January 27, 2015 | The Miami Student

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WELCOME BACK! TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

VOLUME 142 NO. 29

MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO

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WINTER TERM WANDERERS This year, Winter Term enrollment rates spiked 30 percent. This includes those participating in study abroad programs. (Top) Students from FSB’s Winter Southeast Asia Program visit an orphanage in Cambodia. (Bottom) Sustainability and Tropical Ecosystems of Costa Rica students pose in a cloud for est. (Right) Students travel to Cuba for Miami’s Cuba in Transition program. Photos contributed by (clockwise): Blake Wilson, Walter Vanderbush and Kate Morgan

Lean, mean machine: MU efficiency ranks top U.S. News and World Report names Miami most efficient school in country, with help of ‘Lean’ program

ADMINISTRATION EMILY TATE

UNIVERSITY EDITOR

U.S. News and World Report named Miami University the most efficient school in the country earlier this month.

This recognition, determined by comparing the quality of education to the money spent on academic programs, can be attributed to some of the projects from Miami’s waste-reducing strategy: Leveraging Efficiencies and Aligning Needs (LEAN) Initiative.

Miami adopted this business strategy in 2009 in response to the economic recession plaguing the U.S. In the years since, Lean teams have completed hundreds of projects that aim to make the university operate smoother and more efficiently.

These projects have been implemented in nearly all areas of campus, senior vice president of financial and business services David Creamer said, like cleaning, maintenance, IT services, housing and dining. And, they range from scales small to large, saving the university millions of dollars in expenses each year and about $27.5 million to date.

Chris Pirigyi is the Lean Leader of Housing, Dining, Recreational and Business Services at Miami, which was the first and one of the largest Lean offices on campus. He said while many Lean projects do not involve direct student involvement, they ultimately help students.

“Our overall goal … is aligned with the university’s goal — to provide the best student experience in the nation,” he said. “All the projects we do are in some way going to benefit the student population.”

These Lean projects, he said, are

were housed in different buildings across campus, making tasks like a hard drive repair, which required visits to multiple locations, cumbersome and time-consuming for students.

Now, under one roof, the process is simplified.

“It’s just something that kind of makes sense,” Pirigyi said. “That’s where all the technology is, and now it’s together at the book store.”

And that, essentially, is how many Lean projects work. The purpose is to eliminate unnecessary obstacles and provide a sim-

There are a lot of myths associated with Lean, like that it cuts jobs ... when we’re trying to increase revenue we are ultimately going to need more manpower.”

CHRIS PIRIGYI LEAN LEADER

geared toward five objectives: increasing revenue, improving productivity, reducing costs, cost avoidance and continuing and improving “green” initiatives.

One of last year’s projects was combining the computer, cell and print centers in Shriver Center, Pirigyi said. Previously, the services

pler solution for students and the university community.

“Lean is just improving a process,” he said. “It’s getting rid of all the non-value added things … and bringing to light what is important.”

But, with lofty goals of cost-reduction come tough decisions about what can and can’t be cut. Pirigyi

said they try not to sacrifice quality for cost-effectiveness, because they strive to keep the students happy.

“Sometimes there are hard decisions to be made, financially,” he said. “But, when we are doing big projects, that is the one thing we have in mind — keeping our customer No.1.”

However, the school does accept favorable offers when its terms do not significantly affect Miami students. For instance, Coca Cola products are now rare on campus, as Miami recently signed a contract to sell Pepsi Cola products almost exclusively.

Also because of its cost-reducing objectives, Pirigyi said many Miami employees and students misunderstand the goals of Lean.

“There are a lot of myths associated with Lean,” he said, “like that it cuts jobs. But, in fact, it would actually do the opposite … When we’re trying to increase revenue we are ultimately going to need more manpower to support those increases.”

Since it began, no Lean project has cut a single job. However, many Miami employees’ jobs have changed through Lean projects, like being reassigned to other departments.

About a year ago, when the Mi-

ami and Marcum Conference Center catering services merged, many staff were assigned to other service positions throughout the university.

But, because Miami does not always fill positions when staff retire or leave the university, understaffing has become a problem on campus.

“We recognize it to be an issue,” Pirigyi said. “We had a team at the beginning of last year looking into it, looking into student retention on dining jobs. It’s about continuous improvement.”

One of the biggest improvements brought about by a Lean project, Creamer said, was the university’s One Stop Shop.

“The one-stop approach is trying to make a way for students to … get assistance from the first person they contact, to go to one place for the registrar, financial aid, bursar, admissions,” Creamer said. “[Now], that first point of contact is likely going to be able to help with whatever you need.”

The Lean Initiative also fits into Miami’s 2020 plan.

“The plan says we will continue to improve the productivity and quality of our service,” Creamer said. “One of the ways — not the only way — is Lean Initiatives.”

CRIME ALERT: Two unidentified males attack female on College Corner Pike, see page 3 for details.

TODAY IN MIAMI HISTORY

In 1982, The Miami Student reported the U.S. Federal District Court in Cincinnati denied the Associated Student Government’s motion for class-action status in a suit they filed against the university. The suit challenged the university’s right to enforce a no-car rule off campus.

UNIVERSITY

COMMUNITY

CULTURE

OPINION

SPORTS

STUDENTS YAK BACK

MCCULLOUGH JOINS PARTNERSHIP

REVIEW OF “THE INTERVIEW”

WINTER TERM TAKES OFF

MEN’S BASKETBALL

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2 UNIVERSITY

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

Students ‘yak’ back TECH JAMES STEINBAUER UNIVERSITY EDITOR

Of the initial 200 campuses that began using Yik Yak, one of the newest additions to the anonymous networking family, Miami University has been one of the most active in the nation, according to the company’s Lead Community Developer Cam Mullen.

“We see people sharing funny stories about their weekend, a project they’re working on, exams,” Yik Yak Lead Community Developer Cam Mullen said.

“There are a million different ways students post on the app.”

Yik Yak espouses itself as the coffee shop corkboard for the digital age, but unlike in the local Starbucks, where people are obligated to follow certain social norms or the barista can remove offensive fliers, Yik Yak’s anonymity promises users a safe place to post without consequence.

“Personally, I find it akin to writing on a bathroom stall and walking away,” MUPD Lt. Ben Spilman said. “I see little redeeming social value to something like this.”

Throughout the past few months, multiple universities have had high-profile confrontations with the app.

An 18-year-old freshman at Towson University in Maryland was arrested in October 2014 after he threatened on the app to carry out a “Virginia Tech part 2.” In 2011, a Virginia Tech student shot and killed 32 people and wounded

17 others in two attacks.

In Atlanta, Emory University’s student government passed a resolution denouncing Yik Yak as “a platform for hate speech or harassment” and in March 2014, abuses on the app became so abysmal in Chicago that Yik Yak decided to suspend operations in the area.

Miami University students witnessed a situation like this firsthand this past November when Hughes hall was the target of two bomb threats. Although the investigation is ongoing, authorities said that the threats were initially referred to on Yik Yak. “We realize that with any social app or network there’s a likelihood for bad apples,” Mullen said. “The larger we become the more we will find. It is our job, first and foremost, to keep our users safe.”

When a serious threat is posted on the app, Yik Yak notifies the local authorities. While the app capitalizes on its users’ anonymity, Yik Yak can track posts made on the app by someone to specific locations in order to help the authorities paint a picture of the person who made the threat.

“It has been my experience that these types of organizations are not very responsive to law enforcement when there is an investigation afoot,” Spilman said.

In order to prevent cyberbullying on the app, Yik Yak has blocked nearly 85 percent of the high schools and middle schools throughout the nation from using the app and a smartphone user

must be 17 years or older in order to download the app.

“People this age weren’t really ready psychologically to handle the maturity required for Yik Yak,” Mullen said. “We see a much more democratic use of the app on college campuses.”

“This is not strong enough to prevent postings that are hurtful and inflammatory,” Miami University Director of Student Counseling Services Kip Alishio said.

“Those types of posts would do damage before they are evaluated and taken down.”

Yik Yak provides an alternative to the superficial postings of accomplishments and success stories that one finds on other social media apps like Facebook.

“You don’t post things that are too distressing on Facebook,” Alishio said. “You want to post something that you can associate with your name.”

Then, there is Yik Yak, where people tend to post expressions of their most base feelings and thoughts. Because Yik Yak promises complete anonymity, users don’t have to temper what they post — they don’t think about the sensitivity of what they are saying or how it will impact others.

“We need something that is in between those two extremes,” Alishio said. “People need to have places where they can post their own authentic and less happy, more critical thoughts and feelings; however, they need to think those feelings through and do it in a way they can take responsibility for.”

The anonymous lives of Miami Students

CAMPUS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

Q & A with new MU Provost Phyllis Callahan ADMINISTRATION VICTORIA SLATER ASSOCIATE EDITOR

What were your greatest accomplishments as dean of the College of Arts and Science?

One of my goals was to emphasize professional development for students pursuing a liberal arts education. Liberal arts are very important for developing strong skills that are valuable for students regardless of which profession they choose. We train people who can go into many different professions because they have strong analytical, writing, and oral communication skills. That’s what the liberal arts does for all of us.

What made you interested in becoming the university provost?

For me, it is always about where I can have the most impact. Being dean is a fabulous job, and the people here in the CAS are incredible.

I really must confess that I did not think about applying for the provost position, but as people talked to me about it, I began to consider it and I decided I would apply.

What was the application process like for this position?

Applicants write a letter of intent including your qualifications along with a detailed resume and names of references. These are submitted to a search committee, and they go through a process of screening the applicants.

Some are invited to meet with the search committee as well as President Hodge, and, in this search, three candidates were invited for on-campus interviews. Candidates meet with the President, members of the search committee, the vice presidents, deans, and there are open meetings with the chairs and directors, the faculty, and students.

As provost, how do you plan to

PHYLLIS CALLAHAN fulfill your duties?

Personally, what I’m interested in is student experiences, because that’s what we’re here for. At the end of the day, the students are our first priority. Working with students is invigorating—whenever you’re tired, working with students makes you feel recharged.

I am also really interested in retention issues, keeping students at Miami and helping them reach their goals. I want to ensure that they have the kinds of opportunities that they want educationally, both directly in the classroom and in other activities that enhance their experience. I’m also really interested in diversity — we need continue to diversify our population and be sure we have an accessible, welcoming campus.

How will your experience as dean be able to help you as provost?

You learn a lot as dean. Listening is such an important skill. You need to be attentive all the time and really listen to different perspectives in order to help solve problems. I have learned to keep an open mind and I value working with others.

One of the advantages of being the dean in CAS is being exposed to diversity. I come from a science department, and becoming dean allowed me to be exposed to many more academic areas which really broadened my background.

Winter Term success Enrollment increases in second year EDUCATION SAMMY NEISWANDER FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

Ohio’s increase in minimum wage sparks interest in campus jobs MONEY KRISTA SAVAGE

FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

Ohio recently increased its minimum wage from $7.95 to $8.10 an hour. The increase has the potential increase the number of applicants for on-campus jobs.

“I think the minimum wage increase will be good for student employment, possibly drawing in more applicants,” first-year student Alessia Saul said. “A lot of college students have at least some expenses, so it’ll help them out.”

Many on-campus jobs offer a convenient, stable income for college students, and the increased wages contribute to that stability.

First-year student, Abby Younce, said she is pursuing a job on campus for the spring semester.

“College students, in general, will be much more interested in applying for jobs now that minimum wage is higher,” Younce said.

She said she was already considering an on-campus job before the wages were raised.

“The new wages are an added bonus,” Younce said.

Theresa Murphy, head supervisor of student employment, expressed her anticipation regarding the rise of applicants. She and her team oversee all of the student applicantions through the Office of

Student Employment.

“I certainly hope that more students will apply for jobs,” Murphy said.

Since the changes bring Ohio’s minimum wage up 15 cents to $8.10, the culinary services at Miami have changed their wages accordingly. Already more than minimum wage, the dining services were paying student employees $8.35 an hour last semester. Now, they are offering $8.50 an hour, rising 15 cents to match the rest of the state.

For many students who already have jobs on campus, the minimum wage increase will help, too.

Sophmore Imani Harris is a student employee at Maple Street Station.

For her, this job includes working at Delish, Americas and Encounter.

“I know that a lot of students, including myself, are paying for college out of pocket,” Harris said. “The increase in wages will help put a little more money in our pockets that can go toward tuition and books.”

Among the many reasons students want to earn more money, some are saving for trips abroad.

First-year Christina Haffey works in the intramural office, as well as a zero waste ambassador. As a zero waste ambassador, she works home sports games to promote recycling and composition of trash.

“I’m working so that I can save up money to study abroad

next J-Term in Costa Rica,” Haffey said.

This New Year brought higher minimum wages for more states than just Ohio. For 21 states and the District of Columbia, 2015 brought higher wages, as well.

In fact, for a lot of students on campus, the minimum wage in Ohio is significantly different than the wages of their home state. Firstyear Tyler Miles explained that, even though the wages have risen, they still do not match the pay in his hometown of Chicago.

“I think students should be more apt to take the jobs since they raised the minimum wage in Ohio,” Miles said, “but coming from Illinois it is actually lower.”

This may be due to a number of factors, like the cost of living, which is significantly lower in Ohio than in many other states.

“The minimum wage [in Chicago] is $8.25, but even then, I have always been paid $8.50 to $9,” Miles said.

Other states, including California, Oregon and Washington also have a higher minimum wage compared to Ohio, at around $9.50. However, states such as Wyoming and Georgia set their minimum wages at $5.15 per hour.

Overall, a lot of students on Miami’s campus are looking forward to the increase, those both currently employed and seeking

Miami University’s Winter Term has become a “fourth academic term of opportunity” for over 4,400 students this year, university registrar David Sauter said, which is an increase of about 30 percent from last year’s Winter Term participants.

For these students, Miami’s Winter Term has enabled a number of valuable opportunities, such as study abroad trips or academic workshops. Junior Tola Adedipe took advantage of the extra month of classes to catch up on her major.

This was Adepipe’s first time taking Winter Term classes, and she decided to complete Political Science 101 and Theater 123 to stay on track to graduate in four years. Throughout the three weeks, however, she discovered she really enjoyed the different pace and focus involved in Winter Term classes.

“Even though the teachers were rushed for time, we were still able to focus a bit more on the material because we didn’t have a [large number] of students in the class,” she said.

She also said she enjoyed the more intimate and discussionbased class, and would potentially take classes during the term again.

“I would consider taking Jterm classes again next year,” she said. “It was a great experience. I made a lot of new friends and I got more of the one-on-one time with my teachers, which was

very important.”

Most assume the Winter Term provides financial gain for Miami, but the additional term comes with losses as well.

Because Winter Term allows many students to accelerate their graduation, the university loses tuition money from early graduates. According to David Creamer, the senior vice president for financial and business services, at the end of last year’s Winter Term, almost 100 students did not have

I got more of the oneon-one time with my teachers, which was very important.”

TOLA ADEDIPE MIAMI JUNIOR

to come back for spring semester because the classes they took allowed them to graduate early.

“The J-term has added to the university’s costs for some operations like King Cafe, the residence halls and our facility operations,” Creamer said.

Despite these additional expenses, Winter Term has already proven its worth to Miami students and faculty.

“Financial performance is not the primary issue in determining whether it should be continued,” he said.

The speculations regarding the end of Winter Term’s demise were no more than rumors.

“I have a draft calendar out to 2022 which includes the winter term,” Sauter said.

WHEN YOU’RE FINISHED READING

PLEASE RECYCLE

COMMUNITY@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

COMMUNITY 3

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

New era for McCullough-Hyde

POLICE BEAT

New alliance with TriHealth proves fruitful for previously independent Oxford hospital

Two males attack female

HEALTH SAMMIE MILLER

COMMUNITY EDITOR

A new partnership agreement between McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital and TriHealth marks a new era for the previously independently operated Butler County hospital.

On Thursday, Jan. 8, Bryan Hehemann, McCullough-Hyde president and chief executive officer, along with John Prout, president and chief executive officer of TriHealth, and Richard Norman, the board chairman of the Oxford hospital, ceremoniously signed partnership documents. The question now is how this agreement will improve care for patients in Butler County.

TriHealth will take a majority ownership of the Oxford hospital — which operated independently until now — and invest $17 million in building, technology and service improvements.

“We came to the conclusion that we would not be able to be in a position to satisfy all the future requirements and challenges and financially, we wouldn’t have had the margins to support replacement of equipment and facilities and technology longterm here,” Hehemann said.

TriHealth, formed in 1995 by a partnership between Good Samaritan Hospital and Bethesda Hospital, Inc., is a Cincinnatibased integrated health care system. The system’s main goal is to sustain a system of physicians, hospitals and communities that work together in order to provide the best care to the maximum number of patients.

The agreement spells out terms of an affiliation between the local hospital, with approximately 400 employees, and the health network including a

SAMMIE MILLER COMMUNITY EDITOR

A NEW IDENTITY Upon signing a partnership agreement with Cincinnati-based TriHealth, the hospital will adopt a new title — McCullough-Hyde Memorial TriHealth Hospital. name change to McCulloughHyde Memorial Hospital — TriHealth. TriHealth will invest approximately $17 million to

to bring those services here to town,” Hehemann said. “They’ll have as good of care as they can get anywhere with TriHealth and

By partnering with McCullough-Hyde, TriHealth enters a new market with local expertise.”

JOHN PROUT

TRIHEALTH PRESIDENT

upgrade McCullough-Hyde’s medical record technologies, renovate the emergency department and operating rooms, and grow services.

“Many people are still leaving this community to go elsewhere for care and we need to be able

won’t have to drive as far.”

According to Prout, TriHealth started expanding into Butler County in 2012 with the purchase of the former Butler County Medical Center in Hamilton. It also owns TriHealth Bethesda Arrow Springs in

Lebanon. The 11,600-employee hospital system, which operates Bethesda North and Good Samaritan hospitals in Clifton and Montgomery, is investing more in its northern Cincinnati expansion plans than anything else.

“By partnering with McCullough-Hyde, TriHealth enters a new market with local expertise,” Prout said.

New plans, the largest of which including a new emergency room and operating rooms for McCullough-Hyde, are in the works.

“We’ll be setting new goals over the next year in this region,” Prout said. “Together as a team we can really impact the health of the community quickly.”

New elementary school plans exceed budget EDUCATION

reducing the parking area, deleting a retaining wall, which he said would be overcome by rerouting drainage, and reducing the number of windows in classrooms without reducing the percentage of glass per room.

Superintendent Kelly Spivey said the board members decided upon the cuts during a previous meeting when they agreed they were over budget.

“The last time, we agreed on a design, but we were $1 million-

plus off,” she said.

In the meantime, she noted, there had been calls and comments about rumors that various design elements had been dropped. One example was the enclosed courtyard, which many members of the school board and community had highly anticipated.

“The courtyard has not been removed,” Jahnigen said. “It is still enclosed. The biggest change is now it’s flat. It’s easier to build, construct, plan and maintain now.”

It will still be able to be used for a variety of purposes and educational pursuits but will not be tiered.

That, in fact, was a key to some major savings on the project. The entire Kramer property is sloped in varying degrees and major savings will be realized by cutting down on the amount of earth that will need to be moved for construction.

“One of the most expensive areas of construction is moving dirt,” Jahnigen said.

The new building will be slightly reconfigured into more of a onestory structure with a second floor on only one hallway, which will take advantage of the largest slope on the site and reduce the amount of dirt being moved.

Switching from geothermal

for heating and cooling to a boiler/chiller system was another major savings.

“Geothermal was a tough decision, but I respect the budget,” Jahnigen said.

He explained that change was a major factor in affecting plans to design the building to earn LEED platinum status, but cuts will allow for silver status, instead.

District treasurer Mike Davis explained that the new high school building uses geothermal but it was purchased in a “buyer’s market” and said it is now a “seller’s market” which would make the initial cost more expensive for this project.

According to Jahnigen, both systems have pros and cons and one advantage of the chiller/boiler system is that it heats or cools more quickly in the morning to get temperatures to appropriate levels.

Talawanda School District president Mark Butterfield said the design phase of the new building will still be completed in time to begin construction this summer.

“The board will ensure the design phase is completed timely and the budget is set for a successful construction under budget,” Butterfield said. “It has been difficult task but it is done.”

OXFORD

CINCINNATI

NATIONAL

INTERNATIONAL

Open house set to recruit police officer jobs in Hamilton

Warren County sues feds over Obamacare

Northeast braces for major blizzard

Kurds take strategic city from ISIS

County officials filed a lawsuit Monday against what they say is an unconstitutional tax on government.

–The Enquirer

6,500 flights have been canceled as the storm is expected to bring as much as two feet of snow to the area.

–ABC News

Kurdish fighters have taken the Syrian city Kobani from ISIS’ grip after 112 days of fighting.

–CNN

JACKIE MOONEY

FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

According to Talawanda officials, the proposed design for the new Kramer Elementary School was approximately $1.4 million over budget. The past two months have been spent reconfiguring that design to place the project below budget.

The new elementary school will replace the current Kramer Elementary School, while keeping the original name.

“The existing building was built in 1962 with an addition in 1969,” Mike Davis, Talawanda School District treasurer said. “It is beyond its useful life. The new Kramer will be on the same site to the north and a little to the east of the present building.”

According to Davis, total cost of that project is estimated at $16.4 million. The state of Ohio is paying $11.5 million of that through the money the district earned by completing the prior major construction steps of its facilities plan.

The district must finance the difference, approximately $4.9 million, and is doing it without an increase in taxes, which explains

the tight budget.

Charlie Jahnigen, vice president of SHP Leading Design, the firm working with the district, said they were successful at getting all the cuts in areas behind-the-scenes.

“The changes will not affect the learning environment,” he said.

According to Jahnigen, the changes fall within state codes and guidelines for such things as

One of the most expensive areas of construction is moving dirt.

CHARLIE JAGNIGEN

VP OF SHP LEADING DESIGN

IN OTHER NEWS

The open house is set for Wednesday. HPD hopes to recruit as many jobs as possible.

–Journal-News

At 7:48 p.m. Jan. 19, an officer responded to a report of assault on the west side of 5279 College Corner Pike. When he arrived, he met with the victim who stated she was assaulted while walking home from her boyfriend’s residence. The victim showed the officers scratch marks on her torso and neck area. She reported that two males in hoodies jumped out from behind her. The first male grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth with his hand. He told her if she screamed she would make it worse. The other male ripped open her shirt and started to go for her pants. The victim proceeded to head butt the male behind her and knee the male in front of her in the crotch. She then ran from the scene until she found a friend of hers, who advised her to call the police. She stated that both suspects were white and appeared to be in their mid twenties. She also stated the suspects smelled strongly of alcohol. She noticed two BMX style bikes near the spot where she was attacked. Both suspects have yet to be identified. The Miami Student will further investigate.

Snapchat stalker At 2:54 a.m. Jan. 21, a female called OPD’s dispatch to report that she believed her exboyfriend had broken into her house. She told dispatch she was not at her residence, but she had received a Snapchat photo from her ex-boyfriend showing him in her bed. The victim stated she recognized her bed from the bright orange-colored sheets in the background. She reported that all of her doors were locked when she left her house. When the two officers arrived at her house, they noticed the front door on the lower level had been broken into. The officers searched the residence and found the suspect in the victim’s bed. He was wearing only boxer shorts. His clothes and shoes were laid out on the floor.

When the officers began questioning him he sent the victim a text message that read “please pick up or I’m going to jail.”

He was taken into custody and has been charged with Burglary and Trespassing.

McSleepy takes the wheel At 4:20 a.m. Jan 25, officers responded to a complaint at the McDonald’s on 601 S. Locust St. The caller reported a driver had fallen asleep in his vehicle while waiting in the drive through. When the officers arrived on the scene, they observed a white 2006 Kia Spectra stopped in the drivethru between the first and second pick up windows. The officer approached the vehicle and observed a male slouched over the center console in the car. The vehicle’s engine was still running and the car was in drive. When the driver failed to wake up, the officer pried open the vehicle’s door and woke the male up. The officer noticed the driver was wearing a bar wristband and the inside of the vehicle smelled strongly of alcohol. Upon waking him up, the driver seemed confused and did not know where he was.

Despite reporting to the officers that he had only consumed one beer that night, he failed to pass all field sobriety tests given to him. He submitted to a breath test to which he blew a BAC of .108. The driver was cited for Driving Under the Influence and was given a ride to his residence.

4 CULTURE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

Stumbling upon perfection TRAVEL GREAT BRITTON I noticed him because of the small Union Jack flag poking out of his easel and waving in the bursts of cold air. He was sitting by a statue of George Canning in Parliament Square, painting.

Next to him, a handwritten sign read, “Directions and photos free, donations welcome for London Children’s Hospitals.”

Nudging Nana ­— my grandmother and travel companion for two weeks in the United Kingdom — I walked around to glance at what he was painting.

Clipped to the easel was an elaborate watercolor of Big Ben, with the London Eye visible in the background and a red doubledecker bus on the street out front.

No one else, Londoners and tourists alike, seemed to pay attention to him. When I went to snap a picture of him, he turned and saw us.

There are so many things I could write about in this first column. About the places I’ve been, the things I’ve seen. About the afternoons spent wandering museums and castles, days driving the winding coast of Ireland, nights trying to find something other than haggis to eat for dinner in Scotland.

And I should definitely spend more time introducing myself.

But I’ll save all that. This is just about Ian. Ian wore a hat like one my grandfather used to wear, until I stole it from him in junior high.

He was all bundled up against the cold, but he had to dab his running nose and watery eyes every few minutes because of the wind. His fingers were raw and pink because gloves would’ve made painting more difficult. He was no more than an inch or two taller than I am, but at least fifty years older.

Painting was just a hobby, something he did while his wife played bridge on Thursday nights.

Something, he’d said, to keep him from going to the pubs too early in the evening. Before he retired, he’d been an architect. Within three weeks, he’d realized that retirement consisted of botched trips to the grocery upon his wife’s

request. So he’d gone back to work in a London hospital, helping with special projects.

We talked to Ian for over thirty minutes. He told us not to tell his wife we’d seen him smoking, because everyone was worried about his health, even though his lungs turned up completely clean on each scan. We heard his thoughts on modern communication, a few comments about American politics, an anecdote about the time he woke up under the impression he was fighting demons because of new herbal pills his doctor had suggested. He told us he suspected his wife was plotting to kill him since she hadn’t gone to bridge that night, something he found highly suspicious.

stumbling upon perfection in the unexpected. It is those unannounced moments, the ones you’re not actively seeking, that end up forming the most vivid memories of a place.

I have an entire semester of travel ahead of me. And I hope I stumble every now and then. I hope somewhere along the way I fall into something that leaves me speechless, that changes me in ways I never would have thought possible. Because nothing would make me happier than to return home with a journal containing pages and pages of stories about unexpected moments and unplanned experiences.

When I told Ian I was spending the semester in Luxembourg, he

BRITTON PERELMAN THE MIAMI STUDENT

Perelman sits with Ian, a local Englishman raising money for London Children’s Hospital.

During our last few days in London, I kept hoping we’d run into Ian again, but we never did.

We’d found him after a light lunch at Westminster Abbey, on our way to meet a friend at the BBC. We’d simply stumbled upon his easel and generous smile and stayed a while.

That’s what travel is, a constant

thought it was just great. He told me to come back to London and visit, see if he’s still alive. So the next time I’m in London, I’ll keep an eye out for him. I hope I’ll stumble upon him again. And I hope you stumble sometimes too.

BRITTON PERELMAN

FILM

RACHEL TRACY

“The Interview,” a $44 million dollar budget movie starring James Franco and Seth Rogen, only made it into select theaters around the country on Christmas day due to threats from North Korea.

In this movie, celebrity tabloid show stars Dave Skylark (Franco) and Aaron Rapoport (Rogen) book an interview with the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un. After finding out about this interview, the CIA recruits them to assassinate the dictator.

Sony’s Internet servers were hacked by an organization called “Guardians of Peace (GOP).”

This group issued a terrorist threat against any movie theaters that would run “The Interview.”

According to CNN, the North Korean threat stated, “Our toughest counteraction will be boldly taken against the White House,

relevancy through themes and characters REVIEW ANNABEL BROOKS

FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

The Academy Awardnominated film “Selma” is a beautiful tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and his efforts to establish equality and justice for all Americans. “Selma” is his story and the story of so many others who risked their lives in the fight for equality.

Director Ava Duvernay brings the civil rights movement up to present day, at a time when we need to be reminded of King’s brave and unwavering position on equality. The film brings together white and black to illustrate an important point that isn’t reiterated enough: everyone must fight for equality.

Supported largely by the brilliant and graceful performance by British actor David Oyelowo, who portrays King, the film moves flawlessly.

“Selma” illustrates King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)’s battle against the southern resistance.

Their experiences in Selma play out beautifully and emotionally on the screen.

Despite roadblocks by Alabama governor George Wallace and the wavering support of President Lyndon B. Johnson, King and other members of the SCLC were able to successfully broadcast the march which led inevitably to the official abolishment of voting restrictions in the south.

To make the Selma campaign a success, King had to risk everything — his family, his reputation and his life — in order to come out victorious over that hate. In this way, the audience is presented with a new, more complete image of King, a prestigious man that isn’t without human faults.

The film is pretty straightforward in mentioning King’s adultery.

Duvernay

the Pentagon and the whole U.S. mainland, the cesspool of terrorism.”

The threat also stated that fighters of justice “are sharpening bayonets not only in the U.S. mainland but in all other parts of the world.”

Due to the threat, Sony gave movie theaters permission to cancel the showing of the movie.

Movie theaters were concerned that showing “The Interview” would turn people away from coming to the movie theater at all, according to screenrant.com.

This, is turn, would hurt the ratings of other movies in theater.

“The White House said a new executive order targets leaders in North Korea’s government, preventing them from accessing property and entering the United States. The isolated nuclear regime, which has denied involvement in the Sony hack, was already subject to a strict set of U.S. economic restrictions,”

JANUARY 30

manages to weave that into his full character so we, as the audience, are able to understand his full person. None of that would have been possible without Oyelowo and his remarkable interpretation of King.

Oyelowo wasn’t the only standout performance in the film.

Carmen Ejogo’s Coretta King is emotional, brave and stunning.

Even Oprah Winfrey, a producer of the film, is strong, yet modest as the hospice nurse and Selma participant Annie Lee Cooper.

Each character in the film plays an important role in creating the world of “Selma.”

Perhaps the most moving moment in the film comes when actors Cager Lee and Keith Stanfield, a father-son duo, run from the police in the midnight march scene only to end up at the will of the brutal Selma police. The audience truly feels their pain.

The cinematography of “Selma” is as brilliant as its acting performances. Under the direction of DuVernay and through cinematographer Bradford Young’s masterful hand, the camera creates a holistic world. The final scene is particularly moving, with the juxtaposition of the Selma march participants and the racist protesters all responding to King’s speech at the Montgomery state building. It is in that shot we finally feel like love has outweighed hate and the feeling of potential and hope is overwhelmingly there.

“Selma” is truly a masterful film, and a relevant one at that. Its themes and characters are ones that defy time and place. It is a beautiful tribute and a powerful reminder to us all that the fight for equality has come so far, but is not yet won.

Yoga finds its center in Oxford communtiy HEALTH ANNABEL BROOKS

FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

CNN writers Jim Acosta and Kevin Liptak said in a January CNN.com article.

“I think it’s concerning that Sony would back down because of threats from another country,” Miami University junior Andrew DeLong said. “But the movie is hilarious.”

Since the release of the movie, some celebrities have spoken out about Sony backing down to a foreign country. George Clooney tried to start a petition stating that he and whoever signed it would stand behind Sony and help them fight against the GOP. No one signed his petition, according to Dann Albright, a freelance writer and blogger.

“I personally think that the actors in the film have freedom of speech and should be able to joke about the film topic, but it created unnecessary controversy,” senior film studies minor Eboni HolINTERVIEW »PAGE 5

EVENTS JANUARY 28

‘Selma’ masters

PERELMBK@MIAMIOH.EDU

The Interview: Mixed feelings of students reflect those of nation FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

KIGGINLA@MIAMIOH.EDU

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Yoga, the physical, mental and often spiritual practice of controlling the breath and posing the body, is an activity offered abundantly in Oxford.

There are several different types of yoga, but the most common is Vinyasa. This discipline pays special attention to breathing patterns and connecting that to the body in motion.

The list of yoga’s health benefits is lengthy, but several of the advantages are particularly worthwhile to college students.

Not only does yoga have physical benefits like improv-

I love doing yoga at the health center. It’s a very peaceful atmosphere and kind of a hidden gem in Oxford.”

CHLOE BECK MIAMI SENIOR

ing flexibility, increasing muscle strength and improving posture, it also has been found to make you a mentally healthy, more centered person.

Doing yoga has the potential to reduce stress recognizably and to aid sleep.

At the University of Wisconsin, Richard Davidson, Ph.D., even found that the practice of yoga leads to greater levels of happiness.

Senior Kelsey Loss prefers

to do yoga in the comfort of her own apartment, especially when temperatures drop.

“YouTube and Hulu have some great options if you want to do yoga but don’t want to leave the house,” Loss said. “I love yoga because when you’re doing it, it doesn’t even seem like a workout, but you can really feel it afterwards.”

In Oxford, yoga is available at the Rec, the Student Health Services and the Oxford Community Arts Center. Classes are offered daily at the Rec for both Pilates Yoga and classic Vinyasa Yoga.

Pilates Yoga combines the two practices to incorporate strength exercises as well as the stretching provided by yoga. Miami Senior Emily Baker attends a Vinyasa class at least once a week.

“It’s relaxing and a great way to unwind after a long day of classes,” Baker said.

Semester class passes are available at the Rec for $170, or $15 per individual class.

The Student Health Services also offers yoga classes for free for students, faculty and Oxford locals.

“I love doing yoga at the health center,” Miami senior Chloe Beck said. “It’s a very peaceful atmosphere and kind of a hidden gem in Oxford.”

Off-campus, the Oxford Community Arts Center on College Avenue offers yoga classes away from the hustle and bustle of the university. At $10 a class, the Vinyasa classes are taught two to three times a week.

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brock said. “I probably won’t see it because I would rather not support the film.”

North Korea is under a United Nations vote for crimes against humanity in court.

Suki Kim, a Korean American writer, said the controversy of “The Interview” may have di-

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Chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, offers to Governor Walker is support from members on Capitol Hill. The respect he garners in Congress from fellow party members, establishment and Tea-Party alike, is undeniable (many of whom were recruited to run for office by Ryan in 2010). Moreover, Congressman Ryan wants someone in the White House that can make his conservative reforms law, tax and entitlement reform included, especially if they don’t become law in the last two years of the Obama Presidency.

Unlike other potential Republican nominees like former Governor Bush of Florida, Governor Kasich of Ohio, or Governor Christie of New Jersey, Governor Scott Walker has conservative credentials that pass the smell test with the frustrated conservative base that have questioned the policy records, past connections, and moral compass of other potential candidates. The very simple, but stark contrast he makes with other potential nominees like Texas Senator Cruz, former Texas Governor Perry, Kentucky Senator Paul, or former Arkansas Governor Huckabee, is his geographic location. In the blue state of Wisconsin, he won the majority of the vote in all three of his election, and perhaps most importantly he won voters earning between $50,000

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verted attention away from the vote, which would be good for North Korea.

“The Interview” has produced an estimated $12 to $15 million dollars in revenue, said Albright. On IMDb.com, “The Interview” received a 7.3/10 rating, while scoring a 51 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. and $100,000 by 17 points in his 2014 re-election (Romney won by 1 point), which indicates the connection he has with middle-class voters. The Midwestern states, most political strategists will argue, are all too important to ignore in a presidential election. Governor Walker being an elected official in that region, is in a perfect position to put those states in play, including Ohio, which has voted for the president in every single election since 1960 (when Ohio went with Nixon instead of Kennedy).

In the end, Walker serves as the sort of “candidate of compromise” that traditional, business-minded conservatives can latch onto and the candidate the conservative base can fall in love with, who refused to show up at the election polls in the last election for a subpar candidate in Mitt Romney. Although he holds no college degree, he has “a master’s degree in taking on the big government special interests,” which he believes “is worth more than anything else that anybody can point to.” He may not have the charisma like other potential candidates vying for the nomination nor the oratory skills of a President Obama or Senator Rubio, but his humbleness and populist background may ultimately win voters over.

JON FOX

FOXJN@MIAMIOH.EDU

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EDITORIAL@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

Winter term’s second showing offers more options, solidifies bright future EDITORIAL

The following piece, written by the editorial editors, reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.

The only weird thing about Miami’s Winter Term is how it is changing the way we navigate the “how was your break” conversation. Before winter term’s illustrious offerings, we summed up the friendly question with chatter about Christmas presents, family bonding and maybe the occasional trip to Florida.

But now, you never know what kind of international voyage, research job or big city internship will be lurking on the other side of this question.

There could be mention of trips to Greece or knocking out core requirements from the comfort of your couch. There could be selfies in front of those European monuments you’ve always wanted to visit. There could be curious tanned faces with a Caribbean beach as the source.

So, if all you did was go to the mall on any given snowy day over the past six weeks, prepare to be jealous. You also might want to start booking plane tickets for next year.

As the second Winter Term at

Miami came and went, we watched many of our peers excitedly pack their bags for a not-so-casual January adventure. We were impressed with the growing list of opportunities for study abroad or study away.

Winter term is changing things around here, and in the eyes of The Editorial Board, we like it.

From a writer’s workshop to a Drawing and Art program in Italy to Inside Hollywood and New York,

Miami students are taking this Winter Term thing in stride, and it’s changing the conversation in big and small ways.”

Compared to last year, Winter Term was way more popular — enrollment in Winter Term this year increased by 33 percent.

Students embraced it more this time around after the inaugral year dust had settled. Miami students are taking this Winter Term thing in stride, and it’s changing the conversation in big and small ways. Not only are students doing more with their breaks, they are becoming more cultured and seeing the world with a open lens, which benefits this university as they come back and share their stories.

plus plenty of business-centered trips, most of Miami’s winter term offerings are unique.

Give Miami students six weeks, and just wait to see all the mountainclimbing Instagram photos that show up.

This is a time to dig in and focus on one area for a few weeks, without the added stresses of being entirely in school mode. You won’t be as distracted by club meetings, going Uptown or the other classes on your schedule.

It’s a chance to set aside a few weeks and do something that seems

impossible during the regular semester. This term really an ideal time to study abroad, because you won’t miss a semester of being on campus or the coveted summer session for internships. The way we see it, Winter Term is best when students use it to do something they wouldn’t normally do during t he school year.

The downside to Winter Term is in the growing pains; there’s a huge lack of financial aid available, making many programs inaccessible for students without those deep wallets.

For an out-of-sate student, one credit costs $1218.69 over winter term, which adds up to $3,656 for a standard three credit hour class.

This number is comparable to, even a bit cheaper than, the breakdown of a course during the fall or spring. The problem is there are virtually no scholarships allotted for these winter courses.

Many scholarships at Miami are set up to cover eight semesters, and don’t factor in the Winter Term possibility.

And since the offering is so new, there isn’t a rich history of scholarships offered for students. You know that list of financial aid options you scroll through when you first apply to Miami? That’s nowhere to be found when it comes to Winter Term just yet.

So if you opt to sign up for a class or program during Winter Term, you probably end up paying a lot of money. And unless you need extra courses to graduate on schedule, it doesn’t seem worth it to take a typical course during this time.

Of course, we see this problem going away in the future as more options are slated for the term and it continues to grow.

The reason this isn’t an overwhelmingly big deal is the check yes or no part of Winter Term.

It’s optional. Students are allowed to take six weeks off the college lifestyle, no questions asked. But when the question is asked, you might want to have a made-up story ready to go because your friends did some really cool stuff.

Politics is no joke: how satire influences our political reality POLITICS

In 2004, Jon Stewart was a guest on the now-canceled CNN show “Crossfire,” a debate-style program that discussed recent events in politics. While the hosts brought Stewart on the show to promote his new book and “be funny,” Stewart instead accused the hosts of “partisan hackery” and “hurting America.”

“If you want to compare your show to a comedy show, you’re more than welcome to,” said Stewart. “The news organizations look to Comedy Central for their cues on integrity …You’re on CNN! The show that leads into me is puppets making crank phone calls.”

When one host quipped that Stewart didn’t ask “real question[s],” Stewart’s reply contained a sentiment that he has reiterated time and time again.

“I don’t think I have to,” said Stewart. “You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably.”

This back and forth raises an important question. Doesn’t Stewart have the same responsibility? Why is it that political news shows, like “Crossfire,” have a responsibility to the public discourse and political satires, like “The Daily Show,” don’t?

People who watch political

satires are more informed than those who don’t; they are also overwhelmingly more cynical.

Although there has been little research done on how political satires affect political engagement, what we know so far is that laughing at politics eases anxieties and makes viewers less likely to take action. This is especially problematic because young people watch these shows.

In their 2014 book “Politics is a Joke!,” Robert Lichter, Jody Baumgarter and Jonathan Morris begin their discussion of political satire by referencing Stewart’s deflection of responsibility.

“Most contemporary political humorists publicly claim that their humor has no importance beyond its comedic value,” they write.

“Stewart, for example, regularly downplays his iconoclastic status by reminding viewers and journalists that he is ‘just a comedian.’”

For someone who is “just a comedian,” Stewart and political satirists like him have long been seen as vehicles of political change.

Stephen Colbert testified in 2010 before a House subcommittee on the topic of migrant workers, and Stewart later used his show to lobby for legislation that would have supplied billions of dollars of aid to areas hit by Hurricane Sandy.

When you’re named the fourth most trusted journalist in

RULE OF THUMB PARKS AND REC FINAL SEASON We can’t deny we’re a little sad to leave behind our favorite group of government workers from Pawnee, Indiana, but the final season of Parks & Recreation is sure to be worth watching.

DEFLATEGATE WOES We’re not a fan of potential cheating, especially when it comes to what team makes it to the Superbowl. But, all the jokes and media coverage is too much.

Let’s move on.

PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN 5 Can we be done with this already? We loved the original Disney action flick that was made over a decade ago, but making another one, especially without the main cast, is old news.

SYLLABUS WEEK After a long break, we’re excited to be back on campus. We’re hopeful the first week back will be an easy work load so we can catch up with our classmates. months to live — caring at its finest.

America behind Tom Brokaw, Dan Rather and Anderson Cooper, how can you call yourself “just a comedian?”

According to a study by the Pew Research Center, one-third of the public learned about the campaign or candidates in the last presidential campaign from late night comedy shows.

Pew also found young people between the ages of 18 and 24 are the largest viewers of these shows.

In the 2008 presidential primaries, 46 percent of this demographic learned something about the candidates or the campaign from comedy programs, compared to 20 percent of those over 40.

According to Stewart, his goal when he became the host of “The Daily Show” was to mobilize the youth vote.

Christopher Kelley, professor of political science at Miami, says cable channels like Comedy Central saw a potential market in young people. The creation of late night comedy show, he says, has resulted in the uptick of young people showing up to the polls.

The draw of political satires isn’t the politics — it’s the comedic presentation. According to Kelley, if these shows made politics their focus and presentation secondary, they wouldn’t be successful.

“Laughter is a way to engage anyone,” says Kelley. “Anyone that can figure out how to make someone laugh knows how to reach them in a way that you can’t do with any other style.”

In the words of Morris, political comedians serve the modernday function of the court jester.

Pointing out flaws in politicians and our political system and making fun of those flaws leads to a more informed citizen.

While watching political comedy has the potential to spark an interest in politics for uniformed viewers, researchers like Morris and Baumgartner don’t believe this is usually the case.

“Viewership does not cause engagement, engagement causes viewership,” says Baumgartner.

Alyssa Knight, president of Miami University’s club College Democrats, agrees that political comedy isn’t the most effective way to get people involved in politics who are currently disinterested.

“They may get a laugh out of it, but they also don’t know the reality of whatever is being made into satire so they probably won’t connect with the material well,” says Knight.

Jokes become caricatures, repetition causes momentum, and a politician is reduced to a simplistic adjective — such as fat Chris Christie, stupid George W. Bush

or womanizer Bill Clinton.

Sarah Palin has also been a popular target of late night jokes.

Leading up to the 2008 presidential election, Jay Leno said, “Tomorrow night, Sarah Palin will be on ‘Saturday Night Live.’ When they told her, she said, ‘What night is that on?’”

While these jokes influence the opinions of all viewers, they are especially influential for uneducated viewers.

“What if somebody just stumbled across political humor, and they don’t really follow the news, but then they see all these jokes about what a mess politics is,” says Morris. “They might just decide, ‘I’m not interested in that.

Why would I vote? It’s clear it doesn’t matter.’”

If people who watch political satires are more informed than their counterparts, as well as more cynical, what is the result? It’s clear nearly everyone exposed to late night comedy shows walks away with distrust for politicians and our political system, but are they also left with a desire to do anything to change it?

The research so far is saying no.

While the flaws of our political system pose serious issues that need to be resolved, there is something extremely satisfying about laughing at politics, JOKE »PAGE 7

Looking ahead at the 2016 election The White House might get a taste of reform conservatism POLITICS

Reform conservatism is no stranger to the state of Wisconsin. In 1993, Governor Tommy Thompson led the charge in reforming welfare to restore personal responsibility to its recipients and efficiency to government.

The resulting measure was the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA). The message was simple and one every working class American could cling to, “if you receive assistance from the government, you should have to work for it.”

And now, over 20 years later another Wisconsinite looks poised to take the political stage with his own set of conservative reforms to run for president.

Governor Scott Walker (RWI), who worked on Governor Thompson’s first gubernatorial campaign, made history in 2012 by being the first governor in U.S. history to win a recall election. By

winning three elections since 2010, he has demonstrated strong political adversity in the battle of ideas in the historically progressive state. While his opponents have decried his policies, he has won their respect because of his firm stances. Governor Walker’s record consists of forcing many public sector workers to contribute to their pension and health benefits, cutting income and property taxes, expanding school choice opportunities, and turning the Badger state’s budget deficit into a budget surplus.

Many other Republican Governors can claim this mantle of conservative accomplishments, but have they achieved it in the midst of three elections and in a blue state? No. In addition to his electability, Governor Scott Walker has support from the party’s most notable thought leader Congressman Paul Ryan and Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus (both of whom hap-

pen to be from Wisconsin). The fact of the matter is that these influential Republican leaders inside the D.C. beltway both want to be able to sit in the oval office talking to a familiar friend, not a foe. The frustration and urgency is clear from Chairman Priebus. After winning re-election to be head of the RNC he stated, “I don’t think people realize how hard it is to run a national party without a president.” He goes on to say, “I think that winning a third term means I have a massive responsibility to rebuild our party, to put our nominee in the best position possible and not repeat the same result that happened in 2012.”

It appears political pressure is what this man feels right now, and what better way to relieve that pressure than by putting someone he knows and trusts in a position to take the White House, a fellow Wisconsinite like himself. The leverage Congressman Ryan, now 2016 »PAGE 5

EDITORIAL@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

OPINION 7

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

Religion is less about answers and more about the big questions RELIGION MILAM’S MUSINGS Unfurl my winter break like a winding country road and roadside attractions would include copious banana pudding, Oscar-movie binging, dog cuddling and God. Listening, thinking and writing about God occupied large chunks of my time, which may seem odd coming from an atheist.

Then again, it’s not when you consider religion is a major area of study, has been around for thousands of years and has courted billions of believers, regardless of their propensity. Which is why I find it odd that believers and nonbelievers often shy away from touching religion.

Perhaps they find it too toxic, a non-starter, or even worse, pointless to examine. I beg to differ, as I find exploring why people believe what they do and that it matters to ask the Big Questions.

My upbringing on this matter was fairly typical, I’d venture to say: I went to Sunday school and the first book I recollect reading was the Children’s Bible. However, since my only memory of Sunday school was a man in the

their belief and faith.

Believing doesn’t make you stupid, but I, nevertheless, do want to challenge people intellectually on their belief — as I would desire to do so on any other manner of belief — and flesh out the theological underpinnings of that belief.

As for my own, with the ability of hindsight, I now suspect that the reason God and religion never took hold in me at a younger age is the Evil Question, which is among the Big Questions.

The existence of God and the existence of an intervening, caring God are two separate religious and philosophical animals to address. As a note, Christian theology is of importance to me here since I grew up in a Judeo-Christian culture. To which, their theology rests upon the latter proposition.

God sending his only son, Jesus, to die on the cross would appear to be the most important and expressly “caring” of God’s interventions and the foundation for Christian theology.

For much of my thinking on Christian theology, I rely on N.T. Wright’s wonderfully compelling book, “Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense,” and his other work wherein he says, “Jesus’s resurrection is the beginning of God’s new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize

If you’re into politics, religion, social issues, try to make an effort to lend your ear to the disagreeable.”

church parking lot doing that trick where you pretend you’ve cut off your thumb, I suppose that best reflects my experience with religion early on.

It never took hold for some reason. For others, it quite obviously does. Curious, indeed.

Then, as it tends to happen with atheism, when I started exploring the Big Questions around age 14, I could be best described as a disciple or caricature of what would become r/atheism.

If you’re not familiar with that reference; it’s essentially the idea that religion exists to be mocked and the religious ridiculed for their stupidity.

Sort of like the George Carlinvariety, “How can you believe this stupid crap?” Of course, he says it more colorfully.

Likewise, another one of the most outspoken nonbelievers and dare I say, most eloquent, was Christopher Hitchens, most known for his book, “God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything,” wherein he says, “The person who is certain, and who claims divine warrant for his certainty, belongs now to the infancy of our species.”

While I appreciate Carlin as the greatest comedian of all time and Hitchens for his debating skill -— he’s like listening to a symphony with his manifestly skillful wit and humor — I’ve since moved on from my younger days where I believed the religious to be stupid in FROM JOKE »PAGE 6

perhaps because our government can be so ridiculous that it’s hard to believe our political reality.

We trust political satirists as sources because they show us the “absurdities” of our system — and “how absurd we have become for accepting them.”

We get increasingly fed up with our political system because we see petty partisan bashing everywhere we turn. Yet bashing other

earth with the life of heaven.”

Yet this theology intersects with the Evil Question. To paraphrase Hitchens’ argument to Christian apologist, William Lane Craig in their formal debate in 2009, “Where was God during Auschwitz? Looking down with folded arms?”

Craig offered his rebuttal about free will and I’m aware of the thinking therein. Unfortunately, there is not enough space for me to explore the Evil Question in great length or get too kneedeep in the theology here. However, I wanted to at least put on the table one of the bigger roadblocks to faith I have had and continue to have.

I have no answers, but perhaps some advice will suffice: If you’re into politics, religion, social issues, try to make an effort to lend your ear to the disagreeable. Not only does it serve to necessarily challenge your own beliefs and therefore strengthen their arguments, but you’ll often find, the disagreeable ones present some worthwhile ideas and ways of thinking about issues that you previously hadn’t considered.

After all, there is no better time to contemplate God and your existence after that third plate of succulent banana pudding.

BRETT MILAM

MILAMBC@MIAMIOH.EDU

people make jokes about people because the jokes are funny, but also because it takes people down a notch, especially those we see as higher than ourselves.

Late night television shows are the political equivalent of US Magazine’s notorious segment “Stars – They’re Just Like Us!” A group of people and the system they govern may at first seem elusive and complex, but after watching political satire, it suddenly appears relatable.

SPECIAL COVERAGE

Mobilizing Anger: reimagining our roles as educators in an age of Ferguson In the wake of the killing of Michael Brown and the continued uprisings in Ferguson as well as others unpublicized, Dominique C. Hill, Stephen John Quaye, and Mahauganee D. Shaw (faculty members in the College of Education, Health, and Society) organized a town hall to bring the Miami community together to make sense of these events. The purpose of the town hall was to examine

the creative potential of this moment.

Structured as a working session, this event offered insights into this particular moment in the United States, while brainstorming what we (as individuals within higher education) could do to actively engage in and shape this moment.

At the end of the town hall, we invited those present to create a collective poem to hear the many

voices represented in the space.

We share this poem below as a way to kick off the semester in solidarity and illustrate the power of the words people shared.

If you want to join this movement, e-mail Dominique at hilldc@MiamiOH.edu.

Also, be sure to follow the Mobilizing Anger Collective on Twitter @MobilizingAnger and use the hashtag #MobilizingAnger

I / We Stand For All lives The people who do experience discrimination that I don’t experience because I don’t “look” Cuban Stolen slaves dead w/ no name…and the game of Capoeira they gave us Compassion, justice, truthtelling All of those who haven’t been able to stand for themselves Organizing and working for justice Teaching my white son to see his privilege and make room The pain of myself and others.

I will always stand with you Those who are not heard, seen, spoken to/for Equity in higher education The humanity and existence of all people Equity and social justice Equality Listening to/for the complexity of every person’s story Black lives along with gay lives along with women lives Love Dismantling the oppression that is all connected and tears at every human being

Change in a world of instability Justice and love for everyone Loving myself as a trans* person and loving all other trans* people This being about each and every one of us. Here. Now. Good vibes and positive energy ALL HUMAN BEINGS Love, justice, art Providing space for everyone to be heard and seen Being dangerous Tamir Rice and all young black boys robbed of their childhood Education/education ignorance with understanding, communication, unity and empowerment All of those who can no longer stand for themselves Critical consciousness Love and respect Justice and peace Justice. Virtue. Integrity. Accountability. Peace and love Independent thought, actions that don’t conform to the system, singing, dancing, creativity, the hood and the good, the hustle, the struggle to fit in the world but be myself Humanity. Living without fear.

Justice and refusing to remain

silent All of those people who are silenced Making Miami a more inclusive environment Students Compassion, empathy, bolstering, the voices of the marginalized and oppressed Courageous conversations Equality Support Being mindful to those who need mercy Change Empathy, equity, and most importantly, I stand with all of those black lives taken too soon Love Creating community, direct action, Creating permanent change Making people feel valued Community Equal opportunity Respect On the shoulders of my ancestors My trans* community and the people fighting for social justice A Voice Educating students My students Equality

DOMINIQUE C. HILL, STEPHEN JOHN QUAYE, AND MAHAUGANEE D. SHAW

FACULTY MEMBERS IN THE COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, HEALTH, AND SOCIETY

When we see Speaker Boehner playing with a wind-up monkey in his office or Texas Sen. Ted Cruz reading “Green Eggs and Ham” during his filibuster leading up to the government shut down, it’s hard to think that these politicians are any different than our zany next-door neighbor. But they are — the next-door neighbor we avoid doesn’t pass bills or control the House of Representatives.

While laughing at politics is a great way to see the flaws of our

system, there’s a point when we need to stop laughing and take these issues seriously.

Yet many people don’t want to do that. Despite Stewart’s denial that he is not a journalist and is simply here to entertain, he becomes quite journalistic when asked to appear on news programs like “Crossfire,” much to the dismay of the actual journalists hosting the show.

When Stewart appeared on “Crossfire,” Carlson told Stewart,

“You need to get a job at a journalism school, I think.”

Stewart replied, “You need to go to one.”

“Wait. I thought you were going to be funny,” said Carlson. “Come on.

Be funny.”

“No. No,” said Stewart. “I’m not going to be your monkey.”

AMBER SCOTT

SCOTTAJ@MIAMIOH.EDU

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WOMEN’S HOCKEY »PAGE 10

scoring opportunities.”

In the first game, Miami took a 2-1 lead after one period as sophomore forward Rachael Booth tallied both goals in a three minute span. The ’Hawks continued to generate offense as freshman forward Carly Noble found the back of the net on the power play in the second and sophomore forward Katie Augustine scored in the third before the Lakers recorded another goal late.

In addition to the goals, junior defender Jessie Gould led the way with three assists and junior center Haley Williams accounted for two. Noble, Guthrie and sophomore forward Kaley Mooney each had an assist as well. Sophomore

FROM VOLLEYBALL »PAGE 10

The team drained 50 percent of their shots from the field, converting on 16 of their 32 attempts.

McCue’s hot hand was key to the turnaround. She went 5-8 within a 12-minute stretch.

She dropped 16 of her 18 in the second.

“I just found my shot,” McCue said. “Just tried to set myself up and put myself in a position to put some points on the board.”

The team also cut down on turnovers. They have averaged 20.5 per game in their first 17 games, but only coughed it up 10 times Saturday.

“We need to fight a whole lot harder, a whole lot longer,” Wright said.

FROM COLUMN »PAGE 10

spected and approved.

During warmups, the team doesn’t use the game balls, at least not in the 36 college football games I have worked. The referees check the game balls, and if one of them does not pass inspection, it is not allowed to enter the game or the referees will inflate the football to the proper PSI. I can’t remember a time where I’ve seen one rejected, but I know the referees check them because they mark on the white stripes of the ball. Either the date of the game, initials or a line will indicate that a ball has been approved. The footballs that are approved are used in the game.

At Miami, the footballs that are chosen to be game balls at the beginning of the year are used throughout the entire season. Before each game the footballs are brushed and may even be waxed in order to keep them at their peak texture.

Bill Belichick’s statements about deflategate were believable. He really has no reason to concern himself with the air pressure of the footballs.

He has a game to coach. The fact that he scheduled a press conference to announce the scientific experiments the Patriots performed helped his cause. Belichick is typically very short with the media, and on Saturday he was extremely thorough.

Many analysts have poked holes in his arguments and atmospheric findings, but he did not have to address this again. He chose to. He does not believe the Patriots cheated, and he

9

TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

goaltender Emalee Wills had another great game, stopping 27 of 29 shots.

The Red and White capitalized on one of its three power plays, while they were outstanding on the penalty kill by limiting GVSU to one power play goal on six chances.

The RedHawks struck quickly in the second matchup as Hanson scored 16 seconds into the game off assists by Guthrie and Visalli.

Mooney scored at the 17:20 mark of the third period with passes from Guthrie and freshman defender Nicole Matthews to round out the scoring.

Wills collected 17 saves on the night. Miami went 0-2 on the power play, although it held up on the penalty kill as the Lakers were The fight comes to Oxford this Wednesday when a familiar foe rolls into town.

The RedHawks will try to stop the losing skid when the MAC West leaders, Ball State University, visit.

The Cardinals (9-9, 5-2) and ’Hawks have already met once this season. That matchup resulted in a 72-41 blowout loss for Miami.

McCue pegged turnovers as the area of concern.

“If we cut down on turnovers, we would’ve had a chance to win,” McCue said following the loss.

The RedHawks had 31 turnovers in that game.

Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Wednesday at Millett Hall.. wanted to make that clear.

Do I buy the scientific explanation? Well, even Belichick said he isn’t a scientist. It’ll be fun to watch it unfold.

Tom Brady seemed sincere, too, but I can’t help but doubt that he had no involvement whatsoever. Quarterbacks care about how the game balls feel, and they should.

A member of the Patriots game day staff would have no reason to alter a ball in any way unless a player approached them.

As I said earlier, I was only a ball boy during my freshman year.

I never even thought for a second about tampering with a game ball illegally. I was never asked to and I know everyone I work with would never cheat either. Occasionally, a football’s texture would fail to meet the quarterback’s preferences before a game and we simply choose not to put that ball in play.

The takeaway from deflategate, if it was intentional, is that it’s cheating and unethical. Based on the end result of the game it was probably unnecessary too.

I hope that deflategate and spygate do not take anything away from the great teams that the Patriots have had in the last fifteen years, but I know they will to some extent. I also hope that the focus in the next week is on an intriguing Super Bowl matchup.

I’m sure the balls will be properly inflated this time.

unable to capitalize on their three power play opportunities.

“We played well this weekend,” Wills said. “Our forwards were back-checking well and we had good effort defensively. We really came together this weekend, which will help us down the road.”

The RedHawks return to Oxford at 4:45 p.m. Saturday Feb. 7 for its final home game of the regular season against Ohio State University before heading to Columbus to take on the Buckeyes noon Sunday,Feb. 8.

“Having a week off will be good for us,” Hicks said. “Wills had a tremendous weekend as well. We have some big conference series left in the regular season and we’ll be able to clinch the conference title, which is the first step for us.”

WOMEN’S BBALL »PAGE 10

game came from the hot shooting of Miami in the second.

The team drained 50 percent of their shots from the field, converting on 16 of their 32 attempts.

McCue’s hot hand was key to the turnaround. She went 5-8 within a 12-minute stretch.

She dropped 16 of her 18 in the second.

“I just found my shot,” McCue said. “Just tried to set myself up and put myself in a position to put some points on the board.”

The team also cut down on turnovers. They have averaged 20.5 per game in their first 17 games, but only coughed it up 10 times Saturday.

“We need to fight a whole lot harder, a whole lot longer,” Wright said.

The fight comes to Oxford this Wednesday when a familiar foe rolls into town.

The RedHawks will try to stop the losing skid when the MAC West leaders, Ball State University, visit.

The Cardinals (9-9, 5-2) and ’Hawks have already met once this season. That matchup resulted in a 72-41 blowout loss for Miami.

McCue pegged turnovers as the area of concern.

“If we cut down on turnovers, we would’ve had a chance to win,” McCue said following the loss.

The RedHawks had 31 turnovers in that game.

Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Wednesday at Millett Hall.

MEN’S HOCKEY »PAGE 10

opened the ice up to 4-on-4 play. The ’Hawks took advantage of the opportunity, as senior forward Blake Coleman intercepted a pass and heaved it up to Cody Murphy. Murphy wristed shot to put the RedHawks up 2-0 with 6:34 remaining. Denver added a tally from senior forward Zac Larraza at the 2:55 mark to cut MU’s lead to 2-1.

Murphy gave Miami some breathing room with his second goal of the game at the 4:22 mark in the final frame, assisted by senior defenseman Ben Paulides and junior forward Andrew Schmit. The Pioneers pulled Jaillet for an extra skater with three minutes remaining, but Coleman hit an empty net goal to put an exclamation point on the win.

“We weathered the storm,” Blasi said. “It was important for us to bounce back.”

Murphy tallied two goals and one assist on the night, but was quick to hand credit to

his teammates.

“I was fortunate enough just to capitalize on some of the opportunities that I had tonight,” Murphy said. “But the team is most important. At the end of the year we want to see ourselves at the top of the division, so that’s more important right now.”

Entering the series, Denver was ranked third in the nation with a 24.7 percent success rate on the power play. Miami’s penalty kill held the Pioneers 0-for8 on the power play through both games.

“First and foremost, keeping them off the board during the power play is really important,” Blasi said. “They have so much skill … they’re dangerous guys.

Special teams are such a big part of the game that you have to make sure you’re on the positive end of things.”

The Red and White return to action against Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.

Saturday.

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 2015

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RedHawks down Huskies for first road win of season MEN’S BASKETBALL JACK BREWER

FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

The Miami University men’s basketball team (7-12, 2-4 MidAmerican Conference) picked up its first road win of the season Saturday afternoon, edging out Northern Illinois University (8-9, 2-4 MAC) 60-55.

“Good for our kids,” head coach John Cooper said. “Obviously we struggled here a little bit getting off to the start of conference play, but being able to come here and win, which is hard as heck, to get a win here on the CONNOR MORIARTY THE MIAMI STUDENT road certainly feels good. I’m Junior guard Eric Washington drives to the lane during a home game happy for the kids.” versus Dayton. Washington leads the team with 13.8 points per game.

Senior guard Will Sullivan led

Miami splits series with Pioneers MEN’S HOCKEY GRACE REMINGTON STAFF WRITER

The Miami University men’s hockey team continued conference play at home as it split a series with University of Denver. The No. 9/10 RedHawks (15-9, 8-6 National Collegiate Hockey Conference) were edged by the No. 11/12 Pioneers (14-8-1, 7-6 NCHC) in a 3-1 loss Friday, but bounced back with a 4-1 win Saturday.

Miami came out flying early when senior forward Austin Czarnik fed junior forward Riley Barber with a breakaway pass that Barber converted into a backhand goal. Barber’s 11th goal of the year gave Mi-

ami a 1-0 lead 8:54 into the game.

Czarnik’s 148th assist tied him with Mike Orn for 10th on the school’s all-time list.

The ’Hawks kept the momentum, out-shooting the Pioneers 11-6 during the remainder of the period.

However, first-minute DU goals in both the second and third periods spoiled Miami’s strong start.

“We had a good first period, then Denver took over from there,” head coach Enrico Blasi. “You can’t let goals in in the first minute of any period, and we did that twice.”

Denver was able to keep Miami from generating much speed as the RedHawks had only two shots on goal in the final 17 minutes. Pulling junior goaltender Jay Williams for an extra skater proved fruitless, as DU

sophomore forward Terrence Moore put the game away with an empty net goal with 10.8 seconds remaining.

“We weren’t getting to the net,” Blasi said. “You have to get to the net against a good team like Denver.

We’re going to have to come back and regroup and see if we can play a little bit better tomorrow night.”

The Red and White did just that.

Sophomore forward Anthony Louis put the contest’s first tally on the board at the 12:07 mark with a shot that just barely passed DU freshman goaltender Tanner Jaillet. The period ended with Miami leading 1-0 for the second night in a row.

With 6:56 to go in the second frame, matching minor penalties MEN’S HOCKEY »PAGE 9

the way for the RedHawks with 14 points, including four free throws down the stretch to ice the game. Junior guard Eric Washington scored 12 points with a game-high six assists. Freshman forward Logan McLane scored a career-high 11 points, connecting on 5 of 8 attempts from the field.

“We missed some free throws down the stretch and Will Sullivan, our senior, steps up and he makes four in a row,” Cooper said.

In the second half, Northern Illinois held a 37-33 advantage with 15:51 to play, but the RedHawks went up 38-37 two minutes later, and Northern Illinois never regained the lead for the rest of the game. Washington made a critical layup with just

under two minutes to play to put the RedHawks up 56-54, but a missed pair of Miami free throws gave Northern Illinois a chance to take the lead with 33 seconds left. After the Huskies missed a 3-point shot, Sullivan made four free throws to secure the victory.

The Huskies were paced offensively by senior guard Aaron Armstead, who came in off the bench and scored 15 points on 6 of 11 attempts from the field. Senior guard Anthony Johnson was second on the team in scoring with 12 points on 5 of 8 attempts from the field.

The RedHawks are back in action Jan. 27 at the University of Toledo for a Tuesday night contest. Tip off is set for 7 p.m. in Savage Arena.

MU rebounds with sweep of Grand Valley State WOMEN’S HOCKEY JORDAN RINARD

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Following its first defeat of the season in a 4-3 home loss to No. 12 Penn State University last Sunday, the No. 1 Miami University women’s hockey team got back to its winning ways this weekend.

The RedHawks downed Grand Valley State University 4-2 and 2-0 in CCWHA action. The two teams were well matched, as the RedHawks (20-1-1) averaged six

goals per game while the Lakers (7-6-2) averaged 1.6 per game heading into the series.

“We played better on Friday, but overall we capitalized on some opportunities and played as one unit,” head coach Scott Hicks said. “The line of [sophomore forward Cassidy] Guthrie, [sophomore forward Jordan] Hanson and [freshman forward Alyssa] Visalli played tremendous hockey for us this weekend. They were really clicking and gave us a lot of WOMEN’S HOCKEY »PAGE 9

SCOREBOARD

MEN’S HOCKEY

A Miami eqiupment manger’s perspective on “Deflategate”

Denver.................. 3 Miami.................... 4 Miami.......................1 Denver.....................1

issue of sportsmanship than anything else. Because it’s the Patriots (or Deflatriots, as the clever minds of the Internet have renamed them) people are going to immediately assume they were cheating, though nothing has been proven. The Patriots were the better team in the game regardless of air pressure, but playing outside of the rules is never acceptable.

I am a student equipment manager for Miami’s football team and I have prepared game balls many times in my three years here. I was a ball boy during my freshman year, and I’ve worked alongside the quarterbacks the past two years. Here’s the life of a Miami game ball: The ball is selected by a quarterback based on their preferences: For example; former Miami quarterback

Miami.................... 4 Miami.................... 2 Grand Valley............2 Grand Valley............0

COLUMN LINSKI’S LIST “Deflategate” is the top storyline in the NFL heading into the Super Bowl.

The AFC Champion New England Patriots are being investigated by the NFL because many of their game balls in the 45-7 thumping of the Indianapolis Colts were under-inflated by as much as two pounds. An under-inflated football would be slightly easier to grip for running backs, wide receivers and quarterbacks.

That being said, this is more of an

Andrew Hendrix preferred a newer football just barely broken-in. Redshirt senior quarterback Drew Kummer likes the older, much more broken-in footballs. During practice, if one of them tells me that they really liked how a certain ball felt, I would take note of it.

Regardless of their preferences on the texture of the ball, one thing is always the same at Miami: the PSI. It is always 13.

Before every game the footballs are pumped up to 13 pounds per square inch and taken to the referees a few hours before the game begins.

Then, we do not see them again until just before kickoff. The referees bring them out after they are inCOLUMN »PAGE 9

‘Hawks drop seventh straight game WOMEN’S BBALL DANIEL TAYLOR

FOR THE MIAMI STUDENT

The losing streak now sits at seven for the Miami University women’s basketball team following a 66-53 loss to Bowling Green State University Saturday.

The RedHawks only managed nine points in the first half in what was their worst shooting half of the season. The team only managed to go just 4-28 from the field.

Miami (3-15, 0-7 Mid-Ameri-

can Conference) looked hot at the beginning, scoring seven points in the first seven minutes to launch them into a 7-5 lead.

The Falcons (9-9, 2-5 MAC) put together runs of 17 and nine points, separated by a Jazz Smith layup.

Heading into half, BGSU led 31-9. Redshirt freshman Kennedy Kirkpatrick led the way and eventually finished with a team high 18 points.

“Disappointed in the first half,” head coach Cleve Wright said.

“The hole got dug way too deep.”

The ’Hawks tried to put together

a comeback, plowing their way to a 44-point half.

Junior forward Hannah McCue scored two of her team leading 18 points on a pair of free throws to get the Red and White within eight.

But, that was as close as the Miami got, as the Falcons coasted their way to the 13-point victory.

“Happy about our heart that we showed in the second half,” Wright said.

The biggest turnaround of the

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Bowling Green.... 66 Miami.....................53

MEN’S BASKETBALL Miami.................. 60 NIU.........................55

STAT OF THE DAY

35.7

The difference in field goal percentage the Miami women’s basketball team shot during the first and second halves against Bowling Green. The RedHawks shot just 14.3 percent in the first half, but hit 50 percent in the second half.

WOMEN’S BBALL »PAGE 9

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