ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 2016
Volume 144 №51
Miami University — Oxford, Ohio
HEALTH BENEFITS FALL SHORT
Despite rules, smoking continues
AAUP PAPER EXPOSES INEQUITIES
Smoking not punishable by law
FACULTYS
HEALTH
MEGAN ZAHNEIS
SOPHIE WHORF
NEWS EDITOR
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Miami University’s health plan offerings for its employees fall short of accepted industry standards, according to a recent report commissioned by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). The report alleges that fiscal consequences for employees who choose to receive services from nonnetwork providers are “unusually harsh.” In recent years, the university has subscribed to the notion of health care “networks”, in which employees who attend “participating” or “preferred” medical practices receive lower bills. “Since health care providers want patients with insurance who can pay for their treatment, insurers and large employers enjoy considerable leverage negotiating with them for lower rates and other restrictions on how they provide their services,” reads the white paper, written by David Walsh, a professor of economics. “In exchange, network providers are assured access to sizable pools of patients.” Walsh said that the higher costs associated with non-network providers are a result of higher “coinsurances”, or copays, and of “balance billing” — which bills employees for the difference in the provider’s charge and the amount paid by the employee’s plan. ‘The problem with Miami in particular is that the attempt to try to push people to see providers within the
The stresses of college — especially during the final weeks of the semester — often prompt students to seek ways to alleviate the strain of term papers and allnighters spent cramming for exams. For some, that solution comes in the form of smoking cigarettes. “Smoking is related to stress level. So people find that, even though nicotine is a stimulant — that it relaxes them. So you’re gonna see [smoking] more in high-stress times,” said Rose Marie Ward, a professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health who studies public health and substance abuse among college students. Nick Froehlich, a firstyear student, said that the pressure of a busy schedule drove him to start smoking. “I never smoked before I came to college. I thought it was gross — and it is,” said Froehlich. “I never imagined myself to be pretty much addicted to cigarettes … It turns out that [college] is really much more stressful than you anticipate.” Froehlich primarily smokes outside his residence hall during the evenings with a friend or two. He has never gotten in trouble for smoking on campus grounds or seen any smoking policy enforced, despite the fact that Miami’s student handbook prohibits smoking. According to Part 4, Chapter 10 of the handbook, all Miami campuses
HEALTHCARE »PAGE 3
ANGELO GELFUSO THE MIAMI STUDENT
VIGIL FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT Yesterday evening at 6:30, students met at the Shade Family Room in Armstrong Student Center for a candelight vigil to bring awareness to sexual assault on Miami’s campus.
Miami employees turn to food pantry COMMUNITY
TESS SOHNGEN
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
It’s 4:08 p.m. on a hot Monday in April, and six cars were already parked between the cemetery and the only food pantry in Oxford, Ohio. Everyone sat in their cars with the windows open, waiting for the pantry to open at five o’clock. Every month, families and individuals from 300 different homes in the Talawanda School District come to Oxford Community Choice Food Pantry (OCCP) to temporarily mitigate the grumbling in their stomachs and the slimming of their wallets. They come for food, and many who come need these free food items to make it to the next payday without going hungry. As the clock ticked closer to five o’clock, they moved from their cars — now nine parked in the sun — to the shade of the white building. One of the women waiting there was Jan*, a Miami em-
Low wages for university workers contribute to high traffic at OCCP ployee of 18 years, who began coming to the OCCP after her friend referred her to it last year. “I’d like to get to a day where I don’t have to use it,” said Jan. But with an hourly income of $12.78 an hour and no other source of income outside Miami, that dream is
nearly impossible to achieve. “The real surprise is when you stop and think about some of the people who come through, people you know through another context. They just struggle, and you don’t realize it until they come in looking hungry,” said Bob Ratterman, the director of the OCCP.
A.J. NEWBERRY THE MIAMI STUDENT
ACADEMICS
MARY SCHROTT
Last year, Cook Field saw largest number of offenses since 2010
BONNIE MEIBERS
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
There have been numerous traffic incidents throughout the years at Cook Field. These used to be the most frequent offenses in the area, but inrecent years, traffic offenses are the least of students’ worries. In 2015, six alcohol violations, one assault, one count of criminal mischief, two counts of property dam-
FOOD SECURITY »PAGE 3
SMOKING »PAGE 3
Opting for part-time tempting for seniors
A closer look at crime on campus
CRIME
For one dollar a year, The Oxford Community Choice Pantry calls a one-story white house next to the community graveyard its home. A white picket fence outlines part of the house like the white beard on Ratterman’s face and reaches high toward the sky like the hair on his head. Both are a little old and not without charm. Within the old, stubborn door is one main room where locals shop for their groceries. Ratterman and his staff organized and color-coated the shelves and food according to food groups outlined by MyPlate, the current nutritional guideline outlined by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Beyond the main shopping room, there is only one smaller room available to store extra food. “We could use more space, but for one dollar a year, we just can’t beat that,” said Ratterman. One thing the OCCP is not
NEWS EDITOR
age, one sex offense and four traffic violations occurred on Cook Field — making last year’s total the largest amount of offenses since 2010. Armstrong Student Center, one of the most heavily trafficked areas on campus, had 37 offenses total for the academic year thus far. Since 2010, there has been at least one alcohol violation on Cook Field every year. The six violations in 2015 COOK FIELD »PAGE 8 CONNOR MORIARTY THE MIAMI STUDENT
As the red triangle on a Miami student’s Degree Audit Report pie chart shrinks, indicating fewer needed credits and an approaching graduation, student scheduling becomes increasingly strategic. For students entering senior year who need less than 24 credits — or two full-time 12 credit semesters — to graduate, going part-time is an option. According to the Office of Institutional Research, just two percent of Oxford’s 15,975 degree-seeking undergraduates are part-time.
However, of the 308 parttime students in Oxford, 55 percent are seniors. Various factors, such as tuition, amenities and scholarship, can be affected by a student’s decision to attend Miami part-time. Brent Shock, assistant vice president of student financial aid and bursar offices, said that several years ago, part-time students were denied access to Miami services like the Rec and health services. Now, students only need to be enrolled in one hour of credit for access. Students must, however, be full-time to live on campus unless a special excepPART-TIME »PAGE 3
NEWS p. 2
NEWS p. 2
CULTURE p. 4
OPINION p. 6
SPORTS p. 10
MU AAUP CELEBRATES ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY
FACULTY MEMBERS AWARDED FOR SERVICE
CULTURE EDITOR REVIEWS GAME OF THRONES
GUN ACTIVIST MARCH TRIGGERS DEBATE
MIAMI TENNIS HOSTS MAC TOURNAMENT
Faculty advocacy chapter reflects on successes, sets goals for next year
Jerome Conley amd Wanita Hatton, recognized by Miami University for dedication
Warning: this review is dark and full of spoilers. If you have not watched S6E1, do not read on
Editorial board, concealed carry activist and Miami student discuss guns on campus
University tennis team prepares for first matchup in Mid-American Conference