ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
VOLUME 148 No. 9
MIAMI UNIVERSITY — OXFORD, OHIO
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2019
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: MIAMI’S ‘HOLISTIC APPROACH’ TO ADMISSIONS
The thrills of local politics
City Council candidates to debate on Oct. 30 TIM CARLIN
ASST. NEWS EDITOR The Miami Student will host its second City Council candidate debate in recent history on Wednesday, Oct. 30, in the Shriver Center’s John Dolibois Room. Jason Bracken, Glenn Ellerbe, Hueston Kyger, Chris Skoglind and Bill Snavely will take the stage in an effort to win over voters before the Nov. 5 general election. The debate will feature moderator-prompted questions covering towngown relations, economic and residential development and sustainability. Jason Bracken, a doctoral candidate at Miami University, is running for his first term on Council. He is a self-described progressive who wants to work with city staff on developing meaningful policy. Glenn Ellerbe, currently serving his first term on Council, is running for reelection. Two of his pillars are land-use equity and the further development of multimodal transportation in Oxford. Hueston Kyger, a life-long Oxford resident, said he doesn’t have any campaign platforms, only the desire to keep moving Oxford forward. Chris Skoglind, currently serving on the Historic and Architectural Preservation Commission, said he wants to improve town-gown relations and the mass CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
DESIGN EDITOR CONNOR WELLS
JUSTEEN JACKSON
THE MIAMI STUDENT A recent federal district court upheld affirmative action — a decision that is being appealed — which could affect Miami Universi-
ty’s admission’s policies. This month, a federal district court ruled in favor of Harvard University’s race-conscious admissions process. Some Asian students felt that Harvard’s admissions process was discriminatory toward them and argued that race
should not be a factor in admissions. If this case goes to the Supreme Court, there is a chance that affirmative action could be overturned. Affirmative action is a set of laws, policies and guidelines which focus on access to education and employment, giving special considerations to groups that have historically been discriminated against and excluded, according to CNN. Traditionally, affirmative action focuses on granting opportunities to women and racial minorities. But on Miami’s application, race and ethnicity isn’t a required field. Miami’s admissions office claims to take a more holistic approach. Brent Shock, associate vice president of student enrollment services, says that in contrast to having a minimum GPA or standardized test scores to be considered for admission, Miami looks at all aspects of the application: essay section, test scores, GPA and diversity, as indicated by various aspects of the application. In 2018 on Miami’s Oxford campus, about 71 percent of undergraduate students were white/unknown, 5 percent were Hispanic/ Latinx, 3.5 percent were multi-racial, 3 percent were black/African American, 2 percent were Asian and less than 1 percent were other racial minorities. Shock said diversity, broadly defined, means taking into account anything related to geographic location, ethnicity, socio-economic background and religion. This also includes attributes such as first-generation status and students who have a proven history with being interested in diversity. Students can show interest in diversity by joining organizations that promote or focus on diversity. Miami still uses race in admissions decisions, but it is considered alongside other factors. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
#ShowUpForShabbat memorializes one-year anniversary of Tree of Life Synagogue shooting SKYLER PERRY
THE MIAMI STUDENT Upon approaching the microphone, Jonathan Maxwell asked everyone to look around the room. “I’ve never seen something like this happen at Miami,” the senior and president of Hillel said in reference to Oct. 25 #ShowUpForShabbat memorial and dinner. This Shabbat was the largest ever held at the university. Although Shabbat meals regularly occur at the end of each week in Judaism, this particular Shabbat falls almost exactly on the one year anniversary of the Tree of Life Synagogue mass shooting in Pittsburgh, PA, where 11 people lost their lives during prayer. After the shooting last year, #ShowUpForShabbat became a worldwide initiative to show support for the grieving Jewish community. People of all ages, religions and backgrounds expressed their sympathy and stood by the community in unity. This year, Hillel and Chabad wanted to keep this initiative alive along with the memories of those who lost their lives. Both organizations opened their arms, inviting the Miami University community to participate in a special Shabbat service and memorialize alongside them. The event drew in a diverse group of people about 15o strong. Although many attendees were Jewish, an equal part were professors, students and families who just wanted to show support.
This Issue
STUDENTS LIT 11 CANDLES FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE TREE OF LIFE SYNAGOGUE SHOOTING. THE MIAMI STUDENT ZACH REICHMAN
NEWS
CULTURE
Out-of-pocket costs burden CCA students
A doggone spooky time Uptown
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SPORTS
OPINION
Football’s no. 13 Jack
Feeling lonely?
Sorenson does about 13 different things page 10
You’re not alone, we promise. page 12