February 14, 2017 | The Miami Student

ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2016

Volume 145 №29

WHAT THEY LEFT BEHIND

21 students hospitalized for alcohol consumption

LIFE AFTER LOSS

Crawford calls emergency meeting with sorority, fraternity leaders

Part II in a series

ALCOHOL

JAMES STEINBAUER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

LOSS

MACKENZIE ROSSERO THE MIAMI STUDENT

When MinGi Kang, Ting Zhao’s boyfriend of 17 months, died, Ting was 6,786 miles from home — two countries and an ocean away. She had no family nearby and grew to rely on the friends who knew and loved MinGi. According to data provided by Miami University, the university’s international student population has grown from 928 in fall 2011 to 2,505 in fall 2016. That’s a 169.94 percent increase in five years.

The Huffington Post explains that students are beginning to report depression, anxiety and social anxiety with growing frequency — a positive trend, since suicide.org labels untreated depression as the leading cause for suicide.

Yet, while students utilize their university’s mental health services with increasing regularity, they are using these services to treat depression and anxiety — not grief.

When it comes to grief, Ting chooses to talk with mutual friends of MinGi’s.

She can speak her native Chinese with MinGi’s friends, whereas Miami’s grief-counselors primarily speak English — a language Ting struggles with.

RYAN TERHUNE PHOTO EDITOR

Uptown’s bar scene carried on Saturday night despite increased police presence in response to a spike in arrests and hospitalizations due to alcohol.

Uptown from the Outside

Following what university administration and police are calling an “alarming” number of alcohol-related hospitalizations that coincided with the end of sorority rush Thursday night, President Gregory Crawford held an emergency meeting with the leaders of Miami’s fraternities and sororities in his home at Lewis Place.

From the evening of Thursday, Feb. 9 to the early morning hours of Sunday, Feb. 12, the Oxford Fire De-

partment responded to 21 alcohol-related calls from Miami University students.

Eleven of the calls were made within a three hour period late Thursday night and early Friday morning.

“Any time you are looking at double digits, that is far out of the ordinary,” said Jayne Brownell, vice president for Student Affairs.

Seventeen of the students hospitalized over the weekend were females, while four were males. All but two of the students were underage.

It is not clear whether all GREEK LIFE » PAGE 5

TMS reporter rides along with MUPD on “blackout” Thursday POLICE

KIRBY DAVIS

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

RYAN TERHUNE PHOTO EDITOR

READ THE REST ONLINE AT MIAMISTUDENT.NET

Miami University — Oxford, Ohio

A trio of MUPD officers eat a 2:00 a.m. “lunch” in Pulley Diner, halfway through a 10-hour late-night shift Saturday night.

Breakup and binge The harmful impact of dealing with first-year heartache BREAKUP & BINGE

11:30 p.m., Havighurst Hall Two girls were huddled beside an MUPD officer across from a room in Havighurst. The girls, clutching water bottles and dressed to go out, tried to peer inside the room and ask the officer questions that he couldn’t answer about their friend — the one inside waiting for an ambulance.

She was curled up in bed, engulfed in blankets with her head in another friend’s lap. The friend rubbed her back and held a trash can below her mouth. Soft, yellow string lights illuminated

the five other girls and two MUPD officers crowding the room, and a “Don’t worry bee happy” sign hung over them.

“I just joined a sorority,” the girl wailed. “I don’t wanna get in trouble.”

“Honey,” said a girl leaning on her desk, dressed in a crisp pink sweater and jeans.

“You’re not gonna get in any trouble.”

Everyone watched anxiously as the girl waiting for the ambulance continued to throw up and, when she could, moan about how mad her mom was going to be.

When the ambulance arrived, the officers asked if she thought she could walk ALCOHOL » PAGE 5

Breaking up and branching out Finding independence after heartache

lege student can make coping with these issues even more difficult and sometimes even dangerous, as college campuses foster an environment that presents heavy drinking as an outlet of relief.

“My drinking has definitely increased, and the breakup was definitely a factor because I thought alcohol would make me forget about it all,” Kasey said. “You get to college and suddenly there is this notion that alcohol is the answer to anything: sadness, joy, excitement, anxiety.”

Alcohol isn’t the only harmful coping mechanism present. There is a prominent hookup culture in college that newly-single students are especially vulnerable to.

“It all comes down to distracting,” Anna said. “I hook up with people to distract from the fact that I am hurting. Everyone likes to feel wanted, and hooking up with people gives you that, even if it is artificial and brief.”

UPTOWN » PAGE 8

Kasey didn’t expect to spend her second night of college in the hospital after an hour of lying facedown in the grass, trying to make conversation with a cop between spells of vomiting.

She didn’t expect the overwhelming need to hook up with guys each weekend to feel whole.

She didn’t expect to binge drink to try to forget about her breakup in a place that was completely foreign to her.

Kasey’s was one of the many high school relationships that go up in flames due to going away to college. Only two percent of high school relationships last until marriage and, many times, college is what marks the end of the road. The distance is too much for most couples, and with that comes an influx of broken-hearted freshmen into an environment that has

no sympathy for such emotions.

Anna, another freshman at Miami, decided to pursue a long distance relationship with her boyfriend of almost three and a half years. However, her boyfriend broke up with her shortly after school started. College was too much of a strain, he said.

Anna, like Kasey, had to deal with her first breakup, and all the emotions that come with it, in a new college setting. This can prove to be difficult, as college tends to breed a sense of loneliness and isolation in first year students.

“You move hours away from your family and are forced to adjust to an unknown lifestyle,” Anna said.

“You have to make friends, maintain schoolwork and when the constant of a significant other is also changed, it is just too much to handle.”

Coping with the negative emotions that the loss of a relationship brings is hard enough, but being a new col-

BINGE » PAGE 9

“The stress of college got to us.”

Emily and John were a dynamic pair. They started out as best friends. They went to the same high school in Indianapolis and spent their summers working at a summer camp in Brookston, Ind. By their senior year, they were a couple.

Last year, John whisked Emily away to prom by asking her to the dance with a “Want to FLY away to Prom w/ Me?” poster board, complete with a faux boarding pass.

“We should’ve taken a break the first semester so we could find our own people.

There was too much pressure and not enough time to see each other.”

Emily was determined to attend Miami University from the get-go, but John committed to Miami first.

“I didn’t want people to

NEWS p. 2

NEWS p. 3

CULTURE p. 6 & 7

EDITORIAL p. 10

TO THE EDITOR p. 11

SPORTS p. 12

INTERNATIONAL ENROLLMENT INCREASES

A DIFFERENT KIND OF MIAMI MERGER

SHINING A LIGHT ON PEOPLE IN THE SHADOWS

CHANGING THE DRINKING CULTURE

IT’S A BATTLE WORTH FIGHTING

INTRAMURAL HUSTLE: PART ONE

Miami’s Middletown campus sees 633 percent rise in three years.

Bill Berg and Heeyoung Tai first met at an event for new Miami faculty.

Photo exhibition highlights African American communities.

Change will come from individuals who stand up and speak out.

A student responds to TMS Editor-in-Chief James Steinbauer’s plea.

Tyler balances intramural basketball, homework and his three adoring fans.

Community columnist BREAKUP & BINGE

KELLY MCKEWIN

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Last Halloween weekend, I went Uptown with my boyfriend around 11 p.m., headed straight for the corner of High Street and Poplar where crowds of other students were also making their way toward BrickStreet.

Except, instead of getting into the line of people waiting to go inside, the two of us went over to the opposite corner of the intersection and sat down on the long wooden bench facing the bar.

We weren’t there to get drunk or go dancing; we were there to eat day-old bread from Jimmy John’s and people-watch as our fellow students celebrated the holiday.

I hadn’t spent much time

JULIA WILSON

THE MIAMI STUDENT

BREAKUP & BINGE

CÉILÍ DOYLE

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

think I was following my boyfriend to college.”

Emily was stuck between Miami and its close proximity to her hometown and Wake Forest, nearly 630 miles away from home. She eventually chose Miami, despite her apprehension over what others might have said about her chasing John to college. She was confident in her decision.

She had been in love with Miami way before the two started dating.

“When we originally talked about breaking up before college, we worried something like this was going to happen.”

The pair made their way to Oxford and spent the first month and a half getting accustomed to college life, until one night out at a bar Uptown, John decided to break things off.

He figured that the pressures of their relationship were straining Emily. She had HEARTACHE » PAGE 8

2 NEWS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

Miami University endows first regional campus professor ENDOWMENT

SAMANTHA BRUNN THE MIAMI STUDENT

Banafsheh Seyed-Aghazadeh, assistant professor of engineering technology, was recently named the first endowed professor at Miami’s Regional campuses.

In 2014, the James R. Myers estate gifted Miami Regionals two $1 million scholarship endowments, as well as two endowed professorships and $225,000 in scholarships for Air Force ROTC students.

Seyed-Aghazadeh was chosen for one of these endowed professorships due to her outstanding research and academic career, said Ayodele Abatan, professor and chair of the engineering technology department at Miami Regionals.

“She was so clearly the best candidate for the job,” Abatan said. “We wanted someone in mechanical engineering work combined with material engineering and structural engineering. Dr. Seyed-Aghazadeh has conducted her research in fluidstructure interaction, making her the ideal candidate.”

Seyed-Aghazadeh said she applied for the position due to Miami’s strong reputation for undergraduate teaching. She thoroughly enjoys teaching and mentoring her students, she said, and teaching at Miami’s Middletown campus has given her the opportunity to work with a wide variety of students.

I have found Miami has a really welcoming environment,” SeyedAghazadeh said. “The staff, my colleagues, and the students all make it

seem as though we are one big family. This is a unique experience for me. Here, we have both traditional and nontraditional students, and in my lectures I’ve seen great passion, motivation and determination to learn from my students. Knowing I am making a difference brings me a lot of professional satisfaction.”

Abatan described his and his colleagues’ impression of SeyedAghazadeh’s teaching talent.

“She is fantastic,” Abatan said.

“She’s very transparent, and certainly a people-person. We are all very happy to have her.”

Seyed-Aghazadeh incredibly honored to be named an endowed professor.

“I deeply feel a duty and responsibility to represent Mr. Myers’ name,” Seyed-Aghazadeh said. “I’ve

learned so much about his inspiring life and his passion for giving back to the Middletown community. I believe this deserves representation through my work here.”

Myers was a Middletown native who worked as a metallurgical engineer and collaborated with Miami Regionals’ engineering technology department on consultations.

Seyed-Aghazadeh’s endowed professorship includes funding to establish her own research lab, which has just been renovated.

“My research influences my teaching and vice versa,” SeyedAghazadeh said. “I plan to initiate multidisciplinary research among faculties, among other things.”

Abatan believes Seyed-Aghazadeh’s endowed professorship will be an attract students looking to

join Miami Regionals’ engineering program.

“Our policy is to attract the very best,” Abatan said. “We would love to see more young people join our department.”

Abatan and Seyed-Aghazadeh both noted that Miami Regionals currently has an outreach program at local high schools and middle schools that is meant to guide students toward engineering as a profession.

Ultimately, Seyed-Aghazadeh wants to help her students make an impact.

“I want to educate and personally mentor my students as best I can, while advancing my career,” Seyed-Aghazadeh said. “And, I will always do my best to represent the engineering department with love and honor.”

Middletown campus sees major increase in international enrollment INTERNATIONAL

KELLY MCKEWIN

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Since 2013, there has been a 633 percent increase in the number of international students enrolled at Miami’s Middletown campus. Only 30 international students were enrolled at Middletown in 2013, while 222 were enrolled as of fall 2016.

International students now make up over 11 percent of the students enrolled at the Middletown campus.

The increase is due largely to the creation of an English Language Center (ELC) in 2013, which offers more resources and support for

international students, said Jerry Martin, regional director of the ELC. The center was created with the intention of bringing more international students to the Middletown campus, while also providing them the resources they need to be successful.

“I think we recognized the growing number of institutions that were benefitting from international students on their campuses, and we wanted to bring in a larger number of students,” Martin said.

The ELC offers an intensive program to help students build English proficiency and other skills needed to do well in their courses. The center also offers services to help

students acclimate to American culture. International students are partnered with local host families for their entire stay in America, and the center reaches out to students during the semester through different service projects and outreach programs.

“Our goal is not just to bring students here and be done with them.

We want to give them skills to integrate,” Martin said.

The ELC also offers seminars for faculty at the Middletown campus that focus on fostering integration between domestic and international students.

Beyond the ELC, Martin believes there are other factors that make

Middletown appealing to international students. The Middletown campus is smaller and easier to navigate than the Oxford campus, it offers small class sizes and the regional tuition is cheaper. While many students hope to eventually attend school in Oxford, taking a few years of classes in Middletown and going through the ELC’s program helps many international students prepare for transferring.

Overall, the large increase in international students has benefitted the Middletown campus and its domestic students, Martin said.

With Middletown being a traditionally commuter school, having international students remain on

A phone bank in Armstrong’s Shade Family Room manned by (left to right) Meryl Haque, Mickey Meyers, Alison Gay and Madison Cook fielded over 200 calls to local representatives in response to renewed construction on the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline .

campus all the time has “livened up” the campus and led to an increase of on-campus activities being planned.

Additionally, the increase in international students has led to more diversity across the campus.

The English Language Center has worked to make sure domestic students and international students are interacting on campus.

“There’s not that benefit if domestic and international students aren’t interacting. Initially, for the first year or two after the center opened, there was a barrier, but now we’re seeing more and more domestic students interact with international students,” Martin said.

RYAN TERHUNE THE MIAMI STUDENT

Engineering program pushes students to tackle scientific challenges SCIENCE

JOE GURNIG

THE MIAMI STUDENT

This fall, Miami’s College of Engineering and Computing will be offering a new program in concert with their new Socially Engaged Engineering and Computing (SEEC) initiative.

The new program, named the Grand Challenge Scholars Program (GCSP), is centered around preparing students to address “Grand Challenges” that affect both society and science. The GCSP takes 14 broad challenges and allows students to build a research plan from that topic and a framework designed by the National Academy of Engineering, who helped to create the national program.

“The program is a natural fit for science, engineering, and computing, but should interest most majors,” said Troy Douglas, head of the steering committee and director of the program.

The program plans to implement a student-mentor program that will

have students who have been in the program help newer students that have selected the same challenge as them. Elaine Gossard, a junior bioengineering major, is one of the two students currently enrolled in the early stages of the program.

“I was really excited that not only does Miami give us a great academic foundational experience, but also that next step of how can you use your gifts and talents to impact the world around you,” she said.

The program is designed to fit around a student’s current curriculum with outside experiences like internships, faculty research or a service project and coursework that is typically less than a minor.

Mark Scott, a professor on the program’s steering committee, is hopeful that the program will be a good way to get more minorities and women into the field of engineering. Scott also believes this is a good way for students to get more exposure and skills on niche topics that will set them apart from the tens of thousands students gradu-

ating each year.

The challenge topics fall under four categories: energy and environment sustainability, medicine and healthcare, vulnerability protection and expanding human capacity and joy. Douglas and Scott both see more topics being eventually added, deep space research being one of them.

The GCSP was approved over last winter break and is planned to formally begin in the fall of 2017.

The committee hopes to graduate 20 scholars each year, while raising awareness of these grand challenges throughout the school. Application deadlines for the program are Mar. 16 for the fall and Oct. 12 for the spring.

Miami University is a part of a group of 120 universities that made a commitment to prepare students to take on these current rising global issues. Currently, Miami is one of 40 universities to be offering this program. Students that complete the program will also receive recognition from the National Academy of Engineering.

RYAN TERHUNE THE MIAMI STUDENT

Allissa Deal, a junior biology major, discusses the DAPL’s environmentl impacts with her representative.

PLEASE RECYCLE WHEN FINISHED

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

NEWS 3

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017

Two sexual assaults reported MUPD, OPD investigations ongoing SEXUAL ASSAULT

EMILY WILLIAMS MANAGING EDITOR

RYAN TERHUNE PHOTO EDITOR

Shots were fired outside of Wild Berry and Cellar Bar in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Shots fired Uptown, minor injury CRIME

JAKE GOLD SENIOR STAFF WRITER A female Miami University student sustained minor injuries after a firearm was discharged at 15 W High St., outside of Cellar Bar, around 1:25 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11.

The injured student — whose name has not been released by the Oxford Police Department — suffered a minor shrapnel wound on her finger, though it’s unclear if the perpetrator injured her intentionally. She was treated and released

quickly.

After a dispute in a bar was brought outside, several rounds were fired. Bystanders speculated that the gun was fired from a moving car. The vehicle in question was stopped and searched, but no weapon was found, OPD Sgt. Jon Varley said.

The left-front window of Wild Berry incense store, which neighbors Cellar Bar, was cracked sometime late Friday night or early Saturday morning, said Wild Berry employees. It is currently unclear if the damage to the window was related to the incident involving the shots fired.

A “Crime Alert” — an SMS or email designed to alert students, faculty and staff of present dangers — was not sent out following the incident. An update was posted on the myMiami homepage by the Institutional Response Team, though these announcements do not automatically notify recipients.

“We only issue a crime alert when there is an ongoing, continuous threat to the community,” MUPD Capt. Ben Spilman said.

“The Oxford Police Department’s response was immediate, so no crime alert was needed.”

Varley confirmed: No suspect was apprehended, but OPD and

MUPD believed that there was not a continuing threat.

The investigation is ongoing.

MyMiami announcement: Oxford Police are investigating a shooting outside of a bar in the 0 block of W. High St at about 1:30 a.m. Saturday. Police believe a gun may have been fired by someone in a vehicle.

A Miami student received a minor shrapnel wound on her finger and was treated and released from the hospital. No other injuries were reported.

If you have any information on the shooting, please contact Oxford police at 513-524-5240.

Last week, two female Miami University students reported that they had been sexually assaulted.

One student reported to MUPD that she had been sexually assaulted by a male student whom she knew in the early morning hours on Sunday, Feb. 5 in her room in McBride Hall.

Early on Friday, Feb. 10, a female student reported to the Oxford Police that she had woken up in a bed in an unknown residence without any memory of arriving there. She told police she had been Uptown earlier that night and had left with an unknown male.

According to an incident report from the Oxford Police, the female student had reported from the hospital that she had been sexually assaulted by three males at a local apartment. The incident report said that OPD officers searched the apartment, and suspects in the case have been identified.

Students were notified of the reported assaults through campus crime alerts. MUPD and OPD are currently investigating the reports.

RYAN TERHUNE PHOTO EDITOR

Brick Street Bar’s iconic neon marquee reflects off the windows of a parked car as students dance and drink inside, Saturday night.

Miami professors redefine ‘Mergers’ after 25 years FACULTY

KERRY MCFADDEN THE MIAMI STUDENT He saw her. And he made sure he sat at her table.

Bill Berg and Heeyoung Tai were at a reception for new faculty joining Miami University in the fall of 1991. They chatted over dinner at the Shriver Center with the other incoming professors, made plans to go out with their new professional friends and learned that they were living right next door to each other on Chestnut.

They went on dates, spending evenings just walking around Miami’s western campus.

Now, 25 years after meeting, the pair is going on their 23rd year of marriage – a new type of Miami Merger.

Miami Mergers, the alliterative title given to married couples of alumni, usually sparks the image of two young-and-in-love students who kiss under Upham arch and later wed. Berg and Tai may not have met as undergraduates, but still consider themselves a part of the Miami tradition.

“We were both new here,” said Berg, “so it’s similar, because stu-

dents come here and they’re all pretty much new.”

“This place has a lot of memories,” said Tai, reminiscing on their walks through Western and their wedding at its tucked-away, grey stone Kumler Chapel. Aside from family, all of their guests were members of the Miami community.

Miami is known for its exceptionally high marriage rates, with 14 percent of alumni married to another graduate of the university. It’s one of the highest rates of any college in the country, according to information published

by Forbes’s college ranking.

The tradition also has also been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records. In 2009, Miami hosted an unprecedented, on-campus vow renewal ceremony for over 1,000 merger couples under the Upham Arch.

Other universities across the country have also tried to garner donor support by reaching out to their married alumni, according to an article published by the New York Daily News, but Miami remains a romantic champion.

Every Valentine’s Day since 1973, Miami’s alumni association has sent cards to the couples who fell in love inside red brick build-

ings and on bright green quads.

This year, they plan to mail over 27,000 valentines to all 50 U.S. states that include a poem and a heartbeat monitor design. If the recipients look closely, they’ll notice “MU” written right there in the heartbeat.

Berg and Tai’s Valentine’s Day plans will likely include grading, but regardless of how they celebrate, it’s obvious - they’re in love.

Unconsciously, they laugh at all of the same times, and when they speak of each other, you can hear smiles in their voices – like they’re both so glad that he made sure he sat at her table 25 years ago.

4 NEWS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017

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Moscow Times journalists talk media with MU students MEDIA

CÉILÍ DOYLE

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Students and faculty gathered in the center of Harrison Hall, room 204, focused on two screens projecting a Skype session with Miami University alumnus and Moscow Times journalist Matt Bodner and his colleague, Alexey Kovalev, on Friday, Feb. 10.

Bodner arranged the crosscontinental chat with his former professor, interim director of the Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies, Stephen Norris.

Before the lecture, Norris sent attendees a few stories recently written by Kovalev.

“One [article] in particular from The Guardian has gotten a lot of press lately about how covering Putin for years helps [Kovalev] or other journalists cover Trump,” Norris said of Kovalev’s recent column, “I’ve reported on Putin — here are my tips for journalists dealing with Trump.”

Bodner and Kovalev spoke to the group about the Russian propaganda machine and some of the similarities between Russian president Vladimir Putin and U.S. president Donald Trump’s administrations.

Kovalev compared Putin’s emblazoned public statements to Trump’s continuous string of tweets.

However, he cautioned both reporters and citizens to be wary of “falling for the chat.” He argued that people spend too much time following what an official says in response to a probing question rather than the question itself.

“The other day the spokesperson for the largest oil and gas

RYAN TERHUNE THE MIAMI STUDENT

Moscow Times journalist Matt Bodner (left) and colleague Alexey Kovalev (center) Skyped in for a guest lecture on Friday, Feb. 10. Stephen Norris (right), interim director of the Havinghurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies, arranged the event. company in Russia literally told the reporter who called in for comment to screw themselves,” Kovalev said. “People were tweeting their jokes and memes, but in the process everybody kind of forgot what the question really was.

And I can see this occurring in America right now.”

Kovalev spoke animatedly about a theory he dubbed “double tap tactics” in which the Russian government distracts the public with one shocking bill, while a dangerous piece of legislation

they actually intend to pass flies under the radar. “[The Duma] files two bills, one is simply outrageous and everybody goes out to the streets and writes petitions and is raging and fuming on Twitter,” Kovalev said. “After a while, maybe two weeks, the government rolls back the outrageous bill by 20 percent and they get 100 percent of what they actually intended in the first place. Meanwhile [when] everyone was busy obsessing over the first bill, a second bill, much more

ODP Chair David Pepper comes to Oxford POLITICS

PARIS FRANZ

THE MIAMI STUDENT

The Ohio Democratic Party (ODP) Chairman David Pepper is coming to Oxford on Tuesday, Feb. 14. He will speak from 7 to 8:30 p.m. about “The Most Important Cycle for Ohio Democrats in 50 Years.”

In recent columns in the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Huffington Post, Pepper has called for Democrats and Republicans to “stand together and speak out to protect the rights of all Americans.”

Pepper is also concerned with Ohio public education. In a Huffington Post blog post titled “Cruella DeVos,” Pepper opposed President Trump’s nomination of DeVos for Secretary of Education, in part due to her history in Ohio.

DeVos’s All Children Matter PAC in support of “school choice” offering alternatives to public schools - was found to have violated Ohio law in 2008 and owes the state $5.3 million in fines and fees.

Charles Kennick, the Secretary of MU College Democrats, is looking forward to speaking with Pepper about opportunities to collaborate.

“I’m excited to tell [Pepper] what I think,” said Kennick.

“Look we want to work with you really bad, we want to turn the state back to being blue, as it was when I was growing up.”

In particular, Kennick is interested in establishing a monetary program and service partnership with College Democrat organizations throughout Ohio. Kennick hopes to see the ODP move in the direction of a true grassroots movement.

However, Maggie Bender, president of MU College Democrats, does not view the visit as an opportunity. While she is glad that Pepper is making himself available, she sees the visit as a political farce meant for show.

“I think he is very invested in his position and climbing the ranks,” said Bender. “I don’t think he’s making himself available in the way that we want him to, so we are going to try to change that

by having a very direct conversation with him.”

Bender is also looking for answers about his behavior during the last election cycle. She said she was not impressed by his leadership and failure to properly mobilize the younger electorate.

Luke Schroeder, Director of Communications for MU College Republicans, said he personally welcomes Pepper’s message promoting involvement.

“I welcome the idea of being proposition-focused instead of opposition-focused, and I think that both parties should move in that direction,” said Schroeder.

“Even though we may disagree on policy, I would agree on the idea of pushing for optimistic leadership from anyone in any political party.”

The meeting is being hosted by the Butler County Progressive PAC and will take place in the LCNB Bank Building in Oxford and is free and open to the public. A social discussion will follow immediately afterward at Steinkeller.

subtle, but much more dangerous passes in all three readings in one day.”

This “double tap tactics” approach happens all the time when it comes to passing Russian legislation.

Kovalev cited an example in which the first bill — a series of extreme regulations regarding the Russian Internet — led to huge protests and public outcry, while the second bill went unchallenged and led to the privatization of the country’s national parks.

Both Bodner and Kovalev have seen some absurd abuses of power while covering politics and Putin for the Moscow Times, but what scares them the most is how complacent people become in complaining yet not following up or trying to hold the government accountable.

“Whenever you see a huge cloud of public outrage try to look past it,” Kovalev said. “Because there’s probably something much more important going on behind this cloud.”

ASG announces Student Success Fund ASG

JAKE GOLD

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Going to college is expensive.

The high cost is not only due to tuition and other official billed items, but also to the unofficial costs of living in Oxford — restaurants, club dues, bar covers.

In light of this, Miami’s ASG recently unveiled a unique scholarship.

Instead of paying for students’ books, the Student Success Fund pays for their club soccer dues.

Instead of paying for classes, it pays for their pizza.

“A lot of scholarships cover tuition and housing and meals,” Secretary of Communications and Media Relations Amy Berg said, “but a lot of [other] things add to your experience.”

In order to finance the Student Success Fund, the ASG cabinet has proposed building up funds by soliciting donations. ASG alumni, parents at Make It Miami events and large organiza-

tions on campus will be getting requests.

One idea for getting donations is a volleyball tournament in March dubbed “Set Up for Success.” Eighteen of the largest student organizations will be invited to participate. Their registration fees will go toward the Student Success Fund.

“Set Up for Success is about recognition, not just getting the donations,” Berg said.

Students requesting money from the fund will be vetted for financial need. Similar to ASG funding for student organizations, students hoping to use the Student Success Fund would need to come prepared with the purpose and amount desired.

The ASG executive cabinet hopes that the Student Success Fund can help all students get the same experience, removing any financial barriers to entry from the school’s social scene.

“We get to help people living their everyday and getting that Miami experience,” Berg said.

NEWSPAPER READS YOU MIAMISTUDENT.NET

HEATHER MCCOWAN THE MIAMI STUDENT

The Natural History Museum in Upham Hall, home to many taxidermied animals, both large and small, will be renovated soon.

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FROM ALCOHOL » PAGE 1

downstairs. She couldn’t. Her friends helped her out of bed and the officers each supported her with one arm.

“Is she gonna be coming back tonight?” her roommate asked.

The officers didn’t think so.

The girl apologized for the inconvenience, but everyone told her not to worry.

“You’re not the first one tonight,” an officer said. “And you won’t be the last one, that’s for sure.”

11:58 p.m., North Quad They came from Brick Street.

Their drinks came from boys.

They’d really thought their friend was okay, until they reached North Quad — that’s when she’d begun struggling to walk on her own. Then she couldn’t hold her own head up.

The officers advised the girls to help their friend into the backseat of

FROM GREEK LIFE » PAGE 1

of the students hospitalized were members of the Greek community, but Brownell acknowledged that most of the hospitalizations stemmed from the conclusion of the formal period of sorority rush.

“You can only have so many formal events and keep people in a more controlled situation for so long and we didn’t know what might happen when people were free to do what they wanted to do again,” Brownell said. “Unfortunately, there were a high number of incidents.”

Friday morning, after hearing that the number of hospitalizations the night before was unusually high, President Gregory Crawford convened a meeting with all fraternity and sorority presidents, along with leaders from the Interfraternity FROM COUPLES »PAGE 6

look like a walk in the park, which is a testament to their subtle love story.

“10 Things I Hate About You” This movie is filled with grand ro-

5

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017 the nearest cop car. They managed to get her seated, legs stretched out onto the icy pavement. She slumped against the seat, and both he and a friend had to support her neck as he gave her a Breathalyzer test.

“Whoo,” he said at the results.

He alluded that she was close to the “magic number,” .2, the level at which people can lose the ability to walk and communicate before losing consciousness altogether.

One officer called for an ambulance.

The rest asked her gaggle of friends, whose only defense against the 10-degree weather was crop tops and cropped jeans, how they could stand the cold.

“Worry,” her roommate said, cracking a humorless smile. “Warms you up.”

Their RA came bounding outside, a big black parka swallowing her tiny frame. Half of her blonde hair had come loose from its ponytail on the journey from Brandon

Hall. She wrapped her arms around the roommate and another girl and asked if she could ride in the ambulance.

The officers said yes. They waited.

Council and the national Pan-Hellenic Council.

The meeting, which lasted approximately two hours, included almost 50 leaders from Miami’s Greek community. Crawford said in an interview on Monday that while he was thankful they made sure their friends were safe, his overall feeling with the Greek community was one of disappointment.

The spike in alcohol-related hospitalizations last weekend was particularly troubling to him, he said, given that recent death of first-year Erica Buschick.

Buschick was found dead in her Morris Hall dorm room Jan. 20.

While the Butler County Coroner has not yet released a toxicology report, high-risk alcohol consumption was undoubtedly contributed to her death.

“We lost someone two weeks ago and that could have very easily happened last night. Luckily, it didn’t because people stepped up to help,” Crawford said. “But what is happening with our culture as a whole, that two weeks later, students are not taking away messages from what happened to Erica?”

John Detherage, chief of the Oxford Fire Department, said in an email that the influx of calls this weekend stressed the fire department’s capabilities.

“We have a tough enough time trying to attract part-time folks to work here and nights like this don’t help with recruitment or retention,” Detherage said. “As you can imagine, 11 calls in three hours in the middle of the night doesn’t leave much time to get any rest when you are working a 12- or 24-hour shift.”

mantic gestures, some more memorable than others. My personal favorite is when Bianca, played by Larisa Oleynik, punches the horrible antagonist and Mario Lopez lookalike in order to defend Cameron, a.k.a baby-faced Joseph Gordon-Levitt at his peak. It may not

be Heath Ledger serenading Julia Stiles while she’s at soccer practice (speaking of, does anyone’s high school look like that? I’m genuinely asking), but it’s a sweet moment that shows how boys sometimes need rescuing and girls can be daring knights instead of damsels. The

1:03 a.m., Armstrong Student Center These girls hadn’t called the MUPD, and they weren’t planning on it. But they were lucky MUPD drove by and saw them outside Armstrong, they were told, because their friend was critically intoxicated.

The friend sat on the frozen curb, head sagging down between her knees.

The officer pulled over and asked if she was okay.

“We’re fine, officer,” one of the seven people clustered around her said, waving him off. “We’re totally fine. Thank you.”

“How much did you have to drink tonight?” the officer asked.

“19? Probably 19,” the girl slurred.

“She did not have 19 drinks,” one of her friends said. “She’s fine.”

She wasn’t. When the officer stepped out of the car to help her stand up, she vomited — clear, plentiful and as the officer pointed out, almost entirely alcohol.

He called for an ambulance.

He asked the remaining three other girls where she’d been and how much they’d really had to drink, but they didn’t know. One had seen her struggling at New Bar and recognized her from her pledge class; sisterly obligation spurred her to help the girl home. They’d met the other two on Slant Walk.

All three girls helped her into the warmth of the cop car’s backseat while they waited.

“Will you call my roommate? Will you text her?” she asked. “My mom is gonna be so mad.”

Dazed, she paused and squinted out at the street. The car’s pulsating red-and-blue lights illuminated the sheen of sweat coating her face.

“I don’t know where I am,” she said, panicked.

The officer told her she was waiting for an ambulance and would be okay.

“There’s about to be so many people in the hospital,” her sorority sister said.

FROM PROPAGANDA »PAGE 7

FROM LEGO »PAGE 6

Bruno echoed his sentiments, hoping that her peers who visit the exhibit over the next few months through class or their own interests will see how propaganda has been used in the past and how to recognize it in the present.

The Miami University Art Museum has many events planned for the rest of the semester centered around the “Over Here, Over Here!” exhibition, which runs through May 13, including “Picturing Contemporary Warfare: Art in the Age of the Drone” on March 2 and a reception and program honoring the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into WWI on April 6.

man,” especially since this movie feels more cynical throughout.

Even though this storytelling does present a problem, that problem is easily outshined by the excellent visuals, relentlessly funny meta-jokes, satire and endearing character dynamics. It makes a Batman fanboy like myself hesitant to go back to Ben Affleck’s “Wah, look at me, I’m serious” bigscreen version of the character.

More superhero movies should be like “The LEGO Batman Movie:” unafraid to examine some of the sadder parts of their characters, but equally unafraid to point out just how nerdy they actually are.

cherry on top is when she asks if he’s okay and all he says is “Never better.” Ugh, JGL… Breaking hearts since the late 90s.

So, here’s to the unconventional couples who deserve movies all of their own. If you and your #MCM or #WCW need one to watch this Val-

entine’s Day, hopefully you choose one of the countless rom-coms available to you. Except Valentine’s Day. That movie has roughly 18 couples in it and spoiler alert: all of them suck.

1:24 a.m., McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital “It’s too early for this,” said an MUPD officer outside McCulloughHyde. “They’ve got beds stacked up.”

He mentioned the possibility of diverting incoming patients to nearby hospitals.

The girl we found outside Armstrong had already arrived. Two girls who’d helped her waited in the lobby, laughing at something on one of their phones. They’d met on the walk home.

At 1:29 a.m., the MUPD was on its way to Dennison Hall. An RA had called about an intoxicated resident.

Culture

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SHUMANDB@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017

‘SHINING A LIGHT ON PEOPLE IN THE SHADOWS’ Photo exhbition highlights Oxford’s African-American communities PHOTOGRAPHY

DEVON SHUMAN CULTURE EDITOR

When Miami junior Raechel Root took the podium at the Oxford Community Arts Center last Friday, she immediately asked former Miami professor Hugh Morgan to stand for recognition. All eyes turned to the back of the room.

But nobody stood.

“Put your hand up, Hugh,” Root said, eager to celebrate the man responsible for the night’s featured exhibit.

But again, Morgan refused to make himself visible. He was here to cast a light on others, not himself.

On the second Friday of every month, the OCAC hosts a celebration of the arts, complete with music, food and art exhibitions. This past “Second Friday” featured Morgan’s photography exhibition, “Shining a Light on People in The Shadows,” a collection of photographic portraits of the historic African-American communities in Oxford.

The exhibition, which was supported by the Oxford branch of the NAACP, highlighted a wide variety of images from these communities — families and friends, churches and places of business, people laughing and people kissing, serious faces and stoic faces. As Root explained, these images presented a part of Oxford unknown to many in the Miami community.

RYAN TERHUNE THE MIAMI STUDENT

Last Friday, the Oxford Community Arts Center featured “Shining a Light on People in The Shadows,” a photography exhibiition highlighting the African-American communities of Oxford.

“It’s kind of an invisible part of the community, as the title suggests,” she said. “I like that it was generated by members of the community… And I think there’s kind of a tension there sometimes between Oxford, the town, and Oxford, the campus of Miami.”

Root, who is the art director at Kofenya, had worked with Morgan before on the “Humans of Kofenya” project. A regular at the coffee shop, Morgan came in one day and told her about his idea for this new photo project.

During his years as a journalist,

Morgan had covered the civil rights movement and had met many civil rights leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ever since, he has been deeply passionate about the fight for equality.

“It opened my eyes to the fact that we are all equal and that we should do everything we can to proclaim that message,” he said.

Morgan asked Root to help with the design and publicity for the event. She also offered to assist with the technological aspect of it after she took a look at his computer and found 200 separate image files

This Valentine’s Day, open your heart to film’s lesser loved couples FILM

HALEY MILLER

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Ever start watching a movie or TV show and realize you couldn’t care less about what happens to the main character because you’re suddenly way more invested in the supporting storyline? With love in the air this week, here are a few movies featuring side couples who manage to be funnier, cuter and more loving than their film’s main relationships despite considerably less time on screen.

“Trainwreck” Sure, Amy Schumer and Bill Hader have a great arc with a storybook ending involving Billy Joel and the New York Knicks. But what about Brie Larson and Mike Birbiglia as Schumer’s sister and her lovable loser of a husband, respective-

is pursuing a forbidden romance with a teacher, Anita and Gus banter back and forth about their jobs, past relationships and Barrymore’s assignment. Maybe I’m partial to a lovable curmudgeon (Reilly) being dragged out of his shell by a vulgar yet sweet reporter (Shannon), but I think most viewers were rooting for these two to get together.

“Wedding Crashers” If this movie were only about Vince Vaughn and Isla Fisher, I would probably like it more. Their wacky “How We Met” story is way more entertaining and a lot less dramatic than the Owen Wilson/ Bradley Cooper/Rachel McAdams love triangle, which gets the primary storyline. Initially, Vaughn cons Fisher into thinking he’s a wounded veteran, then after they sleep together, Fisher convinces Vaughn he took her virginity. The

I loved ‘Trainwreck’ because of Schumer’s emotional growth, but the relationship between Larson and Birbiglia is an example of mature adults who see the good in each other and ignore whatever anyone else thinks.

ly? Larson is an angelic vision of a stepmom who defends her husband and stepson to her sometimes abrasive and brash biological family.

And even though Birbiglia and his son are a little strange, Larson loves them unconditionally and accepts them for their pale, nerdy selves.

I loved “Trainwreck” because of Schumer’s emotional growth, but the relationship between Larson and Birbiglia is an example of mature adults who see the good in each other and ignore whatever anyone else thinks. That’s love, people!

“Never Been Kissed” You might have missed the electric kiss between two comedy giants in the final scene of “Never Been Kissed,” but make no mistake: Molly Shannon and John C. Reilly’s flirtationship flies under the radar for the majority of the film until it culminates in a satisfying smooch.

While Drew Barrymore’s character

ensuing debauchery, depravity and sexual chemistry make for an unconventional love story that you can’t help but root for. Especially when contrasted with boring Wilson and McAdams, pining over each other on bicycles and exchanging meaningful glances over dinner (BARF). Lest we forget that Wilson and McAdams’ confrontation then resolution takes place in the middle of Vaughn and Fisher’s wedding vows, one final injustice committed against the real stars of the film.

“Knocked Up” Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd’s characters, Pete and Debbie, got the sequel to this movie (“This is 40”) because everyone knows Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl could never last longer than six months together. Yes, Pete and Debbie are dysfunctional at best and ruthlessly mean at worst, but they’re a realistic portrait of committed parents who

have their ups and downs but try their best. And in case you forgot, their respective breakdowns after their separation are iconic: Pete goes to Vegas, does shrooms and delivers a wonderful monologue about the different chairs in his hotel room while Debbie goes to a club and provokes a bartender to say “You old, she pregnant. Can’t have a bunch of old pregnant bitches running around.” Almost getting divorced is justified if you have a mental break like either of theirs.

“Clueless” This movie has two secondary couples that are super sweet and, unlike the main one, were never stepsiblings! I know it’s not incest between Cher and Josh, but it’s still unsettling. Meanwhile, Brittany Murphy and Breckin Meyer as Ty and Travis are a couple of cuties in flannels. Travis noticed Ty’s Marvin the Martian doodles and liked her without all of the Cher and Dionne accoutrement. Who would have thought being yourself would attract a sweet and compatible mate?

Meanwhile Dionne and Murray, played by Stacey Dash and Donald Faison, are a masterful portrayal of that couple from your graduating class that would fight every day in the parking lot but are still together.

Want to know what trust looks like?

Letting your high school boyfriend teach you how to drive on the freeway.

“Four Weddings and a Funeral” It takes Hugh Grant and Andie MacDowell like four years to finally get together, and I personally felt that I had been through too many ups and downs with them for their reunion to feel satisfying. It’s dramatic for no reason and Andie MacDowell acts about as well as a wooden marionette. Meanwhile, Gareth and Matthew, played by Simon Callow and John Hannah, are the vision of stability, support and unconditional love. While Grant and MacDowell are getting engaged and married and divorced (not to each other, mind you), Callow and Hannah are quietly in love until Gareth’s tragic death. Gareth’s death and funeral make Dobby’s death

COUPLES »PAGE 5

saved on the desktop.

Morgan also enlisted the help of Barbara Cox, a member of the Oxford branch of the NAACP. Like Root, Cox saw this project as a wonderful opportunity to feature Oxford’s lesser-known communities.

She described the university as the “In-community” in Oxford, explaining that many individuals on Miami’s campus don’t know much about those who have lived on the outside their entire lives. This inspired her to title the project, “Shining a Light on People in The Shadows.”

“They’re in a sense marginalized,” she said. “Hugh wanted to spotlight them and give them the recognition they deserve.”

Cox helped Morgan set up interviews and photo opportunities.

Their mission brought them all over Oxford, from barbershops to political rallies, from weddings to family reunions. Cox described this as an eye-opening experience.

“It’s been amazing for me because I’m African-American, and I am connected to the university community and not so much to the African-American community,” she said. “I got to really know people I didn’t know before.”

The majority of those attending the event seemed equally impressed with the project, flocking to Morgan throughout the night to congratulate him on a successful exhibition.

But Morgan remained adamant that the night was not about him.

“I am the least important person,” he said. “What’s important is not who took the pictures. What’s important is the people in the pictures. And what they represent.”

Root expressed confidence in the success of the exhibit, citing the power of photography to instill empathy in the viewer.

“I’m glad, especially now in 2017, post-election, that this exhibit is happening and that people are seeing a very powerful representation of communities that other people may be trying to marginalize,” she said.

‘LEGO Batman’ revels in its own dorkiness and fun FILM

SAM KEELING

THE MIAMI STUDENT

It’s hard to believe that there was a time when Batman wasn’t dark and brooding 100 percent of the time. In the decades following his first comic appearance in 1939 (including that awful/incredible Adam West TV show and movie), Batman was more of a joke than anything. After all, he is a grown man dressing like a flying mammal and beating up clowns, plant ladies and really cold dudes alongside a costumed little boy.

Then Christopher Nolan released the “Dark Knight” trilogy, a set of beloved films that paint the Caped Crusader as an uber-gloomy man defined more by his haunted psyche than his pointy ears. Even though the 2009 masterpiece “The Dark Knight” is considered by many the epitome of what a superhero movie can be, it’s really an anomaly. Superheroes are dorky people, and they’re best when they stay that way. So, in the words of the Joker, “Why so serious?”

Thankfully, “The LEGO Batman Movie” is here to playfully eviscerate this all-powerful film genre, reveling in all the dorkiness in a fun, frantic movie where jokes fly as fast as Batman’s gnarly planes.

Much like a kid-friendly version of last year’s “Deadpool,” “LEGO Batman” has a lot of fun making fun of itself.

Batman (wonderfully voiced

by Will Arnett) is less of a child trapped in a grown man’s body and more of a Hot Topic teen trapped in a grown man’s body. His license plate says “BT1TUDE,” he narrates his heroic escapades with his original metal-rap records and he is convinced that nobody is as cool as him (his computer password? “Iron Man sucks”). We find out early on that this is just a façade to mask his crippling loneliness and fear of attachment, but the brilliance of the movie is that it paints this in a humorous light, too. Watching Batman try to remember which HDMI source he plugged his DVD player into so he can watch a rom-com alone is both hilarious and depressingly relatable.

The movie excels at creating hilarious chemistry between Bat-

man and the supporting characters. When he talks with Alfred (Ralph Fiennes), he sounds like an angry teen being given life lessons by a father (“I don’t want to go the event! NONONONONO!”). The Batman-Joker (Zach Galifianakis) dynamic is played out as a lovers’ quarrel, with the Joker plotting to destroy Gotham City because Bat-

Much like a kid-friendly version of last year’s ‘Deadpool,’ ‘LEGO Batman’ has a lot of fun making fun of itself.

man “fights around” and refuses to say that he hates the Joker (“You’re seriously saying that there’s nothing special about us?”).

The shining star of the film is Michael Cera as Robin, whose adorable character design just barely matches his pestering yet ultimately loveable personality. After Batman meets young orphan Richard Grayson, who’s called Dick by the other orphans (“Children can be cruel”), he accidentally agrees to adopt him. What follows is the best plotline of the movie, as Batman struggles to maintain a cool emotional distance from his newfound son, even as that annoying cutie finds a place in the long-abandoned heart of his “Batdad.”

Outside of the characters, there are some problems with “The LEGO Batman Movie,” which exists in the same universe as the original “Lego Movie” and therefore maintains most of the same comedic and plot beats. The former is good for the movie, as the blink-and-you’llmiss-it jokes and adult references make it both highly rewatchable and fun for the whole family. The latter isn’t quite as convenient; in terms of story, it feels like you’re watching the same movie, packed with similar messages about teamwork and friendship. It worked well in “The Lego Movie,” but feels out of place and overly corny in “Bat-

LEGO »PAGE 5

SHUMANDB@MIAMIOH.EDU

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017

Humans of Oxford

Therapy dogs help students having ruff days

Jake Schultz: A man of many fish PEOPLE

ANGELA HATCHER THE MIAMI STUDENT For a large guy, Jake Schultz drives a tiny car.

His head barely brushes up against the roof of his dark blue van. He nods to the music I’m playing: “When You Were Young”

by The Killers.

“Do you know this one?” I ask.

He glances over at me, flashing an apologetic smile. Yet another alternative rock song he doesn’t know. I sigh.

We drive on, only 20 minutes into a two-hour ride to Westerville, Ohio, in the north suburbs of Columbus.

All for a damn fish tank.

When Jake asked me to tag along, I unassumingly said yes, eager for what I presumed to be a short road trip — not being from Ohio, my geography skills are null. When I found out Westerville is practically a world away, I gave Jake the evil eye.

But we went. Because Jake loves his damn fish, and good friends don’t let other friends pick up fish tanks from strangers on Reddit alone.

A sophomore biology pre-med major, Jake is studious and average. He’s attractive, kind — maybe too kind — and naive. He plays broomball and volleyball. He’s an RA. He’s just like any other student on campus.

Except his room is SeaWorld.

A subterranean utopia, Jake’s room is home to three fish tanks

WHITNEY REDDAN THE MIAMI STUDENT

Enya, an Irish red and white setter, is one of Miami’s two therapy dogs. Every week students have the opportunity to relieve stress by playing with the dogs.

MENTAL HEALTH

KRISTIN STRATMAN THE MIAMI STUDENT CLAIRE MULLANEYTHE MIAMI STUDENT

and one large fish poster.

Fish tank No. 1 dominates the space on his desk and is held up by two books.

Fish tank No. 2 is currently leaking and will be offline for the remaining of the semester.

Fish tank No. 3 is the “Fish tank de Reddit,” home to one fishy friend.

Dozens of plastic water gallons litter the room and large buckets filled with Lord-knows-what are strewn about, along with pieces of homework, dirty dishes and socks.

But his fish tanks are pristine, fluorescent lights making each spectacle an underwater wonderland.

“This is a branching frogspawn.

It lights up at night and retreats during the day,” Jake says. “And

this one here is a neon green toadstool …”

He drones on and on about his coral reef, not realizing how boring this all sounds to the average plebeian. His eyes light up, a brighter blue than the water reflected in his tank.

He tells tales of that one time the power went out in his room and he hand-circulated his tank for almost four hours straight, how he came to love his fish — a reminder of home — and how he’s at peace when he’s taking care of his tank. His fish are one of the three most important things in his life “Fish, the pursuit of scientific inquiry and my friends,” Jake says with a wiry smile.

El fin.

Elly Tarnowieckyi, a senior mechanical engineering student, hasn’t lived with a dog since her family’s beagle died when she was young.

“Now,” she says, “I take every chance I can to pet other people’s dogs.”

And with Miami’s pet therapy program, she has a guaranteed chance to do so every week.

The constant demand of a college course load may make students feel like their tail is between their legs. To combat this, Miami offers pet therapy every Monday from 2 to 3 p.m. to help students decrease stress and improve their mood. During this time, students may drop in without charge or prior notice and receive their fill of furry affections.

The pet therapy program, which has been in place since 2008, ser-

viced over 4000 Miami students during the 2015-2016 school year, according to Dr. Jennifer Young of Student Counseling Services.

It has been proven that the act of petting a therapy animal helps to reduce blood pressure and heart rate, which in turn reduces stress, according to Young. In addition to these physical benefits, petting a therapy animal can also promote a sense of comfort and well-being.

Two dogs attend every week.

One of them is Sugar, an English setter and a rescue who was the original therapy dog at Miami when the program began in 2008.

The other dog is Enya, an Irish red and white setter. According to the dogs’ caretaker, Mary O’Leary, red and white setters are of a very rare breed that was thought to be extinct until the 1930s when some were found in a kennel in rural Ireland.

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Art Museum opens programming for seasonal exhibition HISTORY

SARAH EMERY

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Last Wednesday, approximately 25 Miami students, professors and community members, as well as one 4 Paws 4 Ability dog, gathered at the Miami University Art Museum to learn about the many uses of propaganda in World War I. The multimedia program, entitled “For Home & Country: World War I Propaganda on the American Homefront” and hosted by Celia Kingsbury of the University of Central Missouri, was the first presentation of a series accompanying the museum’s seasonal exhibition, “Over Here, Over Here! U.S. Propaganda and the Arts of World War I.” The exhibition aims to honor the 100th anniversary of the U.S. entry into WWI through a variety of artifacts, presentations and connections to the current Miami and Oxford communities, according to Jason Shaiman, the curator of exhibitions at the museum.

During Kingsbury’s hour-long presentation, she briefly described the origin and definitions of the term propaganda before showing over 60 images of posters, sheet music covers, cookbooks and other mediums portraying propaganda during WWI. “World War I did not invent propaganda, but with the help of a number of skilled artists and writers, it created propaganda as we know it,” Kingsbury said early in her presentation. She explained how artists such as Norman Rock-

well, musicians like George M. Cohan and writers including F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway all used their abilities to encourage Americans to get involved in the war effort.

Kingsbury divides WWI era propaganda into four categories: images of women, idealized iconography of soldiers, pictures of children and negative portrayals of “Huns,” the dehumanized term used for Germans. Whether by encouraging women to plant victory gardens, advising children to purchase war bonds or warning Americans of the potential of a German invasion, each image was meant to personalize the war and create action at home.

Amanda Bruno, a senior political science and international studies double major with a Chinese minor, attended the event.

“I have an interest in political propaganda, its effectiveness, what it says about the society that produces it and how it is received internationally,” Bruno said after the program. “My favorite part was the visuals, because I didn’t know much about World War I propaganda beforehand.”

Shaiman was inspired to create the seasonal “Over Here, Over Here!” exhibit after being a part of a World War I 90th Anniversary exhibit at the University of South Carolina. He was eager to showcase much of the same artwork in Oxford, along with new pieces that were specific to the Miami community.

“I think there are a lot of con-

KAT HOLLERAN THE MIAMI STUDENT

The Art Museum’s seasonal exhibition explores propaganda and the arts of World War I. Celia Kingsbury of the University of Central Missouri hosted the first presentation of the season last Wednesday, discussing propaganda on the American homefront.

KAT HOLLERANTHE MIAMI STUDENT

nections to current Miami students with our current exhibitions,” Shaiman said. “With the ‘Over Here, Over Here’ exhibit, we tie in with the Miami and Western College for Women connections and look at what was taking place here 100 years ago.”

The exhibit not only contains national pieces like the iconic “I Want You For US Army” Uncle Sam poster by J.M. Flagg, but it also holds local artifacts that Miami students

will connect with, including waroriented articles from The Miami Student and advertisements encouraging Western College students to join groups that would boost the morale of soldiers.

Shaiman hopes current students will see what their predecessors were doing to be involved, engaged and informed in their community and see the benefit of being a part of something that is larger than the university itself.

“The more that we develop exhibitions that touch different academic disciplines, the more we can engage students to come,” Shaiman believed. “Our hopes are that they set foot into the museum because of class, but then they come back on their own and see the independent importance of our art and culture for themselves.”

PROPAGANDA »PAGE 5

Cheers!: Performing Art Series to host 27th Annual Wine Tasting EVENT

HANNAH FIERLE

THE MIAMI STUDENT

On Saturday, Millett Hall will transform into an upscale vineyard worthy of the finest sommeliers.

The 27th Annual Performing Arts Wine Tasting will take place from 7 to 10 p.m. on Feb. 18. All profits from the event, which is sponsored by Kona Bistro, will go toward the efforts of the Performing Arts Series.

In past years, the event has been attended by about 300 people, with the same expectation for this year. The event is open to all community members and students aged 21 and over.

“We want to cast a wide net and invite members of the community who are involved in the arts, people who enjoy wine and students from the university, as well,” said Ellie Witter, assistant director of the Performing Arts Series.

The event will feature a program

of over 200 wines and craft beers for attendees to sample. There will also be a silent auction taking place. In the past, items up for auction have included meals at Oxford restaurants such as Patterson’s and Paesano’s, concert tickets and travel accommodations to vacation spots such as New York City and Sanibel Island, Fla. “We’re excited that we’ve been able to do this for so many years,” said Patti Liberatore, director of the Performing Arts Series. “We

invest these efforts into the community, and it gives us the ability to give back to the artists who come to Miami, as well as the faculty and students at Miami.”

Jack Keegan, the instructor of the popular wine tasting class in the biology department, has been involved with the event since its beginnings.

“This is a great event for students and faculty to be able to attend,” said Keegan.

“They are the ones who are most

able to see where the money goes and allow us to continue to bring great performers to the university.”

While reservations to attend the wine tasting can be made in advance, guests are also welcome to purchase tickets at the door. Students must bring a photo ID. The cost for general admission is $74, and a reservation for a table for four is $380. Individual pour tickets are $5 each, or six for $25 and 15 for $60.

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been having difficulties adjusting at college and he unilaterally made the decision that they needed time apart from one another.

“If I could give myself advice [five months ago] I would say don’t let relationships sway your college decisions, but also don’t let the pressures of being in a relationship get in the way of putting yourself out there and making friends and meeting new people.”

Three months after that night Emily is still struggling to move past John, but she takes solace in her

FROM COLUMN »PAGE 12

do not attract the fans or media attention that the Warriors or Cavs receive. On Instagram, the Spurs are dwarfed by their rivals -- their 1.5 million followers are a mere fraction of the 4 million Cavaliers’ fans or the 5.9 million Warriors’ fans.

The Spurs basically go against everything that I had mentioned as the bandwagon team. They aren’t a new or trendy story; they simply go out and win.

People could say that I am a bandwagon fan myself, considering the wide range of teams I like. I am a native of Columbus, but I cheer on the St. Louis Cardinals, Florida Gators, Buffalo Bills and the Boston Celtics.

Yet, unlike the fan who drops his or her’s team like a bad habit, I have stuck it out with my teams from the day I started to follow sports.

It would have been easy to find a new collegiate team after Tim Tebow’s career concluded, but I

FROM UPTOWN » PAGE 1

The Miami Student (Tuesday) is published during the school year by the students of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.

FROM HEARTACHE » PAGE 1

little. “We tried to cover that up with stuffed animals.”

They fight less now, especially since Marcus lets Michael win the arguments. Michael insists he’s just the better arguer. Both can agree that they have more fun in college – playing basketball, listening to music, watching movies.

The twins love J. Cole but Michael would rather watch “I Am Legend” than Marcus’s favorite movie, “Training Day.” Even though they had both wanted to play football, if they aren’t watch-

newfound single status.

“I feel very independent, I feel like I can tackle anything. I think it definitely goes through stages, but yes I feel so much more independent.”

Emily is hesitant to label the future, yet she remains cautiously optimistic about John.

“We’ll have to see. We just need some time, we’ve been best friends throughout high school and even if we don’t end up getting back together he’s always going to be in my life.”

In order to protect their anonymity, the names of sources in this article have been changed.

Uptown late at night before that weekend, and it was one of the most eye-opening experiences of college I’ve had thus far. I knew, of course, that people go out on the weekends in college.

I’d heard all about BrickStreet before coming to Miami, and I knew about the drinking culture here. I just hadn’t been prepared for actually seeing it, especially on a night as active as the Saturday before Halloween. Girls stumbling around in heels, guys yelling drunkenly at their friends across the street, the music and the chatter coming from the groups conglomerated around the bars.

It was all so strange to observe this different world from the sidelines. I was there, in the middle of it all, but I wasn’t really a part of it, either.

Although the prominent drinking culture at Miami creates this idea that all students like to spend their Fridays and Saturdays at frat parties or bars, or drinking with friends, there’s an entire subculture of people here that don’t participate in those activities at all.

There are people on the floor of my residence hall that take turns hosting movie nights in their rooms, complete with popcorn and microwaved s’mores. In my boyfriend’s hall, there’s a group of people that spend almost every night sitting in pajamas in the communal TV space, watching movies or playing video games and talking.

A few girls in the group even spend their time knitting while watching the movies. These are the people I spend my weekends with, and I have arguably as much fun as anyone that spends theirs drinking

ing basketball they’ll be watching baseball. Marcus thinks that Michael is better with girls, so of course Michael thinks Marcus is the ladies’ man.

Michael claims they’re always in sync on the court, but Marcus checks him, saying that they argue sometimes.

Do you balance each other out?

“Yeah,” they say at the same time.

Michael smiles, and Marcus thinks.

“I’m more loud,” Michael says.

“That’s a good way to put it,” Marcus says. “We really balance

each other out.”

“I’m more loud, but he’s more quiet,” Michael says again, still smiling.

Marcus takes longer to get out of bed in the morninAg. He also takes longer to get ready. Marcus doesn’t dispute the allegations, but the brothers fight when asked who the favorite child is, both convinced it’s the other twin.

Worst part about having a twin?

Marcus turns to Michael and asks, “Is there a worst part?”

Michael squints a little. “I mean, not really.”

stuck it out through the years of horrendous quarterback play and a 4-8 2013 -- their first time in 27 seasons without a bowl appearance. Now, I have been fortunate to see the Gators playing in the SEC Championship for the past two seasons.

Living 30 minutes outside of Ohio State University, college football has always been highly valued by my neighbors. The Buckeyes have never been my team (thanks to Urban Meyer), yet those fans are devoted.

When I came to Miami University, I knew the atmosphere would be quite the contrary. I went to the first home game this season against Eastern Illinois. Granted, the weather delayed the game a few hours, but there was less excitement for this game than at a golf match.

Interestingly, once the ‘Hawks turned it around, students began to show some fanfare for the team. I just hope that next year the fans get as involved as they are at the hockey games.

I saw the same thing over winter break when the Columbus Blue Jackets went on a 16 game tear. My family and I went to a game against the Montreal Canadiens. Over the years, I have been to a solid number of hockey games, but I have never seen so many people in Nationwide Arena in my life.

It was all over Twitter and Instagram, and everyone seemed to have a jersey. Now that the Jackets have come back down to earth, it would be interesting to see how many people are populating the stands.

What makes sports great is loyalty. Fans can attack players like Kevin Durant for leaving for the next big thing, but they do the same exact thing.

My disdain for bandwagoning could have been proven a lot easier, but it wouldn’t have been as fun. I am a Buffalo Bills fan. Shockingly, fans aren’t changing their allegiance to a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in 17 years.

at BrickStreet.

I have nothing against the people that partake in Uptown nightlife or enjoy going to frat parties. College is a time when you have freedom from your parents and fewer responsibilities than “real” adult life calls for, and, for some people, the way to make the best of these four years is to participate in that kind of lifestyle.

I’ve simply never seen the appeal in drinking or going out when I can easily stay in with friends and still enjoy myself.

I still experience that all-tootypical “fear of missing out” when I talk to friends from high school who question why I haven’t embraced the partying lifestyle in college. Am I wasting these four years by not getting drunk every weekend or hooking up with random guys? They seem to think so, and even if the thought sometimes crosses my mind, that worry goes away whenever I remind myself of what that would entail.

I know myself well enough to know I wouldn’t be comfortable at a crowded party or bar, and I’d much rather invest my time and energy in creating a solid relationship with my boyfriend than in casually dating or hooking up with random guys over the next four years.

I started dating my boyfriend at a time in college when most people are breaking up. We met the second week of classes and began dating about a month later, just as I was watching on Instagram as friends from my hometown broke up with their significant others or heard about people in my residence hall experiencing the same thing. I am the antithesis of the first semester breakup and bingeing phenomenons.

I don’t think that my new relationship and my aversion to drinking are

necessarily related — I believe I likely would have still avoided Brick Street and frat parties even if I hadn’t met my boyfriend. But I can see where the volatile combination of a breakup and access to alcohol could create a recipe for disaster for those firstyears experiencing it.

My transition into college was surprisingly smooth, and I attribute a lot of it to my low-key weekends and my relationship. My boyfriend became a huge part of my support system in dealing with the smaller changes that college brings and talking through daily stresses. By staying in most weekends, I had a chance to make friends in more low-pressure situations, and I didn’t let my weekends distract me from schoolwork as I tried to adjust to college classes and homework.

I can only imagine the kind of toxic environment someone in the exact opposite situation would be experiencing — dealing with change, losing the support of their significant other, experiencing heartbreak and being distracted by alcohol and its effects.

I’ll never be a first-semester college first-year again, so I’ll never have to go through a breakup while experiencing both the freedom and challenges of college for the first time. Of course, the drinking and hook-up culture of college will never go away, and I’ve got another three and half years on Miami’s campus.

I’ve navigated that culture so far, and I’m perfectly content to spend the rest of my time in college on the sidelines from it.

There may be a crowd of people trying to get into Brick Street every weekend, but I’m much happier on the people-watching bench outside it.

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017

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FROM BINGE » PAGE 1

Dr. Kip Alishio, the Director of Student Counseling Services at Miami University, can testify to these feelings.

“Students can fall into self-destructive patterns and not really intend to. They can develop a pattern of drinking, drug use or sexual promiscuity in a way that’s very negative and stems out of the need to feel accepted and included,”Alishio said.

According to a 2015 research study done at the University of Missouri, drinking to regulate negative emotions, or “coping,” is a primary motive for alcohol consumption among college students, and drinking with this motivation creates a higher risk of developing alcohol-related problems.

“These behaviors can lead to alcohol addiction and puts one at a higher risk of sexual assault, whether that be victimization or victimizing,” Alishio said.

This risk is especially a concern for students participating in the hookup culture.

Using alcohol as a means of coping also makes it harder for students to find the more positive alternatives.

Kroger Market Street at McCracken Moon Co-op

“I have gone to counseling just because I have felt lonely, but I’ve also used journaling as a way to cope. It’s really helpful to me to get my feelings out onto paper,” Anna said.

There are also positive aspects of a college environment that can aid in the healing process. Building close friendships, staying

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FROM THERAPY DOGS »PAGE 7

Both dogs have been registered as therapy animals and get yearly shots and vet visits.

O’Leary, a retired faculty member of Miami athletics, travels to different schools and programs in the area with her dogs up to four days a week. And her time is purely volunteered.

O’Leary said that what motivates her to put so much time and energy into an enterprise with no monetary benefit is not only the health benefits for reducing stress, but also the social impact that therapy animals can have on a group.

She told the story of a pet therapy session she held in a Miami dorm. The dorm had obvious cliques, and one very quiet girl

21 Lynn Ave ste102 next to Oxford Spirits

busy and involved and utilizing university counseling services are ways that both Kasey and Anna agreed helped in a much more productive way.

They are not the only ones who feel this way, though.

“Being a parent to a child away at college who has experienced a breakup is a worrisome experience,” Anna’s mother, Beverley said. “You just pray they can find the resources, internally and externally, they need to keep navigating their ever-changing world.”

“It is so important to find a community.

Whether that’s through natural friendships or university organizations,” Kasey said.

Although this is a problem that will likely never go away, there are ways to aid those struggling, the biggest being open and public conversation about it.

“This issue is important because it’s something that so many students have to deal with. Talking about it really helps because it lets people know that they aren’t alone,” Kasey said. “Keeping it to yourself and it not being discussed makes it harder to deal with.”

Anna had similar thoughts.

“I wish people would be more open and understanding. I think heartbreak is such a common thing that we forget how much it hurts and that it can affect people in really serious ways.”

In order to protect their anonymity, the names of sources in this article have been changed.

with no friends around her was left watching from the outside. O’Leary brought Sugar over to the girl, and before long, other students moved over to join her. Once they got to talking, one of the girls found out that they lived 20 minutes away from each other at home.

Instances such as these that bring people together are what makes the work rewarding for O’Leary.

Young also spoke about the sense of kinship that is created among those who attend pet therapy sessions. “[Pet therapy] brings together groups of students that don’t normally come together, such as athletes and international students and computer science students,” Young said. “It helps to build a stronger sense of community within Miami.”

Miami University Fraternity and Sorority Life Semester Community Report Fall 2016 All Chapter Grade Rank

All Council Grade Rank

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

1/18 2/18 3/18 4/18 5/18 6/18 7/18 8/18

9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16

9/18 10/18 11/18 12/18

1/6 13/18

1/21 14/18

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

15/18 2/6 16/18 17/18 2/21 3/21 4/21

25 26 27 28 29 30 31

6/21 7/21 8/21 9/21 10/21 11/21 12/21

24

32 33 34 35 36 37 38

39 40 41 42 43 44 45

5/21

3/6 13/21 14/21 15/21 4/6 16/21 17/21

18/18 18/21 19/21 20/21 21/21 5/6 6/6

Chapter Name

Total Members

Semester GPA

Cum GPA

Kappa Alpha Theta Chi Omega Alpha Delta Pi Phi Mu Delta Delta Delta Kappa Kappa Gamma Kappa Delta Gamma Phi Beta All Sorority Women Alpha Chi Omega Alpha Omicron Pi Zeta Tau Alpha Alpha Phi All Female Miami Students Zeta Phi Beta Delta Zeta All Unaffiliated Female Students Chi Psi Delta Gamma All Fraternity and Sorority Students Pi Beta Phi Phi Beta Sigma Phi Sigma Sigma Alpha Epsilon Phi Alpha Epsilon Pi Pi Kappa Alpha Kappa Alpha Order All Miami Students Delta Chi All Unaffiliated Students Alpha Delta Phi Lambda Chi Alpha Delta Sigma Phi Sigma Chi Phi Gamma Delta Delta Kappa Epislon Sigma Alpha Mu All Fraternity Men Alpha Kappa Alpha Delta Tau Delta Alpha Sigma Phi Theta Chi Delta Sigma Theta Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Alpha Epsilon All Male Miami Students All Unaffiliated Male Students Sigma Lambda Gamma Phi Delta Theta Tau Kappa Epsilon Sigma Pi Delta Upsilon Kappa Alpha Psi Chapter GPA Requirement Alpha Phi Alpha

168 179 171 174 174 186 175 165 2,761 176 168 168 169 8,498 6 164 5,725 64 174 4,223 180 4 111 42 20 51 88 16,874 74 12,638 91 74 58 35 87 77 61 1,462 3 74 71 88 8 84 60 8,376 6,913 9 67 84 86 56 2

3.59 3.53 3.52 3.50 3.47 3.45 3.42 3.42 3.41 3.39 3.37 3.35 3.34 3.34 3.34 3.32 3.30 3.29 3.29 3.29 3.29 3.29 3.28 3.20 3.20 3.18 3.17 3.16 3.15 3.12 3.09 3.08 3.08 3.07 3.06 3.05 3.05 3.04 3.04 3.03 3.01 3.01 3.00 2.99 2.99 2.98 2.97 2.93 2.93 2.92 2.92 2.86 2.68 2.50 2.30

3.52 3.49 3.51 3.38 3.36 3.40 3.42 3.35 3.37 3.35 3.35 3.36 3.32 3.31 3.10 3.27 3.27 3.37 3.31 3.28 3.25 3.12 3.22 3.26 3.12 3.14 3.20 3.16 3.26 3.11 3.14 3.12 3.11 3.26 3.10 3.11 3.07 3.12 3.00 3.11 3.12 3.10 3.26 3.16 3.03 3.01 2.98 3.11 3.09 3.09 3.06 2.94 2.74

4

2.62

New Mem Semester GPA

3.02 3.61 2.94 N/A* 2.91 2.95 3.59 3.30

Total Hrs. of Comm.

Service per chapter

Avg. Hrs. Comm.

Service per member

55.00 505.50 1,228.75 21.50 1,041.00 241.50 402.25 104.00

0.3 2.8 7.2 0.1 6.0 1.3 2.3 0.6

173.00 1,015.00 559.50 291.00 79.00 777.00

3.69

3.41 3.42

24.00 69.50

93.50 2.00 57.00 201.50 5.50 no report no report 744.00

3.34 2.77 3.07 2.55

3.00

2.78

36.50 78.00 50.00 no report 73.00 no report 129.00

Philanthropy Money Raised

no report 700.00 2,690.89 5,000.00 6,300.00 12,000.00 no report $ 11,658.00

$ $ $ $ $

1.0 6.0 3.3 1.7

$ $ $

no report 760.00 10,000.00 4,700.00

0.4 0.4

$

no report 700.00

13.2 4.7

$ $

0.5 0.5 0.5 4.8 0.3

$

10.1

$

0.4 1.1 0.9

$

$ $

0.8

$

41.50 69.50 8.00 18.00 no report 5.00 no report

13.8 0.9 0.1 0.2

$ $

5.50 no report 23.00 no report 49.50 no report

0.6

32.00

Students in fraternities and sororoities: 4,223 or 25% of undergraduates IFC: 1,452 men (average chapter size: 69 ) Panhellenic: 2,744 women (average chapter size:152 ) NPHC: 27 members (average chapter size: 4 ) Community Service total hours: 8,309.5 (average 185.6 hours per chapter ) Total Philathropy Money Raised: $128,227.60 ZĞƉŽƌƚ ĐŽŵƉŝůĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ ĚĂƚĂ ŽďƚĂŝŶĞĚ ĨƌŽŵ ĐŚĂƉƚĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ƵŶŝǀĞƌƐŝƚLJ ƌĞŐŝƐƚƌĂƌ

2.1

0.1

0.3

0.9 8.0

$

$

125.00 18,500.00

1,120.71 no report no report no report no report 2,089.25 no report 1,214.25

1,042.00 8,795.00 no report no report 18,300.00 no report 5,301.00 7,000.00 1,019.50 no report no report no report 9,212.00 no report

no report no report no report no report no report no report

no report

Opinion

10

EDITORIAL@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017

Individuals must change the binge-drinking culture The following piece, written by the editorial editors, reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.

L

ast Thursday night, in just a threehour time frame, 11 students were taken McCullough-Hyde Hospital. The occasion, of course, was a Miami tradition, this year called “Blackout Thursday,” the first night of the semester that women in sororities are allowed by their chapters to go out to parties and bars Uptown and to drink in general. Over the entire weekend, emergency services in the area responded to 21 calls related to students’ alcohol consumption. All of this occurred not a month removed from the death of 18-year-old first-year student Erica Buschick, presumably from excessive alcohol consumption as indicated by an incident report and witness statements from MUPD. What is most frightening about these events, though, is that they do not stand in isolation. Year after year, students seem to show that their memories are short when it comes to the dangers of overconsumption of alcohol and the consequences, healthrelated and otherwise, that follow suit. Just last year, Miami junior Tim Fresch lost his life, a tragedy that, as evidenced by the actions over this past weekend and month, seems to have gone ignored. On an aggregate level, a 2015 report by Miami’s Alcohol Task Force revealed that 42 percent of firstyears reported a blackout due to excessive alcohol consumption during their first year at Miami.

The evidence makes it plain and simple: binge drinking and extreme partying are interwoven in the fabric of Miami’s social culture. This is a campus that loves its bars, bashes and booze, and despite all efforts by the university to persuade students not to take part in high risk drinking activities (orientation discussions, online classes, steep academic penalties) this relationship still persists.

At a certain point, the community must understand that more words do not translate into more understanding amongst the student population. Miami is a close community, and it shows that there is a disconnect between tragedy and rationality when two deaths in the past year do not yield more conscientious decision-making amongst students. At a certain point, it falls upon the individual to make better choices for him or herself. There is no class that can be offered, no policy that can be implemented and no article that can be written that will magically change the minds of a meaningful number of students. However, it is possible to facilitate change by calling upon rational and concerned individuals to question the culture of blackout drinking.

Hookup culture is nothing new and nothing to be ashamed of LIFE

DARCY KEENAN

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Too often while scrolling through social media I come upon posts that talk about how hookup culture is the evilest of all evils. I see articles written where people wish that we could go back to the time of dates, flowers and meeting parents. These posts and articles moan about how we as a generation no longer date but “talk.” We no longer care about formalities, and somehow that means we no longer care about our partner.

I cannot go through my Twitter without seeing my peers (typically the female ones) complain about how much more pleasant life would be if being open about your feelings and “going steady” were mainstream. They compare this ideal to the norm of one-night stands, friends with benefits and the refusal of labels or exclusivity.

Is casual, no-strings-attached sex common for us college students?

Yes. But does that mean that we are not capable of loving and exclusive relationships? No, of course not.

In fact, the idea of casual sex is nothing new. Hookup culture has been around longer than we have (since the 1840s, in fact, when John Humphrey Noyes founded a community where sex was completely unromanticized and normalized).

There is nothing wrong with sex -- as long as it is practiced safely, ladies and gentlemen! Condoms and consent are super important!

Sex is natural. It has been proven that sex lowers blood pressure and can reduce the risk of heart disease, so why should we be ashamed for something so healthy? The answer is simple: we shouldn’t.

I always find it strange when millennials buy into the idea that hookup culture is ruining our generation. You guys must know that

dates still happen, relationships still exist and no one actually gets mad over Instagram likes, right?

However, I realized that hookup culture is an excuse that people use to protect themselves from rejection. Rejection can be scary to think about. It makes sense that you would not want to put yourself in a situation where rejection is a possible outcome. Nevertheless, it is a part of life.

There is no way to get through life without being rejected. But the only way to find other people who want relationships is to put yourselves out there, to stop conforming to what you perceive to be the (unspoken) rules. Just be honest about what you want; if you want a relationship with someone, go for it. Ask them on a date. It doesn’t have to be anything special. Take

You guys must know that dates still happen, relationships still exist and no one actually gets mad over Instagram likes, right?

them Uptown and buy them Chipotle or buy them ice cream from Armstrong.

Stop doing what other people want you to do. Want to have nostrings-attached sex with someone?

Explain that to them before you do it. Be mature enough to have these talks and both of you will appreciate it.

KEENANDM@MIAMIOH.EDU

@miamistudent on twitter

However, it is possible to facilitate change by calling upon rational and concerned individuals to question the culture of blackout drinking.

This is not a blanket condemnation of all consumption of alcohol and other substances. At least a moderate consumption of alcohol is a nearly inevitable experience for young adults. Nor is this an attack on Greek life, or any other group on campus. To make the case, though, for less extreme alcohol consumption, it is absolutely necessary that members of these communities step up and speak out against the behaviors that they know to be harmful. Administrative influence can only go so far, and in a free society in which individuals are accountable for their own actions, sometimes the influence that students truly need can only come in the form of a friend or other loved one.

Is such a movement even possible?

There are already signs to indicate that it is.

Last week, Editor-in-Chief James Steinbauer published an editorial on the subject in which he recounted the experience of overhearing students at Kofenya talking about

drinking an entire bottle of whiskey. After his piece came out, two of the students came forward and wrote to Steinbauer, applauding him for his recognition of the situation and saying they do not support the culture of binge drinking.

Additionally, the vast majority of the emergency calls over the weekend were made for the sake of 18 or 19 year-olds. While this fact is alarming, if this weekend is an indicator of students’ drinking behavior, it shows that the students who understand Miami the least, underclassmen, are the ones that are engaging in the most high-risk drinking.

It is therefore encouraging to think that as students grow throughout college, they see through the romanticization of blackout drinking to the truth of its harm. If older individuals can serve as examples and guides for younger students, perhaps that lack of understanding amongst underclassmen can be mitigated.

In any case, the only way for a cultural shift or understanding to occur is if individuals decide to make a change of their own free will and out of their own respect for safety and responsibility. It is a hard situation for younger students, older students and even parents and other adults in the community to face, but then again, the truth often is.

Gratitude for holding students accountable: The battle against bingeing is worth fighting DRINKING

TO THE EDITOR: This may come off as an odd and somewhat surprising claim, but I am one of the girls mentioned in your most recent article. My housemate and I were the ones to have the conversation with our friend (let’s call him Matt, for the sake of his privacy), in Kofenya this past weekend.

First off, I wanted to applaud you on your bold call to our fellow classmates in a culture that believes it thrives off of an alcohol-focused culture. I would argue that it is not as much thriving as it is barely making it through. Your article is quickly being spread across social media, leading to an even larger impact. It

is an issue which needs even greater awareness brought to it. Bringing it close to home makes a difference.

I also wanted to shed light on the conversation you overheard on Saturday. Yes, Matt did in fact say that he wanted to try drinking an entire bottle of whiskey, but you should find comfort in a few things. First, my housemate and I were appalled by his suggestion and were unwilling to let him go until he knew the real danger of it. I am glad you were able to use our situation to create a story for the article, but please know that neither of us saw it as a joking matter whatsoever. I am strongly against alcohol use and struggle to watch so many of my friends fall into it. Second, Matt did not end up

drinking the whole bottle of whiskey.

I remained in close communication with him throughout the night, simply to keep him accountable and know that he was okay. Although he had what I would consider too many drinks, which I strongly encouraged him not to do, he is doing fine and expressed a desire to not drink more than one drink at a time in the future. For that, I am thankful.

I hope you will receive this letter well, as an encouragement that this one incident did not end up like Erica’s and that your words do make an impact. Please continue to fight this battle; it is a one worth investing a great deal in.

LEAH GRANDY GRANDYLR@MIAMIOH.EDU

BLACKOUT DRINKING IS THE REAL DANGER ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES DRINKING

KAYLEIGH JACKSON THE MIAMI STUDENT

Fiesta Charra is rarely quiet.

Even on a weeknight, festive Mexican music pumps through the speakers and overlapping conversations fill the adobe-themed rooms. One large party accounted for much of the latter at the Oxford venue: us.

More than 10 seniors had pushed tables together, absentmindedly stirring our margaritas. Conversation is constant, but lackluster. That is, until one student mentions an exploit from her bygone freshman year.

The others around our table lean in conspiratorially, anxious to hear a tale about shenanigans long past. “I remember – well, I don’t remember it, but I was told about it – there was this one night I blacked out and then got pushed out of taxi. My friends just left me lying in the road Uptown. I woke up with gashes down both my legs and called them demanding to know how it had happened.”

Everyone else sits in silence for a minute. They aren’t stunned, however; they are simply trying to think of their own stories to rival the one just told.

All at once, the table reanimates.

“I want to drink my heart out,” exclaims one of the students.

“I’ve been so busy, I haven’t gone out in weeks.”

“I’ve gotten so old,” mourns an-

It’s almost a badge of honor at Miami University to be a highperforming student and a high-risk drinker at the same time.

other. “I never do anything crazy anymore. I miss it.”

As if in competition, a girl’s voice rises over the din. “Look at this picture from last Tuesday, I was completely hammered. I don’t remember it being taken.

Look at my face!”

We gradually finish the margaritas and trickle out the door on the way back to the library. But it’s easy to imagine a less-dedicated – or younger – group heading in the other direction: to the bars. It’s almost a badge of honor at Miami University to be a highperforming student and high-risk drinker at the same time.

Freshman Erica Buschick’s recent death has thrust college drinking back into the spotlight at Miami and elsewhere. Although the coroner has not yet concluded that alcohol was to blame, the police reports leave no question that Buschick consumed champagne and vodka on the night she died.

Her sad death underscores the fact that underage drinking is no longer the problem that parents

and police should be working to solve on campuses. Blackout drinking is.

Blackout drinking and binge drinking are like squares and rectangles. All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares; all blackout drinking is binge drinking but not all binge drinking is to blackout. In fact, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism defines binge drinking in a way that does not accurately reflect the current trends at Miami, and certainly elsewhere, too. Just four drinks in a two-hour timespan constitutes binging, they say.

Per the NIAAA’s definition, 60 percent of college students drink frequently and nearly two-thirds of that group admit to binge drinking. But the NIAAA’s December 2015 report on college alcohol use says nothing about blackout drinking, suggesting the group is out of touch with the very students it is trying to help.

Those closer to the scene, such as university presidents and resident advisers, are more aware of the problem. Yet despite their knowledge and proximity, they too lack the power to minimize blackout drinking.

Miami’s president, Gregory Crawford, sent out a statement addressing alcohol use on campus on Jan. 20, which included resources to teach students about the dangers of binge and blackout DRINKING »PAGE 11

11 OPINION

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017

EDITORIAL@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

Ask Angela: Is it okay to want more?

SPORTS

Dear Angela, My significant other has been sucking the life out of me for some time now. There’s far too much backstory to go into at the moment but just know that a lot has transpired and I have started to hold back sexually. I’m just no longer interested in any way and no longer want to give myself to my partner in that sense.

I never did let my freak flag fly, I never thought I was that type of person. However I’m starting to realize I don’t want to be stuck in a boring, borderline married couple relationship anymore. I want an Anastasia Steele/Christian Grey type dynamic.

I guess my question is... Are these feelings wrong? Should I stick with this mature type relationship? How do I end it...?

Also, while we’re on the subject, what’s an awkward mini van?

Sincerely, The Lizard King

Dear Lizard King, In honor of both Valentine’s Day and the release of the new Fifty Shades movie, here’s what I have to say: Let your freak flag fly, Lizard King.

These feelings are not wrong; if anything, they’re right. Your significant other is holding you back.

Sexual attraction plays a huge role in romantic relationships and the moment you stop feeling tingly and turned on when you’re being intimate with your S.O. … that’s 50 shades of problematic.

Sex is a normal part of any healthy, functioning relationship.

According to the American Sexual Health Association, sex promotes better sleeping habits, happiness, less stress, etc. And not to mention the chemicals released during the big O make you feel like a million bucks.

And what’s more is you don’t want to. I don’t want to get on my soapbox and start preaching about enthusiastic consent, but if

These feelings are not wrong; if anything, they’re right. Your significant other is holding you back.

you’re uncertain whether or not you want the tea, then your partner should not be serving you the tea, OK? Don’t stick with this “mature” relationship because no-sexy time/no-fun does not equal “mature.” I know plenty of people in mature, long term relationships and let me tell you, they have plenty of fun. In fact, if you’re trying to enter the world of kinkdom, you need someone mature enough to talk about sex without giggling at the word “boob.” Communication is key. You have to be

A.J. NEWBERRY’S EXTROSPECTIVE FIELD JOURNAL

able to talk about sex ­— the good, the bad, the feels, the sticky.

Lizard King, you have found yourself at an impasse and you are faced with two choices: Cut the cord between you and your current bae and continue to be in a constant state of sexual frustration or explore your sexual interests and freedom. At the end of the day, that’s your choice entirely, but here’s what I recommend you do: I want you to get out there and find yourself a partner that will wake up every damn person in your damn house or damn dorm and rock your damn socks off.

It doesn’t have to be someone you are head over heels in love with. I’ve found sexpolartion is best done with a casual partner, as long as pretenses are clear. It should be someone who is open, communicative, curious and who practices safe sex. Hell, you don’t even need a partner. You know your body’s wants and needs better than anyone else on this plan-

KYLE HAYDEN COLUMNIST

FROM DRINKING»PAGE 10

drinking. It seems less effective, although less authoritarian, than earlier initiatives by the university, which included several iterations of an “Alcohol Task Force.”

A Miami RA reports that she and her colleagues undergo serious training to identify students who engage in underage drinking, yet not much about how to help students who are clearly blacked

out. However, other than intervening when they see it happening in their dorm rooms, RAs can do little but passively offer alternative activities. And not even all of them choose to do that.

Authorities seem powerless to stop blackout drinking. Preventative programs that are already in place, like AlcoholEdu, are treated like jokes. There are no followup programs for older students.

Movies like “Project X” glorify the

blackout lifestyle.

Meanwhile, young Miami students are learning what the college culture is like firsthand, through a dangerous trial and error sequence of blacking out.

Existing initiatives are not enough. It’s time to change the whole culture.

JACKSO78@MIAMIOH.EDU

We now have a new website!

Visit miamistudent.net

Sincerely, Angela

HATCHEAM@MIAMIOH.EDU

Flying into a whole-earth death sentence ENVIRONMENT

A.J. NEWBERRY NEWBERAJ@MIAMIOH.EDU

et; do some self sexploration.

I want you to get out there and do some damn research.

Start at the American Sexual Health Association’s website.

Learn how to ask questions, stay protected and maximize the pleasure process for you and your partner. But please, stay away from Cosmo because no one — literally no one — uses donuts, mango, grapefruit or whatever they’re telling people as sex toys. Donuts and various fruit are for eating.

Don’t let a damn person tell you that your desires are invalid.

This is 2017. Tell them to get with the damn program.

And finally I want you to get on the Google machine and look up what an awkward minivan is for yourself. I promise, it’s just as traumatic as it sounds.

Learning to die in place is hard.

To get some perspective, I floated up above the clouds and smoke stacks at 540 MPH. I was in what we call a jetliner, cruising.

I always choose the window seat if I can because if we go down I’d like to at least get an interesting view while everyone else sits screaming for themselves. Help yourself before assisting others.

This is flight: an underpaid alcoholic in the cockpit hardly watching us plow into the sky, playing with lives.

They think they’re in control.

Bored, helping us destroy geography, the pilot is speeding to see his girlfriends in Atlanta while his family jaunts around clueless in some asphalted Houston suburb (it could be Shenandoah, could be The Woodlands — they are all indistinguishable).

We’re up there, grunting at 30,000 feet, the steel bird squeaking and flexing in the unknown turbulence. The violence of an indifferent earth waits in ripples of uneven air to break us into bits. Passengers watch TV shows, headphones planted in their skulls, doing damage they won’t know until age 60.

The folks in the cabin are too unaware of the uniqueness of this era to even be bothered to look out the window. They are unaware of the thinness of the aluminum above their heads and the frailty of the atmosphere even further up.

In this pile of low contracting bids, I’m gaping through my personal Plexiglas porthole. No longer able to see the ground and those dead-end wormy roads we laid everywhere; the Interstates all draped like shiny scars on the landscape, I’m looking at the clouds.

It is beautiful save the vulgarity of this bloated advertisement in the sky. The frozen clouds I can almost hear hissing against the metal. We’re laying a ribbon of thick fumes, depositing them in the most effective place for maximum greenhouse effect on our way through. This is our way of saying thanks.

This view makes me feel arrogant. The planet is small, despite their claims of bigness. Which is it? Is the world “getting smaller” because of your phones and computers? Or is it “too big” for your inventions to have an effect?

It makes no sense to say that considering “giving up” flying would a privilege because I’ve never been able to afford it, and the tickets have always been gifts, for which I have been grateful.

Some people will never “get” to fly, and they are probably better for it.

I suppose it matters not if I

never fly again. Doubtless I will be replaced by swarms of fellas in suits. Businessmen everywhere are detectably identical and shuffling them around like fleshy pieces on a full-scale board game is all for naught.

Looking out at the tiny earth (our only home), I realize those sharing the cabin with me are completely unaware of this threat to their lives or the drudgery hidden beyond the screens and the immense privilege derived from a culture based on ripping stuff out of the earth.

But hey, at least y’all have a massive GDP. A dim distant star of awareness hangs over me here in this well-lit tube of speed. One day it will go out. I can see Jupiter through the sunset as the sky darkens. Although it can’t be seen from here, unending storms churn its surface.

Which is it? Is the world “getting smaller” because of your phones and computers? Or is it “too big” for your inventions to have an effect?

Someone’s great grandchildren will either revere us or scorn us.

But it is for us to decide which story we teach them about our behavior.

We could teach them the selfish version, about how we didn’t stop the corporations and cultures from killing the planet and that it was “so great back in the good ole days.”

Or we could teach them the honest story about how the unintended consequences of our hubris were always far beyond our control and that we did everything we could to keep the planet relatively alive.

Because they aren’t going to care if we had a good time, they are going to care if they can live.

Guy McPherson said: “If you think the needs of the economy are more important than the needs of the environment, try holding your breath while you count your money.”

I’m afraid for you all: dear readers, fellow flyers and lovers of travel. This privilege will go away, too. I am afraid of your reaction.

HAYDENKA@MIAMIOH.EDU

Sports

SPORTS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

12

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017

All aboard The Bandwagon COLUMN

PATRICK KECK

THE MIAMI STUDENT

RYAN TERHUNE THE MIAMI STUDENT

Freshmen Marcus (left) and Michael Weathers, are roommates and teammates

Michael and Marcus Weathers: Twinning is winning BASKETBALL

EMILY SIMANSKIS SPORTS EDITOR

Womb-mates and now roommates, the Weathers twins live together both on and off the basketball court.

Marcus is three inches taller and 30 pounds heavier, though Michael is seven whole minutes older. They take turns answering questions, it’s obvious that they’re best friends, and they think they have twin telepathy.

They’re sitting by the court at Millett, their long legs sprawling in front of them. The 18-year-old freshmen just finished a post-game autograph session. Michael slouches more.

They have the same haircut, but Marcus’s hair is centimeters longer.

They grew up in Roeland Park, Kansas with their older sister and their mom. She thought they’d break something if they played football, so she handed them a basketball.

They played each other one-on-one at their local park until they joined a rec league in fifth grade.

Seven years later, the twins found themselves at a Kansas City Applebee’s with Miami’s head basketball coach, John Cooper. The brothers knew they wanted to go to the same university. There had been interest from other Division 1 schools, but Cooper made Miami sound like home. With seven seniors graduating last year, Michael and Marcus would have the opportunity to play right away.

And Michael did. He started in Miami’s first game of the season, and he’s averaging 16.6 points a game -- the team’s highest. Marcus has seen his time on the court increase and averages just under 10 points a game.

“I’m more quick, fast and aggressive,” Michael says. “He’s more slow,

methodical and stuff like that.”

“I like that,” Marcus confirms. “I like that description.”

Michael is majoring in Criminal Justice, Marcus in Psychology.

They’ve helped each other through the transition to college and have since figured out how to manage their free time. This semester, they take Latin American Studies together. That’s a first, because back in grade school they never got put in the same class.

When you hear about their childhood, it’s easy to understand why.

When asked to tell a funny story, they point at each other, struggling to pick just one. Each has stories of how the other got in trouble.

“You remember that time in elementary school?” Marcus says.

“When you were running around the school…” “...and you had to chase me down?” Michael finishes.

“Yeah!” Marcus says. “He got in trouble and then [the teachers] came to my class and they were like, ‘Mark, get your brother.’ And I was like, ‘Alright.’ And I ran out there and had to chase him through the whole school.”

Michael continues, “I was going to say the one time you put my head in the wall.”

“Oh yeah,” Marcus says, and nods.

“So we love watching WWE, so we would act out our favorite characters,” Michael starts. “So, he picked me up and put my head in the wall.

And there was a huge hole in the wall and we both got in trouble for it.”

“Yeah, that was bad,” Marcus allows.

“And remember that time you put my foot in the wall?”

“Yeah, that was bad too.” Marcus’s tone drops and he grimaces a TWINS »PAGE 8

It’s a dynamic world that we live in. So many things come and go that we often forget what even happened.

When it is the main frame, however, everyone wants to claim a part of it to themself.

We call this, “hopping on the bandwagon” in the sports world. It doesn’t even take an avid fan to spot these “fans.” All it takes is a simple walk around campus during the weekend. You will see plenty of Warriors, Cavs, and Cubs jerseys on your stroll, and very few of them could tell you about their history.

These teams are trending today, but once the next hot thing comes, it’s off one wagon and onto the next.

What attracts people to these teams is not completely based on their success. Big names, big characters, and something new are really what capture the attention of fair weather fans.

Let’s just take a look into the rivalry (Lebron might not believe it, but it is) between the the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors.

People jumped back on the Cavalier wagon once Lebron James decided to take his talents back “home,” alongside Kevin Love, from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

While in California, something was brewing with “The Splash Brothers,” of Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry.

Curry would go on to win the MVP that season and meet Lebron and the Cavs in the 2015 NBA Finals. Af-

ter a critical injury to Kyrie Irving in Game 1 plus Love’s injury earlier in the playoffs, Lebron had to take on Curry, Thompson, and Draymond Green by himself. The Warriors would go on to celebrate their championship after their Game 6 victory in Cleveland.

With the spotlight in Oakland, the Warriors set a 2015-16 regular season league record 73 wins along with the second consecutive MVP for Steph Curry. After falling behind 3-1 in the Western Conference Finals, the Warriors stormed back and won the next three games.

The victory set up a finals rematch, as the Cavs rolled through the Eastern conference. Once the Warriors took a 3-1 series lead, we all know what happened next.

Fast forward to today, the Warriors and Cavs seem destined to meet for the third year in a row. Golden State added former MVP and fourtime scoring champion Kevin Durant in the preseason, while the Cavs added three-point specialist Kyle Korver from the Atlanta Hawks during this season.

The NBA would seem to have two super teams and many exciting individual players, yet that is not the case.

Lurking quietly in the background, as they have for two decades, is the San Antonio Spurs. Not since the 1996-97 season have the Spurs missed out on the playoffs, while adding 5 NBA championships during that span.

Despite their success, the Spurs COLUMN »PAGE 8

Hockey swept by St. Cloud State HOCKEY

CONNOR MATHENY THE MIAMI STUDENT

Miami men’s hockey was swept by the St. Cloud State Huskies on the road this weekend. The RedHawks lost both games, 4-2 on Friday and 3-1 on Saturday, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

The series left Miami with a 9-136 overall record, a 5-9-4 record in the NCHC and a 3-9-3 record on the road. SCSU is now 15-14-1 overall, 9-10-1 in the NCHC and 7-6-0 at home.

When Miami and St. Cloud last met in January, the RedHawks won both games to sweep the Huskies at home. Friday night’s contest was hard fought, but ultimately ended in a St. Cloud victory.

Freshman Ryan Larkin would start both games in net.

Miami outshot St. Cloud 10-7 after the first period but both teams had scoring chances. However, neither team was able to put one in the back of the net before the first 20 minutes ended.

The second period began with aggressive play from Miami that was matched by the Huskies. This culminated in both goalies making goal-saving grabs early in the second as Miami applied offensive pressure.

Play was stopped 2:48 into the second period when SCSU was penalized for hooking.

Miami’s powerplay unit controlled the puck for the majority of the two minutes. Freshman forward Gordie Green gathered the rebound from junior defenseman Louie Belpedio’s blue-line shot and put the puck away for his sixth goal of the season. Sophomore forward Kiefer Sherwood assisted on the play as well.

Following the goal, Miami took two penalties within two minutes of each other, which gave SCSU a 30-second 5-on-3. The RedHawks were able to kill off the first penalty and get a fourth skater on the ice, but St. Cloud’s freshman forward Ryan Poehling was able to deflect a shot from the slot for a powerplay goal.

READ THE REST ONLINE AT MIAMISTUDENT.NET

Women’s basketball wins second straight contest WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

KYLE STEINER

THE MIAMI STUDENT

The Miami University women’s basketball team grabbed its second consecutive victory on Saturday afternoon, defeating Eastern Michigan University by a score of 79-63.

With the win, the RedHawks improve to 9-16 (3-9 MAC) while the Eagles fall to 6-18 (1-11 MAC).

Despite a 6-0 EMU run out of the gate, MU never wavered as sophomore forward Kendall McCoy led the way. Down 19-16, she hit a three that capped a ’Hawks rally, evening the score at 19 all.

The Red and White dominated in the second quarter, quickly jumping out to a 14-0 run sparked by baskets from McCoy and sophomore guard Leah Purvis. After trading baskets, MU gained momentum again, running away with the game on a 13-2 run capped off by a Purvis buzzer beater. When the dust settled, Miami had outscored Eastern Michi-

gan 29-7 for the quarter, giving them a comfortable 48-26 halftime lead.

While the Eagles made small cuts to the ’Hawks lead in the third quarter, the visitors were never threatened as they maintained a 62-44 advantage heading into the final quarter.

EMU never got the game within closer than 15 points in the fourth quarter, as MU held on to win two straight games for the first time since mid-December.

Miami had a torrid .543 field goal percentage for the game, compared to a .426 mark for Eastern Michigan.

Furthermore, the Red and White shot 19-for-22 from the free throw line while going 10-of-17 on three point attempts.

McCoy finished the game with a career-high 20 points, falling just short of a double-double with nine rebounds. Purvis and freshman guard Lauren Dickerson also finished in double figures with 12 points each.

ANGELO GELFUSO THE MIAMI STUDENT

Sophomore forward Kendall McCoy takes a shot at Millett Hall For the Eagles, senior guard Phillis Webb finished with 24 points and 6 boards.

The RedHawks now head back home for their next two games, looking to add to their current winning streak. It will not come easy as they first have to square off against MAC

West co-leader Northern Illinois University on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The squad then hosts Bowling Green at 2 p.m. on Saturday for their annual Love Honor Care game.

Players could not be reached in time for interviews before this article was published.

Intramural Hustle: Part 1 INTRAMURALS

MAX DAVIS THE MIAMI STUDENT

In high school, we were all told that if we worked hard, stayed late and played well, we would have a chance to earn a coveted scholarship to a school that had Division I teams. Some of us did achieve this through countless hours spent in the gym and on the field, but an overwhelming majority of us did not (and carry immense amounts of jealousy for those that did).

Though we failed at making it big in athletics after high school, we always have the chance to prove we are the best of the most mediocre through intramural sports. No matter what sport you play, you always have the chance to relive the glory days of high school athletics through a serious but not too serious intramural experience.

These everyday, intramural heroes inspire us everyday and keep us amazed by their mediocre performances.

Player Profile: Name: Tyler “Shaq” Madsen Year: Sophomore Listed Height: 6’7” Actual Height: Likely 6’9” Intramural Sport: Basketball Position: Waterboy Greatest Athletic Achievement: His brother, Kyle Madsen ‘10, played at OSU alongside Mike Conley, Jr. and Greg Oden OR. Can run a full court sprint in under 30 seconds.

Our first intramural all-star is Tyler “Shaq”/”Mad Dawg” Madsen, a sophomore from Dublin, Ohio. Tyler is a determined student-athlete, always making time to hit the books as well as all of his mid-range jump shots. Tyler was gracious enough to sit down with me for an interview where he took me through the struggles of balancing intramural basketball, homework and his three adoring fans.

Tyler begins everyday at 6:30 a.m. by hitting the snooze button approximately nine times, waking him up just in time for his first class of the day at 8:30 a.m. On the way to class, he fuels up like any good athlete would with a caramel macchiato from Starbucks, and a brown sugar cinnamon Pop-Tart from a vending machine.

As he finishes his breakfast on the walk to class, he checks his intramural basketball team’s group chat. Tyler’s team, the Oxford Globetrotters, is chatting away about their game that night. He feels the uneasiness in his stomach build with the thought of physical exertion that may exceed 20 minutes.

Throughout the day, Tyler mentally prepares himself for the game with a medley of upbeat songs that keep his level of pregame hype steady. He draws from his Spotify playlist “HYPE Pregame Jamz” to fuel this stream of adrenaline with songs like “All I Do is Win” by DJ Khaled, “Forever” by Drake, and “Call Me Maybe” by Carly Rae Jepsen. As the game draws closer and closer, Tyler confirms the uniform for the night with his teammates: black shorts, and a tank top from their fraternity’s formal (which some will unbelieveably but predictably forget).

He returns home, and immediately begins to rummage through his drawers for his shooting sleeve, rec specs and torn-up Nike Hyperdunks so that he has plenty of time to do homework before the game.

Tyler takes the time to make his way to La Mia, citing the need to carbo-load and “beat them with better fueling” as a reason to gorge on two plates of shrimp scampi.

With only a few hours before the game, our hero makes his way back home to work on a paper that inevitably turns into watching basketball highlight videos on YouTube.

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