ESTABLISHED 1826 – OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
The Miami Student FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016 Volume 144 №28
Miami University — Oxford, Ohio
MIAMISTUDENT.NET
Surge in arrests, hospitalizations linked to ‘rush’ GREEK LIFE
EMILY TATE
MANAGING EDITOR
REIS THEBAULT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Greek recruitment has gotten off to a troubling start this semester, as the university and the Greek governing councils linked a spike in arrests and hospitalizations
‘The Great Blizzard of ’78’ revisited
earlier this week with the concurrent fraternity “rush.” The hospitalizations — which the president of Miami’s Panhellenic Association estimated to be more than 20 from Sunday and Monday nights alone — have prompted a conversation about the current state of Miami’s Greek life, which has seen three chapters sus-
pended in the last year. In an email to all sorority presidents, Panhellenic president Elizabeth Nelsen encouraged members of the organizations to “stop to think why we are Greek.” She said that recent incidents are indicative of a larger problem in Miami’s Greek community. “Our community is cur-
rently battling an extremely severe situation that has unfortunately also become our norm,” wrote Nelsen, a junior. “Nothing about this situation is normal.” In that email, she said the Blood Alcohol Contents of three students were recorded between .245 and .3 — levels considered to be just drinks away from “life threaten-
ing,” according to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Nelsen wrote that, during the first two days of fraternity recruitment, 23 people were taken to the hospital. Though she later said that number was rumored, both Miami and the Interfraternity Council (IFC) acknowledged that several arrests and hos-
Vigil held for three deceased professors
pitalizations stemmed from fraternity recruitment. Between Saturday and Monday, the Oxford Police Department reported at least five arrests for liquor violations, one of which led to a hospitalization. All five were Miami University students — four of which were male, GREEK »PAGE 9
Students struggle back to campus through snow
HISTORY
WEATHER
OLIVIA OVERMOYER
MAGGIE CALLAGHAN
Miami University senior Larry Schachter sat with his roommates in their offcampus apartment as snow piled up outside. “We ventured out into the street, and you wouldn’t see a car come down for five minutes,” Schachter said. The men’s basketball team, however, was unaware that conditions were so bad in the western part of Ohio while they piled onto the bus after a big win at the University of Toledo. “There was really no effective method of communication so it all kind of travelled by word of mouth that everybody should stay inside and classes were cancelled,” Schachter recalled. While they began their long trek home on the evening of Wednesday, Jan. 25, 1978, the snowfall picked up speed, and soon it was impossible to travel any further due to the large quantities of snow and ice covering the road. “They were all very, very concerned,” said head coach Darrell Hedric. “Most of the guys were sleeping, and when they woke up, they saw that no one was moving,” After asking the bus driver to take the closest exit off of the highway, the team ended up in Vandalia. As they pulled into town, they saw the lights of a local latenight doughnut shop. Seeking a telephone, a few of the coaching staff ventured off the bus and into the store. The coaches explained their predicament and the local police officers enjoying a late-night snack came up with a plan. They opened up the local courthouse and jail to the team as shelter from the storm. “We piled in, and wandered around trying to find a place to sleep,” said assistant coach Joe Barry. Not everyone on the bus found the cells to be comfortable, however. One of
Leap of Faith His family roots drove him to a growing passion for the environment. “[My parents] came from rural India, farming villages, and the connection between the environment and livelihood is so dispersal,” he
Lucy Fox woke up early last Friday morning to find 4 inches of snow already covering the ground outside her home. The sophomore’s plans to return to Oxford on Friday from Nashville were derailed because of this storm and she had to wait until Saturday. Only 10 minutes into her trip from Nashville, Fox noticed cars lining the side of the unpaved interstate. Then, just minutes later, her car spun 180 degrees into a ditch. “We weren’t going very fast, but I guess we hit a spot of ice or slushy snow,” said Fox, who was a passenger at the time. Like Fox, many Miami University students had trouble returning to Oxford this past weekend because of the historic Blizzard “Jonas.” The blizzard stretched through a large portion of country, sweeping through the South, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast corridors from Thursday all the way through Sunday. This storm has left at least 48 people dead and many more still stranded in their homes. A record 26.8 inches fell in Central Park according to the National Weather Service, and states such as Maryland and Virginia experienced the most snow that has ever been recorded in those states. Virginia Bulger, first-year from Herndon, Virginia, witnessed the storm’s power firsthand. “It didn’t stop for 36 hours,” said Bulger. “I woke up Sunday and my car was hidden.” Students were forced to make tough decisions about returning to Oxford because of the storm’s intensity and strength. Aly Wong, a sophomore from Cleveland, was deciding between returning on Saturday or Sunday. “The storm definitely made us lean toward Sunday … [My dad] doesn’t
SAMY »PAGE 5
SNOW »PAGE 5
THE MIAMI STUDENT
1978 »PAGE 4
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
IAN MARKER THE MIAMI STUDENT
A group led by Miami’s Association of Black Faculty & Staff honored three African-American professors — Adrian Gaskins, Augustus “Gus” Jones and Heanon Wilkins — who died in the past two months. MEMORIAL
GRACE MOODY NEWS EDITOR
A vigil was held yesterday in the Armstrong Student Center to honor Adrian Gaskins, Augustus “Gus” Jones and Heanon Wilkins — three African-American professors who have died within the past two months. Gaskins, a professor of American Studies and Black World Studies, died over the winter term, and Jones, a political science professor, died unexpectedly Dec. 3.
Wilkins retired from Miami in 1992 and died Dec. 16. He was Miami’s first tenured track AfricanAmerican professor, and the Heanon Wilkins Faculty Fellowship was created in his name. Gaskins joined Miami as a Heanon Wilkins fellow in 2008. The vigil began when Morrel Wax, president of Miami’s Association of Black Faculty & Staff (ABFAS), led a group through the Armstrong Student Center, holding a sign that read, “In loving memory, gone
but never forgotten.” The group then stood on the stage, each holding a sign with words such as “scholar,” “educator,” “Political Science” and “professor.” Rodney Coates, director of Miami’s Black World Studies program in the Department of Global and Intercultural Studies, spoke to the crowd at the vigil. “The Miami tradition is no longer reflected in the lives of three of our colleagues,” Coates said. “These three scholars, who
represent the epiphany of what Miami is about, geniuses that for over 20 years — 30 years in some cases — dedicated their lives to students, oftentimes overcoming obstacles of indifference and overcoming obstacles of ignorance.” Coates closed by saying, “What made each of them so wonderful is that not only did they embrace their scholarship and exude humility, but they had this warmth and love and so therefore we celebrate their lives here at Miami.”
Alum named to Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ ALUMNI
ABIGAIL KELLY
THE MIAMI STUDENT
Miami alumnus Kevin Samy (’09) was named to Forbes’ “30 Under 30” for his professional success as a speechwriter for environmental and climate change policy. Samy, 28, was one of 600 honorees for “30 under 30,” and received the award in the Law & Policy category. However, a successful career in public service was not Samy’s intention when
he started at Miami in 2005. Instead, the past 10 years has been a long journey of creating and recreating his own game plan. The Original Game “There was so much that went into my decision to go to school at Miami that revolved around football,” Samy recalled. The Canton, Ohio native was recruited as a defensive linebacker for the RedHawks with the dream of playing professionally after graduation. That dream was abrupt-
NEWS p. 2
NEWS p. 3
WITHROW COURT TENANTS DISPLACED
BELOVED PROFESSOR DIES OVER WINTER TERM
As demolition nears, club sports teams continue search for new homes.
Adrian Gaskins, American Studies and Black World Studies, died over break.
ly ended by an injury early in his second season. Six months after the injury and two surgeries later, Samy finally had to come to terms with finding a new path. “I was no longer ‘Kevin the football player,’” he said. But Samy decided to see his situation as an opportunity. “It was really a moment for me to focus on not football, and I got to think critically about other life options,” said Samy. He continued his Miami career by focusing on his accounting courses. However,
CULTURE p. 4
throughout his junior year, he had the frightening realization that he was in a major he did not want to make into a career, and it was too late to change his degree.
OPINION p. 6
SPORTS p. 10
THE ‘STUDENT’ STAFF PICKS ITS TOP MOVIES
EDITORIAL BOARD: GREEK SYSTEM IN NEED OF REFORM
BASKETBALL TEAM NEARING HISTORIC LOSING STREAK
The rankings are in, the people have spoken: find out which movies the staff loved.
Panhellenic president agrees, calling on her fellow Greek life members to shape up.
The team has lost 10 in a row, approaching a bottom-feeding status not seen since the 193233 team lost 12 straight.