory Crawford, Oxford Mayor Kate Rousmaniere and guest speaker, Wil Haygood welcomed the class of 2022 at the August 24 Convocation ceremony. Over 4,000 people crowded on the lawn around the Freedom ‘64 Summer Memorial on Western.

After a special performance from Miami’s Glee Club, Rousmaniere addressed the newest members of the Oxford community.

“This past Tuesday in a formal proclamation, the city of Oxford declared August 24 as Wil Haygood Day in the city of Oxford,” Rousmaniere said. “We urge all citizens to use the day to reflect on our mutual commitment to confront inequality, promote efforts for justice, inclusion, civil rights and wide-awake activism.

We did this because we hold Wil Haygood as a model of citizenship in our community.”

For his contributions to Miami, Crawford presented Haygood with the Miami University President’s Medal and renamed the lane by the memorial Wil Haygood Lane and handed Haygood his new street sign.

“We are sitting in a very special place,” Crawford said. “Right on this space, hundreds of students trained 54 years ago today to travel on to segregated southern states and register black voters.

They were announcing to the world that they would not standby or submit to racism, intolerance or injustices.”

Haygood, class of ‘76, has devoted his writing talents to telling stories that uplift others.

“We are so fortunate today to debut Wil’s new book, ‘Tigerland,’ right here at Miami University,” Crawford said. “As this book wins bestselling national acclaim, and maybe a movie, we will be able to say we were the first to read it, right here at Miami University.”

“Tigerland” tells the story of students at the all-black East High School in Columbus, Ohio in 1968. In the book, Haygood features students who had to overcome barriers from racism

to poverty and still won two state championships in one year.

“We are delighted for our students to read ‘Tigerland’ because it gives us a living real-world example of how students can rise above struggle, disappointment and even loss to elevate themselves, each other and their school,” Crawford said.

Haygood stepped up to the podium and pantomimed shooting free throws while the sea of firstyears cheered him on.

“This, right now, is a time in our nation where we desperately need leadership around the issue of equality and race,” Haygood said. “It is a tribute to you, President Crawford, that as its leader and on behalf of Miami University, you have raised your voice in a mighty and eloquent way in the name of diversity and inclusion.”

Haygood directly addressed the first-year students and put the onus on them to vote for a government that believes in diversity and civil rights.

“When you vote, please vote for someone who doesn’t denigrate people because of their religious background or the color of their skin,” Haygood said. “Vote for someone who treats women with respect and someone who believes in the sacredness of the U.S. Constitution. Diversity makes us all stronger. And please please please, no more reality TV stars in high office!”

Haygood acknowledged how honored he feels to have his alma mater care about and have faith in ‘Tigerland.’

“I want you to think about the Tigers,” Haygood said. “Pay attention to how they dreamed, how they achieved, how they stuck together, how they brought a community and a state together and made national history.” davisa10@miamioh.edu

Travel

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DAVISKN3@MIAMIOH.EDU

Portugal: Where the old world meets the new among the cork tree farms.

In Portugal, I stood on the partially ruined parapets of a castle built by the Moors and watched mist spill down into the valley of Sintra. I walked on the pitched roof of a cathedral that looked over a medieval walled city and a Roman temple to the goddess Diana.

I stopped mere steps from the edge of a cliff at the southwestern-most point in Europe — what sailors once thought was the end of the world — and watched the gray sea thrash against the rocks hundreds of feet below.

America is a young country, too young to have grand, crumbling ruins of our own. And nobody builds castles or cathedrals anymore. But in Portugal, ruins, castles and cathedrals exist in abundance, and with them, more history than a fresh-faced American tourist such as myself can absorb.

There is a feeling the Portuguese know well, called saudade — a melancholy longing, a deep nostalgia, for something now lost. Portu-

gal was once the seat of an empire.

Now, its colonies are independent, its wealth is much diminished and its monarchy was overthrown long ago.

The country is still in the process of modernizing, and remains unpretentious and a bit rough around the edges, especially in its more remote towns. “Old-world charm,” one might call it.

On the cliffs of Cap e Sagres, you can still picture caravels piloted by students of Prince Henry the Navigator sailing out past the end of the world.

In the ruins of Conímbriga, walking past intact columns and still-vivid mosaics, you can imagine the Romans strolling through the forum and toward the bathhouse, beneath which lies the even older remnants of an indigenous settlement.

In the university town of Coimbra, you can watch students in traditional black capes go about their learning in one of the oldest universities in the world — just as they

have since the 13th century — and listen to traditional melancholic fado music in darkened pubs.

In the terraced mountain wineries of the Douro region, you can smell generations of winemaking coming off the enormous wooden barrels piled up in cool dark rooms.

I spent two weeks in Portugal, visiting 13 cities in 14 days. I saw the beaches in the south, the mountains in the north, and the fields in between. I walked too many miles and ate too much food and saw too much history to comprehend. And even after a mere two weeks in Portugal, something of my heart still remains there, a touch of saudade awakening at the sound of women singing fado to their husbands gone to sea. arwinejk@miamioh.edu

PHOTO BY JULIA ARWINE

JULIA ARWINE STAFF WRITER

When I was a kid, I read a book in which one of the characters had the ability to see into the past. If she concentrated, she could watch everything that had ever happened in a certain place. I’ve often wished I could have that power, but never more so than when strolling the steep, narrow streets of Portugal.

Portugal is a small country, often overlooked in the shadow of its more famous neighbor on the Iberian Peninsula — Spain. It has no iconic attractions, like many other European countries; no Eiffel Tower, no Big Ben, no Colosseum.

But it is rugged and beautiful, and

the past is very much alive in every cobblestone step.

In Portugal, the young, the old and the ancient exist side by side, and often on top of each other.

Concerts are held in the ruins of a Gothic church in Lisbon, whose roof caved in after a massive earthquake in 1755.

In Évora, cars trundle beneath the arches of a Roman aqueduct, and a Roman bathhouse lies beneath the town hall, having been accidentally discovered during renovations.

Out in the grassy fields of the Alentejo region, Stonehenge-esque Neolithic structures still stand in their strange circular patterns

South of the typical French experience EMILY BRUSTOSKI VIDEO EDITOR

It was the morning after France had beaten Croatia to win the 2018 World Cup. I sat on a plane at 8 a.m., preparing to land at Charles De Gaulle Airport. My mother, sister and I boarded a train, and in just a few stops, we were standing in the heart of Paris with our suitcases in hand.

After dropping off our bags at the hotel, we hit the ground running, determined to pack Paris into a day and a half before taking the train to Lyon.

First on our agenda was one of Paris’ central landmarks, the Louvre, whose architecture alone explains why it’s considered a must-see. That same night, we would give ourselves the typical Parisian experience and dine on escargot paired with a bottle of Bordeaux before trekking through the city for an up-close view of the Eiffel Tower.

Following a good night’s sleep, our Paris adventures concluded with a walk through the Musée d’Orsay and a hike up a rather large hill to see Sacré-Cœur — and a spectacular view of Paris.

I was sure that nothing could top Paris’ charm, but little did I know about the other hidden gems that France has to offer. Escaping the bustle of Paris and waking up to the peacefulness of old Lyon made for the perfect second stop to our travels. My mom was so taken by the town, I was momentarily afraid that she would opt to go into early retirement and never return to the States.

Luckily, that wasn’t the case, and we picked up our rental car to continue south.

It didn’t take much driving for me to realize why France only has roundabouts, as opposed to four-way stops (because French people don’t recognize the concept of a right-of-way).

With the aid of my limited navigational skills, my mother was able to safely get us to Provence. We stayed there for two days before continuing to my favorite stop: Nice.

Between swimming in the cloudy turquoise Mediterranean and sitting at the top of La

Chateau drinking Desperados, a French tequila-flavored beer that would blow your mind, it’s hard to pick a high point.

Initially, I thought that my mother was crazy for planning a road trip through southeast France that included a new stop every couple of days. Now that it’s all said and done, I can proudly say that I’ve never been so happy to be wrong.

As unbelievable as a 10-day trip to Paris would be, nothing beats getting outside of the city and seeing the lesser-known parts of France — not to mention that the insane views and rich culture that you can find all over the country are nothing short of a dream for any videographer or photographer. If you ever find yourself planning a trip to France, may I suggest the path less traveled. And grab yourself a bottle of Desperados while you’re at it. brustoea@miamioh.edu

PHOTOS BY EMILY BRUSTOSKI

PHOTOS BY JULIA ARWINE

Anxiety above the Virgin Islands MAIA ANDERSON

THE MIAMI STUDENT

I tend to plan my days by the hour, partly out of necessity to make sure I get enough work done and partly because I suffer from anxiety that makes me want to feel in control all the time.

On past vacations, I’ve loved having premade itineraries, so I knew just how I’d be spending my time and which sights I’d be seeing. Last summer, while studying abroad in Spain, my friends and I took a five-day trip to Barcelona and Lisbon. Between climbing hills to see ancient castles and riding elevators to get the best views of the city, I pretty much had it planned down to the minute.

Nonetheless, when a surprise vacation to the Virgin Islands fell into my lap, I was ecstatic to not do any of the planning.

My friend Grace’s parents had planned the trip for her and her older sister, Kristina, to go to St. Croix. It was a birthday gift to Grace and a graduation gift to Kristina, who had just finished pharmacy school.

About a week before we left, Grace texted me that her roommate wasn’t able to go, so there was room for another person. I wasn’t about to turn down a week of boat rides and beaches.

I had, of course, looked at my flight itinerary before leaving. I hadn’t, however, put much thought into the fact that my third and final flight was scheduled to last only 25 minutes, or that it was from St. Thomas to St. Croix, two of the islands close to each other. I had a passing thought along the lines of, “Oh, that’s a pretty short flight. I bet it’ll be one of those really small planes that only has one seat on each side of the aisle.”

It was a much smaller plane than I imagined. Turns out, I was taking one of those hopper planes that only seats eight people right behind the cockpit. Consequently, you can see everything the pilot is doing.

I’ve flown many times before. My dad

was in the Air Force until my sophomore year of high school, so we traveled and moved around all the time.

No matter how many times I’ve flown in my life, there’s a part of me that refuses to accept that flying is a normal thing for humans to do. I can’t help but panic every time I step onto a plane — and that’s a normal-sized plane, with hundreds of other people onboard and plenty of distance between the pilot and me.

There’s something about being so close to the cockpit and actually watching a person fly a plane that makes the experience a lot more real and terrifying to someone who already suffers from flying-induced anxiety — especially when the very small plane is flying through a stormcloud.

When you’re in a cloud, rain doesn’t fall, it just comes toward you. Flying in a tiny hopper plane, it looked like we were flying underwater. There was also a significant amount of turbulence that shook the entire plane and left me convinced I was about to live out my own version of “Castaway” — one of my favorite movies, but not something I wanted to reenact.

There I was, an anxiety-riddled 21-year-old girl, mentally preparing to plunge into the ocean and calculating how long it’d take to swim the rest of the distance to the island. I decided the best way to combat my fears was by taking a time-lapse video of the ride on my phone, since seeing it through the screen made it seem less real, and by default less scary, than seeing it in real life.

As you can deduce by me writing this article, I didn’t live my own version of the Tom Hanks movie (but I did get a pretty cool time-lapse video). In a less cinematic ending, my flight landed normally and everyone got off, and I seemed to be the only one fazed by the experience. ander198@miamioh.edu

DAVISKN3@MIAMIOH.EDU

5

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018

Finding family at Savior Children Foundation: My volunteer experience in Ghana JULIA WILSON

THE MIAMI STUDENT

I’m sitting under the large metal pavilion in a plastic chair alongside the kids. All of the other volunteers have left, so I’m alone — as I have been the past two days. Mr. Patrick sits at the front of the room, reading a story about Moses. The kids, ranging from five to 18 years old, listen intently as I panic about the time that ticks by on my watch.

5:27 p.m., it reads. Somehow, five weeks has dwindled down to three minutes, and I am not ready to leave.

“Madam, you leave at what time?” is the question I had answered all day. All day, I’d told the kids when my taxi would arrive to take me to the airport. I followed this with assurances that I would come back, to alleviate my overwhelming guilt of leaving them behind.

This is what’s racing through my mind when the taxi horn blares.

My stomach collapses on itself and, like a robot, I get up from my seat to grab my suitcase from my room. I walk inside to see that David, a spunky 12-year-old who had clearly been outside skipping Bible study, beat me to my bags. He follows me as I head back outside to find all of the kids singing a goodbye song alongside Mr. Patrick, who takes me into his arms.

I turn around as all of the kids hug me at once. Through my tears, I see a sea of smiles looking back at me and, unlike me, I know they’re going to carry on like normal. I get in the taxi, wave my last goodbyes and begin my time of reflection during my 24-hour commute home.

“How was Africa?” is the question I get from everyone back home. I hate this question. “Amazing,” is what I feel like I have to say. But of course it was not amazing — at least not entirely. There is nothing amazing about watching kids get gifted their new pair of underwear to use for the next few weeks.

There is nothing amazing about treating a boy’s split-open leg with only Germ-X, as he screams and pleads for you to stop. There is nothing amazing about an orphan crisis.

Savior Children Foundation, located in Kasoa, Ghana, is both a home to roughly 40 orphaned children and a free school to 600 more. It was founded by a man named Patrick Nwodobeh who, in 2011, along with his wife and four children, decided to start taking in children who had nowhere else to go.

They all lived in a single room that served as both their home and their classroom, sleeping together on mats on the floor. He took care of them with money he earned from a farm he managed, which eventually ran out.

When Patrick found that he barely had enough to feed the kids, he decided to shut himself in a room where he fasted and prayed for days. Shortly after he emerged from his fasting, he encountered a woman who worked for International Volunteer Headquarters. She quickly saw that Patrick was a deserving candidate to receive volunteer assistance and, after an evaluation period, began placing volunteers at the foundation. Now, after years of continual donations and volunteer assistance, the foundation has 18 classrooms, a kitchen, and two large bedrooms for the boys and girls.

My decision to volunteer in Ghana

CONTRIBUTED BY JULIA WILSON

stemmed from my fascination with the culture, my love for kids and a desire to dedicate a summer to something that didn’t revolve around myself. In college, it’s easy to get swept up in making sure that you look the best, maintain the best GPA, get the best internships and so on. I found myself feeling selfish and trapped, and I needed a complete escape. So I did my research, found a credible volunteer program in Ghana and booked a solo plane ticket.

The days were long, the work was strenuous, and there were times that my patience was tested. But with every bathtime, dance lesson and hug goodnight, I fell in love with

those kids in a way that I have never experienced before. Ghana is beautiful and filled with people who treated me like family, and made a completely foreign country feel like home. They made me want to be a better person, which is what I will try to do until the day I get to see them again.

To learn more about the kids and how you can support them, visit www.saviorchildrenfoundation.org. wilso205@miamioh.edu

Starry nights on the sandy dunes BEN FINFROCK

ASST. OPINION EDITOR

In the shadows of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains lie several massive sand dunes so beautifully shaped and perfectly formed that they appear airlifted from Saharan Africa.

The Great Sand Dunes are located in Mosca, Colorado, a town three hours and 30 minutes south of Denver, The only route to get to them is the CO-150, a winding stretch of backroad at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo.

While driving to the Dunes this summer, the first thing that struck me was how small they appeared from a distance. At first glance, they appeared to be about the size of a suburban house. It was not until I stood at the foot of the dunes and saw the ant-like human specks climbing the summit, that I was able to grasp their true size.

My mother, my sisters, K.C. and Carrie, and I traveled to the Great Sand Dunes on July 10. We arrived in Mosca at 3 p.m.

On hot summer days, park rangers advise visitors to stay off the dunes during peak hours of sunshine to avoid being burned by the hot sand. To avoid these hours, my family and I checked into our hotel in the neighboring town of Alamosa.

Alamosa is a small town composed of several strip malls, local shops and restaurants, and a small university. A train track serves as the border between the town and the vacant fields of grass surrounding Alamosa.

The town is the largest one within miles of the dunes. Its economy thrives on tourism. Multiple shops can be found for tourists looking to rent sleds and boards to ride on the dunes.

My family stopped at Kristi Mountain Sports to rent our sleds. When we walked

PHOTO BY BEN FINFROCK

into the store, a woman spotted us and instinctively said, “Looking for the sleds?”

“Yes,” my mother replied.

We followed the sales clerk to shelves full of different sleds and snowboards in the back of the shop. The clerk showed my sisters and I how to wax the sleds and the correct way to ride them down the sand dunes.

We also purchased bandanas to protect our faces from the sand as we sledded down the dunes.

Before we left the store, the clerk asked, “Are you planning on staying on the dunes after dark?”

My mother responded, “Yes, of course! I even bought red flashlights so will be able to stargaze.”

“Perfect,” said the sales clerk. “It’s abso-

lutely beautiful up there at night. There is no light pollution, so you are able to see all the stars and constellations at night.”

The concept of a light pollution-free sky intrigued me. I’ve seen stars before, but I wondered how my view of the night sky would be different without light pollution.

At 6 p.m., just before the sun began to set behind the mountains, my family and I set out on the winding CO-150 to arrive at the dunes. We waxed our sleds, tied our bandanas around our faces and set out to summit the dunes.

The first thing that struck me was how difficult they were to climb. For every step I took forward, my feet sunk deeper into the sand and set me back further. When my sisters and I finally mounted the first dune, we

got on our sleds and prepared to ride down.

I turned to K.C. and said, “I’ll race you to the bottom!”

Without responding to my challenge, K.C. began racing down the dune, and I hurried to catch up. Unlike sledding on snow, sand sledding is much softer and messier.

After about three sled rides down the dunes, I was worn out. My family and I sat in a circle at the top of one of the smaller dunes and stared at the scenery around us.

The sun was setting, and small glimmers of light struck the mountains in front of us. It was so gorgeous, I felt like I was sitting in middle of a National Geographic magazine.

Around 8:45 p.m., when the sun finally set, we grabbed our red flashlights, wrapped ourselves in sweatshirts and blankets and stood out on the dunes to see the stars (red lights don’t add to the light pollution, so they allow stargazers to have a clearer view of the night sky).

On the dune floor, the mountains were no longer visible. The only thing that we were able to see now was the ground in front of us and the treetops behind us.

When we found a spot on the dunes to stargaze, we looked up and what I saw was the most stunning and clear view of the cosmos I have ever seen. I could make out every star and constellation of the night sky. My sisters and I took turns finding the brightest stars and identifying them with a particular planet.

Sitting out on the dunes and seeing the clear and beautiful night sky, it became clear to me why people will ditch the chaos and commotion of a metropolis, to live in a place where every night they can look out at the night sky and touch the cosmos. finfrobd@miamioh.edu

PHOTOS BY BEN FINFROCK

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018

Miami prof. arrested on sex charge has disciplinary history FROM PAGE 1

Assistant U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore, was noted as unopposed to the request.

However, the earlier disciplinary action against Armitage in 2016 had nothing to do with sex. Rather, according to a lawsuit filed against the university, Armitage repeatedly harassed a devout Catholic student for her religious beliefs and practices that he called “stupid.”

The student sued Miami, alleging Armitage and the other faculty members failed to protect her from “a hostile environment and

to take a joke,” Mechley said.

It was this type of behavior that led to Doe’s lawsuit and the university’s decision to discipline Armitage 11 months after the winter 2016 trip.

Crossing the line On the second day of the trip, Mechley was sitting with Doe during breakfast when Armitage stopped by their table to discuss Catholicism.

Mechley, who was raised Catholic, attended an all-girls Catholic high school and considers herself outspoken about her faith.

“Kevin has been a lifelong, out-

spoken atheist and certainly had that sort of attitude towards Catholic students” -Garret Gust discrimination,” and that she suffered “psychological and emotional distress as a result.”

The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court in Cincinnati on December 30, 2016 but voluntarily dismissed by the student the same day. That suggests the suit was settled out of court, though neither the student (identified as “Jane Doe” in the complaint,) her attorney nor the university would confirm that.

Two weeks earlier, Armitage was officially reprimanded by University President Gregory Crawford who warned Armitage in a letter that he had broken faculty rules against harassing and discriminating against students.

If he did so again, Crawford said, he would risk being fired.

The university released the letter at The Miami Student’s request. But neither the student, Kristen Myers of Beckman Weil Shepardson LLC in Cincinnati (her attorney,) nor Miami would comment on the incident.

Armitage’s attorney, Chris Angles of The Angles Law Firm LLC in Kansas City, also declined to discuss the case.

The Costa Rica trip, titled “Sustainability and Tropical Ecosystems,” was co-led by Hays Cummins, a professor of individualized studies in Miami’s Western program; Donna McCollum, a former Miami professor now on the faculty of the University of Cincinnati; and Annie-Laurie Blair, a senior clinical professor of journalism. But, only Armitage was disciplined.

Cummins and McCollum did not respond to requests for comment, and Blair declined to comment.

The four instructors took 32 undergraduate media and science students to Costa Rica over Miami’s 2016 winter term. Their goal was to teach students studying the ecosystem how to collaborate with the media students trying to communicate scientific research to the public.

Throughout the Costa Rica trip, according to Mixie Mechley, who graduated from Miami in 2017, Armitage was abrasive and outspoken about his personal beliefs and values. This was confirmed by several students on the trip.

They remarked he is a devout atheist and aligns himself with progressive politics. They claimed Armitage often defended offensive statements by saying, “you don’t know how

She agreed to talk with Armitage.

Mechley remembers that Doe was wearing a cross necklace and had mentioned during the initial introductions the day before she was also a Catholic.

“I will never forget this…he sat down and…made fun of [Jane Doe] for wearing the crucifix. Said she was stupid for wearing it. Said that ‘Why would you parade that around? You know that’s not even real,’” Mechley said. “He told me I was stupid for being raised Catholic and going to church.

He told me that my parents were stupid for paying for Catholic school and were basically throwing money down the drain.”

While they were talking, Armitage offered a piece of bread to Doe who declined due to her gluten intolerance. For the remainder of the trip, Armitage solely referred to Doe as “Celiac.”

“He never referred to her [by her name],” Mechley said. “We stayed in a room together a couple of nights and she was to the point of tears. She’s a very quiet girl. She just sat there and took it. And we’d go back to the room and she’d be like, ‘I don’t want him to call me that,’ and I said ‘you need to tell him that,’ and she’d say, ‘I can’t.’”

Emily Bovenzi, a 2016 Miami graduate and environmental science/earth science major, remembers Doe as “extremely shaken up” throughout the trip and recalls her being “shut down and withdrawn” from the rest of the students.

“They weren’t even jokes to begin with,” Mechley said. “They were just cruel comments…Absolutely no one thought they were funny, and he was playing it off like it was a joke, but it wasn’t. No one encouraged him, he just kept going and going.”

For Garrett Gust, who graduated from Miami in 2016 and was a student leader on the Costa Rica trip, Armitage’s behavior wasn’t surprising.

“Kevin has been a lifelong, outspoken atheist and certainly had that sort of attitude towards Catholic students,” Gust said. “He’s very much about nicknames that are inappropriate…As far as [being called] ‘Celiac’ goes, Kevin latched onto nicknames whether or not they were mutually agreed upon.”

Bovenzi recalled Armitage being “rude”

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all the time, and he specifically wore an anti-religion t-shirt.

The shirt was white with the names Zeus, Mars, Thor and Jesus in a list. Each was crossed out by a red line with the word “Reason” at the bottom — untouched and in capital letters.

“I asked him for a photo of [the shirt,] and he was proud of it,” Mechley said. “Why would you, on a school trip, feel like it was okay to wear that? What was your end goal?

He would just constantly go in on anything and just tell us all how dumb we were for believing in anything.”

“He definitely wore it to mock us,” Mechley added. “I mean why else would you put it on?”

Ryan Thomas, a 2016 Miami graduate and another senior on the trip, had a good relationship with Armitage and considered him more of a “guys’ guy.” They bonded over sports. And, while “there were absolutely times where Kevin pushed his agenda on us,” and he could be “an asshole, for lack of a better word,” Thomas didn’t think Armitage was a completely negative influence.

“I just remember Kevin as tough on students,” Thomas said. “He had his favorites, but for the most part, I think he really did want people to learn and be excited about the environment. But, I think if you had a difference of opinion about how things should be done from a policy perspective or in the political realm, he very vehemently disagreed.”

The lawsuit Over the following summer in 2016, Mechley was contacted by Doe’s lawyers and asked to explain generally what happened during the Costa Rica trip and how Armitage had behaved. She had previously messaged Doe to let her know she was willing to corroborate how Armitage behaved on the trip.

Mechley never heard from Doe personally after sending her a message that she would support her should she need Mechley to confirm her experience in Costa Rica.

tively excluded from any details whatsoever,” Gust said.

Mechley learned that Armitage had been disciplined by the university through Blair when she was in her class the following school year.

“Annie had told me they had settled and that Kevin basically got a slap on the wrist for the most part,” Mechley said. “And she told me that they had officially stopped the trip entirely.”

The aftermath The fact the Costa Rica trip was shut down altogether upset Bovenzi who had gone on a study abroad trip with Cummins and McCollum beforehand.

“Hearing that [the lawsuit] also brought down Donna and Hays was really sad to me because they’re really great people,” Bovenzi said. “It’s sad to me that other students won’t be able to have this experience in terms of the educational portion with people like Hays and Donna rather than someone like Kevin Armitage who’s only out for himself.

“I’m glad he no longer works for the university,” she added.

Bovenzi was contacted by the university during the summer of 2016 following the trip. She remembers being asked if she was present when Armitage referred to Doe as “Celiac” and when Armitage was wearing the anti-religion shirt or if she remembered other behavior.

News of Armitage’s recent arrest and resignation has left Gust conflicted and hurt.

“Kevin was a mentor,” Gust said. “I’m one of the people who liked him quite a bit. I feel like during his professional life, one aspect of his seemingly many lives, he was committed to an academic process that was not comfortable. And, it was not comfortable for me a lot of times, but I became a much better student and a much better thinker because of that.”

Gust believes Armitage’s tendency to challenge students to defend their worldviews wasn’t a rant against any one person

They claimed Armitage often defended offensive statements by saying, “you don’t know how to take a joke.” -Mixie Mechley “That trip really, really messed with her, and I think that she just disassociated with all of us,” Mechley said. “Not because she didn’t like us or whatever, but just because she didn’t want to remember.”

Thomas had no firsthand knowledge of the lawsuit from Doe but found out about it through his girlfriend, Hannah Surwillo, another 2016 Miami graduate and a senior on the trip. Thomas remembers Doe and his girlfriend as friends on the trip and said Doe confided in Surwillo about her plans to sue the university.

While some students had heard rumors of Armitage and Miami facing legal action resulting from the Costa Rica trip, Gust had no idea of the lawsuit.

“At that time, I was on staff, and it was kept very much under wraps about what the nature of the lawsuit was, and I was quite ac-

or belief but rather an engagement in an academic process many students didn’t understand or found to be unproductive.

“It’s weird that he has this polarizing effect on people,” said Bovenzi.

Bovenzi said many students on the trip, especially those in the Western Program like Gust, were close to Armitage and considered him to be a mentor.

“I felt like the rug was pulled out from under my feet, when you realize somebody who trains you early was a monster and was formative in how you see yourself as a student,” Gust said. doyleca3@miamioh.edu @cadoyle_18

Federal grant to further language revitalization efforts FROM PAGE 3

Nuu’da’, which comes from a language group along the west coast. However, the database is designed to handle all sorts of different native languages, which vary widely in their origins and structures.

“If we build a piece of software that works well for us and there’s an interest and a need in another community, then we’re open to sharing to that,” Baldwin said. “And if we can do it through an organized way like Breath of Life, then that increases the impact of it.”

The Myaamia Center will put part of the grant money toward hiring a part-time programmer to manage the archive and its software. The rest of it will go towards funding two workshops, which are similar to the first iteration of Breath of Life. One of these workshops will be at Miami and the other at the University of Oregon, which is co-sponsored by the Northwest Indigenous Languages Institute (NILI).

Gabriela Peréz Báez, co-project director and co-recipient of the grant along with Baldwin, is curator of linguistics at the Smithsonian and assistant professor of linguistics at the University of Oregon and will work on

the program there.

Alumni of Breath of Life 1.0 and others will continue their work at these workshops, uploading their materials to the archives and learning to use ILDA. Breath of Life 1.0 will continue alongside its newer iteration, for communities that still need access to archived documents.

Baldwin and the Myaamia Center’s work has significance and potential implications not just in native communities in America, but in places all over the world where linguistic diversity is declining. But for now, this research most directly impacts the Miami Tribe, and its continually developing relationship with the university.

“There isn’t anywhere that our young people can go to learn about their heritage. That’s going to come from the tribe,” Baldwin said.

“And so turning to an institution like Miami University and partnering around that... allows the tribe to advance itself, but it also allows an opportunity for sharing on campus so that students learn about the indigenous people that are still here.” arwinejk@miamioh.edu

8 FYI

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018

Named the Best College Newspaper (Non-daily) in Ohio by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Healthy and experienced, Miami Football is looking to put it all together

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FROM PAGE 12

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Soccer fights for a point at Western Kentucky FROM PAGE 12

able to generate opportunities on the counter-attack.

The ’Hawks generated five shots in the second half, four more than in the previous 45 minutes.

Their efforts paid off when junior midfielder Olivia Winnett controlled the ball from a throwin, shielded her defenders and slid a pass into the waiting feet of freshman forward Lyda Bogdanovitch.

Bogdanovitch sent the equalizer into the top corner. It was the touted freshman’s first collegiate goal — Bogdanovitch was rated a four-star recruit by TopDrawerSoccer.com.

For the remainder of the half, Miami’s backline rode the momentum from the tying goal and held off a four-shot onslaught from Western Kentucky, forcing the match to overtime.

Again in the overtime periods,

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Koutoulas was peppered with shots from the Hilltoppers, but came up with three critical saves to hold the score and secure a draw for MU away from home.

A second team All-MAC selection from last season, Koutoulas has continued to be in excellent form this 2018 campaign.

Despite being outshot 26-5 over the course of the match, the RedHawks defense proved sturdy, and Bogdanovitch’s cool finish proved she can be a much-needed force up front for a team who struggled to score much of last season — the RedHawks were out-scored 35-15.

Miami returns home this weekend to welcome two non-conference opponents, beginning with Illinois State on Friday. Kickoff is at 4:00 p.m. pazecbj@miamioh.edu @BenPanzeca

— and so are 16 of last year’s starters. Experience is something Miami will count on to right the ship.

While the holes left by Heath Harding, Ryan Smith and Tony Reid won’t be easy to fill, the RedHawks retained some of their most important playmakers.

On offense, last season’s leading passer, rusher and receiver all return and are seniors.

After a sparkling second-half of 2016, quarterback Gus Ragland put up solid numbers in 2017, completing 56 percent of his passes for 2,032 yards and a 19:7 touchdown to interception ratio. However, he struggled with a nagging leg injury, causing him to miss three games and be less than 100 percent for a couple others.

Miami struggled to move the ball in Ragland’s absence, and lost two of the three games started by backup Billy Bahl. Bahl transferred to Ashland University in the offseason, leaving junior Alex Malzone — a highly-touted graduate transfer from Michigan — and Redshirt freshman Jackson Williamson to battle for the second-string spot this season. Martin said the competition is still open between the two.

Like the past two seasons, Ragland will be tasked with carrying the load on offense.

“I think the biggest thing for me, and I’ve seen it work over and over again in the past, is the turnover margin,” Ragland said. “I’m the guy who’s touching the ball every play, so I need to be taking care of it in the air and when I’m running.”

Senior wideout James Gardner looks to remain Ragland’s most valuable weapon. Coming off a 927yard, 11-touchdown season, he’s considered one of the best wide receivers in college football, and has been named to preseason watch lists for the Maxwell Award, the Biletnikoff Award and the Wuerffel Trophy.

Redshirt seniors Kenny Young and Alonzo Smith will anchor the running game after combining for over 1,400 yards and eight touchdowns last season.

They’ll be running behind experienced offensive lineman, as the RedHawks return players who combined to make 57 of the 60 offensive line starts last season.

The only question mark on offense is who will be lining up opposite from Gardner when Week One arrives. Miami lost three of last season’s top four receivers to graduation this offseason. Redshirt junior Luke Mayock and sophomore Dominique Robinson are the top two candidates to earn the starting position.

Like offense, the defense returns eight starters from last season and is led by a host of seniors. But, the storyline with the MU defense is more about who it’s missing rather than who it has.

The unit lost Tony Reid and Heath Harding – the team’s second and third leading tacklers, respectively, from a year ago. They were not only stalwarts in the secondary, but were counted on as leaders in the locker room.

Regardless of the losses, Redshirt senior Brad

Koenig – MU’s 2017 leading tackler – is excited about the new players stepping into bigger roles.

“It’s always tough when you lose seniors, especially starters like Heath and Tony,” Koenig said.

“But I think we’ve challenged guys to step up.

They’re really taking the challenge and trying to do their best. I think they’ll be good.”

The front seven of the defense will be the strong point. Six of the eight defensive returners are either defensive lineman or linebackers, including Koenig and junior defensive lineman Doug Costin. Costin led the RedHawks with five sacks last season.

Special teams shouldn’t cause too many headaches for Martin this season, as junior kicker Sam Sloman, Redshirt junior punter Kyle Kramer and sophomore returner Jaylon Bester are all back. All three had solid 2017s and will look to remain consistent.

Notice a trend?

There is a wealth of experience at virtually every position. That’s something Miami hasn’t had in the Chuck Martin era, and it’s something Martin, himself, is excited about.

“We’ve had very small senior classes and very inexperienced people,” Martin said. “This is the first time, where you come into camp, and you feel like we can move forward pretty quickly.”

And they have moved forward quickly. The RedHawks’ experience has allowed them to be well ahead of schedule. Not even two weeks into training camp, Martin had put his players through almost every game scenario they could see.

“I think the players enjoy [being challenged ahead of schedule],” Martin said. “It keeps the older guys on edge when you keep throwing new situations at them, as opposed to making it pretty basic.

It’s harder on the freshmen, but when you have a more veteran group, the freshmen are going to be further behind. That’s what you want.”

The RedHawks will need to be prepared in order to conquer the tough schedule that lies ahead of them.

They open the season at home against the Marshall Thundering Herd on Saturday, before back-toback games against Cincinnati and Minnesota.

Conference play begins on September 22 with an away game at Bowling Green.

Always an anticipated game for Miami, the RedHawks host the Ohio Bobcats in the Battle of the Bricks on November 7. They close the regular season with a home game against Ball State on November 20.

It will be a telling year for the program. With the amount of experienced talent and Martin’s contract extension, the expectation seems to be MAC Championship or bust.

“We always want the MAC Championship,” Koenig said. “But we’re going to try to make sure we just take it one game at a time and let that come to us if we just worry about each game.”

Miami will look to finally put it all together starting Saturday at 3:30 p.m. vinelca@miamioh.edu @ChrisAVinel

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Zedrick Raymond of ‘Last Chance U’ earns his shot in Oxford FROM PAGE 12

but it was way worse than that.”

While Raymond is portrayed on the show as quiet and hard-working, others from bigger schools were not as thankful for the opportunity. Players like quarterback Malik Henry found the Pirates after being a 5-star recruit with dozens of Division I offers out of high school, but is shown in the series talking back to coaches, skipping class and disrespecting opposing teams.

“On the field, much respect for him because that’s one of the greatest quarterbacks I have ever played with,” Raymond said of Henry. “It was hard for him because he came from Florida State and really didn’t want to be there.”

Despite the antics of Henry and others, ICC head coach Jason Brown is the star. Much like Coach Stephens of the first and second seasons of the show, Brown is notoriously hard on his players, but has garnered the reputation of graduating his players to the next level.

“That’s him. That’s the real him,” Raymond said. “You wanted to play for him if you were bought in. At the same time, he pushes limits.”

Although plenty of Brown’s tenacity comes through onscreen — ranging from frequent profanity to threatening and fighting opposing coaches — according to Raymond, that only accounts for a part of who the Compton native truly is, especially relative to the seasons showing East Mississippi.

“He was very filtered,” Raymond said. “ICC was filtered and

9

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018

EMCC wasn’t filtered.”

Despite — or maybe because of — Coach Brown’s intensity, Raymond quietly put together a solid season, making 27 tackles and six interceptions, good for fourth best in the nation. This performance was enough to get him on the radar of Division I schools across the nation. From Houston to Oxford, there were coaches calling the 180 lb. corner to recruit him.

In unfamiliar territory, Raymond consulted his mother about the next stop in his football career, selecting Chuck Martin and the RedHawks.

“My mama gave me the okay,” Raymond said. “She liked the vibe with the coaches.

She could hear in their voices that they were sincere. It was a no-brainer.”

What’s next for the product of Last Chance U? Raymond plans to help fill the void left by former RedHawks Heath Harding and Tony Reid after their graduation.

However, he has his eyes set on making this final chance pay off in the long-run.

“I definitely want to step in and start,” Raymond said. “My mindset is to feed my family. Of course I want to get to the NFL, and I’ll do whatever I have to do to get to the NFL whether it’s this year or next year. That’s the vision.”

The RedHawks open the season Saturday against Marshall.

You can see Raymond on the field — no longer just on Netflix.

The game will kick at 3:30 and will be aired on ESPN+.

Volleyball RedHawks refuse to be counted out FROM PAGE 12

More’ so we are going after one more rep or one more MAC championship,” junior captain Margaret Payne said. “We are really driven and the freshmen coming in have really adopted that. We are definitely all in and everyone is all in with this program.”

The roster features only two returning seniors, outside hitter Stela Kukoc and middle hitter Courtney Simons, who have become rallying points for the entire team.

“We all worked really hard to teach the freshmen the system,” Payne said. “Having the upperclassmen help them, especially Courtney and Stela answering questions, has really helped fill the gap.”

The two seniors declined to go home after summer training camp to continue off-season workouts and become better

pfistejb@miamioh.edu @brady_pfister

leaders for the team.

“Most of us went home,” junior libero Lindsay Dauch said.

“They are really great at making sure we are all on the same page about the way we run our team.”

Condit has been impressed with the competition of the roster early on and applauds the team for how well they are supporting one another, even though they fight one another for playing time.

“Everyone wants to play,” Condit said. “That is not going to happen, but from day-to-day that could change. I think they realize the benefits of competing everyday.”

Condit nodded junior outside hitters Margaret Payne and Hailey Stewart as captains for the 2018 season citing their constant work ethic and leadership both on and off the court.

“They have just been very strong in that area,” Condit said.

“Abigail Huser has also been a

very good voice in our huddles and evaluating different things we discuss as a team. She’ll be a really fine leader for us.”

The high flying ’Hawks already hold a 2-1 record after their season opened with the Miami Best Western Sycamore Inn Invitational at Millett Hall on Friday and Saturday.

The RedHawks swept Saint Louis 3-0 (25-10, 25-22, 25-20), dropped a five set match to UC Santa Barbara (22-25, 25-22, 25-18, 21-25, 12-15), but battled back to beat the University of Cincinnati in five sets (25-23, 21-25, 15-25, 25-21, 15-12).

Their season continues on the road at the Saluki Invitational, hosted by Southern Illinois University on Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+. wisebm@miamioh.edu @bmw32999

THE 2018-2019 MIAMI VOLLEYBALL TEAM. COURTESY OF MIAMI ATHLETICS.

City shapes new art commission

ASST. GERONTOLOGY PROFESSOR KATY ABBOTT POSES WITH A MANDALA DESIGN ON HIGH STREET. PHOTO BY AJ NEWBERRY

FROM PAGE 1

“We’re talking not only about permanent art, but art of all kinds,” Southard said. “Whether its sculpture and murals, temporary art, there’s a question of ‘What about a happening?’ You know, an event that’s art inspired, that’s transitory, that’s ephemeral.”

The murals painted by community members are just that. Painted with washable paint, they will stay up throughout the fall and be replaced over J-Term by new works by new artists, a second phase approved at PACO’s first meeting. The murals have a practical function, covering windows of vacant buildings used for city storage, such as a building previously occupied by the Republican campaign office.

While the proposal process is still being developed, Southard encourages anyone to pitch ideas to the commission. The commision is there to advise on how to execute projects safely, as well as to assist with more complicated works, such as festivals.

Other ideas in conversation include bike racks, a gateway for the farmer’s market, something for the upcoming Oxford Aquatic Park or the new city building now located in the old Lane Library.

The elected chair of PACO is Robert Benson, Emeritus professor of architecture. Other members of PACO include Stefanie Hilles, Arts and Humanities Librarian; Joe Prescher, a local artist; Steve Sullivan, director of the Hefner Museum of Natural History; and Norm

Krumpe, a senior lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Systems Analysis.

Another commission member is Grace Huddleston, an urban and regional planning major who grew up just outside of Oxford. She developed an appreciation for art through her high school jazz band and pottery wheel, and Huddleston believes that art should be accessible to all.

“PACO wants to be Oxford-centric, but that’s not necessarily exclusive of the students,” said Huddleston. “The public art scene on campus is fantastic, but we don’t see any of that coming into the community.”

Hundreds of students in fraternities and sororities volunteer every year at the Oxford Community Arts Center.

Huddleston says she would love to see collaborative artwork between these groups and the community. “(PACO) is kind of multifaceted in the regard that we’re standing as a community saying, ‘This is Oxford’s identity,’ but we’re also standing as a commission to say ‘Hi, bring in your critiques, bring in your creative minds, we’re open for art we’re not just a town for business.’

We would like to continue all of the great things that Miami is doing.’”

Since the 2008 recession, Oxford’s mile-square has been characterized by catering primarily to students’ taste in clothing and desire to eat out for cheap.

According to Huddleston, a lot of Oxford’s residents would like to see a more creative and more diverse marketplace

on High Street as well as Locust and even out on Route 27.

Cincinnati’s BLINK festival acted as an example for more transformative, interactive public works that could exist in the cities currently dominated by students.

Residents and students may remember the Oxford Kinetics Festival, which has not been held since 2016 when it lost its funding from the university. According to the Oxford Kinetics Festival website, the festival will return in 2018.

Southard says she hopes PACO can help to restore the event, as it was a popular attraction for young people in the area.

“Art has this reputation of being elitist, which it is not,” said Southard. “All over the world people are doing art.

No matter how rich or poor they are, they’re embellishing their lives. They’re making their lives rich through color, design and with their clothes. They’re making political statements also, by the way.”

The commission hopes that the murals will help put Oxford on the map,

as well as establish better town/gown relations. Many students tend to take advantage of neighboring Hamilton or Cincinnati during the fall at Miami, complaining there’s nothing to do in Oxford except drink. Vibrant entertainment districts like Over-the-Rhine boast good food and ample public art thanks to organizations like ArtWorks and Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. While the future of the old Follet’s bookstore is still undecided, for now it’s the host of art in Oxford.

PACO meetings are the first Monday of each month at 4:30 in the municipal building at 15 South College Ave. The next meeting is September 6th. Members of the public are encouraged to attend to ask questions, present ideas and make comments. newberaj@miamioh.edu

PHOTO BY AJ NEWBERRY

10 OPINION

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018

BURNSKL2@MIAMIOH.EDU

First-year females revel in wearing clothes that would’ve gotten them detention in high school KIRBY DAVIS

MANAGING EDITOR

The following is a work of journalistic satire.

On Monday, Aug. 27, firstyear female Miami University students reveled in wearing clothes to class that would have earned them detentions in high school.

Cooper spent her entire first class on edge, waiting for her professor to snap at her to “cover up” or “leave it to the imagination” before handing her a detention slip. (She didn’t.)

First-year Richard Stevens, the guy who sits behind Cooper in American Studies, disagrees.

Stevens said he’s already

“I guess if that guy who sits behind me in American Studies fails because he’s too distracted by my shoulders, that’s on him.”

Isabel Cooper said she felt “weird” about pairing her jeans with a tank top the first day of classes, but her older sister assured her that she was allowed to do that now.

“I guess if that guy who sits behind me in American Studies fails because he’s too distracted by my shoulders, that’s on him,” Cooper said.

Just in case, she stuffed a sweatshirt into her backpack.

struggling to adjust to seeing so many female shoulders and upper legs. He also lamented not being able to see the tops of their heads, because they’re all wearing baseball caps.

The hat-wearing, in particular, is troubling to Stevens.

“How am I supposed to know if they have dandruff?”

Stevens said. “Or psoriasis?”

When his friend, Bryan Mitchell, pointed out that

most male Miami students also cover their scalps with baseball hats, Stevens, who was sporting a retro Cleveland Indians cap, said he hadn’t noticed.

Other male first-years all over campus on Monday continued dressing exactly as they had in school for 13 years.

While Emily Hathaway was walking to her 10 a.m. class in Upham Hall on Monday morning, she noticed a female professor approaching.

Instinctively, she tugged her Nike athletic shorts down so they met fingertip length, and was confused when the professor didn’t scold or lecture her on her promiscuous wardrobe choice.

“Then I remembered I’m in college now, and administrators are more concerned with my academic success than what I’m wearing,” Hathaway said. “But don’t, like, tell my high school vice principal I said that.” daviskn3@miamioh.edu

Talk Less, Listen More

ILLUSTRATION BY CONNOR WELLS

Stop overachieving, for everyone’s sake JOEY HART

THE MIAMI STUDENT

ILLUSTRATION BY EMILY DATTILO

EMILY DATTILO COLUMNIST

I spent my summer surrounded by sand and sunshine at a country club summer camp, full of questioning little kids.

I sat down next to one of my nine-year-old campers, Heath, and figured he’d want to throw a football around or play with the guys.

He didn’t.

I asked if he wanted to go in the lake or the pool, or to the playground. The answer was repeatedly, “No.” Finally, I asked what he wanted to do, and I was surprised by his answer.

“I’d rather just swing and talk to you.”

An active fourth-grader really wanted to sit on a beach chair and chat?

But he did.

Finding out what he liked through our conversations turned out to be a highlight of my summer.

Considering we’re all in college and left our childhoods long ago, the concept of active listening might be deemed outdated, but consequently, this skill retains equal if not greater prevalence later in life.

Listening doesn’t mean waiting for our friends to finish talking before immediately launching into our own opinions.

I talk a lot. If you ask my friends, most of them will say I always have a story to tell. I wouldn’t label myself as an extrovert, but as an observer of people and places, talking allows me to express my observations and opinions more easily and obtain responses.

Heath liked guessing games, such as when my birthday was or what my favorite color was. He liked swinging on the swings and chatting about his video games.

Similarly, at Miami, my closest friendships formed by asking my friends about their interests, what frustrates them and what they enjoy doing. I’ve bonded with friends over the common disgust of vegan food, Bagel & Deli Saturday lunches and hockey movies.

This quiet kid had sat alone in the sand, interacting with nobody until I sat down and showed interest in him. Two minutes into the guessing game, Heath was laughing, talking and asking tons of questions.

He looked and sounded like a different kid.

I wouldn’t have known how to handle the situation if I hadn’t asked for his opinion and listened.

It didn’t occur to me how listening proves equally, if not more, important than talking

until recently. I’ve been with friends at the library in the midst of telling a funny story, only to be interrupted by a text message that demands immediate attention. It can get frustrating.

As a counselor, my main responsibilities were the safety and entertainment of these kids. I can’t tell you how many sandcastles we constructed, how many sand buckets we brimmed with lake water and how many times we played tag across the sand, but I do remember my conversations with the kids.

In between countless rounds of applying sunscreen and weaving friendship bracelets, I learned about the campers. I learned about Eva’s cheerleading competitions, how Gracie made it to nationals for dance and how Kendall has taken Chinese for six years.

We had a talent show at a camp a few weeks later, and because I’d taken the time to get to know the campers, I appreciated it so much more.

I discovered even the shyest people become more talkative if asked to talk about themselves. It makes sense. Each of us think we’re pretty interesting, and we all have stories worth sharing.

Those stories can’t be shared and appreciated if our phone or another distraction takes precedence. I can definitely remember times sitting across the table from a friend at a dining hall, both of us scrolling through our phones. Once again, our social media. Our text messages. Our pictures.

We have to remember, it’s not always about us.

Asking questions validates people and makes them feel worthwhile and important. Nobody, not a kid and certainly not an adult, wants to listen to another person talk incessantly or, worse still, become immersed in their own affairs once the conversation no longer centers around them.

We can also all admit to answering a text message or opening a Snap while a friend is talking.

It’s a rude habit and, unfortunately an all-toocommon one. Putting down our phones and making eye contact during conversations illustrates the sincerity and interest that comprise a critical part of socializing.

If taking the time to listen to others made such a difference at a kids summer camp, just think of the impact it could have on us in college. dattilec@miamioh.edu

She runs from her 6 p.m. meeting with the history club so she can make her 7 p.m. with the student magazine which she edits. She’s late for that, so she stays after everyone leaves to get all of her work done — but now she doesn’t have time to study for her exam next week. It’s OK — she’ll just skip tomorrow’s officer meeting for her professional fraternity to make sure she has time to study and go to the second half (or at least the last 10 minutes) of her service organization’s fundraiser.

This person, of course, is fictional, but it’s probably not hard for most readers to imag-

talk about in an interview helps.

However, taking on a leadership role in a student organization should not be a stepping stone to your next professional goal.

Any time you take such a position and don’t deliver on it, you are taking it away from someone who could be more committed and more willing to put time into it, not to mention wasting the time of your club members who are counting on you to do your job.

Some may see overachieving as impressive or even noble, but I’m here to say it could just as easily be selfish. The prefix “over” implies that it is too much, so technically, overachieving by definition can’t be good — a pedantic point, but

When you take on so many organizational commitments that you can’t fulfill, you aren’t just ruining your college experience, but that of others. ine someone they know — if not themselves — who fits this bill.

Whether it’s out of pride, upbringing or that always-important résumé, many college students commit to multiple clubs and officer positions, spreading their time thin and having to rob Peter for Paul with participation in each.

Don’t be this person — not for your sake, but everyone else’s.

Make no mistake, there are good reasons not to make too many commitments for your own sake, such as stress reduction and more free time. But I’m guessing if you’re already inclined to be that type of person, those reasons won’t stop you.

So maybe this will: When you take on so many organizational commitments that you can’t fulfill, you aren’t just ruining your college experience, but that of others.

No one wants a club president that doesn’t show, a fraternity officer that doesn’t act or a publication editor that doesn’t edit because he/she has too many other commitments.

I get it. We live in the age of LinkedIn, where everyone is trying to gain the edge over everyone else in terms of employability, and every position you can put on your webpage or

something to think about if you find yourself describing your personality as such.

First-years, limit your involvement in organizations to what you can fulfill. For others already in this situation, if your volume of leadership commitments limits your participation in any, drop one or more. What would be even better is to just pick one or two of your positions and excel at them; that way you not only fulfill your duty and gain the respect of your peers, but actually learn the skills that, before, you were only claiming you learned on your cover letter.

And for everyone, before you accept a leadership role, honestly ask yourself the following: Am I taking on this role out of altruism and service, or for more self-serving reasons? The answer can certainly be both, but should not be solely the latter. hartjt@miamioh.edu

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2018

THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE TRASHCAN KELLY BURNS

OPINION EDITOR

Let’s be honest.

We make fun of their sky-high heels, their loud declarations of how drunk they are, the wristbands they feel so cool wearing the next day (or the X’s on their hands that aren’t even faded).

We ridicule how early they go out.

But first-years are innovators.

Okay, maybe not regarding the heels and the X’s.

But we need to get behind the hours they keep.

What are upperclassmen really doing between 7 and 9 p.m. besides waiting to go to a pregame? Let’s move the night up. Let’s order a pizza. Let’s go back past our first year of college, back to the parties we had when we were nine years old. Because, let’s be honest, we’re all at an age where we are far more likely to go somewhere where there is food.

If you go out earlier and grab dinner, you’ll have more food in your stomach, so you’ll have to work extra hard to get alcohol poisoning. The first-year way could save you a trip to McCullough-Hyde.

I guess the big question is, why do we criticize them in the first place? What is so bad about going out at 9 p.m.?

Why are we so obsessed with going out at 10 or 11 p.m.? What’s the difference between three hours in a sweaty bar now or later?

Seriously, if you know, tell me. I’ve been thinking about this for the last three years and have come up with nothing.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we’re conditioned to associate staying up late with being cool. We all remember a time when we felt just

a little bit superior to our friends when we learned that our bedtime was a half-hour after theirs.

Maybe we’ve carried this sense of superiority and coolness with us. We think, “I’m old now, no one can tell me what to do. I can stay out as late as I want. In fact, I can go out as late as I want. No one controls me.”

What we don’t think about are the times we stayed up late and were crabby and a mess the next day.

The way I see it, getting on a modified first-year schedule goes like this: You get dinner, pregame, go to the bars, drink, dance, whatever you want to do, then peace out at midnight for a nice, seemingly full night of sleep.

I know some people who actually go to science classes and know more than me about the human body who tell me that when you’re drunk, you can’t sleep well.

But, personally, I think that getting more hours of bad sleep are better than getting less hours of bad sleep.

I know there are some people who like going to bars later exactly because there are less first-years.

Well, I have news for you. Give it a week, and they’ll still be there.

A first-year has more energy in one day than I have in a month-and-a-half. I can’t bounce back like I used to when I was 18. It’s sad, but true.

So maybe we should switch. Maybe upperclassmen should roll into Brick at 9 p.m. and be out by midnight. We have things to do in the morning — interviews, work, capstones. Things.

The first-year way is just a better use of time. burnskl2@miamioh.edu

Moving on in, Moving on up BO BRUECK

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Whether it’s parting ways with friends and family, the anxiety that comes with a new school and new environment, or even simple uncertainties about where the bathroom is, first-year move-in day is a momentous event for everyone involved.

As a first-year, the mix of emotions bounces from fear of the unknown to excitement about the possibilities of college. The mind is barraged with thoughts of meeting new people, going to parties and how mean those professors are going to be. It’s chaotic, to say the least, and that’s not even considering the thousands of other students going through the same thing all around campus.

The next three years of move-ins will not look like this.

The sadness of leaving friends at home is replaced by the excitement of seeing friends in Oxford. The fear of the unknown is quashed by a year or more of experience.

The excitement of first-year dorm living far outshines the severely limiting square footage that will be called home for the next year. But the climax of first-year move-in comes with that last hug goodbye and the teary-eyed mothers leaving their babies to fend for themselves for the first time.

Move-in day for the next three years will be easier, faster and more enjoyable each time. And the ability to move in anytime, and with anyone, provides a far more relaxing experience.

Dorm life becomes desirable with the ability to select the best residence halls, and the opportunity for off-campus living caters to those who prefer a little distance between work and home life. During their first year, students acquire invaluable knowledge as to how things work on and off campus, making selecting living options much more practical in their time to come.

After a year of Miami and Oxford, it is nice to know

what comes with move-in weekend. Whether moving in takes a back seat to seeing friends and going Uptown, or the project of setting up the perfect living space is of the utmost importance, having the option to choose the layout of this time is a welcome luxury.

However, all these benefits that come with moving in for the upperclass student create a sort of paradox of choice. Of course there are a lot of choices that come with physically moving into a place, but there is also the choice of how much time you’re going to spend with your family before they leave.

It’s a difficult spot to be in. Having waited all summer to get back to Oxford, it’s natural to want to bang out move-in, and get to seeing friends. But for parents, it’s the last time they’re going to see their children for months.

If parents stay all day, the student won’t be able to hang out with friends or go uptown. But if parents are asked to leave too early, students run the risk of feeling guilty about shooing their own parents away so they could go drink.

Either way, it’s important to make sure parents know that they are loved and appreciated before sending them off. They did the same for you as a first-year, back when you didn’t want them to leave.

As first-years, it’s not returning to Oxford, it’s coming to Oxford. Freshmen don’t have that safety net of friends and memories to fall back on, they don’t have favorite places or favorite bars yet, all they have is their parents on move-in day to make themselves feel as comfortable as possible.

For first-years who already can’t wait to move into houses or apartments; enjoy your dorm time for now and get to know campus, the next three years will provide ample time for independent living.

And for those who love their dorms; congratulations, being happy with your living situation is a huge bonus to the great year ahead. brueckro@miamioh.edu

OPINION 11

Leaving home (and your bed) CAROLINE CREEK ASST. NEWS EDITOR

“Does the apartment come with sheets?”

As I frantically type these words on my iPhone keyboard and press send, I’m confident my roommates won’t know the answer either.

Renting an Airbnb apartment halfway across the world doesn’t come with step-by-step directions. And, unsurprisingly, many of the reviews aren’t in English.

Sure, we know the location and have some pictures of the beige-colored walls, but the details aren’t in the fine print. So the sheet question is a hot topic. I’ve never been a sheet snob who focuses her energy on thread counts, but nothing compares to a comfy bed.

This isn’t a groundbreaking revelation. Almost everyone thinks their bed was handcrafted with the finest feathers from angels above. An exaggeration? Definitely, but when you think about beds, you can start to understand the emotional connection a lot of us have.

Every morning starts the same — you open up your eyes and begin the day. Where does this ritual begin? Between a set of sheets, whether they be wool and warm or linen and light.

When I was in preschool, “Sorry, I must have woken up on the wrong side of the bed,” was my go-to phrase. To this day, I don’t know where I first heard the saying, but it made perfect sense to me at the time. The eruption of little giggles made me feel like the class comedian, and it excused some rude behavior.

Refused to share a toy? Sorry, woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

Ate a friend’s Oreo from their lunch box? Sorry, woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.

The excuse lost some of its power over time, but it’s stayed with me for years. Before coming to college, I had slept in the same queen-sized bed for 15 years almost every night.

When you’ve spent that much time with something, you’re bound to have an emotional connection.

That bed is where my dad recounted endless “Gilligan’s Island” episodes before I fell asleep, the site of my first sleepovers, my “desk” for late night study sessions and, of course, a giant tissue to catch all my breakup tears.

That bed and I have been through it all together, and I knew that freshman year would provide some long nights if I didn’t find a suitable replacement.

So my mom and I headed over to the toiletry Mecca of Bed Bath & Beyond to get all the essentials: a foam pad, soft sheets, a wool blanket and a pillow that would mold to the shape of my head.

To my surprise and satisfaction, the trick worked.

My tiny twin bed actually felt like the one at home, and I automatically felt more at ease after my parents pulled away on move-in day. Now, fast-forward two years later, and I have to do it all over again.

But this time, Bed Bath & Beyond can’t help me.

Studying abroad in Barcelona for four months means the packing is going to be selective.

Really selective.

Full sets of sheets, mattress pads and pillows aren’t going to fit in the overhead compartment, no matter how hard I try to stuff it all in. So I have to rely on what’s already there, which may not seem like a big deal, but it’s just another part of the unknown that comes with studying abroad.

I’ve realized that practically everything about studying abroad includes this unknown, no matter how prepared you are before departure.

Reading extensive travel blogs, packing three weeks in advance and even bringing your own sheets can’t ease all your worries. They are a valuable part of the experience.

Leaving home, let alone your native country, is challenging and requires a lot of faith in yourself and the world around you. This faith isn’t easy to come by, but taking baby steps toward independence can make it more manageable.

The sheets may not be what I am accustomed to, but I can be sure that each morning will start the same — in my bed.

It’s a small piece of comfort before I move on to the next worry: Hangers. creekce@miamioh.edu

A.J. NEWBERRY NEWBERAJ@MIAMIOH.EDU

Sports

12

SIMANSEC@MIAMIOH.EDU

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29 2018

Zedrick Raymond of Last Chance U earns his shot in Oxford

JUNIOR ZEDRICK RAYMOND CONTINUES HIS UNCONVENTIONAL FOOTBALL JOURNEY AT MIAMI. PHOTO VIA TWITTER.

BRADY PFISTER STAFF WRITER

With the 2018 season fast approaching, the race to fill openings within Miami football’s starting lineup has been fierce throughout the offseason. In the defensive backfield, junior college transfer Zedrick Raymond has impressed — despite his quiet demeanor off the field, Raymond plays the game

VOLLEYBALL REDHAWKS REFUSE TO BE COUNTED OUT

fast and technically sound.

But he looks different on Netflix.

Raymond joined the Miami program in the winter of 2018 after spending a year at Independence Community College, a program made famous by the Netflix original Last Chance U. For its first two seasons, Last Chance U profiled East Mississippi Community College, a peren-

nial power in the world of junior college football known for turning around the lives and careers of troubled stars.

For its third season, it shifted to ICC, an up and coming JUCO program in the Jayhawk Conference.

Independence, KS is a small, tired town with a population just under 9,000. Typically, football players who end up in Indy aren’t there because they want to be, but

because they have to be to move to the Division I level.

Like many, Raymond’s initial plan did not include the Independence Community College Pirate football program. After high school, the 6-foot corner went to Division II Delta State where he saw success early, but after an offseason knee surgery, Raymond rolled the dice on his future and decided to walk on at ICC.

Healthy and experienced, Miami Football is looking to put it all together

“I decided to take a chance on myself. I believed I could play at the next level,” Raymond said.

“I actually didn’t tell my mama I was going JUCO until the last two weeks because I knew she would try to talk me out of it.”

Despite moving to the JUCO level, Raymond’s move to the plains of Kansas was a risky one, as there were no guarantees he would see the field given the amount of talent on the pirate roster The majority of the starters there were four- and five-star recruits from top-tier programs including Florida State, Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Michigan and Arkansas.

“I knew what I was coming there for and I knew what odds I was up against,” Raymond said.

“It was talented at every position. Six of us went D-1 at the cornerback group — everybody got offers.”

On top of battling to see the field, Raymond also faced the unique challenges of daily life in Independence. After his time thus far in Oxford, Raymond said he has come to appreciate the academic support he receives at Miami, a far-cry from the status-quo at the junior college level.

The overall appearance of Miami’s campus is another piece the JUCO product enjoys more than most after spending a year at an institution whose amenities were sub-par in Raymond’s mind.

“It was a lot more grimy than what it was on the show,” Raymond said. “Even the food — they showed that the food was bad, CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Soccer fights for a point at Western Kentucky

BENNETT WISE STAFF WRITER

The Miami volleyball RedHawks look to play this season with a chip on their shoulder as the Mid-American Conference voted the Red and White to finish fourth in the East Division – even after winning the MAC Championship last year.

However, their preseason standing is not being overlooked by head coach Carolyn Condit, entering her 35th season at the helm of Miami volleyball.

With the loss of seven seniors, including Miami’s all-time leader in digs, Maeve McDonald, and Olivia Rusek, who signed to play professionally in Austria this past spring, Condit says this is one of the most talented classes she’s recruited. With the addition of six freshmen and Emma Leahy, a junior transfer from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville, the roster boasts talent similar to last year’s senior class.

“They are easily in the top three classes that we’ve had,” Coach Condit said. “It reminds me of our 1995 freshmen class.”

Those freshmen went on to win four consecutive Mid-American Conference Championships.

“That doesn’t mean that that can happened all the time,” Condit said. “It’s something that makes me excited because our future is very bright. We have won the last two years and I think that is going to carry over.”

Condit also credits the success to her upperclassmen for helping the team get in the right mindset to be patient and, ultimately, win.

Winning is no stranger to the program, as they have won backto-back regular season MAC championships, boasting a record of 47-16 since the 2016 season.

“Our motto this year is ‘One CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

SENIOR DEFENDER KIRSTEN FEHLAN CONTROLS THE BALL AT WKU. STEVE ROBERTS STEVE ROBERTS PHOTOGRAPHY LLC

BEN PANZECA STAFF WRITER

MIAMI FOOTBALL IS SET TO START THE SEASON WITH SENIOR WIDEOUT JAMES GARDNER (LEFT) AND REDSHIRT SENIOR QUARTERBACK GUS RAGLAND (RIGHT). CONTRIBUTED BY CALEB SAUNDERS MIAMI ATHLETICS

CHRIS VINEL STAFF WRITER

The Miami RedHawks were supposed to make 2017 their year.

Coming off six-straight regular-season wins and a bowl bid to finish 2016, Chuck Martin’s team looked poised to take a big step forward and etch itself among the Mid-American Conference elite.

That didn’t happen.

Marred by injuries and lategame collapses, the RedHawks finished the 2017 season with a

disappointing 5-7 record and fell to fourth place in the MAC East.

“Last year, I would definitely say, at times, we were worried about the big picture,” Martin said. “We were worried about the result more than we were worried about grinding through to get to the result.”

In the end, the result that the ’Hawks were worrying about wasn’t the desired one.

Four of their seven losses were by five points or less and came as the result of critical MU errors down the stretch. Late sec-

ond-half mistakes led to Miami blowing leads against both Bowling Green and Cincinnati. That’s even more deflating considering winning just one of these games would’ve made the Red and White bowl-eligible for the second consecutive season — something that hasn’t happened since 2003-2004.

But Martin is back — he signed a two-year contract extension in March to remain the team’s head coach through 2020 CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

The Hawks overcame a halftime one-goal deficit and secured a point in its draw against Western Kentucky on Sunday afternoon.

Senior goalkeeper Patricia Koutoulas came up with eight saves between the posts, keeping Miami within striking distance for the whole game.

The Hilltoppers (1-2-1) stifled the RedHawks (0-2-1) for much of the first half, outshooting them 10-1. The ’Hawks’ single shot came from a corner kick, when the Red & White proved themselves to be a dangerous team in the air.

Junior defender Lydia Brosnahan rose over the defense and put a shot on frame that the Western Kentucky keeper saved. At 5’10”, Brosnahan will likely cause nightmares for opposing backlines on set pieces.

WKU got on the board in the 24th minute, courtesy of freshman midfielder Ambere Barnett’s finish inside the box. The lone goal of the half left Miami trailing 1-0 going into half-time.

In the second half, the RedHawks continued to absorb pressure from the ’Toppers and were CONTINUED ON PAGE 8