ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
Volume 148 No. 17
Miami University — Oxford, Ohio
TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2020
Coronavirus restricts Miami study abroad programs JULIA ARWINE ERIN GLYNN NEWS EDITORS
Miami University students studying abroad in South Korea and Italy have been urged by the university to return to the U.S. as soon as possible, following an announcement by the Trump administration on Saturday that all non-essential travel to South Korea and Italy has been restricted. The CDC classifies the warning level in both countries as Level 3 (red), the highest risk level. Iran and China are also Level 3 due to their own severe outbreaks of the virus. Miami announced on Saturday that students currently in South Korea and Italy should come back to the U.S. and that the university is prepared to support the students as they transition their studies from abroad. Miami had already canceled its study abroad programs in China “for the foreseeable future.” Ryan Dye, director of education abroad, said students studying abroad in Level 3 countries will need to return to the U.S., regardless of whether their program is sponsored by Miami or a third party. In South Korea, so far there have been over 4,300 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 28 deaths. Junior Meagan Holloway-Ragland is one of four Miami students in a third party program to South Korea who was made to return to the U.S. after the program was canceled. Though she said the study abroad office tried to find a way for her to continue her classes back stateside, due to the uniqueness of the situation she will have to take the rest of the semester off, likely pushing back her graduation date. “It’s just a really sucky situation,” she said. Dye said there are currently about 25 students studying abroad in China, Italy, South Korea and Japan and that the university will have to “get creative” in transitioning their studies. Dye said the students will need to work with their academic advisors to devise an CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
ILLUSTRATION BY CONNOR WELLS
JULIA ARWINE NEWS EDITOR
Tyler Perino stood between his parents, Randy and Laura, while facing the judge in the Oxford Courthouse. A few rows behind him sat several former members of the Delta Tau Delta (Delts) fraternity, and just a few feet to his right stood another: Joshua Plaster, who had just pled guilty to hazing him. Last March, Tyler was rushed to the hospital after returning home from the Delts Big/ Little reveal, after telling his girlfriend to, “call 9-1-1, I feel like I’m going to die.” Tyler reported to Miami University’s Community Standards that he was slapped, kicked, spat on and forced to drink alcohol and smoke weed ex-
cessively. He was also beaten on the buttocks with a paddle until he bled internally. After investigating, the university suspended Delts for 15 years, and the Butler County district attorney criminally charged 18 fraternity brothers with various counts of misdemeanor assault and hazing. Tyler addressed the court and Plaster directly, recalling how he had first pledged Delts in the hopes of finding a supportive group of friends. Instead, he found himself abused. He remembered one particular instance when another pledge told him that Plaster said he already hated his “little [brother]” — who would turn out to be Tyler. “Josh, I want you to know,” Tyler said, “that I hate you, too.”
They appeared not to look at each other throughout the hearing. Ten of the 18 former Delts charged in October pled guilty to hazing and received their sentences, which consisted mostly of fines, in court on Tuesday, Feb. 25 and Friday, Feb. 28. The Perinos expressed with audible emotion how Plaster and the other Delts harmed them. Tyler called Plaster an “asshole” and explained how the way his former big brother and fellow brothers treated him was “horrible and absolute barbaric behavior,” that caused Tyler physical, emotional and spiritual damage. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
PAGEANTRY IN A NEW ERA: REDEFINING LIBERATION MAYA FENTER
MAGAZINE EDITOR-AT-LARGE There was a small gap between the floor and the edge of the back curtain on the stage of Leonard Theatre in Peabody Hall. Just a few minutes before 7 p.m., a line of heels paraded from one side of the stage to the other, stiletto clicks ringing clearly through the theatre. The six members of the judging panel took their seats in the front row marked with “Reserved” signs. The audience rose and Caroline Grace Williams, Miss Ohio 2019 and emcee for the night, sang the National Anthem in a light orange gown and her Miss Ohio sash, with a crown pinned to her head. “Confident” by Demi Lovato blared over the speakers, and the 11 contestants walked out on stage in rows and performed a short choreographed dance, wearing cocktail dresses, jumpsuits and wide smiles. The contestants passed around a microphone and took turns introducing themselves with their name, major and school. “The dreams of becoming Miss America start right here at the local level,” Caroline said behind the podium on stage. Miss Oxford Tallawanda is one of 12 local Ohio pageants in the Miss America Organization. Local title winners qualify to compete at the state level, and state winners go on to compete nationally. Out of 11 contestants, four will be crowned. Nine are competing for Miss Oxford and Miss Tallawanda titles and two are competing for Miss Oxford’s Outstanding Teen and Miss Tallawanda’s Outstanding Teen. The Miss winners each get $1,000 in scholarship money and the Teen winners get $500. The Outstanding Teen competition is Miss America’s sister organization. Titles are open to high school students ages 13 to 17, and the com-
CONTESTANTS FOCUSED ON ACTIVISM AND COMMUNITY AWARENESS. THE MIAMI STUDENT OLIVIA HENNESSEY
petition is structured differently than the Miss competition. The Miss Tallawanda title is open to women ages 18 to 25 who live, work or attend college full-time in Ohio. The Miss Oxford title is typically not open to residents and students
in Butler County, but because there were only two contestants from Miami University, both crowns became open to anyone. Emily Legenza, a senior at Ohio University, drove three hours from Athens, Ohio to compete in Miss Oxford Tallawanda.
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Black feminist theory, Islamophobia, globalization and drag?!
This Issue
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After three years of competing in Miss Northwestern Ohio and losing each time, she finally won the title last year and went on to compete in the Miss Ohio state competition. This year, she has participated in almost every local Ohio pageant, hoping to compete in Miss Ohio again. For Olivia Kentner, a sophomore at University of Cincinnati, Miss Oxford Tallawanda is the first pageant she’s ever competed in. She’s performed in some capacity for most of her life through choir and musicals and has always thought that the Miss America women are strong and empowering. Last summer, she forced her mom to drive to Mansfield to watch the final night of the Miss Ohio competition. At the end of the night, her mom turned to her and said, “Olivia, I think you can do this.” “I think I can,” Olivia agreed. *** The first portion of the competition is the on-stage question, where each contestant has 25 seconds to answer one question from a judge. The questions are based on current events and social issues and the contestants don’t know what they’ll be asked beforehand. It’s designed for contestants to show that they can speak clearly and thoughtfully about topical issues and then form their own opinions. One by one, contestants walk out to center stage in front of a microphone stand, smiling and making eye contact with the judge who would ask her a question. “How can we excite young voters about the upcoming election?” “What can we do to reduce Ohio’s infant mortality rate?” “What are some solutions for the school-toprison pipeline?” ***
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OPINION
Sam Sloman Best kicker in college football AND the NFL Draft? page 10
A year later, we've all failed. page 12