The Miami Student | May 8, 2018

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ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018

Volume 146 No. 28

Miami University — Oxford, Ohio

PHI MU PUT ON PROBATION GREEK LIFE

JACK EVANS

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Miami’s chapter of Phi Mu was placed under social probation by the university last month on April 20. The punishment follows an investigation into an annual semi-secret party hosted by the sorority on the night of Preference Round during recruitment. The Office of Ethics and Student Conflict Resolution (OESCR) charged Phi Mu with violating sections of the student code of conduct concerning underage drinking as well as “retaliation,” according to an OESCR final outcomes report. Phi Mu will remain under probation until “80% of the active members and 100% of the new members” complete a two-hour alcohol education program, according to the document. The sorority will also be required to create a 30-minute presentation “discussing how the chapter has learned from this event and what steps are in place to prevent a similar incident from occurring in the future.” Both the alcohol education requirement and the presentation must be completed by Sept. 30, 2018. The final outcomes report does not specify the circumstances that resulted in the punishments for Phi Mu. A second document, a report submitted to OESCR, describes a party that flies in the face of Panhellenic (PA) no-alcohol-during recruitment rule. The event is thrown every year on the night of the Preference Round during sorority recruitment. This year, Preference Round fell on Saturday, Feb. 10. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

OUTGOING DEAN OF STUDENTS MIKE CURME LISTENS AT THE BLACK STATE OF THE UNION. JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

Behind the scenes with MU’s favorite dean PROFILE

CEILI DOYLE NEWS EDITOR

Mike Curme never imagined he would be the dean of students of a university when he was in college, but at the end of this semester, he will step down from that very role at Miami University after six and a half years in the position. In fact, Curme didn’t really envision him-

self in a role outside of the Farmer School of Business (FSB). Curme had been the associate dean of FSB for five years and even after he was initially offered an interim job as the dean of students back in 2012, he was still planning on returning to teaching economics. “Then they asked, ‘Could you serve as the dean of students and the associate dean of the business school?’” Curme said. “They said, ‘You could do associate dean 75 percent and the dean of students would be 25 percent just for the spring.’

DEVON SHUMAN

MANAGING EDITOR-AT-LARGE

If you’ve been keeping up with us from the beginning, you know that Lilly and I have been through our fair share of trials and tribulations over the past four months. For 14 weeks, I’ve used this column to cover topics such as depression, anxiety, alcoholism, fear of adulthood, assuming responsibility and, in our most harrowing ordeal, Lilly running into the woods and remaining missing for five hours. If you’d never actually met us in person, I couldn’t fault you for thinking we lead somewhat of a gloomy or cheerless life. But of course, these are just the moments I’ve chosen to write about, and because fear and sadness often strike stronger emotional chords than happiness, I’ve relied somewhat too heavily on the less optimistic memories. I think that, consequently, I haven’t provided a completely accurate picture of our daily life together. Last Saturday, I received the news that my cat back home, Marshfellow, had passed away peacefully at the age of 12. I took Marsh home as a foster cat my sophomore year of high school, and within a day, I knew that I was going to keep him, that returning him to the shelter was simply not an option. For the next six-and-a-half years, I grew closer to him than any other pet my family had adopted. He was a big boy (at his heaviest, he clocked in

at just over 24 pounds) with smooth white fur, and countless nights in high school saw him falling asleep nuzzled into my lap. I was looking forward to going home in two weeks and hearing him meow curtly when I walked in the door, as if to say and where have you been, Mister?

LILLY SPORTS HER BRUINS LOVE. CONTRIBUTED BY DEVON SHUMAN

The point is, while Marsh helped me through my fair share of tough times, I would hate for people to only remember the sadder moments when

recalling his legacy — they were greatly overshadowed by the instances of joy he brought into my life, the little quirks and behaviors that defined his character, that made us go, well, that’s Marsh for ya. So, in that spirit, I want to use this last column to ignore the strife and hardship of the semester and look back on all the beautiful things I’ve come to adore about Lilly. My mom is the master of remembrances — a lifelong Girl Scout and avid Pinterest board creator, she has been known to fashion intricately designed scrapbooks to commemorate the trips our family has taken together. Most of my attempts at crafting similar projects have resulted in hot-glue burns and scattered mounds of glitter. I can’t do arts and crafts. What I can do is write. So, what follows — in not only my final column, but my final piece ever written for The Miami Student — is my personal version of a scrapbook for Lilly: a transcribed collection of the moments, images and memories with her that have made the last four months so filled with joy. I hope that, as you hunker down at King and prepare for finals week, they bring a smile to your face as well. *** Lilly’s army crawl. Despite her tiny frame, she sports the muscles of a Marine drill sergeant, and those who take her on a walk for the first time are often caught off guard by the gargantuan force with which she can yank on the leash. A couple months ago, Lilly CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

NEWS P.3

Semester in photos page 6

PSE WINS NATIONAL COMPETITION Members of the business fraternity take top honors in San Diego.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

First-years revel in second-to-last weekend

Lilly and Me: A Farewell Scrapbook LILLY & ME

“Everybody kind of joked, ‘25 percent as dean of students, yeah?’ And my first week, my first leadership meeting, the assistant vice president for health reported that she was leaving for another job...and then before the end of the semester the vice president announced she was leaving.” Suddenly, after only being appointed months before, Curme was not only the most senior ranking administrator in the

DORM LIFE

KIRBY DAVIS

OPINION EDITOR

*names have been changed to protect the identities of students* On a chilly Friday night two weeks before the end of the semester, and one hour before they plan to hike Uptown, first-years Ava and Lily clean out their room and take a statistics quiz, respectively. Ava, a curly-haired blonde who speaks softly but deliberately, dangles her broomball shoes over her trash can. “Should I throw these out?” she wonders. Lily, a serious, straighthaired blonde who already has plans for grad school, glances up from her laptop. “Just keep them,” she says. Ava tosses the dirt-caked shoes aside, into the pile of other things she’s keeping. She had apologized for the mess upon letting me in, explaining that she’s packing up to leave in two weeks. Both sides are decked out in swirling Vera Bradley prints — blue for Lily, pink for Ava. Both sides are crammed with black plastic storage boxes, and the walls

CULTURE P.4

EDITORIAL P. 12

‘I’M A STUDENT OF LIFE’

ACADEMICS OVER AESTHETICS

John Darlin proffers experiences, jewelry in Oxford Farmers Market.

Miami University must reconsider its spending priorities.

are adorned with Polaroids, painted canvases and string lights. And both sides display notes from the girls’ mothers, pinned to their bulletin boards, encouraging them to “have a great day” and to “study hard.” Now, the beds are unmade. The boxes are overflowing with textbooks and makeup. Most available surfaces are crowded with clothes, binders, Malibu rum and Gatorade bottles. Lily’s side is populated with books (“Closer to God”), DVDs (“Mean Girls,” seasons three and four of “Friends”) and glossy prom photos grinning down at her bed. Ava’s walls are mostly bare. Her mom and sister are coming tomorrow, to collect most of her clothes and leave her a car for when she herself returns to Northwest Ohio for the summer. Ava is ready to go home. Lily isn’t. A little after 7 p.m., Lily’s boyfriend of two weeks — though they’ve been unofficially together much longer — breezes into the room. “Hi,” Chris says. “I’m drunk.” Visit miamistudent.net to read the rest of the story.

SPORTS P.14

REDHAWKS ROLL BEARCATS Baseball Coach Hayden nurtures discipline, healthy monotony in team.

FALL ICE INTRAMURALS BROOMBALL, ICE HOCKEY & CURLING LEAGUES AVAILABLE FOR ALL LEVELS OF PLAY REGISTRATION THURSDAY, AUGUST 23–FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 2018 MIAMIOH.EDU/ICE

BROOMBALL, HOCKEY & CURLING 2018–2019


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