The Miami Student | October 23, 2018

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Miami University — Oxford, Ohio

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

Volume 147 No. 8

MU EMPLOYEE PLEA HEARING POSTPONED AUDREY DAVIS

MANAGING EDITOR

NEAL KATYAL AND ANA NAVARRO LARGELY AGREED ON THE ROLE OF THE SUPREME COURT IN TODAY’S FRACTURED POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT PHOTO EDITOR JUGAL JAIN

Janus Forum discussed, rather than debated, the Supreme Court is required for proving allegations and the appropriate timing for victims to come forward.

Those on the left criticized Kavanaugh’s temper, partisanship and public disrespect for a woman he knew in high school. Those on the right argued he was “innocent until proven guilty,” and a last-minute FBI investigation failed to allay concerns about the integrity of the nominee.

Katyal and Navarro met in Wilks Theatre on Wednesday, Oct. 21 to debate this semester’s topic, “On the Docket: The Supreme Court and the Future of American Democracy.”

Considering the speakers’ proximity to

BEN DEETER STAFF WRITER

The national fight over Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court set a timely stage for this semester’s Janus Forum.

The event brought Supreme Court lawyer and self-described “extreme centrist” Neal Katyal and former Republican strategist Ana Navarro to Miami University’s campus for political debate and discussion.

The recent battle over a seat on the highest court in the United States highlighted national divides around sexual assault, splitting the country on how much evidence

one another on the political spectrum, the two had little to debate.

Navarro even asked the audience, “Did you come here for a debate? Because if you did, we’re about to dance a waltz.”

“Sometimes debate is what we need,” forum moderator Emily Tatum, a senior political science and international studies double major, said. “But other times, it’s nice to have a discussion where there’s a lot of agreement. It all depends where the speakers take it.”

Navarro attributed the lack of debate to similarities she and Katyal have in their view of the court.

HAMILTON, OH—Brandon Levi Gilbert, 21, appeared at the Butler County Court of Common Pleas for a plea hearing Wednesday, Oct. 18 after being indicted on five counts of sexual assault charges, including a first degree felony for the rape of a female Miami University student.

However, Judge Gregory Howard rescheduled the hearing for Nov. 14 to give more time to the prosecution to examine the discovery package.

“I would say the discovery is pretty voluminous,” Assistant Butler County Prosecutor Kelly Heile said. “And I’m still waiting on medical records.”

Additionally, Gilbert’s lawyer, criminal defense attorney Wayne Staton, requested that Gilbert be allowed to walk him through the route where the alleged incident occurred.

Specific conditions listed in Gilbert’s pretrial release state that he is not permitted to go to Oxford without permission and must stay away from both the victim and Miami University.

Staton also requested that Gilbert have permission to talk to a witness who is a Miami employee.

Heile did not object to the terms, so long as Gilbert stays off Miami’s campus and alerts Heile when they will be walking the route.

Howard acknowledged that Gilbert has been following all of the conditions established in his pretrial release and agreed to both of Staton’s requests as long as Gilbert continues to meet those requirements.

Gilbert has worked for Miami since April 2017 and is still suspended without pay from the university, Senior VP for Finance and Business Services David Creamer, wrote in a letter to Gilbert obtained from his personnel file.

Check back to miamistudent.net for further updates and information regarding this story. davisa10@miamioh.edu

CONTINUED PAGE 3

ARENA

Al Oliver III: Art Imitates Life Imitates Art MEGAN BURTIS THE MIAMI STUDENT

Whether it’s his seventh grade production of “Annie” or playing Sweeney Todd at Miami, Al Oliver III loves theatre.

As a theatre major with a musical theatre minor and acting workshop chair of Stage Left, theatre practically consumes his life.

“I just wanted to do as much as I could,” Al said of his first theatre experience, the aforementioned production of “Annie.”

At first glance, you wouldn’t imagine a colorful character like Al — with his high-waisted shorts and bubble-gum pink, mermaid-shell crop top — would be the mastermind behind Stage Left’s turn to the dark side. The dark side of musical theatre, that is.

November 8-10, Stage Left will be putting on a production of “Bare: A Pop Opera,” a show that surrounds a young, gay couple and their classmates at a Catholic high school who face a variety of obstacles. “Bare,” in Al’s words, is “truly tragic.”

Al describes the show as a “serious mood shift, especially from last year,” referring to productions like “Cry Baby” and “Bend, Tear, and Spindle” which were grounded in comedy, as many other previous Stage Left pro-

OLIVER IS THE SUNNY SIDE OF STAGE LEFT’S DARK SIDE THE MIAMI STUDENT SEBASTIAN NEUFUSS

ductions have been.

To this, Al responded, “It can be good to change things up, and it’s good for audiences who are familiar with the ‘fun stuff’ to see.”

Not only does this show portray darkness and tragedy, it is grounded in reality.

“I saw myself in this show,” Al said. “The words, they were singing — those are things I said to myself in high school.”

After speaking with friends about coming out and how that fit into his family’s religious beliefs, a friend told him this show was what

he needed. Al had previous interest in directing, but had such a personal connection to this show that he knew he had to direct it.

For Al, the importance of this show goes beyond himself.

“Having had such a personal connection, I want the actors to find how they fit into this story,” Al said.

The show deals with high-stakes issues like reconciling one’s sexuality with religion or teenage pregnancy, as well as more universal struggles, like insecurity in one’s appearance or how to communicate with your parents.

“Every character is struggling and these are relatable struggles,” Al said. “Every story is important.”

Like many theater-goers, students may be looking for an escape in this show, but they will actually be entering a story much closer to home.

Al hopes the show provides “catharsis” for the audience, and that “they can connect to these characters and experience an emotional release.” burtismg@miamioh.edu

This Issue A trail for everyone

The world on a plate

Three Valley Conservation Trust makes nature accessible to all.

Night in India serves up new dishes and cultural experiences .

page 3

page 5

Shoot straight

Twice the heartbreak in 2OT

Tell it like it is, because concise communication is key.

“I’m pretty damn proud to be part of the game.”

page 10

page 8

Fake news Real laughs humor on pages 6 & 7

2 FYI

This Week TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

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SECURE YOUR HOME FOR JR/SR YEAR

Our homes are renting now for 2020-21, and there are still a few homes left for 2019-20! All homes are next to campus and uptown. Gather your group today and go to www.schmatesrentals.com. Don’t be stuck in an apt. JR/SR year.

Call or text 847-274-6600 or 513-505-4918

Things to do The Hunting Ground Armstrong Pavilion Wednesday, 7 p.m.

As part of It’s On Us’s Week of Action, Miami’s Greek Tri Council is hosting a screening of “The Hunting Ground.” Every day is a different event for It’s On Us. Wear your It’s On Us t-shirt on Tuesday and post it on social media with the hashtag #MUItsOnUs for a chance to win a gift card.

Chamber Singers and Choraliers Fall Concert Hall Auditorium Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.

Join the Chamber Singers and the Choraliers in their first joint concert of the semester, featuring music by Brahms, P.D.Q., Bach, Schubert, Arnesen and more for a special night of choral music!

Cecily Strong Wilks Theater Thursday, 8 p.m.

MAP’s Comedy Series presents Saturday Night Live’s Cecily Strong for a free comedy show. Cecily is an SNL veteran (impressions include Melania Trump, Kathy Anne, the Swarovski twins, etc.) with a terrific one-woman show. This free show is first come, first served and doors open up at 7:30pm!

Beyond the Bricks Kings Island Saturday, 4-11 p.m.

Looking to get in the Halloween spirit? Join MAP in heading to King’s Island for their Halloween Haunt. The event is for students only and costs $15. Head to the Beyond the Bricks eventbrite site for more information. The bus will be leaving from Maple Street outside Shriver center at 4 p.m.

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

NEWS 3

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

‘Big’ men wear pink

ZTA hosts pageant for breast cancer awareness BO BRUECK

ASST. PHOTO EDITOR

Fraternity men sporting pink tutus and underwear over their pants prance around the stage wiggling their booties and winking to the audience. After three rounds of talent, fashion and knowledge, the most well-rounded of them will be crowned, “Big Man On Campus.”

Miami University’s chapter of Zeta Tau Alpha’s (ZTA) third annual breast cancer awareness philanthropy event, Big Man On Campus (BMOC), happened Monday night, Oct. 22. The ZTA Foundation has raised over $11,000 dollars this month for breast cancer awareness.

Big Man On Campus happens every October, during breast cancer awareness month, as a novel way to rally Miami students together to support breast cancer fundraising.

“It is basically a pageant amongst fraternity boys,” ZTA member Maddie Wyrick said.

“There is an intro round, a talent round, an all pink round where each contestant dresses up in pink and then a question round.”

ZTA’s director of philanthropy, Karly Landis, has been planning this event for close to a year. She works hard to make BMOC as successful as possible because she knows how much good it can do for the community.

“I know that there’s a lot of girls in our chapter who have

lost their mom, their aunt or their grandmother, so it’s a really emotional time for them,” Landis said. “Events like this when you have so many people coming out and supporting you and your cause...it’s all worth it.”

Sherry Gevaudan, mother of ZTA president, Natalie Gevaudan, volunteered to judge the event. She is a breast cancer survivor herself and wanted to partake in the festivities and raise awareness.

“It’s a great event, it seemed like a lot of fun so I couldn’t be more proud of the organization, their philanthropy, and even the guys who were up there giving their time and their talents,” Gevaudan said.

The winner of the event, Jack Lipovich, was crowned Big Man On Campus. His best friend’s mother died of breast cancer last January, so he wanted to take part and show his support for survivors and victims.

“It’s kind of a goofy event — we all really had a lot of fun, but it’s cool to help Zeta in their quest to raise awareness for breast cancer,” Lipovich said. brueckro@miamioh.edu

JACK LIPOVICH WAS CROWNED BIG MAN ON CAMPUS AFTER WINNING THE FRATERNITY PAGEANT SHOW. ASST. PHOTO EDITOR BO BRUECK

Janus discussion centered on Supreme Court FROM FRONT “If we’d talked politics, it might’ve been very different,” she said in an interview with The Miami Student after the event. “We both have a deep respect for the institution of the court. There’s an appreciation for the significance, the history of it in our democracy.”

The speakers agreed the contentiousness and partisanship of the confirmation process itself was highlighted during the Kavanaugh process.

“It’s ridiculous,” Navarro said. “Elections do have consequences. One of those consequences is that the president gets to pick a Supreme Court of his ideology. What should not be up to any president is moral fitness, judicial independence and judicial temperament. Jerks should not be allowed to sit on the Supreme Court.”

Katyal echoed his understanding of the public’s stake in the appointment to the court. “[The Supreme Court is] acting much more like a super legislature,” Katyal said. “It’s not surprising that you’re going to get these contentious confirmation hearings because the Supreme Court itself is deciding a lit of these contentious issues, and perhaps deciding them in what looks like a political way instead of a legal way.”

The speakers also spent time discussing the politics of judge Merrick Garland’s blocked appointment.

President Barack Obama nominated Garland to the Supreme Court after justice Antonin Scalia’s death in February 2016. Senate Republicans prevented any action from being taken on the nomination, arguing the president elected in 2016 should make the appointment.

The seat remained empty for over 400 days.

“One of the things that’s going to happen as a result of this is the base is going to pressure

the party to nominate someone who is a true believer,” Katyal said. “Merrick Garland, turns out, didn’t get the progressive base out. The nomination, in that sense, became a failure for the Obama administration.”

“It’s also a failure of the Congress,” Navarro said. “ There’s something meaningful and particularly high-profile about a Supreme Court nominee, and to have this guy hanging there without so much as a hearing was a really, I think, a shameful moment in Congress.”

The speakers agreed President Donald Trump’s judicial appointments will have a profound effect, going forward.

Since assuming office, Trump and the Republican-majority Senate have filled 60 vacancies across the federal district courts, the federal courts of appeals and the Supreme Court.

“It is astounding what he has done,” Katyal said. “No president in our lifetime has done anything like this – appointing people of this intelligence, capability and also deep ideological bent to the courts. It’ll be a legacy that lasts for your entire lifetimes.”

Moving forward, both Katyal and Navarro called for ensuring the court keeps its legitimacy, especially in wake of the public strife around it and the fear of overturning key decisions around issues like abortion and gay marriage.

“It is important that the American people feel some trust on the Supreme Court,” Navarro said.“I still think it’s going to be the most respected branch.

Look at our other two options.”

“You ask ‘Is there a way to repair the legitimacy on the Supreme Court?’” Katyal said.

“And I guess my answer is ‘There just has to be.’” deeterbj@miamioh.edu

Two more sexual assaults reported in the past week CÉILÍ DOYLE NEWS EDITOR

Over the past week, two more individuals—one male and one female—reported separate incidents of rape to the Oxford Police Department (OPD).

The case involving the male victim is the first incident this semester in which a sexual assault between two men was reported to the authorities.

Reporting officer Julia Huff wrote in an incident report from Oct. 20 that she “responded to McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital” to collect a SANE (sexual assault nurse examination)

kit for DNA evidence, but the male victim did not want to talk to police or pursue further investigation.

In the incident reported on Oct. 16, a female told reporting officer Matthew Blauvelt that she was “possibly sexually assaulted.” The case is still under investigation.

In total there have been 11 cases of sexual assault reported to both OPD and the Miami University Police Department this semester.

Miami students who want to report a sexual assault can make their report to any campus security authority, including Uni-

versity Police (513-529-2222), Oxford Police (513-523-4321), the Office of Ethics and Student Conflict Resolution (513529-1417), student organization advisers and athletic coaches.

Survivors can also receive confidential support from Sierra Clippinger (513-431-1111), Miami’s campus-based support specialist from the Butler County office of Women Helping Women.

McVey is not a mandatory reporter. doyleca3@miamioh.edu

New hiking trail provides access for people with limited mobility MADDIE TOOLE STAFF WRITER

A new wooden trail installed near Yager Stadium provides access to the hiking paths nearby for people with limited mobility.

Three Valley Conservation Trust (3VCT) has been hard at work planning and building a wooden, lifted trail for members of the community in wheelchairs, small children in strollers and others who need more accommodations next to the Helen S. Ruder running path.

The trail extends into the woods to a rest area with benches surrounding a tree.

The new pathway was built entirely by volunteers.

The idea for the path arose in 2016, when Miami was considering creating more parking for the stadium. 3VCT began to brainstorm ways to make this land more valuable, rather than turning it into parking.

Donna McCollum, one of the project managers and a member of the 3VCT board of trustees, was one of many people behind the creation of the accessibility trail.

“We thought that this would add something to the Oxford community that is found nowhere else that I know of,” McCollum said.

In another attempt to make the property more valuable, 3VCT has spruced up the area and implemented some restoration processes. They have since cleared eight acres of honeysuckle and planted over 1,000 flower plugs and almost 600 trees and shrubs.

McCollum says that many university classes and student organizations have helped to work on the project.

“We are really trying to make this a real gem of conservation,” McCollum said.

3VCT plans to provide a few

parking spaces near the trail entrance and build more pathways that allow for even more accessibility. The next paths will extend deeper into the woods.

“Our goal is to get people into the woods, not to the edge of the woods,” McCollum said.

McCollum said Pi Kappa Phi provided $2,500 to the project after they received money from their national organization to fund an accessibility project.

John Hayes, a junior finance major and the Ability Experience chair from Pi Kappa Phi, said the organization contributed to the project last year.

3VCT is waiting on the rest of the money needed to fund the entire project before continuing to build more accessible paths.

They estimate it will cost between $40,000 to $50,000. toolemb@miamioh.edu.

4 NEWS

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

ASG mental health forum: ‘Be here tomorrow’

KEVIN HINES IS ONE OF A FEW PEOPLE TO SURVIVE A SUICIDE ATTEMPT OFF THE GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE PHOTO EDITOR JUGAL JAIN

RACHEL BERRY STAFF WRITER

Students poured into Wilks Theater in the Armstrong Student Center, many of them sporting red bracelets with the hashtag “here for you.” Red and white name tags identified people as employees of Student Counseling Services (SCS), there to see the speech but also to make themselves available to

anyone who might be triggered by it. When the lights dimmed and the first speaker took the stage, there was barely an open seat left.

Tuesday’s annual Mental Health Forum, presented by Miami University Associated Student Government (ASG) in conjunction with Active Minds and SCS, sought to raise awareness to the mental health issues people face and to let anyone strug-

gling with mental health challenges that they are not alone.

An Australian athletic trainer Alexa Towersey, better known as “Action Alexa,” spoke first and discussed her story of dealing with her mother’s mental illness.

Her mom was diagnosed as manic depressive in a time when there was a lot of stigma about mental health, and not nearly as much was known about the

disorder compared to modern medical knowledge.

Because of this, no one talked about it. To this day, she doesn’t know how her dad felt about her mom’s diagnosis, because they ignored the subject completely.

“I don’t have many regrets in life, but one of them was that I didn’t have the tools or the awareness or the education to give my mum the love, the help, the support that she so rightly deserved,” Towersey said.

When Towersey was 17 years old, she walked in on her mom attempting suicide. Her mom survived, but no one in the family fully healed from that experience.

Towersky spoke about how she wanted to tell her mom’s story and talk about mental health for years, but this was the first time she was given the chance to do so in front of a large crowd.

“When you share your story, you empower others to share theirs. When you choose to be brave and speak up, you empower others to have that courage. When you choose kindness, you empower other people to be kind, and when you choose love, you empower others to not just love but to accept love in return, and that is just as important,” Towersky said.

After Towersky spoke, mental health advocate Kevin Hines told his own story about struggling with mental illness. He remembers hearing voices in his head from a young age, but he tried to push them aside and was afraid of how people would react if he told them.

When Hanes was 19 years old, he made the decision to take his

Oxford home damaged in crash, family looks to crowd-funding LAURA DUDONES

THE MIAMI STUDENT

On Sept. 24, Ashley Barber and her family found their lives forever changed when a car travelling on US 27 crashed into Barber’s SUV parked in the driveway, pushing the SUV into the side of their Oxford home, causing damage to both the home and the car.

Barber’s son, not yet two years old, was found trapped under debris from the incident. Fortunately, he was uninjured, but has since suffered from symptoms of PTSD, leading to multiple hospital visits.

The driver who caused the crash was underinsured, leaving Barber’s family with little money to pay for repairs to the apartment and car or to cover the cost of the resulting medical bills. The issues with the insurance will likely be unresolved

for months, so Barber will need to cover most immediate costs on her own.

Barber works at Woodland Manor, a local nursing home, caring for residents as a CNA. Many of her coworkers have stepped in to try and help Barber during this difficult time.

Recently, two of her coworkers decided to create fundraisers in order to help the family cover these costs. Both started on Oct. 11, and set a goal for each fundraiser to raise $4,000.

One of the fundraisers is a GoFundMe started by Barber’s colleague, Amanda Meyers.

“I think [the GoFundMe] has allowed people in the community to reach out and show support and offer words of encouragement,” Meyers said. “Some have offered suggestions or advice on where to find additional support based on personal experiences or community con-

RACHEL BERRY STAFF WRITER

At their meeting on Oct. 16, Miami University’ts Associated Student Government (ASG) announced 0 percent cutbacks after their second round of funding hearings.

ASG’s funding and audit committee cited Red Brick Rewards as the reason for the lack of funding cuts. Red Brick Rewards is a program implemented last spring where student organizations are placed in tiers based on lists of required activities, and the tiers determine how much money they can request.

The hearings occurred Monday, Oct. 15 and were a chance for student organizations to obtain funding from ASG. Many of these groups had attended the first round of hearings in

dudonele@miamioh.edu

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ASG approves funding requests, diversity plan

nections [or] knowledge.”

The other is a Facebook fundraiser started by another of Barber’s colleagues, Scarlet Day. “Ashley is a mother of two and a hard worker,” Day said.

“When you see a person who is working hard at a hard job – a mother raising good kids and an overwhelming depression hanging on them – I think you should help.”

The GoFundMe has been shared over 200 times, and the Facebook fundraiser has been shared 59 times. Combined, they have raised over $1,000 for Barber and her family.

“The impact on Ashley has been huge,” Day said. “She has felt love from a lot of people. Sometimes people need to know they are not alone.”

Miami University and Community Federal Credit Union

own life. He told himself if just one person asked him how he was, if he was ok, he wouldn’t do it.

But no one asked.

So Hines went to the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge and jumped.

“The millisecond my hands left that rail, I had an instant regret for my actions and an absolute recognition that I had just made the greatest mistake of my life, and it was too late,” Hines said.

Hines was in the 3 percent of people who attempt suicide off the Golden Gate Bridge and survive.

Of that small percentage, he was one of only five people who have gained full mobility. He now travels the country sharing his story of hope and delivering the message that he so desperately longed to hear as he was getting ready to jump: that someone cared.

Hines’ mental illness didn’t go away after his jump. He still struggles with suicidal thoughts, but now he asks for help and leans on family and friends.

“I wish I knew what I know now that my thoughts do not have to become my actions,” Hines said.

At the end of his speech, Hines asked everyone to stand up. On the count of three he had everyone shout, “Be here tomorrow.”

The room echoed as Hines asked the audience to repeat these words three times, each time louder than the first in the hopes that every single person in that auditorium would indeed still be here tomorrow.

September but were told to return in a month because they did not have all of their club activities listed on the hub.

Approximately $153,000 in funding requests were approved unanimously by ASG. This meeting also included the introduction of a new plan for promoting diversity and inclusion called CHALLENGE each other.

CHALLENGE is an acronym outlining the steps they plan to take to create a safer and more diverse environment within ASG. It stands for community building, hosting constituent concern tables, assess our community, liaison initiative, learning opportunities, encourage and engage in dialogue, no tolerance, glow with positivity and patience, and evaluate yourself. berryrd@miamioh.edu

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

5 CULTURE

From McGuffey to Mumbai MADELINE MITCHELL CULTURE EDITOR

Many Miami students’ exposure to Indian culture may be limited to dinner at Krishna uptown, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, if you play it right, you can enjoy Indian cuisine for free right on campus — at least that’s what happened in a lecture hall on a gloomy Saturday evening this weekend.

McGuffey 322 was filled with the smell of Indian food and sounds of Bollywood. Platters of chicken tikka, rice and naan bread awaited hungry visitors. Displayed up on the projector screen was a “Straight Indian Songs” Spotify playlist. This is how the room stayed, complete with henna tattoo and sari wrapping stations, from 6 to 8 p.m. as the Indian Students Association (ISA) transported local students and families to a Night in India.

“I have had something similar,” sophomore Diana Ridgeway said, taking a bite of naan.

“I’ve had Pakistani food, because my neighbors are from Pakistan, but nothing Indian specific.” Ridgeway said this was her first time being exposed to Indian culture.

“I never knew this event existed until a few friends pressed the interested button on Facebook, so it came up on my newsfeed,” Ridgeway said. “I’m actually an RA on campus, so one of our requirements is to go to an event throughout the semester that’s outside of our identity. So I thought this kind of aligned perfectly, and an event that I thought sounded fun and cool.”

Ridgeway was far from the only non-Indian identifying participant at the event. Senior Joshua Gentry sat wrapped in a sari, scooping chicken tikka and rice into his mouth as he preached his love for Indian culture.

“I went to high school with a lot of Indian people, and I became good friends with them, and since then I’m like, ‘man, Indian culture is super cool,’” said Gentry. “There’s a lot of religious stuff involved with it, their food’s great, as I’m eating it right now.”

A NIGHT IN INDIA AIMED TO INTRODUCE STUDENTS TO INDIAN CULTURE THE MIAMI STUDENT ZAIM HAQ

Gentry is a member of the ISA and will be performing in three dances at the Diwali Show in November. Gentry encourages other majority students on Miami’s campus to expose themselves to culturally diverse organizations like ISA. “Just because it’s Indian Students Association does not mean it’s just Indian students,” he said. “So if anyone’s interested in any different cultural organizations, don’t feel afraid to join them and to get involved with it.”

At Night in India, students of all backgrounds got involved with henna tattoos.

Trisha Chatterjee, third-year exec board member of ISA and captain of the Bollywood Fusion dance team, sat at the henna station and designed her own tattoo, carefully painting the dye on her right arm with her left hand.

“Henna is one of my two skills,” she said.

“My other one is maybe sleeping.”

Chatterjee said that henna comes from a pod plant and means something a little different in present-day America than it did in traditional Indian heritage.

“It was started as a bridal thing,” said Chat-

The rhythm of tradition in Taiko drumming DUARD HEADLEY

ASST. CULTURE EDITOR

“Ichi, ni, so-re,” echoes through the quiet orchestra room.

The call, Japanese for “one, two, ready, go,” ignites the drums to thunder to life.

A deep, resonant beat shakes the entire room, rattling the tall steel cabinets and black music stands that line the walls.

The drummers sway back and forth, poised over the laquered wood of the ornate Japanese drums, pounding away.

Gathered in Presser Hall on a Saturday afternoon, the members of Miami University’s Taiko Club work on their elaborate musical routine.

The taiko club practices a traditional form of Japanese drumming that is far more dynamic than most percussion routines. In any given song, alongside pounding out an energizing rhythm, the musicians move and dance around their instruments. Implementing scissor kicks, broadway cross-steps, angular poses and fervent jumping, the drummers create art that is both auditory and visual.

During the whole performance, they give off a lively and upbeat energy.

“Looking like you’re having fun is part of what makes the music so great,” said TJ Knight, the club’s vice-president and treasurer.

The club splits its three-hour practices into two segments: one for beginners and one for veterans.

The first half is reserved for the beginners, who are instructed on the

fundamentals of the sport by a veteran instructor. Their routines aren’t as complex as the moves displayed by the veterans, but the routines still give the new members a chance to hone their craft.

After an hour and a half, the club’s older members fill the room.

The five veterans quickly break into their routine with far more movement and complexity to their song. The rhythm is more elaborate, demonstrating the heightened ability of the more seasoned drummers.

Some members of the taiko club have been practicing the art for years. Tori Jones is the club’s president, and has been practicing and performing taiko style drumming since middle school.

“When I first started, I had just moved to Ohio, so I didn’t have many friends,” Jones said. “And taiko club turned out to be something I liked. I’m not usually great at expressing myself, but there’s nothing you can hide behind in taiko.

It’s so free and energetic and open.”

McKenna Hardy, on the other hand, is one of the club’s newest members. She joined earlier this year and is already grasping the basics of taiko.

“In high school, I had a Japanese teacher who did taiko,” Hardy said. “So I figured that I’d reach out and at least try it, and I’ve had a really great time so far.”

The MU Taiko Club performs at a variety of events throughout the year, including collaborative concerts and individual shows. Their biggest performance is Shinnenkai, a cultural festival held in the spring. Not only does the club co-host the event with Miami’s Japanese Culture and Language Club and Anime Club, they put on an exciting performance that is the highlight of the event.

After just a cursory peek into their world, the appeal of taiko is plain to see.

Not only are audiences treated to a bombastic percussive performance, they’re also shown a highly choreographed dance performance. This combination of movement and sound results in a veritable feast for the senses of any audience member. headledd@miamioh.edu

TAIKO FUSES VISUAL AND MUSICAL ART FORMS THE MIAMI STUDENT ZACH REICHMAN

terjee. “So at a wedding, when they were all arranged marriages, the woman who had the henna was, obviously, the bride. But as the culture changed and time changed, it became that everyone in the bridal party did it.

“And then when Indians moved here, people here were so enthralled by the fact that, like, ‘this is the coolest thing in the world,’ that more and more people started doing it.

So now it’s like something that has become Americanized in a way because people do henna tattoos for fun, like I just did.”

Senior Simren Cheema, treasurer of ISA, was happy with the turnout for Night in India. She said it was exciting that people outside of the Indian community were there and interested in the culture.

“It’s awesome! I love that,” she said. “It makes me happy that people wanted to come. People are open to learning about new things. And I feel like at Miami, we aren’t a very diverse school at all, so I think that’s cool.”

As the night went on, more food was eaten, trivia was played, colorful saris were wrapped and music was danced to. Chatterjee and a

friend taught toddlers in attendance how to “floss” while a new playlist, “Indian Songs” blasted from the speakers. Gentry kept his colorful sari on for the full two hours.

“I talk to people about other organizations that they’re in, which are really noble and great, and that’s awesome, but maybe it’s not, like, as fun, ya know?” said Gentry. “There’s a lot of enjoyment that they get out of it and there’s a lot of fulfillment, but, for me, this is a really fun club. I love dancing, I love learning about it all, there’s food, I get to hang out with these guys. I don’t know, I get a lot of fun and knowledge from it. I don’t even think about it as knowledge, though, I just think about it as me going to hang out and knowledge as a side effect.”

The Indian Students Association will host their next event, the Diwali Show, at 7 p.m. on November 9 and 2 p.m. on November 10 in Hall Auditorium. mitche49@miamioh.edu

THE NIGHT FEATURED HENNA TATTOOS AND SARI WRAPPING THE MIAMI STUDENT ZAIM HAQ

A Cappella Album Blues DUARD HEADLEY

ASST. CULTURE EDITOR

Hours after the sun has sunk below the horizon, the Center for Performing Arts is alive with the sound of music.

Despite the fact that it’s 8:30 p.m. and classes have long since ended, members of the Treblemakers, one of Miami University’s on-campus a capella groups, are gathered for a late-night practice.

“We’re currently trying to prepare for the [International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella],” said Emma Harris, the group’s president. “We start really early in the year.”

It’s the group’s first year participating, and along with preparing for the competition, the Treblemakers are also practicing for the series of concerts they put on each year.

Across Miami’s campus, the various a capella groups — the Treblemakers, Misfitz, Soul2Soul, Open Fifth and Mergers — all practice rigorously and regularly. But during the past three years, their priorities have shifted.

The Treblemakers are focusing on competition this year because they find themselves unable to record an album, something they haven’t been able to do since the winter of 2016.

According to Harris, most groups can’t afford to record anymore. The most recent recording came earlier this year from the Misfitz in the form of an EP, but no group has been able to release an album this year.

The inability to record is partially the result of budget cuts that Miami’s Associated Student Government (ASG) implemented in recent years. According to Caroline Weimer, ASG’s secretary of finance, there are two different policies that are causing the recording drought.

“First, we were trying to identify areas that should not be funded,” Weimer said. “Even though our funds come from students, they’re technically from the state. Because of this, anything that we give out cannot be a gift to ones individual benefit. At the time, [ASG] determined that physical CDs fell under this category.”

The second blow to album funding came last year in the form of the Red Brick Rewards program. Under this program, student organizations are divided into four tiers, with lower tier organizations offered less money and

higher tiered organizations receiving the greatest amount.

“We kept getting more and more [funding] requests without any system for accountability in place,” Weimer said. “Before we implemented Red Brick Rewards, budget cutbacks started at 15 percent and eventually reached 50 percent. The new program for the past two funding hearings has gotten us to zero percent cutbacks.”

Weimer believes that both the cutbacks in the years before Red Brick Rewards as well as the decision to stop funding physical CDs could be the cause of the difficulties that Miami’s a cappella groups are facing.

However, some groups have found their own ways to fund their recordings.

The Misfitz were able to release their EP by relying on their own funding.

“We wanted everyone in our group to be able to experience what recording is like,” said Brooke Vespoli, the group’s music director. “Thankfully, we had money saved up from past years and were able to use that.”

According to Vespoli, because the Misfitz have been raising funds for several years through fundraisers and outreach to donors, they’re still able to pursue recording despite the budget cutbacks.

“We’ve actually grown from it a little,” Vespoli said. “For the future, we’re trying to be more creative. We’ve got different events planned. It’s an opportunity to make it on our own.”

Despite disappointment over the cutbacks, the sentiment of self-sufficiency seems to be echoed by other groups.

Elaine Gossard, the treasurer for the Treblemakers, seemed optimistic about the group’s future.

“This really changed the way our group functioned,” Gossard said. “It opened a door for us to focus on competition, which is something we’ve never done before.”

Gossard voiced her thoughts on the future interactions between ASG and a cappella groups. “[The budgets] are getting better,” Gossard said. “We didn’t face any budget cuts during this last cycle, and I’m hopeful that in the future they might even consider releasing more money our way. But if not, we’ll definitely be able to make it on our own.” headledd@miamioh.edu

6 HUMOR Guy who couldn’t finish group project wouldn’t last two days in Vietnam KIRBY DAVIS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

SERIOMP@MIAMIOH.EDU

SeaWorld fires dolphin after visitors complain about her ‘resting bitch face’

MANAGING EDITOR

Senior Sophie Flack was “beyond frustrated,” she said, when the men in her economics class group project contributed little to their presentation on Friday, Oct. 19. Fellow senior Brett Halliday, said Flack, was the worst offender.

“I don’t even think he opened the Google Doc,” Flack said. “And during our presentation, he just stood there looking hungover.”

Flack said what comforted — but also terrified — her was knowing that Halliday wouldn’t last two days in Vietnam.

Flack said that, when she’s particularly bored in class, she thinks about how the men sitting around her would fare if they were alive 50 years ago and drafted into the Vietnam War. She feels Halliday, especially, would be “a disaster” if he were dropped into military conflict overseas.

Halliday’s housemate, Tim Goldberg, said that in Halliday’s defense, “he probably would’ve thrown up if he tried to say anything,” during their economics presentation.

While Flack agreed, and noted that Goldberg would probably be okay in Vietnam because he’s “absolutely shredded,” she was still frustrated with Halliday.

“Does he even realize how easy he has it, being a 21-year-old guy in 2018 and not 1968?” Flack said.

Halliday’s great grandfather, Richard Stamper, who did not participate in the Vietnam War but spent the years 1942-44 in the Navy fighting in the Pacific theater of World War II, agrees with Flack.

“Brett really is a mess of a human being,” Stamper said. “And have you met his friends? God help us if there’s another draft.”

Stamper said Halliday’s sister, Megan Halliday — a straight-A sophomore at The Ohio State University — makes him “a hell of a lot prouder,” but that he wouldn’t trust her to fight in the dense jungles of Okinawa, either.

“At least Brett is a man,” Stamper said.

Halliday admitted that he would “probs not” fare well in armed military conflict, but wanted to make it clear that he is “basically a goddamn pioneer” in other ways.

“When all my [fraternity] brothers were afraid to drink White Claw because it was too girly, I drank it,” Halliday said. “Now everyone does, but I was the one who opened that door for them.” daviskn3@miamioh.edu

CAPTION CAPTION CAPTION POSITION NAME

KATE RIGAZIO

CULTURE EDITOR

SAN DIEGO — SeaWorld made waves last week when the organization announced it would be releasing one of its show dolphins, Velma, from its performance team. Sources inside the park said Velma was fired from the team after visitors complained about the dolphin’s resting bitch face.

Velma, who was born and raised in captivity at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, was brought onto SeaWorld’s main show team last month. Trainers were impressed by how quickly she took to instruction, her skill and her eagerness to learn. Despite her standout talent, audiences were taken aback by Velma’s cold demeanor.

“Listen, when I come to these shows I am paying to be entertained,” said Lewis Philter, who is a regular at the dolphin shows. “It’s not just about the tricks, it’s about the feeling of ecstacy I get watch-

ing the performers. It wouldn’t kill her to smile a little.”

Since Velma’s firing, fans and activist groups have been protesting outside of SeaWorld’s main entrance. Chloe Thompson, a sophomore at San Diego State, said that Velma’s case represents a much larger issue.

“It is ridiculous to think society would disregard an animal because she won’t smile,” said Thompson. “If Winter hadn’t been happy all the time, would they not have given her a new tail? Because ‘Dolphin Tale’ would have been a very different film.”

While representatives from SeaWorld could not be reached for comment, a publicly released statement from the organization maintained that Velma’s release was a result of complications with her contract and had nothing to do with her appearance. The statement went on to say that SeaWorld is still on amicable terms with Velma, and they wish her nothing but the best in her future en-

deavours.

Velma’s attorney, Jasper Renkin, told a very different tale of the unexpected termination.

“Our client was fired based on her refusal to comply with society’s beauty standards,” said Renkin. “It is egregious, and we will not rest until SeaWorld pays for their actions.”

Members of the marine biology community acquainted with Velma’s case are confused by the ordeal, stating that neither side of the argument has any basis in science.

“I’m confused by why this is an issue,” said Rene Borgot, a professor of marine biology at the University of Maine. “Dolphins don’t smile, nor do they have ‘resting bitch face.’ That is just their facial structure. Do people get that?”

Updates on Velma and her case can be found at the dolphin’s personal Twitter account, @restingbitchfish. rigazikm@miamioh.edu

5 Ways to Spook your Parents on Halloween NOAH BERTRAND THE MIAMI STUDENT

Don’t call them back This is a tried-and-true spooky prank that children across generations have enjoyed. There is no better punch line than the inevitable “Where are you? Please call us back. We’re worried,” text that is on its way. Have your friends join in on the gag by frantically calling your folks asking about your whereabouts. What fun! Nothing better than pranking your mom and dad a little bit this Halloween.

Join a Nickelback cover band There is nothing scarier than Canadian rock band Nickelback. Your parents will

not know what to do with themselves when they see you up on stage, gyrating your hips and committing tax fraud.

Known on the streets as the kings of white collar crime, this shady Canadian crowd is sure to alarm even the least caring of parents. Grunge is a road few go down and survive. Sorry Mom and Dad, this is the real me now!

Elope Oops, did you want to walk me down the aisle, Dad? Well, too bad! Ashlan and I fled to Minnesota and eloped. Is this marriage gonna last? No. But the sting of being abandoned by your offspring will live forever in the hearts of your parents.

This classic gag has become a staple of parent pranking and remains effective even today. Sometimes too effective.

Dad, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry.

Eat with your elbows on the table What could be more horrifying than realizing you failed as a parent? Your folks will dismay at your cultural faux pas.

Tarnishing your prestigious heritage by bringing table-etiquette shame to your family name is all a part of the game. Be warned, for your host may be so insulted that they challenge you to ritual combat which, unless you’re familiar with flintlock and steel, will likely lead to your death (which could be a fun prank, too!)

Expose Secrets about the U.S. Government Be a true patriot this October and reveal governmental secrets to the public. Any

avenue of communication works, as the government has eyes everywhere. The FBI will surely descend upon you and your family, which will give your parents the spook of a lifetime! If you were to say, for example, a flkdsj fasjdo iflaj;dslk jafljsdlfkjaldskjf ldjakfjd Iowa lakj dlkfjal kjdsfl kaj d and ljaksjdlf k the ajsldk the ldkjfj lkaj 1945 lfakjs dlkfjasldkj faijoe w vaccine lkfja ljeoifjaldkjfalkdsjf jorts idsjpfkldjf, you could get into really big trouble.

THE CONTENTS OF THIS ARTICLE ARE ENTIRELY A WORK OF SATIRICAL FICTION, BUT ARE IN NO WAY FUNNY, AND SHOULD BE FORGOTTEN QUICKLY. bertrant@miamioh.edu

SERIOMP@MIAMIOH.EDU

In Other News . . .

‘Cheese, Cheese and More Cheese’ minor coming to College of Arts and Sciences Revolutionary student takes shoes and socks off during poop in Armstrong bathroom Freshman using empty Svedka bottle as dorm decor is so cool Dog living in fraternity house slowly dying of malnourishment Miami squirrel wishes professors would teach more classes outside, says finishing degree is ‘taking forever’ Super senior blames the seal again for fourth failed exam Housemate passive-aggressively asks if you’re making grilled cheese again Local woman fears guy she’s talking to is a film major ‘Fuck it,’ says Miami Dining before adding fried green beans to menu

Janus Forum to host six white guys debating the score of cornhole MICHAEL SERIO HUMOR EDITOR

Michael Serio Miami University’s Janus Forum will address this year’s hot-button political issues by hosting six white guys debating the current score of cornhole.

The Janus Forum, a club at Miami where people with opposing viewpoints are invited to discuss their opinions freely, has hosted leaders of political discussion ranging from Vox creator Ezra Klein to New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayote.

The forum’s upcoming debate panel will include a Bruce, a Joe and four guys named Chad.

“We feel as though the score of cornhole is a highly controversial topic,” said Janus Forum member Samuel Jenkins.

“How many points were scored in the last turn? Was it 17 to 15 or 17 to 16? The scope of debate on this topic is infinite.”

The participants will prepare for the event by playing cornhole and chugging brews with their dudes, a rare sight in Oxford.

Chad number three, when asked about the upcoming debate, did not comment because he was passed out at a bar with sunglasses on. His friends referred to this as a classic “Weekend at Bernie’s.”

During the forum, Kenny Chesney songs will be played at a volume just

HUMOR 7

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

loud enough so that attendees will need to raise their voice to speak to the person next to them, but not so loud that the cops tell them to turn it down.

A bartender will also be present on the left side of the stage so the boys can keep their buzz going.

Several rules will be enforced during the debate in order to make sure the panel remains respectful, such as requiring the losers having to buy the next case of Natty.

During the debate, a dress code of pastel khakis and plaid button up shirts is mandatory, so that the debaters at the front of the room can feel like they are at any old bar in Oxford.

Upon entering, attendees will be asked who they know at the forum. If they cannot name anyone, they will be labeled a “narc” and kicked out, unless their dad is an executive at a bank and can get the organizers an interview there.

“In the age of Trump, we at the Forum want everyone to feel like they can express their own political ideas,” said Jenkins. “The best way to do that is to get a couple of white guys yelling at each other about the meaningless score of a backyard game where you throw bags filled with corn kernels at slanted wooden boards.” seriomp@miamioh.edu

Paws for A Cause under fire after hosting illegal human fighting rings MICHAEL SERIO HUMOR EDITOR

Gunshots and dog barks rang out last Thursday night, with hundreds of canines running in all directions after the Oxford Police Department broke up an illegal human fighting ring hosted by Miami University’s community service club Paws for a Cause Miami in an effort to raise money for their new service dog park.

Human fighting features two naked, greased-up humans in a ring, fighting to the death. Dogs bet on who will survive.

This sport was outlawed back in 1932, but is still widely practiced in underground rings.

“It’s shocking that this type of cruelty is still happening,” barked Dr. Snuffles, human expert and schnauzer. “What’s worse is that everyone is now going to think that humans are violent creatures, when in reality they are really quite friendly.”

Twelve dogs are currently being held at the local pound for questioning. Eight of them are Paws for a Cause Miami service dogs in training.

“We have known that human fighting has been happening in Oxford for a while,” said Oxford police chief and poodle Bubbles. “It was just that every time

send us your results.

seriomp@miamioh.edu

Fake Obituaries Michael Sheffield July 18, 1966 - Oct. 20, 2018 We know nothing about this man.

He has no kin and we lost all our dental records a while back, so if you know anything about this man, please call 1-800-DED-GUYS. In the absence of details, we had an intern write a few words.

Seemed like a cool guy, love his hair. Rip in peace.

Toby Jacobs May 3, 1935 - Oct. 12, 2018 Beloved grandfather and carpenter Toby Jacobs died tragically last Thursday after spending five days on his computer trying to post to “the Snapchat.”

He was ultimately unable to upload the out-of-focus video of his haggard, 13-year-old cat, but he did manage to find a recipe for easy fried chicken that he shared with his grandson.

The midterm grades of the kid Juuling in the back of class Aug. 2018 - Oct. 2018 Trent Copeland’s grades were pronounced legally dead last Tuesday after his Victorian Literature midterm.

Though he did not do any of the readings or show up to half the classes, he described the death as “unfair” because his parents “pay the teacher’s salary.” Trent looked into reanimating his grades after reading half the Sparknotes for Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, but he quickly lost interest.

Lloyd Townspourogh Jan. 17, 1998 - Oct. 5, 2018 Beloved son and Miami University student Lloyd Towspourough died last week in an attempt to get an extension on his midterm paper. “I’ll just get hit by a Bird scooter a little bit, and the doctor will have to write me a note,” Towspourough told a friend prior to the incident.

In some ways this was true, as he was issued a doctor’s note in the wake of this accident: “DOA.” Miami University’s Good Dining Locations

https://goo.gl/t6tK5b

we got a new lead, it would end up with us chasing our own tails. I’m glad we finally got them.”

Cupcake, a black labrador retriever and Paws for a Cause Miami’s president, was not present at the fights when the police arrived, but several pee marks around the ring belonging to him proved that he was in attendance during the event.

This is not the first time Paws for a Cause Miami has come under fire for shady fundraising actions. They held a poker tournament back in 2013, where a bulldog was found to be cheating.The org has also been connected to the local beggin’ strip clubs, often providing them dog show girls.

“The actions of Paws for a Cause does not reflect the views of Miami University,” said Miami’s president and golden retriever Ivy Crawford. “We just hope that we can bury the bone with human rights groups, like the Human Society, to resolve this.”

1809 - 2018 The remains of Miami University’s only decent dining locations were found last Thursday, partially ground in President Crawford’s woodchipper after they were reported missing two years ago.

Among those found were sandwich shop and Oxford sweetheart Delish. Delish’s older brother Encounter was also identified. Police are still searching for the body of a la carte Bell Tower Dining, and suspect its whereabouts may be connected to twelve raw lobsters found near the scene.

Farmer School of Business FirstYears 2000/2001 - 2018 Eight first-year students died during Farmer’s annual “Fall Freshmen Harvest,” an event where nine first-years are put into a labyrinth filled with vicious beasts and deadly traps in an effort to score an interview with Cintas. Only one participant, Tony Conway, made it out alive this year. The rest were either eaten by the minotaur or crushed to death by donated chandeliers. Conway was glad to announce that, due to the reduction in class size, he easily made it to the second round of interviews.

Ellie’s Tinder Account Oct. 13, 2018 - Oct. 14, 2018 Sophomore Ellie Rextle’s Tinder account was deactivated, of Rextle’s own accord, after only 22 hours of use. Ellie recently got out of a long-term relationship and thought the account would help her turn over a new leaf. In less than a day, the account helped Ellie realize that Tinder was not for the faint of heart. Though her account was shortlived, it prompted a myriad of messages from hopeful suitors such as “hey :)” and “who’s your friend in the second pic?”

Pumpkin Oct. 1, 2018 - Oct. 12, 2018 A local pumpkin was found viciously carved up on the front porch of a house.

The wounds indicate the killer was trying to give the victim two triangle eyes and a wide, toothy smile. This is the fifth incident connected to a string of pumpkin murders this month. Each victim had some sort of whimsical or spooky design carved into its husk. Please contact the Oxford Police Department if you have any information on the murderers.

Joe Stumps Feb. 14, 1998 - Oct. 8, 2018 Local improv comedian Joe Stumps died of a heart attack on stage during a silly improv performance. Audience members thought he was doing a bit when he suddenly seized up and fell off the stage. Much like the majority of his act, the heart attack only got a couple of snickers. Overall, the show earned 2/5 stars.

Phiten Necklaces 2007 - 2011 Gone, but never forgotten. Our lives have all been a little off-balance without them.

8 SPORTS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

SIMANSEC@MIAMIOH.EDU

Football falls two yards short to Army in double-overtime JJ HARTWELL

THE MIAMI STUDENT

“If you asked our guys if we had a chance Wednesday they would’ve told you no,” head coach Chuck Martin said on Saturday.

Not even Martin could have predicted his Miami football team (35, 3-1 Mid-American) would force double-overtime at Army or to lose 31-30 in such heartbreaking fashion.

The game came down to the last play – a two-point conversion attempt following a Miami touchdown that cut the RedHawks’ deficit to just one in double-overtime.

Martin decided to go for two, with the momentum behind his team and the sellout crowd of 36,000 silent as Miami’s offense had taken over.

“Normally I would never go for two,” Martin said. “But I had said earlier in the week our offensive guys knew like, ‘Hey if we tie this thing late, we’re going for two.’”

Redshirt senior quarterback Gus Ragland dropped back and was caught by a defensive lineman.

Army’s signature celebration cannons signifying a West Point win blasted. The Army Cadets and home fans cheered in supposed victory.

Everyone thought the game was over, but Ragland refused to go down without a fight.

Remarkably, he got rid of the ball before being sacked, and redshirt senior running back Kenny Young was there to catch it.

He had blockers in front of him and, for a second, Miami looked to have stunned the Golden Knights.

Until Young was stuffed by two Army defenders at the two-yard line.

Two yards prevented Martin from his first non-conference FBS victory as a Miami coach.

But then the cannons went off again, this time for real as West Point (5-2) solidified their 11th straight win at home.

“Best chance to win: our offense against their defense,” Martin said.

“I think their defense is good, but I thought that [two-point conversion] gave us the best chance.”

Earlier in the game, Army had firm control, taking an early 14-0 lead while crippling Miami’s offense for the entirety of the first quarter and half the second.

The RedHawks finally got on the board halfway through the second quarter with a 34-yard pass from Ragland to Young.

Redshirt senior Brad Koenig made an important goal-line stop with 10 seconds left in the first half.

His fourth-down tackle on the one yard line sent the RedHawks to the locker room trailing 14-7.

“I was shocked we stopped them, to be honest with you,” Martin said about Koenig’s fourth-down tackle.

Koenig led Miami’s defense with a career-high 23 tackles. He was later named MAC East Defensive Player of the Week.

In the second half, Miami started slow, allowing West Point to make it 21-7 off a one-yard, rushing touchdown before the third quarter ended.

As the fourth quarter ticked along, the game looked like it was over when West Point was able to stop the RedHawks on fourth down to get the ball back with eight-and-a-half minutes left in regulation. Then, Miami’s defense held strong to make a stop, giving the RedHawk offense life with 6:17 left on the clock.

“If you can settle in and don’t panic, [...] the game starts to slow down,” Martin said. “They run the same plays over and over again and now it’s almost like we’re practicing against Army.”

In a minute and 54 seconds, Miami scored quickly when Ragland found sophomore wide receiver Dominique Robinson in the corner of the end zone from three yards out.

Martin then elected to go for an onside kick. Army recovered, but

Miami’s defense was able to force another three-and-out giving Ragland and co. one last opportunity to tie the game with 3:11 left to play.

Ragland answered.

He led the RedHawks 82 yards and completed the drive with a fourth-down passing touchdown to redshirt junior tight end Nate Becker that tied the game with 17 seconds remaining.

Overtime started and all 36,000 people were on their feet.

Miami started with a field goal on its opening possession. West Point responded with a field goal of its own.

In the second overtime, the Golden Knights scored a touchdown, but Ragland matched their touchdown. He found redshirt junior wide receiver Luke Mayock on fourth-and-18 to tie the game.

Martin elected to go for two and win the game, but the conversion fell two-yards short ending the comeback bid.

“I’m pretty damn proud,” Martin

QUARTERBACK GUS RAGLAND THROWS TO TE ANDREW HOMER (TOP) BEFORE MIAMI’S DEFENSE SLOWS ARMY’S OFFENSE (BELOW). DANNY WILD ARMY WEST POINT ATHLETICS

said after the game, choking up.

“I’m pretty damn proud to be part of the game.”

Ragland passed for 30 completions, 329 yards and four touchdowns. He also led Miami in rushing yards.

Miami has the weekend off to recover before starting mid-week

MACtion at Buffalo. Kick-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. Tuesday, October 30th. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2/ESPNU. hartwejm@miamioh.edu @2399Jj

Unlikely heros propel Miami volleyball into first place

JUNIOR OUTSIDE HITTER TAYLOR DAIGNAULT (11) CELEBRATES WITH HER TEAM AFTER A POINT ON SATURDAY AT MILLETT HALL. DAIGNAULT WAS LATER NAMED PLAYER OF THE MATCH. RUISI LUO THE MIAMI STUDENT

CHRIS VINEL STAFF WRITER

A pair of unexpected heroes pushed Miami volleyball into first place in the Mid-American Conference this weekend.

Miami entered Friday night in a three-way tie atop the MAC standings before senior middle hitter Courtney Simons and junior outside hitter Taylor Daignault led the Redhawks to wins over Ball State and Toledo, respectively.

While both players are key cogs in head coach Carolyn Condit’s rotation, neither is typically featured in a starring role. That changed when the ’Hawks needed them most.

On Friday, Simons earned her

first collegiate Player of the Match recognition with a 16-kill, twoblock performance. She hit an astounding .565 hitting percentage – almost .300 points higher than any other RedHawk who tallied five or more attack attempts. She followed up with 10 kills on Saturday.

Simons put down four of Miami’s final 12 points (including the game-winner) in the match-deciding fifth set against Ball State. She started the weekend with 35 kills this season and ended with 61.

“I thought she had a huge impact,” Condit said on Friday. “Courtney is very resilient. She was a little frustrated because we had her against [Ball State’s] biggest blocker. But she never got down and her offense kept getting better and better. I’m

just real proud of her.”

Daignault stuffed multiple areas of the statsheet against Ball State (eight kills, 13 digs, one assist) before exploding for a 13-kill, 12-dig and three-block game against Toledo. Like Simons the night before, Daignault was also named Player of the Match.

After the RedHawks lost momentum during the third and early fourth sets on Saturday, Daignault’s aggressive play spearheaded her team’s comeback and eventual set-victory with three final-set kills and a couple diving digs. She now has 49 kills and 147 digs – up from 28 and 122 before the weekend.

“Taylor Daignault was amazing,” Condit said. “Her hand control and the shots she found against this

team really kept them off-balance.

Taylor was just creative all night.

She made a big difference.”

Both players established new season-highs in kills, with Simons’ 16 Friday-night kills also setting a career-high.

Not heavily relied on earlier this season, Simons and Daignault are benefitting from lineup changes made by Condit at the start of MAC play. By shifting some players to different positions and subbing more often, Condit has taken advantage of the deep roster she has at her disposal. That was lacking in previous years.

Last season, the RedHawks won the MAC Championship and were led by seniors Katie Tomasic, Olivia Rusek and Maeve McDonald.

Thus, whenever Miami got into trouble and needed someone to step up, it was usually one of those three.

Non-conference play this season brought much of the same. The characters were a bit different – Tomasic, Rusek and McDonald graduated and gave way to Margaret Payne, Corrine Jemison and Stela Kukoc – but that new trio was tasked with coming in clutch.

That’s not to say others weren’t important in 2017 or the infant stages of the 2018 season. Daignault actually played a big role on last season’s conference-championship team. She finished fifth on the team in kills (197) and second in digs (290).

But the lineup changes have yielded incredible success. Miami has a seven-game win-streak and sits at 17-5 (9-1 MAC) this season.

Through 22 games in 2017, the RedHawks were 15-7 (7-2 MAC).

This year’s team is outdoing last year’s, and depth has played a part.

“The bench is amazing,” Condit said. “They all pull for each other, and they come in, and they do something off the bench right away. Every team doesn’t have that specialness about them.”

Even with their breakout weekends, Simons and Daignault still rank in the middle of the team in most statistical categories. Simons is eighth in kills, and Daignault is ninth in kills and fifth in digs.

Daignault believes the talented RedHawks’ bench allows them to win close games.

“No matter who we have in, or what rotation we’re in, we’re able to do it,” Daignault said.

Now sitting alone in first place, the RedHawks are pleased with their record this season.

“It just attests to how hard we work as a team and how well we play together and how well we’re gelling,” Daignault said. “It’s great to be able to prove all the preseason polls wrong.”

With the depth and newfound positioning atop the standings, Miami will look for even more players to stand up.

With just six games left in the regular season, Simons knows her team can’t rest on its laurels yet.

“I definitely think there’s still work to do,” Simons. “I think we need to work hard every day. We still have to defeat the opponents that are coming up.”

Miami’s homestand continues against Buffalo (13-9, 5-5 MAC) and Akron (11-10, 3-7 MAC) at Millett Hall next weekend. vinelca@miamioh.edu @ChrisAVinel

SIMANSEC@MIAMIOH.EDU

SPORTS 9

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

Daryl Hildebrand: A cold awakening BENNETT WISE

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Miami men’s hockey practice echoes throughout Steve “Coach” Cady Arena as coach Enrico Blasi barks at his players circling during a drill.

“We gotta rebuild that ice for synchro [synchronized skating],” a maintenance worker nearby exclaims to Daryl Hildebrand over the echoes of practice. “I think that’s next, either that or dance.”

Hildebrand emerges from the tool closet. “Yeah, I’ll take care of it,” he replies. He removes his black Miami “M” hat and combs the grey hairs that sprout only from the sides of his head. “Just have to finish this.”

With 40 years of maintenance experience, you might think Hildebrand has seen and fixed it all. Then he matched up with a six-ton ice resurfacer, the Zamboni.

“I had never even heard of one before I came to this job,” Hildebrand said while chuckling. “Growing up in Indiana, we had football, basketball and baseball, but we aren’t too big on ice hockey.”

In just his second year, Hildebrand works as a senior maintenance and repair specialist for Goggin Ice Arena. He has switched employers more times in the past five years than in his entire life.

Hildebrand, 59, graduated from

HILDEBRAND WORKING DURING A HOCKEY GAME. MATT HECKERT THE MIAMI STUDENT

Connersville High School in Connersville, Indiana, where he still lives and commutes 45 minutes to Oxford every day. He started working for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) directly out of high school at its Brookville Lake branch. As a maintenance technician, Hildebrand did general building and property maintenance, which varied from welding

to picking up trash.

But after 36 years, Hildebrand has had enough.

“That’s not something that I planned on doing the rest of my life,” Hildebrand said. “It was a good job, but you knew you was never going to get rich working there. But it was steady.”

Hildebrand said many factories in the greater Cincinnati area at

Hockey: You win some, you lose some EMILY SIMANSKIS SPORTS EDITOR

Miami hockey is all too familiar with “you win some, you lose some.”

Against the University of Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks (22), the RedHawks (4-2) lost their Friday game 3-0 and lost almost all the one-on-one battles that came with it. But the ’Hawks won their Saturday game 2-1 by way of a finally-successful power play.

This is the second weekend in a row Miami has been shut out on Night One of play, only to go on and win on Night Two. “Our team showed a lot of character, being able to bounce back,” freshman defenseman Derek Daschke said on Saturday. “We went five periods without scoring on [Tyler Wall] and I thought it showed great leadership, great coaching and, just overall, a great overall team effort to be able to come back.”

The RedHawks continue to show their adaptability after UMass-Lowell’s junior goaltender Tyler Wall stopped all of Miami’s 36 shots on Friday night and 18 shots through the first and second periods on Saturday night.

Miami continued to pepper Wall with shots on Saturday but had

more bodies in front of the net and better positioning that eventually broke through Wall.

Sophomore forward Ben Lown ended Wall’s five-period shutout and backhanded a rebound to give the RedHawks their first goal of the weekend 1:05 into the third period.

Daschke’s game-winning goal seven and a half minutes later came with traffic in front of the net.

Both goals highlighted the versatility of Miami’s lineup, as the line-juggling during the RedHawks’ offensive slump on Saturday paid off.

Daschke’s goal also broke a power play drought that had stretched to 17 scoreless man-advantages.

The RedHawks ended the weekend 1-for-9 on the power play and 6-for-7 on the penalty kill.

To cap the Ws from the weekend, the freshman defenseman’s second goal of the season came off assists from junior forward Gordie Green and senior defenseman Grant Hutton – the balance of rookie and veteran talent propelled the RedHawks past the River Hawks and will be essential in the future.

But Saturday’s win couldn’t come without the Friday night loss, as the RedHawks collapsed structurally on Friday and lost one-on-one battles along the boards.

“You’ve got to win one-on-one

GORDIE GREEN (9) CELEBRATES DEREK DASCHKE’S (13) GAME-WINNING GOAL ON SATURDAY. MATT HECKERT THE MIAMI STUDENT

battles,” head coach Enrico Blasi said. “At the end of the day, it comes down to one-on-one battles and, if you’re not winning them, it’s hard to gain possession and it’s hard to gain any kind of momentum.”

Passes weren’t tape-to-tape and miscommunication plagued the ’Hawks, and the River Hawks took advantage on the power play, during five-on-five play and even when they were short-handed.

With each goal scored, Miami fell out of their structure and had a harder time establishing any offensive rhythm in UMass-Lowell’s end.

“I think we have to keep playing the game the right way,” senior forward Josh Melnick said on Friday. “So many times, when we get away from that, we put ourselves in trouble. If it’s not working out, we may try to make a fancy play when it’s not there and it’s not what we need.”

The RedHawks do need to find a way to win Game One and shutdown teams instead of being shut out. The ’Hawks are currently last in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference with 2.33 goals per game, and conference play looms in the near future.

Nevertheless, the weekend is another building-block for a stillyoung team.

“When you go through a game like we did tonight, you go through adversity,” Blasi said on Saturday.

“You go through doubt, frustration at times. All those things are really important in the big picture of learning and experiencing gamelike situations for the real deal.

You can’t mimic those situations in practice.”

The RedHawks continue their homestand this weekend against the Colgate University Raiders (21). Puck drop is 7:05 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday. simansec@miamioh.edu @emilysimanskis

’Hawks Talk “Take a chance or shit your pants.”

– Director of Hockey Operations Dean Stork on Saturday night when Miami hockey went on a four-on-three power play for 1:23.

Seventeen seconds later, freshman defenseman Derek Daschke scored the game-winning goal. The RedHawks ultimately beat UMass-Lowell 2-1.

the time were laying off workers.

His tenure at the IDNR helped him get along. He knew he always had a place to go, especially when he started having children.

Once he left the IDNR, Hildebrand ventured into other maintenance jobs, first as a floor technician at a nursing home. There, he mainly did building and bathroom repairs. He then journeyed to Miami where he had a short stint cleaning dorm rooms before finding an opening at his current position.

“The general building maintenance from past jobs have helped with stuff I’m doing now,” Hildebrand said. “We have to fix a lot of stuff in the building from changing and getting bugs out of lights to working on toilets that might clog up. I learned a lot of that when I worked at the IDNR.” On game days, you can find Daryl at the north end of Cady Arena: shovel in hand, smiling through his thick, white goatee, pressed up against the glass waiting for his turn on the ice. During breaks, Daryl clamps his ice grips to his black and tan work boots, grabs his snow plow shovel and clears excess ice and water on the rink.

“I normally don’t drive the Zamboni at the game. I usually just shovel snow,” Hildebrand said.

“I kinda just get to sit down there

and watch the game, which is kinda nice.”

He arrives three hours before puck drop and departs three hours after the final horn. He puts out all of the equipment for fans and staff (stanchions, chairs and tables for ticketing, carpets for the opposing team’s locker room) before setting up the goals on the ice and grabbing his shovel and squeegee. At the end of a Friday night, he breaks it all back down for it to only be put back up for the next day’s game, which he says, most people take for granted.

It’s tedious work that can be repetitive for some. But Hildebrand appreciates it all.

“There’s a lot to it that most people don’t know about that goes on here,” he said. “But somebody’s got to do it.”

When the stadium lights in Cady Arena go off and the emergency lights stay on, after fans and administrators have left the building, only the maintenance crew remains.

The crew stays to rebuild the playing surface. They scrape the leftover ice and throw it into trash cans before another worker dumps water and runs it over the Zamboni. Once the ice is firm and glossy, Daryl Hildebrand’s day is over. wisebm@miamioh.edu @bmw32999

Regular season MAC Champions

JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

Field hockey wins MAC Championship after beating Appalachian State 4-1 on Saturday.

Miami Scoreboard Here’s what you missed over the weekend: Thursday

Sunday

Soccer Eastern Michigan (MAC)........ 3 Miami.........................................0

Soccer Central Michigan (MAC)......... 2 Miami......................................... 0

Saturday Field hockey Miami......................................... 3 Appalachian State (MAC)........ 1

Field hockey Miami......................................... 4 Michigan State (Big Ten) ........ 0

10 OPINION

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2018

BURNSKL2@MIAMIOH.EDU

Miami, it’s time we start facing real-world consequences The following reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.

We received an email from a reader last week, a third-shift custodian at Farmer who bought the first new car of her life a few months ago.

At 3 a.m. last Friday, she walked out and found the hood of her Subaru smashed in and the windshield shattered. It looked like someone had jumped on it.

She had to get a ride home from her sister and wasn’t able to drive her son to school the following morning.

Not enough to warrant a story by itself. But enough to take notice, and make you a little angry.

We don’t know if a student was responsible for the damage, but it wasn’t the only incidence of vandalism we saw in our weekly media report from the Oxford Police Department. And we do know that drunk college students do dumb, drunken things — like jumping on cars.

A lot of the time, the people who do these things don’t experience any lasting consequences. They either don’t get charged or they pay to get the charges expunged.

The question we have to ask is, how do you hold people accountable while they to continue to live in the pseudo-real world of the Oxford bubble?

While we’re at Miami, consequences don’t seem real. Get caught drinking underage? Just take the diversion and get it off your record. Break a windshield? Throw money at it until it goes away.

Many of us are guilty of the “not the real world” mentality. We say, “When I’m an adult,” “when I’m

in the real world” or “When I’m an actual person” as if a quarter of us aren’t a few months away from graduation.

Many students have their parents as a financial backup. If you do, that’s great and hopefully you’re grateful for it.

Statistically, Miami is a pretty wealthy school. According to a survey of incoming first years, 75 percent of first years come from a household that makes $100,000 or more a year.

Having a cushion of money surrounding your college experience can give the false sense that there’s nothing to worry about. Many of us feel like we can pay for that windshield or pay a lawyer to get an infraction expunged off our record.

But not always going to have their money to fall back on and eventually, we’ll be on our own. We’ll have to pay our own bills and deal with any financial difficulties that come our way.

For some students, that’s already their reality.

When you have to rely on financial aids and scholarships to go to college, you behave more carefully.

When you have less, you worry more.

While some students might not care if they get charged with a misdemeanor crime, such as underage possession of alcohol, these offenses are placed on their records and may affect them later on. These offenses also require a lengthy legal process before they can be expunged.

We all take those risks, but when we have a sense of entitlement and think that we were meant to have this experience and it can’t be taken away, we behave

Say what you mean KELLY BURNS

OPINION EDITOR

Picture the iconic scene from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” where Indiana Jones is confronted by a swordsman, who whips out the most elaborate routine, swinging his sword, the whole nine yards — only for Indy to shoot him halfway through his showboating.

It’s a great scene, sure, but it also illustrates a much larger point, both literally and figuratively.

Be a straight shooter.

Being a straight shooter means cutting out the elaborate tip-toeing around what you’re going to say. Know your point, back it up and say it. Don’t hide behind vague excuses that anyone with half a brain will see through.

Example of the sword show: “Well, you know, I have a lot of work to do and *cough* *cough* I’m not feeling great but we’ll see. You know I want to go out.

Yeah I might push through I just don’t know.”

Indy and his gun: “I’m not going.”

When you’re a straight shooter, things are easier. There’s no worrying over, are they going to see through what I’m saying and be mad? There’s no overanalyzing what other people say.

Honestly, it’s considerate to the other people too. They know exactly where you stand because you’ve told them.

We’re too concerned with hurting people’s feelings. Not to say that being a straight shooter gives you an excuse to run your mouth for no other purpose than to be hurtful.

Being a straight shooter is not saying something that’s mean just for the purpose of “being honest.” Speaking your mind does not negate the old and cliché, but true, phrase, “If you have nothing nice and it would be unproductive to say

it at this time, shut the hell up because no one wants to hear it.”

When we skirt around what needs to be said, all we’re doing is playing a game with no winners. All it leads to is miscommunication, overanalyzed screenshots of texts and anxiety.

In a lot of these situations, it’s not life or death. It’s not you keeping something from them because it will break open the earth under their feet and drop them into hell.

It’s just being honest. When my friends ask if they look cute in a top and they look like a contestant on “What Not to Wear,” I’m going to tell them they look like a potato. If that’s what they look like.

Being a straight shooter isn’t something that is inherently negative, either.

Give a compliment — just don’t be creepy about it.

When you see someone who is wearing a great outfit, tell them. When someone makes a great point in class that blows you away, tell them. When you just enjoy a person because of their general vibe and being — tell them!

Our society is so obsessed with being liked by people, but on the flip side we are obsessed with avoiding the perception of fakeness. We need to get rid of both. Say what you mean, mean what you say, it’s as easy as that.

If we’re all honest with what we think (in a productive, non jerk way) imagine how many fewer screenshots of texts we’ll have to send to friends in order to figure out what’s being said.

Be Indiana Jones, not the unnamed swordsman who gets 20 seconds of screentime. burnskl2@miamioh.edu

more recklessly. We ignore the fact that consequences matter.

If we weren’t in college, we’d take our actions more seriously. Any misdemeanor would be on our record and our employers would be able to see them.

We could be denied a job because of them.

In Oxford, a sense of entitlement mixes with the invincible mentality of most people our age who believe, we’re not who’s going to get in trouble. And if we do, daddy will make it go away.

Oxford is safe. Getting blacked out at the bars and stumbling your way home isn’t the worst thing you can do here. You’ll probably wake up the next morning with nothing but a bad hangover and residual embarrassment.

In the “real world,” the story isn’t going to have as nice of an ending.

Just because this town we live in lets us sometimes pretend we’re not in the real world, that doesn’t mean we aren’t.

Money isn’t inherently bad. Privilege isn’t inherently bad. But when you don’t acknowledge your privilege, it is dangerous, both to you and the people your mistakes affect.

If we don’t at least stop and recognize the fact that we have this safety net and bubble surrounding us, the second the bubble pops, the net dissolves, we’re going to fall. And the landing is not going to be gentle.

We’re not waiting to be adults, and we aren’t in line to enter the real world.

We’re already here.

Sorry guys, but we should stop apologizing so much KIRBY DAVIS

MANAGING EDITOR

Last week, I was rounding a corner in Armstrong and almost ran into another girl. We didn’t even brush shoulders, but we both dissolved into choruses of “Oh my God I’m so sorry!”’

Sunday night, I was walking down High Street with one of my friends and accidentally brushed her hand. We both immediately apologized to each other.

And a few minutes ago, when I took a break from writing this column, I instinctively apologized for opening the Miami Student’s office door and almost hitting my friend. I didn’t hit her, but I could have, and I felt bad.

I used to think saying “sorry” was something you said to be polite, as well as an actual apology. I thought it was rude to not say it if you accidentally brushed someone’s shoulder in public or even came a little too close to accidentally brushing someone’s shoulder in public.

I realize now that right word for that situation is “ope” — if you’re from the Midwest, at least. If not, I don’t think you have to say anything.

Saying “sorry” every time you feel the slightest bit apologetic, I’ve learned, cheapens the real “sorrys.” If you apologize for everything — even things totally out of your control — how are people supposed to know when you really mean it?

One of my friends has a number of theories about why millennial/Gen-Zers (female ones in particular) apologize so much, like the fact that we’re more empathetic than previous generations and that we can’t stomach confrontation. They check out.

My personal theory is that, as women, we apologize preemptively because we anticipate having to defend ourselves. We have to defend almost everything about

ourselves, from liking Taylor Swift music to the way we dress to pretty much any other way we choose to express ourselves.

I didn’t realize that I was sandwiching every other word I said with “like” back in middle school, until my mother pointed it out to me. And I didn’t realize how much I apologized until my friends and professors at Miami pointed it out to me.

But even after I became conscious of it, I couldn’t stop. Saying “sorry” for me is like scratching an itch. I can put off saying it for a few minutes if someone specifically asks me not to, but I have to apologize eventually (for apologizing too much).

The only thing that’s helped rid me of the constant need to apologize is something one of my friends told me last week.

She said that she, too, feels horrifically guilty when people do anything for her.

But, she said, instead of apologizing to her boyfriend for picking her up from class, she now tells him she appreciates him doing so. Or instead of apologizing for leaving a plate in the sink, she thanks one of our housemates for washing it.

Instead of feeling unnecessarily guilty and blaming yourself for things that are at most a blip on other people’s radars, her approach forces you to recognize the little things people do for you.

This practice felt revolutionary when she introduced it to me last week, and I’ve actively been trying to employ it since then.

It works, and people notice; they generally respond better to being thanked than needlessly apologized to.

I understand that not all women feel compelled to constantly say “sorry” in response to things that are and aren’t their faults. But for those that do, it’s important to stop and evaluate why. We shouldn’t say “sorry” if the thing we’re apologizing for didn’t hurt anyone, wasn’t our fault or didn’t actually affect anything at all. daviskn3@miamioh.edu

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