The Miami Student | January 30, 2018

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ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2018

Volume 146 No. 14

Miami University — Oxford, Ohio

Miami Student hosting public safety forum FORUM

EMILY WILLIAMS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma hosted its annual Winter Gathering and Stomp Dance this weekend. A group of Miami students, faculty and staff made the trip down to Miami, OK, to experience the event. Jack Evans Managing Editor

Greek life formal recruitment registration down GREEK LIFE

CAROLINE CREEK THE MIAMI STUDENT

The number of students registered for both formal Panhellenic and Interfraternity recruitment dropped between 10 and 15 percent this year, according to Miami’s Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. This drop was anticipated, said Colleen Blevins, associate director of student ac-

tivities and the Cliff Alexander Office. “We’ve seen schools across the nation have a slight decrease in [registration] numbers as well,” said Blevins. Emily Wolfzorn, president of Panhellenic, agreed that Miami’s Greek registration numbers are consistent with those of universities across the country. “This slight drop in numbers is not specific to Miami, as the average number of men and women joining fraternities and sororities across the nation this year is slightly lower,” said Wolfzorn.

Following several student deaths last semester in hazing incidents, several universities suspended Greek life in response. Despite the recent national negative attention on Greek life, Blevins does not believe it has adversely affected sorority and fraternity life on Miami’s campus. “If anything, it has directed conversations to be centered around overall well-being and focusing on care and concern for [Greek] members and fellow Mi-

The Miami Student will host a public forum, “City Matters,” at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 21 in Wilks Theater to discuss issues and possible solutions for the city’s health and safety challenges. The panel will be filled by a mix of health, safety and government officials from Miami University and the city of Oxford: Oxford City Manager Doug Elliot, city council member Mike Smith, Oxford Fire Department Chief John Detherage, Oxford Police Department Chief John Jones, Captain Ben Spilman of the Miami University Police Department, Miami University Dean of Students Mike Curme and Vice President for McCullough-Hyde Hospital Pamela Collins. The event will be free and open to all. Miami students, faculty and staff and Oxford residents and employees are all encouraged to attend. Staffers first discussed hosting a community-wide discussion about safety concerns in Oxford after The Miami Student published an article about strain on the Oxford Fire Department’s resources. The article, “Burnt out: OFD staff stretched thin,” published on Oct. 24, 2017 and written by Asst. News Editor Céilí Doyle, discusses students’ use of emergency services, often for alcohol-related incidents. During an average weekend, Ox-

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COMMUNITY FORUMS WILL DISCUSS HEROIN PROBLEMS, SOLUTIONS

Former coach sues for firing over paternity leave

STAFF REPORT

MANAGING EDITOR

Local news outlets in southwest Ohio, as part of the Your Voice Ohio project, will hold five community meetings to discuss what people know and need regarding the opioid crisis. The meetings are open to the public. Because of limited seating, people are asked to sign up through the event’s Eventbrite website. The Dayton community meeting is full, but all other locations still had space available at the time of publication. The sessions are: — Dayton: 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, at the Dayton Public Library, 215 E 3rd St., Dayton. — Middletown: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12 at the Midpointe Library, 125 S. Broad St., Middletown. — Madisonville-Milford area of east Cincinnati: 6:30 to 8:30 Tuesday, Feb. 13 at the Madisonville Recreation Center, 5320 Stewart Ave., Cincinnati. — Wilmington/Clinton County: 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 18 at the Wilmington Municipal Building, 69 N. South St., Wilmington. — Washington Court House/ Fayette County: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 19 in the LaFayette Room, 133 S. Fayette St., Washington Court House. More than 30 Ohio news organizations are sharing data and stories as part of the initiative. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

LAWSUIT

JACK EVANS

THE WATER DAMAGED SECTIONS OF DRYWALL AND WOOD IN THE JOSLIN SENATE CHAMBER. CEILI DOYLE THE MIAMI STUDENT

Sprinkler head defect causes water damage in Armstrong FACILITIES

CÉILÍ DOYLE

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Over 1,000 gallons of water burst through one of the sprinkler heads in the Joslin Senate Chamber in Miami’s Armstrong Student Center (ASC) in a roughly 30-minute span on Wednesday, Jan. 3. The sudden burst of water pressure set off the fire alarm, forcing everyone in Armstrong to evacuate until the Oxford Fire Department (OFD) arrived to shut off the water. A pool of water reached the third row of seating, but the damage was mainly concentrated on the eastern side of the chamber, including part of the ceiling, sections of drywall and wooden panels along the wall.

NEWS P.3

MIAMI TRIBE’S WINTER GATHERING News from the annual gathering and stomp dance in Miami, OK.

“The problem is not that the pipes themselves burst,” ASC’s building service coordinator, Jim Rhodes said. “It’s that a hole the size of the pencil, where normally this green, cylindrical glass bulb is located in the sprinkler, was missing.” The estimate of how much it will cost to fix the damage as well as whose insurance will have to foot the bill — either Miami University’s or Messer Construction’s — is still being determined, as is the cause of the defect in the sprinkler head. “The insurance hasn’t been determined yet, because the cause will drive which insurance company will need to pay the cost of remediation,” said director of ASC Katie Wilson. There was an extremely quick clean-up

A strength and conditioning coach formerly employed by Miami is taking the university to court, alleging he was wrongfully fired after taking paternity leave protected under federal law. Head Miami football coach Chuck Martin, athletic director David Sayler and associate athletic director Steve Brockelbank are all named as defendants in the lawsuit. The plaintiff in the case is Paul Harker, whose most recent title at Miami was Director of Strength and Conditioning for the Athletic Performance Center. He worked in Miami’s athletic department alongside the RedHawks football team from February 2011 until Miami terminated his contract in June 2017. After Harker’s wife gave birth to twins on Jan. 20, 2017, he took just over three weeks of paternity leave, which was pre-approved by the university, according to court documents. The leave taken by Harker is protected under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which protects working parents’ jobs while they take time off to care for their newborn children. “Within a few days after returning from FMLA leave, Mr. Harker was told to quickly find a job elsewhere because it had been decided that his contract would

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CULTURE P.4

OPINION P. 9

LILLY GOES TO COLLEGE

COLUMN: LET’S RAISE OUR STANDARDS

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL BEATS RIVALS

We can set the bar higher than, “At least he didn’t rape me.”

The ’Hawks secured a much-needed win at home against OU.

The trials and joys of a first-time dog owner in Oxford.

SPORTS P.10


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