The Miami Student | October 30, 2018

ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES

Volume 147 No. 9

Miami University — Oxford, Ohio

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

AFTER MIAMI FIELD HOCKEY’S SENIOR NIGHT, THERE IS STILL WORK TO DO JJ HARTWELL

THE MIAMI STUDENT

DEMOCRATIC SEN. SHERROD BROWN AND REP. JIM RENACCI (R-WADSWORTH) SPAR DURING U.S. SENATE DEBATE. PHOTO EDITOR JUGAL JAIN

Brown vs. Renacci

SAMANTHA BRUNN NEWS EDITOR

At the U.S. Senate debate between Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Rep. Jim Renacci (R-Wadsworth) on Friday night, calls for bipartisanship were replaced by callouts as the candidates attacked one another on the last stage they will share before Election Day. WLWT moderated the debate, and the panelists included WLWT reporters Ashley Kirklen and Courtis Fuller and Miami University Hamilton professor of justice and community studies John Forren.

“There are divisions in our nation, and I’m hopeful tonight we will begin to heal some of those divisions,” Brown said in his opening statement.

In Renacci’s opening statement, he touted his background in business and accused Brown of being self-interested while in public office.

“At the age of 24, I started my first busi-

Because of Miami’s postseason aspirations, Sunday’s field hockey win against Ohio didn’t hold as much emotion as a typical senior day.

Miami wants to accomplish a lot more before the season’s over, as it looks to win the Mid-American Conference Championship and qualify for the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.

The RedHawks’ eight seniors played their final regular-season home game and won in the most dominant way, beating the Bobcats 5-0. Their play embodied the success they’ve had since arriving in Oxford.

“I think [all the seniors] lead by example,” senior midfielder Paula Portugal said, “which is something that other people have been looking up to.”

The RedHawks and their fans honored Portugal and the rest of the seniors at midfield before the game. Each player was called up with her family before lineups were announced. No one shed a tear. There was still work to do.

Once game time arrived, Miami had another convincing performance, something the seniors have done for the past four years. The seniors were involved in four of its five goals.

First, redshirt senior back/midfielder Mariona Heras started the scoring in the 15th minute from left of the cage.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Tensions flare as U.S. Senate candidates play semantics over bipartisanship in final debate. ness and employed over 3,000 people over the course of my business and have created over 1,500 jobs,” Renacci said. “My opponent…has been in Congress for almost five decades now, creating only one job, and that’s for himself.”

Despite Renacci’s assertion, Brown has supported job measures such as the Small Business Jobs Act in 2010, which intended to create over 500,000 new jobs.

The candidates discussed the recent spate of packages containing pipe bombs that were sent to prominent Democrats last week.

Brown voiced his support for the first re-

sponders and postal workers who dealt with at least 13 of the bombs.

Brown used the mug placed next to his podium to emphasize his point on the divisions America faces.

“I promise I didn’t put this here beforehand,” Brown said. Indeed, he had not. Both candidates had the same mug, each with an inscription, on their stools.

“There’s a quote from Ronald Reagan here...‘More than any other country, our strength comes from our own immigrant CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

SENIOR FORWARD/MIDFIELDER PAULA PORTUGAL PLAYS THE BALL ON SUNDAY. THE MIAMI STUDENT MACY WHITAKER

BREAKING

Prayers from Oxford to Pittsburgh Hillel chapter holds services for victims of Squirrel Hill killings.

ANNA MINTON STAFF WRITER

STUDENTS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS MEMORIALIZE PITTSBURGH SHOOTING VICTIMS. PHOTO EDITOR JUGAL JAIN

Organizations from all across the Oxford community came together on Monday to hold services in memory of the lives lost at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, Pennsylvania.

This past Saturday, Oct. 27, 11 people were killed when a gunman opened fire on the congregation in the small town near Pittsburgh. The massacre was declared a hate crime, and Miami University President Gregory Crawford condemned the attack in a public statement.

Crawford said he was “horrified at the hate-fueled acts of violence we have seen during the past week,” in the statement released on Monday morning.

“Let us stand together with all who face anti-Semitism, bigotry and violence, and

commit ourselves to peace, mutual respect, celebration of differences, and common good in a community where everyone can thrive,” Crawford said.

Immediately after the national news broke, Oxford’s President of the Hillel Foundation for Jewish Life, Daniela Reuter, began to plan that same afternoon for a commemoration ceremony for the victims of the shooting.

“Once I heard about what happened, I went through all of the crazy emotions,” Reuter said. “The next thing that I thought of was what we were going to do, as Hillel, and as the group...to connect with people and show our solidarity.”

The program began at the Hillel Center on Walnut St. where people arrived to receive candles before their walk to the Seal at the center of campus. There, the program would continue with the Mourners Kaddish, a traditional prayer said after someone has passed, in remembrance of them.

“We wanted to start at our Jewish location, and then move to our Miami location,” said Reuter. “We wanted to show that we not only are mourning for the victims as members of the Jewish community, but also as Miami students.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

This Issue

Election coverage page 6

“18 of the Last 9” honorees talk success

Halloween: Athens Style

Four of the 2018 honorees sit down with The Miami Student.

OU’s commitment to spooky pageantry blows Miami away.

page 4

page 9

Badass Bart Battari

Moving toward progressivism

Football defensive back played through injury against Army.

A guest columnist shares his thoughts on Americans’ shifting politics.

page 10

page 12

This Week

2 FYI

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

Things to do

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

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Emily Simanskis Sports Editor Madeline Mitchell Kate Rigazio Culture Editors Kelly Burns Ben Finfrock Opinion Editors Jugal Jain Photo Editor

Designers Owen Berg Briah Lumpkins Arthur Newberry Connor Wells Humor Editor Michael Serio Entertainment Editor Sam Keeling

Alyssa Melendez Web Designer Lindsay Cerio Business Manager James Tobin Faculty Adviser Fred Reeder Business Adviser WDJ Inc. - Bill Dedden Distributor Aim Media Midwest Printer

Asst. Culture Editors Maia Anderson Duard Headley

Hallow-Spin, Rec Room A, Wednesday, 8 a.m.

Come ready to sweat it out in your best Halloween costume! This free event is open to all, but spaces are limited to get there soon.

Incredibles 2, Wilks Theater, Wednesday, 8 p.m.

Looking to escape the chilly fall weather?

Come to Wilks Theater and bring your friends for a showing of your favorite family of superheroes in “Incredibles 2.” The event is hosted

by MAP through their free movie series.

Thursday

Friday

Speak On It! Poetry Competition, Shriver Center Heritage Room, Thursday, 8 p.m.

Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. presents the 19th Annual Anaya McMurray Speak On It! Poetry Competition. An optional donation of two dollars for March of Dimes or a baby care item will be greatly appreciated. Cocktail attire is recommended and appetizers will be served.

Yule Ball, Shriver Center Heritage Room, Friday, 7-1o p.m.

The Department of Magical Appreciation cordially invites you to their Yule Ball. Formal attire is recommended, and dinner will be provided. Check out the organization on their Instagram @miamioh_potterwatch.

Asst. Magazine Editor Maya Fenter Copy Editors Sydney Hill Charis Whalen

Asst. Sports Editor Chris Vinel

Asst. Business Manager Bea Newberry

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The Miami Student is published on Tuesdays during the school year by the students of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.

The content of The Miami Student is the sole responsibility of The Miami Student staff. Opinions expressed in The Miami Student are not necessarily those of Miami University, its students or staff.

CORRECTIONS POLICY

Wednesday

Asst. Photo Editor Bo Brueck

Opinion Columnist Emily Dattilo

Advertising information: Send us a letter?

Tuesday

The Miami Student is committed to providing the Miami University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication.

Too many roommates?

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Miami University and Community Federal Credit Union

You’re Invited to a Presentation on

Social Security - Options to Help Maximize your Benefits Thursday November 8, 2018 6-7:30pm at the Miami Marcum Center

Guest Speaker: Andrew Van Erp

a financial advisor with Preferred Planning Associates RSVP by calling (513) 529-6094 or email avanerp@ppaohio.com

Non-deposit Investment Products: are not NCUA or FDIC insured, are not obligations of or guaranteed by the credit union, involve investment risk and may lose value. Securities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a broker-dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory Services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. Miami University Community Federal Credit Union and Preferred Planning Associates and Cambridge are not affiliated companies. MUCFCU is not a legal entity of the university.

improving lives everyday

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Annual Holiday Loan Special (1)

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Samantha Brunn Ceili Doyle News Editors

Megan Zahneis Magazine Editor, Copy Chief

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Ben Smith Design Editor

Emily Brustoski Video Editor

M I AM I U A ND C O M N

Audrey Davis Kirby Davis Alison Perelman Managing Editors

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improving lives everyday

(1) Unsecured loan, Rates, annual percentage rate (APR), terms conditions and product components are subject to daily change without notice. Certain credit restrictions are applicable. MUCFCU is not a legal entity of the University.

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

AFTER MIAMI FIELD HOCKEY’S SENIOR NIGHT, THERE IS STILL WORK TO DO

Brown vs. Renacci FROM FRONT

heritage and our capacity to welcome those from other lands.’ Think about President Reagan and think about President Bush – the day after 9/11 he went to a mosque. I would hope that Congressman Renacci would join me in asking the president to lead these efforts towards unity.”

Renacci declined by omission to join the call.

Instead, he blamed divisive rhetoric and criminal acts on “both sides” and elaborated on the bipartisan breakfasts he has helped orchestrate on Capitol Hill.

“Breakfasts are fine, you can always get Congressmen and -women to show up for free breakfasts and talk about bipartisanship,” Brown said as a smattering of laughter filled the room. “But the fact is this is more. These are bombs. These are attempted murders. These are attempted assassinations. The divisive comments coming from too many people in politics – calling people names and shouting ‘Lock her up!’ at rallies. I wish we could tone it down and I wish Congressman Renacci would join me in asking the president to lead us.”

Renacci never took the opportunity to condemn the packages sent as a terrorist act.

The candidates were asked how funding for Medicare part A will be supplemented before it runs out in 2026.

“We need to quit absolutely scaring the seniors,” Renacci said. “And I’d just like to say, if it were up to Senator Brown, he would have Medicare for All…$32 trillion is what that would cost.”

Renacci was referring to a popularly cited Mercatus study that claims federal spending on a Medicare for All model, as proposed by Sen. Bernie Sanders’, I-Vt. recent bill, would increase by $32 trillion over the course of ten years.

According to Vox, “In terms of overall health care spending in the United States over the same period, however, they are actually projecting a slight reduction... The federal government is going to spend a lot more money on health care, but the country is going to spend about the same.”

Brown cited his support for stronger Medicare and Social Security throughout his career as a testament to his ability to find a solution for the funding problem. Brown emphasized that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed last year has created deficits that the Republican party wants to stem with entitlement funding cuts, or cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, which he claimed was both “bad economics and immoral.”

According to USA Today, the national deficit has increased 17 percent over the past year, which is the largest jump year-to-year since the beginning of the Great Recession in 2009.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said social safety net programs like Social Security and Medicare are the real drivers of debt, and the GOP would like to see entitlement reform.

Friday’s debate touched on immigration, and Renacci accused Brown of supporting “immigrants first” rather than Ohioans. Brown

Sherrod Brown rally showcases strong

FROM FRONT

FRIDAY’S CROWD WAS PACKED WITH STUDENTS, LOCALS AND SUPPORTERS PHOTO EDITOR JUGAL JAIN

responded by citing his Interdict Act, which is legislation to fight opioids from crossing the border that he penned with fellow Ohio Senator Rob Portman, and saying it is possible to protect our borders without “tearing children away from their parents.”

In what was perhaps the debate’s most contentious moment, Renacci drew an audible gasp from the crowd when he aimed a veiled accusation of domestic abuse at Brown. Renacci has accused Brown of abusing his ex-wife in some of his campaign ads.

Renacci’s claim came in response to a question about the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court justice Brett Kavanaugh.

“The Senator needs to look at himself,” Renacci said.

The claims of domestic abuse have been refuted by both Brown’s campaign and Brown’s exwife, Larke Recchie.

“My former wife has asked you to stop attacking my family, to stop attacking our family,” Brown said. “She is a supporter. Newspapers all over the state have asked you to stop running these kind of ads and stop making these kinds of attacks in every single debate. Congressman Renacci, you should be ashamed of yourself.”

Later in the debate, Renacci accused Brown of not understanding the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Renacci falsely claimed the cuts had benefited over 80 percent of Americans. In reality, the benefits of the tax cuts have largely been seen in corporations’ bottom line and stock buybacks.

Brown advocated for gun reform through background checks, banning bump stocks and assault weapons and not allowing people on the terror watch list to purchase a firearm. Renacci blamed America’s place on the list of countries with the most gun violence in the world on failing to adequately treat mental health symptoms.

When asked what the candidates respected each other for, Brown pointed to his and Renacci’s support for awarding former Cleveland Indians player Larry Doby with the Medal of Honor. Renacci did not directly return the sentiment, but reiterated his support for the award and Cleveland sports generally, as he is a season ticket holder to many Ohio sports teams.

“I guess he didn’t have anything nice to say about me,” Brown said in response. “He can afford those season tickets, but I know I never could.”

After the debate, Renacci spoke to reporters.

“I think it went fine,” Renacci said.

Renacci said he is not concerned by his deficit in the polls, where Brown has a 16-point lead, according to RealClear Politics.

“No, I don’t believe any polls,” Renacci said.

“In the end, the only poll that matters is on November 6.”

In an interview with The Student on the way out to his car, Brown said he accomplished what he set out to do in the debate.

“My job out there was to make the contrast that the tax bill they jammed through to cut taxes on the rich doesn’t help the middle class,” Brown said. “I think the public overwhelmingly understands.”

Brown said that despite the contentiousness of the debate itself, events like Friday’s still have a role in bridging the partisan divide. “[Debates] should be part of a vigorous campaign,” Brown said. “I’ve debated my whole career and always will. When you run for office, you owe that to the public.”

Election Day is Nov. 6. brunnsj@miamioh.edu @samantha_brunn

Prayers from Oxford to Pittsburgh FROM FRONT

BEN DEETER

The vigil itself was not just to mourn the lives lost, but allowed students to stand together and be proud to be a part of the Jewish community.

Earlier in the evening, Amy Shaiman, Miami alumna and Oxford resident, organized a program in Oxford Memorial Park, where participants, both young and old, recited a “Not in Our Town” pledge.

The “Not in Our Town” national initiative began months prior to the Pittsburgh attacks.

“We actually started talking about this a year or so ago,” said Shaiman. “Part of this movement means doing something when this kind of hate occurs or, if possible, doing something to prevent it.”

Shaiman wanted the “Not in Our Town” event to be an open discussion, but she gave parents the opportunity to keep their children out of earshot as she discussed the more intense details of the shootings.

“They have a goal of tearing us apart, and we have seen it in history over and over again,” said Shaiman. “We say no to hate, and no to people trying to tear our community apart.”

Throughout the week, the Jewish Heritage Program (JHP) will focus on providing comfort and solidarity to those affected by the shooting.

With the help of the Chabad Jewish Student Center, the JHP will be setting up tables in the Armstrong Student Center for people to write letters to the families of the victims of the shooting.

“We wanted to write to the community in general,” said Olivia Marcus, a member of the JHP. “We wanted to let them know that our thoughts and prayers are always with them.”

The focus of this project is to connect the students on campus to those mourning in Pennsylvania, Marcus said.

“We wanted to get the community involved, and show that even though it happened far away, this tragedy still affects everyone,” said Marcus. “It doesn’t matter where we are. The Jewish community will always stand together.”

This emphasis on solidarity rang true for Rueter as well, which she said was exactly what she was trying to convey when organizing Monday night’s commemoration and candlelight ceremony.

“I think these programs are extremely important, not only for the individuals who passed, or for just our campus, but for the Jewish community on a nationwide level,” said Reuter. “In the Jewish community, if you affect one of us, you affect all of us.”

Throughout the next week, JHP will still be sending letters to the families of the victims in Pennsylvania, and can be contacted through their service chair Leah Weiss at weisslr@miamioh.edu

STAFF WRITER

A few hours before the third and final Ohio senate debate on October 26 between Senator Sherrod Brown and Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Wadsworth, Brown’s campaign held a rally outside Miami University’s Hall Auditorium, the debate venue.

Brown’s staffers called the event a “hangout” rather than a rally.

“The plan is to just kind of hang out and wait,” said Rob Kull, the Veteran Outreach Coordinator for the Brown campaign. “We’ll just be out here and then cheer once [Brown] comes out at around 5:30.”

The event was supposed to start at 4:30 p.m., but 15 minutes later, the only things under the canopy of Hall Auditorium were three students, two staffers and one stack of “Sherrod Brown for Senate” signs.

Students and community members alike trickled in throughout the next half hour. Each were handed a sign with slogans ranging from “Women for Sherrod” to “Sherrod Brown Supports Veterans.” Several students wore “Students for Sherrod” stickers across their chests.

Staffers also circulated two clipboards that asked for a name, contact information and availability to help campaign for Brown over the next two weekends in Butler County.

By 5:15, at least 50 people met around the entrance of the auditorium.

Despite the cold, the bundled-up mass had a buzzing and unified energy — though many said they would have rather waited inside.

“It’s so great to see all types of people coming from so many different places,” said Charles Kennick, president of the Miami College Democrats.

“It hypes him up in the sense that seeing his supporters standing out here in the 42 degrees and rainy weather lets him know that we’re with him and believe in what he’s doing.”

At around 5:20 p.m., the senator came out of the auditorium to briefly address his supporters.

The crowd greeted him with cheers and chants of “Sherrod! Sherrod! Sherrod!”

“Thanks so much for coming,” Brown said. “I ask each of you in the next ten days to do whatever any of you can do for our campaign or the [Richard] Cordray campaign or Vanessa [Enoch’s] campaign. But also, I want each of you to find five people who you know, particularly if they’re students, that might not vote. You care about this stuff, you know about it and you can convince a lot more people than you think.”

At press time, Brown maintains a double-digit lead over Renacci in the polls heading into the final week before election day. deeterbj@miamioh.edu

Senior back/midfielder Avery Sturm assisted on Kenzie Peterson’s goal that put the RedHawks up 3-0.

Portugal got one in right before halftime off an assist by senior midfielder Estel Roig, making it 4-0.

Miami’s final goal came in the 36th minute by junior midfielder Lexi Silver, who was set up by Portugal to cap scoring at 5-0.

With each goal scored, players didn’t consider the weight of senior day. The celebrations were regular and routine. There was still work to do.

That’s not only a summary of the win over Ohio, but a summary of the last four years — winning games and winning seasons. Miami struggled with a 7-12 record the year before this senior class arrived.

Now, the RedHawks boast a 13-6 record and remain undefeated in conference play. Now, the RedHawks are striving for that second straight MAC Tournament Championship.

“I can’t imagine what it feels like for the seniors and anybody else besides the freshmen,” freshman midfielder Kylie Herb said on winning the regular-season MAC Championship. “It feels great for me, I’m ready for many more.”

Learning from the seniors has given Herb the opportunity to win many more.

Already this season, Portugal’s eclipsed her single-season career-high with 22 goals. She’s spent the last four years filling her trophy case and padding her resume with too many awards and achievements to name. She ranks second in Miami history in both goals and points and is sixth in assists.

Heras leads all Miami position players in minutes played and is third in points with 13.

Roig sits fifth on the team in points with 11.

All three players have started and made an impact in every game. The other seniors, back Kendall Hunker, midfielder Sydney Lawrence, goalkeeper Maddie Passarella and back/midfielder Ashley Laskowitz have helped Miami to be 35th in the nation this season.

Even with the positive impact these seniors had on the team, Miami field hockey has equally affected them.

“It changed me as a person for the better,” Passarella said. “I think that throughout the past four years, I have gotten a lot of support from not only the coaching staff but also my teammates. I think this environment has done so much for me personally, and it has been such a great ride.”

But the RedHawks’ ride doesn’t end here.

There is still work to do.

Miami looks to win their second straight MAC Championship — the team’s biggest goal — this weekend, with its first game against the winner of Ohio/Ball State on Friday at 11:30 a.m. A victory in that contest would send them to the finals on Saturday at 4 p.m. hartwejm@miamioh.edu @2399Jj

TOP: THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS RELEASED THIS GRAPHIC ON THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA LATE LAST WEEKEND BOTTOM: STUDENTS MARCH IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE VICTIMS OF THE TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING PHOTO EDITOR JUGAL JAIN

mintona2@miamioh.edu

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NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

“18 OF THE LAST 9”

HONOREES GREATER THAN SUM OF THEIR SUCCESS CÉILÍ DOYLE

Those people have doubts, too, Jon pointed out.

Eight years removed from graduation, working as an acquisitions officer in the U.S. Air Force at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, he’s managed to put some distance between his college doubts and his current achievements.

But, he insisted, Miami students don’t need to have their lives completely figured out in order to be successful.

“You don’t have a crystal ball,” he said.“If you love what you do, then it usually works out.”

NEWS EDITOR

For the past six years, Miami University has honored 18 different alumni from the past nine years who have achieved success in their careers after graduation.

The program is based on the ‘30 under 30’ model and was created by the university’s alumni association to honor recent graduates who have attained success beyond their Miami educations.

This year, the honorees visited campus from Wednesday, Oct. 24 to Friday, Oct. 26, talking to students, meeting with organizations and catching up with faculty members before receiving awards from the university on Friday evening.

Four of the honorees, Fia Turczynewycz ‘05, M.A. ‘11, Kyle Denman ‘16, Jon Hamilton ‘10 and Leena Zahra ‘15 (the oldest, youngest and two honorees in between), talked to The Miami Student about how their Miami educations served as a basis in developing a sense of community, passion, resilience and confidence.

Fia Turczynewycz ‘05, M.A. ‘11 In 2011, Fia Turczynewycz became the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s sustainable communities advocate, a position she created from scratch. But Fia did not come bounding out of the Phi Delt Gates on Slant Walk during her undergraduate years self-assured and confident that her life was on a path to success.

In fact, she almost didn’t graduate.

“Senior year, we were going through our senior project,” Fia said.

“And I distinctly remember just before Christmas break my professor pulled me aside and said, ‘You’re not going to graduate on time.’”

That year, one of Fia’s close friends died, and her grandmother was fighting for her life and eventually passed away.

Her professor, Bill Newell, and her advisor in Miami’s Western Program, Chris Meyers, did everything they could to help Fia walk on the graduation stage with her classmates.

“They fought for me,” she said.

“And for them to be as supportive as they were — yeah, that was great, but then to have my fellow classmates who have already hit the deadlines and they’re smooth sailing say, ‘Fia, what can we do to help?’”

They brought her dinner off-campus because they knew she wouldn’t have the time to cook or pick something up, and it was that community she had built in Western that made a real impact.

The support from her Western community saved Fia’s senior year and gave her the strength to keep going.

She started working for the Cincinnati Zoo after graduation and focused on advocating for the zoo’s community to become more eco-friendly. In 2009, she began working for AmeriCorps while attending graduate school at Miami, eventually traveling to Trinidad, Mongolia and Peru through the university’s global field program, Project Dragonfly.

Fia urges Miami students who are

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: FIA TURCYNEWYCZ, KYLE DENMAN, LEENA ZAHRA, CAPT. JON HAMILTON. THE MIAMI STUDENT SEBASTIAN NEFUSS

struggling to find their communities right now to keep at it.

“You have to take the time to invest in people, whether that’s a one-onone lunch date, or a two-hour conversation or a Skype call,” Fia said.

“You have to work for it; it’s not just going to fall in your lap. I think that’s the biggest thing: Try to connect with people and try new things.”

Kyle Denman ‘16 Fashion designer Kyle Denman won Project Runway’s ReMake It Work grand prize in 2016 and was named Young Fashion Designer of the Year in 2018, presented by the Fashion Designers & Craftmakers.

But two years ago, he didn’t even know how to sew.

As a student, he worked with Opening Minds Through Art (OMA), a student organization that partners Oxford’s elderly with Miami students to make art projects.

“During my second year at Miami when I was an R.A. in Tappan, I was watching American Horror Story season three, and one of the characters screams, ‘Balenciaga,’ and I had no idea who or what that was,” he said. “So, I Googled it, and I found

out that Balenciaga is a fashion label, and Cristóbal Balenciaga is known as the greatest couturier of all time.

That’s when I realized fashion can be art in addition to something wearable.”

At Miami, Kyle spent his time filling the margins of his political science notebooks with design sketches during class. There were so many sketches, in fact, that Kyle decided that law school was not going to be his future.

And so, he followed his gut. Kyle flew out to L.A. during the summer between his sophomore and junior years to apply to Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM), even as everyone around him — from professors to family members to friends — could not wrap their minds around this 180-degree course correction.

Kyle recently completed his first year at FIDM and is currently enrolled in its graduate program. He has since had the opportunity to work with Beyonce on her Coachella outfit.

“When I was making the leap from political science to fashion and design, I kept telling myself I would

ASG elects new senators, gets status report on One-Door policy reform RACHEL BERRY STAFF WRITER

Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) heard a report on potentially reforming the one-door policy and elected new senators at their meeting on Oct. 23.

Junior Mike Meleka attended a meeting with administrators about the Ingress Policy, better known as the one-door policy. This rule was instituted early in the spring 2018 semester and requires residence halls to lock all but one door from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Meleka, who serves as the secretary for on-campus affairs for ASG, joined two resident assistants (RAs) at the meeting. One concern some senators had about the policy was that no students were involved in the decision. This meeting was an attempt to rectify that.

Meleka said administrators are conflicted over whether to change the policy, but he is working to

compromise with them and to consider each dorm on a case-by-case basis.

Later, elections were held for open seats for an off-campus senator, a member of the steering committee, and a senator in the 2nd District, which includes Stonebridge Hall, Beechwoods Hall, Hillcrest Hall and Maplestreet Station.

Sophomore Halle Campbell ran against first-year Kirby Cooper for the 2nd District seat.

During Campbell’s speech in front of the senate, she articulated her experience of being a student orientation undergraduate leader (SOUL) this past summer and how that ignited a passion to advocate for her peers.

Cooper explained that she attended community college during high school and was the student body president on their campus.

After both candidates were given a chance to answer questions, the senate debated and ultimately confirmed Campbell to fill the open

seat.

Junior Adrian Radilla ran unopposed and was elected for the off-campus senator position. He served on Senate last year, and he articulated what he accomplished on Senate in the past and what he hopes to further address in the areas of diversity and inclusion.

The last election was for the steering committee, which is a group of senators that look at proposed bills and decide what to put on the agenda for each week’s meetings.

Sophomore Jannie Kamara was appointed by the speaker of the Senate to the committee, and the rest of Senate was allowed to elect one more member.

Sophomore Atticus Block ran against Radilla for the open spot on the steering committee, and Block was eventually chosen.

There was also an open 6th District seat up for election, but no one ran for that position. berryrd@miamioh.edu

rather risk it than regret it,” Kyle said. “And I don’t regret any second of it. I would also tell [Miami students] one of my favorite quotes, which is, ‘Life has so much to offer and you have so much to offer, too.’

A person’s relationship with life is reciprocal, and I would tell Miami students that they are valuable and that what they want to do is worth it and that their passion is worth it.”

Capt. Jonathan Hamilton ‘10 Capt. Jonathan “Jon” Hamilton always knew he wanted to be an officer in the armed services. When attending Miami, he served in the Army National Guard so he could attend college for free, and took pride in his family’s military history.

“I’ve always been technically minded,” he said. “And I decided my major [in mechanical engineering] and stuck with it the whole time.”

Even though he remained dedicated both to his studies and his military duties throughout his undergraduate years, Jon struggled with self-doubt.

“Everybody feels that way,” he said.

“During college, everyone is always asking, ‘Can I compete with all of the people who seem so put-together?’”

Leena Zahra ‘15 Leena Zahra is the community coordinator at the Karam Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Chicago that is focused on raising awareness about the Syrian humanitarian crisis in the U.S. and highlighting the successes of Syrian refugees who are trying to find better, safer lives for themselves and their families.

She knows aid workers are exposed to a lot of secondhand trauma, and that people whose careers are centered around humanitarian work need to take care of themselves.

Despite the pressures of her job, she considers herself lucky to be able to speak to Syrian refugees and help them access resources that will change their lives.

“It helps me give the courage to keep moving forward,” she said. “I would encourage Miami students to try and make a local impact...applying what you do day to day can be life changing for your community.”

As a Syrian-American and an international studies graduate originally from Cleveland, Leena wasn’t always so certain of her role in life.

“I was very shy — so shy,” she said. “Even today I still am, but it’s important not to be afraid to mess up. I’ve had so many setbacks, but it’s how you respond to them where you’ll [see] growth.”

In her life beyond college, Leena recognizes that if she can’t take care of herself, she’ll never be able to help those around her who need her support.

“I love film,” Leena said. “It’s important to watch movies or read. I make time to watch ‘The Office’ or ‘Parks and Rec’ and [spend time] with my friends and family. You can’t help someone else unless you can help yourself.”

The Miami Student spoke with Fia, Kyle, Jon and Leena, but the full 2018 Miami University class of “18 of the Last 9” also included Katie Binns ‘09, Lindsey Bullinger ‘11, Ashleigh Dubois ‘13, Una Hrnjak-Hadziahmetovic ‘11, Heath Ingram ‘11, Emily Kuhn ‘09, Kerry McCormack ‘10, Kevin McLaughlin ‘09, Macy Mills ‘15, Laura Palmer Graham ‘15, Kevin Phaup ‘13, Daniela Pierre Bravo ‘12, Rithvik Venna ‘15 and Benjamin L. Walker ‘09. doyleca3@miamioh.edu @cadoyle_18

Local law firm prepares for “scootering under the influence” COLLIN M. FINN

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Oxford law firm Rittgers & Rittgers is anticipating a new issue for the Miami University and Oxford community: scootering while intoxicated.

In an Oct. 9 blog post on the firm’s website, Charles Rittgers said many people have been interested in this issue with the influx of scooters into the city over the past month. He went on to answer some of the commonly asked questions people have had.

There has been confusion over whether or not one has to be on public property to be arrested for an OVI/ DUI. “The Revised Code prohibits operating any vehicle ‘within the state’ while impaired; therefore, you can be cited while on your own property,” Rittgers wrote. “For example, you can be cited for OVI for mowing your lawn on a riding lawnmower if you are impaired.”

Rittgers next analyzed whether or not an e-scooter is classified as a motor vehicle.

“The Revised Code defines ‘motor vehicle’ as ‘every vehicle propelled or drawn by power other than muscular power...except motorized bicycles…’

The Bird and Lime scooters are propelled by ‘power other than muscular power.’ So, it appears they qualify.

But the Revised Code creates a specific exception for ‘motorized bicycles,’” he wrote.

Rittgers examined the overarching question: can one receive a(n) DUI/ OVI for riding an e-scooter while intoxicated?

“Whether the City of Cincinnati, the City of Oxford or Miami University police departments will cite for riding Bird or Lime scooters under the influence of alcohol/drugs is unknown.

But Ohio law does not appear to prohibit them from doing so.”

Lieutenant Lara Fening of the Oxford Police Department (OPD) said the OPD has not encountered a “scootering while intoxicated” situation yet, but violators here in Oxford would likely be charged under OVI/ DUI laws. finncm@miamioh.edu

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

NEWS 5

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

DSA sets up shop in Oxford JULIA ARWINE STAFF WRITER

The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) established a presence in Oxford with the first Butler County branch meeting on Monday night. About a dozen people gathered in Quarter Barrel Brewery and Pub — a group of both students and permanent residents united by their leftism and concern for the future of the country and the world.

The DSA is a national organization that includes a broad range of leftist policy alignments.

According to their official website, they believe “both the economy and society should be run democratically — to meet public needs, not to make profits for a few. To achieve a more just society, many structures of our government and economy must be radically transformed through greater economic and social democracy so that ordinary Americans can participate in the many decisions that affect our lives.”

Seth Cantwell, a DSA member and Oxford resident who led and helped organize the meeting, defines DSA’s mission more simply.

“The crux of everything is that all of the organizations – businesses, everything – should be democratically controlled by the workers,” he said. “[The] basic premise of democratic socialism is that the workers have the means of production.”

Cantwell said DSA includes everything from social democrats to anarchists and Marxists — none of which are easily defined. The DSA website defines socialists by their rejection of “an international economic order sustained by private profit, alienated labor, race and gender discrimination, environmental destruction, and brutality and violence in defense of the status quo,” and their interest in a more equitable social order.

There are more than 150 officially-registered DSA chapters in 46 states and Washington D.C., including four chapters in Ohio. Its membership has risen significantly since November 2016, totaling around 50,000 members.

The Butler County branch is an extension of the Metro Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky DSA chapter. At this stage, it does not technically qualify as a branch, because that status requires the signatures of five card-carrying members.

There were only three card-carrying members at the meeting.

However, that will likely soon change as the organization grows, and the Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky branch can subsidize the cost of membership for those who need it.

Cantwell and other interested members wanted to establish a Butler County branch to make

J-term class offers entrepreneurship opportunities MACKENZIE KOESTER THE MIAMI STUDENT

BUTLER COUNTY DSA BRANCH SEEKS TO GROW ORGANIZATION IN NEAR FUTURE. THE MIAMI STUDENT ZIAM HAQ

meetings smaller and more accessible to people in the area.

At the informal and unstructured meeting, attendees touched upon local issues they want to focus their future efforts on. These included doing away with the cash-bail system in Butler County, which often leaves poor people and people of color stuck in jail, Cantwell said.

Other issues mentioned include the larger opioid crisis within the region and the large Latino population in the Butler County jail, which has a contract with ICE in which the federal government pays for the housing and transportation of illegal immigrant detainees.

Mostly, the efforts of the meeting were focused on how to grow membership and community presence in Butler County, which is predominantly conservative. The best way to do this, the attendees concluded, was to collaborate with

leftist groups on Miami’s campus like the College Democrats, the Society for Peace and Justice and F-WORD. The attendees also mentioned that Charles Campbell, secretary of the Cincinnati DSA branch and a visiting assistant professor in Miami’s department of classics, has expressed interest in establishing a Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) chapter at Miami. Student activists at the meeting said they intended to increase awareness of the organization on campus. “[Other leftists and I] have been wanting a local DSA for years,” said Bobby Adler, ASG senator and College Democrats member. “Hopefully we can get more students at future meetings.” arwinejk@miamioh.edu

The Farmer School of Business (FSB) has a new class for women at Miami University that aims to inspire students to become entrepreneurs.

Advancing Women in Entrepreneurship: Designing Your Life will begin during Winter Term 2019. The course will be offered as a study-away program in San Francisco and will also be offered in the spring on Oxford’s campus.

“Students will have the opportunity to talk to female entrepreneurs, to listen to their authentic stories of being an entrepreneur,” said Beth Troy, instructor of entrepreneurship and first-year integrated core.

This experience is meant to give women hope to become successful entrepreneurs.

The class is open to Miami students who will meet in San Francisco to talk with 20 female founders across a range of industries to hear their personal stories and how they continue to run their businesses, Troy said.

According to the Huffington Post, it is estimated only 36 percent of all businesses are owned by women in the United States.

It is important for women to be entrepreneurs in this day and age because it gives women independence, Troy said. Women have more struggles than men do in the workplace. Entrepreneurship is all about risk, and women are often more risk averse.

Advancing Women in Entrepreneurship (AWE) is an organization on campus that empowers women to pursue their passion and foster leadership for the next generation of female founders, sophomore marketing and entrepreneurship double major and AWE president Lily Thaler said.

“We want to give women the resources, guidance and support they need to be innovative thinkers,” said Thaler.

Thaler and Troy worked together to create the class, Designing Your Life, to encourage female students to pursue their dreams, even if failure comes first.

“This class will not have a lecture, but instead students will immerse themselves in the class by leading a Q and A when talking to the founders and will advocate for themselves,” said Troy.

This way of learning is meant to encourage network-building skills by having students interact with the founders of these companies.

Nineteen students have signed up to attend the trip in San Francisco so far, Thaler said. She and Troy hope to offer it again next year. koestema@miamoh.edu

“Sister Survivors” with Jordyn Wieber & Rachael Denhollander EMILY DATTILO COLUMNIST

Students filed into Hall Auditorium Monday night, buzzing with conversation and laughter, waiting for Olympic gymnast Jordyn Wieber and activist Rachael Denhollander to take the stage.

The Miami Lecture Series event, titled “Sister Survivors: Former Gymnasts Ignite Change,” provided an opportunity for the speakers and audience to engage in a Q&A session moderated by John Ward, director of student counseling services at Miami.

Wieber and Denhollander both spoke out against serial sexual abuser and former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar.

Denhollander was the first woman to speak out publicly against Nassar. She works as a sexual assault educator in addition to her career as a lawyer. In 2018, she was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Wieber was part of the “Fierce Five” during the 2012 Olympic Games. She started as a gymnast at age five, made the U.S. national team at age 11 and made the Olympic Team at age 17. She stepped forward in April 2018 to file a lawsuit against USA Gymnastics, Michigan State University (MSU) and the U.S. Olympic Committee.

During the Q&A, both women outlined the repercussions of rampant sexual abuse which was ignored for years, the emotional aftermath they continue to work through and finally, activism and the importance of listening to survivors.

Denhollander began by discussing the effect such a broken system has on children.

“We have a society that places money and medals over the safety of little girls,” she said.

Wieber talked about her hesitancy to attach her name to her report against Nassar, fearing a change in her reputation and how people viewed her. She talked about seeing her teammates speaking up and how slowly, she saw her responsibility in bringing this issue to light.

Denhollander connected her personal meaning of strength to her difficult experience over the past couple years. “[It’s] the ability to deal with reality, to be able to speak the truth about what’s going on around you..to be able to look it in the face and speak the truth about it,” she said.

Wieber talked about how she processed emotions after spending years in a gymnastics environment that forced her to “compartmentalize her emotions” and where “feelings are not welcome.”

She was told if she cried during practice,

she’d be kicked out of the gym. It took some time for her to understand what an unhealthy mindset this was.

Despite the enduring abuse, Wieber says, her experience has taught her some important things about herself.

“It’s helped me become a more empathetic person, a more compassionate person, because I realize that sometimes people are going through things that they may not show on the outside,” Wieber said.

Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison for abusing girls—many of whom were in the Olympics—in addition to a separate 60year sentence for child pornography convictions. Additionally, MSU’s former president Lou Anna Simon resigned following Nassar’s conviction.

However, neither Wieber nor Denhollander, or any others who testified, have received personal apologies from any of the institutions responsible for the abuse.

Denhollander also brought up the Brett Kavanaugh hearings, saying the victim-blaming responses following Kavanaugh’s confirmation sent the message that girls should “sit down and shut up.”

Denhollander emphasized the role parents have in protecting their children and teaching them how to recognize signs of abuse.

The speakers wrapped up the Q&A by citing the need to listen to survivors and make sure they’re believed and heard, as well as utilizing physical activity, journaling or art as ways to cope with the wave of emotions survivors experience.

Miami junior Caitlyn Wilson, an athletic and kinesiology major, found the event meaningful, after having spent many positive years in the gymnastics community.

“It was interesting to see the other side of it, and yes, I’ve heard about it, but having them talk to us about their experience...that was very inspiring to see and very enlightening to see on my standpoint,” Wilson said.

Jane Goettsch, director of the Women’s Center at Miami, said she gained a powerful takeaway from the event.

“One of the things that Rachael said, she asked the question, ‘What happens when it would cost you to care?’ that was really profound for me,” Goettsch said. “When it costs you to do the right thing, that’s when...you really get to who you are as a person.” dattilec@miamioh.edu

JORDYN WIEBER (TOP) AND RACHEL DENHOLLANDER (BOTTOM) DURING MIAMI LECTURE SERIES. PHOTO EDITOR JUGAL JAIN

Entertainment

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KEELINST@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

Horror movie extravaganza

Giving “Armchair Expert” a listen CÉILÍ DOYLE NEWS EDITOR

ILLUSTRATION BY CONNOR WELLS

SAM KEELING ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

October is the month of Halloween movies, which often means the same thing as Christmas movie season: watching the same films for the millionth time just because it’s tradition.

This Halloween, I decided to delve beyond my scope of horror movies and watched a slew of movies that were entirely new to me. Here is a brief overview of nine fright fests right on time for a Halloween movie marathon.

“Eyes Without A Face” (1960) Georges Franju’s cult classic is highly respected amongst small circles of arthouse horror cinephiles. In it, a wealthy Frenchman forgoes morality in an effort to fix his daughter’s face after she was horribly disfigured in an accident. Makeup and effects make the most chilling images in the film stand out, but it’s the way the characters idolize beauty and scorn otherness that makes this most horrifying. Melding psychological drama with a murder mystery makes this a good film for fans of “Psycho.”

“The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” (1974) Trailblazing for its unflinching brutality, Tobe Hooper’s low-budget gorefest paints a rough picture of rural America. Though Leatherface is the film’s franchise-starting icon, his entire family has some issues. “Massacre” is most effective when Leatherface finishes his prey with disturbing speed and nonchalance, like butchering a pig. But the protagonist’s unending screams in the film’s final act turn it into a grating slog.

“Eraserhead” (1977) A tall-haired man deals with life’s struggles: weird neighbors, his girlfriend’s overbearing parents and a horrifying colic mutant baby.

You know, the usual. “Eraserhead” is David Lynch’s surreal directorial debut, an experimental touchstone about the paranoia of young manhood and fatherhood in a dystopic industrial society. The incredible effects and haunting black-and-white cinematography make this existential drama a nightmarish experience.

“Amityville Horror” (1979) Perhaps the most legendary “real-life” haunting, this ghost story has very little to make it feel interesting decades after its release. Not that it was well-loved then; critics lampooned it at the time. Watching James Brolin slowly lose his grip on sanity as the house’s demonic presence strengthens is sometimes effective, but the overall story lacks any real sense of urgency or importance.

“Scanners” (1981) “The baron of blood” David Cronenberg’s breakout hit is a sci-fi thriller about people with telekinetic abilities. This premise has one major hurdle: the “action” scenes involve people that fight with their minds. On camera, that means they look at each other really hard for a long time. Still, a chilling score and gruesome body horror infuse those scenes with excitement. Unfortunately, the scariest part of this film is its lifeless performances.

“The Thing” (1982) In Antarctica, residents of a remote American research location are attacked by maniacal Norwegians. They try to figure out just what’s going on and unearth a horrifying, shape-shifting alien in the process. Most movie monsters have a defining look; The Thing is terrifying because it doesn’t. It is a disgusting amalgamation of tentacles and skeletons that is constantly stretching, exploding and falling into pieces.

But the most suspenseful moments involve the crew’s distrust and paranoia. The blood testing scene is one for the ages.

“The Fly” (1986) Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) develops two teleportation devices, but when he decides to go through the device without proper testing, a fly teleports with him. The resulting fusion is one of the most disturbing in body horror cinema, even by today’s standards. Underlying the gag-inducing visuals is a pair of fantastic performances from Goldblum and costar Geena Davis. At the end of the day, “The Fly” is a poignant tale about humanity and a relationship where the romance dies, but the love never will.

“Cronos” (1993) Even in his first movie, Guillermo del Toro had a knack for the fantastical. “Cronos” is a reimagining of the vampire genre so unique that it takes a while to notice it’s about vampires at all. The horror elements are scarce, but they mingle well with the humor, magic and tragedy throughout the story. Argentinian actor Federico Luppi gives a touching performance, and Ron Perlman is funny and scary as a violent American willing to do anything for a fat inheritance.

“Halloween” (2018) This might be the billionth “Halloween” movie, but in the eyes of its creators, it’s the second. A direct sequel to the legendary 1978 slasher, this “Halloween” has survivor Laurie Strode (the phenomenal Jamie Lee Curtis) deeply shaken by her run-in with Michael Myers. When he breaks out of custody 40 years later, a chain of grisly murders leads to a clash of wills decades in the making. It has plenty of frights, but it’s also the most fun to be had in a scary movie in recent memory. The laughs are genuine, the characters are likable and the frenetic pace after the exposition-filled first act is immensely satisfying.

If you’ve had the pleasure (or misfortune) of being my father, friend, professor, friendly acquaintance or a straight up stranger I just met in the past four months, then you know how much I’ve been raving about Dax Shepard’s podcast “Armchair Expert.”

I have been tossing out (forcing) recommendations (down people’s throats) to listen to “Armchair Expert” incessantly, but it does come from a genuine place of affinity. “Armchair” is a refreshingly honest show that delves into exploring what it means to be human — to be vulnerable, wounded, elated, manic, anxious, jealous, proud, generous, joyful — and a host of other buzzwords that are genuinely expressed throughout each episode.

Dax, an actor married to actress Kristen Bell with two young daughters, openly talks about his struggles with addiction, acceptance, masculinity and obsession with success.

Listening to “Armchair Expert” feels real to me. Each episode is a conversation I’d love to be a part of, and they’re done without feeling too self-important.

Dax and his co-producer, Monica Padman, have interviewed over fifty relatively famous, wealthy and successful people from Ellen DeGeneres to Mila Kunis to Ted Danson.

And, Dax loves to ask each and every one of them, “So...do you actually like the face staring back at you in the mirror in the morning?”

With that question is the added assumption that most people he interviews have reached the pinnacle of success in their fields, along with the wealth and fame that follow.

Most of the time, success for these very famous, very rich people did not cure their addictions, anxieties, depression or general assholery.

And, yes, it’s becoming more and more socially acceptable to acknowledge that as humans we go through a lot of setbacks on the path to self-actualization. But it’s an entirely different thing to hear these so-called “successful” people we idealize admit that they, too, are no stranger to being a mess.

In fact, it’s pretty life-affirming, and it’s why I love listening to “Armchair” so much. Each episode is a therapeutic way for me to get out of my own head and ever-spiraling existential crises and anxieties.

Dax and Monica also talk to experts in their fields on the podcast, from David Sedaris to Jon Favreau, and in a recently released episode — originally recorded during a live show in Austin, Texas — they talk to Dr. Brené Brown.

Brené is a research professor at the University of Houston and has spent her entire academic career in social work, learning and attempting to piece together where shame, vulnerability, love and belonging come from, and why we, as humans, struggle to attain it.

Brené has one of the five most-viewed TED Talks ever, and one thing she discussed in that talk and what she recognized as a central theme to “Armchair Expert” was worthiness.

Her definition of worthiness is “believing that not if, and not when, no prerequisites...I am worthy of love and belonging and joy, right now.”

Now, Dax argues that her definition is what he considers to be more the meaning of self-esteem. But, semantics aside, having a sense of selfworth and promoting positive self-esteem are two of the most difficult things we can achieve.

If there’s one take away I’ve gotten from my short life so far, it’s that if we can’t learn to love and accept ourselves, we’ll never truly learn what it means to love and accept those around us.

And, while I have been blessed with knowing and loving some amazing people who have shared that sentiment with me before, “Armchair Expert” helps remind me of this essential truth every time I pop in my headphones.

I hope you’ll give it a listen. doyleca3@miamioh.edu @cadoyle_18

keelinst@miamioh.edu

‘The Haunting of Hill House’ gets at the heart of horror ALISON PERELMAN MANAGING EDITOR

“The Haunting of Hill House” is not a horror show. That’s not to say it won’t scare you, make your palms sweat and cause you to look twice at the dark corners of your apartment — because it definitely will. But there’s so much more to it than cheap thrills.

Created by Mike Flanagan, Netflix’s newest limited series follows the Crain family as they are forced to confront their memories of the mysterious time they spent living at Hill House and the tragic events that transpired there.

At its heart, the series is a drama about familial love and connection, parenting and living despite darkness. Remove the supernatural and what’s left is an emotional story of five siblings coping with loss, guilt, addiction and mental illness. The ghosts are appropriately sophisticated — psychological, rather than gruesome — and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Instead of bringing them together, the trauma shared by the Crain family, along with

their varied levels of belief in the supernatural, caused them to drift apart as they moved into adulthood. Throughout the 10 episode series, viewers discover the truth about Hill House along with them, how it shaped each of their lives and finally allows them to heal their relationships with one another.

The characters are well-written and aptly brought to life by pairs of actors representing both the young and adult versions of the characters. Theo (Mckenna Grace and Kate Siegal) has a strong exterior and enthralling intensity; Luke (Julian Hilliard and Oliver Jackson-Cohen) is lovable and innocent despite his flaws; and Hugh (Henry Thomas and Timothy Hutton) is the perfectly imperfect father.

Not only are the child actors as talented as their adult counterparts, but the likeness between them, and the cast of actors as a whole, is unbelievable.

At a time when limited series and attempts at nonlinear storytelling have run amuck across the various streaming platforms, “The Haunting of Hill House” stands out among the crowd.

The dedication of entire episodes to the development of each sibling, jumping between

their childhood at Hill House and their adult lives, is extremely effective. As we experience the same moments from their individual perspectives, we understand more, feel more — and still cringe at every appearance of the Bent-Neck Lady or Tall Guy. We see each of the Crains not in isolation, but as the main focus before they’re all brought together in the present.

Episode six, “Two Storms,” brings the family tension to a head. Masterfully filmed in several long takes, it highlights Flanagan’s creative prowess and the acting ability of the entire cast. The continuity — following characters, and even moving seamlessly between past and present — has the audience trying impossibly to peer around corners in heart-pounding anticipation, and makes the possibility of the deceased showing up even more unpredictable.

The nine other episodes are full of grandiose production design as well. The sprawling interior of Hill House is filled with dust-covered remnants of its past residents and creepy statues that create backgrounds ripe for the lurking ghosts we aren’t musically cued to.

This attention to detail is what gives “Hill

House” an undeniable edge in the vast genre of horror.

After seeing the first half of the series, I was worried about how the show would end. A happy ending didn’t seem to fit the dark story, but I was afraid of what the alternative might be. I won’t ruin how it does end; I’ll only say that it’s done really well, turning the initial narration about Hill House on its head in a satisfying way.

Sure, some of the monologues are a bit in your face and not every character’s storyline is a driving force in the narrative (I’m looking at you, Steve, despite my love for Michiel Huisman), but the series as a whole is a shining example of what happens when horror is done right.

Whether you want to appreciate cinematic storytelling or are simply looking for a good scare, “The Haunting of Hill House” will stick with you, lurking in the back of your mind long after you’ve finished watching, for better or worse. perelmak@miamioh.edu

NEWS@MIAMIOH.EDU

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

Election 2018 Ohio Voter Guide U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 8TH DISTRICT

OHIO ATTORNEY GENERAL

The 8th Congressional District of Ohio includes Clarke, Butler, Darke, Miami and Preble counties, as well as a chunk of Mercer County. If you’re registered to vote in Oxford, the winner here will be your congressperson for the next two years. First-years should pay special attention, as you’ll likely see the victor up for election again your senior year. The Ohio 8th leans heavily Republican, and it has a storied history: This was the seat of former Speaker of the House John Boehner, who resides in West Chester, OH.

The attorney general (AG) is one of the top three elected officials in the state, along with the governor and the secretary of state. They are collectively known as the triplex offices. The AG is the top law enforcer in the state, and his office advises the whole of Ohio’s bureaucracy on legal matters. The AG also investigates white-collar and organized crime in addition to collecting the state’s debts and carrying out a handful of other lawyerly responsibilities. Voting information organization Ballotpedia has classified this year’s race as a battleground election — both candidates have a serious shot at taking the office. Mike DeWine, the Republican candidate for governor, is the current Ohio AG.

Vanessa Enoch (D)

Warren Davidson (R)

Steven Dettelbach (D)

Dave Yost (R)

Bachelor’s from The Ohio State University with an MBA from Xavier University and a Ph.D. in public policy and social change from Union Institute & University in Cincinnati.

West Chester resident, community organizer and the owner of Cultural Impact LLC, a management consulting company.

Many of Enoch’s core issues branch out from Ohio’s opioid epidemic. She has said she would push back against the criminalization of low-level drug crimes, set up a more rehabilitative health care system for addicts and work to reduce rising healthcare costs.

Bachelor’s from West Point with an MBA from Notre Dame.

He served in the 75th Ranger Regiment and the 101st Airborne Division.

A freshman congressman, Davidson ran for the 8th District in 2016, besting Democrat Steve Fought with almost 69 percent of the vote.

He is a member of the far-right House Freedom Caucus.

Some of Davidson’s campaign themes: Strong national defense, repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act with a privatized system and harsher immigration regulations, including eliminating birthright citizenship.

Started as a prosecutor with the criminal section of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division in 1992, then was hired onto the DOJ’s Northern Ohio Organized Crime and Corruption Strike Force in 2003. He was appointed U.S. Attorney for Ohio’s Northern District in 2009.

His experiences include prosecuting an illegal sweatshop in California that trafficked 70 Thai women, leading a report on the excessive use of force in Cleveland’s police department and working with the FBI to charge two Ohio men with crimes of terrorism.

He has stated he wants to make the redistricting process more transparent with regular reports, public draft maps and community input.

Dettelbach plans to combat the opioid crisis by simultaneously cracking down on pharmaceutical companies and pushing for a more rehabilitative drug code. One of his campaign promises is to create a Conviction Integrity Unit to examine “credible claims of factual innocence” throughout the state.

Yost is the current auditor of Ohio and is responsible for auditing state agencies and providing financial services to local governments. He previously served as Delaware County Auditor and Delaware County Prosecutor.

Under Yost, the auditor’s office was a force behind investigations into the yearslong Columbus City Schools data-rigging scandal, which revealed administrators were fudging student test scores to receive higher marks on the state educational report card.

Dettelbach and other opponents of Yost have cried foul over a $29,000 campaign contribution Yost took from Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT)’s founders, saying that the money delayed the auditor’s investigation into major thefts committed by the for-profit online school system.

enochforcongress.com

davidsonforcongress.com

steveforohio.com

Cordray and Sutton offer best plan for healthcare, opioids, gun control The following reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Miami Student In one week, voters from across the state of Ohio will go to the polls and make an important choice about who will lead Ohio for the next four years. Their choices are a Republican ticket of Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted and a Democratic ticket of Richard Cordray and former Congresswoman Betty Sutton.

This is a choice Ohioans should not take lightly, and it is certainly not a choice we took lightly.

After careful consideration of each ticket qualifications and policies, the editorial board has chosen to endorse Richard Cordray and Betty Sutton for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of the State of Ohio. Cordray and Sutton have strong policies to improve healthcare, solve the opioid epidemic and end gun violence in Ohio communities.

Richard Cordray was born in Grove City, Ohio, and for almost three decades, has been a prominent figure in Ohio politics. He has served in the Ohio House of Representatives, as Ohio Solicitor General, Ohio Treasurer and Ohio Attorney General, and in 2012 he was appointed by President Barack Obama as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

His running mate, Betty Sutton, was born in Barberton, Ohio. She has served on the city council of Barberton, in the Ohio House of Representatives and as a congresswoman from Ohio’s 13 district.

Cordray supports the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Sutton voted for the law while in Congress. Cordray has made healthcare a central point of his campaign through his promise to expand Medicaid and protect healthcare for those with pre-existing conditions. This summer Cordray challenged DeWine to protect citizens with pre-existing conditions by intervening in a lawsuit against the ACA, which was supported by 20 Republican attorneys general.

Along with protecting those with pre-existing conditions, Cordray and Sutton’s plan to improve healthcare includes improving the exchange rate to provide consumers with more choices, lower costs and expanded access across the state. They also plan to expand the Children’s Health Insurance Pro-

gram (CHIP) to protect Ohio’s children.

As opioid deaths continue to rise in Ohio, Cordray and Sutton have prepared a plan to fight the epidemic. This plan includes implementing a “state of emergency” in Ohio for the local, state and federal government to take control of the crisis. Their plan also includes making treatment and preventative care more affordable for the addicted. Cordray believes Medicaid expansion is the key to fighting this crisis, as expanded Medicaid would help the poorest areas of Ohio, which are most affected by the crisis.

In the wake of recent mass shootings in Pittsburgh and in Cincinnati’s Fountain Square, the issue of gun violence is more relevant than ever for voters and candidates alike. Recent data from the CDC found over 1,500 people in Ohio died from gun violence in 2016 alone.

While it is worth noting that Cordray himself has gone back and forth on the issues of guns (in 2010 he received an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association), his campaign has laid out a strong plan for passing common sense gun laws. This plan includes universal background checks, a ban on the sale of high-capacity magazines and bump stocks and raising the minimum age to buy guns to 21. Cordray and Sutton have also advocated for the implementation of an “Extreme Risk Protection Order,” so a court can temporarily bar a person’s access to a gun if they are proven to be a danger to themselves or others.

Because of plans to act on healthcare, opioids and gun laws, we have chosen to support Cordray and Sutton for Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Ohio. We believe they offer the best plan to support and protect Ohio.

We believe the DeWine-Husted ticket does not back the right policies to support Ohioans. DeWine has been endorsed by the NRA and has openly supported arming teachers in schools. As attorney general, DeWine sued against the ACA and did not use his position to protect those with pre-existing conditions. While his plan to fight the opioid epidemic is thorough, it does not place enough emphasis on lowering treatment cost for the areas most affected.

We believe that the Cordray-Sutton campaign has the best policies for Ohio citizens.

Under their leadership, we believe, the state will flourish. finfrobd@miamioh.edu

daveyost.com

Sen. Sherrod Brown promises progressive programs The following reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board of The Miami Student On Friday, several members of The Miami Student attended the lively U.S. Senate debate between Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown and Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Wadsworth. After a discussion of the debate and the qualifications of both candidates, the editorial board of The Miami Student endorses Sherrod Brown for Ohio Senator.

Brown, a native of Cleveland, was elected to the Senate in 2006 and is seeking his third term as senator. His campaign has been heavily focused on fighting the GOP tax plan and protecting the Affordable Care Act (ACA). In the decade Brown has served on the Senate, he has used his power to stand up for middle-class values and protect Ohioans.

Brown supports the ACA, the expansion of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). He has consistently worked to protect those with pre-existing conditions under the ACA. Brown also cites the ACA as an important tool in fighting the opioid epidemic.

Brown rightly believes the opioid epidemic is one of the most pressing issues facing the state.

From 2015-2016, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) found a 30.8 percent increase in drug overdose deaths in Ohio, and the CDC states that opioids are the “main driver of drug overdose deaths.”

Brown has a plan to fight this public health crisis and save lives. His plan includes making treatment and recovery more affordable to help those who are addicted.

Brown’s CARA legislation to help combat and research opioid addiction has allowed funding to be allocated to the Miami and Butler County communities to the tune of $2.1 million.

Just this year, Brown, along with Republican Sen. Rob Portman, helped to pass the Interdict Act, which gives U.S. Customs and Border Patrol the tools necessary to keep deadly drugs out of the country.

In the wake of multiple mass shootings, Brown has thrown his support behind common-sense gun laws and wants to work to bring an end to gun violence in our state.

In 2016, the CDC found that 1,524 Ohioans died at the hands of a firearm. Brown is working to end gun violence by supporting universal background checks. In 2013, he voted for a law which would expand background checks for guns purchased at gun shows and online. He also supports banning the sale of bump stocks and barring people on the terror watch list from purchasing guns.

Brown has historically fought for the rights of women and the LGBTQ+ identifying population.

He opposed a 2004 ballot issue to ban same-sex marriage in Ohio, and voted against a ban on same-sex adoption when he was in the House of Representatives. He co-sponsored the Paycheck Fairness Act, which protects women against sexbased pay discrimination.

Brown’s track record of fighting for Ohio’s

most marginalized populations, while continuing to work towards the overarching good of the state, has made the editorial board’s choice to support him an easy one.

Renacci, on the other hand, has taken a radically conservative stance. He has repeatedly accused Brown of domestic abuse and has cited court documents from Brown’s divorce from his ex-wife, Larke Recchi, as proof. He has also claimed, without providing evidence, that several other women have called Renacci’s campaign with allegations of abuse.

Recchi has denied these allegations and asked the congressman to stop launching attacks against her family. Recchi has since remarried and, along with her husband, has campaigned for Brown.

The Student supports all survivors of abuse and assault, and we believe they should come forward on their own terms. However, Renacci has taken advantage of Recchi and Brown’s divorce and ignored her calls to stops these attacks. Also, if the congressman knows of other women with allegations of abuse, he must allow them to come forward instead of using them for political gain.

Renacci was elected to the House of Representatives in 2010. Prior to his time in politics, he was a businessman who worked as an accountant for companies such as Grant Thornton. His political career began at the local level in Wadsworth, OH, where he was elected to city council and, in 2004, as mayor.

Contrary to his previous reputation as a centrist Republican, Renacci has taken a radically conservative stance throughout his campaign.

His campaign has also been chaotic, as he is now on his fourth campaign manager.

The congressman has advocated for more guns as a response to gun violence and supports a policy where a person would need a single permit to practice concealed carry in all 50 states.

Renacci has fought against the ACA and advocated for the “repeal and replace” policy, without providing an alternative to replace it with.He says that he supports protecting those with pre-existing conditions, but has placed his support behind the American Healthcare Act, which experts have said would strip healthcare from people with pre-existing conditions.

Renacci, like Brown, promises to fight the opioid epidemic. Renacci supported laws such as the Communities and Patients Act, which gives resources to areas affected by the epidemic. He has also advocated for an opioid addiction advisory board to combat the crisis.

Ultimately, we support Brown’s agenda for a more equal Ohio with a stronger middle class.

We believe. Brown has the best policies to fight the opioid crisis, protect healthcare for those with pre-existing conditions, end gun violence in our state and protect the rights of women and the LGBTQ+ community. finfrobd@miamioh.edu

CULTURE 8

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

RIGAZIKM@MIAMIOH.EDU

Saying goodbye to Oxford’s most beloved diva MADELINE MITCHELL CULTURE EDITOR

I remember the first time Dr. Paul Jackson called me a “little diva.” I was in my first college theatre production, playing the role of Antigone in “These Seven Sicknesses.” Dr. J came into one of our early rehearsals to observe as the advisor for the project, and afterwards he called me out from my backstage perch to appear in front of him, center stage.

“You’re going to do big things, Miss Maddie,” he said. “You little diva!”

I remember being shocked and flattered, and a just a little bit suspicious. I had a grand total of four lines in the entire play, and was onstage for maybe three minutes of the one-act.

How could he see any of my potential in those three minutes?

But what I came to know about Dr. J in the two years I learned from him was that he knew his students.

He knew people in general, really. He saw you, saw right into your heart and soul, and knew you. It didn’t take him long to know you, to love you and to care for you with all of his big, welcoming heart. Once he knew you, he would never forget you.

And those who knew Dr. J will never forget him, even after his passing almost three months ago.

Dr. J was a professor, a department chair, a mentor, a husband, a friend, a creative genius, a cat-lover and a brilliant theatre maker. His sudden death on Aug. 8 left all of us confused and grieving. Now, at the end of October, former Miami students of the beloved Dr. J could finally come together in the Gates-Abegglen Theatre with faculty, friends and family in celebration of a life well lived by our favorite diva.

When I walked into the theater, a slideshow of photos was playing to the sound of “Landslide.” Photos of a youthful Dr. J were mixed in with the Dr. J I knew towards the end of his life. I was overwhelmed by the number of alumni I recognized in the audience; I felt proud to be a part of a department that was close enough to call family. We needed each other in this moment.

The service began with our dean of the College of Creative Arts, Elizabeth Mullenix, welcoming us through a tear-filled tribute. We then all stood and sang “Seasons of Love” together, our voices bouncing around the the-

MIAMI THEATRE STUDENTS SURROUND DR. J AT HIS RETIREMENT PARTY IN 2016.

CONTRIBUTED BY GION DEFRANCESCO

ater and floating up toward the ceiling.

The memorial was a two-hour rollercoaster of emotions, complete with readings of Dr. J’s favorite writers, songs from his favorite musicians and countless stories told by his former students, colleagues, husband and childhood friend.

It was almost a replica of his retirement party from December of 2016; former student Brenton Sullivan and current senior Joshua George even reenacted an impromptu performance Dr. J had given at the retirement celebration, a creative twist on a famous scene from August Wilson’s “Fences.” But the lack was felt wholeheartedly in the absence of Dr. J’s boisterous laugh and squeals of “diva” in between presenters.

The speakers all paid tribute to Dr. J by letting out some of his signature phrases, imitating his “mmms” and calling out “Lorraine!!” just as he used to. Gion Defrancesco even played a

meowing cat ringtone in the middle of his speech, calling remembrance to Dr. J’s love of his three “children.”

I watched as my two best friends, both 2017 Miami grads, took the stage separately to pay their respects to a man that changed their lives in the best of ways. I cried in the audience, overwhelmed by pride for both of them and by gratitude that Dr. J’s legacy lives on in both of them, that they were able to be seen by Dr. J and grow from his guidance.

Each of us had a slip of paper in our programs with a different Dr. J quote printed on it. We were encouraged to share them with those around us in the middle of the ceremony, and mine was a crowd pleaser: “But is she authentic. Oops the binary we shall continue,” in the context of “after a short FB chat on Beyonce.” It made me smile to have this little bit of Dr. J’s humor brought back through a simple slip of paper.

Dr. J, although an entertaining,

From one nerd to another Cecily Strong breaks down the barrier between the performer and the audience KATE RIGAZIO

CULTURE EDITOR

I used to spend Monday mornings in eighth-grade homeroom doing impersonations of whatever character Cecily Strong had played on that weekend’s episode of “Saturday Night Live,” much to the dismay of my classmates. She joined the cast of SNL right around the time my parents started to let me watch the show in its entirety.

Her comedy was something that my dorky, eccentric 14-year-old self identified with. I adored and admired her from the start of her career on the show.

So, you can only imagine the nauseating mix of excitement and nervousness I felt while she squinted to see me across a packed theater as I asked her a question.

Cecily performed to a sold out Wilks Theater last Thursday. By the time doors opened at 7:30, the line of students wrapped through the Shade Family Room and back outside the Armstrong’s East Wing exit.

Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola opened for Cecily. Her name had been absent from all advertisements for the event, so her performance came as a surprise. And she killed it. Rashida’s stories of her own family members had the audience in stitches, and her commentary on online dating resonated particularly well with a crowd of college students.

Rashida’s easygoing delivery made her set feel more like a casual conversation between friends than stand-up. She played to the college audience well and knew how to

follow the fun of a joke while staying authentic to her voice. My only complaint is that her set should have been longer. I could have watched her for another hour.

When she was done, Rashida introduced Cecily. She demanded the audience get on their feet to welcome Cecily to the stage.

I had intentionally not done research into Cecily’s stand up going into this event. Knowing her mainly from SNL, which is primarily sketch comedy, I was excited to see how she approached stand-up and wanted to be surprised.

But Cecily informed the crowd that what she was doing on stage was storytelling, not stand up.

As her set moved on, this became more evident. Cecily shared stories from her life with the audience. She talked about her family and childhood in Chicago, her anxieties and her travels.

What stood out about Cecily’s set was how, rather than performing a polished and seamless show, she spoke to the crowd with honesty. Almost right away, she admitted to being nervous about performing and kept a stack of loose papers on the stool beside her that she referenced throughout her performance, turning pages as she moved along. Her sincerity was disarming, and the audience happily served as a sounding board to her thoughts and reflections.

This is not to say Cecily wasn’t hilarious, because she was. Her side comments and comedic timing had me cackling, and everyone around me seemed fully engaged through her whole set.

Cecily’s performance twisted

the norms of what constitutes a comedy set, and it was exciting to gain insight into her thoughts and personal life. She was vulnerable while still in charge of her crowd and her story. Cecily’s openness bent the line that divides a performer and their audience.

When she was done with her set, she asked the audience if they wanted to do a Q&A, something I had never seen a comedian do before.

Audience members asked about Cecily’s experience auditioning for SNL, her advice for young performers and where inspirations for some of her most well-known characters came from.

My hands were shaking so bad when I was handed the mic to ask my question that I thought I would drop it. The MAP representative informed the crowd it would be the second to last question asked.

“Better make it good,” Cecily joked. “No pressure.”

“Yeah, thanks,” I blurted out.

My nervous brain was firing on all cylinders, and I immediately panicked, thinking the remark had come across as rude.

“You’re welcome,” Cecily responded back. “Let fear move you, girl.”

I asked Cecily if she preferred sketch, stand-up or improv, knowing she has a background in all three. She quickly reminded me she didn’t do stand-up, but storytelling. She went on to say it was hard to pick and talked about how she enjoyed getting the opportunity to do college shows.

“It would probably be sketch because I am a nerd,” Cecily finally said. “It’s not that cool.”

Cecily moved on to the final question, but I was still thinking over the final part of her answer.

I couldn’t help but smile to myself thinking of how the 14-year-old dork who was inspired to pursue comedy by this self-proclaimed nerd was definitely cool. rigazikm@miamioh.edu

hilarious man, was also a brilliant man. He changed the way the entire theatre department ran and brought in students that Miami struggles to recruit. He made sure that the women and black students of the department were seen. As so many of the speakers said, he saw potential in his students when even they couldn’t; just as he did with me as Antigone. Dr. J wouldn’t allow us to fail, and he was always there to make sure we proved his predictions right.

The service ended with a recessional and pouring of libations to honor our ancestors. We were all encouraged to call out the names of the deceased while Dr. Tammy Kernodle poured water into the base of a plant onstage. “Ashe,” we called out together after each name. “Ashe” is the West African word for making things happen, used interchangeably with “Amen.”

I can’t tell you any of the stories that were shared on Saturday at the

memorial — they are not my stories to tell. But Dr. J is a part of my story, and I am forever grateful for the things he did to build the theatre department and how his high spirits and generosity shaped the lives of my friends, teachers and myself.

Because of Dr. J, I now know to embrace the diva in me. I hope to make him proud as he continues to guide us from the afterlife. Ashe, Dr. J., you little diva. Ashe.

In his honor, the Dr. Paul K. Bryant-Jackson Memorial Scholarship Fund at Miami University is collecting donations. You may donate by contacting theatre@miamioh.edu. mitche49@miamioh.edu

‘Octets’ graduates from Miami stage, takes on Ohio MAYA FENTER STAFF WRITER

Last April, junior Austin Lamewona’s idea for a musical, one he came up with as a junior in high school, was realized when “Octets” completed a four-show run in Studio 88.

Lamewona said that producing the completely student-run show was probably the second biggest risk he has ever taken in his life.

His biggest risk? The “Octets” tour he’s in the midst of planning.

After showing to a full house at Miami, “Octets” will be touring from May 30-June 8, 2019 at various venues in Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. The tour will include seven workshop performances, which will not feature full sets or costumes.

However, a tour of this scale was not something Lamewona thought would actually happen. For a while, the idea seemed daunting.

“A lot of people asked me jokingly after the production, ‘When’s Octets going on tour?’ and I’d be like, ‘Uh, what do you mean?’” Lamewona said.

Miami alum and now producer Michael Ingersoll happened to be visiting campus the weekend of “Octets” last semester. Theatre department chair Julia Guichard was impressed by “Octets” and arranged a meeting between “Octets” creators and Ingersoll.

When Lamewona and Nick Witzeman, Miami Class of 2017 graduate and composer for “Octets,” met with Ingersoll, one of the first things the producer asked them was where they saw the show going.

“I was like, ‘Well obviously Broadway would be nice,’” Lamewona said.

“I felt weird saying it, but that’s where I want to be, that’s what I want for this show, and he took it at face value and was like, ‘Ok, let’s work back from there.’”

Lamewona took the producer’s advice and spent the summer working on the business side of “Octets,” in addition to the production elements.

He made a website for the show, gathered friends to record songs and continued to develop his portfolio.

“It’s gonna be hard to just submit this show to companies,” Lamewona said. “We don’t have any credentials other than I’ve written a couple plays and Nick has an album on Spotify.

There’s nothing within us that would make people think that this is a good show before watching it.”

To help find and secure venues, junior Julia Jones has transitioned from stage manager of “Octets” to company manager. As the team’s resident Cleveland native, she is in charge of all of the logistics for the Cleveland leg of the tour.

“The atmosphere of the team has definitely changed between the Studio 88 performances and now, as we prepare for the 2019 summer tour, because we know that this is an intense venture,” Jones said. “We’ve been treating the tour as a serious professional opportunity for all of those involved because that’s what it is.”

One of the venues Jones has helped book is Near West Theatre in Cleveland. Though there are still a few details to work out before it is official, this is the type of venue that the team is looking for — 275 seats, located in the Gordon Square Arts District and, most importantly, enthusiastic about the production.

“That was a big breakthrough for us because we have been unsure of venues and wondering, ‘can we get this show to happen in a way that’s not like we’re just performing at high schools or random events?’” Lamewona said. “We have a legit theater with an already established audience base that we have reserved.”

The “Octets” team knows they have a long way to go in planning and executing their tour, but Lamewona has been working on the production every day for the past two years and doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.

“People have sacrificed their time to put into this project,” Lamewona said. “I almost feel a responsibility to those people to make sure that this reaches its full potential.” fentermc@miamioh.edu

MITCHE49@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

CULTURE 9

Miami Fraternities join the conversation on consent BRIAH LUMPKINS

THE MIAMI STUDENT

There is no question that sexual assault is a problem on college campuses. As Miami enters its tenth week of the semester, 11 sexual assaults have already been reported. This does not include assaults that could have potentially occured, but have not been documented.

Other institutions, such as Ohio University, have also experienced a wave of sexual assaults on their campus, with more than a dozen assaults being reported within the first month of their school year. Yet OU’s response to these assaults stands out from others.

In September, students at OU organized a rally that drew in hundreds of people who marched through Court Street in downtown Athens in protest of the sexual assaults taking place at their university. In addition to the rally, the university’s fraternities and sororities have made an effort to bring awareness by hanging sheet signs on their organization’s houses.

“No does not mean convince me” and “Consent is Bae” are just a few of the messages displayed outside of the fraternity homes at OU. A tweet by OU’s Interfraternity Council displaying the banners has received over 24,600 retweets and 91,000 likes.

Their actions have inspired other universities like Ball State and Kent State University to display banners of their own to bring awareness to the assaults taking place on their campuses.

For a while, some students have wondered if the fraternities at Miami would participate in this movement. As of this week, a few fraternities, such as Pi Kappa Pi, Alpha Epsilon Pi and Beta Theta Pi, have displayed their own banners outside of their chapter houses, but not everyone has been impressed with these efforts.

“I feel like we’re a little late to the game,” said Julia Koenig, President of Feminists Working On Revolutionary Democracy (F-Word). “I think there needs to be a lot of collaboration within the IFC [The Interfraternity Council] community and getting people on the same page.”

The banners were first displayed on Oct. 23, the Greek Day of Action. The Greek Day of Action is a part of the larger It’s On Us Fall Week of Action campaign which runs Oct. 21-27. The campaign started in September of 2014 under the Obama administration to bring awareness, and potentially bring an end, to sexual assault on college campuses.

All week, representatives of the group have been stationed in Armstrong Student Center attempting to have students sign a pledge which shows that they “commit to helping others create a culture of consent, bystander intervention and survivor support.”

There’s been speculation on social media over whether the fraternities were waiting until the right time to participate in this movement or if they were coerced into doing so.

Miami University’s official instagram page posted a photo of a few of the banners earlier this week. The comments left under the photo were mostly negative, with one of the commenters posting that the banners “might’ve meant a lot more if they weren’t forced to put them up.”

Another comment stated, “actions speak louder than words…”

Fraternities are not the only institutions displaying banners around campus. There are two

banners hung on Miami’s North quad, where one of the 11 sexual assaults this semester was reported. One hangs on the front of Hepburn Hall which reads, “Enthusiastic Consent is the ONLY Consent.” The other hangs beside Martin Dining Hall and reads, “No means No. It’s on You, It’s on Me, It’s on Us.” “I think it’s a great first step that they’re placing the signs, because it helps to challenge toxic norms,” said Nadia Dawisha, a Miami alum and sexual assault activist. “I think the next step is to go into fraternities and other groups on campus and challenge what people think on sexual assault.”

Dawisha feels many people have untrue preconceptions or misconstrued images of what sexual assault is. She believes this is why many people don’t recognize or believe they could ever be a perpetrator or victim of sexual assault. She also believes the online sexual assault prevention course that first-year students are required to take before the beginning of the school year is not enough. Things like bystander prevention should also be included, Dawisha said.

The concept of bystander intervention is used on campuses across the country to show students how to behave and potentially prevent an act of sexual assault from happening to a person other than themselves. Students are taught to recognize the signs and how to intervene in situations where someone feels uncomfortable with the sexual advances of another person.

“Requiring bystander intervention for every student beyond what is online is very important,” said Dawisha. “It can empower students to understand and know how to intervene, and can educate them on sexual assault.”

MIAMI FRATERNATIES FIRST DISPLAYED THE SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS BANNERS ON THE GREEK DAY OF ACTION. CONTRIBUTED BY MIAMI UNIVERSITY

lumpkibm@miamioh.edu

Miami vs. OU

Clash of the Costumes DUARD HEADLEY

ASST. CULTURE EDITOR

After a gloomy three-hour drive on rainy highways, my friends and I arrived in Athens. Although the evening was dark and cold, the town’s Halloween festivities were well underway.

Before embarking on the trip, I thought that it’d be interesting to observe the kinds of costumes that both Miami and OU had on display during the frightening festivities. In the spirit of the age-old rivalry between the two universities, who had the better costumes?

The narrow streets and tightly packed buildings of Athens gave the town an intimate vibe. The roads wound throughout frat houses and school buildings alike, at inclines that made the area feel more like San Francisco than Oxford.

All along the darkened lanes of the town, Halloween parties glowed. Although the weekend’s main event — the massive block party — wouldn’t take place until the following evening, the sidewalks were packed with costume-clad revelers.

The first fiesta I found was filled to the brim with fantastic costumes. Partiers spilled out onto the porch of the ranch-style home, creating a wall of brightly dressed people and making it difficult to navigate the densely packed interior. Greeting me on the porch, Aang, the protagonist from “Avatar: The Last Airbender” stood proudly. Garbed in ornate yellow and orange monk’s robes, the individual behind the costume had even shaved and dyed their hair so that it mimicked the blue arrow that streaks across the character’s head.

Inside the party, Doctor Strange, wrapped in a lavish red cape and adorned with a glowing green amulet, chatted with the jumpsuit-clad Beatrix Kiddo from Kill Bill. Wirt, a character from the cartoon “Over the Garden Wall,” was easily distinguishable from anywhere in the house, as his tall, red, cone-shaped hat towered at least a foot over everyone else. Decked in furs and blue facepaint, William Wallace sat outside and shared a cigar with Maverick from “Top Gun.” Amidst the chaos, Michael Moore wound through the party, interviewing individuals with a prop microphone and characteristic dry wit.

“People here take Halloween pretty seriously,” said Grant Crawford, a first-year at OU. “The costumes are always great, and the block party is like a riot, but instead of everyone being angry, they’re just drunk.”

As the night continued and my friends and I hiked up and down the steep Athens streets, no subsequent party quite matched the caliber of outfits from the first event. There were still plenty of good costumes, though. As we scoured the tiny town, we saw a second, equally elaborate Doctor Strange, a fairy princess with glittering wings and a gilded crown and Jareth, David Bowie’s character from the “Labyrinth,” wild 80s hair and graceful eye makeup applied to perfection.

One night and another three hour drive later, we were back in Oxford and ready for the second round of outfit observations. The hour grew late and my friends and I set off into the streets of uptown, eyes peeled for the best costumes Oxford had to offer.

I found that, although Miamians match the students of OU in their exuberance for festivities, they fall sadly short in the costume department.

On High Street, the lines for bars like Brick Street and New Bar were littered with store-bought superhero outfits and bright onesies of animals and monsters.

A group of inmates walked past us, all dressed in the same orange t-shirts and fishnet leggings, followed closely by two onesie wearing men, one shark and one Elmo. There was a trend among women’s costumes of wearing a dress that could be worn on any night uptown, and simply adding a pair of devil’s horns, some cat ears or a halo.

“For me, [Halloween] isn’t so much about the costumes as it is having fun,” said Anna Bellman, one of many devils roaming the streets of Oxford. “I can have just as good a time wearing whatever, and it costs way less.”

But amidst the lower-effort costumes, there were some genuinely great outfits. Cruella DeVille strode haughtily past Chipotle, lazily puffing at her cigarette holder as she drew her voluptuous fur coat around her shoulders. Wonder Bread Woman, wearing blue, yellow, red and white armor and brandishing a blade of bread, marched proudly past DuBois bookstore.

There’s no prize for which university has the best costumes, and although the residents of Athens seemed to have the edge on those in Oxford, students from both schools didn’t seem to mind. Devils danced, monsters mingled and poltergeists partied late into the night, marking another successful Halloween holiday for Miami and OU alike. headledd@miamioh.edu

TOP: THREE OHIO UNIVERSITY STUDENTS DRESSED AS CHARACTERS FROM “HEATHERS.” CONTRIBUTED BY JULIA ARWINE BOTTOM: TWO MIAMI STUDENTS IN COSTUME. CONTRIBUTED BY ANNA MINTON

Sports

10

SIMANSEC@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

“It’s all good” for Bart Baratti Defensive back played careerbest game against Army despite injury CHRIS VINEL

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Bart Baratti played the entire second half with a broken left hand in Miami football’s loss to Army on Oct. 20. But no one could’ve guessed.

The junior defensive back stood out while filling in for three injured RedHawk safeties, making a career-high nine tackles (including one tackle for loss) and breaking up one of Army’s two passing attempts.

He impressed head coach Chuck Martin with how disruptive and active he played.

“If we had one of those step things on Baratti, he probably ran ten miles,” Martin said with a laugh. “And a full speed ten miles.”

But nobody, not even Baratti’s teammates or coaches, knew he had a broken hand. He didn’t tell anyone about the injury until after the game.

“I didn’t even know he was hurt,” Martin said. “He never said anything to anyone.

That’s Baratti. Never told the trainers.”

Martin didn’t discover Baratti’s injury until the sports leadership and management major showed up to Sunday film study with his hand in a cast.

The break occurred on the back end of Miami’s last defensive play of the first half, a fourth-down, goal-line stop that kept the RedHawks’ deficit to only a touchdown heading into halftime. Baratti accidentally trapped his hand between the facemasks of two Golden Knight offensive linemen.

“I felt a pop and knew something was wrong right off the bat, but I didn’t inform anybody,” Baratti said. “I really thought it wasn’t broken. I knew something was messed

Baratti rests at practice with a gloved left hand.

Bo Brueck Asst. Photo Editor up with it at half, but I just didn’t really focus on that. I focused on our game plan and focused on trying to get a win.”

With the injury-depleted RedHawks defense lacking depth, he knew he couldn’t come out. He played the rest of the game, and as his statistics suggest, played the best game of his

collegiate career.

“That’s just how I am,” Baratti said. “That’s just who I was raised to be. Not come out with something little, you know? If we’re not bleeding out of our head – that’s what my mom always said – like, ‘Don’t come get me if it’s not that big of a deal. If you can run, breathe and talk, you’re good.’”

To the average person, a broken hand is a serious injury. Even to a professional football player, a broken hand is a serious injury.

Last season, New York Jets quarterback Josh McCown broke his left non-throwing hand and missed his team’s final three games.

This preseason, Chicago Bears defensive lineman Leonard Floyd fractured his right hand and waited until game day to announce he’d play Week One, three weeks after the injury.

Baratti only got a week and a half to recover before Miami takes on Buffalo tonight.

He’ll be playing with a splint on his left hand.

When asked if the injury might affect his performance going forward: “Not at all. It’s all good.” vinelca@miamioh.edu @ChrisAVinel

Injury-riddled RedHawks travel to Buffalo

FRESHMAN QUARTERBACK ALEC BORNHORST (17) LOOKS FOR A RECIEVER AS REDSHIRT SENIOR LINEBACKER BRAD KOENIG (38) LOOKS TO STOP BORNHORST. BO BRUECK ASST. PHOTO EDITOR

CHRIS VINEL

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

After a wacky non-conference thriller against a wacky triple-option Army team, Miami football (3-5, 3-1 Mid-American) returns to a bit more predictable environment tonight. Unfortunately, it’s on the road against the conference-leading Buffalo Bulls.

The Bulls (7-1, 4-0 MAC) sit atop the MAC East standings and have their best record through eight games since 1959. They’re Miami’s toughest in-conference opponent this season, and the RedHawks are light-years away from full strength.

Despite having three extra recovery days compared to a normal week, the RedHawks sport an injury list that would rival any oth-

er school in the country. It reads like a who’s who of Miami football: Senior wide receiver James Gardner Senior linebacker Junior McMullen Senior safety Deandre Montgomery Senior safety Josh Allen Senior defensive tackle Nate Trawick Redshirt senior nickelback Daryus Thompson Redshirt freshman defensive lineman

Isaac Hampton That doesn’t even include everyone who’s banged up. Junior safety Bart Baratti is playing with a broken left hand, and redshirt senior running back Kenny Young and redshirt junior tight end Nate Becker both just healed up to 100 percent in the last two weeks.

“Yeah, we’re awful,” head coach Chuck

Martin said. “[The injury situation] was horrible, but then we kind of had a little stretch where we were getting healthier. We’re thin. It seems like that’s kind of been the story.”

All offseason, talk about Miami football centered on the returning nucleus of experienced and healthy players. That’s changed.

The team’s veterans now litter the injury report.

To put a positive spin on the tears, breaks and bruises, many RedHawks now have the opportunity to step up into starring roles.

Defensively, redshirt senior linebacker Brad Koenig and Baratti each set new career-highs in tackles with 23 and nine, respectively, against Army.

Offensively, redshirt freshman receiver Jalen Walker led the team in receiving with

eight catches for 71 yards — both career-highs — while sophomore receiver Dominique Robinson caught a touchdown.

“We just have younger guys who are taking advantage of the opportunities,” Martin said.

“Like we always says, you hate when guys go down. You hate it, but you don’t hate it for the guys who get a chance. Right now, our guys that are getting a chance are playing some good football and enjoying the opportunity.”

Martin also noted junior linebacker Myles Reid, sophomore safety Mike Brown and redshirt freshman defensive back Sterling Weatherford as players who filled in admirably and will be relied on going forward.

Buffalo has won 10 of its last 11 games dating back to last season, with its lone loss coming against Army on Sept. 29.

It should give Miami a confidence boost that it took Army to double-overtime, while the Bulls lost 42-13 in West Point, N.Y. Led by junior quarterback Tyree Jackson and a host of talented tailbacks, Buffalo’s offense averages 32.9 points per game compared to the RedHawks’ 26.3.

Jackson stands six feet seven inches tall and is already on the draft boards of NFL teams. In eight games this season, he’s passed for 1,869 yards with 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The Bulls have run for 1,410 total yards this season. The RedHawks have been inconsistent in that department, but have still compiled 1,161 rushing yards.

Defensively, Buffalo limits opposing teams to 21.1 points per game. That number shrinks even lower in MAC games, with the Bulls allowing just 18.8 points a game to in-conference rivals. Miami surrenders an average of 24.9 points per contest.

“They don’t give up a lot of points and they get takeaways,” Martin said. “They’ve got 18 takeaways this year which is a ton. They set their offense up. Again, there’s a reason they’ve got one loss. There’s a reason they’ve beat some good people.”

Miami is currently knotted with Ohio for second place in the MAC East. A win over Buffalo would tie the RedHawks with the Bulls for the division lead.

“Obviously, it’s a huge game on the road against a really good team,” Martin said. “It would be huge to get [a win] and would put us in good position for the final three weeks.”

The injury-riddled ’Hawks travel to University at Buffalo Stadium to take on the Bulls tonight. The contest will kick off in the primetime 8 p.m. slot and will be broadcast on ESPN2. vinelca@miamioh.edu @ChrisAVinel

SIMANSEC@MIAMIOH.EDU

SPORTS 11

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018

After sweep, real test still ahead for Miami hockey

JUNIOR FORWARD CARTER JOHNSON BATTLES COLGATE FRESHMAN FORWARD GRIFFIN LUNN AS THE REDHAWKS’ BENCH LOOKS ON. EMILY BRUSTOSKI VIDEO EDITOR

EMILY SIMANSKIS SPORTS EDITOR

After a weekend sweep of Colgate University by way of 4-1 and 6-0 victories, Miami hockey wrapped the month of October with a 6-2 record.

This is the best start the RedHawks have had in nine years, good enough to earn the final spot on the USCHO.com’s top-20 poll.

The 2009-10 team that started 6-0-2 won the now dissolved Central Collegiate Hockey Association conference and went on to make it to the NCAA tournament, losing in the semifinals.

But the National Collegiate Hockey Conference tournament is still 136 days away for Miami. They still have 29 games left to play, and 24 of those are conference games. The RedHawks’ changed energy has proven successful thus far,

but the real test will be how the ’Hawks respond to elite NCHC opponents.

“It’s a good building block now, and now we can focus on our conference play for a couple weeks,” head coach Enrico Blasi said. “We know how hard that is.”

Through this weekend, three of the other seven NCHC teams were ranked in the USCHO. com’s top-20. The NCHC has won the NCAA National Championship for the past three years.

To put it simply, all of the good things that happened this weekend and throughout the month of October will need to continue for the rest of the season so Miami can compete with its NCHC opponents and on the national stage.

Miami’s ten newcomers, including two graduate transfers, have competed. They’ve helped propel the RedHawks to an average of 34.6 shots per game while scoring an average of 3

goals a game and limiting opponents to 1.3 goals (tied no. 1 in the country).

Namely, freshman defenseman Derek Daschke and freshman forward Brian Hawkinson lead the new ’Hawks with five points.

Daschke chipped in for three assists against Colgate and Hawkinson had two. Freshman forward Scott Corbett scored his first collegiate goal on Saturday.

Though it was Miami’s veterans who filled the score sheet over the weekend. Junior forward Gordie Green led the way with two goals and four assists for six points, senior forward Josh Melnick had five points (2g, 3a) and defensemen Grant Hutton (2g, 1a) and Alec Mahalak (3a) had three each.

“It’s easy when everyone plays the right way,” co-captain Melnick said. “As long as everyone’s doing their job, it makes everyone else’s job a lot

No tricks, only treats Volleyball sweeps Halloweekend BENNETT WISE

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Head coach Carolyn Condit’s RedHawks sit atop the Mid-American Conference standings after a nail-biting victory against the University of Buffalo (25-15, 21-25, 29-27, 20-25, 15-12) on Friday and a dominating victory over the University of Akron (25-18, 25-16, 25-19) the following night.

Miami holds a record of 19-5 (11-1 MAC) and is the winner of nine straight while remaining undefeated at home during conference play (11-1 overall at home).

“The team is really good at taking everything step-by-step,” Condit said. “So many of our younger players don’t know what these teams are about.

We don’t want them to blow it up too big.”

Friday, Buffalo got off to a slow start, hitting only .216 to Miami’s .375 in the first set. The RedHawks contained the Bulls’ outside hitter Andrea Mitrovic to four kills on 14 attempts (.214).

Miami led 4-3 early in the second before Buffalo went on a 7-1 run, forcing Condit to take a timeout. The RedHawks wouldn’t lead in the match until they were up 28-27 in the third set.

Neither team could grab hold of the fourth set

as the two teams battled with eight lead changes and seven ties in the first 24 points.

The Bulls opened the set on a 9-3 run, with four kills from Mitrovic to lead 21-15. Miami got within three points, but a series of kills from outside hitters Polina Prokudina and Kristina Nieves sent the match to a decisive fifth set.

In the fifth, junior middle hitter Margaret Payne slammed four kills and blocked one of Buffalo’s in the first seven points to give Miami a 7-3 lead. Freshman middle hitter Corinne Jemison added three more kills in five points to add to the RedHawks lead, 11-7.

Buffalo’s outside hitter Andrea Mitrovic’s attack attempt hit the net to solidify a Miami 3-2 match victory.

“The five set matches that we’ve had, have been with really good teams,” Payne said. “We just knew it was our game and we’ve worked too hard to let it go.”

Payne finished with 11 kills and three blocks.

Freshman outside hitter Gaby Harper added a team-high 17 kills and 20 digs.

The Bulls outhit Miami in the match .223 to .193. Mitrovic led all players with 28 kills on 79 attempts (.228). Setter Scout McLerran had a match-high 47 assists.

Saturday against Akron, Miami honored the team’s two seniors: middle hitter Courtney Simons and outside hitter Stela Kukoc. Simons ended with nine kills on 13 attempts (.615), two blocks and two digs while Kukoc finished with six kills on

easier.”

And the veterans know what to expect against the fast and physical NCHC opponents, games that will most definitely not be easy.

But the RedHawks showed they can weather a storm, like they did on Saturday night early in the second period. Colgate (2-3) put up seven-straight shots on net, forcing Miami to play in its own end with just a 1-0 lead.

With the help of junior goaltender Ryan Larkin (0.83 GAA), the RedHawks survived the momentum shift and came out of Colgate’s surge unscathed. The ’Hawks rebounded minutes later and Melnick scored a power play goal for insurance.

“I thought we bent a little bit, but didn’t break,” Blasi said. “I thought we stayed in our structure and got back. Our bench was really good. Our leadership was really good in terms of getting everyone back on the same page. You’ve still got to continue to play.”

For Green and Larkin’s efforts, they were named NCHC’s Offensive Player of the Week and NCHC Goaltender of the Week.

After an 11-attempt drought against UMass-Lowell the previous weekend, the power play finally found success against Colgate. Miami went 2-for-5 on the man-advantage as Melnick scored a goal on the man-advantage both Friday and Saturday night.

The RedHawks were almost perfect on the man-disadvantage (4-for-5), but Colgate’s lone goal from the weekend came on its power play.

The goal put Miami’s penalty kill at a 88.5 percent success rate for the season, ranking them 10th nationally.

“As a coach, you still feel like you can get better in all areas,” Blasi said. “That’s what we’re going to try to do. We’re going to dissect it, and I still think there’s some areas we need to shore up.”

This weekend starts the RedHawks’ journey to try to improve on their 6-14-4 NCHC record from last season. Puck drop is on Friday and Saturday at 8:07 p.m. against the University of Omaha-Nebraska (0-5-1).

“We have a really tough conference and our new guys know that,” Melnick said. “It’ll be a good test for us next week for sure. I think we have something to prove.” simansec@miamioh.edu @emilysimanskis

SCOREBOARD 14 attempts (.429), three digs and two assists.

Miami dominated the match, holding Akron to a .138 hitting percentage, including .031 in the second set.

The RedHawks only trailed five times during the match, and never by more than two points.

The biggest and last lead for the Zips was at 9-7 in the second set.

Harper finished with 12 kills and eight digs while freshman setter Louise Comerford had a game-high 21 assists.

For Akron, middle blocker Ashley Richardson ended with nine kills on 19 attempts (.368). Setter Emily Weigand had 19 of the team’s 23 assists and added six digs. “[The RedHawks] just grind and play the same every night,” Condit said. “If you don’t do that, that’s how you get upset.”

Miami will face Bowling Green on Thursday in its final home match of the regular season. The Falcons are the only team to beat the RedHawks in conference play which they did on Sept. 27, 3-1.

The match will begin at 7 p.m. wisebm@miamioh.edu @bmw32999

Soccer Miami Ball State Swimming Marshall Miami

THURSDAY

2 3 SATURDAY

72 228

Cross Country MAC Championships Miami: Men’s MAC Champions SUNDAY

Field Hockey Ohio University Miami

’Hawks Talk “The guys walked away from this meet last year with a mission and they have not wavered from that goal since last year at this time,” -Director of Track & Field/Cross Country Tom Chorny in a statement to Miami Athletics

SOPHOMORE LIBERO ABIGAIL HUSER (RED) PLAYS THE BALL TO FRESHMAN SETTER LOUISE COMERFORD (13). RUISI LUO THE MIAMI STUDENT

Men’s cross country won the Mid-American Conference Championship for the first time in 20 years on Saturday.

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Opinion

12

BURNSKL2@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2018 STAFF EDITORIAL

Hostility and personal jabs damage political dialogue Rhetoric at Senate debate demonstrates need for change in dialogue The following reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board Miami University hosted a U.S. Senate debate between Sherrod Brown and Jim Renacci on Oct. 26 in Hall Auditorium. Before the debate even started, it was evident the crowd would be a factor. Just after 7:00 p.m., a rowdy Renacci supporter screamed “I love you Jim!” as the candidates settled in behind their podiums. That exclamation would turn out to be the friendliest of the night.

The audience of the debate was healthily diverse — political volunteers, military veterans, community organizers and people of all sorts complemented the usual pool of students, professors and locals. Both sides of the aisle were lively, which can be a good thing when channeled correctly.

But at several points on Friday night, that was not the case.

The moderator had to pause the proceedings multiple

times in order to quell the disruptions in the crowd. One man in the audience, who repeatedly shouted from the balcony that Sherrod Brown beat his wife, was almost escorted out by the police.

Passion is integral to politics. Politicians are the people citizens are entrusting with their interests and well-being.

It’s important to care.

What is unacceptable, however, is allowing political differences to push civility out the window.

The political rhetoric in this country is punishingly divisive at the national level. There is no productive reason that members of the public should bring that vitriol to a civil discussion and verbally attack each other in the audience of a televised debate.

Opposing passions will conflict with one another, especially when it comes to sensitive issues like gun control, sexual assault and the drug crisis. But to allow that passion to prevent candidates from talking about potential solutions to those situations is ridiculous.

Allowing hatred between political parties and the people within them to block progress is counterproductive.

When passion tramples on discourse, especially in the audience of a Senatorial debate, it robs the viewers at home of the chance to make their own decisions.

But the blame does not lie solely with the public.

Get out and vote The importance of conservatives voting in the midterm election

VARUN RAGHURAM THE MIAMI STUDENT

Following the election of president Trump, Democrats began preparing for the 2018 Midterm Elections on Nov. 6. But, Democrats are not running on a coherent policy platform. For this reason, it is imperative that conservatives vote, and they must vote Republican.

Democrats are positioned to gain the majority of the House of Representatives.

If this occurs, there will be formidable challenges for the remainder of the president’s first term. The president will not be able to make the recently passed tax cuts permanent, and any prospect of increased border security will be controlled by hostile Democrats.

In the Senate, Republicans are attempting to hold onto a slim majority. In the upcoming election, there are 35 seats available, 27 of which are Democratic. Republicans have a good opportunity to keep their Senate majority until 2020, when 21 Republican seats, compared to 11 Democratic, are up for election. In 2018, if Republicans are not able to hold onto a majority in the Senate, it creates legislative problems and does not pose well for 2020 and beyond.

There are two races that are representative of the nation. First, Texas must reelect Senator Ted Cruz. He helped guide the nominations of both Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh, he was at the forefront for allowing more Americans to keep a greater portion of their paychecks and he is working to make the tax cuts permanent.

Further, Cruz has advocated raising the retirement age for social security and allowing people to divert money they would otherwise contribute to social security into a 401k styled plan. He has stood against the expanding entitlement structure and has pushed for much needed changes.

Cruz’s challenger Robert “Beto” O’Rourke is a suave speaker and politician, but

at his core, he is still a large government Democrat. Last year, O’Rourke endorsed a single payer health care system,but later modified his position by saying it “is one option.” O’Rourke has also not shown any inclination to increase border security. He voted against a resolution supporting Immigration and Customs enforcement, voted against the Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act, and voted against Kate’s Law. Texas is a conservative state. If Cruz were to lose, it signals that Republican candidates are vulnerable in more moderate states.

Closer to home, Ohio must elect Mike DeWine as governor. DeWine supports allowing parents to choose where their children attend school. Traditionally, only children from wealthy families were able to attend a private, secular or non-secular, schools.

On the contrary, Richard Cordray supports transforming “struggling schools into thriving ones.” It is good rhetoric, but it fails to look at the history of public education. The problem in many underperforming schools is the culture, and that is not easy to fix. It is unacceptable that years of students will be subjected to experimentation in low-performing schools because Cordray is bought by teachers’ unions.

DeWine is also committed to confronting the expanding entitlement structure in our country. DeWine has endorsed work requirements for Medicaid recipients and has committed himself to reforming the system. Thirty percent of the state budget is allocated to Medicaid and that number grows each year. Twenty-two percent of Ohio is insured by Medicaid. Between Medicare and Medicaid, the government insures forty percent of Ohioans. This is unsustainable.

Cordray has vowed to continue Medicaid expansion. He claims that “we must afford basic health care rights to all Ohioans.”

However, Medicaid goes beyond covering basic health care services.

Nearly half a million Medicaid recipients in Ohio receive drug and alcohol rehabilitation. An effective solution for restraining costs would be to privatize the system, similar to the changes Iowa has made. The treatment is prohibitively expensive and will continue to become more expensive when Ohio assumes a greater percent of the costs. Cuts must be made, and Richard Cordray will not make those cuts.

Brown and Renacci were not innocent of giving into the politics of campaigning during the debate, specifically Renacci used a question regarding the Brett Kavanaugh hearing as a lead-up to an attack on Brown.

Renacci brought up allegations that Brown had domestically abused his ex-wife, Larke Recchi, and then proceeded to not answer the question he was initially asked. If these allegations were true (and Recchi has come out saying that they aren’t), there could be value in bringing them into the debate. But this cheap shot pushed the actual, factual policy issues to the background.

Falling prey to aggressive rhetoric does nothing but impede actual dialogue and debate that have always been at the foundation of the government.

How are voters supposed to make a judgement on who to entrust with their vote when all available options are spitting out personal attacks?

The entire climate of political debate needs to change.

Policies and grounded campaign platforms need to come back to the forefront of the discussion and voters need to be allowed to come to their own judgements.

Spewing hate does nothing but prevent the progress every person wants to see, no matter which side of the aisle they’re sitting on.

GUEST COLUMN

Liberty, justice for all isn’t a far-off hope BOBBY ADLER

GUEST COLUMNIST

Heading into the 2018 midterm elections, it’s easy to be pessimistic about the state of politics in this country. Eleven people were slaughtered in their house of worship by a bigot. Mail bombs were sent to political opponents of the president. Migrants seeking a better life are branded as terrorists. The cost of living in this country is rapidly rising while wages remain stagnant and leading scientists agree that time is running out to save the human race from the catastrophic consequences of man-made climate change.

It’s clear that we’re living through a turbulent and pivotal moment in history.

But through these dark clouds shines a ray of hope.

The public at-large has begun to embrace progressive positions. The Pew Research Center has found that millennials are significantly more likely to identify as liberal Democrats than their parents. A Gallup poll from 2017 found that 63 percent of Americans believe the rich don’t pay enough in taxes and 67 percent said the same of corporations. A survey from Reuters found that Medicare for All, once considered a leftist daydream, is now supported by 70 percent of the American people while only 20 percent of people are outright opposed to it. This has lead to some bizarre and desperate rhetorical lines from conservative policy makers, like Paul Ryan’s claim that Medicare for All would “destroy and obliterate Medicare as we know it” when the policy, by definition, in fact expands the scope of the popular program.

These shifts in public opinion are the logical conclusion of an informed electorate. Nobody thinks it’s fair that there’s a small group of people with more money than they could ever dream of spending, while 40 million others live in poverty, and the reasonable, common sense response is to do something about it.

To achieve our equality and justice-based ambitions, we’ll have to put in the work.

Building a fairer, more progressive society will mean taking on powerful factions determined to preserve the status quo.

But this doesn’t mean we’re doomed. It means we’ll have to fight that much harder.

We’ll have to make politics a part of our lives.

We’ll have to engage with our friends, family members, neighbors and fellow citizens who don’t vote. We’ll have to persuade people who have been crushed and disillusioned by an unfair political and economic world that

a better future is possible, and we can start right here in Butler County.

Rebecca Howard, running for State Representative right here in the 53rd district, has run on a platform of combating poverty, strengthening public education and guaranteeing healthcare as a human right. Vanessa Enoch, running for the U.S. House of Representatives in this district, is calling for common sense gun control and an end to the mass incarceration that has ruined the lives

“But the thing about being at a crossroads is that there is potential to take things in another direction” of countless non-violent drug offenders. By getting visionaries like Howard and Enoch elected, we can begin to rebuild our government in a way that works for all people, not just a small handful of billionaires.

That being said, it’s important to remember that political participation doesn’t start and end at the ballot box.

Elections like the one on Nov. 6 are a great way to start the process, but we also have to be the change we want to see in the world. That means going to protests against racism and sexual violence. That means paying attention to what your representatives in government are doing and letting them know what you think about it. That means volunteering and community service. We have the will and we know the way, all that’s left now is to do the damn thing.

It’s apparent to everyone that we’re at a crossroads, and it’s easy to be cynical. But the thing about being at a crossroads is that there is potential to take things in another direction. We can reject the hatred and injustice that has defined the last two years. We can fight to improve the lives of all people. A better future is possible, and we will be the ones to make it happen. adlerrs@miamioh.edu