The Miami Student | March 5, 2019 by The Miami Student

ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES

Volume 147 No. 19

Miami University — Oxford, Ohio

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019

DAC marches for unity

MEISSNER TICKET APPEALS CAMPAIGN VIOLATION RACHEL BERRY

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

STUDENTS, OXFORD CITIZENS AND MEMBERS OF DAC WALK THROUGH CAMPUS AND UPTOWN FOR UNITY MARCH PHOTO EDITOR JUGAL JAIN

RACHEL BERRY

ASST. NEWS EDITOR A group of students and faculty marched Uptown on Saturday, March 2, carrying signs with messages of love, acceptance and diversity. Although the group was small, about 30 people, their voices carried and caused many to turn and look as they passed. Some cars blew their horns, to the excitement of the crowd. “Love not hate! Make Miami great,” the marchers shouted, their chants piercing through the silence of Miami University’s campus that afternoon. The unity march was sponsored by the Diversity Affairs Council (DAC) and served as the kickoff to Diversity Week: eight days

of programs dedicated to various aspects of diversity and inclusion, raising awareness for issues related to race, gender and disability. The annual march is not a form of protest, said DAC President Monica Venzke. Rather, it is meant to bring together people from all walks of life in a peaceful expression of unity. Although the goal was to create unity, many of the people in attendance were members of the same few student organizations. “There’s a lot of different organizations that represent specific identities, which is fantastic and they need that,” Venzke said. “But having an event where people can come and just meet people they normally wouldn’t have met in their daily lives makes people feel a little bit more at home here.” The afternoon’s events began in Arm-

strong Student Center (ASC), where students and faculty crafted signs before the march. Then Ron Blassingame, a Miami alum who works as one of Miami’s financial aid counselors, gave the keynote address. Blassingame described his experiences growing up African-American in the inner city of Cincinnati. Living in Oxford was his first time living in a mostly white environment. “I think just speaking for myself and for a lot of people that are a part of a marginalized group, oftentimes there’s some sort of shock coming to Oxford because you feel like you’re gonna do your time here alone,” Blassingame said. “Because there’s a lot of people that

The Gaby Meissner and Hunter Meacham Associated Student Government (ASG) student body president (SBP) campaign is appealing a second level-one violation they received for breaking campaign rules. This is their campaign’s second violation within a week. Meissner and Meacham were previously issued another level one violation for campaigning before the beginning of the campaign period. They were given a 24-hour suspension and were not allowed to engage in any campaign-related activities on Monday, Feb. 25. On Feb. 25, a student posted a campaign photo on their personal Instagram account and tagged Meissner and Meacham’s campaign account in the post, Speaker of Senate Cole Hankins said. Meissner argued that the student was not a member of her campaign staff. Hankins and the ASG Elections Committee disagreed. In the view of the committee, the student was a member of Meissner’s campaign staff, and therefore the post was a violation of the 24hour campaigning ban. Thus, Meissner and Meacham were given another level one violation. Hankins and Meissner refused to release the identity of the student who made the post. According to the SBP elections packet, “All candidates are responsible for the actions of their staff members … A staff member is defined as any person engaging in open campaigning on behalf of and with clear association to a candidate.” Meissner maintains that the student who made the post was not a part of her campaign, so she appealed the violation to Miami’s student court. “We respect the election committee and their decision,” Meissner said. “However, due to the unpredictable nature of social media, we believe there are certain things that are simply out of our control, and at the very least we think that this violation should be discussed further.” The second 24-hour ban will not be enforced until the case is decided. The trial is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday, March 8. berryrd@miamioh.edu

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

ARENA

HawkPAC selects Miami’s Mr. Nice Jewish Boy ERIN GLYNN

STAFF WRITER Six contestants danced and mingled their way through the Dolibois Room in Shriver Center Thursday night, all vying for the title of Nice Jewish Boy. Miami’s debut Nice Jewish Boy (NJB) Pageant is a fundraiser for HawkPAC, a political action committee under Students for Israel at Miami that works directly with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). “This year is really exciting because we have Miami’s biggest ever delegation going to the AIPAC conference in D.C.,” HawkPAC co-president junior Hannah Stein said. “There’s going to be 20 students going, so we thought we’d do something new for the fundraiser.” The idea for a NJB pageant was inspired by a successful similar pageant held at the University of Pittsburgh every year. Contestants performed a choreographed dance, demonstrated their talent and answered trivia questions about Israel in front of an audience of roughly 40 students and faculty members. Each contestant had a “pageant mom,” another HawkPAC student to egg them on and cheer for their NJB. “Finding a talent was the hardest part,” firstyear Max Nguyen, one of the contestants, said. “I originally tried bowling, which is surprisingly hard, so now I’m doing storytelling.” Energy in the room was high. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

This Issue

Style pages 8 & 9

FIRST-YEAR MAX NGUYEN ANSWERS AN ISRAEL-BASED TRIVIA QUESTION DURING THE NJB PAGEANT. ASST. PHOTO EDITOR BO BRUECK

STEM facilities in the works

Fungal Fascination

Miami plans to spend about $125 million on two new buildings.

Recent Miami grad grows and sells a multitude of marvelous mushrooms.

News » page 4

Culture » page 6

Men’s basketball vs. Kent State

Beyond the Testimony

The RedHawks send off three seniors in their final regular-season home game.

Our columnist reads between the lines of the Cohen hearing

Sports » page 11

Opinion » page 12

This Week

2 FYI

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019 Named the Best College Newspaper (Non-daily) in Ohio by the Society of Professional Journalists.

Things to do

JACK EVANS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Kirby Davis Alison Perelman Megan Zahneis Managing Editors Ben Smith Design Editor Samantha Brunn Ceili Doyle News Editors

Emily Brustoski Video Editor Maya Fenter Magazine Editor Alyssa Melendez Web Designer Lindsay Cerio Business Manager

Emily Simanskis Sports Editor

James Tobin Faculty Adviser

Madeline Mitchell Kate Rigazio Culture Editors

Fred Reeder Business Adviser

Kelly Burns Ben Finfrock Opinion Editors Jugal Jain Photo Editor Owen Berg Connor Wells Designers Derek Stamberger Nikki Saraniti Video Producers Michael Serio Humor Editor

3/6

WDJ Inc. - Bill Dedden Distributor Aim Media Midwest Printer

Emily Dattilo Asst. Opinion Editor Chris Vinel Asst. Sports Editor

Wilks Theatre

Wil Haygood will discuss his book, “Tigerland,” with a coach and players featured in the book.

6:30 pm 8:00 pm

Wed - “The Revolutionists” 88 Theatre, CPA Wed-Sat Sun Studio Miami’s theatre department will

3/6 - 3/10

perform an all-female comedy set during the French Revolution.

Sun

7:30 pm 2:00 pm 10:00 pm 4:30 pm

Julia Arwine Rachel Berry Asst. News Editors

Sam Keeling Entertainment Editor

Maia Anderson Duard Headley Asst. Culture Editors

Anna Minton Style Editor

Bo Brueck Asst. Photo Editor

Sydney Hill Brianna Porter Copy Editors

Bea Newberry Asst. Business Manager

Advertising information: Send us a letter?

Wed

“Tigerland 50 Years Later”

Fri Hip Hop Skate 3/8

miamistudent.net/advertise eic@miamistudent.net

The Miami Student is published on Tuesdays during the school year by the students of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. The content of The Miami Student is the sole responsibility of The Miami Student staff. Opinions expressed in The Miami Student are not necessarily those of Miami University, its students or staff.

CORRECTIONS POLICY

The Miami Student is committed to providing the Miami University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication.

Sat 3/9

Goggin Ice Center

Come to Goggin Ice Center on Friday for a hip hop themed open skate.

Best Buddies Awareness Concert

Wilks Theatre Come enjoy a musical performance by the Best Buddies choir, a group of Miami students and adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities.

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6:00 pm 8:00 pm

AG Loretta Lynch

Dr. Tom Price

Drowning in Drugs: The Opioid Crisis in America MARCH 13, 2019

Armstrong Student Center Wilks Theater

6:30 PM Reception follows in the Pavilion No Admission Charge — Ticket Required Open to the Public — Limited Seating

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7:00 am 9:00 pm

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019

FROM FRONT

don’t look like you.” He went on to describe how he found a community at Miami after meeting other African-American students and how his experiences here shaped who he is as a person. After Blassingame finished speaking, the group headed out to begin the march. They walked through campus toward Uptown, escorted by Miami University Police Department (MUPD) officers on bicycles. “My experience at Miami has proven there is a lot of hate and ignorance on this campus, so I just felt like I needed to say something, do something,” said Trey Mathews, a junior mechanical engineering major. The march promoted the idea of togetherness and the need for community all the time, not just when an act of hate happens to provoke activism. “I feel like just because something doesn’t really happen in the community, we can still voice our opinion and just speak up,” said Bri Ousley, DAC’s co-director of programming. The group that marched Uptown represented the diversity that exists at Miami – people of different races and sexual orientations, people from varying backgrounds and social groups on campus – coming together for a common purpose. “I think it’s a really fantastic opportunity to demonstrate unity in the community, and there’s a need for it in our world today,” said Devin Ferraro, associate director of diversity affairs.

NEWS 3

DAC MARCHES FOR UNITY

berryrd@miamioh.edu STUDENTS, FACULTY AND THEIR FAMILIES PARTICIPATED IN A PEACEFUL MARCH FOR UNITY JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

Largest crowd of the year at Millett Hall last Friday rallied around a near-win for the RedHawks Scan the QR code to watch the video ⇒

HawkPAC selects Miami’s Mr. Nice Jewish Boy FROM FRONT

One “pageant mom” interrupted Nguyen to ask how it would feel to be second place to his NJB “son” Avi Davis, another contestant, who was the winner of the Instagram competition. Prior to the pageant, each contestant competed to get the most Instagram “likes” on their NJB post. The winning contestant received extra points from the judges. For the talent portion, one contestant sang a medley of pop songs – a performance that prompted one of the emcees to say, “Wow, we wandered 40 years in the desert for that, thank you.” Davis tried his hand at stand-up. “I know I look intimidating, but I only fight Anti-Semitism,” Davis said. Another contestant, first-year Jeremy Stein, sang his favorite Shabbat song, “Saturday Morning” by Maroon 5. The talent portion ended with a rousing rendition of Adam Sandler’s “Hanukkah Song,” which the crowd joined in to sing. Contestants then wrestled with Israel-related trivia questions such as: “What is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s nickname?” (BB), “Which Israeli actress played Wonder Woman?” (Gal Gadot) and “How many hours ahead is Israel from Oxford?” (Seven). As the judges deliberated, the emcees explained that HawkPAC was started “to create a greater Israeli presence at Miami” and that they believe “having even a small relationship with Israel is important.” Stein was crowned Mr. Nice Jewish Boy with a gold yarmulke and a bouquet of roses. FIRST-YEAR JEREMY STEIN PERFORMS HIS SHABBAT-INSPIRED RENDITION OF A MAROON 5 CLASSIC. BO BRUECK ASST. PHOTO EDITOR

Recy

cle T h is Newspaper When Yo u F i n anks i s h Th Reading

glynnee@miamioh.edu

4 NEWS ASG PASSES MENSTRUAL HYGIENE BILL

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

Hidden Voices creates a space for survivors and community to connect

ERIN GLYNN STAFF WRITER

Miami’s Associated Student Government (ASG) unanimously approved a resolution to reaffirm support for placing menstrual hygiene receptacles in women’s restrooms in residence halls at its meeting Tuesday, Feb. 26. Senator and Student Body President candidate Shelby Frye and Senator Benjamin Waugh, both members of ASG’s On-Campus Affairs committee, proposed the resolution. Frye and Waugh argued the current menstrual product disposal system, which requires students to take a bag and carry it into a stall with them before carrying the bag back out to dispose of it, is unnecessarily embarrassing, particularly for trans students who do not want to draw attention to the fact that they menstruate when cisgendered men do not. The resolution was based in part on a campus-wide survey conducted by the Residence Hall Association (RHA), which found that 84 percent of the female-identifying and gender-nonconforming students who took the survey supported placing waste receptacles in restroom stalls. Waugh also pointed out that the current system is more expensive for the university. Without receptacles, students are much more likely to flush menstrual products down the toilet, which can result in costly repairs. Waugh said that a one-time installation of receptacles in every residence hall would cost the university $62,100. He argued this solution would be more cost-effective than the $130,000 per academic year that is currently spent on disposal bags. Waugh did not cite a source for these numbers. When senators questioned why another resolution was necessary, given that similar legislation was passed last year and stalled at the administrative level, Frye and Waugh explained that they wanted to have legislation passed to give added weight to the proposal before scheduling meetings with the administration to discuss next steps for implementation. Senators Trey Petrella and Mariana Niekamp also announced the creation of a study space in the front area of Western Dining Commons. Since a coffee-shop dining option vacated the front area opposite Western’s market, the space, though already furnished, had no designated purpose. Niekamp met with Miami’s Senior Director of Food and Beverage Geno Svec and confirmed that students are welcome to use the area to study. glynnee@miamioh.edu

ASG

is a PUBLIC BODY

RICHELLE FRABOTTA (LEFT), VERNONICA BARRIOS (CENTER) AND NICHOLE SCAGLIONE (RIGHT) ZACH REICHMAN THE MIAMI STUDENT

MAGGIE ANGEVINE THE MIAMI STUDENT

On Feb. 27, the first installment of the Hidden Voices lecture series, hosted by the College of Education, Health and Society, was held in Shideler Hall. Miami public health professor Rose Marie Ward organized the series. The Hidden Voices series highlights societal issues of sexual violence and assault, as well as relationship dynamics, with an emphasis on college students. The first lecture involved brief presentations from three experts followed by a Q&A session with the audience. Wednesday’s speaker, Miami alumna and health scientist Nichole Scaglione, gave a presentation titled “Campus Sexual Assault: Enhancing Prevention Efforts by Addressing Alcohol.” She discussed the need for overlap between preventative research efforts on sexual assault and research focusing on problematic alcohol consumption. Alcohol is the most commonly used daterape drug and is frequently involved in instances of on-campus sexual assault, with either the perpetrator, victim or the bystander being under the influence, Scaglione said. The cause is a phenomenon known as alcohol myopia, or tunnel vision. Tunnel vision narrows the perspectives of those who have consumed alcohol, often resulting in a loss of recognition of risk factors. Alcohol can exacerbate a perpetrator’s previously formed biases and increase aggression, Scaglione said. Twenty-seven percent of college women will experience some type of unwanted sexual contact during their time in school. In over 50 percent of these cases, one or both of the partners are drinking, although Scaglione made sure to emphasize that alcohol use is not an excuse for assaulting someone, nor does it put the survivor at fault. Scaglione believes there is a clear need for more research on the link between alcohol use and sexual assault, and that studying the

two together may be the best way to prevent sexual assault on college campuses. Family sciences professor Veronica Barrios presented “Dismantling the Culture of Nondisclosure of Sexual Violence.” Barrios’ presentation centered on reporting sexual violence. Only about 20 percent of victims actually disclose their assault, Barrios said. Disclosure can often be disastrous, because no one knows what to do with the information. Barrios said the issue is that victims often perceive their assaults as shameful. Societal “scripts” teach victims that their trauma will bring shame on their families or on themselves and that they should feel guilty for their own assaults. Barrios seeks to dismantle this perception through increased education and awareness. She wants to teach victims that it is not their fault, and she wants to teach the rest of the world how to listen. She ended her talk with a question to people who could potentially be told of another person’s assault: “Do you really even wanna hear about it?” Societal pressures and scripts were a common theme in the Hidden Voices lecture. Professor Richelle Frabotta discussed ‘The Exchange of Power in a Sex-negative Culture.” Frabotta started her lecture with two points: “Sex is fabulous,” Frabotta said. She believes the world should feel that way about sex. But when it comes to the prevelance of sexual violent predators in society, her tone shifted. “Cut it the fuck out. That’s it. Just stop.” Frabotta also discussed the markers of healthy and unhealthy relationships, and the importance of owning your own sexuality in modern times, when “shaming is a tool of the patriarchy.” She pointed out that in the current climate, where deviation from the cultural script is considered shameful, living a sex-positive life is an act of open rebellion.

Frabotta said the sense of shame surrounding sex is a key contributor to non-disclosure and perpetration of sexual violence. She believes that more in-depth and inclusive sex education in schools will remove layers of shame surrounding sex, thus lowering the risk of victimization. “What we need now is self-love, self-care, self-awareness and self-forgiveness,” Frabotta said. “Society profits from our sexual shame.” Each of the presenters engaged with the audience, offering their own insights as well as asking for others’ opinions. One audience member asked the presenters how they managed to stay positive in their line of work, especially considering the frequency of assaults. “All I do, I ask myself, ‘How can we save one more person?’” Ward said. “You have got to hold on to the small wins,” Barrios said. If any student wishes to participate in this discussion and learning experience, they can email gradpd@miamioh.edu to be added to the discussion list. The Hidden Voices series will continue throughout the semester and will include lectures, discussions and a book club. Miami students who want to report a sexual assault can make their report to any campus security authority, including Miami University Police (513-529-2222), Oxford Police (513-523-4321), the Office of Ethics and Student Conflict Resolution (513-5291417), student organization advisers and athletic coaches. Survivors can also receive confidential support from Katy Clover (513-431-1111), Miami’s campus-based support specialist from the Butler County office of Women Helping Women. Clover is not a mandatory reporter. angevims@miamioh.edu

Miami plans potential $125 million project to build STEM facilities Plans include health science and innovation buildings MADELINE PHABY

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Miami University is currently seeking builders and designers to plan two potential new buildings: a health sciences facility and a STEM/innovation building. The project is estimated to cost Miami a total of $125 million. These facilities would provide opportunities for research and collaboration between scientific disciplines. In planning these projects, Miami hopes to expand its nursing, technology and engineering programs, among others. The plan is a result of Miami’s Boldly Cre-

ative Initiative, which was announced by President Greg Crawford in 2018. The initiative “will emphasize data, analytics and programs that span traditional disciplines to create engaged citizens and workplace leaders to benefit the Ohio economy,” according to a report by the Cincinnati Business Courier. David Creamer, vice president for finance and business services at Miami, said that the $125 million price tag is not definite. “The estimate is just to convey the size and scope that the project would entail,” Creamer said. Construction of these facilities would most likely cause an increase in student enrollment at Miami due to demand for these expanded programs, Creamer said. However, he does not anticipate a need for additional student housing to accommodate this possibility. The new facilities would be designed with sustainability in mind, as all new construction

at Miami is held to a minimum standard of LEED Silver certification, Creamer said. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, a building that earns at least 50 points in rating categories such as water efficiency, indoor environmental quality and innovation is certified Silver. However, whether or not these buildings are significantly more sustainable than regular ones is up for debate. Some environmentalists argue that a Silver certification is easily reached through simple feature modifications. Jamie Kent, a senior zoology major with a pre-medical studies co-major, is involved in undergraduate research at Miami through the Broadening Undergraduate Research Participation (BURP) program. Kent said it was difficult to find a research opportunity on campus but that her experience has helped her explore the different career possibilities available to her as a STEM major.

“Having facilities that present more research opportunities would allow more students to gain valuable research experience,” Kent said. The possibility of collaborative research across multiple disciplines also piqued Kent’s interest. She said that working within a broader variety of subjects would allow students to more easily discover their passions. “Lots of students feel confined to their majors, so interdisciplinary research would be a great opportunity for them to break out of their usual studies,” Kent said. While the university has not yet determined whether it wants to go forward with these projects, it is actively soliciting applications through a request for qualifications. “The university dedicating funds to facilities such as these demonstrates its commitment to undergraduate research,” Kent said. phabymr@miamioh.edu

Want to hold your representatives accountable? Give ‘em a call. Republican Sen. Rob Portman: 202.224.3353 Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown: 202.224.2315 Representative Warren Davidson (R-OH-8): 202.225.6205 Associated Student Government: asgcommunications@miamioh.edu

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

Fourteen Miamians up for Fulbright Scholarships MAGGIE ANGEVINE THE MIAMI STUDENT

This month, 14 Miami University students and alumni were named semi-finalists in the annual nation-wide Fulbright Scholarship competition. Three Miami alumni, two graduate students and nine current seniors have moved on to the semifinals of the competition. They will find out if they receive the grants by the end of this spring. The semi-finalists among the senior class are Sarah Berg, Madison Cook, Emily Erdmann, Michael Rariden, Katelyn Scheive, Alaina Swope, Emily Tatum, Lauren Voegtle and Jessica Weaver. Graduate and alumni semi-finalists are Lulu Abdun (‘18), Alexandra Fair, Cyrus Green (‘18), Samuel Hunter and Austin Young (‘18). The Fulbright Student Program, established in 1945 by former Senator J. William Fulbright, is the largest United States exchange program and provides grants for research projects and English teaching assistant programs outside of the U.S. Only 1,900 Fulbright grants are awarded each year. The grant provides extensive opportunities for graduate students to further their education and experience abroad in over 127 countries, helping to expand their worldviews and prepare them for a successful career.

Night out comes back to bite ‘ya Assault outside Brick Street Bar & Grill JULIA ARWINE

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Chaos erupted in the line outside Brick Street Bar & Grill at about 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 24, when a female Miami University student bit another student in an attempt to move further up in the queue. The line to enter Brick Street can get quite long on Saturday nights, and a first-year named Mallory said she was waiting her turn to enter when sophomore Grace, who was behind her, tried to push her way through. According to the police report, Mallory said that she could not move in the crowded line, and Grace, who “appeared very intoxicated,”

attacked her. The Oxford Police Department (OPD) wrote on its Facebook page that “the suspect, while mad with rage, bit the shoulder of the girl in front of her.” She also dug her nails in and scratched all along Mallory’s arm. Grace grabbed Mallory’s stomach, injuring her there and scratching her “all to heck,” the post read. Mallory went to McCullough-Hyde to receive treatment for her minor injuries before returning to Anderson Hall, where OPD responded to her complaint later that day around 1:30 p.m.. The suspect was not apprehended that night. It is unknown whether Grace made it into Brick Street or not.

Police took photo evidence of the scratches on Mallory’s arm and abdomen. The bite on her left shoulder, however, did not leave a lasting mark. Mallory identified her attacker and decided to press charges, so OPD issued a warrant. Grace was arrested, posted bond and will face arraignment at the Oxford Courthouse on Thursday, March 14, where she will enter her plea. She faces a first-degree misdemeanor charge of assault. Mallory refused to comment, and Grace did not respond to requests for comment. arwinejk@miamioh.edu

If we weren’t a broke student newspaper, we’d lawyer up

Sunshine laws: government you can read like an open newspaper

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NEWS 5

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019

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6 CULTURE

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019

MITCHE49@MIAMIOH.EDU

Humans of Oxford Do you know the mushroom man? DUARD HEADLEY ASST. CULTURE EDITOR

Zane Marsh is a laid-back, easygoing Miami graduate with a fungal fascination. “I like to have fun and kind of explore things, so I guess you could call me a free-spirited kind of guy,” Zane said. “And I grow mushrooms.” Zane graduated from Miami last May with a degree in psychology, but that isn’t where his true interests lie. If, for some reason, the topic of conversation turns to fungi, Zane’s eyes immediately light up. “I don’t even want to do anything withwell I do want to do something with my psychology degree,” Zane said. “But I mean, I just started growing mushrooms and I love it. Now I’m trying to make a business out of it.” Zane says he was first introduced to the prospect of growing mushrooms during his senior year at Miami when a friend brought it up to him. “He was talking to me and said ‘Hey, you know science and stuff like that,’ and he brought me to one of his grow rooms,” Zane said. “Seeing that, I was just like ‘Wow, this is fascinating.’ I’d never seen mushrooms being cultivated before, and it was just really cool.” After he graduated, Zane decided to give growing a try. Using the knowledge he’d accumulated from his friend and some re-

MADELINE MITCHELL CULTURE EDITOR

“There’s something big going on downstairs!” someone yelled in the middle of the party on Wooster Place. Confused party guests carrying red Solo cups made their way to the basement, smirking at their friends in anticipation. Once the basement was filled, a ‘90s cover band began to play. Classics like “Mr. Brightside” and “Dirty Little Secret” slowly moved the houseguests to dance and sing along. Playing a show had not been the plan, but it didn’t take more than a soft nudge to persuade junior guitar player Kevin Gallagher to turn the Valentine’s Daythemed event into a live concert. “Someone suggested it to me,” Gallagher said. “They were like, ‘We should play.’ And I was like, ‘You’re exactly right!’” Drummer Eric Poe wasn’t so sure it was the right move. “I just feel like when the house band starts to play, that’s when everyone’s like, ‘OK, this party’s kinda over,’” he laughed. “The people who stayed liked it, and then the people who left…they would have liked it.” And just like that, Squeemp was born.

search he’d done on his own, he started to grow mushrooms in a garden at his home. From these humble beginnings here in Oxford, Zane hopes to branch out. He’s got a lot of ideas about how mushrooms can be used to improve the world. According to Zane, mushrooms are an underrated wonder-plant. Among the over 20 varieties of fungus he grows, he says that there are species that work as water filters, some that serve as pain medications and some that just taste good. “[Mushrooms] can do so many things that people don’t even consider,” Zane said. “They can break down microplastics, they can clean up toxins in the water like pesticides and fungicides, they can be used for medicine. It’s incredible.” But the capabilities of mushrooms don’t stop there. Zane says that with the right research and application, they can be dried and used for clothing, compacted to be used as building material, and even replace the medicines we use every day. “That’s part of the thing that’s so unique about these plants,” Zane said. “When you eat these things, a lot of times you’re getting both a functional and a pharmaceutical value just by doing something as simple as eating.” However, there are a few speed bumps on the road to a mushroom utopia. “There’s a real stigma against mushrooms, I feel,” Zane said. “Like, for instance, when I

went to my first market [to sell mushrooms], you wouldn’t believe the amount of stares I got. It was like I had a horn on my head.” He said that nearly everyone who approached him thought he was peddling either poison or psychedelics. But even amidst the strange reactions to his products, Zane says he loves what he does. “By the time people leave my stand [at the market], they’re like ‘I want to buy your product because I feel safe and because I know it’s healthy for me,’” Zane said. “And that gave me a lot more satisfaction than I ever thought it would.” Looking well into the future, Zane has dreams beyond growing and selling mushrooms. “My true goal is to have a sustainable community where people can come and go and just get away from urban life, and realize that this is maybe a better way to live,” Zane said. And for Zane, the plants he grows are the first step toward changing the world and making that dream a reality. Until that time comes, he’s looking to expand his business here in Oxford from selling at farmers markets to reach a wider clientele. He recently secured a 700-square-foot indoor space to start growing his mushrooms in, and he hopes to raise both capital from and interest in his plants before he turns his goals outward. “It amazes me every time I learn more

MARSH GROWS MUSHROOMS IN THEIR NATURAL HABITATS BY ATTACHING THEM TO TREES. CONTRIBUTED BY ZANE MARSH

about these [mushrooms],” he said. “Because they’re absolutely beautiful, sheer beauty, and they can do so many amazing things if we just let them.” headledd@miamioh.edu

CYMBALS AND SOLO CUPS: a look at oxford’s basement band

What is Squeemp? Two guitar players, a bass player, a drummer and a lead vocalist make up the current and future residents of “Cockapella,” a blue-painted house on Wooster Place. A bassline could be heard swelling from beneath the boys’ home last Tuesday as the hour neared 11 p.m. Inside the house, the sound of other instruments, a dog barking and laughter accompanied the bass to make for an authentic college house soundtrack. The album cover of such a soundtrack would paint a picture of Cockapella’s basement: Beer cans and red Solo cups scattered across the floor and desks, cables connecting electric guitars and the bass to complicated contraptions controlling their sound, a drumset on a platform underneath Christmas lights and blue blankets hung throughout the space. Gallagher said that the blankets are supposed to stop sound from bouncing off the walls to some extent — they are, at least, better than the plain concrete. Jeffrey Mayo, Gallagher’s housemate, a junior and the vocalist of the band, admitted he thought the blankets were for aesthetic reasons to cover up the laundry machines in the corner of the basement. “That’s why he’s the singer,” junior Matt Morris said, getting a rise out of Mayo and

RESIDENTS OF COCKAPELLA ARE MEMBERS OF OTHER MUSIC GROUPS ON CAMPUS, BUT THEY MAKE TIME TO BOND AS HOUSEMATES AND BANDMATES. MADELINE MITCHELL THE MIAMI STUDENT

“oohs” out of the rest of the guys. The band is called Squeemp, and they are just getting started. Players are exclusively members of the Cockapella household, or friends that have already signed the lease to live there in the future. Although there are some singer/songwriters in the group, the band is sticking to covers for now. Morris said that the band has been picking “classic college anthem songs” that most people know the words to — “crowd pleasers” that encourage their friends to sing

along. “This is just, like, a cover band,” Morris explained, before getting cut off by Gallagher, who tacked on, “...For now. We’re open to the idea of expanding.” “All the way to the top, baby!” Morris replied. The rest of the band added their own jokes and jabs, egging each other on and continuing to build off of each other’s enthusiasm. “If we get discovered, we get discovered,” Mayo added, cheekily. The band name, Squeemp, was devised in jest when the boys challenged each other to think of “a fake word that is just disgusting.” “It can’t be something that exists already, we have to just make it up,” Mayo recalled of the band’s naming. Playing or practicing… Squeemp can’t tell the difference Even though the boys live together, it’s hard to find a time when they are all home and able to practice. They usually rehearse on their own, and then on rare occasions when everyone has free time, they put it all together. That’s where “the magic happens.” “It just comes from us wanting to have fun and make music, and who better to do it with than your housemates who are also good at music, right?” Mayo said. The “magic” takes place in that same cement-walled, open-layout basement from the night of the concert, with a brick half-wall in the middle to support the stairs that lead up to the rest of the house. Poe, the drummer, sits on his stool toward the back of the space while the others crowd around in a triangle-like formation. Cymbals lie on the floor, mixed in with empty beer cans and wires; the ceiling is covered in pipes. There’s a Wendy’s drive-thru bag on the desk and a jumpy puppy running

in between them all, whining. “I like this rhythm, it’s like…” Morris says before finishing off the sentence by playing on the steel strings. Meanwhile, the jumpy puppy, Lila, barks loudly in protest of the playing. “Lila doesn’t like this,” Ben Poe, the bassist and Eric’s brother, says. “Is it loud?” Mayo coos to his pooch, trying to soothe her. “Are we loud?” Mayo thinks that Lila is torn between wanting to hang out and wanting to run away because of the volume. He calls her a “social butterfly.” Mayo has the microphone and reads lyrics off his phone. He sings with all his might from his perch on the desk on the side of the room, his Vans tapping to the beat while his face turns red. Directly after an outburst of vocal strain at the climax of the song, he composes himself completely. “I’m a little confused with the timing,” he says, and the band goes back to try again, with a confident “one, two, three” countoff from Poe on the drums. Gallagher strums his red electric guitar as he adjusts the amp with his feet. Lila has calmed down now, and sits unfazed at the bassist’s feet. Morris plucks one of the strings on his guitar. “That’s my G string,” he says. In true Squeemp fashion, the boys break from any seriousness to congratulate the crude joke. The group is “striving for more structure,” as Gallagher put it, but, in the end, the joy of playing with friends always wins. “It’s actually just always messing around,” Gallagher said, “and sometimes music comes out.” Squeemp will be hosting a backyard concert at sunset on April 19 at their home. mitche49@miamioh.edu

MITCHE49@MIAMIOH.EDU

CULTURE 7

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019

The First Rock and Roll Piano Concerto MEGAN BURTIS

THE MIAMI STUDENT

When the Miami University Symphony Orchestra played at Cincinnati Music Hall for the first time in the group’s history, it didn’t feature the work of Mozart or Beethoven — it featured Glen Davis. Davis is an associate professor in the music department at Miami who teaches music composition. His piece, titled “Piano Concerto in F Major,” was first performed in 2007 by the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra in Sofia, Bulgaria, after being recorded in 2006 with pianist Michael Chertok. Composing this concerto has been a long road for Davis, a road so long it goes all the way back to his childhood and the physical and sexual abuse he experienced. While many would have been crushed under the weight of such trauma, Davis transposed it into his music. “I cried an ocean of tears,” Davis said of composing the concerto. “It was a profound experience. It was a horrible and beautiful thing to do.” The concerto is comprised of three distinct movements: “Quanta Play,” “The Ascension of Aunt Clarabelle” and “Dream Dance Dali.” The second movement sounds the most familiar to listeners with its lyrical qualities, but the story behind it is foreign to many. This movement chronicles the murder of Davis’s aunt by his mentally-ill older brother and transforms the harrowing events into music. The other two movements are born from unconventional sources of inspiration. The first, full of strange and dissonant chords, takes influence from quantum physics while the third mimics the paintings of artist Salvador Dali. Perhaps the largest source of inspiration for the concerto came from Davis’s past in rock music. “I toured with rock bands and that was my life in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s,” Davis said. “I like to shake the house.” Davis said an alternative rock outlet was the

MAYA FENTER

MAGAZINE EDITOR

As director of “The Revolutionists,” Stormi Bledscoe likes to begin every rehearsal with a dance party. “We had a request for the Electric Slide,” she announced to the cast and crew at 7 p.m. on Feb. 28, their last rehearsal before adding technical elements. The four actors hopped up on the stage and began doing the Electric Slide, with Bledscoe and some of the crew members joining in too. After that came “Cupid Shuffle,” then “Cotton-Eyed Joe,” “Work It” by Missy Elliot and “Worth It” by Fifth Harmony. Music, stomping feet and the occasional “Whoop!” echoed through Studio 88, which can seat about 90 people. On the evening of the rehearsal, however, there were only the nine female members of the cast and crew in the room. “The Revolutionists” by Lauren Gunderson is a comedy that follows four historical women during the French Revolution: assassin Charlotte Corday played by sophomore Elizabeth Bode, playwright Olympe de Gouges played by junior Marjorie Trimble, Queen Marie Antoinette played by senior Abby Murray and anti-slavery activist Marianne Angelle played by senior Vaysha Ramsey-Anderson. Bledscoe graduated from Northern Kentucky University with a BFA in Acting in 2017, and is a second-year graduate student at Miami working toward her masters degree in theatre and prac-

MILO LAM

THE MIAMI STUDENT

GLEN DAVIS COMPOSED A CONCERTO WHICH HE SAYS FEATURES A “FIENDISHLY VIRTUOUSIC PIANO PART.” SEBASTIAN NEUFUSS THE MIAMI STUDENT

first U.S. radio station to play his concerto. He believes in a theory he calls “musical universalism,” which allows composers to blur the lines between music genres and styles. “I had always kept the rock and jazz musician in myself separate, but I said ‘screw that.’ If it sounds right I’m going to put it in there,” Davis said. “I’m just an old rocker. I get up every morning and play my electric bass with music by Lady Gaga and Led Zeppelin.” When the concerto premiered in Bulgaria, it was conducted by Ricardo Averbach, conductor of the Miami University Symphony Orchestra, who also conducted the Music Hall performance Monday night. “He knows exactly what he wants to hear,” principal second violinist Taylor Wallace said of Averbach. “He’s very meticulous, very clear and he will press on if he doesn’t hear what he should be hearing.” Both Wallace and Davis talked about the col-

laborative nature of the event. Making it possible required the cooperation of everyone from the dean of the College of Creative Arts to non-music majors, who were bussed to Music Hall to view the performance. “It’s the biggest collaboration I’ve been a part of,” Wallace said. “Everyone in the music department is involved.” Davis, along with Wallace and many of their collaborators, believes the piece has the potential to become part of the canon of piano concertos. “When [Stravinsky’s] ‘Rite of Spring’ premiered, I’m sure the people sitting in those seats weren’t thinking it was a piece that was going to last ages and be the watershed piece of the 20th century,” Davis said. “In 40 to 50 years, they’ll say, ‘I was there — the first rock and roll concerto.’” burtismg@miamioh.edu

‘The Revolutionists’ gives a voice to women throughout history tice. While at NKU, she got tickets to see the the premiere of “The Revolutionists” in 2016 at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. She fell in love with it. “I loved that the story highlighted women’s history and the history that really did happen and that we just haven’t heard about,” Bledscoe said. As a part of her audition to direct Miami’s production of the play, Bledscoe directed the opening scene and presented it in her directing class. Murray, a theatre major, was in the class, and though she hadn’t heard of “The Revolutionists” before, she liked what she saw. “Immediately, I knew that this play was something special,” Murray said. Trimble, a theatre and strategic communications double major, decided to audition before even reading the script, drawn to the idea of an all-female cast. “It took me forever to read the play, but I already knew I was going to audition because I heard ‘four-woman show?’ Hell yeah,” Trimble said. “Once one of my friends finally convinced me to read the play, I was hooked.” Though the play is set in historical France, many of the themes, such as sexism and feminism, are still relevant today.

TIM CARLIN

“All I did was kiss someone.” You still have that text message in your phone. You took a screenshot to remember her exact words, but it’s not like you’ll ever forget them anyway. They’re ingrained in your head; seared into your brain and stuck there playing on a constant loop. “How did we even get here?” you ask yourself. But deep down, you know the answer. It all started in September. The weather grew colder, and so did she. Phone calls became arguments and text messages became scathing critiques of your every move. She hated the distance, but you were giving it your all. It wasn’t good enough. You both decided things were too hard. Everything would be easier if you broke up — at least that’s what you both told yourselves. The day after you broke up, your friends encouraged you to make a Tinder. They said it would cheer you up, that it would be funny. They were wrong. You deleted the app the next morning, but that didn’t stop her friends from screenshotting your profile and sending it to her. “How could you do this?” she yelled through the phone. She cried about broken trust, about losing all chances of getting back together. She ignored you for a week. When she finally replied to your texts, she acted as if nothing was wrong. It was back to business as usual as she told you the story of her past weekend. While you were laughing over Tinder profiles with your friends, she was cuddled up in bed with her ex-boyfriend. She said it so casually, as if her words weren’t like daggers stabbing you in the back. She was willing to ignore you for an entire week over a dating profile that you had for less than 24 hours, but expected you to be perfectly fine with her galavanting around with her ex? You were flooded with a wave of emotion. An-

ger, pain, betrayal; they all floated around your mind clouding everything. She spoke of reconnecting and forgetting the past, but her actions did the complete opposite. It felt like you were standing alone in the middle of a foggy street. The complete grayness of the situation seemed to be never-ending. You had so many questions, so many words that needed to be said, but your love for her forced you to push them down. Within a few days, your anger toward one another had died. You still texted each other every day, your relationship still lacking a title. Things seemed to be going well for a while. She came to visit you, and you visited her. As fall became winter, you realized that you two weren’t going to get back together. There were other boys vying for her attention, and you had run out of attention to give. She was constantly asking for more, but you were giving her everything you had. When you told her you could no longer deal with her demands, she blew up. Her heartbreak also broke you. You didn’t want her to fall apart, but you just couldn’t keep giving yourself away for nothing in return. The day after you told her you didn’t want to rekindle things, you checked her Twitter profile and saw she posted a video. It was of her reading a three minute poem she had written. It was about you. She said you only cared about sex, but you both were virgins until you visited her back in the fall. She said you were smoking your life away, but at this point you had only been high twice before. She lied about you, and the world believed her. It was finals season and you couldn’t focus on your work, so you turned to drugs for a sense of relief. You bought a few adderall pills from someone with a prescription to power through your assignments. When you weren’t working, you smoked weed to numb the pain, or you slept so you wouldn’t feel anything at all.

Juggling 20 hours of athletic training per week with meets, schoolwork and a social life, junior sports leadership and management (SLAM) major Jessica Rockwell manages to conquer her routine with plenty of room to breathe. “Time management,” she said. “That’s the key.” A transfer student from Grand Valley State University in Michigan, Jessica has faced some obstacles adjusting to Miami. She had to redo an entire semester’s worth of foundation credits — including a few unpleasant math-based classes — alongside her rigorous training schedule as a track and field thrower for Miami. “The athletic competition is vigorous, for sure,” Jessica said. “It takes a special person for each sport, and I’m constantly trying to learn and grow.” On average, Jessica practices four days a week, typically for five hours each day. “Most days for a thrower revolve around a lot of weightlifting and strength training, but we do a lot of the technical stuff too, out on the field,” Jessica said. “Meets are usually on the weekends, and we have only had about two home meets outdoors so far.” Within Miami Athletics, there is a designated center that helps students with many classes, like economics and calculus. There are also academic advisors, a majority of whom have specialized education and training backgrounds within the athletics field. “Scheduling classes can be obnoxious sometimes, having to find their placement around my practice block,” Jessica said. “You either end up with really early classes in the morning or really late ones at night — whenever works for you specifically.” Since Jessica travels to competitions virtually every weekend, keeping her grades up is a perpetual struggle. The student-athlete has found peace in a regimen that involves starting work early and wrapping every-

“Lauren Gunderson [the playwright] has this quote, ‘The only difference between the women in this play and us now is 200 years and a continent,’” Bledscoe said. “These women are trying to find their voice in a time of political upheaval and I think we can relate to a lot of what is said in the script...Because telling stories is very powerful, and when we tell stories, we give power to these stories.” The cast and crew hope to inspire the audience through the stories of these revolutionary women. “Fight for what you believe in,” Trimble said. “It doesn’t matter what you believe in, but as long as you believe in it, fight for it. Oh, and respect women. Respect everyone. They may be different, but they’re still human.” “The Revolutionists” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. March 6-9 and at 2 p.m. on March 10 in Studio 88, located in the basement of the Center for Performing Arts. Tickets are $8 for students and $12 for adults and can be purchased at the box office or at the door. “It will make you laugh until you cry,” said Murray. “It may make you actually cry.” fentermc@miamioh.edu

All I did was kiss someone... STAFF WRITER

Balancing school, friends and training

THE PERFORMING ARTS SERIES HOSTED THE NEW GOLDEN AGE OF LATIN MUSIC LAST THURSDAY JUSTIN MASCHMEYER THE MIAMI STUDENT

Over winter break you saw each other — a lot. Even after everything she put you through, she still felt like home. One night, she left you in her bedroom alone. She told you not to read her journal, but you did it anyway. The notebook was filled with more poems. Poems to another boy. You didn’t tell her what you read. You both promised if you developed feelings for someone else you would tell each other. She hadn’t told you anything. As winter break faded back into the monotonous routine of a new semester, you finally worked up the courage to tell her what you read. You blurted it out over text message. “I read your journal that day you left to go pick up your sister from the neighbors.” You weren’t even talking about anything of substance, you just couldn’t find a way to bring it up in conversation. At first she was confused, but when she remembered what day you were talking about, she didn’t get angry. Instead, she just started explaining herself. “All I did was kiss someone…” her text began. The rest of it didn’t matter. Reading those words made something click in your mind. You couldn’t do this anymore. You couldn’t keep breaking yourself for a girl who wouldn’t even bend for you. You stopped answering her texts. Maybe one day you will reply, but for now you have to focus on yourself. Last weekend you successfully got into a bar for the first time, a feat that many 17 year old firstyears don’t accomplish. As you danced with your friends, you felt the Four Loko you drank before leaving for the bar spread through your veins. During a lull in the music, you took a moment to look around at the smiling faces of your friends and a realization washed over you. This was the first time you’d been truly happy in months. This story is a work of narrative nonfiction written to give the subject anonymity.

thing up on Sunday. “It’s just trial and error, back to back,” Jessica said. “I didn’t have a really good GPA last semester, but it’s because I’m not a test-taker. I definitely knew the materials and genuinely took something out of it, plus I really like what I’m doing, so that’s what’s important to me.” There is also always a potential risk for injury, a dreaded issue within the athletic industry. Jessica has had recurring back issues — stemming from a bulging disc — but is currently recovering. Fortunately, Miami offers on-demand care for all athletes. “For every sports department, we also have athletic trainers and sports medical doctors on-site, though mostly for minor injuries,” Jessica said. “When an injury is much more serious, then the department would make the decision whether or not you would need intensive care, X-ray and call in more professionals. I know there is also medical and physical therapy available.” Jessica said that there wasn’t a specific way to maintain a social life outside of practice and school. “I wish there was a secret to doing it right,” she said. “You just got to figure out your routine and what works for you. I mean, I’m still figuring it out. A lot of my friends are on the team, and then there are my roommates and some classmates too. With us [athletes] being on travel most weeks, there are always plenty of opportunities for bonding — meets, dinner, hotel nights together, all that stuff.” Jessica plans to stick with throwing as much as she can, and hopes to make it professionally. She’s also interested in either coaching or professional work in track organization as potential career paths. Jessica said that while balancing life as a student-athlete can be challenging, she is confident that she chose the right path for her. “It’s stressful,” she said. “But there are moments when you just learn to take a step back and realize you’re here for a reason, that it’s all worth it in the end.”

carlintm@miamioh.edu

lamvg@miamioh.edu

STYLE

MINTONA2@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019

The Jo Bros are back and life is good again

THE JONAS BROTHERS ARE FINALLY BACK AFTER A SIX YEAR BREAK. FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, PHOTO TAKEN 2009

EMILY DATTILO

ASST. OPINION EDITOR

Ah, the early 2000’s: Disney channel originals, low-rise jeans, and horribly-highlighted hair. What a time to be alive. Life was simple in the early 2000s. We were in elementary school and didn’t have cell phones yet. I got my first phone in seventh grade, and it wasn’t an iPhone (those weren’t even invented until 2007). My first phone was a hideous shade of neon blue that slid open to reveal a keyboard, and I loved it. I asked a couple of my friends about their first phones, and both of them responded enthusiastically, reminiscing about QWERTY keyboards, Blackberrys

and cheap plastic polka-dot phone cases. We didn’t have Instagram or Snapchat, and one of our greatest fears was pressing the phone’s internet button. Our parents had decreed that we’d get charged a huge amount of money for entering cyberspace for 3.5 seconds. Those were the days when Disney Channel produced quality television shows like “Hannah Montana,” “Wizards of Waverly Place” and “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.” The actors didn’t look and act like miniature adults. They looked just like we did. Thirteen-year-old Hannah Montana wasn’t slathered in makeup. On “Wizards of Waverly Place,” Alex’s friend Harper dressed in flamboyant watermelon-themed outfits, not carefully planned ensembles.

Gabriella’s hair in “High School Musical” didn’t look like it was styled in a Manhattan salon.

And even though those days are long behind us, every now and then, throwback posts appear in my Instagram feed. Today, things are a little different. Now, 13-year-olds have their own YouTube channels with makeup tutorials. My eighth-grade sister and her friends shop at boutiques and have their ears dou-

ble-pierced. Middle schoolers are getting balayage treatments and professional highlights. It’s gotten to the point that whenever I see a pint-sized pre-teen with carefully curled hair typing on an iPhone, I roll my eyes. Gone are the days of bedazzled Justice sweatshirts, fake Uggs and Hollister t-shirts. The casual vibe of the early 2000s disappeared when Miley Cyrus finally told her Hannah Montana secret and Troy Bolton graduated high school. I still remember how exciting it was hearing that “High School Musical 3” would debut in actual movie theaters. For the longest time, Disney Channel movies had solely graced our home televisions screens, but suddenly, Gabriella and Troy had made it big. Having grown up in this era, we share a sense of pride for these shows, movies and music. And even though those days are long behind us, every now and then, throwback posts appear in my Instagram feed. Often, they’re little clips of old Disney shows. Other times, they’re reminders that the actors who filled our living rooms with laughter and teenage humor grew up. Miley Cyrus just got married. The actor who played Martha in “High School Musical” has two kids. Zac Efron is 31 years old. This era of catchy theme songs and wholesome entertainment truly did appear to be over, but all of that changed on February 28, when we got some pretty unbelievable news. The Jonas Brothers, who formed back in 2005 but split in 2013, reunited and released a new song, “Sucker,” that has already amassed 39 million views on Youtube. The song’s vibe is slightly electronic, and the singers sound slightly different. All three brothers exude a sense of maturity and experience that just wasn’t there in 2007. In the time the Jonas Brothers were apart, each of them saw a good deal more of the world and became their own people. And the kids who grew up listening to their catchy tunes? We did too. dattilec@miamioh.edu

Please stop putting your hair in ponytails ANNA MINTON STYLE EDITOR

I’m very happy that Ariana Grande can afford to buy new hair, as she repeated almost 17 million times in her new song “7 Rings.” But the rest of us aren’t as lucky. Ariana’s most iconic style, however, is her high and tight ponytail. Pulling your hair back is a trend that is as old as time. It can be cute and functional, as I don’t know a single person who would rather have their hair hanging down in their face while they are trying to work. Originally, ponytails were associated with royalty, since kings and queens couldn’t be bothered with stray hair in their face. Over time, though, the ponytail was adopted by working women and was seen as a poor woman’s hairstyle. Now, there are hundreds of different styles and adaptations of the ponytail, ranging from the man bun to the iconic Ariana Grande style. The connotation of the look has gone from lazy royals to trailblazing working women, to the current interpretation — someone who is too busy to be bothered with checking up on their hairstyle. Wearing a ponytail gives off a sense of confidence and an attitude of really not caring. These ideals, however, are completely contradicted by the fact that putting your hair in a ponytail every day is absolutely horrible for your hair’s health. Tying a band around your hair causes unnatural bends and tension in your hair, which will increase breakage points. It’s the same idea as when the bad guy on NCIS rubs his wrists after being handcuffed for too long — your skin wasn’t meant to be bound and scraped at, same as your hair. If you wrap your hair up for too long, it will get raw, and begin to fray. There are people who claim scrunchies and curly plastic bands are better for your hair since they are softer, less harsh alternatives to the traditional rubber bands. However, it doesn’t matter what is constricting your hair: Leave a scrunchie on

your wrist for too long, and it will still leave a mark. Any form that isn’t your hair’s natural state, any forced bend or curl, is something that will, over time, cause tears and breakage points that cannot be repaired. We all know that one person who never brushes their hair, causing what could have been smooth and silky hair to turn slowly into what resembles a rat’s nest. What most people don’t realize, however, is that “unintentional dreadlocks kid” might be onto something. Brushing your hair causes friction, just like any repeated movement. This friction acts as somewhat of a type of heat on your hair, similar to when you use a curling or straightening iron. It’s common knowledge that too much heat on your hair can fry out nutrients, and isn’t healthy for it. However, not many people realize that too much pulling and harsh brushing at your hair can cause the same problems. While the science speaks for itself, it’s easy to look at stars today and forget many of the facts. Ariana Grande doesn’t look like her hair is dead, fried or breaking in any way. Look at how long it is! Look at how healthy it looks — no one with horrible frayed ends is able to pull off a nonchalant hair flip like that. And it’s true — the hair you see is completely healthy and absolutely beautiful. That’s because it’s all fake, though. Sure, Ariana still has a basis for her ponytail. But she has spoken out about how dying her hair red for so long for the Nickelodeon show “Victorious” damaged her hair beyond repair. When she discussed possible post-“Victorious” hairstyles with her stylist, the idea of the high ponytail came up. Her hair was already dead, so the look couldn’t do anything worse to the hair that she had. Especially, of course, if the main part of the ponytail was made up of hair extensions. As someone who has lost their hair due to health issues in the past, I can testify to how expensive fake hair is. Just extensions — not even a full wig — start at $100. I’ve

ILLUSTRATION BY: CONNOR WELLS

even seen higher-quality extensions cost over $2,000. Sure, a multi-million dollar international superstar probably has no worries about dropping two grand on a good-looking ponytail. However, I just emptied my entire bank account at Fiesta Charra last weekend, so I’m not sure that I have room for extensions in my budget.

I’m not saying that no one should ever use a hair band again — it’s a practical and functional look. But that cute look, worn everyday, comes at a cost that not everyone can afford. mintona2@miamioh.edu

MINTONA2@MIAMIOH.EDU

STYLE 9

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019

The life, legacy and controversies of Karl Lagerfeld BEN FINFROCK OPINION EDITOR

He had a signature look. The silver hair pulled back into a ponytail. His black tie wrapped around the collar of his turtleneck. His black aviators always covering his eyes. His cat Choupette in hand. This was Karl Lagerfeld, who for over three decades was the face of Chanel, one of the world’s most powerful fashion houses. On Feb. 19, the House of Chanel announced that Lagerfeld passed away at the age of 85. Within hours of his death, models, fashion designers, and musicians paid tribute to the late designer on social media. Donatella Versace even wrote a message on Instagram referencing Lagerfeld’s influence on her late brother, Gianni Versace. Donatella wrote, “Karl your genius touched the lives of so many, especially Gianni and I… We were always learning from you.” Lagerfeld’s legacy is elevating Chanel from a dead fashion brand to a global powerhouse. He took over in the 1980s when the company was struggling in the year after Coco Chanel’s death. Lagerfeld once described his early time at Chanel as like having to “revive a dead woman.” Lagerfeld not only revived Chanel, but turned it into one of the most famous and respected brands in the world. His Haute Couture shows took over the Grand Palais in Paris each season, and their showmanship and production rivaled those of an Olympic opening ceremony. Lagerfeld created fashion that showcased the beauty and image of the woman. His muses included iconic women such as Florence Welch, Cara Delevingne and Kate Moss. His legacy outside of Chanel includes an independent brand in his own name and the Italian fashion house Fendi. He also worked as a photographer, taking photos for many of Chanel’s campaigns. To put it simply, fashion will never see another designer like Karl Lagerfeld. He transformed a dead brand and made it something of his own. He always thought about what was next because he never wanted to be passé. He made fashion that women wanted to wear — and that they felt gorgeous wearing. However, Lagerfeld’s legacy is not without controversy. Those controversies are important parts of his legacy. His shows, while innovative and grand, were also called out for cultural appropria-

ILLUSTRATION BY: CONNOR WELLS

tion. Lagerfeld made outfits based on “hiphop culture,” and once designed a piece that used passages from the Qur’an. While he apologized at the time, years later he called Muslims “the worst enemies” of the Jewish people in response to Angela Merkel’s immigration policy. He would also consistently body-shame women such as Heidi Klum, Adele and Lana Del Rey. He said Adele was “a little too fat” and accused Del Rey of getting breast implants. Lagerfeld also said he

DEATH BY THEME PARTY

was fed up with the #MeToo movement because he was shocked that it took victims years to speak up against their perpetrators. He even defended his friend Karl Temper when he was accused of groping models on set. These outright Islamophobic and misogynist comments are as much a part of his legacy as his brilliant designs. History will remember Lagerfeld for his innovative fashion, but it cannot forget the uglier side of his public life.

As Chanel and the fashion industry move into the post-Lagerfeld world of fashion, it’s important to learn from his flaws. Cultural appropriation, Islamophobia, and misogyny cannot be allowed in fashion. We should pay homage to Lagerfeld’s grand Haute Couture shows and innovative designs without forgetting his offensive actions and comments.

Hey big brands, plus size people like cute clothes too TIM CARLIN

STAFF WRITER

REBECCA WOLFF

THE MIAMI STUDENT

My closet is packed, and my sinks each time I glance at the dreaded GroupMe message. “Hey Ladies! Get yourselves ready for our Skiing at (insert literally any random mountain where it snows) Party! It’s our biggest event of the year, so be sure to hit our slopes at 10:30 on Friday. 123 Fratdude Rd. at our main house. See you there.” How hard could it possibly be to think of just one original theme idea? Apparently, extremely hard. As young women, we shouldn’t feel like we have to break the bank to buy oddly specific themed clothing. There are so many other things that our money could be better spent on — like that sweater at Urban Outfitters that I’ve been eyeing for over a month, a concert ticket, a nice meal with the girls or my daily Starbucks addiction that isn’t going anywhere and will forever be sucking my dollars away. It’s clear the lack of originality in party themes is an issue, the impracticality of buying clothes for one-time wear is the bigger problem. We have to acknowledge that certain stores exist solely for, and profit off, girls who need to buy cheap clothes for 80s neon parties. Forever 21 makes oddly specific graphic tees that cost less than $10 for a reason. They know exactly what market they are tapping into, and they know that we’ll keep coming back to their cheap gold chains and itchy leather pants for our “Jersey

Shore” soirées. The solution is this: Since fraternities have shown us time and again that they lack the ability to be creative, we have to take it upon ourselves to do just that. Next time there is a jungle party — probably this weekend — opt to buy a cute cheetah-print top that you can easily pair with black jeans and some booties next weekend for just a cute night out. Better yet, next time you’re invited to an 80s ski party, try and score a cute pair of workout leggings that will motivate you to get to the gym and make you look great while you do. Another solution is embedded in one of the core lessons that kindergarten put us through: Sharing is caring, ladies. We all know that we attend essentially the same five or six themed parties on rotation, so if you know that girl down the hall went to that Rock n’ Roll party last Saturday and you have a Ladies of the 80s party coming up, ask her if you can borrow her ensemble. Women supporting women means helping each other not go broke, and sharing clothes will save us all from that angry call from mom asking us why there are $50 worth of disco accessories charged to her Amazon account. The Panhellenic Greek community is all about bonding with your sisters, so let’s put our money where our closets are and start stealing each other’s clothes just like real sisters do. wolffrg@miamioh.edu

finfrobd@miamioh.edu

Ever since I was a kid, I have been in love with clothes. I would draw horrible dress sketches and make my mom buy me countless notebooks to fill with my “designs.” I told her that I was going to grow up to be a fashion designer, but as I grew older, my size made me fall out of love with fashion. I have always been a bigger guy, so at a certain point my relationship with clothes came down to,“If it fits, I’ll wear it.” For most of elementary and middle school, that meant baggy pants and either a graphic tee or a hoodie. Because I would see older people wearing these amazing outfits, I just assumed that better clothes would come with age. But as I got older and started to look for outfits that I liked on other people, I found that there were no options in my size range. I began to think “cute” clothes would never look right on me because of my body, and it wasn’t until high school that I worked up the courage to see what was out there for me besides sweatshirts and baggy pants. As I tried to expand my wardrobe, I always hit roadblocks in the shape of product tags. The clothes I was drawn to never came in my size, and if they did, they rarely looked the same on me as they did on the model. I had finally fallen back in love with clothes, but shopping for them made me feel like the clothes were definitely not falling in love with me. Shopping is supposed to be fun. Trying on those jeans you’ve been eyeing forever and having them fit like a glove is such an exhilarating experience, but for many plus-size people, shopping is more of a hassle than a fun pastime. I do most of my shopping online,

just to avoid the awkward experience of finding out a piece of clothing doesn’t come in my size. Clicking the “size options” drop-down bar on a store’s website is far less embarrassing than searching through piles upon piles in person, just to leave empty-handed. The culture of buying clothes in the plus-size community is extremely unhealthy, and clothing brands are partially to blame. By not making clothes for plus-size people, brands are telling me I don’t get to appreciate fashion, that I should just be grateful for the few options that are out there and take what I can get. Years of underrepresentation of plus-size people in the fashion industry has made being bigger and appreciating clothes a taboo. Although plussize models are gaining traction in the industry and slowly changing the unhealthy culture surrounding weight, more needs to be done in order to enact real change. In 2017, Asos rolled out its expanded plus-size section online, and Nordstrom followed suit in mid-2018. In my 18 years of shopping at a variety of brick-and-mortar stores, only Asos has expanded its plus size section. The fact that I only can find a vast selection of options in my size at this one specific store is a testament to how slow the culture change is hitting the fashion industry. A lot of companies are moving toward more diverse branding, which is an amazing development, but that diversity leaves out people who wear sizes with Xs before the L. I have been in love with fashion for as long as I can remember, and it’s time for fashion to start loving me back. carlintm@miamioh.edu

Sports

SIMANSEC@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019

Women’s basketball looks to rebound in Battle of the Bricks

Baseball sweeps Oakland in three-game set CHRIS VINEL

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

With the calendar officially flipping to March last Friday, Miami baseball decided it was time for a little spring cleaning. The RedHawks (7-3) got out the brooms and swept the Oakland Golden Grizzlies (0-10) in their first threegame home series at Hayden Park this season. The Miami offense exploded for double-digit run totals in each of the first two games, before the RedHawks relied on a solid pitching effort in the final contest of the weekend. There was originally supposed to be one game each on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but forecasted snow for the final day of the weekend prompted the teams to play a doubleheader on Friday. The rescheduling didn’t slow down the RedHawks. They won 10-2 and 14-3 on Friday, and then completed the sweep with a 5-3 victory on Saturday afternoon. Game One: The RedHawks can mash

JUNIOR GUARD LAUREN DICKERSON FENDS OFF AN EASTERN MICHIGAN DEFENDER ON FEB. 6. AFTER TWO CONSECUTIVE LOSSES, DICKERSON AND CO. WILL TRY TO HOLD OFF OHIO UNIVERSITY TOMORROW. ZACH REICHMAN THE MIAMI STUDENT

SCOUTING REPORT THE GAME

SPORTS EDITOR

Tipoff...................................................... 7 p.m. Wednesday at Millett Hall TV/Radi0..........................................ESPN+/Miami IMG Sports Network

MIAMI REDHAWKS

Record ��21-6 (12-4 MAC) Offense �� 67.9 ppg Defense ��60.7 ppg

PROJECTED LINEUP

Player........................................................(position, height, key stat) Lauren Dickerson �� (guard, 5’3”, 16.1 ppg) Leah Purvis �� (guard, 5’6”, 8.0 ppg) Baleigh Reid ��(guard, 5’10”, 3.5 ppg) Kendall McCoy ��(forward, 6’0”, 11.7 ppg) Savannah Kluesner �� (forward, 6’2”, 13.9 ppg)

OHIO UNIVERSITY BOBCATS

Record ��23-4 (12-4 MAC) Offense ��78.8 ppg Defense ��69.3 ppg

PROJECTED LINEUP

Player........................................................(position, height, key stat) Cece Hooks ��(guard, 5’8”, 17.2 ppg) Amani Burke ��(guard, 5’9”, 13.2 ppg) Dominique Doseck ��(guard, 5’8”, 11.1 ppg) Gabby Burris �� (forward, 5’11”, 11.8 rpg) Erica Johnson �� (forward, 5’11”, 13.6 ppg)

NCAA NET Ranking

Miami(47) �� Ohio (37)

WERE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED? BENNETT WISE

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Were you not entertained? No, I’m not just talking about the Indiana Pacers Power Pack Dunk team performance at halftime of the RedHawks’ 77-69 loss on Friday night. Ask anyone in the stands if they had attended a Miami basketball game before No. 21 Buffalo came to Oxford, and I can nearly guarantee 60 percent of the students would have answered no. But for those in attendance, really, were you not entertained? Despite the RedHawks being down 18-0 early in the game, the atmosphere inside Millett stayed electrified. No one left after the first half, unlike at Miami football games, and the RedHawks trailed the Bulls by as few as two points. There were chants coming from fans that you’d normally only hear from the 14-person cheerleading squad — chants I hadn’t heard since high school, or ones I’d hear playing pick-up at the Rec. It only seems right that the fans’ taunts were aired on national television, so here’s the top five chirps heard during the game: “Ref, your hairline sucks.” “Yeah, that’s right [CJ] Massenberg, sit your broke ass down on the bench!” “Aye Ronaldo [Segu], aye, bro, you thought you was Harden? That’s why you’re on the bench!” “Aye Colby [Moultrie], your head look like a meatloaf!”

EMILY SIMANSKIS

“[Nick] Perkins, that isn’t the only stroke game you’re bad at!” To all those I missed or didn’t list here, save them for another game, which leads me to my next critique: Where the hell was this energy all year? At any Miami sporting event, for that matter! “I love basketball, and I hate football!” a student yelled early in the second half as Miami climbed back to within two points. That’s probably the first time those words have been uttered since Wallyball in 1999. I don’t think this uptick in basketball appreciation is simply due to a publicity stunt from Barstool Sports’ “Storm Chasers,” who donned Paddington Bear-esque attire. It wasn’t a stunt because they sat in the dark, back left corner 25 yards from the court. The Mid-American Conference is ranked seventh as a conference in women’s basketball RPI (Rating Percentage Index) and eighth as a conference in men’s basketball NET (a system to evaluate possible NCAA tournament appearances). Power-Five who? “No need to say we are one of the best “mid-major” conferences…” the MAC’s official account tweeted last Monday. “We are one of the best conferences. Period.” Students need to start realizing this isn’t just the MAC anymore. Keep bringing the noise and we will, for sure, make our mark. Love and Honor. wisebm@miamioh.edu @Bennettmwise

It’s March and, in eight days, one loss will end the RedHawks’ season. Now is not the time to start losing, but Miami has lost two games straight. Despite the losses, the women’s basketball team has secured a Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament first-round bye and automatically advances to the quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 13 in Cleveland. “That’s really, really important for us,” head coach Megan Duffy said. “That was one of our main goals, when we went on our streak earlier in the year, was to get one of those top-4 seeds [...] We’re really excited. It’s just as important to get extra rest and, obviously, not have to play that first game on Monday and go right to the [quarterfinals].” But before the RedHawks arrive at the Quicken Loans Arena, they will try to end the regular season with a win or two. After a 67-58 loss to Kent State on the road last Wednesday snapped an 11-game winning streak, the ’Hawks travelled to Buffalo and lost 86-61 on Saturday. This marks the first time in Miami’s 21-win season when it has lost consecutive games, and the loss in Kent was the team’s first in 46 days. “I think it knocked us on our heels a little bit about how good we have to be every night,” Duffy said. “[We have to] get that fire back a little bit, and I think we were all disappointed in the result, but it’s not going to, hopefully, define our season.” The two losses forced the RedHawks to relinquish the No. 1 spot in the MAC. The Ohio Bobcats – with their identical 12-4 MAC record – sit behind Miami only because the ’Hawks won the tiebreaker in Athens on Jan. 30. It was the tale of two halves at the Convocation Center, as the RedHawks trailed through the first two quarters, and the Bobcats led 39-29 at halftime. But Miami stormed back in the second half and held Ohio to just three points in the fourth quarter. The defensive effort that defined that comeback, and usually propels the RedHawks to victory, has been missing in the ’Hawks’ last two games. Against Kent State, Miami held

the Golden Flashes to shooting 33.3 percent from the field in the first half, but allowed them to shoot 53.9 percent in the second half. Against Buffalo, the RedHawks were outscored 24-9 in the first quarter and the Bulls shot 55 percent from the field through 40 minutes. The 86 points the Bulls tallied that day are the most the ’Hawks have allowed since losing 95-73 to former No. 5 Louisville in November. “Our defense has been really good all year, and we didn’t execute our defensive plan,” Duffy said. “We gave up 86 points and [Buffalo] scored 31 points in transition defense and just uncharacteristic statistics that haven’t been happening all year.” Luckily, Miami returns to Oxford and plays its final two regular-season games in Millett Hall. The RedHawks have only lost one game in their white jerseys this season, though the Bobcats have only lost one game on the road. “A great way to finish the season is be in our own beds and prepare right here in our backyard,” Duffy said. The ’Hawks will need to take advantage of the homestand and find their defensive rhythm again, as Ohio averages second in the MAC in points per game with 78.8 – almost 11 points more than Miami’s average (67.9). Sophomore guard Cece Hooks leads the Bobcats’ offensive efforts and ranks fifth in the MAC with 17.2 points per game. Her teammates, senior guard Dominique Doseck and junior guard Amani Burke, are one-two for best 3-point percentage in the conference, pushing Ohio to average 36.3 percent from behind the arc. The RedHawks lead the MAC in 3-point defense and rank second in fewest points allowed per game, two statlines Miami will have to live up to in order to beat Ohio tomorrow and Akron on Saturday. “They’re really big on the 3-point line and how many threes they make a game, so we’re going to have to really defend that and have a little bit of a better awareness of what’s happening on the defensive end,” Duffy said, wearing a “Beat OU” T-shirt. simansec@miamioh.edu @EmilySimanskis

Carrying their big bats over from the previous weekend when they put up double-digit run totals twice at Murray State, the RedHawks did it again to start out the weekend against Oakland. They forced nine earned runs onto Golden Grizzly pitchers, including four batted in by junior catcher Cal Elvers. Elvers went 2-for-3 at the plate, hitting a two-run triple, an RBI single and a sacrifice fly to bring in nearly half of Miami’s tallies. Overall, the team recorded 13 hits and one walk while striking out six times. That’s a hard game to top... Game Two: The RedHawks can mash Part Two ...except Miami outdid itself in the second game of the Friday doubleheader. The team plated 14 runs on 14 hits and seven walks. A few more swings and misses were the only negative, as they struck out nine times. Senior outfielder Mackay Williams drove in a series-high five runs, while his teammate, redshirt junior outfielder Kyle Winkler, added three RBIs of his own. At the end of the day, MU head coach Danny Hayden was pleased with his team’s hitting. “There were obviously some big innings in there, where I thought we did a lot of things right offensively,” Hayden said. “There weren’t too many innings where I felt like our at-bats were sloppy or there were things we were doing poorly offensively. On the day, for 18 innings, I thought it was a pretty good offensive day.” Game Three: Three pitchers go multiple innings and get the job done The Miami pitching staff had a solid weekend, surrendering just eight runs in three games. Yet, that effort on the mound was overshadowed by the offensive fireworks on Friday. On Saturday, the offense didn’t dry up, but it allowed the pitchers to shine. Senior starter Jack Corbell went three innings and allowed one run. From there, the bullpen locked Oakland down. Senior Shane Smith and freshman Sam Bachman threw a combined six innings of two-run baseball. “Our bullpen is deep enough that, if we can get five great innings out of our starter, we don’t need a ton more than that,” Hayden said. After giving up five runs in 2.2 innings over his first two 2019 appearances, Smith bounced back on Saturday. He pitched four innings and didn’t allow a run. Miami continues its homestand with another weekend series, this time a four-game set with the Youngstown State Penguins. vinelca@miamioh.edu @ChrisAVinel

’Hawks Talk

“WE WANT BAMA.” ⁃⁃ The student section at Millett Hall during Friday’s men’s basketball game against Buffalo.

SIMANSEC@MIAMIOH.EDU

SPORTS 11

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019

MEN’S BASKETBALL PLAYS KENT STATE ON SENIOR NIGHT CHRIS VINEL

ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

When Abdoulaye Harouna looks around the court nowadays, he sees a completely different team than the one he first joined. Not a single player or coach remains from when the redshirt senior guard

arrived in Oxford in 2015. That’s probably for the better, as that year’s team went 6-13 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and 13-20 overall. “It’s different now,” Harouna said. “Obviously, we stand in a different place than we were two years ago before [head coach Jack Owens] got the job. We’re winning more and doing things different.”

SCOUTING REPORT THE GAME

Tipoff............................................................7 p.m. tonight at Millett Hall TV/Radio........................................ ESPN+/Miami IMG Sports Network

MIAMI REDHAWKS

Record ��15-14 (7-9 MAC) Offense ��72.2 ppg Defense �� 69.4 ppg

PROJECTED LINEUP

Player..................................................... (position, height, key stat) Darrian Ringo �� (guard, 6’2”, 7.5 ppg) Nike Sibande �� (guard, 6’4”, 15.4 ppg) Abdoulaye Harouna ��(guard, 6’5”, 5.3 ppg) Dalonte Brown �� (forward, 6’7”, 12.2 ppg Bam Bowman �� (forward, 6’8”, 10.0 ppg)

KENT STATE GOLDEN FLASHES

Record �� 20-9 (9-7 MAC) Offense ��75.2 ppg Defense �� 72.8 ppg

PROJECTED LINEUP

Player..................................................... (position, height, key stat) Jalen Avery �� (guard, 6’0”, 11.0 ppg) Antonio Williams �� (guard, 6’0”, 11.4 ppg) Jaylin Walker �� (guard, 6’3”, 21.6 ppg) Philip Whittington �� (forward, 6’8”, 10.2 ppg) Akiean Frederick �� (forward, 6’9”, 5.6 ppg)

NCAA NET Ranking

Miami (136) ��Kent State (139)

Darrian Ringo was a part of the group that changed the culture and the on-court results at Millett Hall. As a transfer, the senior guard arrived as a member of Owens’ first recruiting class at Miami in 2016. With a 16-18 record, Ringo and the other new faces welcomed the team’s best season since 2010-2011 when the RedHawks went 20-17. “It’s been great,” Ringo said. “We’ve won a few games. I’ve had a solid two years here.” This season, Harouna, Ringo and Co. were joined by redshirt senior forward Aleks Abrams, a graduate transfer from California Polytechnic State University. Abrams has helped continue the positive trend at Miami by providing a paint presence off the bench. “It’s been amazing,” Abrams said. “Great group of guys, great coaching staff. I’ve just had a lot of fun just getting to keep playing and everything.” All three will be honored tonight when the RedHawks play their final regular-season home game of the year and celebrate Senior Night against the Kent State Golden Flashes. “Those three guys have been great this year,” Owens said. “They’ve been older guys, and that’s what you want the program to be about. At the end of the day, you want to have a program that’s about the seniors. You know, it’s their last go-around. You want to send them out on a high note, and those guys have been great guys.” Miami has already seen Kent State once this season. The Golden Flashes took down the RedHawks 70-67 at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center exactly a month ago, on Feb. 5th. Per usual, Kent State senior guard Jaylin Walker caused problems for the RedHawks, making four free

SOPHOMORE GUARD NIKE SIBANDE CHASES THE PLAY AGAINST BUFFALO ON FRIDAY. SIBANDE AND THE REDHAWKS WILL HAVE TO AVOID A SLOW START TONIGHT. CHLOE COCHRAN THE MIAMI STUDENT

throws in the contest’s final minute to allow his Golden Flashes to snatch a win. He finished with a game-high 27 points, five more than his MAC-leading per game average. Miami will have to limit Walker’s chances and step up in the final minutes to give itself a chance to win. While it’s not 100 percent guaranteed, the RedHawks will most likely clinch a home game in the first round of the MAC Tournament with a win in their final two regular-season matchups. The standings depend on the ’Hawks’ results and those of the other teams in the league.

Even though Miami lost last time it met up with the Golden Flashes, that was on the road. Tonight’s contest is at Millett Hall, where the RedHawks are 10-4 on the year. They’re just 5-10 away from their home venue. Following a season-high crowd against Buffalo on Friday, Miami is hoping fans show up to support the seniors. “It should be an exciting day on Tuesday for our seniors,” Owens said. “Hopefully, we have a great crowd and everything else to send those guys out.” vinelca@miamioh.edu @ChrisAVinel

TUESDAY

MEN’S BASKETBALL Miami ��82 Bowling Green ��69

WEDNESDAY

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Miami ��58 Kent State ��67

FRIDAY SENIOR FORWARD JOSH MELNICK SKATES AWAY FROM A UMD FORWARD. MELNICK AND SIX OTHERS SCORED A GOAL AGAINST THE BULLDOGS THIS WEEKEND. COURTESY OF UMD ATHLETICS.

Hockey shows promise amidst losses to UMD EMILY SIMANSKIS SPORTS EDITOR

Amidst the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs’ series sweep of Miami hockey, the RedHawks generated offense and found success on the power play and penalty kill. Just in time. “I think we took steps in the right direction,” junior forward Gordie Green said. After a 4-2 Friday night loss and a 6-5 Saturday night defeat, Miami (11-19-4, 5-15-2 National Collegiate Hockey Conference) sits tied for seventh in the NCHC with 18 points. The University of Nebraska Omaha also has 18 points. The ’Hawks now look to their final series of the regular season this weekend against Western Michigan University at the Steve “Coach” Cady Arena. The two games, and UNO’s two games against North Dakota, will decide whether Miami will finish seventh and face the No. 2 team in the NCHC or place eighth and face the No. 1 team in the country and the conference – St. Cloud State. To end the regular season with a win or two, the RedHawks will need to imitate the games they had against the UMD Bulldogs (21-9-2, 14-7-1 NCHC) and then some. “Especially the Saturday game, there were spurts of the game where we were taking it to them and just getting that confidence going into this last week and going into playoffs,” Green said. Miami hockey finally broke UMD goaltender Hunter Sheppard’s nearly 270-minute shutout of the RedHawks, a stretch that dated back to Feb. 2018. Sophomore forward Phil Knies scored 9:29 into the second period on Friday night to snap Sheppard’s streak. Knies’ goal pulled the RedHawks within one at 2-1, and senior forward Ryan Siroky responded early in the third period to once again narrow

the deficit. Siroky’s goal made it 3-2, but Minnesota-Duluth pulled away with 12 minutes to play and sealed its 4-2 win. A wild back-and-forth Saturday night followed. The Bulldogs and RedHawks traded a pair of goals, then finished with a power play goal apiece to end the first period tied 3-3. In the first 10 minutes of the second, UMD scored before Miami answered with two goals of its own. Through 40 minutes, the RedHawks led 5-4, but the Bulldogs netted two in the final frame to grab a 6-5 victory and complete the sweep. But for a team that averaged 2.28 goals per game before the weekend, the RedHawks’ two-goal and fivegoal outings combined for the highest-scoring weekend Miami has had since Nov. 2nd and 3rd (4-1 W, 6-3 L). It was the first time the RedHawks have netted five goals since their 6-0 win over Colgate on Oct. 27. The ’Hawks scored five goals on only 19 shots on Saturday. “It just builds confidence,” Green said. “And we’re getting more quality chances, and we had a few more where we could have scored.” Miami’s scoring came from up and down the bench, from both veterans and rookies. Senior defenseman Grant Hutton (1g, 2a) and forwards Ryan Siroky (2g) and Josh Melnick (1g, 1a) had multi-point weekends. Freshmen forwards like Jonathan Gruden (1g, 1a) and Brian Hawkinson (2a) also contributed to the high-scoring weekend. The RedHawks’ leading goal-scorer, Green, finished the series with a goal and an assist, while junior forward Carter Johnson scored an unassisted goal for only his second of the season. “I think that’s always important for any team, when you’ve got all four lines going and all the defensemen — that’s huge for confidence,” Melnick said. “It’s good for us, at this

point in the year. We’ve got playoffs coming up here in two weeks.” Regardless of who was scoring, the RedHawks were scoring on the power play. The man-advantage finished 3-for-6 on the weekend and was crucial to Miami’s attempted comebacks. Playing against the lethal Bulldogs, who ranked eighth nationally on the power play before the series, the ’Hawks didn’t take a single penalty on Friday and went 2-for-4 on the penalty kill on Saturday. “When you stay out of the box, you have a better chance to win the game for sure,” Melnick said. “That was huge.” Though it was a positive high-scoring weekend for Miami, goaltenders Ryan Larkin and Jordan Uhelski both saw more than 30 shots on Friday and Saturday. Junior Larkin stopped 28 of the 32 shots he faced, while senior Uhelski stopped 33 of the 39 he saw. Through the ’Hawks’ last 25 contests, they have allowed 30 shots or more in 22 games. And the RedHawks continue their inability to play without the lead, now registering 1-17-4 when opponents score first. The Brotherhood will try for the first goal as it wraps the regular season against the No. 12 WMU Broncos this weekend. Puck drop is at 7:35 p.m. on Friday and 7:05 p.m. on Saturday. The Brotherhood will honor Siroky, forward Zach LaValle, Hutton and Melnick as well as Uhelski and defenseman River Rymsha — the team’s two graduate transfers — on Saturday for senior night. “It’s obviously going to be very emotional for our seniors for the last couple games at Goggin,” Melnick said. “For sure, it’ll be emotional. But it’s our last weekend to get ready and tune up the small details we need to focus on before playoffs.” simansec@miamioh.edu @EmilySimanskis

MEN’S BASKETBALL Buffalo �� 77 Miami ��69

SOFTBALL Game One

Miami �� 4 Appalachian State ��6

Game Two

Miami ��3 Eastern Illinois �� 1

SATURDAY

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL Miami ��86 Buffalo �� 61

SOFTBALL Game One (DH)

Miami ��5 Appalachian State �� 4

Game Two (DH)

Miami �� 1 Lipscomb ��6

TENNIS Miami �� 1 Indiana �� 4

SKATING US Synchronized Skating National Championships

Miami �� 1st

Opinion

BURNSKL2@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, MARCH 5, 2019 STAFF EDITORIAL

Miami’s lack of diversity needs real solutions

What we learned from the Michael Cohen hearing

BEN DEETER STAFF WRITER

John Dean, White House counsel under Richard Nixon, testified before Congress in June 1973. Across five days of public testimony and 60,000 words of prepared remarks, Dean implicated Nixon in the coverup of the break-in at the Democratic National Committee headquarters in the Watergate Hotel. Similarly, Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, testified before Congress against his former client last week. His testimony covered the breadth of the transgressions President Trump and his allies are being investigated for, including dubious business practices, the hush money payment made to an adult film actress and the president’s involvement with Russia. The Dean testimony was the beginning of the end for Nixon, who would resign a little more than a year later. We don’t yet know if Cohen’s testimony will have the same effect for President Trump. Nonetheless, his testimony is an important step in oversight that was sorely lacking in the last Congress. The hearing put on the record many things we already knew. We already knew that President Trump is a cheat, a con man and a racist. We already knew that Democrats were fully prepared to conduct thorough oversight. We already knew that Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform would try to discredit Cohen by pointing to his past dishonesty before Congress. What we learned was the length that these congressional Republicans would go to to protect the president. If the people tasked with holding the president to account can’t remove themselves from their partisanship, we may be faced with a major political party endorsing criminal activity by the leader of the free world. One of the more remarkable things about Republicans protecting the president is that it stands in the face of mounting credible evidence. Cohen’s opening statement included several damning documents related to the hush money payment and the president’s business practices. Among them were two checks made out to Cohen during the president’s term, documents

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Facing reality

The social importance of reality television

WILL GORMAN COLUMNIST

“Those ‘Jersey Shore’ freaks are out of control. They’re setting a terrible example for adulthood.” “And ‘The Bachelor’ has to be fake, right? Those girls can’t all be in love with him!” We’ve all heard it before: the common perception of “reality” television as a purely entertainment category, the perception that it’s just manufactured drama orchestrated by manipulative producers. There’s even a four-season scripted drama produced with the intent of riffing on reality TV production malpractices. But if you look beyond the idea of shows like “Big Brother” or “The Real World” being “fake” or “trashy,” you’ll find there’s merit between spliced-together interview segments and overblown confrontations that’s helping push social commentary and social change forward. Give reality television a chance — not only to entertain, but to inform and to educate. “Bachelor” contestant Caelynn Miller-Keyes was dumped at the end of last week’s episode, but during a prior one-on-one conversation with Bachelor Colton Underwood, she opened up about having been sexually assaulted in college and how it’s affected her in the years since. That in itself is an important media moment. A nationally televised monologue about a young girl overcoming sexual assault was watched by an estimated 6.5 million viewers on live television. That should be a conversation starter about the merits of this genre. What made this even more remarkable, aside from the strength it must have taken Miller-Keyes to share her story, was that (at least in the final edited product) Underwood sat and listened. He didn’t interrupt, judge her or try to shift the conversation to make it about himself. And so Miller-Keyes’ story not only became a beacon of strength for the 1 in 6 women and 1 in 33 men who will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, but became an example for the friends and family of those survivors of assault. It becomes an example to follow — an example of listening, understanding and believing. Reality television allows viewers to tackle these kinds of issues on primetime television in ways

other genres can’t. With scripted television, it’s easy to just produce a “very special episode” centered around a touchy, topical subject and leave it at that. But with reality TV, there’s the pretense that these events, no matter how fake they may end up being, are real. There’s an assumption that these people and their experiences are real, and believable. And that’s important. In April 2017, over 8 million “Survivor” viewers had the opportunity to witness contestant Jeff Varner out Zeke Smith, a fellow contestant, as transgender in an attempt to sway their tribe into voting Smith off the island. This was met with unanimous disapproval, with tribemates chastising Varner for his actions. Even Jeff Probst, the show’s host, condemned the move as going too far. Varner was voted out unanimously afterward, but the narrative moving forward follows Smith, someone with enough social grace and wisdom to not only shake Varner’s hand on his way out, but to move forward confidently as an openly gay transgender man, not only on the show, but in life as well. Varner and Smith’s fellow contestants, too, become examples of general human decency and behavior — collectively declaring, on national TV, that outing someone is never okay. The GLAAD-award-winning episode, again, becomes more than just a sensationalized incident. It presents “Survivor”-watching families an opportunity to discuss LGBTQ+ issues, to discuss why behavior like Varner’s shouldn’t be tolerated. It gives young people who may be struggling with their gender identities an example. It gives them someone on primetime TV to point to and say, “I’m not alone in what I’m going through. This person has been through it, too, and they’re even stronger for it.” When two “Big Brother 20” contestants clashed over offensive language, CBS dedicated the bulk of the following episode to not only the confrontation itself, but the two cast members unpacking the incident in a respectful and professional manner. Last month’s “Survivor” season premiere featured a segment where castaway Wendy Diaz explained how she navigates her Tourette syndrome, her specific tics and challenges, and noted that everyone with Tourette faces different challenges — an educational moment not only for Diaz’s teammates, but for millions of viewers at home. It’s important that these moments keep airing on TV when they happen and that they continue being candidly discussed. Because when “reality” is the concept behind a whole genre, the events it portrays are supposed to reflect real-world issues — whether audiences are ready to face those issues or not. gormanwm@miamioh.edu

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showing how the president inflated his own net worth and others that showcased shady business practices. A few Democratic lawmakers engaged with the documents. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) deftly laid a foundation for future congressional investigation with her questions about the president potentially reporting inflated assets to insurance companies. Republicans on the committee weren’t so adept in their interrogation of the documents. They didn’t even attempt to ask further questions on them. From Ranking Member Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) on down, the Republican side took the time to attempt to further smear a man who has already been convicted and given a three-year prison sentence. Cohen himself pointed out the stupidity of this line of questioning. “I take responsibility for my mistakes,” Cohen said. “I am remorseful and I am going to prison…I will be away from my wife and family for years. So before you turn around and cast more aspersions, there are more people watching me today who know me a whole lot better.” Rather than stopping there, the Republicans continued attacking Cohen. Most of them used their five-minute slot to grandstand about anything from a potential book deal for Cohen to simply calling him a “liar liar pants on fire” like a group of five-year-olds. Through all this, no Republican on the committee defended the president on the substance of what Cohen said. The most rousing defense of the president came from Freedom Caucus all-star Rep. Mark Meadows (R-S.C.). Meadows brought out a Trump ally, who is black, to use as a prop to illustrate that because the president employs black people, he’s not racist. Right. Because we should be made to believe Meadows, a man who, during his 2012 congressional campaign, said,“We are going to send Mr. Obama home to Kenya or wherever it is.” There’s a serious problem when the best thing that’s said about the president in a congressional hearing is the fact that he’s not a racist. As if it were some grand achievement. But even with all that, the most alarming part of the Cohen hearing came at the end. “Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020, there will never be a peaceful transition of power,” Cohen said in his closing remarks. The president’s authoritarian tendencies have been well documented. In tandem with the Republicans’ unwillingness to question the alleged actions of the president, President Trump’s tendencies create the potential for a future where he could threaten the integrity of our entire electoral system. Congressional Republicans went belly-up for the president through the entire hearing. No substantive questions. No substantive defense. No oversight. Behavior like this embarrasses Congress. deeterbj@miamioh.edu

ology, it can — and should — require them to learn about a different culture. Teaching students about diversity in a classroom setting also allows them to actively engage with the topic and ask questions in a safe environment. This, in turn, will help to create a campus with more socially conscious students. Second, Miami needs to recruit a more diverse faculty and staff to teach students. As of fall 2017, nearly 85 percent of Miami’s faculty and staff were white. The university must do better in recruiting faculty and staff of different races and backgrounds in order for students to be better immersed in diversity. In departments across disciplines, having a faculty member who presents information through a different cultural lens is beneficial for expanding students’ understanding. Many of these same faculty are academic advisors who guide students throughout their time at Miami. For a minority student, having an advisor who can relate to their experiences is crucial for improving their experience on campus. Finally, Associated Student Government (ASG) should include a mandatory diversity self-evaluation for student organizations to receive funding. This would prompt organizations to evaluate how they are incorporating diversity in their organization, and how they are working to include more diverse members. Many organizations, such as Spectrum and Black Women Empowered, already focus on an aspect of diversity. However, for organizations such as pre-professional societies and student media, talking about diversity and how it relates to their organization is crucial in improving interaction of students with different backgrounds. The university recognized its past of hatred and bigotry in its statement last week, but now it must work toward improving its future.

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Saturday’s Unity March marked the beginning of Diversity Week on Miami’s campus. This week resounds the call for students of different background and cultures to come together and learn about each other’s backgrounds and experiences. As we wrote in last week’s editorial, after the discovery of decades of racism and homophobia in Miami’s Recensio, the former yearbook publication, we must act collectively, and with intention, to repair the damage that hate has caused — and still causes — on this campus. Now more than ever, we need students of diverse backgrounds coming together to communicate and share their own experiences. On paper, Diversity Week is a great opportunity to bridge the divide on campus between students of different ethnicities and backgrounds. However, the reality is that many students are not taking these events as seriously as they should. This was proven true on Saturday when around 30 people turned out to the Unity March. The other sad truth is that the events of Diversity Week will be attended largely by (1) students who are already painfully conscious to the issue of diversity at Miami and (2) students whose professors give them academic incentives to attend. Many of the students who could benefit the most by attending, meaning those who need to be exposed to lives different than theirs and reevaluate their viewpoints, will likely be absent from these events. After last week’s editorial and story on Recensio, the university issued a statement talking about the steps it is taking to promote diversity and inclusion on campus. These include mandatory diversity training for new employees and students, community input through the climate survey and multicultur-

al events such as Diversity Week. While these steps are good, they aren’t enough. They will not reach the root of the problem. The climate survey only accounts for those students and faculty who actually take the time to complete it, and, if last year’s survey has taught us anything, this number will be low. Forcing students and staff to take a diversity training course does not mean they will pay attention to the underlying issues. In fact, forcing people to do something makes them less receptive to its content. Many students who had to take similar courses on alcohol and sexual assault rushed through them to check a box. This problem has to be fixed at the admissions level by recruiting more diverse students from different backgrounds. However, to get these students to arrive on campus, steps must be taken in order for those students to actually want to be on this campus. There is no perfect or obvious prescription for this paradox, but we believe more can be done than we are currently attempting. First, graduation requirements for the Miami Plan and the College of Arts and Sciences need to change. Right now, students are required to take six credit hours for the Global Perspectives requirement and three hours for Intercultural Perspectives; however, the range of classes that satisfy these requirements is thematically broad. Some of these required hours should have a restricted menu (or additional required credits could be reallocated from elsewhere), pared down to inform students about social issues facing the United States today or educate on contemporary non-Western culture. Such requirements would allow for students to learn about cultures outside of western Europe or mainstream American culture and expand their worldview. If the university is going to require a strategic communication major to learn about ge-

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The following reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.

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