April 1, 2016 | The Miami Student

ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016

Volume 144 №43

Miami University — Oxford, Ohio

Dependence on contingent faculty erodes MU mission Professor,

second class Tenure/Tenure Track

First in a series FACULTY

MEGAN ZAHNEIS NEWS EDITOR

John-Charles Duffy can’t get off his hamster wheel.

Last fall, after four years of teaching in Miami’s Department of Comparative Religion, Duffy was promoted from visiting assistant professor (VAP) to instructor.

That’s a step up in salary and job security. But it’s still not the tenure-track position he’s hoped for since earning his Ph.D. in 2011.

To have a chance at tenure—that is, career-long job security— at Miami or another institution, he’ll have to make original contributions to knowledge in his field. But to do that, he needs time for research, and only professors on the track toward tenure have that luxury.

Duffy’s grateful just to have a job in his field. It’s more than many Ph.D.s have.

But he’s paid to teach fulltime, not to do research— thus the inescapable hamster wheel.

“The danger is that, once you’re a VAP or a lecturer,” he said, “you’ll get caught in this cycle where all your

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TESS SOHNGEN

THE MIAMI STUDENT

A small dog wandered in the middle of the empty road. The Cubans standing on the edges of the blockaded road yelled at the dog and then for the guards to move the animal before it was hit.

At any moment the motorcade would come speeding down the cobblestone street — the moment the Cuban citizens have been waiting for since they lined up along the sides of the road.

President Obama was coming.

A guard sprinted across the road and moved the dog to safety. The crowd cheered. Even in the rain, it was an energy and openness that Miami professor Melanie Ziegler had not experienced in her nine trips to Cuba. Minutes later, President Obama and his family rode down the street. President Obama had just laid a wreath at the Cuban journalist and poet José Martí’s grave.

March 20 marked the first time a U.S. president had travelled to Cuba in 88 years. In what Obama called “a historic moment,” the first family’s trip to Cuba marked a large step toward the end of animosity between two

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The proportion of credit hours taught by contingent faculty at Miami has increased by 15 percent over the last 10 years. time is spent teaching, teaching, teaching, teaching, and you’re not able to get your research done, which means, in the end, you can never get off the wheel.”

Duffy is part of a growing class of university faculty at Miami and across the country: the contingents—so called because they work on year-to-year contracts, unlike tenured professors, who earn lifetime job security after a probationary period of several years on the “tenure track.”

Contingent faculty are bearing an increasing share of Miami’s teaching load.

The proportion of courses taught by full-time non-tenure-track faculty rose from 23 percent in fall 2004 to 39 percent in fall 2015.

And that doesn’t count the many courses taught by

Professor travels to Cuba for presidential visit INTERNATIONAL

Adjunct, Part-time, & Graduate Assistants

Non-Tenure Track

countries separated by only 90 miles of sea.

“This was the moment I thought was the tipping point. I thought, I absolutely had to be there … and it was worth it,” said Ziegler. “I just wanted to be there to see this historic moment that I honestly did not know when and if it would ever come.”

Ziegler made a last minute decision to travel to Cuba with her daughter for President Obama’s visit. She booked part of an old mansion for three nights through Airbnb, a website that allows people to list and rent accommodations for travelers. The owners had kept the mansion “frozen in time” to keep the antique charm and culture of the building alive through original furniture and vibrantly colored walls.

Ziegler’s fascination with Cuba predates Fidel Castro’s rise to power. Her interest in Cuba and the Spanish language was sparked by the character Ricky Ricardo from the 1950s sitcom “I Love Lucy.” She calls herself a “Cuba-holic” and continued to stare and smile at the map of the island country taped to her desk as she recalled stories from her trips.

Growing up during the Cold War, the memories of cuba »PAGE 8

“adjunct” faculty, other parttimers and graduate students, who make roughly $2,000$4,000 per course, sometimes while working other jobs.

Yet despite their growing responsibility for educating Miami’s students, many contingents contend they are treated as second-class academic citizens, with less security, lower pay, less authority, and less academic freedom than their tenuretrack peers.

Duffy’s story is a cautionary tale not only for contingent faculty like himself, but for Miami as a whole, since the university’s growing reliance on contingents calls into question its claim to provide a “public Ivy”-caliber education.

Professors... and not

At Miami and many other colleges and universities, contingent faculty are the imperfect solution to chronic budget problems that worsened with the onset of the Great Recession. They are essentially stopgaps for departments that would like to hire tenure-track faculty but can’t. So they’ve become the underlings of higher education—overworked, underpaid, and usually powerless within their departments.

“It’s creating a two‑class faculty structure,” said James Brock, a tenured professor of economics. “Everybody else is the bottom class.The problem with that is that everybody else is who’s doing all the teaching. So it is, in effect, downgrading the importance and value of teaching by saying the real faculty

New benches to make campus more accessible CAMPUS

KAREN AUGENSTEIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Rachel Reeves, a sophomore and the Associated Student Government’s Director of Disability Advocacy, has passed a resolution in ASG that will lead to the construction of six to eight benches around Miami University’s campus. Reeves estimates the construction and installation of the benches will cost approximately $6,000, and ASG hopes to have them installed by fall 2016. Reeves has been working with members of Student Senate to allocate funds.

“I am really excited to get these things on the ground. I want them to be built as soon as possible,” Reeves said.

Currently, there are very few benches available on Miami University’s campus, particularly in high-traffic areas. Due to Miami University’s terrain, students who have mobility disabilities struggle when traveling to and from classes. Reeves, who has a physical disability, noted the importance of having accessible benches when traveling around campus.

“I’ve missed class before because I can’t make it up large hills,” Reeves said. “If there is a bench available,

I might not have to stop as much to catch my breath. If there are benches available, I will miss less class and become a better student because of that. For people that need to use these benches, it is astronomically beneficial.”

Miami University has approximately 800 students who are registered with Student Disability Services. According to Andrew Zeisler, director of Student Disability Services, accommodations such as benches benefit these students, who comprise about 1 percent of the student body.

In addition, Zeisler said benches can serve a dual purpose.

“Benches not only benefit the social aspect on campus, like having places to sit, but also it is beneficial for students who have a physical disability who may need to rest or pace themselves while walking to class,” Zeisler says. “They will benefit everyone.”

Ellen Kahle, a freshman with a physical disability, agreed that benches around campus will be beneficial all around.

“It will provide people with more opportunities to have a comfortable seat benches »PAGE 8

A.J. NEWBERRY THE MIAMI STUDENT

Classification of contingent faculty:

stars don’t do so much teaching; the grunts do the teaching. And that puts teaching in a very negative light. I think it can’t help but do that. It unavoidably tags teaching as lower-class activity.”

Part-time faculty: Often called “adjuncts,” who typically teach a class or two per semester with low pay and no guarantee of later contracts.

One contingent’s story John-Charles Duffy’s job search started before he had even finished his Ph.D. dissertation at the University of North Carolina. In 2011, after countless hours spent applying for entry-level positions in academia, he was hired to teach three courses per term as a VAP in Miami’s Department of Comparative Religion. That meant very long days—one former Miami VAP estimates he worked 80 hours per week—but at least

Instructors: Full-timers contracted year by year with a five-year limit.

VAP: Visiting assistant professors are also fulltime. More likely than instructors to hold a Ph.D., they make slightly more money, but also work a five-year limit.

LCPL: Lecturers, clinical and professionally licensed faculty are hired annually.

ADJUNCT »PAGE 3

Miami musicians bring classical music to India

CONTRIBUTED BY SRINIVAS KRISHNAN

Eight students spent their spring break in India, touring the country to perform with the Global Rhythms Orchestra.

INTERNATIONAL

RILEY STEINER

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Over spring break, eight Miami University students traveled to India to perform as part of the Global Rhythms Orchestra.

They spent nine days in Chennai and Pondicherry, performing music, visiting historic sites and collaborating with esteemed musicians.

The trip was led by Srinivas Krishnan, who teaches a sprint course and organizes the Global Rhythms performances at Miami each fall.

In the spring, Krishnan lives in Chennai.

The first day the students arrived in India, they rehearsed with the Sunshine Orchestra, helmed by A.R. Rahman, a two-time Academy Award-winning Indian artist who created the Orchestra to teach music to underprivileged young people.

Miami’s students had only one day to rehearse with the Sunshine Orchestra before their first performance. The open-air venue was an hour outside of Chennai, and the day was a sweltering 95 deindia »PAGE 9

NEWS p. 2

NEWS p. 3

CULTURE p. 4

OPINION p. 6

SPORTS p. 10

MURAL DEFACED WITH HOMOPHOBIC SLURS

SPECIAL REPORT:

ONE WRITER’S LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP

EDITORIAL BOARD CRITIQUES TINDER APPLICATION

BASEBALL TAKES BACKSEAT TO FOOTBALL

Split ends cause distress, haircuts over break provoke identity crisis.

Recent TMS article raises concerns over the gamification of relationships.

Columnist calls for an embrace of the great American pastime.

Vandalization attacks Miami’s LGBTQ+ community, Women’s Center.

Continued from Page 1, one visiting assistant professor’s experience sheds light on the exploitation of contingent faculty across higher education.

2 NEWS

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

Welcome to the Jungle: Bonaminio has Miami roots FEATURE

BONNIE MEIBERS

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

With its green facade painted to mimic jungle vines and trees and the turquoise waters of the shallow ponds flanking the door on either side, Jungle Jim’s is hard to miss.

Life-sized giraffe and elephant statues can be seen taking a water break in the pond through the thick brush and shrubs. Shoppers entering the international grocery store are engulfed by the sounds of lions growling and monkeys howling, welcoming them to the jungle.

What many may not know is that the Jungle Jim behind Jungle Jim’s isn’t just a character, he is a real person — a father and a Miami alumnus. And his story is just as wild as his name suggests.

Jim Bonaminio, known to most as “Jungle,” was practically born a businessman.

“My mother is like Donald Trump and Martha Stewart combined,” he said.

Marie Bonaminio, or “Toots,” as Jungle calls her, sold Fuller brushes door-to-door. Jungle first learned to be a salesman from Marie, who still works full-time today at 90-years-old. Jungle would go door-to-door pulling his red wagon, a shovel and a rake around his Lorain, Ohio neighborhood.

“I was the only kid at nine years old to have my own business card.”

Jungle later played baseball at Lorain Admiral King High School. His coach was Forest “Bud” Middaugh, who went on to coach baseball at Mi-

ami University. When Middaugh left Admiral King for Miami, he brought Jungle with him.

“I got slid underneath the door,” Jungle said.

The year was 1967, and the Vietnam War was dividing both his generation and the nation. Jungle was the first of his family to attend college, and the businessman admits he felt out of place in academia.

After his first year at Miami, Jungle decided his baseball career did not have a future, and he quit the team. He stayed at Miami for six and a half years, but never graduated.

Although he didn’t leave Miami with a degree, Jungle did learn a lot from his time at the university.

His time and motion study course comes in handy on a regular basis, he said. Time and motion study is the evaluation of the efficiency of an operation. For instance, when Jungle sees someone in the store cleaning in one spot and then throwing something away at another, he uses the mindset this course taught him and moves the trashcan.

Miami also brought Jungle his wife, Joani. The two met during her senior year, and, yes, they did kiss under the Upham Arch.

“She’s one of the best things that ever happened to me,” he said.

Jungle was always busy with one business operation or another. While studying at Miami, he sold produce from a myriad of farmers out of his truck in locations throughout Hamilton and owned other produce stands near Lorain before going to college.

During his years at Miami, the university forbade students from having

JENNIFER MILLS THE MIAMI STUDENT

Renowned international grocery store and tourist attraction Jungle Jim’s has Miami roots; its founder, onetime Miami baseball player Jim Bonaminio, spent six years in Oxford. cars on campus. Jungle’s vehicle was essential to his produce stand, however, so to get around this restriction, Jungle would drive his truck into trees behind his house, Ye Old White House, and cover it with brush. It was never found, he said.

If he wasn’t running a business off campus, he was starting new business ventures on campus. As a sophomore, Jungle tried to sell French fries and hot chocolate out of his window on the first floor of Brandon Hall. He and his roommate bought a cooker, potatoes and hot chocolate. One night, they stole wood from behind the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house and crafted a makeshift stand to put inside their room. The pair went to bed and woke up the next morning with

bugs crawling all over their room.

“That was it,” Jungle said. “That was the end of the business.”

Unlike that dorm-room failure, Jungle Jim’s International Grocery Store has had major success and grown to include two locations in Fairfield and Eastgate.

Both stores are filled with food, beer and wine from all over the world. In the Fairfield store, the Campbell’s Soup Boy greets visitors, perched on a swing above various produce. There is an 800-pound block of cheese, fondly called “The Big Cheese,” hanging in the cheese department. The award-winning bathrooms are disguised as Rumpke Port-a-lets. A large, fuzzy lion dressed as Elvis sings to shoppers.

“The wildness downstairs carries into the office up here,” said Jared Bowers, Jungle Jim’s social media and content coordinator.

The store’s vast collection grew from customer requests, said Jimmy Bonaminio, Jungle’s son. Jungle Jim’s started carrying international products for immigrants or locals who had travelled internationally and requested the foods.

Jimmy said his father is very hands-on with the store, designing shelves and collecting items to display. Jungle works every day of the week.

“It’s his whole world,” Jimmy said.

JUNGLE » PAGE 5

Women’s Center mural celebrating LGBTQ+ community vandalized CRIME

ELIZABETH HANSEN

ASSISTANT CULTURE EDITOR

On the morning of March 17, a mural depicting diversity outside of the Women’s Center was vandalized.

A colorful display of students from diverse backgrounds, including two men kissing, was defaced with black Sharpie. Their faces were crossed out and a homophobic slur was written under the words, “Dare to Be!” “It was not only an attack on our LGBT students, but it was an attack on, and a message to, the Women’s Center,” said Rhonda Jackson, the administrative assistant for the Women’s Center.

Jackson was informed of the

vandalism at approximately 8:30 a.m. Thursday morning. She immediately called MUPD and filed a report.

“It was one of those things, as an ally, that affected me as someone who advocates for the LGBTQIAplus-plus-plus community,” said Jackson. “Even in all my cisgender privilege as a white cis female.

I felt uneasy.”

The Women’s Center was established in 1991 to educate the university about gender equality through various programs and events and to provide a welcoming space for people of all sexual orientations.

“We always deemed the Women’s Center as a safe, brave space to be, and it felt different after that happened,” said Jackson.

The mural was painted by Miami

alumnus David Butler and has been hanging on the wall outside the Women’s Center for the past three years. A week after the mural was defaced, Butler left his home in Columbus to help restore it.

He and his wife spent five hours painting over the vandalism, reversing the hateful crime.

“It was so wonderful of David and his wife to come over on their own. They didn’t even ask for any kind of compensation, they just wanted to make it right,” said Jackson. “That was really a beautiful thing to see because they knew how powerful that mural was.”

But what made the restored mural so powerful was not just the five hours the Butlers spent painting, it was what David intentionally left on the man’s face.

Butler fashioned the hateful Sharpie marking into a scar on the man’s face, as a reminder that even in brave, safe spaces, incidents still happen.

“We were really grateful that David could work that in and make it a part of the history of the mural,” said Jackson.

In response to the vandalism in the Women’s Center, the Spectrum Executive Board, the GLBTQ Services and the 1809 LGBT Alumni Association Board published a letter to the editor in Tuesday’s paper expressing their concern and support for victims of these acts: “ … Each of you are someone worth respecting and affirming just as you are today and as you might be tomorrow. Our community thrives when all members (students,

faculty and staff) are accepted and celebrated for who they are, are discovering, or are becoming. We collectively want you to know that we are here for you, today and always,” read the letter.

First-year Kevin Vestal said that the act was hard for the LGBTQ+ community to stomach.

“As a gay person, you endure minute things that, at the end of the day, you sleep off,” Vestal said.

“But these big acts of violence, you can’t sleep them off.”

While discriminatory acts against the LGBTQ+ community are still prevalent, steps have been made to improve the safety of Miami’s campus for these students, the most recent of which is the installation of MURAL » PAGE 5

Withrow Court demolition met with disappointment from many Long-time athletic facility to be demolished this summer CONSTRUCTION

SARAH KNEPP

THE MIAMI STUDENT

This June, Withrow Court, the multi-use athletic facility on Talawanda Ave. near North Quad, will be demolished.

The decision was met with disappointment from students who currently use Withrow regularly.

“I’m really disappointed about Withrow being torn down,” said Hailey Barr, a sophomore member of the weightlifting club.

This project has been a long time coming, even though the community at large has not known about it until fairly recently.

“This isn’t a new thing,” said Doug Curry, executive director of recreational sports. “It may be new to the students, but it’s been talked about for a long time. Eventually, we knew it was going to happen.”

The decision to tear down the building this June is because the cost of making necessary repairs would total around $15 to 20 million, said Steve Cady, senior associate athletic director.

Withrow needs a new roof, pipes, heating and air conditioning repairs.

“Bringing Withrow up to accessibility codes would cost significantly more than to build a same-size facility brand new,” said Ron Siliko,

senior director of customer services and facility management.

Demolition of the building itself is predicted to be complete by the time students return for the fall semester at the end of August.

The fate of the on-campus real estate Withrow currently occupies is still unknown. Cady said the space could be used for a new residence hall or academic building.

The plot of land will stand empty for several years, said John Seibert, director of planning, architecture and engineering.

The removal of the Withrow facility will displace around 107 groups, including club sports, varsity athletics and external organizations.

The university’s recreation and athletic departments, have been working to find new locations for these groups.

Some will be moving to the Yeager Stadium complexes, others will relocate to the Talawanda site and the gymnastics program will move to Sawyer Gymnasium on Western Campus. Seibert said Phillips Hall is also being revamped to accommodate several groups.

According to senior director of recreational programs Mike Amos, some of these new locations are actually better than the Withrow DEMOLITION » PAGE 5

IAN MARKER THE MIAMI STUDENT

Withrow Court’s impending demolition has prompted students, faculty and Oxford residents to reflect on the athletic facility’s historical and sentimental significance.

Students, staff share fond memories of Withrow Court CONSTRUCTION

SOPHIE WHORF

THE MIAMI STUDENT

In light of the imminent demolition of Withrow Court, Miami students, university faculty and Oxford residents reflected on what the historic gymnasium has meant to the local community over the years.

“I’ve been here for 15 years,” said Senior Director of Rec Center Programs and Academic Partnerships Mike Arnos. “I was a student here who played intramurals in [Withrow]. I lived in that building for a long time.”

When Arnos first began his career at Miami in 2002, he was told not to

get too comfortable in his office in Withrow, as the possible demolition was already in discussion.

“People have been talking about tearing down Withrow for a long time --- even back [in 2002] we planned for what would happen if Withrow came down,” said Arnos.

When it was officially announced that Withrow would be demolished in early 2015, it came as expected, yet sentimental, news for Arnos.

“As an alumni who has been here for years, it was kind of sad [to hear about the demolition of Withrow].

I was thinking about how I could get a brick from Withrow to take with me,” said Arnos. “I went out and took all kinds of pictures of the

inside and outside of the building so [I] could remember it.”

Like Arnos, sophomore Christa Baumgartner has been connected to Withrow for a number of years. The building housed gymnastics practices from her childhood through her adolescence.

Christa started taking gymnastics lessons when she was just four years old. Long before Withrow held a gymnastics program, however, she traveled to the Hamilton YMCA to take lessons.

“I originally started [gymnastics] lessons at the Y in Hamilton, but it was a long drive. When my mom WITHROW » PAGE 5

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

NEWS 3

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016

Dependence on contingent faculty erodes Miami University mission ... continued from Page 1 days—one former Miami VAP estimates he worked 80 hours per week—but at least he’d have a job.

His clock was ticking. He would have five years either to win a tenured job at Miami or find one elsewhere.

“You’ve got the foot in the door,” Duffy explained, “and now you want to make sure you keep that foot in the door and maybe try to get your leg through.”

He busied himself by rewriting curricula for his courses—eight in total—and serving on several faculty committees. During evenings and weekends, he scoured postings for tenured jobs. Even today, 203 documents—resumes, CVs, cover letters and research notes—sit in a folder on Duffy’s desktop computer in Upham Hall.

“When I was in the VAPship, there was an expiration date looming,” Duffy said. “It created a situation where, on the one hand, you’re trying to get to know the institution you’re working at; you’re doing your teaching, trying to do some research on the side; doing what you can by way of mentoring students. But you’re also spending a lot of time, especially in the autumn, applying to jobs.”

He was finally promoted to lecturer at Miami last fall—a salary increase from $41,820 in 2014 to $43,910 in 2015-16—but he still lacks full tenure and still holds a “four-four” teaching load; that’s four courses per semester, compared to a “three-two” expectation for those with tenure and a “two-two” for tenure-track faculty.

“I am here at Miami in a non-tenured position, which is to say I’m in a less desirable position,” Duffy said.

“But the reason I remain in this position is because I don’t have yet the publishing record or the reputation in my field that would make me competitive enough, in our present[ly] very competitive market, for tenured faculty positions somewhere else.

“Which means, in effect, I’m staying at Miami because I’m not good enough to go somewhere else.”

And because tenure-track positions are hard to come by at Miami, especially in a small department like Comparative Religion, Duffy is still forced to cast a wider net.

Undermining the teacher-scholar model Some contingents say their situation undermines the teacher-scholar model that is supposed to form the foundation of American higher education.

That model posits that by staying up to speed in their academic fields, conducting research and being published, teachers not only expand knowledge but become better teachers.

But Duffy and his colleagues can’t be teacher-scholars without putting in a a lot of extra hours. Since contingents are paid to devote all their time to teaching, they can do research only in off hours.

“It’s just teaching—that’s all you’re expected to do,” Duffy said.

“Ideally, that’s what I’m spending my 40 hours a week on. But the unspoken reality is [that] if I want to get another job somewhere else, then I’ve got to write; I’ve got to be publishing; I’ve got to be researching.”

The teacher-scholar model, according to James Brock, is supposed to be Miami’s bread and butter.

At Miami, Brock said, “we weren’t going to segregate into people who did research and people who taught. We thought the ideal faculty person did both. And this is an abandonment, this is an erosion, of that ideal. And I think that’s unfortunate because I think that was one thing that made Miami stand out as different, and as appealing, to undergraduates.”

Career paths for contingents, according to Duffy and others, quickly turn into endless rat races that wind up undermining good teaching.

“It’s just the game,” Duffy said with a sigh. “It’s just the way the game has to be played. That’s the point where you become aware that you’re being exploited. And it kind of sucks. You just try to tell yourself, ‘Well, it will pay off eventually.’

“But, at the same time, there’s always, in the back of my mind, that thought of, ‘Am I actually digging myself in deeper because the more I

RENEE FARRELL PHOTO EDITOR

Visiting assistant professor of comparative religion John-Charles Duffy teaches in Upham Hall. Duffy feels that the teaching load of contingent faculty is exploitative. do things for free, the more the institution will just expect me to do them for free? Does this become harder for me later to try to negotiate for some sort of pay for the things I’m doing now?’”

Duffy says there’s a word for what VAPs across the nation are facing: exploitation.

“Not sweatshop-level exploitation by any stretch of the imagination,” he said. “But it means I am in a position where the university has been able to pressure me to do work that I’m not, in fact, paid for.”

Interviews with more than a dozen contingent faculty at Miami revealed that many consider themselves lucky to have sympathetic colleagues and superiors who include them in departmental business. In fact, they say, that’s more than many friends at other institutions can say.

And yet, Duffy said, if something better comes along, he’ll take it.

“I love working with my colleagues, but if I can get more publishing done, if I can make myself competitive enough to get a tenure track job somewhere else, I’ll do it,” he said.

Professor, second class Despite their outsized teaching load, many contingents feel like second-class citizens. Indeed, a number of instructors who spoke for this story requested anonymity for fear of retaliation from superiors.

“I have no idea what happens at the administrative level,” one instructor admitted. “Never in a million years would I speak out against the administration. What I say would have no impact on what they decide to do.”

An army of transients According to Duffy, contingent faculty the nation over live in a state of insecurity and instability. Though he’s not actively seeking work elsewhere and feels committed to Miami, he can’t shake the nerves that come with a contract that must be renewed yearly.

“There’s always that nervousness every spring,” Duffy admitted.

“What’s going to happen? Will there be some sudden announcement of a budget cut that will mean that the university does not make available to my department the money they would need to have me next year?

One never knows for certain.”

Though Duffy’s title as a lecturer comes with some semblance of stability, others are not so lucky.

“I am dispensable, and I know that,” one instructor put it bluntly.

“I don’t have any value. Telling myself if I work super, super hard — I don’t believe that they won’t get rid of me. [The administration] can flip a switch and I’m gone, or we’re all gone. My life is really in their hands.

It’s very, very scary on a psychological level.”

he had the money for a down payment, becoming a homeowner wouldn’t make much sense, considering he could find himself out of a job in any given year.

How students suffer Duffy says that the quality of undergraduate education is compromised. How could it not be, he reasons, when the people responsible for teaching the majority of Miami’s courses are spread so thin?

“You have a professor who is already constantly looking for his next job and he’s not really able to commit to the student body,” Duffy said.

“What would happen if we’re out on our ass in three years, or two years, or next year?” the VAP in Creative Arts asked. “That doesn’t promote good teaching, right? They’re going to think, ‘Screw it, I’m going home. I’m not going to be here extra time. I’m leaving when the bell sounds.’”

Deborah Lyons, associate professor of classics and secretary of Miami’s American Association of University Professors (AAUP) advocacy chapter, said the impermanence of faculty members’ appointments makes forging bonds and mentorships with students especially difficult.

“The students can’t really know who to expect to find in a classroom from one year, or even one semester, to the next,” Lyons said. “It’s hard

‘I am dispensable, and I know that,’ one instructor put it bluntly. ‘I don’t have any value. Telling myself if I work super, super hard — I don’t belive that they won’t get rid of me. [The administration] can flip a switch and I’m gone, or we’re all gone.’

“It seemed like the department saw my role as just covering classes, and that I wasn’t really considered a full colleague,” said a VAP in English. “I was allowed to go to department meetings, but I couldn’t vote.”

Another visitor in English, Lilian Mina, added that some tenure-track faculty respect non-tenured colleagues more than others. “[There are some] faculty who really appreciate what I’m doing and are ready to listen to what I’m doing and give feedback, give encouragement, give opportunities,” Mina explained. “Others are just like, ‘You’re just a failure, you don’t have the right to say anything about anything, just do your work and get out of here.’”

To hear one visiting professor in the College of Creative Arts tell it, some tenure-track faculty aren’t even aware of the differences in classification.

“I’m not stomping on the table saying, ‘Hey, what about me?’ But I think not enough people know what other people do—not just in our department. We’ve had some recent discussions in our department about this and some didn’t know what a VAP was at all.”

Coupled with a lack of transparency, this culture creates a sense of powerlessness among Miami’s contingent faculty.

Gael Montgomery, a VAP in Italian, said such uncertainty comes with consequences.

“It’s absurd to say that giving people unreasonably low wages and a complete lack of job security is going to enable them to do anything other than develop a host of psychosomatic conditions,” she said.

“That’s simply absurd.”

Some VAPs were only made aware of their contract renewal for the 2016-17 academic year in February. For many, the meager salary prompts a sort of midlife crisis.

“A lot of my colleagues are struggling to pay their bills,” a VAP in languages said. “And we’re academics.

We went through Ph.Ds. A friend of mine said the other day that with the number of students he had in his class and what he was being paid for it, that was not that much more than someone who works full time at McDonald’s.

“I think it would be a different situation if I didn’t have to teach a winter course and a summer course just to make ends meet. And, to be quite honest, that is very much the situation. And it’s not like I’m a big spender. I don’t drive a Ferrari, I don’t have a big house. In fact, I can’t even afford to buy a house at age 37.”

And, the contingent said, even if

to develop strong connections with faculty if they’re coming and going.

It’s hard for departments to plan. It breaks down the sense of a community if people are constantly leaving and if people are constantly arriving.

Obviously it’s good to have some new blood, but the degree of transience in the academic population has really risen, and it’s not a positive thing for the institution.”

The other side of the equation Department chairs and administrators say they’re keenly aware of these problems, but they can’t do much about them.

“It’s hard when you see someone and you think, ‘Wow, this is really, really a good person, and in the best of all possible worlds, this person should have a tenure-track job,’” said Margaret Ziolkowski, chair of Miami’s Department of German, Russian, Asian and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (GRAMELAC). “And...in some areas, it’s not simply [that] there are not the jobs here, but there aren’t really enough jobs anywhere.”

Ziolkowski acknowledged that it’s hard for contingent faculty to perform at their best.

“It’s going to be true of any job: If you don’t have job security and you’re not being paid that well, then

you have to be an unusually kindhearted person to say, ‘Well, I’m going to put 100 percent effort into this,’” she said.

Anthropology chair Mark Peterson tries to ensure that his charges are well-equipped to move on to tenured positions.

“I want to make sure [contingents] are not treated as second-class citizens,” Peterson said. “We invite them to faculty meetings. We invite them to conversations about pedagogy and departmental processes. We encourage them to use our resources as part of the process of finding a tenure-track home somewhere else or a lecturer home somewhere else.”

As for wages, College of Arts and Science dean Christopher Makaroff said his hands were tied.

“We would certainly like to [raise salaries], but there’s only a certain amount of money,” Makaroff said.

“If we raise the [average] salary, that means we can hire fewer visiting assistant professors. So that means that everyone that we hire would then need to teach more.

“I think the university should have that conversation: is everyone willing to teach more? Then we can raise the salary, because we would just hire fewer visiting assistant professors.”

A mission compromised?

To many contingent faculty members, the trend toward dependence on temporary teachers undermines Miami’s core mission: to provide a first-class undergraduate education in the “public Ivy” mold on which the university prides itself.

“Miami and many other universities around the country are filling their faculty with people who are not as good as they could be,” Duffy noted. “Miami claims to do lots of things in terms of quality undergraduate education, but one thing it cannot claim to be doing is trying to recruit the best faculty. They’re cheating students out of the best quality instruction they could be getting.

“If Miami wanted to, it being Miami, administration could say, ‘We’re going to buck the national trend,’” Duffy said. “‘We are going to invest in our faculty. We’re going to make those tenure-track positions available. We’re going to commit our financial resources in that direction.’”

Some at Miami claim it does better at this game than other institutions. But Gael Montgomery has little patience for that argument.

“Frankly, I don’t care whether or not Miami isn’t as bad as some places,” she said. “If Miami wants to be an excellent educational institution, those terms shouldn’t even be considered. The terms should be whether Miami is as good as it possibly can be, not whether it’s better than some and worse than others.

And, frankly, to say that you don’t treat your employees as badly as some other places isn’t even damning with faint praise. It’s damning with criticism, basically.”

James Brock shares that sentiment.

“We’re nowhere different than where we began,” he said, “except [that] we’ve tarnished a lot of our treasured ideals, I think.”

4 CULTURE

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016

Humans oƒ Oxford Emma Langer: Doing her own thing

SHUMANDB@MIAMIOH.EDU

Growing pains: In defense of split ends

PEOPLE

KIRBY DAVIS

THE MIAMI STUDENT

CONNOR MORIARTY PHOTO EDITOR

The best way to get Emma Langer to do something is to tell her not to.

“That’s how my parents get me to do the dishes and other chores,” she said. “I still haven’t learned my lesson.”

So when her high school physics teacher advised her not to pursue engineering in college, Emma’s resolve only intensified.

“It didn’t really hurt me. I wanted to come back after first semester and be like, ‘I did better than you thought I would,’” she said.

Her interest in engineering was sparked when she was 4-years-old.

Emma had naively thought she could construct a computer out of paper and Scotch tape. Her mom still keeps it in a box with other projects and old photos.

Emma preferred to build her own toys as a kid, rather than buy them.

She’s always enjoyed dissecting everyday objects to see if she could piece them back together.

“It was less about me building things,” Emma said. “I just had an interest in how things worked, and if I couldn’t figure something out I’d end up taking it apart.”

Last year she launched her biggest project yet — a full-sized bed.

She found that the experience was a chance to explore her creative side and was a welcome distraction from her recent breakup.

Now, Emma feels cautiously optimistic as a mechanical engineering major. Several of her friends have dropped the program due to its difficulty, but she’s determined to stick with it.

“I haven’t stopped liking what I’m learning,” Emma said. “I think for every time where there’s a moment I want to drop out, there’s another moment that’s like, ‘this is what I love.’ As long as they’re balanced I feel pretty good.”

Will Arnett’s ‘Flaked’ takes too long to make a point TELEVISION

DEVON SHUMAN CULTURE EDITOR

The premise of a washed-up, recovering alcoholic trying to make sense of life while battling inner demons is somewhat of a dead horse that television writers continue to beat senselessly.

From BoJack Horseman to Don Draper, it’s become commonplace to see depressive alcoholic protagonists every time you flip on the TV. So, it was unsurprising to see that Netflix’s latest original series, “Flaked,” stars Will Arnett as Chip, who is — you guessed it — a recovering alcoholic living in Venice, California. In the opening scene, we hear Chip at an AA meeting, telling the story of how he killed a man in a drunk driving incident. Although he has been sober for the last 10 years, he still lives with the overwhelming guilt from the accident.

It would be difficult not to compare “Flaked” to “BoJack Horseman.” Both are Netflix original series, both star and are executive produced by Will Arnett (interestingly, this is the third Netflix original project for the former Hulu spokesman) and although one is animated and one is not, both follow that familiar premise of an L.A.-based alcoholic. The difference is, while “BoJack” finds a way to tell a unique story with that premise, “Flaked” simply goes through the motions.

Chip certainly fits the bill as a depressive alcoholic. He puts himself before his friends, he “flakes” on his responsibilities, he objectifies women, he

consistently sets himself up to fail and he is always lying. As we find out in the first episode, he isn’t as sober as he leads everyone to believe.

This is all well and good and can potentially make for compelling television, but “Flaked” drops the ball when it fails to take Arnett’s character any further. “BoJack” is a jerk, but deep down he’s a compassionate soul who means well and who viewers can relate to.

‘Flaked’ does eventually find its rhythm and tell a good story, but it’s almost a case of too little, too late.

Chip is just a jerk.

He is never there for anyone, and the show offers no scenes that could act as a saving grace for him. Even when he tells his new friend, London, about the DUI accident in what should have been a heart wrenching scene, the whole thing comes off as inauthentic and appears to be no more than an attempt to earn sympathy and get in London’s pants. After watching him sneak sips from incredibly expensive wine that he stole from his best friend, I had to ask myself, “Why should I be rooting for this guy?”

All of this being said, “Flaked” does eventually find its rhythm and tell a good story, but it’s almost a case of too little, too late.

From the end of the sixth episode on (mind you, the season is only eight episodes long), the show begins to introduce plot developments that give it the substance and complexity it so desperately needs. It’s just barely enough to make up for the three hours of crap you have to trudge through to get there.

I’d be foolish to count “Flaked” out just yet. “BoJack Horseman” suffered from a poor first half of its first season but then went on to blossom into a remarkable show.

“Flaked” has the potential to follow suit.

Additionally, it has a solid enough foundation that it can build upon. Will Arnett, once again, is superb. Chip may be a jerk, but Arnett can play a jerk magnificently. His co-star, David Sullivan, is just as good as Chip’s best friend, Dennis, who has a short temper and often gets bothered by Chip’s flakiness. Ruth Kearney, who plays London, isn’t as stellar as the other two, but this seems to be more the fault of the poor writing she has to work with than her acting itself.

With strong acting, clever humor (fans of “Arrested Development” will be delighted by the many callback jokes, courtesy of executive producer, Mitchell Hurwitz) and outstanding soundtrack, “Flaked” has the potential to evolve into a great show. It just needs to avoid reverting back to the bland writing that plagued the first half of this season.

CONTRIBUTED BY EMMA K. SHIBLEY

Christian Corpora holds a clump of his hair, which he regrets cutting off over Spring Break STUDENT LIFE

EMMA K. SHIBLEY THE MIAMI STUDENT

Christian Corpora has always dreaded haircuts.

At least, he has since high school at Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy. It’s a private school, complete with a dress code. When Christian was there, his hair was allowed to cover no more than three-quarters of his ear and had to stop half an inch above his collar.

When he came to Miami, he started growing his hair long past his ears, his collar and his shoulders, getting semiannual trims to keep healthy ends. His man bun grew thicker. He was mistaken for a woman in campus bathrooms and Starbucks lines.

On the morning of Saturday, March 19, he went to see his hometown hairstylist, Ronnie Jo, for a cut.

In case it turned out badly, he knew he had the whole week of spring break to grow it out again.

“Why not now?” he said. “People change things over breaks. I’ve never gotten a haircut in Oxford before.”

He was simply getting tired of the length. I caught him not once, but twice, staring fixedly at my own hair — tangles of coffee and brown sugar all the way down my back — with more than a hint of projected loathing.

And Christian wasn’t the only restless one. On Wednesday, March 23, Elaine Gossard arrived at Sam Wanna Salon in her hometown of Medina, Ohio for her 11:30 a.m. appointment. Gina Metzger has been Elaine’s hairdresser for five years.

Elaine came in seeking just a trim, but Gina hesitated, looking at Elaine in the mirror.

“I feel like we do the same thing over and over.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right, I —” “Do you trust me?”

Elaine paused.

“Yeah.”

When I saw her shorter hair in class on Tuesday, I reacted with the same thing she’d been hearing since returning to Oxford.

“Oh, your hair!”

I paused and remembered Christian.

“Man,” I said, “It seems like everyone got their hair cut over spring break.”

Malory, who sits between me and Elaine, shrugged.

“I mean, people go home …”

And, as we’ve seen, the rest is history.

In early March, I, too, sat on a black swivel chair, a pair of shears poised over the last centimeter of a section of hair from above my left ear. But I was not with Gina or Ronnie Jo. I was alone in my dorm room, my legs crossed at the ankle and feet propped on the edge of my desk. The window was open for the mild March air.

The same season in which Miami’s trees and lawns regrow their green coats, we students shed ours.

It could be for an updated look, an easier routine or even in anticipa-

tion of summer’s heat. Many of us jaunt home for spring break, testing an image on the home crowd before revealing it to our peers on campus.

Not all of us have the guts, though.

Like Elaine and her half-a-decade hairdresser, my split ends and I have been through a lot together. And like Christian I talked up getting a drastic hair change over the break. But, my last trim took place more than 20 months ago.

Since then, my hair has endured curling irons, snarls, teasing and a blonde ombre. It’s survived 10 unwashed days in the woods of Minnesota, hundreds of hours in a hairsprayed sock bun for marching band competitions and — ask anyone —

Who are we to call dandelions weeds instead of daisies? Wouldn’t a rose by any other name take just as long to detangle in the shower? endless compulsive twirling.

If someone were to do a semiotic reading of me based on my hair, what would all its broken limbs signify?

Turmoil? Chaos? A rushed morning routine? What if the forks and branches of my fraying strands are nascent roots, reaching out for soil in which to colonize a new sort of plant? Who are we to call dandelions weeds instead of daisies? Wouldn’t a rose by any other name take just as long to detangle in the shower?

Or what if, at the end of the day, they’re nothing more than split ends?

As soon as Ronnie Jo cut Christian’s ponytail, Christian looked in the mirror and felt it had been a mistake.

“I look like Julia Louis-Dreyfus,” he said.

Ronnie Jo started to laugh, but Christian wasn’t trying to be funny.

“We’ll get you looking like a man again,” she assured him.

Christian says he’d agree, if by “a man” she meant a Revolutionary War minuteman or a composer of Shakespearean sonnets.

A sliver of the hair he lost is in his room, in a tiny bag he’s going to keep forever. Another is in an envelope addressed to a friend who wanted him to send her some.

The rest is still tied in a ponytail in a bag at home in Cleveland. It’s waiting for him to purchase an envelope so he can send it off to Pantene Beautiful Lengths, a hair donation program partnered with the American Cancer Society Wig Bank, where it’s been destined to head all along.

Elaine’s shorn locks, like many others, are gone — swept promptly into a dustbin as she played with her new sandy bob.

And with my own broken hair I sit, scissors in hand, poised for a painless, even healing trim. But the blades never get the courage to move. The window is open, the air is cool and the birds beyond are chirping.

I put the scissors down. I feel light.

WWW.MIAMISTUDENT.NET FROM MURAL » PAGE 2

gender-inclusive bathrooms.

“For 1809 Alumni, we actively talk about this,” said Janet Mallen, senior assistant director of the Student Success Center and member of the 1809 Alumni Association executive board. “How can we make this campus a safe place for all students? Especially for those who don’t have places to … safely go to the bathroom without harassment.”

Mallen has been working to develop a non-conforming gender policy since 2014 and further educate the student body about the LG-

BTQ community. She sees this incident as a reason to move forward and raise awareness for hate crimes and biases.

“It’s important for the larger community to know that this isn’t going to be hidden under the rug,” said Mallen. “Because it was a defacement and it’s vandalism that affects a community, it is a hate crime issue. And that will be reported as a hate crime to the federal reporting systems that we have. Miami will have to own that it did happen on our campus.”

Investigation of those responsible for the vandalism is still ongoing.

FROM DEMOLITION » PAGE 2

option. For example, Arnos said, the rugby team will be practicing on turf fields at the complex on Chestnut St., a step up from the gym floor they used at Withrow.

Nevertheless, the closing of Withrow marks the end of an era for students that know the building well.

“Lifting in the Rec Center is super congested, and the atmosphere

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isn’t as welcoming as lifting in Withrow,” said Barr.

In order to accommodate some of the demand for workout facilities on campus, a new fitness center is being introduced next year in the basement of Martin Dining Hall on North Quad.

The facility will be open for all students, not just those in club athletics, and will primarily cater to students who live further from the Rec

Center. It will have a scaled-down version of the cardio and weight equipment in the Rec Center.

Curry said the recreation and athletic departments are committed to serving students, despite the dissatisfaction some express at the closure of Withrow.

“We know our role is to provide the students what they’re asking for and what their needs are,” Curry said.

FROM WITHROW » PAGE 2

refine her technique and form close bonds with her coaches. For seven years, Withrow became a home away from home for Christa. She attended lessons from 2007 until 2014, the year she graduated from high school.

Today, Christa is a member of Miami’s club gymnastics team as well as a coach for kids between the ages of three and eight.

“It’s been a really fun transition to see what it’s like to start out taking lessons and now, being a coach myself, it’s definitely come full circle,” said Christa.

Upon hearing the news of Withrow’s demolition, Christa’s reaction was similar to Amos’ --- unsurprised, but reminiscent of the building’s impact on her life.

“I wasn’t surprised because the building is getting older. I guess it does have a lot of sentimental value ... I have memories there. I remember learning different [gymnastics] skills in certain parts of the building,” said Christa.

The gymnastics club has since relocated to Sawyer Hall, where Christa plans to continue the sport she grew to love within the walls of Withrow Court.

found Withrow, we said, ‘Oh, we’ll move there.’ It was only a 10 minute drive from my house [in Oxford],” said Christa.

The Miami gymnastics program relocated from Phillips Hall to Withrow Court in 2007, offering both private and group gymnastics lessons for the public. That was when Christa began taking lessons at Withrow at the age of 9 and saw her skill set improve almost immediately.

“I was really excited [to start taking lessons at Withrow]. I advanced really quickly. I could [practice] so much more,” said Christa. “A lot of times it would be empty --- just me and the coach.”

Christa’s mother, Marie Baumgartner, recalls taking Christa to Withrow, where Marie would observe the practices from nearby benches. “[The program] had good coaches,” said Marie. “[When] attending her lessons, I would see all kinds of Oxford residents. The lessons were quite convenient for the children.”

Christa’s passion for gymnastics began to grow as she continued to FROM JUNGLE » PAGE 2

Jimmy and his brother, Chris, both work with their father. Jimmy is the executive director of the creative department and Chris is the general manager of the store.

In today’s world, a college degree is thought to be essential to success in the business world. Jungle disproves this theory, having always relied on his natural business instinct.

“This is how I make all of my business decisions,” Jungle said.

Jungle got up from his seat and crossed the room to grab six decks of playing cards, which he laid out on a table in front of him. Each deck is labeled in Sharpie. “Sex,” “love and romance,” “money” and “family” are a few. He shuffles the cards, cuts the deck and shuffles again. He deals seven onto the table and then explains the method to his madness.

The first step is to pick which end

of the line of cards he has just laid down is the “high end.” If a good hand is dealt on the end chosen, then a business venture will be profitable.

If a poor hand is dealt, Jungle said, he may want to get back to the drawing board.

Jungle points to a perfect, already dealt, hand laying out on the counter behind him.

“I was wondering if I should do a deal with a church,” he explains.

Days earlier, he played the game with the owners of the church. After dealing that perfect hand, he decided to let the church build an auditorium on a property he owns.

Much like this card game, Jungle has taken chances in his life and with business. He has made a name for himself as a businessman, a collector of bizarre items and vendor of strange foods. And, through his persistence and hard work, he has definitely earned his name.

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6 OPINION

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016

EDITORIAL@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

Dating app ‘Tinder’ delegitimizes real relationships, human interaction EDITORIAL

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

This is no longer a game: Tinder users would do well to play in the real world.

“Tinder empowers users around the world to create new connections that otherwise might never have been possible,” brags the popular dating application’s website. “We build products that bring people together.”

Despite its creators’ altruistic intentions, the reality of Tinder usage often falls short of a fairytale ending — especially on a college campus, where a majority of users consider the app as more of a game than a way to build a relationship.

Tinder as a game is a frightening thought and deserves attention, but first, let’s talk about the app’s promise to help us make connections we could not otherwise make.

Tinder is based on location, uniting users with those in their immediate geographic area.

Unlike other social media such as Facebook and Instagram, which can help you stay in touch with people in different places, Tinder is based on proximity.

Instead of helping you meet new people, Tinder simply offers an alternate — and far more awkward — way of interacting with those in the surrounding area.

For example, Tinder lets you swipe right on and exchange semi-serious flirty messages with other users, so that you can then

avert your eyes in embarrassment or walk in the other direction when you and your match actually cross paths on campus.

Or, say you and your Tinder match hit it off and decide to hang out. This initial meeting can be full of high expectations

Even those who log onto Tinder looking for entertainment rather than love might be setting themselves up for problems.

and often uncomfortable.

These situations operate more like business deals than dates. Like a businessperson making a transaction, you are aiming for customer satisfaction — the person chose you and you don’t want them to reject you after seeing who you really are.

You feel the need to live up to your carefully crafted online persona.

As college students, we are surrounded by thousands of others our age who have similar interests. Why are we

allowing clicking through a few photos to become an alternative for actually talking to each other? Isn’t it better to let social exchanges occur naturally — to sit next to the cute boy in your class or strike up a conversation with the girl in front of you in line at Pulley?

Our acceptance of Tinder as a valid form of socializing is indicative of a larger problem afflicting our generation.

Many college students insist they would rather get to know others “in real life,” or by having face-to face-conversations.

But when it comes down to it, those same people are the ones hiding behind their phone screens, avoiding any real human interaction.

Even those who log onto Tinder looking for entertainment rather than love might be setting themselves up for problems, namely the issue of turning real life into a game.

The basic set-up of Tinder encourages a competitive mentality. Users, then, unknowingly subject themselves to the fierce competition of the gaming world. Egged on by Tinder’s employment of the enticing phrase, “Keep playing!” users fall into the trap of swiping until their hand fatigues. The game, as it were, morphs the fellow “players” into objects, which are pivotal to advancing levels, but seemingly

worthless otherwise.

The level advancement is thus achieved when a match is secured. A back and forth of competitive messages then ensues in which the competitors try, with each successive message, to display their best oneliners, their best side.

Eventually, the conversation can lead to the highest level — meeting the match in real life — although this is a part of the game that can be easily avoided. Don’t show up, that’s all it takes, and back you go to the game.

Tinder exemplifies our society’s tendency to simplify anything and everything we can. Convenient as it is, using Tinder as a game with unlimited lives becomes problematic when college students grow older and consider more serious relationships.

How will we react when showing only our best side isn’t possible, when we can’t duck our heads to hide? When we want to be seen as more than objects to be judged for the sake of enjoying a game?

Let’s stop hiding behind these applications, exit the gaming world and reintroduce ourselves to the real one.

Awkward encounters are inevitable, but trying to avoid them completely will only end up biting us in the ass. Accept the challenges of real life and you just might create connections on your own.

Misleading statistic in women’s pay debate Historic lessons learned abroad leads to incorrect conclusions about society can teach us about present GENDER

MILAM’S MUSINGS BRETT MILAM COLUMNIST

Equal pay for equal work seeks to address the pay gap between men and women, but the issue has been framed wrongly by progressive feminists, conservatives and my fellow libertarians.

First, let’s start with the basic argument advanced by progressive feminists: women make 78 cents for every dollar a man makes.

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as that, and this statistic is a disingenuous, albeit widely-dispersed, figure.

For starters, comparing the 2013 median annual earnings in the United States between women ($39,157) and men ($50,033) takes complex economics and human behavior and tries to aggregate them into a simple formula.

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) is a nonprofit organization that represents 150,000 members and advocates for the equality of women.

The AAUW released a 2015 report about the gender pay gap and addressed the criticisms from detractors (like myself) that the pay gap is best understood by women’s choices, not discrimination.

When accounting for college major, occupation, hours worked, age, marital status and so on, the AAUW found the gap to be seven percent between male and female college graduates one year after graduation.

The gap then widens to 12 percent in full-time workers 10 years after graduation.

Our discussion about the pay gap would be more honest if we started with the fact that women make 88 to 93 cents for every dollar a man makes versus 78 cents for every dollar.

This is not an unimportant statistical difference. If we acknowledge women’s choices, then we can find more common ground with our ideological counterparts. Therein, we can begin the work of unpacking the discrimination, which may inform the seven to 12 percent.

Moreover, feminists, most of all, should not be the ones so readily dismissing women’s choices. Again, we can talk about the gender stereotypes, discrimination and patriarchal culture at large that may influence those choices.

For instance, why women seem to avoid the STEM fields for lesser paying occupations, such as teaching and social services. One hint,

according to a White House fact sheet: “Forty percent of those who leave [STEM fields] cite a ‘macho’ culture as the primary reason.”

This is why I often distinguish myself as a libertarian feminist. I want to fix the culture. I want solutions from the grassroots, not the top down and most certainly not from the government.

The same government (I’m going to use this as a catch-all term for local, state and federal governments), it should be pointed out, spent the better part of the early 20th century trying to keep women out of the work force and from competing with men.

That intention, however, has come to be equated with progressive and feminists reforms, which I find to be Twilight Zone-levels of peculiar.

Consider, if you will, the following two quotes taken from two different articles published in The New York Times.

“Can they (women) protect themselves? Hardly. To tell the truth, she is not a competent guardian of her future life. Now, what is the effect of working young women … it is draining them of that stamina and vitality which ought to be saved to enable them to face successfully the strains and burdens of wifehood and motherhood.”

“So-called ‘welfare’ legislation is not asked for or wanted by real working women. These ‘welfare’ bills are drafted by self-styled social uplifters who assert that working women do not know enough to protect themselves, aided by a few women who once worked but who are now living off the labor movement.”

Would you be surprised to know the first quote comes from a progressive and the second quote comes from the Equal Opportunity League?

The former quote is from “Penalty Woman Pays to Industrial Progress,” published May 03, 1908, a printing of Professor Edward A. Ross’s speech to Chicago, a progressive, a sociologist and a eugenicist (as progressives tended to be at the turn of the century).

The latter is from “Women’s Work Limited by Law: Equal Opportunity League Fighting Legislation Which Restricts Their Hours of Labor,” published January 18, 1920.

Even more astonishing to our modern conventional thinking is that the League was frustrated with legislators for not allowing women to work more than eight hours in a day.

“Making it a crime to employ women even five minutes after the eight-hour day kills the principle of equal pay for equal work,” the League said.

Quite the different context for “equal pay for equal work,” huh?

This goes beyond the purview of this particular article, but I can’t also

help but point out that the League voiced opposition to the minimum wage for similar reasons: “It is a well-known fact that a minimum wage always becomes the maximum, and that such a bill, affecting women only, while purporting to be for their benefit, would really be a serious handicap to them in competing with men workers for desirable positions.”

What a change almost 100 years makes. The social uplifters and the League at that time were both correct about what that legislation would do — stunt the choices of women and the potential economic rise, especially in which to compete with men.

As Ross said, after all, women don’t know what’s best for them, which I would argue is the core of progressive thinking, anyhow (“we” know what’s best for you).

The fact that the intentions have changed from nefarious to well-intended doesn’t change what actually happens in reality.

But here’s why conservatives, and, often, my fellow libertarians, sometimes miss the mark on how they talk about equal pay for equal work.

Mostly it’s because they don’t even want to acknowledge that a gap still exists, which may be explained by our patriarchal culture and outright sexism by corporate bosses.

As an example, women more than men have to deal with questions of work-life balance when it comes to being working mothers. A Pew Research poll in 2007 found that 41 percent of adults think working women are bad for society.

Attitudes haven’t exactly shifted in the following years. Another Pew Research poll in 2013 found that only 16 percent of Americans said having a mother who works full time is an “ideal situation” for children and 33 percent said it’s best to have a mother who doesn’t work at all.

Moreover, mothers in 2013 spent an average of 14.2 hours per week on housework, compared with fathers’ 8.6 hours. With child care per week, it’s 10.7 hours and 7.2 hours, respectively.

These figures are eyebrow-raising, but are not correctable through topdown government legislation.

Whenever there are issues in society, I wish our first thought wasn’t, “How can we remedy this with a law?” Instead, I wish we thought, “How can I find common ground with my fellow human beings to persuade and educate them about this issue?”

And to that latter point, we can only do that with the “equal pay for equal work” discussion if we’re starting from honest figures.

MILAMBC@MIAMIOH.EDU

INTERNATIONAL

MADDIE’S MATTERS MADDIE LAPLANTE-DUBE OPINION EDITOR

Easter Monday this year marked the 100th anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising in Ireland, an event based in Dublin that began the bloody rebellion for independence and secession from Great Britain that took place throughout the first half of the 20th century.

In the days following the rising, its 16 main leaders were executed

by British soldiers, shot at pointblank in a line in Dublin. One leader, a socialist revolutionary named James Connolly, was so badly injured during the Rising that he was carried to his execution on a stretcher and tied to a chair in front of the firing squad.

About 1,600 Irish men and women faced 19,000 British troops and fought for their country. Dozens of rebels were killed, and when British soldiers came in, hundreds of Irish civilians were killed and thousands more were injured. The rebels later surrendered, but the unrest in Ireland became permanent following the executions.

Following the Rising, Great Britain sent in the “Black and Tans” to try and calm the unrest, but the men were originally just jobless misfits and veterans looking for employment, so with minimal police training, they were sent to Ireland. As tensions rose, the Black and Tans committed horrifying atrocities against civilians, burned and ransacked towns, murdered priests and committed random acts of violence in response to moves made by the Irish Republican Army.

So when I watched the reenactment of the reading of the proclamation written by the IRA Military Council, of which the likes of James Connolly were a part, and on which was written the only statement of gender equality for the time in which it was written, I was totally emotional.

As Dublin gathered around big screens placed throughout the city so everyone could see and hear the ceremony on O’Connell Street no matter where they were and a procession of military vehicles and soldiers followed suit,

I was struck by how little I knew about how truly complicated Irish history actually is.

The coolest thing about being in Ireland is that most of my Irish friends are eager to share their country’s history.

The Irish Republic only actually officially became a standalone government in 1949, over three decades after the Rising, so the story of the Republic is a relatively new one. England had occupied the country since as early as 1100 A.D. and, like it had with so many others, stolen and destroyed its culture, persecuted its native people for speaking their own language to the point that the Irish language is all but dead, racialized and illegitimated its people and customs by creating “Irish” stereotypes and were just generally rude. I root for the underdog, so I was all about the ceremony.

Anyway, the point! I’ve written about how important studying abroad is, but during this time it’s even more important to see the world in an increasingly shrinking and racist America (see: the

Ask questions while you’re away. Go to protests and celebrations.

Be a part of the conversation.

current campaign trail).

Do some research. Ask questions while you’re away. Go to protests and celebrations. Be a part of the conversation. There’s so much to learn while you’re abroad — make sure you take the time to learn as much as you can.

Engaging in the culture here has allowed myself and my fellow American travellers a unique opportunity to begin to understand the implications of American political events as well as the importance of understanding other cultures.

Besides, based on how this presidential campaign is going, you might want to leave sooner rather than later.

LAPLANMM@MIAMIOH.EDU

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EDITORIAL@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

OPINION 7

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016

Predictability of April Fool’s Day demands change to more effective month LIFE

GRAHAM VON CARLOWITZ OPINION EDITOR

I spent Feb. 1 and 2 of this year contacting the seven other people who call themselves my siblings — as well as their significant others — relaying to them the best (and only) practical joke my maniacal brain has ever come up with.

With the help of the effective attention-hogging technology of the cell phone, they sent out variations of “Happy Birthday, Jackass!” to Jackson, my 17-year-old brother, on Feb. 3 — exactly one week before his real one.

As a 17-year-old, one should know when to collect the candles and prepare for the impending cake coma. But when the birthday boy is the second to last child in a family that consistently neglects to restock the fundamental jar of peanut butter, remembering Feb.

10 can be challenging.

After having received confirmation from each sibling of successfully sent birthday wishes, I asked Jackson if he had enjoyed the whole spiel as much as we had.

He responded promptly: “Considering the fact that I actually texted mom to ask when my birthday was and my chemistry class sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to me then yes, I suppose I did.”

At that point, April Fool’s Day was an aggressive stone’s throw away — nearly 60 days from the month’s start — and that is precisely why the prank evoked Jackson’s priceless response. He never saw a February Fool’s Day coming. Today, April 1, marks a day that is all too predictable, at least in America.

A year ago today, I found myself in a shabby automobile in the outskirts of Florence, as a misfit, clownish Italian by the name of

Alessandro (standing 6’2” and with bright-orange, curly hair) escorted my friend and myself into the city. To eliminate the awkwardness that pervades during such a ride (I had asked him if honey was a good product here in Italy, which resulted only in a few bobs of his cartoon-sized head), he began to explain the Italian custom to hide fish in unexpected places on April 1.

Only, he continued, he was above such tomfoolery and had decided to take this day a little more seriously. Holding back his laugh throughout, he struggled to say that, this year, he awoke at 4 a.m. to call his assistant at the Military Affairs office, insisting that he come into work immediately.

“Antonio! You must now listen!

There are, eh, 100 at least people here yelling. I need you come in, now please!”

My friend and I exchanged

glances, waiting for a hallmark whimsical conclusion. We wanted him to say, “But before he leave, I tell him April Fools!” or “But I meet him there and we drink espresso. Good, no?”

Those would have been humane outcomes, but humanity was not spared this time. The story ended with this poor Italian rushing to work at 4:30 a.m., only to be met with locked doors and a presumed loathing for his boss.

The cruel prank made no one laugh (save for the psychotic clown). But here I want to emphasize not so much the Italians’ satanic sense of humor, but more so the downward spiral of April Fool’s Day. When we’ve gotten to this point­­­— that is, when even Italians are using the day to hide fish or carry out otherwise fishy pranks — the joke has gone too far. The day is too widely-known.

Wikipedia highlights that

histories of the day’s origin struggle to find common ground, and perhaps this is indication of the day’s demise. Arbitrarily chosen, April does not shine particularly bright among the 11 other options, so why April Fool’s Day? February Fool’s Day has a catchy ring to it, so why can’t we just change the date?

Why restrict pranks to a named day when the comic ingenuity thrives on unpredictability? I’ll tell you why. It’s because April is the most boring month on the calendar, the butterless popcorn of months, and, as such, deserves one day to help people remember it exists …

I’m only kidding! April Fools!

It’s actually the second most boring; January is unpopped popcorn — a motionless, jokeless bore.

VONCARGH@MIAMIOH.EDU

Diploma without major leaves alumnus feeling unrecognized ALUMNI

A.J. NEWBERRY NEWBERAJ@MIAMIOH.EDU

The reality of breaking into journalism today JOBS

GRETA HALLBERG COLUMNIST

While my friends were shopping for their spring break bikinis, I was looking for a suit that didn’t make me look like Hillary Clinton.

My friends were dieting and working on their spring break bodies while I was beefing up my resume.

I went to Washington, D.C. for job interviews and networking meetings. I traipsed across the city with my laptop and CV, meeting with friends, alumni and journalists in the area. Instead of fruity drinks on the beach, I lined up a series of coffee meetings, networking my way into the capital city and trying to land a job.

I left Oxford feeling confident about my D.C. trip. I had a stylish and professional new wardrobe and a positive attitude to match. I was going to get a job in journalism in Washington.

My faith in myself dipped to an ultimate low as early as my first meeting.

“I’m interested in finding a job in journalism in Washington,” I said to probably 15 people. I gave them my elevator pitch: I sold my experiences, my skills and myself.

As soon as I finished, most people would give me these kind of sad eyes. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?” They would say. “It’s really hard to break into.”

People suggested I sell my soul to the devil and do communications for Congressman or staff on Capitol Hill. They suggested I try public relations instead, and with that I’d still be able to do writing and be in Washington.

But all of these potential oth-

er jobs are exactly what I want to go to Washington to fight. I don’t want to do writing with a spin or an agenda, I want to do writing with one goal — uncovering the truth.

Reporters play a crucial role in a functioning democracy. Journalism is the Fourth Estate, the watchdog of the politicians, and the ones to sift through the bullshit to find the truth politicians try to mask. I

These people had me questioning not only my career path, but considering abandoning my values in favor of what — getting a job in D.C. faster?

That’s not really my style. I know I’m going to work crappy hours for little money. I know it’s going to be really hard to get a job, probably harder than I think.

But as a graduating senior with the world in front of me, I’m too

I know it’s going to be really hard to get a job, probably harder than I think. But as a graduating senior with the world in front of me, I’m too young to give up on my dreams and settle for easy employment.

don’t simply want to be a journalist in Washington because I’m a writer. I want to be a journalist because I believe so fully in the institution and the truth. I want to make sure that those in public office uphold the principles of democracy.

So yeah, I’m sure that journalism in Washington is what I want to do.

Applying for jobs and getting rejected and just generally being unemployed as a soon-to-be college graduate is a horrible process. It’s disheartening. It hurts your ego. It makes you question your abilities and your qualifications. This sentiment is amplified in Washington, where everybody is already the best and the brightest.

It’s even harder to have established adults asking me if I’m sure journalism is what I want to do. I’ll be honest — at times, I wasn’t sure.

young to give up on my dreams and settle for easy employment.

Your first job won’t be your dream job, but that doesn’t mean you should let go of your passions and principles to have a stable paycheck. I would rather waitress to pay the bills than take a job as a spin artist, buying in to the very thing I want to spend my working life fighting.

Believe me, it’s hard to not have an answer when people ask what I’m doing next year. I’d really prefer to be in Washington than unemployed on my parents’ couch this summer. But I’m only 21. I have the rest of my life to work and build a career I love. My first job should be the right first job, not the one I took out of desperation.

TO THE EDITOR: My name is Freeland and I’m an alumnus of Miami University (2015). I am currently enrolled at the University of Cincinnati College of Law and I’m currently taking much needed study break, so I thought I’d write to you about something that has been bugging me since I graduated.

There were numerous aspects of my Miami University experience I look back on fondly — the lifetime friends I made in my fraternity, the beautiful campus, Uptown (obviously) and my time as a writer for the Miami Student newspaper.

However, there was one other thing that really made my college experience complete — my major. Knowing I was going to enter law school following undergrad, I chose to major in something I was passionate about, something unique and at which I felt I would excel. So, I decided to major in English Literature.

Choosing to major in Literature ended up being the perfect decision for me — I got to read the works of some of the most important and influential writers while honing my writing and critical thinking skills. It was an education that not only prepared me for law school, but also helped me grow and learn about myself as a person. Overall, I consider my undergraduate education at Miami University a great success.

So, I was pretty proud when I graduated. Being an English major was part of who I was — I chose not to study the sciences like most members of my family, and I wasn’t a business major like most of my friends. To me, my degree was something that spoke to who I was as a person.

So, at the end of last year, I

finally received my diploma, and what did it say? It said that I, Freeland Dominic Oliverio, was granted a degree of . . . Bachelor of the Arts. That was it. No mention of my major.

What?

Seriously, Miami. Just . . . what the hell? I mean, I go thousands upon thousands of dollars into debt after choosing a major I feel fits me, work tireless hours writing paper after paper analyzing the dozens of novels and short stories I had to read, and you couldn’t even do me the small favor of recognizing that?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of my degree, and I understand that I am very fortunate to receive the education I did. But, when you visit friends from other schools, you learn something about them when you see a framed diploma saying that they majored in Political Science, or Finance, or Neoclassical Lesbian Folk Music or whatever it was that they majored in. But for me? I am a Bachelor of the Arts.

What does that even mean? I sound like a weird, bespeckled hipster who wears scarves in the summertime and twirls brandy around a snifter at art galleries. “Hmm, yes, I am a Bachelor of the Arts, you see.

Hmm, yes, quite.”

Maybe it isn’t a big deal, maybe I should ignore the fact that I worked for an innumerable amount of hours and spent thousands of dollars for a piece of paper that didn’t even have the common courtesy to recognize my field of study. I don’t know.

Regardless, I can’t help but feel a little bit cheated, and I know that I’m not the only Miami graduate who feels this way.

FREELAND OLIVERIO

HALLBEGM@MIAMIOH.EDU

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FROM benches »PAGE 1

outside. Additionally, it will provide students and faculty who get tired easily somewhere to rest on the long journeys across campus,” Kahle said.

Reeves said visitors to campus have also expressed dismay about the lack of benches around campus.

The solution, she said, is to place benches in strategic, high-traffic locations.

“I think Miami is very fortunate to have people on campus who are so committed to inclusion and

equality,” Zeisler said. “It’s refreshing and it’s time for the way we think about universal design and accessibility on campus.”

Reeves anticipates obtaining the funds to implement the construction of benches around campus will not be a problem.

“I can’t wait to actually physically touch one of the benches and say, ‘I made that.’ That’s a tangible mark that I can leave on this university that will be there when I’m gone, and that’s all I want to do with my college career,” Reeves said.

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FROM cuba »PAGE 1

the former animosity are still fresh in her mind. She remembers her aunt coming to their house when the news of the Cuban Missile Crisis broke.

“I remember very clearly how scared they were, and they couldn’t hide it,” said Ziegler.

“I would rather be dead than Red,” she remembers her aunt saying.

Ziegler’s first visit to Cuba was in 1995 when the Cuban economy crashed and the Soviet Union left them without a patron.

“I saw it then when it was at its absolute worst,” said Ziegler. She went because she feared the country wouldn’t last. “Many people thought it would collapse.”

Ziegler and professor Juan Carlos Albarran led a group of Miami students to Cuba during the first Winter Term.

“When we took students the very first time in 2013, things were still frozen,” said Ziegler. “Our experience was strange and uncomfortable.

Students admitted later that they were even scared.”

In the Miami International Airport, a plane without markings arrived late to pick up the first group of Miami students and faculty en route to Cuba.

The next Winter Term trip to Cuba came just after a deal to normalize relationships between the United States and Cuba. The plane was from American Airlines and arrived on time.

After the Dec. 2014 normalization agreement, interactions between the students studying abroad and the locals slowly softened. When Ziegler and her daughter visited during the Obama family’s trip, the locals were friendlier than ever. She and her daughter even befriended some of the

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taxi drivers who Ziegler described as “millennial types” who talked freely about their feelings about U.S. policies and presidential candidates.

At Miami, students and their parents took a more open mindset to traveling to Cuba after the recent decreases in restrictions and steps toward normalization, said Albarran.

For students, he said it’s a great opportunity to see Cuba from the eyes of Cubans rather than from an American perspective that is still partially clouded by Cold War-era animosity. “[Going] back in a professional setting has been a unique experience because I get to see Cuba through the eyes of my students,” said Albarran.

Albarran was born in Havana, Cuba in the 1970s. He left the island nation in 1999 when he was an adult, and although he has travelled back to visit family, traveling to Cuba with students has been a rewarding and unique experience. He described President Obama’s recent trip to Cuba as emotional, impactful and a step toward a more open and opportunity-filled future for both nations.

Ziegler said the Cuban people’s expectations of changAe after the 2014 agreement were inflated. They expected immediate and widespread change in their country. Her recent trip to witness Obama’s historic visit revealed that Cubans now have more realistic expectations about the changes to come from their new, delicate relationship with the United States.

“They were all excited and happy that he was there and frustrated at the same time because security kept rerouting. Several Cubans complained that they couldn’t get baseball tickets.

That was probably the angriest I saw them,” said Ziegler.

Despite the overall excitement by Cubans over Obama’s visit, enmity had not disappeared in Havana, and not all Cubans supported it. The revolutionary posters are slowly disappearing but still decorate the streets, and there is a large billboard slamming the U.S. embargo on Cuba, which Cubans refer to as “the largest human genocide in history,” said Ziegler.

This week, Fidel Castro, Cuba’s previous dictator of 47 years, expressed his resentment toward the visit and cautioned Cubans to not fall too quickly into the ways of the United States.

“We realize there’s a lot of danger in this still for us,” said one of the taxi drivers Ziegler befriended.

“You know, there’s just one thing I’d love to know,” one of the housemaids at the mansion said to Ziegler.

“Do you think Obama is meeting secretly with Fidel?”

“But you know it can’t be,” Ziegler told her, thinking that neither side would risk or desire a meeting.

The way the Cubans embraced her and her daughter during her most recent trip was a “whirlwind” of an experience, one which revealed

changes among Cubans as Ziegler and her daughter “chased Obama” across Havana.

“The Cuban people are so loving, giving, so devoted to family and friends,” said Ziegler.

Ziegler said it was smart of President Obama to bring his family with him to Cuba because of the high value of family in Cuban culture.

“That all meant a lot to the Cubans,” said Ziegler. “Sometimes little things take time but they mean a lot, so all of that was really significant.”

President Obama also attended the baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban National Team. Zeigler described baseball as a religion in Cuba, a love of the sport shared between the two countries.

“It is the one massive cultural tie that is there between the countries. It was just very significant and very important for Obama to be there,” said Ziegler. “This was the beginning of an un-freezing of a relationship.”

Ziegler and her daughter tried to get into the game, but baseball games in Cuba can only be attended by invitation. They walked door to door asking the Cuban security agents if they could get in until finally one agreed to ask the American official if he would allow them to come in. The American did not, but the security guard said, “Ten paciencia (Be patient).”

When the area settled down, the guard let Ziegler and her daughter sneak in and sit in a section with university students.

After the game, Ziegler and her daughter went to El Rincon Caliente, or “The Hot Corner,” a park in Old Havana where men go to discuss statistics, strategies and everything baseball. Several Cubans went there after they couldn’t find tickets to the baseball game. Ziegler had not been there long before a tall bus pulled up and the Tampa Bay Rays stepped out.

“Of course, the Cubans went crazy,” said Ziegler.

The crowd surged at the bus, and the Rays players stayed to chat with the locals for a long time, said Ziegler.

“It’s two countries that have been so at odds with each other, yet on a certain level it’s still just people,” said Ziegler. “Part of me, selfishly, is sad to see Cuba change. There’s a quaintness about it that is really appealing.”

“Down deep inside I’ve always felt sorry for Cuba. It’s paid a heavy price for daring to spit in the eye of the United States and not just automatically fall under their influence,” said Ziegler.

Relations with Cuba are still very delicate, and Ziegler said the movement toward normalization could easily fall back to isolationism and enmity.

“There have been many, many times in the past where you get your hopes up, and one side or another will do something unbelievable, and it goes back to how it was before,” said Ziegler.

WWW.MIAMISTUDENT.NET

FROM TENNIS »PAGE 10

Sophomore Hannah Shteyn paired with Struble last week against Old Dominion. The match was tied at 3-3 before it went unfinished. Shteyn lost both of her singles matches against both Old Dominion and South Alabama.

Shteyn looks to regain confidence and resume winning against MAC rivals this weekend.

9

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016

“We’re working on just being prepared for anything and just continuing to improve our consistency as well as ability to attack,” Shteyn said. “We’re going to go out there and learn from the experiences we’ve had and find ways to apply what we’ve learned to hopefully make us successful this weekend.”

Match play against Ball State begins at 1 p.m. Friday in Muncie, Indiana. The match against Toledo begins at 1 p.m. Sunday in Toledo, Ohio.

FROM india »PAGE 1

grees.

The stage was draped with lilies and marigolds. The auditorium was filled with incense sticks. Before the performance began, the members of the orchestra—dressed in vibrantly colored traditional saris and sarongs—lit oil lamps that lined the front of the stage.

“We lit the oil lamps to show solidarity, to show that we are all one,” said Krishnan. “I wanted the venue to be very rooted in culture.”

Every seat in the venue was filled. People who didn’t have seats stood, packed side-by-side, to watch the performance. The audience members represented a vast range of people—scholars and scientists, entrepreneurs and engineers, filmmakers and families.

From grandmothers to four-yearolds, all ages were in attendance.

The goal of the Global Rhythms performance was to showcase classical Western music, a genre that was completely new to the audience. Along with traditional Indian music, the ensemble—made up of the Miami students, the Sunshine Orchestra and guest Indian artists—played pieces by composers like Purcell and Rachmaninoff.

“It was completely different for India,” said junior Chandni Chandiramani, who plays the viola.

“Nothing had ever been done like this.”

The audience was spellbound.

After the performance, Chandiramani said, they crowded the stage for photographs with the musicians.

“Music is a universal language that can be appreciated by every-

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body, everywhere,” Krishnan said.

“I wanted to expand the definition of music for people here [in India].”

The group also visited a grade school in Chennai, where they were welcomed by the entire staff and student body. The orchestra performed at the school, with Ricardo Averbach, the Miami orchestra’s conductor, teaching the young students how to conduct.

“Five kids walked onto the stage, and they started conducting the Miami students,” said Krishnan.

“That’s when we knew we were doing something right.”

“It was really cool because they had never heard Western classical music before,” said senior cellist Marla Gigliotti. “They didn’t even know what a cello was. They were really excited, and it piqued their curiosity.”

Along with performing, the group had a recording session in A.R. Rahman’s studio, visited a fine arts college and had a personal class with a classical Indian violinist, where they learned how to play one of his original compositions.

But despite the full itinerary, the students did not know much about what they were going to be doing outside of performing.

“Srini had everything planned out, but we didn’t know that he had everything planned out,” Chandiramani said. “He did that on purpose, because he said we have to let go of our culture and be pushed out of our comfort zone. The culture in India is just so full of spontaneity, and we got to experience that directly.

It was crazy for us, especially as musicians, because so much of what we do is precision. But I think that’s what made the experience

so special. It was completely lifechanging.”

The group visited cathedrals, a monastery and a philosopher’s house. They went to libraries and met with a monk. And they visited the Theosophical Society of India, a center of meditation, spirituality and philosophy which is also home to one of the largest banyan trees in the world.

Chandiramani said, for her, the trip was a powerful spiritual journey.

“Walking around Miami, I’m a different person now,” Chandiramani said. “We went there to share our culture, but in turn we got a lot of that culture as well.”

“We got to see everything from poverty to the richest of the rich there,” said Gigliotti. “So it made me very aware of how diverse the world actually is.”

Krishnan wants to continue this trip every year.

“Look at what it does for our students,” he said. “I think it was a very good wake-up call for our team. They began to believe that there is another world where they can do something. I think this is what music is all about. It allows our students to find another dimension of who they are. They discovered a new side of themselves. They had no idea they were so good.

“I will do it again and again,” said Krishnan. “I will do everything to sustain a project like this, to bring Miami to faraway worlds. We broke every boundary, we broke every wall. It was such a fantastic way of launching Global Rhythms in India. These things happen incrementally, and we have started it, that’s for sure.”

10 SPORTS

FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2016

SPORTS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

After eight-game win streak halted, Miami faces Toledo SOFTBALL

JULIA RIVERA STAFF WRITER

The RedHawks’ eight-game winning streak ended Tuesday night when the Miami University softball team split a doubleheader against Wright State University (16-14). MU won the first game, 4-2, and lost the second game, 8-2. The ’Hawks now stand at 18-12 (3-0 Mid-American Conference) on the season.

“Yesterday was a humbling day,” senior pitcher Amber Logemann said. “Sometimes when you are on a winning streak you become relaxed, and so the second game yesterday showed that we can’t settle and have to be focused for every pitch. Wright State had a good game though and took advantage of our mistakes.”

In the first game, Wright State took an early 1-0 lead after a solo home run off Logemann in the top of the first inning. A sacrifice fly later in the inning by MU freshman first baseman Johniann Wahl brought freshman shortstop Michaela Schlattman home and tied the score at 1-1.

With one out in the bottom of

TWO MINUTE DRILL:

ANDREW DUSING

the second, sophomore third baseman Kat Lee singled up the middle.

Sophomore catcher Rylee Whispel followed with a walk. After Wright State recorded the second out of the frame, Schlattman blasted her eighth home run of the year, a three-run shot over the centerfield wall that gave the RedHawks a 4-1 lead.

Junior pitcher Kelsey Fredericks came in for relief for the final two innings.

Logemann allowed one earned run on two hits and struck out five in 5.0 innings pitched.

“Amber did a great job. She gave us five solid innings,” head coach Clarissa Crowell said. “Kelsey did a good job of coming in and shutting the door.”

In the top of the seventh, a fielding error followed by a double and a sacrifice fly brought in a run for Wright State, but Fredericks collected a pair of groundouts to finish off the 4-2 win and earn her first career save.

In the nightcap, Wright State again got on the board first with three runs off three hits in the top of the second inning. MU senior outfielder Hailey Reed hit a double to score Wahl and

cut the deficit to 3-1.

The Raiders broke the game open with four runs in the top of the fifth.

Wahl scored off a hit by junior catcher Lauren Anderson in the bottom of the sixth, but Wright State went on to take an 8-2 win.

“Obviously you never want to lose but I am not very happy with the way we lost that game,” Crowell said.

“We just didn’t show up that game.

We’ve got to be better than that. It’s one of those games where we need to talk about what we need to learn from it, but we also need to bounce back because we have a big series this weekend against Toledo.”

The RedHawks return to MidAmerican Conference play when they travel to University of Toledo for a three-game series this weekend.

The teams play one game at 3 p.m.

Friday and in a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday.

“There will be some good games,” Logemann said. “It’s not about who we play, but about how we play.

And if we focus on doing all the little things right and staying together as a team, we can do some great things this year.”

ball, before dropping everything to focus on running.

If you were stranded on an island, which teammate or coach would you want with you?

What’s your funniest Miami track experience?

Last season, we were running on a cross-country course, and there was a girl tanning topless on the side.

We were all pretty surprised, and we definitely shared a few laughs over that.

If you could spend one day with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be?

Pope Francis. I think he’s a very interesting leader and figure.

Who is your funniest teammate?

MIAMI ATHLETICS

I have to go with the tag team of Matt Bromley and Zac Thompson.

When they start feeding off of each other, something hilarious usually happens.

POSITION: Middle and long distance YEAR: Junior HOMETOWN: Brookfield,Wis. Do you have any pre-meet or pre-race rituals?

How long have you been running track?

Ever since eighth grade. When I was a kid I played everything, including soccer and basket-

I’ve had a bunch over the years, but now I stick to drinking sleepy time decaffeinated tea the night before, eating jellybeans the morning of the race and then throwing up those jellybeans right before the race.

RedHawks seek end to four-match losing streak TENNIS

SCOTT SUTTON

THE MIAMI STUDENT

The Miami University tennis team (5-8) looks forward to this weekend’s matches against Ball State University (15-2) and University of Toledo (6-8).

The RedHawks are recovering from last weekend’s back-to-back losses against No. 45 South Alabama University (16-4) and No. 61 Old Dominion University (10-5).

Sophomores Nelli Ponomareva and Anastasiia Vasiukhina were named the Mid-American Conference Doubles Team of the Week after going undefeated last weekend, beating South Alabama’s Cinta Maria Papke and Alexandria Stiteler, 6-3, and Old Dominion’s Adriana

Zach McBride. He’s a hard worker, and I think I could trust him in survival situations.

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

The Swiss Alps are what come to mind first. I’m a big skier, and I’ve always wanted to go.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

I’m an Eagle Scout, and I don’t think very many people know that about me.

If you could have any superpower, which would you choose?

Definitely flight. When you’re always on your feet, it would be so nice to be able to fly right into class or to just fly home if I wanted to.

What’s your favorite NFL team?

I’m from Wisconsin, and I’m a big Packers fan. With Jordy coming back next season, I think we’ll be dangerous.

SIDELINE NBA CAVALIERS

Rajkovic and Ivana Vukovic, 6-2.

The duo won the award earlier in the season, and it’s Ponomareva’s fourth time winning the award.

Freshman Emily Struble leads the team with an overall record of 19-7 and is on a two-match winning streak. She said she’s aware of what the team must do in order to get back on the right track during this fourmatch losing streak.

“We are just going into the MAC knowing that we have played four very good ranked teams in our last four matches,” Struble said. “We have learned to compete at a very high level. We are working on a lot of footwork and consistency drills.

We just have to stay positive and fight for every match this weekend.”

TENNIS »PAGE 9

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NHL BLUE JACKETS

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ISLANDERS

4

TODAY IN HISTORY

2003

ANGELO GELFUSO THE MIAMI STUDENT

MU team captain Sean Kuraly signed an entry level contract with the Boston Bruins for the remainder of the 2015-16 season Tuesday. He will report to the Providence Bruins, Boston’s American Hockey League affiliate.

With return of baseball season, it’s time to embrace America’s pastime COLUMN

JACKED UP SPORTS As March turns to April and the madness winds down, America’s pastime is returning from her winter hiatus. Baseball season is upon us.

For many new-age sports fans, summer is regarded as that time between basketball season and football season. In non-Olympic and World Cup years, many consider the NFL combine as the only noteworthy sporting event during the dog days.

Football has found a way to be the most relevant sport, garnering an absurd amount of coverage in the offseason. The NBA stretches its season over nine months from preseason to the playoffs.

And for whatever reason, baseball is not a popular as it used to be and no longer gets its due respect. People complain that there are too many games or it’s boring to watch. It’s frustrating for fans of the game, especially younger ones, to listen to these criticisms.

Kids no longer dream of playing in the big leagues. Instead, they choose to strap on helmets and pads and get an early start on developing dementia.

Let’s make the case for baseball and why it is the best of the four major American sports.

One of the first things any oldtime baseball fan will rant about is statistics.

There are numerous incredible feats achieved by baseball players over the past 150-plus years of the professional game. The significance of chasing and breaking records in baseball is beyond compare in other sports. There is nothing quite like being a record holder in baseball over the span of a season or the span of a career.

Records are hunted and coveted.

Some are thought to be unbreakable. Cal Ripken Jr. played in 2632 consecutive games. That’s 500 more games than the next player on that list, Lou Gehrig. The current leader is Manny Machado of the Orioles. He’s played 162 consecutive games. Good luck with the next 2471, Manny.

Pete Rose has 4256 hits. Alex

Rodriguez is the active player with the next most hits (3070). He’ll only need to add another decade or so to his career to catch Rose.

Every year, somebody chases a single-season record, and you don’t have to be a fan of his team to cheer for him.

Tracking statistics is one of the most enjoyable parts of professional baseball. It’s unique and special to the sport and is an easy way to connect with and appreciate the game in a new way.

There’s also nothing quite like going to the ballpark. You never have to bear the subzero temperatures of a Green Bay football game. If you’re resourceful, you can spend less money on a ticket than you can a stadium beer.

Scalpers are a dying breed. They may ask for $20 a ticket, but in reality, they’ll take $5 for it.

Plus, the players deliver free souvenirs to lucky fans in the form of foul balls and home runs. Good luck trying to leave with the game ball from an NBA game.

And who doesn’t love hot dogs?

The beauty of baseball lies in its simplicity. It’s as close to perfect as professional team sports can get.

Did you ever stop to think where the term “pitch and catch” came from? Although rules have changed in recent years to conform to the general softness our society has come to embrace (just let them block the damn plate!), and though the MLB has drank the instant replay punch, the game is easy to follow.

You can watch it with your mother without having to answer a thousand questions. You can take your girlfriend or boyfriend to a game and simply enjoy the weather and each others’ company.

Give baseball another chance.

You don’t have to be a diehard fan to enjoy it, and it’s a welcoming break from the endless onslaught of offseason coverage of other sports.

There’s nothing like an afternoon at the ballpark. And there’s nothing like America’s pastime.

JACK REYERING

BULLERE@MIAMIOH.EDU

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, known for arguing with officials, gets into a heavy screaming match with a referee during a game against the New Orleans Hornets. After shoving the man, he was restrained by an equipment manager.

It was then revealed the incident was staged for April Fool’s.

Headlines beyond Oxford: Five U.S. women’s national team players, including Alex Morgan and Hope Solo, filed a federal complaint Wednesday accusing U.S. Soccer of wage discrimination. They said they earn 40 percent of what players on the men’s team earns.