November 28, 2017 | The Miami Student

ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES

Volume 146 No. 13

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017

Miami University — Oxford, Ohio

Trial set for student facing rape, sexual assault charges SEXUAL ASSAULT

CÉILÍ DOYLE JAKE GOLD

ASST. NEWS EDITORS

counts students’ taxable income as their stipend plus the value of their tuition waiver.

In a document circulated throughout graduate programs, Vetri Velan — a Ph.D. candidate at the University of California Berkeley — declares that a student at Berkeley could see their federal income taxes rise by 30 to 60 percent. A student at a private institution like MIT, Velan notes, could see an increase of up to 240 percent.

For Miami’s chemistry Ph.D. candi-

HAMILTON, OH — Nicolas Cristescu, a Miami sophomore facing one count of rape, one count of sexual battery and 11 counts of voyeurism, had a trial date set for Jan. 9 - 11, 2018 and was denied lower bond on Monday, Nov. 27, in the Butler County Court of Common Pleas.

Cristescu entered Judge Michael A. Oster’s Courtroom A, in the criminal division of the Butler County Court of Common Pleas, for his plea/trial setting hearing around 1 p.m. on Nov. 27.

After Cristescu’s alleged Oct. 12 attack in a residence room in Heritage Commons against a female student (known in court documents as “Jane Doe”) was reported to MUPD, he was placed in Butler County jail. He has been there for the past six weeks.

In the original criminal complaint — resulting in Cristescu’s rape charge in the Butler County Area I Court — Det. Sharon Burkett of MUPD states that “Cristescu video recorded himself having vaginal sex with an unconscious female.”

Additionally, in the five initial criminal complaints in reference to pandering obscene material to a minor, Det. Walt Schneider of MUPD says “Cristescu possessed a photo-

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Uptown Oxford is aglow in preparation for the holiday season. Go to Page 4 for a preview of holiday festivals, concerts and other Yuletide events in Oxford. Jugal Jain Photo Editor

U.S. House tax bill jeopardizes graduate students’ financial futures FINANCES

JAKE GOLD

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Among other changes, the House GOP’s latest tax bill — the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), passed in the House on Nov. 16 — counts graduate school tuition waivers as taxable income, a move which could discourage poorer students from pursuing a Master’s degree or Ph.D. Most students in graduate programs are paid in two ways: stipends, which are

generally between $20,000 and $30,000, and tuition waivers, which allow students to attend classes at a heavily discounted rate. Even with the stipends and tuition waivers, graduate students can still have a tough time scraping by — especially for those who need to support their families.

In the current federal tax codes, stipends are taxed at the same rate as any other monetary income. Tuition waivers are tax-exempt.

But the House tax reform proposal (which some Republican legislators believe will be passed by the end of 2017)

ALBA CRAFT, INC.

Oxford’s uranium-laced history

GOALIE RYAN LARKIN TRACKS THE PUCK AT THE SLATER FAMILY ICE ARENA IN BOWLING GREEN ON SATURDAY NIGHT. SARAH NORTH BG PRESS

Hockey ties Bowling Green 2-2 on Saturday, undefeated in last three HOCKEY

EMILY SIMANSKIS SPORTS EDITOR

Miami hockey weathered Bowling Green’s pushback with grittier, chippier play on Saturday night to earn a 2-2 tie.

The RedHawks are undefeated in their last three games thanks to an improved, and finally successful, process. “[Bowling Green] works hard and they compete all over the ice,” senior defenseman Louie Belpedio said postgame. “I think we weathered it pretty well and finally got to turn our game around. Obviously, not the result we wanted, but we’ll take it.”

The RedHawks (6-6-2, 2-3-1 NCHC) were more evenly matched on Saturday night against the Falcons (6-5-2, 5-2-3 WCHA) after dominating 6-3 on Friday

night. The finale of the two-game series was marred with penalties and marked by increased physicality.

“Tonight we didn’t have that same start. Give them credit, they wanted to fight back and they did,” head coach Enrico Blasi said. “We’ll take the weekend as a whole — a win and a tie on the road, non-conference, hostile environment, good hockey team.”

The Falcons came out fighting at the start of the first, catching the RedHawks in their defensive zone for shifts at a time. Miami played good man-onman defensive coverage and stopped the couple of Bowling Green’s early transition rushes.

A handful of penalties put BGSU on a 4-on-3 man-advantage but sophomore defenseman Grant Frederic dutifully

OXFORD SOIL BEING TESTED FOR CONTAMINATION IN 1990S ORNL RESEARCH/ARTHUR NEWBERRY DESIGN EDITOR LOCAL HISTORY

CÉILÍ DOYLE

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

The Robinson sisters played in the water that shimmered and shined as it moved through the gravel and grass on its path down west Rose Avenue and onto south Main Street. Carol Robinson, the self-proclaimed mud pie queen, splashed in the rivulets that trickled off the roof and around the massive industrial facility next door to the Robinsons’ home. She paid little attention to the bustling sounds of workers coming in and out of the concrete complex.

The girls, all six of them, made an innocent hideout among the raspberry bushes that grew in their neighbor’s yard and on the building outside the

perimeter of their own yard, often plucking and eating the wild fruit right off the vine.

That was seven decades ago. The Robinson sisters — Terry, Gail, Carol, Kelley, Peggy and Amy — didn’t know it then, but the center for processing radioactive uranium in Oxford, Ohio, was directly behind their backyard: The Alba Craft Laboratory.

From 1952 to 1959, former Miami professor and Oxford resident Eugene Albaugh owned and operated Alba Craft Laboratory, Inc. Albaugh was subcontracted to manage Alba Craft by National Lead of Ohio, a company that controlled Fernald, which was a uranium processing facility for the Atomic Energy Commission until it closed in 1989.

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NEWS P.3

ALUMS MAKE ‘MOUNTAIN MUSIC’ The Waldrons’ music was born in the Appalachian hills.

CULTURE P.4

OPINION P. 10

‘OCTETS’ TO BEGIN PRODUCTION

MANDATORY REPORTING POLICY AT MU

Every element of the musical is created and performed by students.

“The reporting process was, for me, equally stressful...”

SPORTS P.12

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY Miami’s football season started hopeful, but ends with a losing record.

2 NEWS

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017

County considers court restructuring COURTS

LAURA FITZGERALD THE MIAMI STUDENT

After a review of Ohio state law by Butler County Prosecutor Michael Gmoser, Oxford may be forced to spend big money restructuring its court system.

Gmoser said he cannot prosecute Oxford city laws in an area court because he does not have the statutory authority to do so under Ohio state law. Gmoser has been prosecuting Oxford laws in the Area I Court for years, but made the decision to stop prosecuting recently after he reviewed Ohio law.

The city of Oxford is considering four restructuring options: using a new Butler County municipal court in Hamilton, establishing an Oxford city municipal court, creating a mayor’s court with an appointed magistrate or leaving the courts the way they are now.

At the same time, Gmoser has proposed combining the Area I Court with the other two area courts to form a county-wide municipal court.

To complicate the situation, the Oxford Police Department (OPD) recently started issuing citations under state law rather than Oxford law. If OPD cites under Oxford law, the city of Oxford receives 50 percent of the court costs. If they cite under state law, the city receives only $4 per citation.

Because of the shift in OPD policy, as well as Gmoser’s decision not to prosecute Oxford city law, the projected 2018 revenue for the city of Oxford from the Area I Court is only $10,000, a nearly 80 percent decrease from 2017.

Currently, Butler County pays for three area courts. Area courts serve the population that live outside the jurisdiction of municipal courts. Municipal and mayor’s

ASG calls for higher RA pay ASG

LILY O’GORDEN JAKE GOLD

THE MIAMI STUDENT

THE OXFORD MUNICIPAL BUILDING, HOME OF THE BUTLER COUNTY AREA I COURT. JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

courts are paid for by the city it serves, but mayor’s courts have magistrates appointed by the mayor and are not courts of record nor are they under the jurisdiction of the Ohio Supreme Court.

City Manager Douglas Elliott said the most expensive option for the city of Oxford would likely be creating an Oxford city municipal court. Elliott estimates the city would have to pay $240,000 a year from the general fund for a part-time judge and $600,000 for a full-time judge.

“The city of Oxford council will do what’s best for the city of Oxford and of course sometimes the alternatives aren’t as clear-cut,” Elliott said. “If we’re focused on the least costly option, it’s probably [best to] leave it the way it is now.”

If Oxford were to receive its own municipal court, the city would probably have to upgrade or build a new courthouse where the existing one is. If it created a mayor’s court, Elliott said, the current courthouse would stay.

In the case of a municipal court, a new courthouse would be an additional expense on top of the operating expenses.

Currently, Butler County Com-

missioners pay $24,000 a year to the city of Oxford to rent the courthouse Uptown, according to the city of Oxford’s 2018 budget report. The projected 2017 revenue from fines and court costs is an additional $40,000.

The total projected revenue in 2017 for Oxford is about $13.6 million. The revenue Oxford receives from fines and rent for the Area Court makes up only about 0.5 percent of the total budget.

Gmoser said the city law director could either hire a prosecutor or prosecute cases himself in a municipal court, allowing Oxford to prosecute Oxford ordinances again and reap the benefits.

Gmoser said while all the taxpayers of Butler County pay for the area courts, the Area I Court principally serves Miami University students and Oxford residents.

“Oxford has a unique and small population compared to everywhere else, and I’m paying the lion’s share of all the expenses for that,” Gmoser said. “The county is, and I don’t think that’s fair.”

Elliott noted that Oxford residents are also Butler County residents and pay county taxes.

An Oxford municipal court could also establish its own di-

version program, providing more revenue for the city that could then be put back in the courts, Gmoser said. The current program is run through the county and generated about $67,500 in revenue last year, according to the Butler County prosecutor’s office.

Area I Court judge Robert Lyons said the benefits of establishing a municipal court may not compensate for its cost.

“The money [the city of Oxford] gets from the fines pales in comparison to the costs of having a municipal court,” Lyons said.

If Oxford were to receive its own municipal court, it would most likely be filled by a full-time elected judge, while the three part-time judges that run the area courts now would be eliminated.

Lyons said the Area I Court operates efficiently as it is now.

“I believe that any rational assessment of the situation would be that this court has been functioning here for decades, functioning very efficiently,” Lyons said. “I believe strongly that the situation is not broken, why should it be fixed?” fitzgelm@miamioh.edu

CNN London chief shares story

The ASG senate voted unanimously last week to approve Sen. Mike Meleka’s bill that officially supports an increase in resident assistant compensation.

Currently, Meleka told the Senate, RAs are paid a flat stipend — for first-year RAs, around $7,900 in gross pay per year — that can be put towards school tuition or fees if needed. Their housing and meal costs are not covered. Under ASG’s proposed plan, RAs would get stipends that pay for their housing costs, meal plan costs and residential fees, as well as an additional $1,300 per year.

These numbers have been discussed with the Office of Residence Life, Meleka said.

Miami University’s resident assistants are in the bottom 10 percent of RA compensations across similar universities, as noted by the Resident Assistant Benchmark Study done by Colleen Bunn, Assistant Director of Residence Life.

University policy also dictates that RAs are not permitted to hold another on-campus job, so this could be their only source of income.

While an increase in RA compensation has been discussed among administrators, the student body is generally not sensitive to the issue.

Meleka hopes that the passage of this bill will result in student support for the increase in compensation.

“One of the reasons I do not believe the compensation change has been previously encouraged by the students and may not have had a response from the students is due to the misconception that RA’s are paid a high amount,” Meleka said.

“I think it is important to have this change occur because a RA is one of the first connections a student makes when they move into campus. The RA position has also been one of increasing work and expectations so for the pay to not follow this trend is something that in my opinion is unacceptable. The RA role has become one that can save a life so these individuals need to be valued at such.”

The bill also supports rewarding returning RAs by adding a yearly raise: For each year that an RA returns, they’re paid an additional $100, capped at a combined $1,500 between the increased base rate and the annual raise.

This plan could result in $70 added to student living costs. Currently, $400 goes to residence life from student’s residential costs. goldjb@miamioh.edu ogordelm@miamioh.edu

CNN LONDON BUREAU CHIEF TOMMY EVANS (LEFT) SITS WITH JOURNALISM PROFESSOR JOE SAMPSON. JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

MEDIA

AUDREY DAVIS NEWS EDITOR

When Tommy Evans first began his career in journalism, he was just trying to get by in New York. He freelanced in order to pay the rent.

Evans majored in political science and studio arts at the University of Rochester and earned a master’s in international politics at the University of London. But journalism, Evans said, is addictive.

Today, Evans is the current vice president and London bureau chief of CNN. He oversees all newsgathering for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Evans spoke at Miami University on Monday evening in a Q&A on CNN’s role in news from abroad, moderated by Joe Sampson, senior clinical faculty in the Media, Journalism and

Film department.

“I grew up overseas,” Evans said. “My family lived in Asia for most of my childhood, but international news is fascinating. I like different people; I love different cultures; I like to travel … I like telling people stories, and it’s amazing how often conflicts can be broken down just when people get to know each other.”

International news, he said, is also a lot of fun.

“You get to go to crazy places and see crazy things,” Evans said. “It’s frighteningly addicting.”

Evans also talked about the logistical challenges of working in international news, especially in Africa.

In one instance, he pulled a correspondent from Rio to cover a story in Lagos because it’s one of the closest international cities.

“You have to think about the world in a different way,” he said. “If you want to get into international news, geography will be your best

friend.”

Throughout the talk, five short clips from some of the biggest recent stories from CNN’s international operations were shown, ranging from a rescue mission of survivors of an ISIS attack in Syria to the London Grenfell Tower fire.

Reporters in some of the videos were in life-threatening situations in high-risk areas of the world.

One of the toughest stories to get people to cover was the Ebola epidemic.

“Bullets and bombs you can get your head around,” Evans said. “But the Ebola virus was this invisible thing. It was really really frightening.”

He added that a reporter would never be forced to cover a story in a dangerous area but that plenty of reporters volunteer to head to places such as Iraq or Libya.

“No story is worth dying for,” Evans said. davisa10@miamioh.edu

SECURE YOUR HOME FOR JR/SR YEAR Our homes are renting now for 2018-19 and 2019-20! All homes are next to campus and uptown. Gather your group today and go to www.schmatesrentals.com.

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NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

3 NEWS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017

MIAMI ALUMS MAKE ‘MOUNTAIN MUSIC’ PROFILE

JULIA ARWINE

THE MIAMI STUDENT

In the main room of Miami University’s Interfaith Center, Judy and Warren Waldron are playing music. Most of the color is gone from their hair, but their hands and fingers are still quick and lively. Judy plucks at the strings of her banjo while Warren’s bow moves back and forth across the neck of his fiddle. Together, they sing: “Free, little bird, as I can be; free, little bird, as I can be; build my nest in a wide oak tree, where the bad boys, they cannot bother me.”

They are playing what some call “mountain music” — music born in the steep hills of Appalachia.

It’s traditional folk bluegrass, characterized by acoustic string instruments such as banjo, fiddle, guitar, mandolin or bass.

But, neither Judy nor Warren were born in the mountains.

Warren, a ’79 Miami University alum and current clerical assistant in Miami’s general accounting, grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Judy, who is on the board of the Interfaith Center, got her Masters from Miami in 1969 and is originally from Springfield, Ohio.

Judy’s mother was constantly playing the piano — everything from Duke Ellington to the Spanish-inspired tunes she’d picked up in New Mexico. Judy herself began taking piano lessons at Wittenberg University at six years old.

Warren began learning piano around the same age, although he rebelled against it. He played trombone throughout high school, but it wasn’t until he joined a jazz band that he really began to appreciate music. He took a banjo class and taught himself traditional tunes by buying Appalachian records and playing along by ear.

In 1971, Warren went to a community square dance for the greater Cleveland area.

This was a time of societal upheaval, the Vietnam War, the countercultural movement and great divisions among American people.

But when Warren looked out on that dance floor, he saw something that truly touched him.

“Everybody was there — young people, old people, kids, hippies, guys who were in the army,” he said. “But everybody was together, smiling, having a big time, happy, dancing.”

In that moment, Warren knew what his

JUDY AND WARREN WALDRON OFTEN PERFORM AT OXFORD’S COMMUNITY ART CENTER JUGAL JAIN, PHOTO EDITOR

purpose in life was going to be.

“Whatever else I do with my life, this is gonna certainly be part of it,” he said.

Judy had a similar attraction to Appalachian music while in college. She loved the sound of it, but it wasn’t until she heard original recordings of traditional songs from the 1930s that she fell in love with it.

As someone who had grown up outside the culture of Appalachia, Judy connected with the soul and sincerity of those who had called the region home.

“This stuff sings about stuff we never talk about,” she said. “It’s very powerful.

It’s very raw. It’s very primitive. And it’s real. Nobody’s showing off.”

Warren and a hometown friend would play traditional music in Oxford’s town square, where he and Judy met. He played banjo, and she played guitar. They’ve been playing together ever since.

“Boy, did we play,” Warren said.

They played in the town square, at

churches and in Miami’s Shriver Center ballroom for students, faculty and townspeople. During the summers they even played at Cedar Point.

They formed three bands with fellow players throughout the years: Full Moon Country Dance Orchestra (named after the teenagers who mooned them during a dance), Rabbit Hash String Band and Jericho Old Time Band (named after their farm).

In the 1980s, they started doing public square dances at Oxford’s Community Arts Center, a tradition still going strong today.

“You feel like you gotta share,” Judy said. “We believe community is built by touching one another and being with one another.”

Decades later, music means just as much to the Waldrons, if not more, than it did when they were first getting started.

“For me the goal in life is to find what

your gift is, what your talent it, whatever it is and then to be of service,” Warren said.

“That’s what I think is important.”

“He always says that,” Judy said. “He’s so right — to be of service.”

Both Warren and Judy firmly believe there is a purpose to their music. It can bring comfort and peace like they’ve seen while playing at nursing homes.

Once, a nurse requested they sing for a woman who was dying, and without a second thought, they dropped their instrument cases and sang to her a capella by her bedside.

Another time, they played for an old friend and fellow musician while he spent his last days in a nursing home. They handed him a fiddle, and when he played, it seemed like 20 years had dropped right off of him.

“Every month when we do the square dance over there, something different happens,” Judy said.

They witness people falling in love and breaking apart, old and young people dancing alongside each other and even the occasional student venturing into the fray.

“The purpose we come together is to have fun,” Warren said. “Let everything else go.”

Ever since Miami ended sponsorship for the Shriver Center square dances decades ago, Judy and Warren have found it difficult to connect with Miami students in a meaningful way.

It can be a challenge to find younger people interested in carrying on Appalachia’s traditional sound. They wish they could find a way to get students involved with their music, to experience it through playing and dancing, not simply observing.

They encourage anyone and everyone to come out to their square dances and simply have a good time.

The Waldrons have recently been a part of a movie called “Mountain Minor,” about the Appalachian music they so love and the people who created it.

Both Judy and Warren played characters in the film and found that the experience added a new dimension to their music, making them more aware of its meaning. “[The film] is a vehicle for embracing and lifting up the music,” Warren said.

Back in the Interfaith Center, the Waldrons finish their song with a plucky flourish and a jovial laugh.

The banjo and the fiddle are put back in their cases, but it is certain they will not remain there for long. arwinejk@miamioh.edu

Town-gown survey tests Miami-Oxford relationship OXFORD

EMILY DATTILO

THE MIAMI STUDENT

A few years ago, Stephen Gavazzi was conducting a marriage family therapy session in Columbus when a strange idea occurred to him.

The husband in the session was yelling at his wife about something she’d done before they were married. That argument reminded Gavazzi of the dysfunctional relations that often arise between colleges and college towns.

“I thought to myself, ‘Oh, isn’t that interesting? Campus-community relationships are like marriages.”

After that observation, he began to consider the details.

Then, Gavazzi thought: “Wait a second — maybe there really is something there.”

The idea resulted in the “TownGown Survey” survey which circulated around Oxford this month.

Gavazzi, a professor of human development and family science at Ohio State-Mansfield, said that universities and towns across the country deal with the positives and negatives of being in close proximity to one another, just like couples do in marriages.

“This whole model was built on that kind of epiphany experience,” Gavazzi said. “At the end of the day, it’s always about relationships.”

Gavazzi worked closely with two colleagues, Jeff Martin, a professor at Clemson University and Mike Fox, a professor at Mount Allison University in Canada, on some cursory work regarding town-gown relationships.

“There’s one big difference between community relationships and marriages: in a town-gown relationship you can’t get a divorce,” Gavazzi said. “You’re stuck with each other, so why not make the best of it?”

After presenting their work at multiple conferences, Gavazzi and his colleagues were met with the question of how these relationships can be measured. Looking at some older family therapy models, they discovered healthy marriages result from high effort and high comfort.

“What everybody wants in a marriage is a harmonious relationship, and those are characterized by high effort and high comfort,” Gavazzi said. “Of course, that’s a moving target; you have to maintain that effort in order to maintain that comfort.”

Based on these observations, Gavazzi created the survey which is now being used to measure Oxford and Miami’s relationship. “The Optimal Town-Gown Assessment” is a major part of the The Ohio College Initiative Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Pilot Project in which Miami, Cleveland State and Otterbein University were chosen to participate.

This project’s goal is to reduce student alcohol and drug use on campuses by restricting alcohol advertising, enforcing policies and laws and creating a “health-promoting environment.”

About ten schools submitted applications, but the chosen three, including Miami, were picked because each had an existing towngown council to lead the project.

Miami’s town-gown initiative team (TGIT) is led by Oxford mayor Kate Rousmaniere and Miami dean of students Mike Curme, along with around eight other representatives from both the town and university. ​“The TGIT was designed to serve.

There are many long-standing and effective town-gown partnerships that have been doing great work for many decades,” Curme said. “We seek to better understand the goals

w E V E N T S Magazine Launch Kofenya Coffee Wednesday, 8 - 10 p.m.

After months of work by a dedicated group of our staff, The Miami Student is proud to announce the release of a new publication: The Miami Student Magazine. Stop by Kofenya to be one of the first to grab a copy while you enjoy refreshments from Kofenya and live music from Miami’s own The Wrong Crowd.

T H I S

of these existing efforts, and then help coordinate and support these efforts.”

Rousmaniere said two of the challenges the city of Oxford faces are housing issues and student’s alcohol use and behavior. The latter explains the additional questions about student drug and alcohol use on the town-gown survey.

“The relationship between the college and the town is notoriously complicated,” Rousmaniere said.

“Usually, the problem has to do with a lack of communication between the two institutions.”

This survey hopes to illuminate both the strengths and weaknesses of the town-gown relationship and, in doing so, improve communication between the two.

“Everything that has to do with town-gown relationships revolves around the students, and that’s for better and for worse,” Gavazzi said.

In Oxford, the student presence demands to be felt, particularly on weekends at bars and restaurants in Uptown. Recently, there has also been tremendous strain on Oxford EMTs and police, primarily from students.

At the same time, college students positively contribute to the Oxford community by supporting local

W E E K w

MEGA Quest

Self-Defense Class

Armstrong Room 2078 Friday, 7 - 11 p.m.

Armstrong Fritz Pavilion Thursday, 7 - 8:30 p.m.

Part scavenger hunt, part gaming olympics, teams of four will compete in various events to earn points, beat other teams and eventually earn prizes. Details regarding the specifics of prizes and events will be announced Friday. To register a team, head to the Miami Electronic Gaming Association hub page and RSVP.

businesses and volunteering at nearby schools.

“The relationship between Miami and Oxford will always take work,” Jessica Greene, executive director of the Oxford Visitors Bureau, said.

“All good, long-term relationships require this effort. In my opinion, right now we are embarking on a period of better communication and attempting to work together.”

Once the survey closes and results are collected, Miami’s town-gown initiative team will analyze the data and consider different courses of action to improve the relationship between Miami and Oxford.

About 15 universities and towns have used this survey, which is typically repeated every two years to determine if progress has been made. The survey was open to Oxford residents, faculty, staff and Miami students.

“I think it’s a very important initiative that Miami and Oxford are doing,” Gavazzi said. “The steps being taken here bode well for a continuing strengthening of the relationship between Miami and Oxford, and I think it’s admirable.”

The survey closed Wednesday, Nov. 22, and results are now being analyzed. dattilec@miamioh.edu

This 90-minute workshop will feature live presentations of important self-defense techniques as well as one-on-one instruction. MARS (Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault) are partnering with MAP (Miami Activities Programming) to hold the workshop. All are welcome.

’Hawks v. Bears Steve ‘Coach’ Cady Arena Fri., 7:35 p.m. and Sat., 7:05 p.m.

Come pack the stands at Goggin and support the RedHawks (6-62) as they face off against the No. 5 ranked Cornell Bears (9-1-0) over the weekend. Undefeated over their last three games, the RedHawks are hitting a mid-season stride.

4 CULTURE

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017

Oxford holiday events preview Sigma Alpha Iota, Miami’s music fraternity, and a flute solo from McGuffey docent Elaine McLean.

Staff and docents will also share holiday memories, accompanied by a slide show of vintage holiday photos. Refreshments will be provided.

EVENTS

EMILY WILLIAMS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Oxford Business Holiday Walk Uptown Friday, Dec. 1 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Uptown businesses will be bustling this Friday for the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Holiday Walk. All shoppers can snag free treats from the Tim Horton’s truck and 21+ attendees can enjoy free wine samples at participating businesses. A bonfire will warm the crowd as they compete to decorate the best holiday trees, all of which will be donated to local families in need.

Oxford Holiday Festival Oxford Community Arts Center & Uptown Parks Saturday, Dec. 2 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

This all-day holiday celebration is packed with 12 hours of festivities, starting with a holiday craft market at the Oxford Community Arts Center and ending with an evening of live music, ice skating and hot chocolate in the park. Pet a live reindeer or take a carriage ride through town. Santa will ar-

ILLUSTRATION:CONNOR WELLS

rive — by firetruck, per tradition — at 6:30 p.m. to take photos and spread cheer.

Bread Not Bombs Celebratory Dinner Oxford United Methodist Church Saturday, Dec. 2 from 5 to 8 p.m.

The Oxford Citizens for Peace and Justice (OCPJ) invite students and community members to celebrate and support the group’s activist efforts. Students are asked to donate just $5 to the OCPJ for an evening of home-cooked food and live music.

Holiday Music & Memories Miami University Art Museum Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 3 p.m.

The staff of Miami’s McGuffey Museum will pay a visit to Christmas Past for this event featuring traditional music performed by

MADELINE MITCHELL THE MIAMI STUDENT

Miami University students are taking their talents to every avenue of the theatrical world with the production of “Octets,” a brand new musical that will premiere next semester in Studio 88. The project will be written, composed, directed, produced, designed and performed by students.

The musical tells the story of two feuding singing groups, headed by leads Clay and Vicki, at a university resembling Miami. The show explores relationships that form between various characters, including a Shakespearean romance that is emphasized by lyrics written in iambic pentameter.

Sophomore marketing and arts management double major Austin Lamewona first came up with the concept for “Octets” three years ago.

“I initially wrote a couple scenes, but I don’t know how to compose music, so I set it aside for awhile,” Lamewona said.

“And then the summer before coming to Miami, I wasn’t majoring in theatre like I thought I

would, and I felt like I needed a project to dive into so I wouldn’t lose that part of myself. I found the scenes I had written and decided to give it another try.”

After a few years of practice writing plays, Lamewona felt more confident coming back to his stowed-away idea for a musical.

“I have never written a musical before, or written lyrics for music very seriously, but I am a playwright, so it’s not a completely foreign venture for me,” he said. “I had to do a lot of research, trial and error, which is fun for me. I’m working on my fifth draft right now.”

Still lacking the musical insight needed to tackle such a project, Lamewona turned to a fellow Miami student whom he had known and looked up to in high school, senior secondary English education major Nick Witzeman.

“Austin and I were in shows together in high school, including one my senior year that I wrote the music for,” Witzeman said. “He contacted me two summers ago to talk about maybe writing a show together, so we’ve been doing it since then.

It’s a great partnership — we work really well together.”

Every December, Miami’s Choraliers perform Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols Christmas composition written in 11 movements. They will be accompanied by harpist Jacquelyn Davis, and Miami’s Chamber Singers will also perform. Tickets are $5 for students.

Songs of the Season Oxford Community Arts Center Friday & Saturday, Dec. 8-9 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Local musicians will ring in the holiday season with this two-day concert event at the Oxford Community Arts Center. The cash bar will open at 6:30 p.m., and performances of holiday tunes begin at 7 each night.

willi501@miamioh.edu

Since the initial Facebook message that catalyzed the partnership, Lamewona and Witzeman have finished their final draft of “Octets” and will begin rehearsals in February 2018, with Lamewona as director and Witzeman as vocal director.

Surprisingly for someone so young, this will not be Lamewona’s first attempt at directing.

He has previously written and directed a play that went up at the Cincinnati Fringe Festival.

“I think it’s a really good thing to be able to direct something you’ve written,” he said.

“Especially to be the first one to direct it after writing it, so you can see the play the way you’ve imagined it.”

Through applying for grants and partnering with the Department of Theatre to acquire performance space and potential design guidance, Lamewona’s concept is slowly but surely coming to fruition.

To help with logistics, marketing and the overall running of the production, junior theatre and arts management double major Caroline Avolio has joined the team as producer.

“When Austin pitched the CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

THE PROMISED LAND: FRESHMEN JOURNEY TO WALMART STUDENT LIFE

BO BRUECK

THE MIAMI STUDENT

It wasn’t until Nick Klinkenbergh and Nathan Connor had walked all the way through the crisp fall night to the bus stop that they realized they didn’t know if the bus was even coming.

“I figured one of you guys had it under control,” Nathan said, looking up and down the road as if the bus would appear if he looked hard enough.

Their destination was the holy grail of college shopping. The place where two weeks of meals could cost as little as four dollars.

Where psychedelic graphic tees in the wrong size could entice a fun-loving, money-blowing, young adult to use that new debit card.

These freshmen were headed to Walmart.

Eventually figuring out that the bus was, in fact, not coming anytime soon, the pair began the cold walk back the way they came. They would get a ride with a friend’s roommate, who happened to have a car on campus.

Lucky break.

“Bruh…This place is huge,” Nick said, laughing and gawking

as he cleared the sliding doors.

“That’s Walmart for you,” Nathan said, grabbing a cart then quickly putting in back in favor of one with nicer wheels. He was clearly the more experienced of the pair when it came to grocery shopping.

As the pair began to stroll through the aisles, a realization seemed to set in. They didn’t really know what they were there for. They knew they needed some food, but what kind? And how much?

“Fruit roll-ups are a truly quintessential college snack,” Nick said, his phony academic accent justifying the junk food.

He added a package to the cart.

“Woah, woah, woah, jelly-filled donut Oreos?” Nathan said, disbelief and joy mixing on his face like a child receiving that long-shot toy on Christmas.

He tossed the package in the cart.

Aside from the seemingly random snacks and easy-to-make dinners accumulating in their shopping cart, Nick and Nathan also set their sights on some other items available at the superstore.

As Nathan pushed the cart down the main aisle, Nick would

Women’s self-defense class a rank above the rest

Ceremony of Carols Kumler Chapel Friday, Dec. 8 at 7 & 9 p.m.

‘OCTETS’ BEGINS PRODUCTION THEATRE

PERELMAK@MIAMIOH.EDU

frequently pop in and out of sight. He wandered ahead, looking at everything on the shelves from 99-cent DVDs to toy guns, which he would fire sporadically at his companion.

“What I really need is a scooter,” he said, promptly disappearing toward the sporting good section.

“Why does he need a scooter?” Nathan asked, laughing to himself. “He already wears those damn Heelys everywhere.”

Nick returned a second later, smiling from ear to ear, with a scooter box in his arms, raving about how its big wheels were going to be good for navigating sidewalk cracks.

Having filled their cart, the duo headed back toward the registers where their variety of food, none of which was extremely healthy, stacked high and began to flow across the self-checkout kiosk. The machine beeped and chirped indifferently as it added dollar after dollar to the boys’ receipt.

“Sixty dollars!” Nick said in alarm, seeming to just realize that all the things he picked out were going to add up. “Damn, that’s like six trash cans…” brueckro@miamioh.edu

TIER 2 DEFENSE HOSTED A WOMEN’S SELF DEFENSE CLASS AT THE OXFORD COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER. JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

SAFETY

CHLOE MURDOCK

THE MIAMI STUDENT

It was Thursday. It was dark.

I was Uptown, walking alone past a brooding Brick Street and suspicious cars tucked in alleyways. Walking alone at night reminds me of horror stories from family and friends, sexual assault notifications and the statistics that aren’t in my favor.

This is what drives the demand behind the women’s self-defense classes run by Tier 2 Defense. Tier 2 CEO Chris Cravens has eight years of experience in the U.S. Marine Corps Infantry, followed by a fivemonth stint as a protector for Gavin De Becker & Associates, a protective agency hired by the likes of Oprah Winfrey and David Beckham. Cravens also protected for a time on behalf of the U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service, or NCIS. The Tier 2 self defense syllabus for both law enforcement classes and women’s self-defense classes on college campuses is based on his experience.

I was on my way to Tier 2’s first-ever lesson at the Oxford Community Arts Center. The lesson ran from 7-9 p.m. (Another class marketed to Miami students is coming up on Nov. 30).

Despite spending the better part of the past year attending krav maga classes and learning tae kwon do, judo and hapkido with Miami’s Red Dragons martial arts club, I was about to find out I had been too tense to be able to effectively defend myself on my walk home in the dark.

While women’s self defense classes are often free of charge, they are nowhere near as intensive as the mindset training and maneuvers Tier 2 instructor Justin Goshorn focused on.

He trained for a time in Langley, Virginia, to prepare for his current position, but he first worked for Tier 2 as a janitor before working his way up to an instructor.

Most self-defense classes offer a brief mindset or attitude training, but Goshorn began by pulling up a PowerPoint presentation complete with bullet points covering the legal rights of someone facing an assailant.

While you do have the right to defend yourself, Goshorn said that “you must be able to demonstrate you were not the initial aggressor,” since your attacker can file a civil suit if you injure them in a fight.

“You can’t punch someone just because they harrassed you at a bar,” he said.

If you’re unable to prove this in a court of law, consequences can land on you instead of the aggressor.

“You may be charged with assault even if you only use the force necessary to defend yourself,” Goshorn said.

However, the legal definition of aggression extends to the verbal kind as well — for example, if someone is intentionally intimidating you to get in their car.

Goshorn recommended escaping a situation as quickly as possible to avoid a lawsuit.

He then moved on to what you should do before, during and after a potential physical altercation.

“This is more applicable to your daily life than the moves you’ll learn later on in the training,” Goshorn said.

Being aware of your surroundings can allow you to remove yourself from a situation before it starts. Goshorn also mentioned the importance of having a healthy amount of suspicion about people’s behavior and appearance, but warned that this was relative, citing the most recent high-profile sexual assaults in the news as an example.

“It’s okay to be suspicious of someone wearing a hoodie, but that does not mean a guy in a suit can’t be a potential aggressor,” Goshorn said.

After Goshorn’s presentation, the 38 of us paired up to practice key moves that could apply to multiple situations. Goshorn and his assistant instructor, Justin Koeiner, would demonstrate a maneuver before allowing the class to break out and try the move on each other.

I paired up with a woman who’d been correcting the Chinese characters in her young daughter’s workbook before class started. Her name is Lei Kerr, a Miami University engineering professor.

“I think an attacker would be much taller than me. I need to be able to strike higher,” Kerr said while she practiced a lance strike — a quick hit to the throat with the space between the forefinger and thumb — on my forearm.

Kerr and I also practiced getting out of a hold if an attacker wraps their arms around you from behind, if they push you up against a wall and then if they are on top of you and holding you down.

Goshorn encouraged everyone to return for another class. A two-hour session is educational, he said, but it is not a guarantee that we would be prepared for a potentially dangerous situation years later.

The class was made up of Oxford residents of all sizes and ages, including Joelah Marcum, a 14-year-old who dances regularly at the Flowing Grace School of Dance studio, which hosted the lesson.

“It’s not that you’ll necessarily have to go through this, but it makes you feel confident that you would be able to survive it,” Marcum said.

Marcum and fellow dancer Sarah Webster, 17, asked the instructors questions long after the class ended. What if an attacker pinned you to the wall this way? What if they were holding you down this way?

“You see a bunch of scary stories all over the news and you think, ‘Oh my goodness, would I be able to survive this?” Webster said.

The Tier 2 curriculum does not teach punching, kicking or kneeing techniques because this will supposedly come naturally in a dangerous situation.

Goshorn leaves the “nitty gritty” details to traditional martial arts schools and gyms.

On the dark walk back to my dorm, I could tell Brick was packed through the windows.

Music blared on both sides of Main Street. But after the Tier 2 Defense class, I felt a bit safer — relaxed, even — on my way to the other side of campus. murdocc3@miamioh.edu

Entertainment

DAVISKN3@MIAMIOH.EDU

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017

‘CONTACT’: RECONCILING SCIENCE AND FAITH FILM

CÉILÍ DOYLE

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

I first saw “Contact” when I was 14, sitting in eighth grade science. My friends at the time teased me, saying I was just like Jodie Foster’s character in the movie — a little too eager, a little too intense.

But hey, I was happy that I got to hook up with 1990s Matthew McConaughey.

I have always loved space. And I have always loved asking questions. But even back then, a STEM career was not on my radar — if the “C” I got on our final science test that year gave any indication about my future career, it’s that I would not be going to the moon.

Growing up Catholic, I was the annoying girl in Sunday school who asked too many questions, skeptical of how exactly the Paschal mystery worked and wondering when we died, where did we go?

No one could ever give me a straight answer.

I was frustrated. How on Earth (or anywhere in this universe) could the Catholic Church or God expect me to believe shit if I had no proof?

I watched “Contact” again this past weekend for my 20th birthday, and it reaffirmed why I love Robert Zemeckis’ film so much.

In the movie, Jodie Foster’s character, Dr. Ellie Arroway, is a renowned scientist who spends her days listening to radio waves emanating from giant telescopes in New Mexico in the field of SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence). She’s waiting for the day when she or “they” will make contact, and truly believes that there has to be life out there.

Her boss, David Drumlin (Tom Skerritt), ridicules Ellie and claims, “there’s nothing out there but noble gases and carbon compounds, and you’re wasting your time.”

He’s wrong, of course.

ACTRESS JODIE FOSTER STARRED IN THE 1997 FLICK ‘CONTACT.’ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

When the aliens do reach out (through a series of prime number sequences and radio broadcasts with instructions for how to build a machine to meet them), the world devolves into chaos.

Matthew McConaughey plays an esteemed theologian, Palmer Joss, who has a brief romance with Ellie at the beginning of the movie. He resurfaces later as an adviser to the president and member of the selection committee deciding who will be sent to the aliens to represent mankind.

Palmer and Ellie frustrate one another.

She is an atheist and he is a man of God. At one point Ellie demands that Palmer give her proof that God is real.

“Did you love your father?” he says.

“What?”

“Your dad, did you love him?”

“Yes, very much,” she says.

“Prove it.”

“Contact” is science fiction movie, but more than anything else it’s a movie about faith and humanity’s need to believe in

something, in anything — but most importantly, in one another.

My greatest fear is that the people I love — my family and my best friends — will disappear. They’ll die and leave me here, and I’ll have no idea if I’ll ever be able to see them again.

Foster’s character struggles with this reality throughout the film, and despite not believing in God, she still hopes she will one day see her father again.

There are some things in this world that we will never be able to understand. No matter how far our advances in the various scientific fields go, humanity and the entire history of our existence is just one small blip on a 14 billion-year radar.

Whether a tennis ball of energy started the Big Bang or a supreme deity clapped His hands one day and suddenly we existed, humans have always needed a point of origin — and a final destination. We move forward and backward in time and space, never considering that there was a time be-

‘Lady Bird’ is a witty, heartbreaking revelation FILM

KIRBY DAVIS

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

There are a lot of reasons why I drove around for 20 extra minutes after seeing “Lady Bird” so I could cry about it in peace, and why two of my friends texted me after watching it this weekend to say that it broke them too (in a good, cathartic way).

The film is witty, moving and almost tragically comedic. But what elevates it from an average coming-ofage tale to a complete revelation is its brutal honesty about being a female in high school.

The only recent film that’s come close to tackling this subject with such brazen authenticity is last year’s “The Edge of Seventeen” (before that, it was probably 1988’s “Heathers”). Also centered around an ungrateful California teen battling her mother and alienating her classmates, it now feels like a sort of stepping stone to “Lady Bird.”

The film explores the mind of insufferable high schooler Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), and all the havoc she wreaks while enveloped in her own cocoon of narcissism and self-pity.

“Edge of Seventeen” is great, and its drama — Nadine’s family still struggling with the death of her father years ago; her best friend dating her brother — is real. But it’s still a lighter film, as the mother-daughter drama takes a backseat to its central rom-com plot and friendly conflict. “Lady Bird” delves a few more layers into the often trivialized, rarely accurately represented lives of high schoolers and how they affect those around them. Nothing in the film is off-limits — not even masturbation jokes. Where “Edge of Seventeen” holds back, “Lady Bird” does not.

Saoirse Ronan plays Lady Bird (real name: Christine McPherson), who’s given herself the nickname, much to her family’s annoyance. She’s a restless but unmotivated 17-year-old constantly at war with her neurotic but well-meaning mother (Laurie Metcalf), her Catholic school administrators and, often, herself. All the high school senior wants is to attend college far away from her hometown of Sacramento, on the East Coast, “where culture is.”

But her family’s finances, her mother’s hesitation and her own apathetic academic performance stand in the way of this. We follow Lady Bird during her last school year, a chaotic period of indecision between her friend groups, love interests, future plans and, mostly, whether she should appreciate what

fore the beginning, and a time before that beginning, and so on. There will be an end that we simply won’t reach in our lifetime.

We will never be able to understand everything.

All we can do is believe.

Whether it’s faith in God or an empirical, scientific approach, we all need something.

For all of the years humans have spent arguing over science and religion, they often don’t explore how similar they are.

Six years since watching “Contact” for the first time, I still do not know much about science. But I do know one thing from being forced to take CHM 111 to fulfill a general-education requirement.

It’s the first law of thermodynamics (or a condensed version of the law of conservation): the total energy of an isolated system is constant; energy can be transformed from one form to another, but can be neither created nor destroyed.

Even the one of the most agreed-upon, fundamental laws of science doesn’t really make sense.

How can we both never be brought into existence and also never taken out of existence?

It’s difficult to wrap my brain around, yet many people believe in this law with 100 percent conviction. It’s just another form of faith.

At the end of the movie, no one believes in Jodie Foster’s character nor her claims that she actually spent 18 hours making contact with other life in the fraction of a second of Earth time that passed while the spacecraft the aliens instructed the humans to build “malfunctioned.”

McConaughey is asked by a reporter what he thinks as he leads Foster out of the courthouse in one of the final scenes of the movie.

“I, for one, believe her.” doyleca3@miamioh.edu @cadoyle_18

THANKSGIVING POP CULTURE PICKS Podcast: “You Must Remember This” This podcast (and “Reputation,” admittedly) got me through the four-hour drive to Cleveland. The last six episodes have focused on Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, but there are over 100 more that unapologetically delve into the private lives and scandals — but mostly scandals — of other old Hollywood heavyweights. (Kirby Davis, Entertainment Editor)

GRETA GERWIG WROTE AND DIRECTED ‘LADY BIRD.’ WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

her family’s given her or renounce it as not good enough.

None of this sounds original on a surface level, yet nothing about “Lady Bird” feels stale. This is mostly due to writer/director Greta Gerwig, who has pointed out that it’s not just a story of Lady Bird growing up and graduating, but of her and her mom learning to reconcile with one another and let go.

The film subtly weaves in their conflict with the protagonist’s other, seemingly more pressing issues, until it sneaks up on you and is, all at once, no longer subtle — as fighting with your parents often is, in reality. One scene in particular has stuck with me: while shopping for a prom dress, Lady Bird confronts her mother about the fact that while she loves her daughter, she doesn’t necessarily like her. Her mom doesn’t deny this.

“Lady Bird” is full of scenes like this, moments that pack surprise emotional punches. At some point, they’re not a surprise anymore, but that doesn’t make them any less devastating. Another favorite of mine is Lady Bird’s argument with her second love interest that her own problems are valid, even though there’s a war going on and everything (the film is set in the early 2000s).

Being a teenager sucks in general, but being a teenage girl is particularly difficult. You’re constantly told that you’re being overdramatic or hormonal, and aren’t allowed to be upset about things. You’re not even supposed to like things that are specifically marketed toward you, like pop music and rom-coms. But you know what? Getting cheated on by your high school boyfriend sucks. So does fighting with your parents and your friends and not

knowing exactly who you are, much less what you want to do with the rest of your life.

“Lady Bird” doesn’t just acknowledge this; it embraces it. The film also, blessedly, embraces the concept of multi-dimensional female characters whose triumphs and struggles don’t revolve entirely around guys.

Much of this is thanks to Gerwig, who grew up attending Catholic school in Sacramento herself (though this is not an autobiography), and her screenplay. But the cast deserves praise, too — Ronan is quietly calculating and not-so-quietly furious with everyone around her, but still vulnerable when appropriate as Lady Bird. Metcalf, as her mother, strikes the perfect balance of impossibly neurotic and loving, and the rest of the cast is delightful as well — most notably Beanie Feldstein as Lady Bird’s best friend (and polar opposite) Julie, and Lucas Hedges as her brief love interest.

“Lady Bird” is so much more than the story of one particularly precocious high school student, but it is a coming-of-age story at its core, and a near-flawless one. It feels like the continuation of a trend sparked by “The Edge of Seventeen,” one that demands deeper and more authentic treatment of adolescent stories — especially female ones.

I hope that trend continues.

daviskn3@miamioh.edu

Book: “Let’s Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir”

by Jenny Lawson I used to think I was a funny writer — then I read the first page of Jenny Lawson’s memoir. Lawson, who, in her first uproarious memoir, traces her chaotic upbringing in rural Texas, her improbable marriage to long-suffering husband Victor and her fun-filled early years of motherhood, is one of the most hilarious writers I’ve ever read — and I’ve read multiple books

by Dave Barry. Every other sentence had me in stitches, and the stories Lawson told were often so outrageous they were hard to believe. If you’ve ever wondered why Neil Patrick Harris would make a perfect serial killer, then this is the book for you.

(Devon Shuman, Managing Editor) Album: “Harmony of Difference” by Kamasi Washington Even if you don’t recognize this Los Angeles-bred musician’s name, it’s likely you’ve heard him play. The 35-year-old alto saxophonist was featured on Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly.” As writer Adam Shatz wrote in his Jan. 2016 feature for The New York Times Magazine, Washington is a veritable jazz celebrity, “that rarest of musical species.” Though shorter than his three part, self-describing 2015 album “Epic,” this release is no less impressive with its sweeping, emotive suites with titles like “Knowledge,” “Desire” and “Truth.”(Emily Williams, Editor-in-Chief) Musical: “Mean Girls: The Musical” “Mean Girls” is a pretty good movie, but this musical takes it to the next level. The whole production is very economical — making do with a small cast and relatively few set pieces. It’s funny, it’s catchy and it’s written by Tina Fey. What could be wrong with that? (Jake Gold, Asst. News Editor)

Science

6

EIC@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017

Exploring DNA damage with viruses: An insight into on-campus cancer research JAMIE VANPELT

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Cancer has impacted nearly every person’s life, making the development of new cancer therapies increasingly urgent. Scientists study cancer at the molecular level, and research at Miami is doing so via viruses.

Gabrielle Lopez, a graduate student in the department of microbiology, studies how DNA repairs itself after it is damaged. Lopez works with microbiology professor Eileen Bridge, whose lab mimics DNA damage in a controlled manner. In order to do this, Lopez and Bridge use viruses to model DNA double strand breaks so they can pinpoint what proteins are involved in the repair process. Not being able to repair DNA correctly is a common hallmark of cancer.

Lopez’s interest in her research, which is funded through grants from the National Cancer Institute, stemmed from her own battle with cancer. Her experience informs her goal to make an impact on improving cancer treatments.

Mary Owen, an undergraduate junior majoring in Medical Lab Science and Microbiology, works alongside Lopez. Owen joined the lab after participating in SEA-PHAGES (Science Education Alliance-Phage Hunters Advancing Genomics and Evolutionary Science), a two-semester course that gets young Miami scientists involved in researching viruses. Lopez served as a teaching assistant for this course and helped spark Owen’s interest in investigating how viruses infect bacteria.

“Undergrad research is the reason why I came to Miami,” said Owen. “It’s more of a hands-on application of what I’ve been learning

MORGAN NGUYEN SCIENCE EDITOR

PHD. STUDENT GABRIELLE LOPEZ PULLS OUT CELL SAMPLES FOR HER RESEARCH FROM THE CO2 INCUBATOR JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

in the classroom.”

Being able to mentor students like Owen is Lopez’s favorite part about being a graduate student, Lopez said.

“I absolutely love to mentor people and to help them develop critical thinking, writing, and laboratory skills,” Lopez said. “Working very in-depth with undergraduates definitely gives meaning to my work.”

Graduate school also introduced Lopez to her fiancé, whom she met while they were both teaching assistants for a biology lab. Although research is a huge part of Lopez’s and Owen’s lives, they are also very passionate about science advocacy and outreach.

Lopez is concerned about the current disconnect between public and science.

“The biggest thing to know is that scientists are people, too. We are your neighbors, friends, and just in general normal people,” Lopez said. “Scientists need to make

an effort to be more approachable by the public and to be able to talk about their research in a general way so we can tell everyone what we are doing.”

“Involvement is key,” said Owen.

“I have personally been involved in the USS Summer Scholars Program and the Howard Hughes Medical Internship.”

Both these programs allowed Owen to spend her summer breaks focusing on research. Miami offers these scholarships and many other programs to get more students involved in science. In order to improve opportunities for minority graduate and undergraduate students, Lopez is currently working on starting a chapter of the Society of the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS) at Miami.

Lopez and Owen discussed the need for the continual support of basic science research. While the first thought that may come to mind when thinking of health-re-

lated research are studies conducted in medical laboratories or at pharmaceutical companies, basic research actually provides the foundational knowledge that is later used at those larger institutions.

For example, an academic lab doing basic science research may discover a new protein that plays a key role in a disease and applied medical science research can use this knowledge to develop treatments for it. Basic academic research also provides a platform for the future generation of scientists to learn and discover their career paths. Lopez wants to pursue a career as a clinical lab director studying infectious diseases, while Owen plans on continuing her education after Miami with a focus on medical lab science.

“We need people to discover new things, whether it is as small as a protein or as vast as understanding the impacts of a new disease,” said Owen. “Every part of the process is important”. vanpeljil@miamioh.edu

Free HIV testing offered in recognition of World Aids Day CAROLINE CREEK

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Miami’s Student Health Services and the Women*s and LGBTQ* Center are currently offering HIV testing on campus.

The Women*s Center is providing multiple educational events, including free HIV testing, on Friday, Dec. 1 in honor of World Aids Day. World Aids Day is an international initiative founded in 1988 to show support for those living with HIV and commemorate those who have passed away from an AIDS-related illness. This year’s theme is #LetsEndIt. Elisabeth Dodd, a senior intern at The Women*s’ Center, hopes

A slice of science news

the World Aids Day events will increase awareness at Miami. “[HIV has] really been othered [stigmatized] as something that doesn’t happen here,” said Dodd.

She believes HIV is a prevalent problem on Miami’s campus and that people are not adequately educated about the disease.

The Women*s Center will sponsor a screening of “deepsouth,” a documentary about the neglected HIV/AIDS crisis in the rural American South. The Center will also host an HIV educational table and provide HIV testing throughout World Aids Day. All events are free for students.

Testing was been offered by The Women*s Center, located on the third floor of Armstrong in Room

3012, earlier this semester and received a large turnout, Dodd said. “[I] was only there for any hour and saw at least 30 people [being tested],” said Dodd.

Student Health Services encourages students that may have engaged in unprotected sex, had sex with multiple partners, are beginning a new relationship, are planning on traveling overseas or desire a peace of mind to get tested.

If students are unable to make the special Women’s Center event, HIV testing is also offered regularly at Student Health Services.

The HIV testing at Student Health Services involves two phases: an educational session about the transmission of HIV followed by the Clear View Rapid

Antibody test for HIV 1 and 2. The entire appointment takes an hour.

The total cost of the appointment at Student Health Services includes the lab test and an office visit charge based on the complexity of the case. Student Health Services will bill the student’s insurance company for the charges.

To arrange an appointment at the Health Center, call Health Services at (513)-529-3000 and request to schedule an HIV test. The appointment only requires a Miami ID and insurance card.

By offering and publicizing the testing, The Women*s Center is “working to destigmatize STI’s, including HIV,” said Dodd.

Cell Phones and Sunrises: Cities are perpetually ablaze with activity, suggesting that humans are less influenced by Earth’s light-dark cycle than we used to be. However, a new study from Aalto University in Finland that analyzes the cellphone call records of over one million people claims otherwise; researchers found cell phone activity grew longer and shorter over the course of the year, waxing and waning with the amount of daylight.

Shifts in call records correlated closely with seasonal shifts in light. Over the course of 3-4 months, the latest call times crept later while the earliest call times grew earlier. The peak calling periods changed in the same pattern as well: the morning peak moved earlier, the evening peak later.

Does the timing of the sunrise and sunset affect our circadian rhythms in a way that is visible in cell phone records?

The study could provide further evidence that the chemicals that govern our bodies’ internal clocks are linked to Earth’s orbit and the sun’s daily ascent and descent.

Do Lefties Have an Advantage in Sports?: The short answer: It depends. Researchers at University of Oldenburg in Germany compared six different sports -- baseball, cricket, table tennis, squash, badminton, and tennis-- and found that the proportion of left-handed players increased as the time available for players to act decreased. In other words, lefties may be advantaged in sports with high time pressure. The study found nine percent of the top players in squash, the slowest game, were left-dominant while 30 percent of the best pitchers were lefties in the fastest sport, baseball.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY ARTHUR NEWBERRY

creekce@miamioh.edu

FALL FOOD FACTS: MINDFUL EATING TIPS H.A.W.K.S. PEER HEALTH EDUCATORS GUEST COLUMN

This November, the H.A.W.K.S. Peer Health Educators are using various outreach platforms to promote “Nutrition November.”

The goal is to educate students on the benefits of healthy eating through mindful and convenience eating tactics. Nutrition has a significant impact on one’s overall mood and happiness. In the long term, it can also reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, some types of cancer and type 2 diabetes.

Health Advocates for Wellness Knowledge and Skills (H.A.W.K.S.) are student leaders on campus with specialized training in wellness and health education. Our mission is to actively engage students to consider important issues by presenting factual, relevant information that encourages them to honestly, realistically and thoroughly reflect on their lifestyle and to help them make healthy choices.

Although stress is a part of life and may seem more prevalent in college, it is always important to know how to take care of your body. When one eats healthy foods, they feel charged mentally and physically which can be advantageous during those long nights of studying. These healthy eating habits provide a lifetime of benefits which goes to show why nutrition education is so vital on

ILLUSTRATION BY CONNOR WELLS

campuses.

You may have seen H.A.W.K.S. advertising Nutrition November with our instagram posts (@hawkshealthzone) throughout the month of November. These posts feature members dressed up as various winter fruits and vegetables, including sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts and avocados.

These posts highlight various fruits and vegetables and corresponding nutritional facts about each food and emphasize the recommended 2.5 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit per day. Overall intake should add up to 5 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables

combined, but these recommendations vary based on gender, age and physical activity.

The amounts also vary depending on the type of fruit or vegetable consumed. One serving is equivalent to one cup of raw or cooked vegetables, vegetable juice, or two cups of leafy greens. It is also equivalent to one cup of fruit or natural fruit juice or ½ cup of dried fruit.

The H.A.W.K.S. also promote discussion and hand out informational flyers in Armstrong and on campus about healthy food choices during the holidays. Topics include mindful eating during the holidays and convenience eating.

Mindful eating is the use of one’s senses to choose nourishing and satisfying foods as well as paying attention to your body’s hunger and fullness cues.

Convenience eating is consuming foods that are easily accessible and easy to prepare. Foods like this include pizza, pasta, cookies, chips and microwaveable dinners - all of which tend to be higher in calories, fats, sugars and processed ingredients. Eating these foods is a common habit to adopt when living in a residence hall. You’re short on time, or don’t care for cooking.

Students can avoid unhealthy options while still finding convenience in their choices. Fruits and vegetables are easily accessible, do not require much preparation and are good for you! Canned and frozen fruits and vegetables are a healthy alternative and can be easily incorporated into a meal.

Additionally, grab-and-go fruits such as apples and bananas make for a healthy snack option in a hurry. Dining halls offer healthy meals and side options such as salad bars and a variety of fruits and yogurt. Miami also offers a website called MyTray Nutrition that allows students to get specific nutrition information about the foods offered on campus.

Written by: Shannon Johnston, Taylor Martin, Colleen McNulty, Darcey Murphy, Kristen Pleasant, Anna Reece, Zach Sattle, Sydney Stacy

MIAMISTUDENT.NET

7

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017

Trial date set for student facing rape, sexual assault related charges FROM PAGE 1

graph of a sixteen year old on his cell phone.”

Those charges were eventually amended to a class one misdemeanor for disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.

All of these criminal complaints were verified through the Butler County Area I docket search.

The final pre-trial date in the court of common pleas was set for Monday, Dec. 18, in which Kilburn and the state will have the opportunity to ask Oster how the trial proceedings will take place. Until the trial hearing starts on Jan. 9, state prosecutors will examine the evidence gathered in discovery, which assistant prosecutor Kelly Heile described in the proceedings as “luminous.”

The “bulk of the discovery” is located on a thumb drive containing “substantial” evidence against Cristescu, Heile said.

Members of the local television affiliates were present at the courthouse including Fox-19, WLWT NBC-5 and WKEF ABC-22.

The student body was first notified of Cristescu’s alleged assault via a campus wide safety bulletin that was sent as an email on Oct. 19, informing the Miami community that the “incident reported is to have occurred in the early morning hours of Thursday, Oct. 12.”

The rape, sexual battery and voyeurism charges were dismissed from Butler County Area I court, but the sentencing for the remaining charges has been continued to 1 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 14.

Cristescu pled guilty to those charges — a class one misdemeanor for disseminating matter harmful to juveniles and two counts of marijuana possession — which are being handled by Judge Robert Lyons through the Butler County Area I court in Oxford, OH. doyleca3@miamioh.edu @cadoyle_18 goldjb@miamioh.edu @jake_gold

To-do list: 1. Go see ‘Lady Bird’ 2. Cancel Christmas 3. Recycle

The Miami University Taiko Group (top) shows off its Japanese drumming skills and a capella group Open Fifth (bottom) entertains the crowd at the DAC’s Global Holiday Party. Jugal Jain Photo Editor

U.S. House tax bill jeopardizes graduate students’ financial futures FROM PAGE 1

dates — one of the highest-stipend programs at Miami — those numbers could be up to 55 percent, according to an analysis by The Student. Other graduate programs could have significantly higher increases in their federal tax burden: A $17,000 stipend would result in a 125 percent increase in taxes paid.

The Senate GOP’s version of the bill does not tax tuition waivers, but the two have not been resolved in conference committee. If the bill passes with the tuition waiver clause intact, the changes will begin in 2018, calling into question the ability of many current and prospective graduate students to afford further education.

And economics dictates that when prices rise — this bill effectively raises the price of graduate education by increasing the tax burden — the quantity demanded decreases.

“Anything that makes education more costly will have an impact on enrollment,” said Melissa Thom-

asson, an economics professor and director of the economics department’s graduate studies program. ”I find it surprising that — at a time when we’re talking nationwide about how to make college more affordable — that we’re doing things that would make college less affordable.”

In order to reduce their costs, graduate students can get money from family or take out loans, but for some, neither option is practical.

Some students, fourth-year chemistry Ph.D. candidate Emily Eudy said, will just leave.

“They wouldn’t think the return is worth it. It’s not like med school, where you’re going to take $200,000 or less or so in loans, and then you have a short residency, and then you’re going to be able to make that back quickly,” Eudy said. “With graduate school, you’re not really going in it to get a high paying job, necessarily... A lot of them aren’t going to give that return well enough that you can actually feasibly see yourself being able to pay that back anytime soon, and then it’s still a

risk thinking you can get through grad school and can get that job in order to pay back those loans.”

The number of graduate students (and people who hold graduate degrees) doesn’t exist in a vacuum, though: A decrease in the number of well-educated people would send ripples throughout the economy.

“I think that this discourages things that we value: innovation, new research. Graduate students do a lot of research. They turn into professors and scientists and other people who continue to do research,” Thomasson said. “So I think it has a long-run impact on those kinds of activities.”

Eudy once hoped to run her own research lab after graduation. Now, she hopes to look at the intersection of science and policy — and look into how she can advocate for graduate students on in politics.

“It seems like either someone’s not listening, or someone’s not speaking up,” Eudy said. goldjb@miamioh.edu

‘Octets’ FROM PAGE 4

show to me and showed me some samples of music and the text, I was on board automatically because it sounded like a cool project,” she said. “And once I read through the whole thing it solidified my decision. To be honest I was pretty amazed that students created the show. I really enjoyed the story.”

To put on a show that is fully student-produced takes a lot of trust and

group effort, which is symbolically reflected in a constant motif throughout “Octets.”

“I think the major theme of the show is about the importance of collaboration,” Witzeman said. “And so the music is a very ensemble-driven show, not a show that is dependent solely on the leads to carry it forward, but a team effort. That’s what I’m striving for in the music, to have every voice be important.”

As the project exits the drawing table and heads to the production stage, there is only one hesitation coming from the producer. Avolio’s main concern moving forward is that people might not take the musical as seriously because of the youth of the show’s creators.

“That’s the main thing I’m nervous for, because of preconceived notions about student work,” she said. “But I’m most excited to prove all of that wrong. Because I

is hiring contact zahneime@miamioh.edu or visit miamistudent.net/join-us

think it will be a really cool thing. There is a lot of talent behind this. We’re excited to see it come to life.”

Auditions for “Octets” will take place from 6-10 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 28, in the Center for Performing Arts room 114 and on Wednesday, Nov. 29, in Presser Hall room 008. For more information, go to the show’s Facebook page.

8 FYI

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017

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

EMILY WILLIAMS Editor-in-Chief Jack Evans Devon Shuman Managing Editors

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Ceili Doyle Jake Gold Asst. News Editors

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James Tobin Faculty Adviser

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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 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.

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Thanksgiving FROM PAGE 12

enough talking points to carry a conversation through commercial breaks. So, without further ado, I’d like to introduce my two favorite talking points from Thanksgiving weekend: Auburn Shuts Down Alabama 26-14 in the Iron Bowl In what surprisingly amounted to one of the least exciting games of the day, Auburn put away the No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide with ease. Despite a couple of half-hearted drives by Alabama at the end of the game, Auburn’s firm grasp on the game was never in doubt.

Sophomore QB Jarrett Stidham showed a great deal of poise carrying the Tigers past Alabama and set up Auburn for a date with destiny against the Georgia Bulldogs in next week’s SEC Championship Game. Hopefully, the trip to Atlanta is a bit easier for Auburn fans than storming the field on Saturday night. Ideally, there won’t be any hedges or shrubs blocking their way on I-85.

For Alabama, there are suddenly questions arising about the legitimacy of their College Football Playoff resume. With this loss to Auburn, Alabama’s only key wins this season have been a close victory over a mediocre Mississippi State team on the road, a solid home win over the unimpressive LSU Tigers and a Week One victory over what has turned out to be a very disappointing Florida State team. While a loss to a Top-5 team is not a death blow for Alabama’s title hope, it’s certainly quite a gut punch.

Without a conference championship game to fall back on, Alabama will have to sit idle and allow its fate to sit in the hands of the College Playoff Committee.

Despite spotting the Wolverines 14 early points in the first quarter, the Ohio State Buckeyes once again beat the Michigan Wolverines for the 12th time in 13 years. Even after losing veteran QB JT Barrett to a knee injury in the 3rd quarter, the Buckeyes’ defense and solid running game were able to end the game on a 17-0 scoring run and move Urban Meyer’s career record against the Wolverines to 6-0.

On the other side of the equation, Jim Harbaugh’s career record against Ohio State moved to 0-3. Questions have begun to arise about Harbaugh’s lackluster performance in big games during his three-year tenure, but personally, I believe these questions are unwarranted.

Michigan was literally and figuratively inches away from winning last year’s matchup against Ohio State and the Wol-

verines’ 8-4 record this season is just as impressive when you consider the amount of talent the Wolverines lost to the NFL this season. With highly touted freshman QB Dylan McCaffrey set to take over the reins next year, Harbaugh and Michigan should be just as solid of a threat next year.

All jokes aside, Thanksgiving is one of the best times of the year to meet with family and be grateful for the various blessings in our lives. Even sitting around and watching football has become a tradition in itself. I hope all readers had a very relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving and look forward to many more.

Questions, comments, accusations that I am biased against your favorite team? E-mail me at hausfemj@miamioh.edu!

Pick up the debut print issue Wednesday night at Kofenya from 8-10 PM or Thursday morning on the seal from 8-10 AM. Free coffee provided.

Ohio State Beats Michigan… Again

Portugal puts team first after 100th career point FROM PAGE 12

Division I athlete.

Portugal is a self-motivator. She keeps up with athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo but doesn’t pay them much attention, instead choosing to focus on herself and how she can get better.

“I wouldn’t say I have a motivator,” Portugal said. “I just do my own thing. I think the most important thing is believing in yourself and knowing you can do it and working hard every day to get there. If you don’t work hard, then there is no way you’ll be able to get where you want to be. You have to set goals and work to make it happen.”

“It” takes many forms in Portugal’s life -- whether it’s the math classes she’s taking,

conditioning on the field or caring about her friends, she gives everything 100 percent.

Her Spanish accent is obvious but there is no confusion, hesitation or discomfort when she speaks. Even in mid-November, she has the deep, caramel skin color she had coming into the season.

Portugal has been in the United States for almost three years now and finds herself stronger because she lifts more in the offseason than in Spain. But, Portugal sees herself changing in more ways than just athletically.

“I’m a lot more outgoing here because being away from home I just don’t care so much what people think of me anymore,” Portugal said. “I just do whatever I want to do and stopped thinking about how other people see me.”

When she isn’t on the field or in the classroom, Portugal spends as much time as she can with her friends. When she’s home in Spain, she goes to the beach with her friends -- they’ll rent a house on the beach together.

At Miami, she loves going to the movies or shopping with friends. She’s different from the stereotypical college student in one subtle way.

“I don’t really watch Netflix that much because I don’t really like that many shows,” Portugal said.

As a student, athlete and friend, she still has one more season left at Miami, but what’s in store for Portugal afterward is still up in the air.

“I don’t really know what I want to do after school,” Portugal said. “All I know is that

I want to keep playing field hockey. I’ve been thinking a lot about it and I might go to Belgium or back to Spain. I’m not really sure -- I just know I want to keep playing for sure.”

This season, Portugal was named to the All-Region First Team, Mid-American Conference Player of the Year, All-MAC First team, MAC Tournament First Team and was MAC Offensive Player of the Week three different times this year. This is her third straight season on the All-MAC First Team.

“Any individual records don’t mean much to me,” Portugal said. “I want to win and I want our team to win and what comes with that individually is cool, but not that important to me.” berrycm2@miamioh.edu

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NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

9

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017

ALBA CRAFT, INC. FROM PAGE 1

But it wasn’t until March of 1993 that Daryl Kimball, who worked for the Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR), a Washington D.C. group that informs the public on health risks of nuclear weapons-related activities, discovered by chance that his hometown, Oxford, had been added to the Department of Energy (DOE)’s Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP).

“It was a long time ago, but I remember it quite well,” Kimball said. “I was working for PSR, leading a research project about the nuclear complex industry. I was speaking with a DOE official at Oak Ridge who was ticking off the locations of FUSRAP sites throughout the nation and when I heard Oxford, I went, ‘Wait, back up, please.’”

That same Friday afternoon, Kimball told his mother, Linda Musmeci-Kimball, then-president of Oxford Citizens for Peace and Justice (OCPJ), about what the DOE had been hiding from the public.

Musmeci-Kimball was shocked to learn that Alba Craft, which in 1993 had been an embroidery shop, used to process uranium for the government during the nuclear arms race.

When her son called, Musmeci-Kimball was in the Peace Center (OCPJ office) with her two interns, Jason Gambatese and Michon Woods.

And, as soon as she got off the phone she immediately lept into action, taking Gambatese with her and telling Woods to stay behind.

“I wasn’t sure what we were going to find,” Musmeci-Kimball said. “[Woods] was in her prime childbearing years.”

Musmeci-Kimball and fellow OCPJ member Yereau Peterson (who at the time lived next door to Alba Craft) immediately began contacting the DOE and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. They wanted the department and laboratory to release the results of the DOE’s report: “Results of the Radiological Survey at the former Alba Craft Laboratory Site Properties, Oxford, Ohio.”

“I was concerned because it was in the middle of town, two blocks away from the apartment [Village Green] where my younger sister was living while she was at Miami,” Kimball said.

In early 1992, nearly a year before Kimball’s discovery, the DOE had informed several officials on Oxford City Council, as well as the owners of Village Green and the Alba Craft building, that the building was being considered as a potential site requiring radiological cleanup within the next 15 years.

Musmeci-Kimball couldn’t believe that the DOE was willing to put Oxford on the back burner, conceivably until 2008.

“Were it not for [Daryl’s] persistent requests to the DOE for a pre-publication copy of the unclassified report on the September 1992 radiological survey, I am not sure how many more months it would have taken for the data to reach anyone in Oxford,” Musmeci-Kimball wrote in a 1994 column of The Oxford Press.

The “Significance of Findings” section of Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s September 1992 report concluded that “the former Alba Craft Laboratory contains quantities of uranium that pose little health hazard if left undisturbed.”

In reality, months later the DOE manager of the clean-up, Dave Adler, admitted that the amount of contamination ranged from 10 to 100 times the radiation levels considered normal under DOE regulations, Musmeci-Kimball said.

Unfortunately, Oxford was just one small cog in the uranium machine that operated throughout Ohio and the United States during the Cold War. Read the rest of this story in the first-ever print edition of The Miami Student Magazine, a news magazine highlighting creative nonfiction and features journalism. The Miami Student Magazine will be available on campus Thursday morning, Nov. 30.

Advance copies of the magazine will also be available from 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29 at Kofenya Coffee ( 38 W. High Street) during the TMS Magazine Launch Event. Learn more at miamistudent.net/magazine-release.

Football FROM PAGE 12

lights.

For the first 58:53, the RedHawks made key plays to turn the Bearcats over, control the ball and play fundamental football.

However, with 1:07 left in the game on that fateful September evening, the wheels fell off of the entire 2017 season. After freshman running back Jaylon Bester returned a kickoff only five yards and a miscommunication between Coach Martin and the officials to get a timeout called, the ‘Hawks faced third and seven from deep in their own territory.

Looking to pick up the first down underneath, Ragland threw an interception returned for a touchdown to give the Bearcats the lead for good.

“The kids played their hearts out,” Martin said minutes after the biggest debacle of his career.

“Very, very difficult defeat -- the most difficult defeat I’ve had in 25 years probably by a wide margin and the reason it’s so difficult is because how hard

FORWARD CASEY GILLING CHASES AFTER THE PUCK DURING SATURDAY’S GAME. SARAH NORTH BG PRESS

Hockey ties Bowling Green 2-2 on Saturday, undefeated in last three FROM PAGE 1

cleared the puck, Bowling Green was called offside on the following reentry play and junior defenseman Grant Hutton came out of the penalty box and cleared the puck to begin the 5-on-4 disadvantage.

Another slew of penalties led to 4-on-4 play halfway through the first period. Belpedio had a good cycle around the net in the offensive zone, attracting two Bowling Green defensemen, but was unable to get the puck to an open man.

The Falcons began putting big bodies in front of Miami sophomore goaltender Ryan Larkin and would outshoot the RedHawks 10-4 in the opening period. Larkin blocked, bodied and padded down shots to keep his team in the game.

A neutral zone turnover led to an unfortunate BGSU breakaway. Junior forward Kiefer Sherwood valiantly tried to stop the play but his efforts were thankless and a penalty shot was awarded to freshman forward Brandon Kruse. Kruse beat Larkin five-hole with 34 seconds left in the period, sending the Falcons to the first intermission with a 1-0 lead.

“I thought we started really slow, but I thought we battled back hard,” Belpedio said. “Obviously, that’s what you want — it’s not easy to come here and play.”

The second opened with four minutes of back-and-forth, chippy hockey with pucks knocked off both teams’ sticks and passes not connecting with their intended recipients.

RedHawk sophomore forward Karch Bachman used his speed to collect a puck that slid back to Bowling Green’s end after a faceoff.

Bachman went right-to-left around the BGSU net for a backhander out in front, but sophomore goaltender Ryan Bednard stopped the attempt.

The RedHawks continued grinding along the boards and Belpedio won a battle along the left half wall to bring the puck to the left side of the blue line. Belpedio ripped a shot through traffic that junior forward Josh Melnick redirected to tie the game 1-1 at 6:32 of the second period.

Larkin came up big when the ’Hawks were on the penalty kill, making a huge glove save through traffic on a shot from the middle of the blue line. On the ensuing play, freshman forward Phil Knies battled at the blue line to clear the puck and was tripped -- good for another round of 4-on-4 play halfway through the game.

Nothing came of the following 4-on-4 play, nor from a Miami power play with just over a minute left in the game. The RedHawks passed back and forth along the blue line, but couldn’t get a shot off before the intermission horn sounded.

Miami outshot Bowling Green 13-8 in the second, good to bring the overall count to 18-17 in favor of BGSU. “We knew [Bowling Green] was going to push back and I thought we were a little stuck behind in the first period, but I thought we got our legs in the second,” Blasi said. “We got a good second period.”

The third period mimicked the second, and Bowling Green managed the only shot in the first seven minutes of play. Undeterred, Miami found more of a wide-open game with better offensive zone entry and complete passes.

After gaining the zone and before the halfway mark of the period, Frederic threw the puck wide of the left side of the net and it popped out to sophomore forward Casey Gilling who shot through traffic. The shot from the left faceoff circle was stopped with a flash of Bednard’s glove.

The RedHawks’ slight offensive edge manifested itself in a power play with 8:39 left in the period. The power play unit started with four forwards and a good look before Larkin was forced to poke-check the breaking senior forward Tyler Spezia.

The ’Hawks struggled to gain the zone until Belpedio evaded the Falcons through the neutral zone and shot from the middle of the blue line, beating Bednard stick side.

Belpedio’s fifth goal of the season was assisted by sophomore forward Gordie Green and Hutton with 6:51 left in the game.

“It wasn’t the up-and-down offensive game that we wanted with our speed -- we couldn’t really use that -- but it was important for us to chip pucks and go to work,” Belpedio said.

Bowling Green would not be shown up in their building and the Falcons tested the RedHawks’ defense in the waning minutes of the game. Miami went on the penalty kill with 3:42 left in the game and Larkin, Knies and freshman defenseman Rourke Russell had good clears to inhibit BGSU’s power play.

RedHawks fans sat at the edge of their seats and Falcons fans stood in anticipation of the intermission horn. The ’Hawks were caught icing

our kids played.”

Though the RedHawks were able to win four other games following UC, the feel of the entire season drastically changed because of that one play, while the optimism that felt so real suddenly vanished.

The RedHawks would go on to find other ways to snatch defeat out of the hands of certain victory for the rest of the year — whether it be by snapping a ball off the arm of a fullback on the one-yard line, missing a chip shot field goal to tie the game or arguing with referees to create a 45-yard penalty, the trend of undisciplined football started against the Bearcats and remained for the whole season.

As Miami closes the book on 2017 and looks to see what the story of 2018 will write, hope remains for the years to come — the ‘Hawks return plenty of assets including Gardner, Ragland and countless others. But no matter how bright the future may seem, RedHawk fans will always be left to wonder what this team could have accomplished. pfistejb@miamioh.edu

the puck when Bednard had been pulled for the extra attacker, and were unable to clear the puck otherwise. Sophomore defenseman Alec Rauhauser took advantage, caught Miami players stuck on the right side and wristed in the tying goal from the left point with 37.8 seconds left.

“Not so much a breakdown, probably a good play on their part,” Blasi said about the tying goal. “We had our chances to get the puck and we didn’t win it. Any time you pull the goalie, it’s nine times out of ten sometimes you block it, sometimes you don’t. We didn’t block it tonight and they scored. Give them credit.”

The RedHawks came out flying to start the 5-on-5, sudden-death overtime period. The ’Hawks were determined -- freshman forward Ben Lown almost chipped a puck past Bednard’s right side and a minute later, Belpedio almost beat Bednard with his own rebound on the left.

Five minutes ticked by, however, and the game would be counted as an official 2-2 tie in NCAA records.

“We’ll take that, especially in a place like this,” Belpedio said.

“There was really no complaining and, obviously, they score with 37 seconds left so that’s tough. We were looking to get the sweep, but we weathered them in overtime and got our chances and ended in a tie, but that’s alright.”

The following five-minute, 3-on3 overtime period was essentially for show and was a display of offensive rushes and puck possession. Spezia eventually squeaked the puck under Larkin’s left pad with 20.2 seconds left.

The Falcons ended with a 26-25 shot advantage, but the RedHawks went 1-for-4 on the power play while forcing BGSU to go 0-for-4. The ’Hawks were 3-for-8 on the man-advantage over the weekend, while blanking BGSU on all of their seven power plays.

Belpedio had his second-straight multi-point game with his goal and assist on Saturday night. Melnick finished the weekend with two goals and Hutton had four points in the two-game series via two goals and two assists.

“Anytime you go on the road in a hostile environment and get a win and a tie, we’ll take that,” Blasi said.

The RedHawks return home to face Cornell at the Steve ‘Coach’ Cady Arena this weekend. Puck drop is at 7:35 p.m. on Friday and 7:05 p.m. on Saturday. simansec@miamioh.edu

I WANT YOU ILLUSTRATORS & PAGE DESIGNERS WANTED contact newberaj@miamioh.edu

10 OPINION

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017

HARTJT@MIAMIOH.EDU

Fees for on-campus living during breaks unfair The following reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.

This Thanksgiving break, thousands of students traveled home to their families, enjoying turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and trying to avoid talking politics at the dinner table.

There was a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season. Most students were able to go home for the holiday and see their families. We only have two weeks of classes left before finals. We’re at the home stretch. And after these two weeks, we only have a few days left until winter break.

But there’s also something we’re not so thankful for this holiday. That’s the nearly $30 daily fee charged to students who stay on campus over the break – whether they willingly choose not to go home for the holidays or are restricted by circumstance.

Many international students, for example, have no other option than to stay on campus over the break (it’s not like five days is worth the cost of travelling home to another country). These students are essentially forced to pay a fee simply for the circumstance of their permanent residence.

All in all, it costs these students $118 to stay at Miami for four nights.

While it is necessary to keep facilities running over the break to accommodate these students, it is unfair to charge them for a situation over which they have no control. Making students pay by the night like a hotel room simply because of their geographic situation is not a policy that a university built on inclusiveness should hold.

In addition to the unfair burden placed on international students and other students who stay on campus over break, the general on-campus

Americans must try to better undersand poverty in the developing world MAX MATSON COLUMNIST

Did you get that new iPhone? Did you save enough for that trip abroad? Did you get a good breakfast in you before that exam? Do you have a coat for the winter? Did you drink your two liters of water today? Did you boil it first? Did you go to sleep hungry last night? What about the night before?

Americans know little of true poverty. Poverty in the developing countries of the world means a constant struggle just to survive. Westerners, with our first world problems and petty squabbles, fail to realize our extraordinary quality of life in comparison to the rest of the world. That’s not to say that we are in any way without our own economic dysfunctions. In fact, the United States is one of the least egalitarian countries in the world.

As of 2014, the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans owned around 35 percent of the country’s total net worth, whereas the bottom 40 percent owned less than 1 percent, with the vast-majority of them holding a negative balance of assets.

Wealth inequality is among the great shames in our country’s history, and one day Americans will look back on the systematic rigging of economic freedom that has taken place in our country since the 1950s in the same light in which we today view our history of racism and exploitation. But as our economy grows ever-more global, and our social circles expand across the world with the aid of technology, it will only become clearer with time that even the poor of America sit on a golden throne with the rest of the world at our feet.

We are a nation of immigrants. For those whose ancestors came here willingly, the impetus for doing so was the hope of a better life in the capitalist utopia that the United States has always made itself out to be. But rarely do we consider just what exactly our country’s forefathers were fleeing. It may have been the pursuit of religious freedom for the early settlers of America, but for the Irish farmers, the Chinese railroad workers, the Polish and Russian Jews of the textile industries and countless others who followed, the impetus for making the crossing was simple; they would never have their needs met in their own country. So,

they came. Bundled in overcrowded ships, they hoped their darkest days were behind them, and many of them were right. We are the descendants of the desperate men and women who set off for America in search of freedom. In search, not only of the freedom of belief, or of speech, or of expression, but of economic freedom, of freedom from the slavery that is poverty.

Poverty is a slavery to the human condition. So divorced are we from our own basic needs that we easily forget how quickly our lives can be taken simply by spending a night outside in the cold.

Learn to have a little empathy for those whose only wish is to work hard and earn their keep in a country which was built by people like them.

Think critically about why exactly refugees from war-torn countries and poverty-stricken laborers living under corrupt and oppressive regimes might want to move to a place where the majority of the poor have smart phones. Do some research into your own family tree and then imagine a life in your family’s homeland(s)… would you be willing to do whatever it took to forge a better life for yourself? Even if it meant leaving everything and everybody you’d ever known behind? Even if it meant coming to a country whose government didn’t want you? Even if it was against the law?

Imagine a world where the destitute of Africa, Asia, the Americas and elsewhere weren’t dedicating their entire lives to simply maintaining their own existence. Imagine what great minds might be found in the slums of Delhi, how many talented young men and women in the agricultural fields of Mali could be the next Fortune 500 CEO if given the opportunity. In a capitalist society, there is no word more-taboo than charity, but that’s not what I’m advocating. A world where everyone’s basic needs are met is a world where the best and brightest minds are able to thrive, and to propel the economy of their country into the future. Cutting the United States off from a steady flow of talent, regardless of its origin, is the surest way to see our economy fail in this time of such rapid change. Cream rises to the top; we can either give to the world now and let it repay us 10fold later, or watch ourselves fade into obscurity. matsonrm@miamioh.edu

Read the news.

Inform yourself.

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student population is hurt as well. Students on swipe-based meal plans aren’t given an option for a reduced number of swipes during this week, despite the fact there were three fewer days than usual and most people were gone over the weekend. And for the students who did stay on campus, dining choices were significantly limited.

This policy is unfairly limiting to students who are simply trying to enjoy their break and not worry about allocating a normal week’s worth of meal plan over a two-day week of classes. Reimbursements are due for these near-unusable swipes.

We do have a lot to be thankful for at this school, and it is the hope of this staff that, in the future, students will be able to be thankful for a more considerate policy towards international students and other students who spend their days off in the dorms.

Campus intolerant of conservative students VARUN RAGHURAM THE MIAMI STUDENT

Following the election of President Trump, the political expression of those that dissent has become more vocal. There has been an invigoration of the progressive cause that has led to the so-called “resistance.”

That raises the question of what the resistance stands against: President Trump or conservatism itself?

The anti-conservative agenda has created an environment where not only those who support the president are vilified, but those who believe in basic conservative principles are clumped into a monolithic group.

This is exemplified by an event that occurred Oct. 20 near the Miami University seal. Students for Life, an anti-abortion group, had a display to share the stages of fetal development.

Their display was promptly destroyed in broad daylight.

Everyone holds the right to have their own opinion, but under what circumstance does that necessitate being hostile toward another? Students for Life was not hurting or bothering anyone. They were simply displaying their views in a peaceful and respectful manner.

The barrage of anti-conservatism extends to the classroom where a vast majority of the faculty hold liberal beliefs, which is not a problem. But when their beliefs become reinforced in their instruction it creates an obvious conflict of interest.

These are not merely assignments for one to share their opinion on a controversial issue ­–the objective is to convince and ingrain in the class that these are objective truths. This creates a coercive effect where students are forced to repudiate their beliefs in order to satisfy the professor’s objective.

The supposed purpose of higher education is to allow students to explore various points of view and develop an inquisitive instinct, but that is not possible when rational opinions are derided as unjust and wrong.

There is also an immediate stigma placed on those who support many traditional conservative principles which happen to be shared with the President. Because of the coercive effect of politics on the campus environment, the conservative point of view is

largely seen as unacceptable.

So where does all of this place the current state of conservatism on campus?

The answer is clear: Conservatism has been undermined and will continually be until a change in the administrative structure occurs. According to a study published in Inside Higher Ed, only 4 percent of American liberal arts faculty identify as conservative, while 61 percent identify as liberal.

It is reasonable to believe that there are more liberal-leaning individuals pursuing careers in academia, but it is foolish to believe that the discrepancy is 15 liberals for every conservative. If conservatism is to be revived on college campuses, it will take the efforts of the administration to ensure that all viewpoints are heard, not only the ones with which they agree.

It is important for conservative student groups to supplement the shortage of conservative faculty with speakers who represent their point of view. This would allow for views and opinions that would not be acceptable to a group of university professors to be represented on campus.

Most importantly, it is essential that conservative students share their points of view. Although there may be repercussions, it is essential that these values and principles are discussed. If they are to be kept to oneself while others are allowed to openly share their perspective, it creates the appearance that there is something innately wrong with the viewpoints. If an apolitical student were to listen to the common campus political conjecture, they would believe that progressivism is just and that conservatism poses an existential threat to a host of demographic groups.

This misguided approach cannot and will not change unless conservatives force a change.

Although the current state of conservatism on campus is alarming, all hope is not lost. If conservatives hold to their values and share their beliefs the situation is destined to change.

Conservatives must not silence themselves in the current campus climate because there will be no demand for a greater representation of views from the left. raghurv@miamioh.edu

Miami should reconsider its mandatory reporting policy KIRBY DAVIS

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

I first heard about Miami’s “mandatory reporting” rule, which requires university staff members to inform the Title IX office of any sexual misconduct they become aware of, back in August. I didn’t think about the policy again until October, when I inadvertently confided in one about an incident last fall.

Two weeks later, the Title IX office knew about it, even though I didn’t want them to. It didn’t matter.

I spent a few weeks too depressed and anxious about this to feel anything else, and while I’m still fairly depressed and anxious, I’m also angry. There is a difference between providing students with information about the reporting process and pressuring them to initiate it, and manda-

tory reporting blurs that line.

The policy implies that informing Title IX about sexual misconduct is always the right thing to do, which isn’t the case. Sometimes it can make situations worse, or the people involved might simply not want them to know — even if they feel comfortable telling someone else.

I told the people I did because I respected and felt comfortable with them, and I didn’t know how else to feel better at that point. I had already spoken to a couple friends, my mother and a therapist about it and none of it had helped, so I thought this might. And it did, until I found out that by telling them, I had also unintentionally told the school’s Title IX coordinator.

Last fall, I didn’t tell anyone about the incident for weeks. I didn’t mention it again until the end of the

following semester, after I’d spent all year Googling the definitions of “sexual assault” vs. “harassment” and “coercion” and telling myself I’d probably overdramatized it in my memory.

It was another semester before I realized that maybe I hadn’t been overdramatizing things, and told two people who happened to be mandatory reporters. Then, in merely two weeks, the situation spiraled completely out of my control.

Their report didn’t include my name until I decided to formally report the incident myself, but it did cite the other person involved. And while no one forced me to make the report, I wish I could have made it without the looming knowledge that whether I included my name or not, the information would still be out there in some form. The university

would know that something happened, and my department would know that something happened, and that didn’t seem fair.

The reporting process was, for me, equally stressful (if not more so) as dealing with the incident itself last fall, and I like to believe this isn’t just because I’m a preternaturally anxious person.

Sexual harassment and assault can be difficult things to come to terms with, much less discuss with anyone. Being ready to tell an RA or academic advisor about an incident is very different from speaking about it with school administrators, and Miami should stop prioritizing Title IX statistics over the comfort and safety of people who have experienced sexual misconduct. daviskn3@miamioh.edu

OPINION 11

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017

HATCHEAM@MIAMIOH.EDU

A.J. NEWBERRY NEWBERAJ@MIAMIOH.EDU @AJNWBRRY

FULFILLING THE LEGACY OF THOMAS A. DUTTON To the editor: We are writing today to sustain the legacy, intellectual contribution and community impact of the work of professor Thomas A. Dutton. We understand that you have already pledged to “carry the work forward” that Tom has developed over the past decades. Now we ask that you specifically commit to establishing institutional structural support to continue the spirit of his contribution to the university and beyond. This letter is written and signed to encourage Miami University to explicitly search for an architecture faculty member with the academic background, expertise, and experience to fulfill the role of Director of the Center for Community Engagement in Over-the Rhine (CCE) and honor the endowment the family is establishing to sustain his legacy.

As you likely know, Tom worked in Over-the-Rhine for 30 years, cultivating an inclusive pedagogy rooted in engagement with community and built upon the foundation of fostering critical capacities within students to enable them to be agents of change for a more equitable society. This pedagogy is embodied in Miami University’s Mission Statement, which “empowers students, faculty and staff to become engaged citizens who use their knowledge and skills with integrity and compassion to improve the future of our global society.” By rooting his teaching and praxis within a local community using place-based practices, students and community members came to see their shared humanity, and the global forces that shape their identities. Through nationally and internationally recognized programs such as the Over-the-Rhine residency program, and the Urban Teaching Cohort Tom’s commitment to the education of a diverse body of students created an inclusive community for engaged scholarship and practice.

Tom possessed a unique ability to fuse teaching, scholarship, architecture and organizing against the tide of racism, gentrification and displacement, with a passionate drive that few can sustain with kindness and humility. Beyond community engagement, Tom was also a leading international scholar, publishing in books, academic journals and popular articles.

Tom’s contributions were recognized internationally, nationally and locally: • Keynote lecture, Inaugural Interna-

tional Conference of the Association of Architectural Educators (UK and Ireland), Nottingham Trent University, 2013 • The Creative Achievement Award, Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, 1990 • Thomas Ehrlich Civically Engaged Faculty Award, Campus Compact, for “outstanding contributions to service-learning, engaged scholarship, and institutional and community change through collaborative engagement,” 2009 • Crossan Hays Curry Distinguished Educator Award, College of Creative Arts, Miami University, 1996 And perhaps his favorites: • The Peaslee Neighborhood Center Partnership Award (granted to CCE) Golden Hammer Award (granted to CCE), best volunteer service to Overthe-Rhine Community Housing, 2011 • Partner in Building Beloved Community Award (granted to CCE), Overthe-Rhine Community Housing, 2009 As scholars, architects, planners, and activists from around the world, we have learned from Tom’s writings, teaching, and community engagement. It is the unique combination of scholarship-pedagogy-organizing that we hope you recognize as the university seeks to fill his position in the department. It is important to recognize that Tom’s absence creates a great hole in the profession of architecture, the communities he served, and the countless students across many academic disciplines who benefited from his passionate commitment and kindness.

Tom’s work modeled university-community relations, and the momentum gained by Miami University in Over-theRhine is too important to be disrupted or diminished. We hope you will ensure the continuity of Tom’s legacy by rehiring someone that can fill this ambitious role and maintain Miami University’s role as a leader in university community-based practice and pedagogy.

This letter was signed by dozens of outside academics and scholars. To read the full list of signees, go to miamistudent. net/lte-dutton-legacy.

KENTON CARD Ph.D. Student Department of Urban Planning, UCLA kentoncard@ucla.edu

Write to us at miamistudent.net/submit

Allegiance to morals must always outweigh allegiance to personality LUKE SCHROEDER COLUMNIST

Over the past few weeks, disturbing allegations of sexual misconduct have been levied against many public figures: movie producer Harvey Weinstein, actor George Takei, comedian Louis C.K., MSNBC contributor Mark Halperin, editorial director of Vox media Lockhart Steele, actor Kevin Spacey, CBS host Charlie Rose, Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) and U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-MN), just to name a few.

America’s sexual assault problem is real and is larger than most are willing to accept. As it turns out, many of America’s beloved cultural and political figures are alleged to be among the perpetrators. If we wish for this poisonous trend to end, we must hold those at the very top accountable. We can’t allow fame, power and fortune to serve as a shield to true culpability.

Many politicians – on both sides of the isle – are guilty of these kinds of grotesque transgressions. One of these politicians, Senate candidate Roy Moore of Alabama, has been accused of sexual misconduct towards young women.

In a recent Washington Post story, multiple women went on the record to accuse Roy Moore of inappropriate actions. One woman, Leigh Corfman, asserted that Moore (then 32) inappropriately touched her and attempted to pursue a romantic relationship – Corfman was only 14 at the time. Three other women, then aged between 16 and 18, said that Moore pursued relationships with them as well.

A former colleague of Moore’s seemed to corroborate the allegations in a statement to CNN: “It was common knowledge that Roy dated high school girls. Everyone we knew thought it was weird … We wondered why someone his age would hang out at high school football games and the mall.” Yuck, just yuck – this is not acceptable behavior.

Some have called this a political attack by a partisan news organization (The Washington Post did endorse Moore’s Democratic opponent after all). However, in this case, there is zero evidence to doubt the accusations against Moore. The accusations are severe and credible. This will remain the case unless Roy Moore is able to present undisputable evidence that invalidates his accusers.

In the case of politicians like Roy Moore, Americans can and must act – we must ensure that these types of people, regardless of their political party, are never

elected to political office.

As a Republican, I certainly don’t want an Alabama Senate seat to fall to a Democrat. However, my strong objections to the conduct of Roy Moore outweigh that sentiment. In my eyes, a 32-year-old who pursues a relationship with a 14-year-old is wholly devoid of morals, and is unequivocally unfit to serve in the elected office.

So, what can be done? Republicans should leave Moore behind, and instead finance a different Republican as a writein candidate. This will make it difficult for a Republican to win in this race, but writeins have won Senate races before.

If a write-in candidate fails and Moore wins, the U.S. Senate can still refuse to seat him. In this case, the Republican Governor of Mississippi would simply appoint a different Republican to fill the vacancy.

Republicans would keep the senate seat, and could avoid having an alleged predator as a colleague.

Most importantly, dumping Moore is the moral thing to do. The Republican party has long stood as the representative of traditional American values – they must continue to carry this torch.

This Moore situation (and other similar situations concerning different political figures) is deeply troubling. Needless to say, the current president has a record of alleged mistreatment of women. Bill Clinton is continually accused of assaulting women, and some have even accused the ex-president of rape. I encourage you to read Juanita Broaddrick’s account of Clinton’s alleged sexual assault – it is chilling.

All too often, we are unwilling to live with the fact that some of the people we like politically are immoral – this leads us down a dangerous path. When we practice blind allegiance to personalities (or political parties) we end up throwing our morals aside, which often allows immoral people to rise to high office.

Many in the political realm strive to “win at all costs”. If America is to remain as a democratic role model for the world and as a representative of just treatment for all, our society must draw clear lines in the sand. We cannot become numb to the actions of immoral people.

The “lesser of two evils” mentality in politics must not be allowed to take hold.

No member of any political party should support any candidate who does not uphold moral standards; it is incumbent upon us, the voters, to always hold public figures accountable for their actions. schroelm@miamioh.edu

Sports

12

SIMANSEC@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017

MIAMI FOOTBALL 2017: THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY FOOTTBALL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL WINS ONE, LOSES ONE

BRADY PFISTER STAFF WRITER

IN L.A.

The 2017 Miami Football RedHawks appeared full of promise in late August as students returned to Oxford for the fall semester. Coming off a six-game regular-season win streak and a bowl berth against an SEC foe, the Red and White seemed poised to make a run at a Mid-American Conference championship with major players including Gus Ragland, Heath Harding, and James Gardner all returning.

Fast forward to today — the season has come and gone with the ‘Hawks finishing 5-7, with no hope of going to a bowl game.

Those early days of buzz have turned into wondering what could have been for this year’s team, leaving Miami fans to question just what went wrong.

Though much of the year was a disappointment, the ‘Hawks had pleasant moments to remember. However, they also had moments to forget along with memories that will always haunt Miamians Here’s a look back at the 2017 season.

BASKETBALL

The Good: James Gardner Coming into the 2017 season, junior receiver James Gardner needed to take the next step in his development to become a complete receiver in order to enable Miami’s offense to excel.

After a 2016 campaign when the Florida-native hauled in 45 passes for 750 yards and six touchdowns, Gardner racked up 927 receiving yards for 11 touchdowns, good for fifth best in the FBS and second in the MAC. “The biggest thing with James is he is elite down the field on a go route, elite on bank posts,” RedHawk head coach Chuck Martin said of Gardner following a big game against Ohio.

BEN PANZECA

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

MIAMI FOOTBALL FINISHED 5-7 DURING THE 2017 SEASON AFTER A BOWL APPEARANCE DURING THE 2016 SEASON. ANGELO GELFUSO THE MIAMI STUDENT

“He has become a complete receiver — when the ball is outside his framework, he can twist and twerk and reach and still make an unbelievable catch.”

The pinnacle of Gardner’s season came in South Bend, IN against a Top-10 Notre Dame team in which the 6’4’’ junior reeled in five catches for 115 yards and both of Miami’s touchdowns. This game solidified that not only is Gardner a top-tier MAC receiver, but one of the top receiving threats in America.

The Bad: Billy Bahl After being replaced by Gus Ragland in the final six games of the 2016 season, many Miamians thought they would never hear of Bahl for the remainder of his Miami career. That all changed when Ragland was injured against Bowling Green, leaving the Illinois-native the keys to the RedHawk offense.

In the four games Bahl played in, three of them were losses in which the junior completed a mere 52.1 percent of his passes.

Specifically frustrating has been Bahl’s inability to perform in clutch situations. When the RedHawks travelled to Kent State in mid-October, the Miami offense sputtered as Bahl only completed 12-of-29 passes. However, early in the fourth quarter, the ‘Hawks were first and goal at the Kent State eightyard line down 17-14. With three shots to take the lead, Bahl missed on each throw. Miami ended up missing a field goal on the ensuing play and was never able to come close to scoring again, giving Kent State their first FBS win of the season.

Sixteen days later when Miami took on the Ohio Bobcats, the RedHawks were in need of a win in order to stay in contention for the MAC East. However, in the opening drive, Bahl threw a pass

into the teeth of Bobcat coverage, leading to an interception.

A few plays later, Ohio scored to go up 14-0 early in the most important game of the year. Later in the first half, score sat at 14all, but Bahl once again threw away momentum with an interception, setting OU up at the Miami four-yard line.

Like the rest of Miami’s season, Bahl did not have a statistically terrible season, but failed to make the necessary plays to win games at important junctions in games.

The Ugly: The Battle of the Bell For the first time since 2005, it appeared that Miami was on its way to defeating the Cincinnati Bearcats, as the stage was set perfectly for the RedHawks’ official return to relevance in front of over 20,000 fans under the CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Portugal puts team first after 100th career point FIELD HOCKEY

CHRISTOPHER BERRY THE MIAMI STUDENT

Junior forward/midfielder Paula Portugal secured her 100th career point and became the fifth player in Miami history to achieve this feat in Miami’s Oct. 20 game against Central Michigan University. Not only did Portugal reach this milestone, but the Miami field hockey team had the chance to make history and finish with an undefeated regular-season conference record -- and they did.

Individual stats has never been something Portugal paid much attention to. Before the Central Michigan game, Portugal had no idea she was knocking on the door of history.

“I didn’t even know I was at 100 points until after the game,” Portu-

PAULA PORTUGAL MADE HISTORY ON OCT. 20 THIS YEAR AGAINST CMU. JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

gal said. “They made an announcement when I scored, but I didn’t hear it. Then, my teammates all started congratulating me and I didn’t know why at first so I was pretty confused.”

On the field, she’s aggressive and balances an “I’ll beat you no matter what” mentality and a team-first mentality. No matter the situation or the pressure, she keeps her demeanor in check without losing the

vigor or intensity she plays with.

She carries herself on and off the field with cool confidence but not arrogance. When the game is on the line, she almost always ends with the ball the way she wanted it.

Off the field, she exemplifies the definition of a humble student-athlete. She is soft-spoken and laughs easily -- it is clear she cares more about her teammates than herself.

“I think it’s pretty cool that I reached 100 points, but at the end of the day it’s just a number in the books,” Portugal said. “I care more about winning than any individual record I might set.”

She finished the 2017 season leading the team in goals, assists and points with 20, 12 and 52, respectively. After the MAC tournament, Portugal now has 118 career points, but she is more than just a typical CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND TAKEAWAYS MITCH HAUSFELD Thanksgiving weekend means many different things to many people. To some, it is a time to reconnect with out-of-town relatives and tell wonderful stories about the past year. To others, it’s a time show off their next great recipe or finally get a taste of their favorite traditional fami-

ILLU

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THE MIAMI STUDENT

ly side dish. sure do know a lot about WELLS NOR Then to some, sports. Hey, by the N CO N: Thanksgiving is a way, have you even IO time to avoid small interacted with a talk at all costs girl in the past and avoid pressyear?”

Most ing questions college-aged like, “What are Americans you going to do seem to fall in with your life?” the latter cator “What did you egory — with think about Trump’s exception to the last tweet?” or my peroddly-specific last sonal favorite: “Wow Mitch, you question.

RA T

COLUMN

However, thanks to the wonderful introduction of inventions like smartphones, flat screen TVs and syndicated programming, the less socially-inclined can find recluse on a comfortable spot on the couch and lounge around watching football all weekend.

This Thanksgiving was gracious in the amount of quality football provided from Thursday to Sunday and provided more than CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

The RedHawks split their games over the weekend in the Loyola Marymount University Thanksgiving Classic in Los Angeles. The ‘Hawks lost to LMU 84-71 on Friday, and defeated Denver University 69-52 on Saturday.

On Friday, Miami seemed to be in the driver’s seat in the first half against the Classic’s host, the LMU Lions. After scoring the first two buckets of the game, the ‘Hawks kept their lead for the rest of the half. Hitting a remarkable 8-of11 from behind the arc in the first half -- including going 5-for-5 in the first quarter -- MU entered the break with a commanding ninepoint lead at 42-33.

The second half, however, was dominated by the hosts. The Lions owned the paint, and outscored the RedHawks in the second half 51-29. LMU took their first lead of the game, 57-56 just seconds into the fourth quarter.

LMU would not look back, and completed the rally with a convincing 13-point victory. Junior guard Cheyanne Wallace finished the day with 30 points in as many minutes for the Lions, along with eight boards. Despite only hitting 3-of-14 three-pointers to the RedHawks’ 13-of-22, Loyola remained unbeaten Friday, pushing their record to 5-0.

For the ‘Hawks, sophomore guard Lauren Dickerson strung together an impressive statline with 25 points and eight assists, going an astounding 7-for-12 from deep.

Reeling from a disappointing loss the day before, the RedHawks took on Denver University on Saturday, and were sure to not let up on the gas.

Junior guard Leah Purvis started hot in the first half, hitting four shots from beyond the arc. Purvis would finish with a team-high 17 points. Once again, head coach Megan Duffy’s team entered halftime with a nine-point lead, 33-24.

“It was really important for us to bounce back from the LMU game yesterday by putting together a better 40 minutes, start to finish,” Duffy said.

The Red and White kept Denver at bay with an 8-2 run at the beginning of the third quarter, and an 8-0 run to start the fourth. Denver struggled to stop Miami from scoring, however, as six different RedHawks added to their lead in the period.

“I was really proud of our team’s effort and determination tonight,” Duffy said. “We had a great, balanced attack on the offensive end.

We did a nice job of guarding the three-point line and limiting Denver’s open shots from the perimeter.”

Denver went 2-for-15 from behind the arc on Saturday, to Miami’s 5-for-12. The ‘Hawks’ efficiency from 3-point range has been impressive to start the year.

Dickerson gave a balanced performance for Miami with 14 points and nine assists.

The RedHawks certainly left Los Angeles with a bittersweet taste in their mouths, knowing they had a real opportunity to take down Loyola Marymount on Friday.

Saturday’s convincing victory, which moved the ‘Hawks to 3-3 on the season, however, should be a reminder of the team’s potential when its defensive game is on.

The Red and White are not back in action until Sunday Dec. 3, when they host the Canisius Golden Griffins. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. at Millett Hall. panzecbj@miamioh.edu

BUILD YOUR OWN BREAKFAST COMBO Using a swipe from your buffet meals 7:30–9:00am only

CHOICE OF SANDWICH, PIECE OF FRUIT, AND SMALL COFFEE OR 16oz WATER WESTERN