ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
Volume 148 No. 16
Miami University — Oxford, Ohio
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Through injustice, Black Miami students prevail
Three candidates toss their hats in the ASG presidential ring RACHEL BERRY ALEX COX ERIN GLYNN
THE MIAMI STUDENT After a deadline extension, three tickets are now in the race for student body president (SBP) and vice president (VP). Elections will be held March 17-18 on the Hub. Cameron Hunter (SBP) and Keresa Murray (VP)
JERRY WILLIAMS AND MYLDRED BOSTON BROKE BARRIERS. CONTRIBUTED BY MIAMI UNIVERSITY SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
SARA BEY BRIAH LUMPKINS
THE MIAMI STUDENT Throughout history, many black students have experienced racial discrimination during their time on Miami University’s campus. From people wearing blackface at fraternity parties to white students pretending to be stereotypically black to racist rhetoric in group chats, black students have seen their fair share of injustice.
Yet, with each uprising of hatred, black students have banded together. In 1998, black students formed the original Black Action Movement (BAM), seeking to eradicate Miami’s racist culture. And again, in spring 2018, black students established BAM 2.0 to stand up for equality for themselves and other students of color on Miami’s campus. Since the era of Nellie Craig, the first black student to enroll at Miami in 1903, black students have been fighting for equality while also making history.
Jerry Williams ’39 and Myldred Boston Howell ’49, two of Miami’s earliest black students, are no exception. Though they faced many obstacles, both prevailed and created a lasting impact on the Miami community. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Cameron Hunter and Keresa Murray met this past summer while working as Student Orientation Undergraduate Leaders (SOULs). During their SOUL training, they realized there were many more resources available to Miami University students than they had previously thought, so they set to work together on a packet that could be distributed to all students during orientation. They eventually came to the conclusion that a packet for each student wouldn’t be the most efficient way to connect students with the services available to them, but the idea stayed with the two until Monday, when they decided to run together. “Keresa, [an RA in Presidents Hall], brought up that she tells all her residents about SafeRide,” Hunter said. “But I’ve noticed that it’s something that is really underutilized, so something that we’ve talked about a lot is putting resources [together] in a way that is a lot more effective and easy to access.” To that end, Hunter, a sophomore accounting major, and Murray, a junior education studies major, hope to rework the MyMiami webpage to better display information students need. Beyond resource availability for students, Hunter and Murray’s platform has two other main facets: diversity and inclusion and student wellness. Both Hunter and Murray are friends with current Student Body President Jaylen Perkins and Vice President Dante Rossi. They met with Perkins and Rossi on Monday morning, after deciding to run, to discuss how to further the work Perkins and Rossi did for diversity and inclusion, like the Freedom Summer initiative. CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
LYRIC:
A local artist with an otherworldly presence
DAVID KWIATKOWSKI ASST. CULTURE EDITOR
“I promise you I didn’t do this on purpose.” Sophomore psychology major and independent musician Lyric Rains-Bury, also known mononymously as Lyric, says to me in reference to his outfit — a red-tinted shirt plastered with a baby picture of himself with his name on the sleeves. “I really just wanted to match with the rest of the red vibe I was feeling today,” he said. He also makes a point to call out how his anime-decorated walls are “weird,” and how I should divert my attention elsewhere. My eyes jumped to an endless mound of caffeinated beverages that seemed to have accumulated on the floor. As braggadocious and larger-than-life as Lyric presents himself in both his fashion choices and music stylings, he could not be more different in person. The musician and Miami University student hails from Goshen, Ohio, a small town an hour outside of Oxford. “We have corn,” Lyric said. “If you’re feeling crazy, you can go to a McDonald’s.” Goshen is also predominantly white, and Lyric has struggled growing up there and being “triracial.” He is of Korean, Cherokee and Norwegian descent and struggled to feel like he belonged in a place where he dealt with racist jokes from peers. “I’ve been told I look like just a different-looking white person,” Lyric said. “You could count the people of color [in Goshen]
on one hand.” Lyric’s fashion choices are best described as bold — a marked difference from the style trends in Goshen. He detailed a time when he wore a golden-glittery leopard tracksuit, a fur hat and sunglasses in high school. Some kids came up to him and made fun of his “lame excuse” for facial hair. “Of all the things [they saw],” Lyric said, “it was almost endearing to me.” This frustration with his surroundings caused Lyric to turn to artistic expression at an early age, something he’d been surrounded by his whole life. His father is primarily an auto body artist that works on motorcycles and his mother is a cartoonist. Third grade is the earliest memory Lyric has of being recognized for writing poetry. His teachers and parents encouraged him to develop his skills. However, once he reached high school, he was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) which prevented him from totally focusing on art over his academics. “It helped that [my OCD] forced me to focus on my work,” Lyric said. “But it got to the point where I couldn’t really focus on my art.” He kept his musical aspirations alive by joining the pep band where he played the drum. It was his time performing for the pep band when he first experimented writing ‘poetry’ for the sheet music he had to practice. “Poetry wasn’t a medium that was salient,” CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 LYRIC IS FAR MORE MILD-MANNERED IN PERSON THAN MOST PEOPLE ASSUME. ASST. PHOTO EDITOR BO BRUECK
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THREE CANDIDATES TOSS THEIR HATS IN THE ASG PRESIDENTIAL RING FROM FRONT
Hunter and Murray hope to expand the diversity training now required to first-year students to all student leaders and faculty. Under the student wellness umbrella, they hope to work with Hillel and other student organizations to implement more options for students with dietary restrictions. They also want to continue work on ASG initiatives like satellite counseling and in-stall receptacles for menstrual hygiene products. Though neither candidate has experience in ASG, Hunter said he feels they bring an important outside perspective and valuable experience from their time as SOULs.
they agreed to make it a joint endeavor. Both Kamara, a black world studies and diversity and leadership double major, and von Zastrow, a business economics and political science double major, have a passion for improving the school they love. Specifically, they want to increase the sense of community on campus. They both plan to do this through implementing programs that have been successful at other universities. Kamara, a former ASG member and current president of the diversity affairs council, has looked at other institutions to find policies that Miami could put in place. One of these initiatives is a program to accept community service as payment for parking tickets. Additionally, Kamara
CAMERON HUNTER (LEFT) AND KERESA MURRAY (RIGHT) VOW TO FIGHT FOR ACCESSIBILITY TO RESOURCES. ASST. PHOTO EDITOR BO BRUECK
“Being able to be a part of students’ journey from the start and into their first year – which is a really important part of students’ development in college – has really been an honor,” Hunter said. “And I think this would be the next step for allowing us to continue to improve students’ lives.” Jannie Kamara (SBP) and Jessica von Zastrow (VP) Jannie Kamara and Jessica von Zastrow decided to run for SBP and VP over plates of food at Buffalo Wild Wings two-and-a-half weeks ago. The idea of running was far from new to them, however. From the first day in their shared political science class freshman year, Kamara and von Zastrow have shared both a love for Miami and a friendship. This friendship deepened while on a Government Relations Network (GRN) trip freshman year, when they advocated for Miami in both Washington D.C. and Columbus. Last year, while they were hallmates, von Zastrow encouraged Kamara to run for student body president, pledging her support. Kamara, who had been planning to run since her freshman year, kept her friend’s advice in mind. Now, as juniors,
wants to increase connectedness and inclusion on campus. “I want to create belonging and connectivity but also educate students on what’s available on campus,” Kamara said. Von Zastrow, a campus tour guide and founder of Miami’s Women in Social Entrepreneurship (WISE), is currently enrolled in a Building a Better Community course that focuses on improving the campus community. As part of this program, she is analyzing initiatives on other campuses and looking at the feasibility of applying them at Miami. She is particularly interested in UCLA’s preventative mental health screening test, which identifies at-risk students for mental health problems and pairs them with counseling services before their first day on campus. “For me it’s not just why I chose to come here but why I choose to stay here,” von Zastrow said. “I want to make sure that this community is an open place that everyone feels welcomed into. Having the ability to do that by being vice president of the student body would be a really great honor.”
JESSICA VON ZASTROW (LEFT) AND JANNIE KAMARA (RIGHT) WANT TO INCREASE COMMUNITY ON CAMPUS. ASST. PHOTO EDITOR BO BRUECK
Jacob Kramer (SBP) and Nadia Elayan (VP)
Juniors Jacob Kramer and Nadia Elayan have no background in ASG and hadn’t considered running for SBP and VP until they received the email on Friday about the deadline extension. As two mechanical engineering majors, though, they noticed a lack of representation in ASG from the College of Engineering and Computing (CEC) and hope to bring a new perspective to student government. “As a STEM voice, we like solutions, we like being pragmatic and problem solving, we want to see results at Miami and try to employ solutions that provide those,” Kramer said. If elected, they would like to increase recruitment of potential STEM majors and to expand Miami from being thought of as a business school. Kramer said they would accomplish this by working with the Office of Admissions to plan more visit days focused on students considering STEM majors. While they do hope to increase CEC representation in ASG and at Miami as a whole, the slate emphasizes that they represent the entire student body. “I think we both represent Miami not just as engineering students,” Elayan said. “I play rugby for Miami, and I’m Middle Eastern, and I’m Muslim, and that is a very, very small minority in this school.” One of their major platform points is decreasing the fees for on-campus parking tickets. Kramer called the $75 ticket an “extreme draconian punishment,” advocating for a tiered fee system
instead. He said their strategy for convincing the university to do this would be showing they have student support. “I hope they would hear if this is the will of the students, they would be willing to abide by this,” Kramer said. Kramer and Elayan are also advocating for eliminating the salary paid to executive cabinet members and implementing follow-up emails to the sexual assault bulletins from the Miami University Police Department. Elayan said it could scare students away from reporting not knowing how or if the cases are resolved. She said these emails wouldn’t need to include names or specific details but would just let students know something is being done. In general, they hope to get someone appointed as a student trustee on the Board of Trustees (BoT) that shares their views because they recognize that the BoT makes the financial decisions for the university. Kramer and Elayan think they stand out because they come from a part of campus that doesn’t typically run for senate and because they have no past experience in ASG. “I think we can provide unique perspectives to certain issues facing campus,” Kramer said, “that you’re not going to get if you’re just pulling from the same groups of students.”
@racheldberry berryrd@miamioh.edu coxaj4@miamioh.edu @ee_glynn glynnee@miamioh.edu
JACOB KRAMER (LEFT) AND NADIA ELAYAN (RIGHT) ARE TIRED OF MIAMI’S EXPENSIVE PARKING FEES. ASST. PHOTO EDITOR BO BRUECK
ARWINEJK@MIAMIOH.EDU
NEWS 3
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020
Through injustice, Black Miami students prevail FROM FRONT
Jerry Williams ’39 Jerome “Jerry” Williams was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1915. As a teenager growing up in Cleveland, he exhibited incredible athletic ability in football and track. As a high schooler, he was a member of his school’s championship relay team that was anchored by Olympic all-star athlete, Jesse Owens. Williams’ athletic accomplishments continued in college as he became a two-star athlete in foot-
which highlights Miami’s black alumni. During Black History Month, Seward has dedicated the page to highlighting alumni like Williams and the struggles they’ve faced. “This man proved that he was just as intelligent [as] anybody else and could do the coursework,” Seward said. “It just happened to be because of the color of his skin that he was discriminated against.” “I’m just glad to be able to be connected to him,” Seward added. “He was here. He was in similar classrooms. He was walking the same streets
“This man proved that he was just as intellgent [as] anybody else and could do the coursework. It jus happened to be because of the color of his skin that he was discriminated against.” - Seth Seward
among senior administration. After verifying Williams’ registrar multiple times, Michael Dantley, dean of the College of Education, Health and Society, gave Janis Williams, Jerry’s daughter, a phone call — her father was finally going to receive his degree. “Wow, you finally got it,” Janis Williams said in an interview with the university after she and her brother Jerry Jr. accepted their father’s degree. “You finally got it. And you deserved it.” Jacqueline Johnson, current university archivist, assisted Baker in finding the information about Williams. She said Williams’ ability to send his children to the same school where he faced hardships is incredible. “You spend four years of your life at a university,” Johnson said. “You were up and down the field [playing] football. [You were] a multi-sport athlete. Four years, you leave with no degree … [Williams] leaves and raises a family and children, and he has no bitter attitude against Miami. That’s amazing. That speaks to his character. Jerry Williams was a man of character, I think.” Myldred Boston ’49
ball and track and the first African American in Miami’s history to compete in varsity sports. In his sophomore year, he earned a spot on the football team as a half-back and led his team to the Buckeye Conference championship. His senior year, he also made history by becoming one of the first black students to compete against a segregated school on Miami’s home field. Williams was also a championship boxer, winning the southwestern Ohio divisional Golden Gloves in back-to-back years. Williams has gone down in history as one of Miami’s greatest athletes. But his time as a Miami student did not mirror his athletic achievements. Williams, and the other 12 African Americans who attended Miami at the same time, could not live on campus because of Miami’s long-standing policy preventing it, according to “Miami University 1809-2009: Bicentennial Perspectives,” written by professor of history and American studies and former director of the William Holmes McGuffey Museum Curtis W. Ellison. Despite his accomplishments on the field, Williams was put to the ultimate test academically. He was a relatively good student, maintaining a “B” average throughout his college years. As a physical education major, Williams completed all of his major’s requirements to graduate except the student teaching component. As a black man in Butler County, Williams couldn’t student teach in local schools due to discrimination. The administration did not assist him in finding proper placement elsewhere. Because he was unable to fulfill this requirement, Williams could not get a bachelor’s degree from Miami. He later went on to teach for a year at Cleveland City Schools. Seth Seward, assistant director of alumni relations, runs the “mublkalum” page on Instagram
as us. And there’s just a history that kind of grabs hold on to you and keeps motivating you every day to do well.” After leaving Miami, Williams went back to Cleveland, his hometown. There, he was hired as a physical education coach through Cleveland City Schools. But he was fired after his first year because he still lacked a teaching license after Miami refused to count his year of work into his student teaching requirement. City Schools petitioned the university to credit his year of teaching in Cleveland to count toward a teaching license, but Miami rejected their request. It seemed as though Williams’ story was over until 2013, when Honors Program Director Zeb
Myldred Boston, born in Cleveland, was excited to hear from Miami University during her college admission process in the early ’40s. “No one in my family had never [even] attended college, so [hearing from Miami] was exciting for us,” Boston said in an interview with Ellison, the professor of history and American studies and former McGuffey Museum director, on June 17, 2006. She was also excited that Miami was one of few colleges to send her information about its academic programs. When she got to campus for fall move-in day 1945 as one of the first two non-athletic black students to live on-campus, she saw that her room
“I decided that wasn’t going to be where I would be living.” - Myldred Boston
Baker found some more information in Miami’s archives. Correspondence between former university president Alfred P. Upham and Cleveland City Schools superintendent Charles H. Lake shows Upham admitting that Williams had essentially completed all of his requirements. Baker then presented the evidence to Ron Scott, associate vice president of institutional diversity, who advocated that Williams should receive his bachelor’s degree posthumously
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was in the basement next to the furnace room. “I decided that wasn’t going to be where I would be living,” Boston recalled. “I called [the dean of women and] asked if she would come over. We stood in the middle of that room, and I politely asked her if she would live there.” The dean’s response was no, Boston said, “and so was mine.” She then gave Boston a list of black families around Oxford who would house black students attending Miami. That same year, there were only 10 black students on campus out of 5,300 students. While Boston looked for families to stay with, her potential roommate, Arie Parks, stayed in the basement dorm and did not return to Miami the following year. Boston lived out the rest of her first year on Vine Street, living with Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, a married couple who took her in. “[I was] still eating in the dorms [and] still having class on campus,” she said in the 2006 interview. Boston returned to on-campus housing her sophomore year, living in the Tallawanda Apartments. Tallawanda Apartments used to sit on the northwest corner of High Street and Tallawanda Road. The site now holds Edwards parking lot, next to Old Manse. The transition back to on-campus living was not exactly smooth for Boston. “The young people who lived in Tallawanda Hall were those young ladies whose parents were called and asked if they knew there would be a black living in that resident hall,” Boston explained. “Those who lived on the first floor were all of those whose parents consented.” There were three floors in Tallawanda, with 200 students in total. Boston recalled living in Tallawanda with her roommates to be a pleasant experience. “They were not bothered by [living with a black student],” she said. “We had met in classes and … got along well. I thought it was a real good arrangement, even though we knew it was a made-up ar-
rangement.” In 1946, The Miami Student published an ad on behalf of the Campus Interracial Committee. The ad requested a ratio of “two White students and one Negro student” to live in two apartments in Tallawanda. The Committee posted the ad in hopes the living arrangements would be “a contribution to better race relations on this campus.” Even though their parents did not consent to having their daughters live on the same floor as a black student, “the women above the first floor were not bothered by it at all. So my second year really went well,” Boston said. Boston still faced discrimination in and out of the classroom. She took a sociology class where, on the first day, the professor told her, “without batting an eye, ‘No n****r gets more than a D in my class,’ … and I walked away with a D,” she said. “Never had a D in my life.” And Uptown, black students and residents had to sit on the second floor of the movie theaters and were not allowed in most restaurants, she explained. “The people in the town who wanted to buy sandwiches would be served from the rear of that establishment,” she said. “You’d have to go to the back of the establishment and get your brown paper bag … and I just couldn’t do that.” The racial discrimination she experienced inspired Boston to become more involved with the Campus Interracial Committee, eventually acting as the corresponding secretary. The Committee, made up of roughly 20 to 30 black and white students, performed sit-ins at restaurants that didn’t allow black patrons. They also worked with the NAACP Oxford chapter as well as the congregation of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church on Beech Street. “We had support,” Boston said. “There were white students who were bothered by the kinds of things that they heard us talk about, and they were supportive of [us] doing the things that we did [...] the sincerity was obvious.” Throughout her years at Miami, Boston’s persistent activism paid off. “Those who were serving us at first didn’t serve us,” she said. “But we sat and sat, and we changed positions and others would come and sit, and all of a sudden at some point in time, we could walk in and be seated and were served.” When Ellison asked her an important moment she would want on the record, Boston mentioned the sit-ins and desegregation of Oxford restaurants. “That’s history,” she said. “We were able to go in and sit and be served as anyone would be.” At the end of the 2006 interview, Boston said she felt “mixed emotions” when thinking about attending Miami during that racial climate. “For a long time, they were not pleasant,” she said, “but I would never tell anyone not to go or talk about it negatively.” Boston’s daughter eventually attended Miami and graduated in the 1980s. According to
“But we sat and we sat, and we changed positions and others would and sit, and all of sudden at some point in time, we could walk in and be seated and were served.” - Myldred Boston
“mublkalum” Instagram page, Boston “became engaged with Miami’s Black Alumni Advisory Committee and came back to campus on different occasions.” @sara_bey beysc@miamioh.edu @briah_lumpkins lumpkibm@miamioh.edu
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020
The next chapter for the untouched books What happens to print media in the digital age? JULIA ARWINE NEWS EDITOR
The interior of the Southwest Ohio Regional Depository (SWORD) is as quiet as a cathedral and cool as a cave. It’s climate controlled, kept between 58 and 65 degrees and at 40 to 50 percent humidity to protect its contents. It has the look of a warehouse, with rows and rows of 30-foot shelves towering above anyone who walks in. On those shelves are about 2.5 million books, periodicals and other resources like microfilm, LP records and archival materials — SWORD employees have to use an elevated work platform, similar to a cherry picker, just to reach most of them. Each item has a barcode and is organized not by author, title or call number, but by size. “We’re here for efficiency,” said Pam Lipscomb, depository manager. Many of these items have not been touched in a long time, and for the vast majority, this place is their final destination. The stacks in college libraries across the country have shrunk and even disappeared completely in recent years as more and more resources have become available online. Though Miami University’s libraries still have their bookshelves, space is a hot commodity, and not every book can be kept forever. Many of them are recycled when they are deemed to be no longer needed. Some of them go to the depository. SWORD is one of five depositories
check something out, they must request it through one of the universities. SWORD had 7,500 requests for books and 1,400 for articles in fiscal year 2019. Each time they receive a request, they manually retrieve the item from the towering shelves and mail it to the university within a day or two. Miami’s libraries are constantly reevaluating their collections. Sixteen librarians oversee the process of “weeding,” or deciding which books and journals to remove from the shelves. Each year, these librarians choose what books to buy for their discipline’s area and the number that they get rid of must equal how many they purchased — they follow a “zero-growth policy,” said Kevin Messner, head of the Advise and Instruct department, which supervises the subject librarians. “I try to provide as much flexibility and freedom to each of the librarians to weed according to whatever criteria they think are best, as long as they hit their target,” Messner said. There is one loophole to this policy — the librarians can buy as many digital copies as they want without having to remove a single print copy. When deciding which books to weed out, the librarians look at which ones are required for classes in their discipline or disciplines, as well as which ones have not entered circulation for a while — sometimes longer than a decade. When the depositories first opened in the 90s, Miami and other univer-
“We want libraries to be seen as sort of this hub where we’re connecting you to whatever you need.” - Nick Kneer in Ohio; there is one in each corner of the state and one in Columbus, on The Ohio State University’s (OSU) campus. SWORD mainly receives shipments from four universities: Miami, Wright State University, the University of Cincinnati and Central State University. In fiscal year 2019, Miami sent about 1,500 items to SWORD. The depositories are not open for public browsing. If someone wants to
sities would send most of the books they weeded there, but now that they are mostly full, Miami will only send something to SWORD if it is the last of its kind in the state, Messner said. The rest are recycled — that number changes each year, but Messner estimated a rough average of 4,000 - 6,000. SWORD is at 99 percent capacity, Lipscomb said, and although there is space to add on two more modules to the building, there isn’t money for it.
NEW CLUB FORMED AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT TAJ SIMMONS
THE MIAMI STUDENT Josie Carter is tired of seeing sexual assault reports at Miami. So she decided to do something about it. Carter, a Miami University sophomore, started Sexual Assault Survivor Support (SASS), a new anti-sexual assault club on campus that met for the first time Tuesday, Feb. 18. The club aims to connect survivors and provide a space to talk about ways Miami University students can work to end sexual assault. Carter said she recently became inspired to start her own club to help connect survivors of sexual assault on campus after a recent winter-term trip to San Fransisco. “I feel guilty,” she said. “I mainly started this club to help cope with my own experiences.” Carter said after her own personal experiences with sexual assault last fall, she had decided to take action for herself and for the community. The winter program, “Designing Your Life”, teaches students about entrepreneurship through on-site visits to female-founded businesses in Cincinnati and San Francisco. This experience prompted Carter to pitch her idea to an audience of classmates. “I was impressed by how she planned on putting it all together. I wanted to be a part of it,” firstyear Taylor Beasley said. Junior Jannie Kamara, another student with the Designing Your Life program, also joined the club because of Carter’s story. “After hearing it all, I wanted to join her on this journey against sexual assault,” Kamara said. Carter thought it was neccesary to create the club due to the rising statistics of sexual assault reports at Miami. Last fall, students reported 40 sexual assaults as opposed to 28 in Fall 2018. Carter mentioned many potential events and ideas during SASS’
first meeting. The organization’s plans include a march on campus sponsored by the Take Back The Night Foundation and a collaboration with Brick Street Bar & Grill in April for sexual assault awareness month. SASS also hopes to distribute teal ribbons, the color commonly associated with sexual assault awareness, and SipChips, small portable tests to determine if a drink has been spiked with something. While the club is still in its early stages, there is no interest within the group to become an official on-campus organization, at least for now. Carter is concerned the university could restrict the group. “I want to do what I want,” Carter said, “say what I want.” “You have to tip-toe around what the university wants you to put out,” she added. “That’s what makes this organization unique.” JS Bragg, the assistant director for student organizations, addressed similar concerns to those held by SASS. “We actively encourage any and all student organizations here on campus. We also cannot treat organizations differently from one another,” he said. Without funding from the university, the group will have to improvise. Carter plans to rely on donations, while also discussing possible grants from various organizations, including Undercover Colors, the developers of SipChip. Carter also reasoned that selling food and baked goods could be a possible source of money. Other methods included collaborations with Feminists Working On Real Democracy (F-WORD), a feminist organization at Miami. Carter also discussed using personal funds to ensure the survival of her club. While SASS is still finding its footing, the organization’s big plans for the future hope to connect sexual assault survivors and give them a voice. @simmons_taj simmontp@miamioh.edu
The depositories are directly funded by the Ohio Department of Higher Education, and Lipscomb said she doesn’t foresee being able to expand anytime soon. All the depositories are facing a lack of space, although the one at OSU is projected to expand since it secured university funding. “It all really depends on the funding from the state,” Lipscomb said. The depositories don’t weed books the same way the libraries do, but as the amount of empty shelves shrinks, the SWORD employees have other ways of conserving space — mainly, by disposing of duplicates. If, for example, a particular set of journals exists at more than one of the five depositories, all but one depository will recycle theirs, so there is only one physical copy in the state. Some of them are digitized, but not all and not necessarily most. And for some of the more delicate materials, the digitization process can be destructive. Though the use of e-books and especially online journals is popular — Miami faculty and students downloaded 1.3 million serials in fiscal year 2018 — print is far from obsolete. That same year, print circulation reached more than 64,000, while only about 3,000 full e-books were downloaded — although there were about 600,000 downloads of specific chapters, said Nick Kneer, strategic communication coordinator for university libraries. There has been a decline in print circulation over the past decade or so, Messner said, but it has been surprisingly slight and regular. “Book circulation has [had] single digit declines, but a fairly regular decline each year, and that’s just as people drift more and more towards electronic resources,” Messner said. Kneer said there are no current plans to get rid of the stacks entirely. Messner, who has worked in Miami’s library system for more than a decade, said that some disciplines tend to use physical books more than others. Though it’s hard to pin down the numbers, he has noticed that STEM students and faculty are more likely to use online periodicals while those in the humanities are more likely to check out something in print. Additionally, there are always those who prefer to learn from a page rather than a screen. “There’s something about physically holding a book that a lot of people find important,” Kneer said. Miami’s libraries have done other
MIAMI SENDS RARE BOOKS TO BE HOUSED IN A DEPOSITORY FOR SAFE KEEPING UNTIL THEY ARE REQUESTED AGAIN FOR USE. NEWS EDITOR JULIA ARWINE
things to adapt to the digital age other than digitizing reading material. Also available through the library online are information databases on many different subjects, free subscriptions to The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, apps to facilitate learning, and live chatting with Miami librarians. The library is not just a place to do research. There, students can study — the study room key at King Library was by far the most checked out item last year, Kneer said. They can create — library computers are enabled with
Once a donor, always a donor:
Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity member donates stem cells
AFTER DONATING STEM CELLS, MIAMI PI KAPPA ALPHA BROTHER RYAN BERGEN HAS BECOME A CAMPUS AMBASSADOR FOR GIFT FOR LIFE. CONTRIBUTED BY RYAN BERGEN
GABBI BRIGHT STAFF WRITER
A line of Miami University students stands in Armstrong Student Center, waiting their turn at a booth in front of the passing crowd. A student steps up with a reddened face, scrunching their nose as a cotton swab swipes their inner cheek. These ten uncomfortable seconds could save a life. Gift of Life Marrow Registry is a nonprofit organization committed to finding volunteer stem cell donors to help those suffering with many types of blood cancers. They sponsor daily events like these on college campuses around the country. Not only do Gift of Life campus ambassadors target popular student hubs like Armstrong, but they regularly visit Greek organizations to swab members. Miami Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE) fraternity member Ryan Bergen successfully donated his stem cells after being
swabbed at an event hosted by Gift of Life at his chapter. “A campus ambassador came into [PIKE’s] house to swab us all,” Bergen said. “I almost forgot about it because it wasn’t until five months later I got an email saying I was a potential match.” Bergen, unfamiliar with the stem cell donation process, was initially apprehensive about committing to the project. “Obviously I was scared. I didn’t know exactly what to expect,” he said. “But I just knew that I had the chance to save a life, and that’s what I was going to do.” His donee, a 29-year-old male with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, required blood stem cells after undergoing intense chemotherapy. After several tests to confirm his candidacy for donation, Bergen flew to a stem cell collection center in Boca Raton, Florida. There, Bergen donated blood through a catheter in his arm for hours before watching the stem cell separation process.
Adobe Creative Cloud, AutoCAD and other softwares that students would otherwise have to pay for, and the Makerspace on the third floor established last year includes sewing machines and a 3-D printer. And they can engage, as the library puts on events every year. “We want the libraries to be seen as sort of this hub where we’re connecting you to whatever you need,” Kneer said. @ArwineJulia arwinejk@miamioh.edu
“I wouldn’t say it was a fun journey, but … in the grand scheme of things, it was nothing,” he said. “This guy is facing his life. My stem cells are possibly the only thing that could keep him alive.” Even after returning to Miami, Bergen still hasn’t had any contact with the man he donated to. “I don’t know anything else about him; he could be anywhere in the world,” Bergen said. “A year later, if he’s healthy and wants to meet, I get to meet him and that’d be the coolest thing.” Bergen explained that his donation was not only a personal mission, but part of a greater movement to change the perception of Miami fraternities. “Obviously there’s been negative publicity with fraternities, especially here at Miami in the last couple years … but we’re not just drinking clubs,” Bergen said. “[When we spoke] my chapter advisor was like, ‘We wanna get this out to as many [people] as possible because this [service] is what we want to show.’” Since donating, Bergen has become a campus ambassador for Gift for Life, hosting swab events around campus. In response to his encouragement, most of his fraternity has now been swabbed for donor candidacy. Some PIKE members have already been contacted by Gift of Life for further testing. Another PIKE member, Jacob Wolanske, recently received an email informing him of a potential match. “I just woke up one morning and saw the email,” Wolanske said. “Within an hour I felt like I wanted to do it right away.” Although Wolanske does not yet know whether Gift of Life will ask him to continue testing for donor status, he said that fellow PIKE brothers supported his decision to pursue stem cell donation. “The cool part about being a part of a fraternity or sorority is that since giving back to the community is one of their main focuses, you’re exposed to [service programs] and have the opportunity to participate in them,” Wolanske said. As Miami students continue to receive their results from Gift of Life, Wolanske expressed that he was optimistic that others would commit to stem cell donation. “[Bergen’s] whole story was definitely empowering and inspirational for us,” he said. “You have the chance to change someone’s life with this and, for me, the opportunity seemed like the right thing to do.” @gabbiabri brightga@miamioh.edu
GLYNNEE@MIAMIOH.EDU
Trustees take employment and tenure decisions from faculty MADELINE PHABY STAFF WRITER
Miami University’s Board of Trustees (BoT) drew controversy by writing a new clause granting the board full responsibility for determining the terms of employment and tenure for faculty after its Feb. 20 meeting. The BoT also approved additional resolutions to split Kinesiology and Health (KNH) and Sport Leadership and Management (SLAM) into two separate departments, dissolve the Department of Classics, and modify the cap on teaching, clinical professors and lecturers (TCPLs). University Senate unanimously endorsed both the partitioning of KNH and SLAM and the consolidation of the Department of Classics at its meeting on Oct. 7, 2019. And, now that the board’s decision has been finalized, students can still study classics, but the major will be housed under the Department of French and Italian. Senate approved a resolution to replace the university-wide 25 percent cap on TCPLs with different caps for each academic division at its meeting on Jan. 27. The trustees approved both of these recommendations, and they will take effect for the 2020-2021 academic year. The BoT also added a clause to the employment section of their regulations stating that “The Board retains full authority for policies that govern the terms and conditions of employment and tenure of the faculty.” Cathy Wagner, president of Miami’s American Association of University Professors advocacy chapter, raised objections to
NEWS 5
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020
City of Oxford awarded for waste reduction
this addition in a statement given during the meeting. Wagner said that the clause is redundant because Ohio law already gives the Trustees total power over all university matters. Most peer institutions delegate power over tenure policy to faculty members, but Miami deviates from national norms by not explicitly making such a delegation. “If [the Trustees] don’t specifically say that they value [faculty expertise] and they only say that they have the right to make the decision, then it feels like they’re not paying proper dues to faculty’s role and the importance of the faculty’s disciplinary expertise in making tenure recommendations,” Wagner said. Wagner said that David Budig, chair of the BoT, reacted positively to her statement and said that they would consider it during their discussion of the policy. However, the clause was not removed or changed. Budig said he was unable to comment on the outcome of the meeting due to travel plans and instead referred The Student to Ted Pickerill, secretary to the board. Pickerill wrote in an email to The Student that “The Board’s recent review of its regulations retained the Board’s on-going commitment to shared governance with University Senate and Faculty Assembly as well as expressly affirming its role in approving the terms of employment for faculty.” Pickerill did not comment directly on why the BoT did not align with Wagner’s suggestion.
ABBY BAMMERLIN STAFF WRITER
Oxford was recognized for its efforts to make city events more sustainable at City Council’s Feb. 18 meeting. Carla Blackmar, founder of #Take3Oxford and an Oxford resident, presented the city with the Litter and Waste Reduction Award for Group Effort. Blackmar described #Take3Oxford as a “grass-roots group that takes an incremental and persistent approach to waste reduction.” She said in order to join the club, residents must pick up three pieces of trash. Blackmar encourages members to do this every day. “We know the city of Oxford faces many challenges in regard to waste, as many university communities do,” Blackmar said. “One of the amazing things about this city is that while we have our challenges, we also have a huge amount of community engagement to try to address these challenges.” The award was a part of #Take3Oxford’s second annual “Oscars.” During this event, multiple residents won individual awards for their contributions to the group’s cause. One of the accomplishments Blackmar highlighted was the city’s efforts to make the 2019 Uptown Community Picnic a zero-waste event. Oxford invested in a portable water refill station, which eliminated the need for plastic water bottles. The use of compostable serving
phabymr@miamioh.edu
ware replaced paper and plastic serving utensils. In addition to Blackmar’s updates from #Take3Oxford, ShareFest also reported its progress after last year’s titular event. ShareFest, an annual donation drive, collects various gently-used items from Miami University students and the Oxford community at the end of each academic year. These donations are distributed to multiple recipient groups such as Habitat for Humanity of Greater Cincinnati, Open Hands Pantry and Ohio Valley Goodwill Industries. The recipients also included Zero Waste Oxford, a student organization at Miami. Carol Michael, a representative from ShareFest, estimated there were 109 tons of donations, a 12 percent increase from the previous year. “It truly takes a whole community to make this event a success,” Michael said. This year will be ShareFest’s 16th year collecting donations. Michael announced that the event will be held May 13-19. After the presentations, Council passed a resolution allowing vendors at the Oxford Farmer’s Market to continue offering wine tasting samples and sell sealed bottles of wine for consumption off the premises. City Council next meets at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3 in the Oxford Courthouse. bammeraj@miamioh.edu
‘Not your grandpa’s senate’:
University Senate’s shared governance gives everyone a voice
MADELINE PHABY STAFF WRITER
Dana Cox, chair of the University Senate Executive Committee, begins each senate meeting with a sharp rap of her gavel on the front table. The noise instantly brings the room — which was previously filled with chatter and laughter — to attention, and the meeting commences. University Senate meets every other Monday from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. in Harrison Hall room 111. It consists of more than 70 faculty, staff, students and administrators, and it serves as a place where these groups can come together and discuss policies and issues. After the call to order, Cox briefly greets everyone, gives a preview of the meeting and makes any relevant announcements. She then invites senate to approve the minutes from the previous meeting and receive the consent calendar, which consists of small items such as committee minutes and reports. By receiving the consent calendar, senate quickly approves these items without discussing them. Once these housekeeping tasks are completed, senate proceeds with the meeting’s main discussions. Often, these discussions are preceded or accompanied by a presentation from someone who is well-versed in the subject at hand. Senate’s principle authority lies in educational programs — particularly curriculum — but it also discusses other matters related to student and faculty welfare that are technically outside its purview. For example, senate originally reviewed and approved a controversial proposed reporting arrests policy that would require faculty to “report any formal police report, arrest, charge or indictment for alleged criminal conduct ... to the Office of General Counsel, within three working days.” Faculty assembly — which consists of all tenure/ tenure track faculty, lecturers, clinical faculty and
EVERY OTHER MONDAY, UNIVERSITY SENATE COMES TOGETHER IN HARRISON HALL TO DISCUSS DIFFERENT POLICIES AND ISSUES ON CAMPUS. STAFF WRITER MADELINE PHABY
Cox, an associate professor of mathematics, represents only her own department, which consists of more than 30 faculty members. But other senators represent several departments because their home department is too small to have its own representative. Some of these department groupings make more sense than others. Tracy Haynes, associate teaching professor of biology, represents biology and microbiology, but Chip Hahn, associate clinical professor of speech pathology and audiology
“In our senate, it’s a global voice.” - Dana Cox
librarians — subsequently voted to send the policy back to senate for reconsideration, and it is still in the process of reviewing it. Cox said that, though senate only acts in an advisory capacity on matters outside its purview, this arrangement allows senators to discuss and inform their constituents about issues that matter to them. “Some of the presentations that happen at senate are more informational sessions, and some are where we’re pulling diverse perspectives into a concentrated area and debating these larger [issues],” Cox said. Faculty senators typically serve three-year terms, whereas student senators typically serve one-year terms. Elections for the following academic year are conducted during the spring semester. Most senators — 34 total — are divisional representatives. Senate seats are allocated to each division based on the number of faculty in that division. Within each division, a senator represents approximately 24 to 30 constituents — faculty members within the department or departments they represent. Seats are reapportioned every three years based on changes in faculty distribution. This upcoming year, the College of Arts and Science will lose a seat while the College of Engineering and Computing will gain one.
(SPA), represents SPA, anthropology, geography and political science. Hahn said that, when it comes to representing a somewhat-mismatched group of constituents, communication is extremely important. “If there are [issues] that I think are particularly important, I’m very deliberate in saying [to my constituents] ‘We’re going to be voting on this; I need to know your input,’” Hahn said. “The key is regular communication and making sure that they know I’m approachable.” Other senators don’t represent particular departments, but rather the faculty as a whole. There are 10 of these “at-large” senators, and they are nominated and voted upon by the entire Senate body. Rodney Coates, professor of global and intercultural studies, is currently serving in his third and final year as senator at-large. Though he doesn’t represent a specific constituency, he considers himself a representative of Miami’s faculty members of color. “When you look around [during a senate meeting], how many people of color do you see? Very few,” Coates said. “So one group of people that I certainly feel like I represent are people of color.” In addition to the faculty members, 13 undergraduate students and two graduate students serve on senate. These students are appointed to
senate by Associated Student Government’s chief of staff. Cox said Miami is unusual for including students and staff members on senate, as most peer institutions only have faculty senates. Only seven staff members sit on Miami’s senate, and they’re all appointed by the university president. “In our senate, it’s a global voice,” Cox said. “We have administrators, we have faculty, we have staff and we have students, both graduate and undergraduate. It is a comprehensive body, wherein every person within the Miami community should have a representative.” Cox especially emphasized the student presence as an important feature of senate. “I think it’s powerful because, as a student, you have a perspective on who should be teaching your coursework and how it should be taught,” Cox said. “For students to have a voice in the overall curriculum of the university, I think sends a powerful, democratic message.” Though student senators are able to participate in discussions, they rarely do. Senior economics and quantitative economics major Sarah Siegel is currently serving in her second semester in University Senate. She said that the reason most student senators don’t talk is because the issues senate discusses are rarely relevant to them. “There have been very few moments when I’ve felt the need to step in,” Siegel said. “I don’t feel equipped to discuss most issues, and I also don’t feel like they pertain to me.” Siegel added that senate tends to spend excessive time on certain issues while failing to address others that may be more relevant to students, such as the upcoming census. “There are a bunch of other issues that pertain more to students that should be brought up, and we students [in senate] need to do a better job of advocating for ourselves and talking about those issues,” Siegel said. Cox said that she’s aware of the lack of student participation and that, while she understands the reasons behind their silence, she wishes they’d speak up more. “[The lack of student participation] is a usual thing, and I’m sad about it,” Cox said. “I think that it’s easy for faculty members to dominate, and I think people tend to defer to them, which is unfortunate.” Though the current senate isn’t perfect, some members say it’s come a long way in the past couple of years. Scott Kenworthy, associate professor of com-
parative religion, is in the first year of his current term on senate, but he served another term about 10 years ago. He said that, back then, senate rarely had critical discussions and, in turn, was not taken seriously by most people on campus. Though this is no longer the case, senate is still fighting to rid itself of that reputation. “I think the perception that a lot of people have is that senate just tends to rubber stamp whatever is put forward,” Kenworthy said. “But it doesn’t have to be that way, and it isn’t anymore.” Hahn and Coates both agreed that senate is still actively working to shake its “rubber stamp” label, and both said that a major cultural shift has occurred in the past year or so during Cox’s period of leadership. Technically, the provost serves as the chair of senate and, historically, has run the meetings. But, Cox said that current provost Jason Osborne has elected to take a more hands-off approach to his duties as chair. Instead, he shares responsibility of running meetings and leading the group with her. During meetings, Osborne sits in the back of the room, and though he occasionally weighs in on discussions, his speaking time is generally limited to a 10-minute report toward the end of the meeting. “[Osborne] said that, democratically, maybe it’s not the provost that should be leading University Senate,” Cox said. “When he sits in the back, he’s making a very political and important statement that the faculty, students and staff should have a strong voice.” Osborne’s decision to share responsibility of running meetings with Cox reflects a major theme that comes up in nearly every senate discussion: shared governance. From the policy requiring senate approval for any changes to divisional TCPL caps to the body’s effort to consider all angles of controversial policies, one of senate’s principal functions is to ensure that all members of the Miami community have an equal role in shaping university policy. Hahn said that, in addition to becoming a more critical and influential body, the level of shared governance exhibited by senate has grown exponentially in recent years. “It’s not all just top-down — there’s a lot of bottom-up that’s going on as well,” Hahn said. “It’s not your grandpa’s senate.” phabymr@miamioh.edu
6 CULTURE
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020
HEADLEDD@MIAMIOH.EDU
AND THE HOUSE CUP GOES TO … MIAMI? LEANNE STAHULAK STAFF WRITER
Leading up to their first tournament of the spring semester, the players on Miami University’s Quidditch team had only one thought: They had to beat Michigan. This would be their first time playing the University of Michigan since falling to them in the semifinals of the Great Lakes regional competition last fall. This time, they’d be playing on home turf. Miami’s team set up two pools for the eight teams traveling to Oxford for the tournament on Saturday, Feb. 22 at Cook Field. Michigan wasn’t in Miami’s pool, but it was very likely that the two high-ranking teams would face off in the championship game of the tournament. But due to delays, injuries and a shortage of referees, the fated game was not to be. Within the first match of the day, there was a 30-minute delay after a Michigan player broke his collarbone, landing him in McCullough-Hyde Hospital. From that point on, all of the games were pushed further and further back. Some matches had to wait because the only qualified head referees were playing for other teams. But Miami came out of the gate strong in all three games, including
LYRIC:
their first one against a competitive Ball State University. Senior chaser Katie Rauch said the team knew this game would be the hardest in their pool, but it didn’t stop them from defeating Ball State 110-20. “Sometimes we start out really slow, so it was good to get some momentum going and get back into it,” Rauch said, “because it was also our first game of the semester.” Miami kept up their energy in the second game against BearTrain, Michigan’s b-team. By the end of the first three minutes, THE MIAMI QUIDDITCH TEAM FLEW TO A DEFAULT VICTORY THIS PAST WEEKEND, LEAVING SOME MEMBERS DISAPPOINTED, BUT EAGER FOR NATIONALS. Miami was up THE MIAMI STUDENT MACY WHITTAKER. 40-0. games like that, to get some of our cided it would be the last pool game the first match, with Michigan comThe match newer players playing time so they’re before they created the brackets. ing out victorious, the coaches told created an opportunity for newer used to what a tournament is like,” OU pressured Miami from the senior head coach and chaser Jackson players to get experience on the pitch. Rauch said. “That way, they’re more start, snagging the quaffle and two Cleaver that a majority of their team First and second-years threw themconfident going forward.” out of the three bludgers from the just didn’t want to play anymore. selves into the game, tackling other After rookie seeker Shaun first call of “Brooms up!” But Miami They also had a long drive home, plus chasers and beating other beaters to Hogeback caught the golden snitch quickly retaliated and by the end of several injuries to contend with. create easy scoring opportunities for to end the game, Miami led 200-20 the first 15 minutes, they led 90-30. Disappointed, Cleaver and the Miami. Most of the players have only against BearTrain. Shortly after the 15-minute mark, team accepted Michigan’s forfeit, played in one other collegiate tourTheir final match of pool play junior keeper Hayden McClary bar- wishing they’d had the chance to win nament, letting the more seasoned pitted them against Ohio Universi- reled into an OU player on the verge the home tournament the way they’d Quidditch players compete in regionty (OU). The game had been pushed of scoring, knocking her and one of wanted to. al matches. back so far at this point that they de- the goal posts to the ground. She went “It’s frustrating, because we were “It’s a good time, especially in down hard, the goal post landing on playing so well that day and I was so top of her as her head smacked the sure that we were gonna beat Michturf. After the athletic trainer checked igan,” Cleaver said. “I was very poson her, an ambulance was called to itive that we were gonna have the Cook Field, where EMTs secured her upper hand at match and really show neck in a brace and rushed her off to them what Miami ‘s made of, but we McCullough-Hyde. didn’t even get that chance to have Senior beater Liz Jonas was un- that game.” surprised by the need for medical asDespite not having the opportusistance. nity to play their rival, Cleaver is still “At least once a tournament, in my proud of how the team performed experience playing Quidditch, an am- and is excited to see what they will do bulance is always called,” Jonas said. at nationals. The delay took over 45 minutes. “I think we have a really good shot The game concluded quickly after- at nationals, and I’m very happy with ward, with junior seeker David Sor- the performance we put up. That was kin catching the snitch in a scant 37 one of our best tournaments yet,” seconds. Miami won their third and Cleaver said. “We’re ready to show final game 120-40. them we deserve to be the number But by that point, several other one seed in the Great Lakes, and that teams had left. They forfeited their Miami is not a team to be looked bracket positions in favor of starting down on.” the long drive home, exhausted from Although it’s unlikely Miami will a full day of playing and suffering mi- face Michigan in any national matchnor injuries themselves. By the end of es, the competition will still be high. the day, only three teams remained: But after putting in the work at home, Miami, Illinois State University (ISU) the Quidditch team is ready to take and Michigan. on any team from the Great Lakes or The second and third seeds, Mich- beyond. igan and ISU, then took each other Brooms up. on. The winner would play Miami in the championship. But at the end of stahullc@miamioh.edu
A local artist with an otherworldly presence
FROM ORIGINS IN HIS HIGH SCHOOL PEP BAND, LYRIC’S MUSICAL JOURNEY EVENTUALLY TOOK HIM ALL THE WAY TO TOKYO. ASST. PHOTO EDITOR BO BRUECK
FROM FRONT
Lyric said. “Nor was it something that was going to be widespread or attain mass appeal. I wanted to make the music behind the poetry.” After teaching himself how to use GarageBand on his iPad, he produced and wrote a song, “Flex Mix,” that he decided to debut in his high school talent show. His performance was met with extremely positive reception from his peers and their parents. “It wasn’t pity applause,” Lyric said. “It was actual support. That feeling just kind of resonated in my soul hole, you know? It made me want to keep doing music.” First-year marketing major and Lyric’s girlfriend Vanessa Hickcox also cites the talent show as a moment where she saw Lyric blossom.
“All of his [music] was satirical,” Hickcox said, “but you could see that there was talent there. In his stage presence and everything, there was something more there.” When he came to Miami, he started to take himself a little more seriously as an artist. He started to branch out, go to open mics and perform at small gigs. Lyric describes his music as “loosely alternative hip-hop and pop” that “employs themes that vary between arrogance and depressive introspection.” He aims to “combine mainstream appeal with deeper topics.” His main musical influences are Frank Ocean, Kanye West, OutKast and Tyler, the Creator. He also cites Timbaland and Missy Elliott’s work with Aaliyah as inspiration for his forays in music production. As for style inspirations, Lyric cites
early Lady Gaga, Gwen Stefani, Prince and most importantly, his mom. “My philosophy is that if it looked good to me for the first ten seconds,” Lyric said, “I’m probably going to wear it.” This past J-term, his friend in the Navy gave Lyric and his girlfriend an opportunity to visit him in Tokyo, and his experiences in Japan inspired his new album “Lyric Goes to Tokyo!” The album was primarily recorded in his Etheridge dorm and his room back in Goshen. He has never recorded in a studio. He records in his “free time,” which is usually around 2 or 3 a.m. He produced the entirety of the album and drew the cover art himself. “I don’t want to tell people to check out my album,” Lyric said. “Or that I’m a 20-year-old up and coming rapper. I’d rather have my fashion speak for
me. If anyone ever sees an advertisement of mine, nine times out of ten I didn’t post it.” His dad, Jason, takes up the marketing helm of his son’s music by paying for ads on YouTube, helping produce music videos and spreading the word on social media. Sophomore political science major and friend Nathaniel Ike explains that Lyric’s humility isn’t an act, it’s the real deal. “I’ve never heard Lyric say anything overtly prideful,” Ike said. “He is very down-to-earth for a man that is
6’5’’.” Lyric plans to pursue his music career as far as it gets him, but he still plans to finish out school. “Even if my music did take off,” Lyric said, “I would still want to get my Ph.D [in industrial/organizational psychology] just to say I did it so I don’t feel like I wasted my time here.” Lyric’s new album “Lyric Goes to Tokyo!” is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music. kwiatkdm@miamioh.edu
“It was actual support. That feeling just kind of resonated in my soul hole, you know?” - Lyric Rains-Bury
IZZY OWEN
THE MIAMI STUDENT Sophomore Vedika Gupta isn’t sure what age she’s turning this year. The marketing major from India is a leapling, meaning her birthday falls on Feb. 29, a date that only occurs every four years. “Technically I’m turning five, but also 20,” Gupta said. “So I think I’m turning five and 20.” Although she isn’t sure how to describe her age, Gupta finds joy and takes pride in her leapling status.
CULTURE 7
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020
DATTILEC@MIAMIOH.EDU
“Every time I would introduce myself to someone, they would think it was interesting that I had a leap year birthday,” she said. “That’s always exciting for me.” Gupta said most people know the general idea of what a leap year is, although they don’t always know why it occurs. Miami University physics professor Jennifer Blue explained that the Earth takes 365.25 days to revolve around the sun. However, if every year had 365 days in it, the seasons on Earth would move around too much. “If we want March 21 to be the first day of spring, then every four years we have to add an extra day to the calendar,” Blue said. Therefore,
Happy 5th Birthday to 20-year-old ‘leapling’ Vedika Gupta during a leap year, an extra day is added to make the year 366 days long. Leap years happen every four years, meaning leaplings have fewer birthdays than their actual age. Growing up as a leapling, Gupta would have a big party every four years to celebrate when she had an actual birthday on the 29th. At home in India, Gupta’s birthday is an all-day event. “Last time it was a leap year birthday,” she said. “My morning started with bouquets and cakes being delivered to my house from my friends and family members.” Later, in the evening, Gupta’s friends and family would come over,
honoring the event with a party of nearly 200 people. Gupta’s family would rent out a banquet hall where all of the family members could meet and celebrate her. A couple of friends made her handmade gift boxes for her and they shared a three-tiered cake. However, on non-leap year birthdays, Gupta has never wanted to have a large party. She explained that her parents wouldn’t mind celebrating with a big party, but to Gupta, it just didn’t feel as special. Instead, she would rather have her close friends come over for a smaller gathering and then go out to eat. To Gupta, it felt more natural to
celebrate her birthday on Feb. 28, rather than March 1, because her birthday is in February. Plus, her aunt’s birthday falls on March 1 and Gupta doesn’t want to take away from her aunt’s day. Since Gupta is not home to celebrate her birthday with her family, she isn’t sure how she wants to celebrate this year. She is considering a trip to Brick Street or Hueston Woods, but hasn’t made any final decisions. Hopefully, if she chooses Brick Street, the bouncers will let her in; after all, she’s only turning five. owenip@miamioh.edu
(
) DESIGN EDITOR CONNOR WELLS
Students slow it down in t’ai chi CHLOE MURDOCK MAGAZINE EDITOR
Fifteen students move as if their limbs are cutting through water in front of the mirror of the Phillips Hall dance studio. Controlled, slow movements follow the trickling notes of music. While Confucius Institute instructor Zenghui “Max” Xing counts to three, he and his students hold out their right legs at a 45-degree an-
gle. Xing’s leg hovers above his hips, higher in the air than the students following along behind him. An “Okay, relax,” from Xing returns them to a neutral stance, and a few students breathe out in relief. What most obviously separates t’ai chi from other martial arts is the speed. “When you look, it’s slow, but when you learn, it’s difficult,” Xing said. Xing teaches two sections of Beginning T’ai Chi, listed under KNH 120T. This is his last semester in Oxford before he returns to China to continue teaching and studying Chinese martial arts as national traditional sports. Miami offers the
most-commonly taught version of t’ai chi according to the course description, which is the 24-form Yang style. It’s named after Yang Cheng Fu, who first taught it to the Chinese Emperor’s family 100 years ago. Xing says Yang style is characterized by wider, even slower movements than the three other t’ai chi styles which have smaller, more powerful movements. The 27-year-old has been practicing t’ai chi and other martial arts since he was eight, but he associates it with older people back home in China. “From 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., they just practice t’ai chi in the morning,” Xing said. Senior Yu Li, a business economics major who goes by Claire, agreed. She never practiced t’ai chi herself, but she observed this same trend in the city of Tianjin, China, near Beijing. “Every single movement, you need to move it slowly,” Li said. “It’s not really a style for young people our age, you know.” Regardless, Li and senior sports management major Kobe Burse both took the course for fun and to have enough credit hours to count as a full-time student. Li said it breaks up her usual course schedule of lecture courses at a desk and chair. “For this kind of class, you will never feel sleepy,” Li said. The mental and physical health benefits associated with t’ai chi were an added bonus. Li thinks she has more patience because of the slow movements, while Burse said, “You definitely break a sweat.” Class begins (and ends) with a kung-fu salute to signify that class has started, similar to bowing in other martial arts, followed by a few minutes of stretching and a minute of meditation. Next, students break into a warmup game of “Catch the Fish,” where tagged players join hands to form a net and capture other players. Xing then reviews forms from the last class before teaching a new form.
“It’s kind of hard to remember what’s next after you reach a certain point,” Burse said, though he is now comfortable practicing on his own. Outside of class, students learn online about the history and culture of t’ai chi. At the end of the semester, Xing teaches some practical self-defense moves. As their final exam, students test for their Level 1 certification, which looks like a passport.
Xing has a Level 5 certification in t’ai chi. He has practiced traditional Chinese sword and spear martial arts as well as boxing for as long as he has known t’ai chi, but also holds a first-degree blackbelt in the Korean martial art of taekwondo. When he was 20, he could do a sword demonstration and not feel tired. Last week, it made him want to go straight to sleep. Long term, he thinks he will stick with t’ai chi. “If I am 30, if I am 40, if I am 50, I think I will just practice t’ai chi,” Xing said. “It’s a long practice. It’s a lifestyle.” @chloeannmurdock murdocc3@miamioh.edu
Digging up the truth
“FOR THIS KIND OF CLASS, YOU WILL NEVER FEEL SLEEPY,” SENIOR YU LI SAID. CONTRIBUTED BY CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE
have increased the longevity of the utility grid. Currently, the network of passages still serve the university by carrying lines for steam, condensate, chill water, high and low voltage electric lines and some potable and hot water. When Miami’s new geothermal plant began operating in January 2014, the tunnels offered a way to quickly convert large portions of campus. As the equipment was upgraded, however, an ancillary benefit of the tunnels began to disappear. For decades, heat loss from the tunnel system has kept many of Miami’s sidewalks from freezing. The new equipment reduces the wasted heat, allowing the frost to creep back onto many of the walks. The tunnels have other
Digging up the truth ALEX COX
STAFF WRITER
Robert Frost, who once referred to Miami University as the “Most Beautiful Campus That Ever There Was,” created an image that lingers to this day. Although the outward adornment of many campus buildings may be a striking neo-Georgian-esque statement, the history of the buildings is often far less appealing. This week, we examine the extensive tunnel network underneath campus. Buried deep beneath Miami’s pristine quads and beautiful buildings, a hidden network of tunnels criss-crosses the campus. Some of these passages, like the one underneath the sidewalk that runs alongside Bell Tower Commons, are visible to students who walk above. However, this tunnel system is far more extensive than what one can see above ground — approximately five miles of tunnels connect the various buildings on the Mile Square. The tunnels were first formally suggested by the university in the 1944 Building Plan. The idea developed further and was brought up again in discussions for the 1947 Building Plan. Like many universities at the time, Miami recognized the benefit of placing utility lines in walkable tunnels for easy access, repair and upgrades. “Most of the tunnels that were constructed coincided with the building boom times we had on campus because it was an efficient way to get all of the utilities to quads where these buildings were being constructed,” said Cody Powell, Miami’s associate vice president of facilities planning and operations. “So, we saw a lot of activity in the ‘40s through the ‘50s and into the ‘60s with residence hall construction and other facilities.” The 1966 Capital Improvement plan dedicated over half a million additional dollars to electrical transmission and tunnels. Although not every utility line is enclosed in a tunnel, the passages help form an extensive basic grid. Powell said these tunnels
“Buried deep beneath Miami’s pristine quads and beautiful buildings, a hidden network of tunnels criss-crosses campus.” downsides, too. Since the tunnels carry steam and high voltage lines in a confined space, any rupture in the pipes could be incredibly dangerous to any occupants. For this reason, the tunnels are secured at every entrance and students are not allowed in the network. However, Powell said students have successfully broken into the passages in the past. These incursions cause numerous safety concerns for everyone on campus and the Facilities Planning and Operations asks all students to remain out of the tunnels. coxaj4@ miamioh.edu
about Miami’s tunnels DESIGN EDITOR CONNOR WELLS
Entertainment
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GORMANWM@MIAMIOH.EDU
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020
Doja Cat’s got my tongue DAVID KWIATKOWSKI ASST. CULTURE EDITOR
I love Doja Cat. A lot. I find myself not wanting to listen to anything else at any given time. Whether it be walking home from class or crafting the playlist for my shower concerts, she is the only thing I gravitate toward. I’m obsessed, and I love when you can feel yourself growing obsessed with a new artist. You listen to every song on every album. You watch any interview or performance you can possibly find on YouTube. It’s a great feeling. Amalaratna Zandile Dlamini, aka Doja Cat, has made more than a name for herself just within the past two years. Thanks to video-sharing app TikTok, not only have her songs swarmed the charts, they have also gone insanely viral. Users of the app have perfected a choreographed dance for each of her hits, without the intention of even Doja herself. Outside of the TikTok influence, her sound and aesthetic is refreshing. She can spit double-entendre-littered raps like Nicki Minaj with a flow like Chance the Rapper and give us constant, everchanging all-encompassing looks and wigs like Katy Perry. She does all of this while simultaneously injecting her quirky personality into it, her own “Chemical X” ingredient to the Powerpuff girl
LILY FREIBERG
THE MIAMI STUDENT I saw “Knives Out” five times over J-term. I admit, although I love a classic whodunit movie, I was attracted by the film’s amazing cast the first time I saw it with my mom. A movie starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Katherine Langford, Daniel Craig and Chris Evans felt like exactly what I needed. After that, all throughout January, my friend and I made it a Saturday night tradition to see “Knives Out” and get pizza after the movie. We even continued the tradition this past weekend when I went home. For a movie that came out over Thanksgiving weekend, I was repeatedly shocked that it was still in theaters each time I went. And each of those times, I could always pick out the audience members who were seeing the movie for the first time. All it took was an audible gasp and some small whispers, and I knew who was in for a surprising journey. But here’s the question that roamed in my head each time I watched the movie: Why is this movie still so popular? Why is it that, every time my friend and I walked into the theater, every single seat was filled? For one, the cast is full of wellknown actors. As mentioned before, Curtis, Langford, Craig and Evans are only four among the star-studded cast. The casting directors seemed to have hit the jackpot, as they managed to bring together actors from different generations. Actors like Don Johnson and Jamie Lee Curtis attracted the older generation, actors like Evans and Craig attracted my generation and actors like Langford and Jaeden Martell attracted those younger than me. Even Ana De Armas, Toni Collette and Michael Shannon had gained a following before this movie. And Christopher Plummer portrayed the victim. Besides, when you put James Bond and Captain America in a movie together, you know it’s going to be good. The plot is very well written and organized. No matter what people think of Rian Johnson’s directing, I think he did an amazing job with this movie. For a murder mystery, “Knives Out” isn’t your typical Agatha Christie book-turned-movie. This was com-
formula. Her first of many interactions with fame came with her 2018 novelty song “Mooo!” in which she hilariously fantasizes about being a cow while also spitting bars and delivering beautiful harmonies. However, she soon dipped into hot water after tweets resurfaced from 2015 in which Doja used homophobic slurs against rappers Tyler, the Creator and Earl Sweatshirt. “I called a couple of people f—— ts when I was in high school in 2015 does this mean I don’t deserve support?” she wrote on Twitter in defense of her tweets. “I’ve said f——t roughly 15 thousand times in my life. Does saying f—-t mean you hate gay people? Do I hate gay people? I don’t think I hate gay people. Gay is ok.” After mass hysteria and “Will & Grace” star Debra Messing lampooning her actions, Doja then issued an official apology. The murky waters don’t stop there. Doja Cat is signed to controversial producer Lukasz Gottwald (Dr. Luke)’s record label, Kemosabe Records. Dr. Luke is infamously known as the subject of multiple lawsuits from singer Kesha who has tried several times to leave her contract with Kemosabe, citing sexual, verbal, physical and emotional abuse. In the era of the #MeToo movement, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth and also makes me extremely nervous
that a blossoming female artist like Doja Cat would sign to someone as controversial as Dr. Luke. Sadly, Kesha’s career has yet to return to the heights of where it once was and I would hate for the cycle to be perpetuated again in Doja’s career. But no one forced her to sign on the dotted line, and I find it hard to believe that she hasn’t heard about the case against him. Once again, it leaves me in a confused place as a consumer. Should cancel culture permit people to change their minds about an artist? I am a gay man who finds great offense to her original points, but I am irresistibly attracted to her music. In particular, I’m obsessed with her latest album, “Hot Pink.” It has gotten to the point where whenever I
pop in my AirPods, my phone immediately starts playing “Cyber Sex,” the first track off the album. She’s developing a signature sound as a rapper who can delve into pop and R&B while also gluing her lyrics and melodies into your mind. I also love the concepts she has been coming up with for her music videos, from showing her nerdy sci-fi side in “Cyber Sex” to being a cat-like crime boss in “Rules.” Despite the controversy, Doja Cat seems to persevere with songs like “Say So,” one of her biggest hits to date. She was also recently featured on the official “Birds of Prey” soundtrack with “Boss B****.” She’s also shown signs of guilt and acknowledgement of her past mistakes.
“However, if she is going to be the queen of TikTok, she also has to be the queen of accountability.”
She opened up about the tweets in a September 2019 interview with The Fader saying, “I said some insensitive stuff a long time ago when I was young and at the time didn’t understand how it would hurt people.” “It’s something [I] learned a lot from and I understand that it was not well written or thought through and I apologized [and still apologize] if it offended anyone. Truth is, I love everyone that is a good person regardless of what they look like, walk like or who they love.” So I am still left in an uncomfortable position. On one hand, I wholeheartedly believe that Doja Cat is exactly what we need in pop culture right now. With her carefree attitude she demonstrates frequently on her candid Instagram Lives, she sets herself up to be viral by just opening her mouth. She isn’t held back by genre and I think she has what it takes to be the next crossover superstar who produces and writes mostly everything herself. However, if she is going to be the queen of TikTok, she also has to be the queen of accountability. I think she’s proven that she has grown, but I cannot make that decision for everyone. All I know is that I am willing to give her another chance, and I think the world might benefit from giving her one, too. kwiatkdm@miamioh.edu
Yes, ‘Knives Out’ is still in theaters
THE INTRICATE DRAMA OF “KNIVES OUT” MIGHT CALL FOR A DIRECTOR’S CUT IN THE FUTURE. ILLUSTRATOR ANNA SKALICKI
pletely original content and it’s pretty impressive that Johnson could create an elaborate murder mystery movie without a full novel at his disposal. Just like your classic whodunit stories, “Knives Out” leaves you wanting to watch the movie again so that you can really understand the mastermind behind the complex mystery. Better yet, the details in the movie are so slight and intricate that I picked
up on new information each time I saw it. Lastly, the movie is comedic — something you don’t normally see in a murder mystery movie, but it works well. A part of this comedy comes from the concept itself — a wealthy man is murdered and the family members fight for the money in his will, all while suspecting one another for the mur-
der. The family dynamic beckons for drama, and this movie has some of the best one-liners, most of which come from Evans’ character. Besides the L.L. Bean Irish Fisherman’s Sweater that Evans popularized, his iconic line “eat shit, eat shit, definitely eat shit” became a meme. Overall, I think “Knives Out” has been so popular because it’s not a huge
blockbuster. It’s not a Marvel or DC comic movie, and it’s not a part of a huge series franchise (although studio Lionsgate has greenlit a “Knives Out 2”). If you’re skeptical about seeing “Knives Out,” just do what I did and watch it just to see the familiar cast. You’re in for a treat either way. @lilyfreiberg freibell@miamioh.edu
I watched ‘To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You.’ MEGAN MISKE
THE MIAMI STUDENT The Netflix rom-com sequel, “To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You,” was released on Feb. 12, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Since the first movie, 2018’s “To All the Boys I Loved Before,” received good reviews and is based off of a three-part book series, it wasn’t surprising when Netflix announced plans to make a sequel. And I honestly liked the first movie – Lana Condor and Noah Centineo had amazing chemistry. My expectations for the sequel, however, weren’t too high. It’s a cheesy romantic-comedy starring the king of cheesy romance, Noah Centineo, and sequels usually don’t live up to the first movie. So, it was unsurprising when I found I didn’t
like it. Lara Jean (Condor) and Peter (Centineo) are officially dating and their relationship has hit some rough waters. Lara Jean has become insecure and jealous of Peter’s popularity and his ex-girlfriend, Gen (Emilija Baranac). Lara Jean begins to question her feelings after receiving a letter from one of her former flings, John Ambrose McClaren (Jordan Fisher). The biggest flaw in “To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” is the fact that the loveable Jordan Fisher played the guy who comes between Lara Jean and Peter. I found myself rooting for John Ambrose, and I was thoroughly disappointed when Lara Jean chose Peter instead. John Ambrose was the best part of the whole movie. That’s mostly because he was played by Jordan
Fisher. Lara Jean and John Ambrose would have made a great couple and by the end of the movie, Peter had no redeeming qualities. Yet, he still somehow was picked over John Ambrose. Point blank, Peter was the least likeable character in this film. In the first movie, Peter and Lara Jean fall in love with each other after kissing in the hot tub during a school ski trip. In the second movie, we find out that Peter was actually waiting for Gen in the hot tub when he was supposedly waiting for Lara Jean. Also, the fact that he knew that Gen was the one to post the video of Lara Jean and himself in the hot tub means he didn’t do anything about it when Lara Jean was traumatized afterwards. The unsung heroes of this rom-
P.S.: I don’t love it. com flick were Lara Jean’s friend, Chris (Madeleine Arthur) and Peter’s friend, Trevor (Ross Butler). I think their new-found romance deserved some more screen time instead of the simple, predictable love triangle. Speaking of underdeveloped plot points, Lara Jean’s dad (John Corbett) and his new relationship with the divorced neighbor, Mrs. Rothschild (Sarayu Blue) should have been developed more, and I hope we see more of it in the next movie. Netflix plans to release a third movie, “To All The Boys: Always and Forever, Lara Jean,” and it would be great if Lara Jean is able to repair her broken friendship with Gen. It
was nice to see them reconnect after their falling out. While “To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You” wasn’t as good as its predecessor, it had redeeming qualities, like new storylines and characters, that make me hopeful for the final movie. As long as they bring back John Ambrose, I’ll be happy to watch it.
miskem@miamioh.edu
GORMANWM@MIAMIOH.EDU
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020
Go watch ‘The Good Place’ and think some things over —
you owe it to all of us
SAMANTHA BRUNN EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
I wasn’t ready for the end of NBC’s hit series “The Good Place.” I mean, when my housemate told me the title for the series finale was “Whenever You’re Ready,” I
started crying, knowing what was in store. For those who live in The Bad Place and haven’t heard, “The Good Place,” created by Michael Shur of “Parks and Recreation” and “Brooklyn NineNine” fame, is a comedic, feel-good and pensive take on what comes in the
MICHAEL SHUR CAME UP WITH SOME FORKING GREAT THOUGHTS ON ETERNITY THROUGHOUT “THE GOOD PLACE.” ILLUSTRATOR MIN KIM
‘Petals for Armor I’ sows the seeds for a blossoming garden
afterlife — and what makes someone a person deserving of a good one. As someone who grew up Catholic and can now be described as faithfully skeptical, “The Good Place” has given me a place to put all of my unresolved feelings about faith and what happens when we die. And believe me, I have a lot of them. After my mom died just over two years ago, it became much harder to claim to be mildly atheist. I want to believe there’s a higher power that decided this was how things were going to go. It’s hard enough to swallow the fact that it happened, but it would be unbearable to think she’s not with me in spirit in all that I do, and that there wasn’t a reason it had to be this way. But the show also broke open my preconceived notions of what it means to be someone who lives in service to others, and what “the answer” to most of life’s problems really is: each other. The series revolves around the question of “what we owe to each other” as humans trying and failing to do our best on a daily basis. It walks viewers through the maze of recognizing that it’s hard to be an altruistically good person who does good things just for the sake of doing them. It also forces its audience to stop and think about just how we each fit into all of this — and how that ultimately matters. And, as a logical opposite to The Good Place, or a positive afterlife, the show asks us to examine what The Bad Place might look like for each of us — whether it be characterized by living among clown decor for the rest of your existence or by being saddled with an insufferable person masquerading as your soulmate. According to philosopher JeanPaul Sartre in his play “No Exit,” hell is other people — and I’d agree. Whether it’s in our mismanaged relation-
COLUMNIST
WILL GORMAN
head, two artists who Williams cited as influences for the forthcoming album. “Simmer,” the lead single for the “Petals for Armor” era, synthesizes Williams’ biting lyrics with an indie rock sensibility. The song introduces the general theme of most of “Petals for Armor I” – how Williams has dealt with mental health and self-love in the wake of her 2017 divorce. The album art for the EP is a close-up on the full “Petals for Armor” album – specifically highlighting a filled-in black square tattoo on Williams’ finger, one of three cover-ups of her ex-husband’s initials. As such, “Simmer” opens the
The standout track, though, is the EP’s closer, “Sudden Desire.” Williams Over a decade ago, Pardraws from her punk-pop amore frontwoman Hayley roots on the song’s chorus, Williams sung of “ripping belting out the titular line over wings off of butterflies” unsteadily strengthening guitar derneath a cascade of rose riffs. petals. For the first time in the But long gone are the days “Petals for Armor” era, Wilof “Brick by Boring Brick” and liams wields her vocal chords its emo-fairytale music video. as weapons as she battles We’ve moved past MTV prethrough romantic turbulence mieres and the ever-angsty with bombastic panache. Vans Warped Tour rock music “Sudden Desire” is a victory festival – and even Paramore cry, a personal statement and has moved through quite a a stripped-down therapy sesfew iterations of its lineup. sion rolled into a single packThe butterflies aren’t wingage – emotions bursting into a less anymore. And Williams swelling hook before reining has, in fact, become the butitself in for terfly. softer-spo“Petals ken verses. for Armor I,” If the rest the first in a of “Petals for series of EPs Armor” is leading up to as well-orthe release chestrated of Williams’ as this set of debut solo alfive tracks, bum “Petals it’s going to for Armor,” be a mastersees Wilful feat from liams shine one of the as brightly 21st centuon her own as ry’s strongest she has with songwriters. her band. Even the What WilEP’s only liams – and identifiable her Paramore weak point, bandmates “Creepin’,” – would like shows talent you to know, in action with however, is clear meanthat she’s not WILLIAMS WRAPS HERSELF IN PETALS FOR ARMOR, A METAPHOR FOR ing and purdone with STRENGTH IN VULNERABILITY. PHOTO FROM WIKICOMMONS pose. It’s not Paramore. something evWhile the EP carries five new tracks, ahead era with the thesis that “rage ery band member-turned-solo of a planned album of 15 songs is a quiet thing” to cover up – artist can say for themselves – in total, each of them are and she’d “sooner gut” anyone for every Williams or Brittany co-written by at least one of who might threaten her fam- Howard (Alabama Shakes), there’s a Liam Payne (One Taylor York, Williams’ long- ily. Follow-up single “Leave it Direction) or Nadine Coyle time friend and Paramore guitarist, or Joey Howard, Par- Alone” continues to play out (Girls Aloud). the theme of Williams relating Paramore has been a beaamore’s touring bassist. But where Williams’ in- to herself and others, accom- con defining Williams’ public genuity shines is how despite panied by hypnotic strings persona for over a decade. her origins and collaborators, and a simple declaration: “the Now, she’s got her own bea“Petals for Armor I” is a huge truth’s a killer, but [Williams] con – and we’ll all be basking in its glow for a while. sonic departure from Par- can’t leave it alone.” And on “Cinnamon,” Wilamore classics like “Ain’t it Fun” and “Misery Business.” liams embraces inner strength It’s not even anywhere close in the wake of confusion – the to the band’s 2017 new wave alt-dance pop song’s music rock album “After Laughter.” video portrays the singer conInstead, it’s closer to a mod- fidently wandering a home of @wllgrmn ern mix of Björk and Radio- white walls and empty picture gormanwm@miamioh.edu frames.
@samantha_brunn brunnsj@miamioh.edu
Speaking as ‘90 Day Fiancé’s’ biggest fan, I think it’s time to cancel it KIRBY DAVIS
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
ships or in the way we inherently view others, it’s easy to trap ourselves in The Bad Place by failing to treat others well or by expecting others to do the work of proving they’re worthy of such treatment. I’ve often wondered what heaven would logistically entail. After all, an eternity of perfection has to get boring at some point, right? As it turns out, people much smarter than me, including Michael Shur, have wondered the same thing and thought of the logical conclusion. “Whenever You’re Ready” posits that — after we’re done living a life in service to others and have achieved the elusive W of treating people as well as we, in our imperfect states, can — we get to live out our wildest dreams in The Good Place aka Heaven aka whatever you want to call it. But once we’re done with traveling everywhere we’ve ever wanted to go, doing everything our earthly bodies never had the opportunity to and spending an endless amount of time with those we love, we’re ready for whatever comes next. So, we take all that we’ve learned and all that we’ve done and we walk through the archway despite not knowing what lies beyond that, because we are resolute in our knowledge that whatever comes next, we’ll be okay. We gave it all — life and everything after — our best shot. I’m sad to see “The Good Place” end, but I’m eternally grateful that it’s given me a sense of what’s really important. If hell is other people, The Good Place is the same with the caveat that the people we love will always be there, whether in spirit or in this physical realm, to help us find our way back to “the answer.”
The two-part, four-hour season finale of “90 Day Fiancé” aired last week. The episodes marked an end to the show’s seventh season, which was criticized by fans as being “the most disappointing yet.” Though it pains me to say this as one of the show’s biggest fans, having watched it since before Danielle was trying, then not trying, then trying again to get Mohamed deported, I agree. I also think it’s time for TLC to consider cancelling the trainwreck of a show. The show’s title is derived from the K-1 visa, which allows Americans to bring foreign fiancés into the country under the condition that they get married within 90 days. If they don’t, their fiancé can’t renew their visa and isn’t eligible for a green card. “90 Day Fiancé,” which originally premiered on TLC (The Learning Channel!) in 2014, now has six different spinoffs. It’s also produced, wildly enough, dozens of still-married couples—while “The Bachelor’s” success rate for romantic relationships is around 11 percent, “90 Day Fiancé’s” is closer to 70 (you have to trust that I’m invested enough to have done the research). In January 2019, BuzzFeed writer Scaachi Koul wrote about how “90 Day” had “stopped being fun to watch” due to the cast’s criminal activity (season six cast member Larissa Dos Santos Lima was arrested twice for domestic violence against her partner on the show), and the show’s “getting too close to reality.” Besides “90 Day,” the other big reality show I’ve been keeping up with recently is “The Bachelor,” and while I know the shows are incredibly different, they’re both popular reality TV programming. And while I see no problem with “The Bachelor” continuing to air on ABC, I truly believe “90 Day Fiancé” would be better off canceled. First, I’m sure it doesn’t feel this way to contestants, but the “Bachelor” stakes are pretty low. The worst-case scenario is losing out on marrying a vapid — albeit generically handsome — tool. The best-case scenario is getting far enough along in the competition that you score a free vacation or two in addition to the vacation at the “Bachelor” mansion that you’re already on. The stakes of “90 Day Fiancé” are much higher. The show chronicles real (for the most part), already-established relationships, that are either strained or completely fall apart due to very real problems: racism from family members, Americans’ inability to provide what their fi-
ancés think of as the “American Dream,” criminal activity (as we discussed), or cultural differences that didn’t matter as much when their relationships were trans-continental. This past season, cast member Anna was criticized for marrying her Turkish fiancé Mursel, even though he was reluctant to tell his family that she had three sons from a previous marriage. When he finally did, they briefly broke up due to his family’s disapproval. Also, on season seven, longtime “90 Day” star Angela’s Nigerian fiancé Michael was denied a K-1 visa, leading to their getting married in his home country. A week later, Trump expanded his travel ban list to include Nigeria, leaving the couple’s future uncertain. These issues don’t feel appropriate for reality TV, which is generally considered — by networks and fans — as something silly and shallow, but fun. They’d be better suited for an HBO documentary. Another reason “90 Day” no longer seems to be working is the cast’s social media presence, which makes their contracts with TLC seem bizarrely lenient. Their reality TV “Bachelor” brethren essentially sell their souls to ABC during and after filming, signing contracts that prohibit them from posting anything on social media that might suggest how the season ends or spilling any filming secrets. If they do, ABC can sue them for $5 million. “90 Day” couples, though, can’t seem to stay offline while their show airs. Instagram is generally their social media platform of choice, and many of them use it to spoil whether or not they’re still with their fiancés, defend their on-screen personas or fight other cast members (or their spouses) via comments and stories. On top of the show becoming too serious for reality television, showcasing subjects that deserve more dignity, it’s simply no fun to watch a show constantly being spoiled or called into question by its own cast. To top all this off, the new season of “Before the 90 Days,” a spinoff that follows couples before they’re engaged and try for a K-1, is set to feature Geoffrey Paschel, who has been accused of brutally attacking his ex-girlfriend less than a year ago. He’s denied the incident, but he also faces charges of kidnapping and interference with emergency calls. And vandalism. If TLC is so desperate to find cast members to fill “90 Day” slots that they’re willing to keep Paschel on the show, isn’t that the biggest argument for its cancellation? @kirbdavis daviskn3@miamioh.edu
Sports
10
VINELCA@MIAMIOH.EDU
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020
Baseball threw Grant Hartwig a breaking ball. Now, he’s hurling one back. CHRIS VINEL
SPORTS EDITOR On his penultimate warm-up pitch, Grant Hartwig felt his elbow pop. Immediately, pain set in. He ignored it for nearly five innings before later finding out he needed Tommy John surgery to repair the Ulnar Collateral Ligament (UCL) in his right elbow that was partially torn in two places. “It’s actually a funny story,” Hartwig said with a straight face last week. Hartwig can say it’s humorous now. After a year and a half away from a competitive Miami baseball game, the now-redshirt junior righty returned to the mound Feb. 16 against Texas A&M to complete a long road of recovery. But on April 11, 2018, Hartwig was readying himself to pitch against the Cincinnati Bearcats in the annual Joe Nuxhall Classic, when he hurt himself. He didn’t know exactly what was wrong but decided to fight through. Against Kyle Mottice, the first batter of the ballgame, Hartwig thought he struck him out looking on a 2-2 pitch. The home plate umpire called it ball three. On the next pitch, Mottice blasted a home run to right field. The second hitter, Manny Rodriguez also went yard, drilling a pitch over the left-field wall. Hartwig’s arm was throbbing. “I said to myself, ‘You know what? Am I just going to kind of cop out with the injury and say my arm hurts, or am I going to pitch through it and see how well I can do?’” Hartwig said. He did very well, gutting it out until the fifth inning and leaving his team with a lead after 88 pitches. “Grant is super competitive,” Miami head coach Danny Hayden said. “I think that’s one of the first things
REDSHIRT JUNIOR GRANT HARTWIG PITCHED AND STARTED AS A DESIGNATED HITTER BEFORE HIS 2018 INJURY. CONTRIBUTED BY MIAMI ATHLETICS
I noticed about him when recruiting him. He’s like that with his family, too. I remember a conversation with him and his mom in the recruiting process, when you could tell, like, they were very competitive people, and he wasn’t going to be bashful or shy in big moments. He showed that early in his career, even before his injury.” After he was pulled, Hartwig went to Miami’s training staff and said something was wrong. The pain lingered mostly in his tricep, which he
There’s an old evil within our game — MICHAEL VESTEY
THE MIAMI STUDENT Sitting before cameras and microphones at a press conference on Feb. 18, FC Cincinnati club president Jeff Berding bowed his head toward the table, and Gerard Nijkamp, the Dutch general manager of the team, looked ready to book the first flight out of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. “The basis of our success has been a very strong culture,” Berding said. “A culture that is very inclusive, that celebrates diversity, that is family friendly, and that is very involved in making our community a better place.” The press conference was called after club head coach, the charismatic, well-liked Dutchman Ron Jans, had resigned the night before after being charged with conduct “far short of acceptable standards,” as characterized by the Major League Soccer Players Association in a statement. The story had initially broken several days earlier, after reports surfaced that Jans was on leave because he used a racial slur while singing a song in the locker room. The MLSPA statement denied this, saying “the narrative that the conduct involved singing along to song lyrics is completely false … [there] were clear attempts to manipulate the truth and intimidate those who call out unacceptable behavior.” Regardless, Jans did use a racial slur in front of his players earlier in the preseason. It is still not clear whether he directed the word toward a player or group, or if he said it in some other context. The intimidation mentioned in the MLSPA statement wasn’t empty either. Players accused of “snitching” were harassed on social media immediately and it carried out for
and it’s high time we fixed it days, with much of the posts taking on a subtle or outright racist tone. And that’s what I want to address. Yes — FC Cincinnati, as a club, has done a great job of uniting both soccer fans and average families in the Cincinnati area behind one badge and two colors. And, while the club strives to create a family-friendly atmosphere, the fanbase often neglects that purpose. After the head coach, the face of club management to the world, admitted to racist incidents and subsequently resigned, many layfans went on Facebook and Twitter and attacked black players for their “sensitivity,” moaning about “the slippery slope of PC culture” and “cancel culture” ruining our game. “Stick to sports” they told sports personalities and journalists who spoke out, which I half expect to receive in response to this piece — but that’s not going to cut it anymore. As a person of color who has lived in southwest Ohio through my teenage years and onward, I see some of my own experiences reflected in these attitudes. And I can’t stay quiet anymore. I challenge those who read this: speak out against racism, wherever you see it, whenever you see it. Let it be known that complaining about “cancel culture” and “PC culture” is merely a dog whistle for those wishing to make racist or misogynistic comments without punishment. Counter racist internet jibes with messages of support and care for the victims of such attitudes. That’s how we get this scourge out of our society. One step at a time. @VesteyTMS vesteymj@miamioh.edu
had strained as part of the same injury. Little did Hartwig know, the pop he felt was actually a tear. He suffered partial tears on both sides of his UCL and strained his tricep, because when his ligament ripped, his elbow pinched his tricep. His season was deemed over. Hartwig, a microbiology pre-med major, sat at home doing typical student activities while his teammates played the game he loves. After final exams in May,
he Tommy John surgery performed by renowned Cincinnati doctor Timothy Kremchek, who has operated on many professional athletes, including the Cincinnati Reds and Bengals. “We (Dr. Kremchek and I) established that I wasn’t going to play the next year, so there was no need to rush,” Hartwig said. “A typical person would be out for 12 months and be throwing about four months after surgery. I waited nine months.” Over the summer of 2018, the
Plymouth, Michigan native lived in Oxford to hone in on his rehab. “That was easy,” Hartwig said. “Just being able to put my head down, grind, not worry about anything else, not see anything else. The hardest part was being back here in the fall and seeing everyone else being able to play and practice and do all that stuff, when I had my complete separate agenda. I’d say the hardest part was watching my team play while knowing I couldn’t have an impact on the field.” Hartwig said he invested in his teammates, finding that to be the best motivation to get him to the field every day. He worked hard behind the scenes of Miami’s successful 2019 season and joined the Lakeshore Chinooks for summer ball. His first appearance for the Chinooks was his first live action in more than a year, and he possessed some new tricks to try out. During his rehab, Hartwig said he developed a new mentality. Instead of trying to make perfect pitches, he now trusts his stuff and goes after hitters, pounding the strike zone with a fastball that touches the low 90s and a few breaking pitches. His newest: a vulcan-grip changeup he implemented during his sophomore year and a slider he learned from his teammate, Sam Bachman. After a shaky first outing back against Texas A&M, Hartwig received a shot at redemption against Purdue Fort Wayne last weekend. Sunday, he entered a game at Miami’s home field, Hayden Park, for the first time since his injury. He allowed a single to the first batter he faced before fanning the second for his first strikeout since April 2018. He didn’t wince in pain or smile in satisfaction. He fooled the batter with a breaking ball. @ChrisAVinel vinelca@miamioh.edu
RedHawks head to Buffalo looking to end four-game losing streak LUKAS NELSON
THE MIAMI STUDENT Two weeks ago, the RedHawks felt like they were finally building momentum. On the heels of a five-game losing streak early in conference play, the team had won three straight, and though it had just lost to Central Michigan, it was a competitive game with the Mid-American Conference’s best team. The RedHawks seemed poised to build on their recent stretch of solid performances. Since then, the team has lost three straight, including a five-point loss to Kent State last Saturday. It’s been a combination of poor circumstances and an inability to win close games that has led to the losing streak. Miami’s first game after Central Michigan was against Northern Illinois on the road, which resulted in an overtime loss against the Huskies. The RedHawks were missing freshman guard Peyton Scott, who didn’t travel with the team due to an illness. Although Scott was back for Miami’s next game at home against Ohio, the RedHawks couldn’t get the win against one of the MAC’s top teams, as the Bobcats led by as many as 30 points in the third quarter in an 84-70 RedHawk loss. The team’s fourth quarter comeback against Kent State wasn’t enough to stop the skid, as the Golden Flashes scored the game’s last six points to win 80-75. During the four-game losing streak, the RedHawks have been a poor defensive team, giving up 80 or more points in all four contests. Buffalo scored 86 points in its victory at Millett Hall earlier this year on 56 percent shooting from the field, so the RedHawks will have to bring their ‘A’ game defensively. Players to Watch The outstanding career of senior guard Lauren Dickerson will soon be coming to an end. Dickerson, has only four more regular season games left in a RedHawk uniform, plus any postseason games. After Saturday’s game, she is now just 50 points away from breaking Miami’s all-time scoring record for women’s basketball. Dickerson carried the RedHawks with 32 points in their double-digit loss last game against Buffalo, so expect more of the same this time around. @LukasTheDream nelso156@miamioh.edu
AFTER WINNING THREE STRAIGHT GAMES, MIAMI HAS LOST FOUR STRAIGHT. THE MIAMI STUDENT MACY WHITAKER
SCOUTING REPORT The Game
Tipoff...........................................................7 p.m. Wednesday at Alumni Arena TV ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� ESPN+
MIAMI REDHAWKS:
Record ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 11-15, 4-10 MAC Offense ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 72.5 ppg Defense ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 73.7 ppg
PROJECTED LINEUP
Player ��������������������������������������������������������������������������(position, height, key stat) Lauren Dickerson �������������������������������������������������������������(guard, 5’3”, 17.2 ppg) Peyton Scott ��������������������������������������������������������������������� (guard, 5’8”, 12.6 ppg) Kenzie Schmitz ������������������������������������������������������������������� (guard, 5’10”, 3 ppg) Abbey Hoff ��������������������������������������������������������������������� (forward, 6’0”, 7.3 ppg) Savannah Kluesner �������������������������������������������������������(forward, 6’2”, 15.6 ppg)
NORTHERN ILLINOIS HUSKIES
Record ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������14-11, 5-9 MAC Offense �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������68 ppg Defense ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������66.2 ppg
PROJECTED LINEUP
Player ��������������������������������������������������������������������������(position, height, key stat) Dyaisha Fair ���������������������������������������������������������������������(guard, 5’5”, 20.9 ppg) Theresa Onwuka �������������������������������������������������������������(guard, 5’10”, 14.7 ppg) Hanna Hall ������������������������������������������������������������������������� (guard, 5’3”, 7.8 ppg) Adebola Adeyeye ������������������������������������������������������������(forward, 6’2”, 6.5 rpg) Marissa Hamilton ���������������������������������������������������������� (forward, 6’0”, 4.7 ppg)
VINELCA@MIAMIOH.EDU
SPORTS 11
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020
‘THE GOOD GUYS’ SWEEP PURDUE FORT WAYNE, HIT DINGERS, SET RECORDS CHRIS VINEL
SPORTS EDITOR The RedHawks had little to complain about last weekend. In its first home series of the season, Miami swept Purdue Fort Wayne, made the ball fly out of the park like it was induced by mid-August humidity and played just about every man on its roster, including a player who set a program record. And, really, most of that happened Sunday afternoon. The self-proclaimed “Good Guys” claimed a 6-2 Friday victory and won 7-3 on Saturday. The RedHawk offense exploded on Sunday, tallying 18 runs — the most since they posted 18 against St. Bonaventure on March 15 of last season — in an 18-8 win. The resulting sweep felt good for Danny Hayden’s ballclub after it was broomed by Texas A&M in the season-opening, three-game set. “I was really excited about the way we played baseball,” Hayden, Miami’s seventh-year head coach, said Sunday.
Boy, did he ever. After starting the season 0-for-4 at the plate, Andrews caught fire with a three-run, first-inning bomb over the left-field wall Sunday, and the production didn’t stop. He picked up two more hits on the afternoon, driving in five additional runs to set a new single-game program record of eight. Last season, Andrews spent most of his playing time as Miami’s designated hitter, so he had to worry about only hitting. Sunday, he made his first career start behind the dish, catching the RedHawk pitching staff for all nine innings. He said he actually prefers batting and playing in the field, and he thinks it might’ve helped his performance. “I thought it was a little more comfortable,” Andrews said. “That’s where I’ve been my whole life. It’s definitely good to get back out there and feel that out and have the
first one here.” Hey, Will Vogelgesang — did you up your bench press? Yeah, Will Vogelgesang might have relinquished Player of the Game duties to Andrews on Sunday, but the senior second baseman starred all weekend for the RedHawks.
Cole Andrews drives in runs and lots of ’em “I just wanted to get back on track,” sophomore catcher Cole Andrews said after Sunday’s RedHawk victory.
He is off to a hot start in this young
SENIOR LANDON STEPHENS SWINGS DURING A 7-3 MIAMI VICTORY OVER PURDUE FORT WAYNE SATURDAY AT HAYDEN PARK. THE MIAMI STUDENT MACY WHITAKER
season, and a large part of that is his newfound power. After hitting just one home run in 2019, he has already smashed three this year, including two against the Mastodons. Overall, he is hitting .381 with a team-high nine runs batted in and three stolen bases. Four of his eight hits have gone for extra bases.
FRIDAY
BASEBALL Purdue Fort Wayne............... 2
Grant Hartwig and Jay Wilson return triumphantly to Hayden Park
Miami..................................... 6
The home crowd had not seen either pitcher on the mound in nearly two years. After missing all of 2019 with injuries, redshirt juniors Grant Hartwig and Jay Wilson each pitched Sunday, making their first appearances at Hayden Park since late in the 2018 season.
Miami..................................... 3
Hartwig, a year and a half removed from Tommy John surgery, came on for the second time this season after throwing once at Texas A&M. He gave the RedHawks two innings of relief Sunday and surrendered two runs. Wilson, pitching for the first time since his injury, hurled one frame of no-hit ball. He has actually lost the entirety of two collegiate seasons (2017, 2019) to injury. “I think Jay is one of the easiest guys to like in our program,” Hayden said. “And, also, you don’t like feeling sorry for anybody, but Jay has had some tough luck with some injuries. Definitely, getting him on the mound and getting him at McKie [Field] was special. It’s awesome. And then to see him do really good, too, was icing on the cake.” This afternoon, Miami will play its first midweek game of 2020. The RedHawks travel to Dayton and take on the Flyers at 3 p.m. before a weekend series against the University of Alabama at Birmingham. @ChrisAVinel vinelca@miamioh.edu
Men’s basketball searches for momentum in two midweek contests
CHRIS VINEL
SPORTS EDITOR The Miami RedHawks did not have the opportunity most teams relish. After a big victory, teams typically like to get back on the court as quickly as possible, so they can attempt to continue their momentum. Miami waited a full week to play again after besting the Mid-American Conference West-leading Northern Illinois Huskies on Feb. 15 at Millett Hall. The RedHawks had a midweek bye and lost 75-65 at Akron last Saturday. Momentum slowed. Now, they have two weeks to finish strong in the leadup to the conference tournament. Miami takes on Kent State tonight and makes up the coronavirus scare-induced cancelation from late January against Central Michigan on Thursday. The RedHawks, losers of five of their last six contests, have struggled offensively. They haven’t hit more than 40 percent of their shots from the field since Jan. 25, and the defense, while improved, hasn’t been good enough to win them ballgames. Junior guard Nike Sibande posted 14 points to lead Miami last Saturday, but he wasn’t efficient, converting only four of his 14 shots from the field and one of his six 3-pointers. He missed the Feb. 15 win over Northern Illinois due to the flu. The RedHawks know what to expect from Kent State tonight, as they already beat the Golden Flashes in January. Neither team played much defense, but Sibande starred with 25 points. Miami made 50 percent of its tries from the field. The victory didn’t lead to any momentum, though, as the RedHawks lost their next two games.zThey hope for the same result but different follow-up this week. No press conference Because of the close proximity between Akron and Kent State, Miami stayed in Northern
SCOREBOARD
HOCKEY Denver.................................... 7
SOFTBALL UNLV........................................1 Miami.....................................0
SOFTBALL Miami.....................................4 Chattanooga.......................... 3
TENNIS Xavier.....................................4 Miami..................................... 3
SATURDAY
BASEBALL Purdue Fort Wayne............... 3 Miami..................................... 7
HOCKEY Miami.....................................0 Denver.................................... 7
MEN’S BASKETBALL Miami................................... 65 Akron................................... 75
SOFTBALL Saint Francis.......................... 6 Miami.....................................4
SOFTBALL Southern Illinois Edwardsville.......................... 6 Miami.....................................4
TENNIS Western Kentucky.................0 Miami.....................................4
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL JUNIOR FORWARD DALONTE BROWN HAS STRUGGLED IN CONFERENCE PLAY, AVERAGING ONLY NINE POINTSZHVCVV. THE MIAMI STUDENT MACY WHITAKER
Ohio for the past few days. As a result, head coach Jack Owens’s weekly Monday press conference was canceled. Player to watch Last season, the Golden Flashes had Jaylin Walker, who averaged 21 points per game and gave Miami fits. But he graduated last spring. And while Kent State doesn’t have a Walker-type of scorer this season, it has several solid contributors.
SCOUTING REPORT The Game
Tipoff ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������7 p.m. Tuesday at the M.A.C. Center TV/Radio ������������������������������������������������������������ ESPN+, Miami Sports Network from Van Wagner
MIAMI REDHAWKS
Record �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������10-16, 3-10 MAC Offense �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������70.8 ppg Defense ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������71.8 ppg
PROJECTED LINEUP
Player �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������(position, height, key stat) Dae Dae Grant ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������(guard, 6’2”, 9.6 ppg) Nike Sibande ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� (guard, 6’4”, 13.3 ppg) Milos Jovic ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������(guard, 6’4”, 4.6 ppg) Josh Brewer �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������(forward, 6’5”, 3.2 ppg) Eli McNamara ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� (forward, 6’9”, 4.4 ppg)
KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES
Record ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������17-10, 7-7 MAC Offense ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������76.1 ppg Defense �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������69.6 ppg
PROJECTED LINEUP
Player �����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������(position, height, key stat) Antonio Williams ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������(guard, 6’0”, 14.0 ppg) Troy Simons �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������(guard, 6’3”, 13.1 ppg) Anthony Roberts ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� (guard, 6’4”, 12.5 ppg) Tervell Beck ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������(forward, 6’7”, 3.6 ppg) Phillip Whittington ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� (forward, 6’8”, 9.6 ppg)
Senior guard Antonio Williams paces the team in points and assists per game with 14 and 3.6, respectively. He shoots 36 percent from downtown. He’s not Walker, but he still commands attention. The RedHawks defended him well in the first meetup between the two squads, as Williams dropped five points, five dimes and turned the ball over seven times. @ChrisAVinel vinelca@miamioh.edu
Miami................................... 75 Kent State.............................80
SUNDAY
BASEBALL Purdue Fort Wayne............... 8 Miami....................................18
SOFTBALL Saint Louis............................. 2 Miami.....................................4
’Hawks Talk “Catcher, like me.”
⁃⁃ Head baseball coach Danny Hayden said without hesitation, when asked what position his toddler son will eventually play.
Opinion
12
RIGAZIKM@MIAMIOH.EDU
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2020
STAFF EDITORIAL
Check your apathy at the door, and start giving a damn.
REBECCA WOLFF COLUMNIST
Tagalongs, Thin Mints, Samoas, Shortbread. Need I go on? I don’t think I do, because you already know I’m talking about the sensational and seasonal treats that grace our cabinets in the springtime. That’s right; Girl Scout Cookies. We all have our plugs, whether it be your neighbor’s seven-year-old niece or that faithful table set up outside your local grocery store. And each box you purchase goes toward that Girl Scout’s tally. The more you buy, the more likely she is to earn the coveted charm bracelet that holds high rank in the prize catalog. But this year is a little different because Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO, is apparently going for Top Sales Scout (the multi-billionaire has recently begun selling the cookies on the e-behemoth site). Seriously, Jeff? The sanctity of the Girl Scout Cookie Season is in jeopardy. As a former Brownie member of troop 222, I’m livid.
“So, it’s not actually that hard to believe that one of the world’s richest men, who doesn’t pay livable wages, is also competing with children for cookie sales.”
KIRBY DAVIS COLUMNIST
It feels like a really long time since Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor published the story that kicked off the investigation into Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual abuse and, some argue, the revival of #MeToo. But it’s only been two-and-a-half years. And during that time, when “#MeToo’d” became a verb synonymous with “got caught behaving like a sexual predator,” more than 200 “powerful” men’s misconduct was made public, according to the New York Times. Larry Nassar, former physician for Michigan State University and U.S.A. Gymnastics, was found guilty of sexually abusing more than 100 young women and girls. He’ll spend the rest of his life in prison. The head of Vox Media was fired. Amazon Studios’ leader resigned. Kevin Spacey was blacklisted. Brett Kavanaugh was confirmed to the Supreme Court, but not before the entire nation listened to Dr. Christine Blasey Ford testify that he had sexually assaulted her in high school, validating the feelings and experiences of generations of women. Dozens of actors, journalists, politicians and businessmen have stepped down or were forcibly removed from positions due to the new, post-Weinstein-dominated world in which powerful men would finally be held accountable for their actions. I’ve been feeling reflective since receiving the push notification Monday morning that, after a weeklong trial, Weinstein was found guilty of two counts of sexual assault. Because it doesn’t feel like his trial has gone on for a week, it feels like it’s been going on since Two-
hey and Kantor’s first article was published on Oct. 5, 2017 in the New York Times. The world is unquestionably better thanks to the 90 women who have spoken out against Weinstein’s abuse and reporting done by Twohey, Kantor, Ronan Farrow (all three of whom won a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for reporting on Weinstein) and others like them. I believe the courage of the women swept up in the Weinstein scandal led to the new wave of #MeToo and the growing feeling among women (and men) that sexual misconduct is worth speaking out about. But for every powerful man who is found guilty of sexual abuse, there are countless more who won’t be. For every woman who speaks out about being sexually assaulted and are validated through winning a criminal trial, there are so many more who can’t, for various reasons, or who will speak out and not be believed. Following the Weinstein story, like every #MeToo-related story since Oct. 5, 2017, has instilled simultaneous senses of frustration and hope in me; with his conviction, the latter is starting to win out. It’s frustrating that Weinstein was cleared of predatory sexual assault, one of the five charges leveled against him in Manhattan (he’s also been charged with sexual misconduct in Los Angeles). But he was found guilty. It’s promising that he was, officially and unequivocally, found guilty of criminal sexual assault and rape. According to the New York Times, he could remain in jail for five to 29 years. Weinstein’s example — arguably the most public since Brock Turner’s in 2016 — has set the precedent that, post-#MeToo, if one of the most powerful men in Hollywood can be held accountable for his actions, anyone can be. (Turner, by the way, lost his appeal to overturn his sexual assault conviction in 2018). Weinstein’s trial, which began last week, also reinforced the precedent that’s been continuously bolstered by #MeToo — that women who speak out about being sexually abused will, at the very least, be heard. As actress Ashley Judd, whose account of Weinstein sexually harassing her opened Twohey and Kantor’s first story, wrote in the Times yesterday, “This is the way it’s supposed to be. This is the way it’s supposed to be.” @kirbdavis daviskn3@miamioh.edu
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S ITY ER I V UN I T Y M
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wolffrg@miamioh.edu
Reflecting on the Weinstein verdict: Has life changed?
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The whole point of Girl Scouts is to teach the next generation of women leadership skills, entrepreneurship and confidence. How are they supposed to support those pillars — and their entire organization — if the doors they knock on in the coming months are dead ends because customers’ cabinets have already been stocked? According to the FAQ section of the Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) website, “All registered girl members of Girl Scouts may participate in the Girl Scout Cookie Program. Although parents and Girl Scout adults may assist, girls make
the sale, set learning and sales goals, learn to think like entrepreneurs, and gain five essential skills that are part of the program.” In order to sell cookies, Bezos must be an honorary member of the Scouts. The five pillars he’s intended to be learning through the program are: Goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills and – wait for it – business ethics. The simple question to ask here is why are the Girl Scouts letting this bad, bad man sell their cookies? Well, according to that same FAQ page, the answer is they actually probably didn’t make Scout Jeff an honorary member. “We caution against purchasing Girl Scout Cookies for sale online at auction, community list sites, or sites such as eBay and Amazon, because GSUSA, your local Girl Scout council, and our licensed cookie bakers cannot guarantee the freshness or integrity of these cookies,” reads the GSUSA website. Under the Who can Sell Girl Scout Cookies tab, GSUSA advises the public that cookies purchased on Amazon often “have expired or are using Girl Scout intellectual property without authorization.” And, they add, “purchasing cookies in this way does not support Girl Scouts participating in the cookie program.” Scout Jeff is no scout at all, and never was. He’s just a multi-billionaire who never bothered with learning or practicing ethical business because he knew he could just sell Girl Scout cookies on Amazon for double the price, profiting off the backs of mistreated workers and Girl Scouts everywhere. He is also clearly unfamiliar with the Girl Scout Promise, which reads; “On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times and To live by the Girl Scout Law.” And it’s not just Girl Scout Law that Amazon has a history of evading. The company worked through loopholes when it was founded, allowing themselves to avoid collecting sales tax because they were selling goods online. They also have a history of paying unfair wages to people in the lower levels of the company, specifically warehouse employees. So, it’s not actually that hard to believe that one of the world’s richest men, who doesn’t pay livable wages, is also competing with children for cookie sales. By selling these cookies outside the program, Bezos is breaking Girl Scout Law. But even worse, in the process he is breaking the heart of the Girl Scout organization. As an alumna of troop 222, all I can do is apologize to today’s Girl Scouts who have to compete with one of the richest men in the world for that coveted bike in the catalog this year. And to all you people who are chomping at the bit to get your hands on those springtime treats, remember that Jeff Bezos is no honorable scout. Don’t buy his cookies and contribute to troop Amazon, or as I like to call them; Troop 666. It’s up to us to make sure that’s not the way the cookie crumbles.
tion they may face as a result of presenting an actual, thought-provoking idea. Students beg for PowerPoints in every class so they can rote memorize the notes and move on with their lives without really engaging with the content — and professors let them skate by so as to not provoke a bad class evaluation at the end of the semester. There is little effort to provide a better understanding of how our world works, call out injustices or give attribution to just what has caused the economic, climate and political crises we now face or are about to. Departments are siloed off in a battle for funding, when in reality so many pieces of a liberal education are intersectional. The Miami Plan has become a list of boxes to check off, rather than an opportunity to truly grasp a well-rounded picture of how the world works. All of this is to say we at The Student wish people gave a damn. As we prepare for the upcoming SBP election, we challenge our fellow students to actually engage in creating a meaningful campus culture. Don’t allow for your apathy in class or in life to be an excuse. Engage, lead by example and encourage others to do the same. We owe it to each other.
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On my honor I will try … to serve capitalism?
The Ohio primaries are less than a month away, and there has been little to no visible activity on campus in regards to canvassing for candidates or registering students to vote. Within ASG, our reporters have noticed debates over bills are fewer and shorter than in the past, as more discussions are held in committee meetings and students just generally fight for things less. In the past, senators would hold the ASG body hostage until enough debate was had on any given topic, often running late into the night. More bills are now passed unanimously. More senators now run unopposed. More seats sit empty. That drive to be engaged and to fight for the things that matter seems to have slowly graduated out of Miami’s campus culture over the last couple of years. Yes, we may still see glimmers of it, like in September’s Climate Strike, but there’s a distinct difference in protesting to make measurable change and protesting to make a cutesy picket sign that you can Instagram later. And it certainly feels like the university couldn’t care less about inspiring that kind of engagement, either. Students are rarely challenged to think critically about their own beliefs and roles in society. Professors hesitate to pose answers to controversial questions, knowing the university will not protect them against any retribu-
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improving lives everyday
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Last Friday, the Office of Student Activities announced that Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG), would be extending its deadline for student body president (SBP) applications. At the time of the original deadline, only one person had submitted an application for candidacy. This fact is unsurprising when it’s clear ASG can’t seem to fill a large number of vacant senate seats, not just the premiere positions. Typically, ASG will hold one special election in the middle of each semester unless there are five senate seats open, in which case they will hold another special election. This semester they have already held one additional special election. The deadline was also extended for Miami’s Board of Trustees (BoT) student trustee applications, a position that, in the past, has had a highly competitive application and interview process. Our staff is disheartened by the apparent disinterest in leadership positions within the student body. It’s a reflection of the increase in both the political apathy demonstrated by the majority of the student body and Miami’s failure to emphasize civic responsibility in ei-
ther academics or student life on campus. Seniors on our staff recall how, in the months leading up to the 2016 election cycle, students couldn’t walk around campus without being stopped by volunteers registering people to vote. They’d inform individuals of their ability to register in Oxford, regardless of whether they were originally from Ohio, and would help students fill out and submit their registration forms. In 2018, Miami saw the formation of the Black Action Movement 2.0 (BAM 2.0) after sophomore Thomas Wright used a racial slur in a GroupMe message and then bragged about the articles written about him to other students. BAM 2.0 held multiple sit-ins at Armstrong Student Center and Roudebush Hall, and published a list of demands which outlined how the university could improve its response to acts of racism against students, how they could better protect students and how to build a more diverse student body. Miami administrators met with BAM 2.0 representatives and worked with them to meet some of those demands. But it seems as though we’ve lost that kind of activist culture. Now, you are more likely to see students sharing an article online or posting something pithy with a clever caption and they’ll count it as being engaged.
M I AM I U A ND C O M N
The following reflects the majority opinion of the Editorial Board.
U L C REDIT
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