April 12, 2016 | The Miami Student

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ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES

TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 2016

Volume 144 №46

Miami University — Oxford, Ohio

REPORT REVEALS SHIFT IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Lawsuit reveals FSB professor’s experience

Tenure system key to quality, AAUP says

Sex discrimination in Finance Dept.

FACULTY

LAWSUIT

MEGAN ZAHNEIS

REIS THEBAULT EMILY TATE

NEWS EDITOR

Full-time tenured faculty numbers are down 26 percent in the past 40 years, and the number full-time tenure-track faculty has diminished by half, according to an annual report released Monday by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). The 14-page “Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession, 2015–16: Higher Education at a Crossroads” outlines the trends in academic workforce composition and suggests several methods of achieving a more equitable balance. The author of the report, Washington D.C.-based AAUP senior researcher John Barnshaw, said restoring the tenure system to its former glory is key to revitalizing higher education. “The tenure system protects academic freedom, facilitates shared governance, spurs pedagogical and research innovation, and bolsters student learning and retention rates,” Barnshaw ADJUNCT »PAGE 8

EDITORS AT LARGE

RENEE FARRELL PHOTO EDITOR

TAKE BACK THE NIGHT Students and staff brave the rain to protest sexual assault and rape culture during F-WORD’s annual march.

Students react as gun activist plans walk at MU DEMONSTRATION

MAGGIE CALLAGHAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Gun rights activists will parade through Miami University’s campus on Saturday, April 30, openly carrying their firearms in support of an open carry law on college campuses. Leading the demonstration will be Jeffry Smith, a firearm instructor and activist from Cincinnati. Smith has organized

At Miami, black-white graduation gap shrinks DIVERSITY

ANGELA HATCHER NEWS EDITOR

According to the report, “Rising Tide II: Do Black Students Benefit as Grad Rates Increase?”, released March 23, Miami University is ranked highly for its work in shrinking the gap between the graduation rates of its white and black students. The report lists Miami in the top 10 under the category of “Top-gaining fouryear public institutions for black students.” The report cites the university specifically for closing the gap between black and white students by 10.7 percent. Graduation rates for the years 2003-2013 for black students improved by 10.5 percent at Miami and the overall graduation improved by 0.4 percent. Miami’s graduation rates for the year of 2013 were at

71 percent for black students and 81 percent for the remainder of the graduating student body. However, the 71 percent graduation rate for black students refers to the 3.65 percent of black or AfricanAmerican students on campus, whereas the 81 percent graduation rate refers to the 80.75 percent of students on campus who are white. “Diversity should be considered in different ways,” said Jonika Moore-Diggs, senior associate director of admission and alumnus of Miami University, “We tend to think of diversity as black and white, or as just checking a box. We need to move away from that and celebrate all kinds of diversity.” Moore-Diggs also noted the statistic does not account for multi-racial students, a category that was intrograduation »PAGE 3

similar events at other public Ohio institutions, including the University of Cincinnati, Ohio State University and the University of Akron. He has also planned scheduled an event this Saturday at Bowling Green University. “What I want is to get conversation, dialogue and discussions going between people’s rights and laws,” Smith said. “I am confident OPEN CARRY »PAGE 3

A.J. NEWBERRY THE MIAMI STUDENT

Jones named Oxford Chief of Police

When Mary Elizabeth Thompson joined the Farmer School of Business faculty in 2013, she was part of a group considered to be rising stars in the finance department. Thompson was coming off an esteemed academic career, graduating with honors from her undergraduate and graduate institutions, while receiving exemplary evaluations as a graduate instructor during her Ph.D. candidacy. But Thompson, who teaches intermediate financial management, was employed by Miami University for less than two years before a series of microaggressions left her feeling isolated and ostracized by her male colleagues, according to court records and documents obtained through the Ohio Open Records Act. Those incidents were made public when two female finance professors decided to sue Miami University this spring, alleging gender discrimination and violation of the Equal Pay Act. Although Thompson is not a plaintiff in the case, the lawsuit’s initial complaint cites the treatment she received as an example of the culture of discrimination within the finance department. One such incident came to a head on Feb. 25, 2015, when the finance department’s Promotion and Tenure Committee met for an annual review of the untenured assistant professors in the department. Thompson was among the faculty evaluated. FINANCE »PAGE 3

DOUG CHAN THE MIAMI STUDENT

POLICE

JACK EVANS NEWS EDITOR

Former Oxford Police Department Lt. John Jones was officially promoted to Chief of Police on April 1 after having served as acting chief since Dec. 4 of last year. Jones took over for Robert Holzworth, who began his term as chief in December 2012. Holzworth is

struggling with an ongoing medical condition and has been on sick leave since Dec. 4, said Jones. The Oxford Police Department would not comment further on Holzworth’s illness. Jones was hired in 1998 as a part-time police dispatcher while a student at Miami University. He went on to graduate Miami in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree with majors in sociology and

public administration. He also recieved a Master of Science in the administation of justice in 2001 from University of Louisville. His police career then continued with a promotion to full time officer in 2002 and he has spent the last 14 years with the Oxford Police Department. Jones said he was selected as chief in large part due to his leadership ability, experience and passion for the

community. “I displayed leadership, I’ve been a proven supervisor here. Before being a police chief I was a lieutenant, before that I was a sergeant. I’ve always had that drive,” Jones said. “I think people see me as being very driven and very community oriented with other activities that I do in the community.” chief »PAGE 3

NEWS p. 2

NEWS p. 2

CULTURE p. 4

OPINION p. 6

SPORTS p. 10

TEACHING FACULTY INTERNATIONAL NAMES, CULTURE

THE RISE OF INT’L STUDENTS IN ATHLETICS

A CASE OF THE JAKES PLAGUES BIRTHDAY GIRL

COLUMNIST CHAMPIONS JOURNALISM

SPIETH’S LOSS: THE FALL OF A GOLF LEGEND

Center for Teaching Excellence sponsors series of workshops led by int’l panels.

Coach says international students add depth and maturity to teams.

Relationship deterred by one woman’s negative name association.

Milam muses about how out of touch readers are with the role of newspaper, reporters.

Columnist says golfer’s failure at Augusta reveals his humanity.


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