The Miami Student | April 3, 2018

ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

Volume 146 No. 23

Miami University — Oxford, Ohio

PROTESTS CONTINUE OVER RACIAL UNREST AT MIAMI ACTIVISM

CÉILÍ DOYLE NEWS EDITOR

JUNIOR AND MIAMI TRIBE MEMBER ADDISON PATRICK TALKS EXPLORING HIS HERITAGE AT MIAMI. BO BRUBECK THE MIAMI STUDENT

Miami Tribe members talk history, language MYAAMIA

JULIA ARWINE JACK EVANS

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Over 125 Miami Tribe members, Oxford leaders, university administrators and other attendees packed the Marcum Center last Friday for the eighth biennial Myaamiaki Conference.

Members of the university’s Myaamia Center and other researchers offered up findings on the history, linguistics and childhood development of the Miami Tribe. Myaamia students spoke about their experiences at the university and a few vendors and artists displayed their handicrafts.

The Myaamia Center live-streamed the event on its Facebook page, where about 10 to 20 people were watching at any given time.

In his opening remarks, Daryl Baldwin, director of the Myaamia Center, commented on how much the tribe has learned and experienced in recent years and how if young members choose to continue engaging in their culture, it would increase the tribe’s growth moving forward.

“For many years, there was a time when things were pretty tough in our community — we were held together by strands,” Baldwin said. “But, there were some elders and there were some community members that held onto those strands…and there is a younger generation that is now ready to pick those

pieces up.”

Chief Doug Lankford of the Miami Tribe also expressed optimism.

“Where is this gonna go? We just don’t know,” Lankford said. “All we have to do is water it and keep the weeds out...Our youth is going to carry this forward.”

Tribe member Timothy McCoy gave the first presentation of the day, entitled “Using Beads Made from Meteorites to Learn about the Mound Builders.”

Blind in one eye since childhood, McCoy spent much of his life looking at the earth below him as he walked. He grew up to become a geologist and learned to read a rock’s history from its appearance.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

Half of parking tickets unpaid, Miami missing out on revenue PARKING

MACKENZIE ROSSERO THE MIAMI STUDENT

Last year, Miami University lost over $400,000 in unpaid parking fines.

Over the past four years, the university has been losing an increasing amount of revenue as the percentage of parking tickets that are paid continues to drop year-afteryear, according to data from the Miami University Police Department (MUPD).

MUPD wrote over 26,000 tickets in the 2017 fiscal year, from July 1, 2016, to June 30, 2017.

Those tickets accumulated nearly $1 million in fines, but barely half were paid off. In 2014, just over three quarters of ticket fees were paid.

There are multiple causes for the decline in revenue, said MUPD Captain Ben Spilman, but one major factor is the difficulty in forcing campus visitors to pay tickets they receive at Miami.

“The enforcement mechanisms [for parking violations] are a little bit stronger for the student population than for the visitor population,” explained David Ellis, Miami’s chief budget officer.

When MUPD doesn’t have a visitor’s name to connect to a parking violation, sometimes it’s easier to dismiss the ticket than hunt the person down. Students, facul-

ty and staff aren’t as difficult to track.

This year, Miami’s budgeted for half a million dollars in revenue from paid parking violations. But, since they have have collected less than $300,000 so far, MUPD is not expecting to hit its goal.

However, revenue from parking violations only makes up 10 percent of Transportation Services’ budget. The budget averages around $5 million, though half of that is designated for bus services and paid for by student fees.

The majority of the revenue related to parking comes from parking permits and parking garages. But, when less parking fines are being paid, Transportation Services has to find other ways to make up for what it lacks.

Part of the solution was to increase the hourly charge for parking meters and garages.

“I think that fluctuating the way that we’re charging that paid parking has made a big difference for us,” argued Spilman.

Small adjustments in paid parking have included a larger charge for the first hour in garages and a higher hourly rate at the meters. This encourages people to either park in the spacious garages if they need long-term parking or park at the meters for brief trips.

This maximizes street parking availability in busy locations like Maple Street.

These changes have helped to alleviate some gaps in the parking portion of CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

NEWS P.3

CULTURE P.4

EDITORIAL P. 12

INTL. STUDENT’S HARD WORK PAYS OFF

OXFORD HOSTS NIGHTTIME EGG HUNT

FOUR PROTESTS IN FOUR DAYS

A post calling out LinkedIn’s CEO led to Microsoft internship.

Children and adults alike scramble for more than 12,000 eggs.

Student activists hope to break the cycle of racist behavior at Miami.

Following last Monday’s occupation of the Armstrong Student Center, black students and their allies at Miami University doubled their efforts to raise awareness about the lack of diversity and inclusion on campus.

These students formed the Black Action Movement 2.0 (BAM 2.0): a mission, not an organization, dedicated to reforming Miami’s racial climate.

The name references the original 1998 Black Action Movement at Miami that sought to eradicate Miami’s racist culture 20 years ago.

BAM 2.0 protested in the Farmer School of Business (FSB) on Tuesday, staged a sit-in at Roudebush Hall on Wednesday and held a second demonstration in Armstrong on Thursday.

Their activism was prompted by a screenshot in a Twitter post that went viral over spring break, depicting firstyear Thomas Wright bragging in a Tinder exchange about his use of a racial slur in a GroupMe message last November.

However, these students are speaking up for issues much larger than Wright and have formed BAM 2.o to further combat racial unrest at Miami.

During Tuesday’s protest at FSB, students argued that the companies who financially support FSB, such as KPMG and Ernst & Young, are supporting a school that stands for racism.

A little over a dozen students stood stood outside FSB 1022 the Student Services office, from about 2:30 to 2:50, holding signs, chanting and CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

Miamians ‘Take Back the Night’

STUDENTS, COMMUNITY MEMBERS MARCH UPTOWN AGAINST SEXUAL VIOLENCE. JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR SEXUAL ASSAULT

ANNA MINTON

THE MIAMI STUDENT

On Monday night in Armstrong’s Wiikiaami room, more than 30 people sat in a circle, laughing and joking about their school days. The room was open, comfortable and brightly lit. Each time someone entered the room, they were greeted with a smile.

No one could guess that this room was a support group and that almost every person in that room had experienced some form of sexual- or gender-based

violence.

The support group, called Survivor Speak Out, was one of many events put on by Feminists Working On Real Democracy (F-WORD). These events all lead up to Monday night’s Take Back the Night march from Armstrong to Oxford Park. About 50 people marched, protesting the current climate on Miami’s campus for those who have experienced sexual- or gender-based violence on campus.

Nora McVey, Miami’s Campus-Based Support Specialist, said that the march’s goal is to “take back this night from CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

SPORTS P.14

HOCKEY ADDS ASSOCIATE COACH Peter Mannino joins the RedHawks from Omaha, Nebraska.

Science

page 6

5 DINING LOC ATIONS BAT TLE TO BRING THE BE S T DISHE S APRIL 9 –13, 2018 11:00 A M –1:00 PM BISHOP WOODS CIRCLE

LO O K FO R D E TA I L S & M EN US

@Miami UDining

2 NEWS

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

Take Back the Night

Students organize against sexual violence FROM PAGE 1

sexual violence.”

“It is about supporting survivors and being loud and proud,” she said. “Many people think that gender-based violence isn’t happening, and we want to combat that idea.”

The Survivor Speak Out program, along with an ally training session, focused on creating safe spaces for students and introducing them to different methods and resources available to them.

“We want to educate students on how to be a good friend, and how to support someone to get through this,” said McVey. “If they want to have confidential support, counseling, we are talking about those resources, and how they can do that get support to do those things.”

However, one of the march’s main focuses is the idea that the administration is lacking adequate programs for survivors or victims. here are not enough resources for those who need them, F-WORD member Clara Guerra said.

“There needs to be more resources for survivors,” said Guerra. “There is only one

support counselor for 2,000 kids, and there needs to be more advocators.”

According to Hayley Huge, co-president of F-WORD, another change that many advocates want to see on campus is the removal of certain policies that many survivors and victims feel are detrimental.

“A lot of students have problems with mandatory reporting policies, and they find it very silencing,” said Huge. “RA’s and faculty feel like they can’t communicate with their residents and students, and that it hinders their relationships.”

McVey said those participating in Monday’s event are striving to create a more supportive environment in which victims feel more comfortable coming forward.

“As an advocate, I believe that you either know a survivor or you are a survivor,” said McVey. “Gender-based violence truly is a public health epidemic. It truly does affect everyone. This has been an issue that we have been trying to solve forever, so we need to invite everyone to be a part of the solution.” mintona2@miamioh.edu

ASG responds to racial incidents

Oxford NAACP to host banquet EVENT

CÉILÍ DOYLE NEWS EDITOR

Oxford’s local chapter of the NAACP is hosting its annual Freedom Fund banquet at 5 p.m. this Sunday, April 8 at the Shriver Heritage Center. Miami professor of musicology Tammy Kernodle will be this year’s keynote speaker.

The theme of this year’s event is “Steadfast & Immovable,” signifying “that the quest for equal rights for all races is an ongoing effort that will never be abandoned,” according to a press release written by members of Oxford’s NAACP. The NAACP will hand out two awards at the Freedom Fund Banquest. The first is the Community Service Award, which will be given to Talawanda school district superintendent Kelly Spivey. Spivey has worked with Talawanda schools since 2011 and has been a major advocate for diversity and inclusion.

The recipient of the second award, the Diversity Educator Award, will be announced at the banquet and is selected from a pool of Talawanda school district teachers by community members, parents, students and fellow teachers.

Additionally, the banquet serves as a fundraising event for the NAACP to offer college scholarships to students of color who attend Talawanda High School.

Tickets for the event are still available at $50 per person. Food and non-alcoholic drinks are included in the ticket price and there will be a cash bar for alcohol. Live music will be provided by the Rehugnant Jazz Quartet.

For further information about the banquet or to request tickets call NAACP president, Fran Jackson at (513) 523-8400 or Linda Musmeci-Kimball at (513) 523-3640.

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THE EXEC BOARD OF F-WORD ADDRESS THE CROWD BEFORE THE TAKE BACK THE NIGHT MARCH. JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

ASG

ANDREW TILBE STAFF WRITER

Miami University Associated Student Government (ASG) released a letter regarding the rekindled controversy over racial comments made by a student at Miami.

In the fall semester, firstyear Thomas Wright used a slur to refer to black students in a GroupMe message. Last week, a tweet of a screenshot went viral, showing Wright bragging about the incident on the dating

app Tinder.

ASG’s letter, titled “Miami Students: we are at a crossroads” was sent via email to all Miami students on Wednesday night.

“We can either sit idle and ignore what happened, or we can rise up against such intolerance and bigotry in our community. Rise Up Miami,” the letter read. “Rise up to any student who uses such divisive language so they know that they are not welcomed here. But most importantly, rise up for your Miamians, who feel alienated, unwelcomed and disrespected.

Signed by Student Body President Maggie Callaghan, Student Body Vice President Luke Elfreich and Secretary for Diversity and Inclusion Courtney Rose, the letter was approved on behalf of all of ASG Student Senate and ASG Student Court at the ASG meeting on Tuesday, Mar. 27.

Additionally, at the ASG meeting, the results from a poll regarding the single-door policy at Miami residence halls were presented. The poll showed that Miami students disapproved of the policy. A bill to take the data to administration was ap-

proved.

ASG also approved support for the Oxford City Council’s levy to seek funding for the Oxford Area Trails. The Oxford Area Trails are a proposed paved path around the city of Oxford.

Senator Michael Meleka announced that an effort to increase compensation for RAs was denied.

Senator Daljeet Singh Gadiwale announced that It’s On Us Week will be the week of April 9. tilbear@miamoh.edu

Humanities thrive despite enrollment dip ACADEMICS

KEVIN VESTAL

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Over the past decade, four-year colleges across the country have seen a dip in the number of students pursuing a humanities degree. Miami University is not immune to this trend. In response to the decrease in enrollment, departments in history, languages and identity studies, among other disciplines, have adjusted their resources accordingly.

According to data collected by the U.S. Department of Education, the humanities accounted for 11.9 percent of all bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2015, compared to 14.9 percent a decade earlier.

At Miami’s Oxford campus, humanities majors currently account for 10.7 percent of undergrads, according to data compiled from the Office of Institutional Research.

The last time Miami was above the national average was in 2008.

Despite the university’s expanding undergraduate enrollment, the number of humanities majors has faced a steady decline. Ten years ago, Miami boasted over 2,100 humanities students, 300 more than the number today.

Although department resources have shifted, Renée Baernstein, associate dean for the College of Arts and Science (CAS), said that the humanities at Miami have not suffered, due in large part to the school’s liberal arts tradition.

“I don’t in any way see a crisis here,” Baernstein said. “But we have to respond to the environment.”

Baernstein said that the number of humanities students fluctuates with each class, but this is the lowest cycle she has seen in her 25 years at Miami.

Of the five most popular CAS majors at Miami, strategic communication, which ranks third, is the only humanities field.

Excluding undecided students, enrollment in strategic communications is surpassed by biology and psychology, with political science and economics close behind.

One reason behind the humanities dip, Baernstein said, is the rise in students entering college with AP credit from high school. While this credit makes it easier for students to graduate on time, it discourages them from taking introductory Miami Plan courses, thus preventing students from discovering a field they might love.

“I was a history major in college, but I actually hated history in high school,”

E v e n t s t h i s We e k

Baernstein said. “It wasn’t until I got to college and had to take a history class that I realized that it was not the same subject I studied in high school.”

Miami’s history major saw the sharpest drop in enrollment. Over the last ten years, it has gone from 233 students to less than half that number today.

Another reason for lower enrollment in the humanities is that students are wary of pursuing a degree that they believe will make it difficult to find a career after graduation.

Although sophomore Nathan Sterzenbach said he found joy in his creative writing class, he ultimately decided to pursue a degree in management and leadership, even though he isn’t as passionate about the material.

“I was afraid I’d be unable to find a solid career with a creative writing degree,” Sterzenbach said. “It made more sense to me to go with something I knew I could trust to place me in a career.”

In order to combat this uncertainty, the College of Arts and Science teamed up with the Center for Career Exploration & Success (CCES) to inform students that they can study their passions and still make a CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

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Events to help you stress a little less...

Motivation & Procrastination 319 Shriver Center Tonight, 5 to 6 p.m.

Feeling haunted by the procrastination plague? Learn to kick it to the curb and rediscover your motivation to succeed at this free workshop. Register online at the Rinella Learning Center’s site. Just don’t wait too long!

Stress Less Day

Safer Sex Fest 2018

Step Show: What’s on TV

Armstrong Pavilion A/B

McGuffey 322

Wilks Theater

Thursday, 4 to 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, 7 to 10 p.m.

Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

To celebrate Stress Less Week, Student Counseling Services and the Suicide Prevention Team have organized a whole day filled with cute pups, mini horses, massages, giveaways, tips to reduce the stresses in your life and more.

The best part? It’s all free! Head to the Student Counseling Services website for more info. Plus, check out the Mindfulness Center’s Spotify playlist.

Feminists Working on Real Democracy presents F-Week, with events ranging from Take Back the Night to creating feminist art. Safer Sex Fest aims to create a comprehensive, inclusive and radical sexual education. Come for free food, contraception, goodies, giveaways and games, featuring guest speaker Kathleen Baldwin.

“Tune in” to Miami’s National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) annual step show and find out who will claim the best stepper title. Presale tickets can be ordered on the MU Step Show Eventbrite page and are $10 for general admission and $8 for NPHC members.

Or, get your tickets at the door for $15.

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

3 NEWS

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

‘The bold journey’: Student lands Microsoft internship

AKOSUA BOADI-AGYEMANG SHOWS OFF FUTURE EMPLOYER JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

PEOPLE

ALISON PERELMAN MANAGING EDITOR

Akosua Boadi-Agyemang, like many college students, applied relentlessly to internships. She looked for ones that interested her and applied to those that would be a good fit. She spent time on the applications and made connections at career fairs.

Still, she only heard back a resounding, “Thank you for your interest.”

It was discouraging, and she started to doubt herself, wondering if she was good enough.

“Anyone, even the most successful people in the world, definitely do go through that period of questioning themselves,” Akosua said. “I think success is found in how best you persevere through those moments and through the discouragement.”

Enrollment dip cont.

An accounting major with minors in human capital management and political science, Akosua is also an international student — a factor that makes obtaining an internship more difficult.

If an international student wants an internship in the United States, a company needs to be able and willing to sponsor them.

A sponsorship is an authorization to work, a company’s backing. But sponsorships are limited — not all companies can offer them, and they must prove that the student has a skill that another doesn’t.

The summer after her freshman year, Akosua had an internship in the accounting department at a company back home in Botswana.

But the U.S. works on a different system, so she wasn’t putting what she was learning to practice, and knew it would be nice to get that experience in the States.

“I knew it would be a bit of a challenge as an international stu-

dent,” Akosua said about getting an internship in the U.S. “I just didn’t know how much of a challenge.”

In one week, Akosua received several rejections. She started to think she was going nowhere fast.

She knew she had to think outside the box.

“At the end of the day, everybody — whether it’s your peers, companies, employers, whatever it is — they’re watching how best you’re riding the wave in the midst of adversity,” Akosua said.

She decided to post on LinkedIn: “I have applied, emailed, cold emailed, networked, attended multiple events. So, now I will put to use this amazing platform for one of its true purposes — connecting people — talented people to people seeking talent, in hope I get connected to someone looking for someone like myself. Thank you, Jeff Weiner for this amazing platform...I was always told to be ‘BOLD.’ Hopefully someday it helps me reach my goals.”

Two weeks later, she got a notification that Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, commented on her post.

She thought it was a joke, a friend with the ability to hack.

But it was there, like an endorsement. “Would be surprised if something doesn’t materialize,” Weiner said in his comment.

Akosua’s phone was soon a hotbed of notifications, and her LinkedIn app crashed. Her post had gone viral.

“It was weird because, you know, you tag somebody and you don’t expect them to comment,” Akosua said. “Like, you tag Beyoncé in your pictures, you don’t expect Beyoncé to suddenly show up.”

Employers were reaching out, offering their help and contact information. She stayed in touch with them, waiting until they were in the hiring process. In the meantime, the buzz of her LinkedIn post blew over.

A recruiter from Microsoft reached out again — they had a new, single-position internship to fill.

Akosua asked a friend, who will also be working for Microsoft, for interview tips. He told her, “think about what Microsoft means to you, and then express that to

them.”

So she sat down to think, and asked herself why she wanted to work for Microsoft. She’s always known Microsoft and admired them, but then she remembered something more personal about growing up in Botswana.

“They made their computers so accessible and affordable that when I was growing up, they were the only affordable computer and software company around,” Akosua said. “I learned how to type on Microsoft Word, I played Reader Rabbit on a Windows powered

“I think success is found in how best you persevere through those moments and through the discouragement.” computer ... It was a fun way of learning, and they powered that.

And it’s because they don’t just preach how global they are, they actually practice it.

“If you’re a company that can reach a country of 2.5 million a country that may be forgotten by other big, global firms, then that’s the kind of company that I want to work for because you’re actually empowering everybody on this planet to achieve more.”

Akosua had a phone interview and was told she’d hear from them in a few days, but she ended up hearing back that same day. Microsoft wanted her for the final round of interviews. So Akosua was flown out to Washington for four interviews in one day.

And then she had to wait through the weekend.

“I felt like it was 20 years,” she said.

The recruiter emailed Akosua just as she got out of class: can I call?

On the phone, she then took her sweet time — asking about Akosua’s experience in Washington and telling her it was a hard decision to make. Finally, she passed along the news that Akosua got the internship.

She started crying.

“I had never imagined that I would ever hear those words ‘cause I’d been hearing rejection

EGG?

Akosua posted again on LinkedIn — an update for those who had been following since her first post went viral and who wanted to know how her story ends. Satya Narayana Nadella, Microsoft’s CEO, commented a welcoming congratulations.

“I’m so glad I was bold enough to make that post and put it out there that I was going through a struggle,” Akosua said.

She never knew that would make her different. Others have been inspired by her boldness, and Akosua is happy to help.

“I definitely pride myself in lifting as you climb,” Akosua said.

“And I just tell everybody, lift others as you climb. It doesn’t hamper on your own success, or it doesn’t destroy your own path.”

She was asked once why she was trying to help others get internships before she had one herself.

“Mine will come, sometime,” Akosua responded. “Me helping somebody else doesn’t stop me getting something.”

It did come, as a Business and Sales Operations Program Manager intern at Microsoft.

“Delayed gratification, definitely. Didn’t know what that meant until now.” perelmak@miamioh.edu

Miami Army ROTC receives manned affiliate status, program to expand

FROM PAGE 2

living for themselves later in life.

Shelby Summers Ballard, the assistant director of CCES and CAS liaison, said employers want to hire humanities students. She works directly with humanities students to help them perfect their elevator pitches and connect their academic experiences to job descriptions.

“They’re really looking at the skills of who they’re hiring,” Ballard said of employers. “They’re looking for students who ask questions, have the ability to summarize arguments and who can think critically, which is what the humanities teach.”

Now in its second phase, Humanities Works is an initiative spearheaded by Baernstein and Ballard, along with CCES assistant vice president Jen Franchak and Humanities Center director Tim Melley, that aims to educate students on how to pursue their major with confidence.

In addition to producing pamphlets with up-to-date employment data specific to each major, Humanities Works intends to update each departmental website with potential careers related to the major, spotlighting recent Miami alumni. On top of this, the websites will direct students to related clubs and professional organizations on campus that might provide more opportunities outside of the classroom. vestalkc@miamioh.edu

after rejection after rejection,” Akosua said.

Akosua’s parents were on FaceTime during the call, and they were ecstatic about the news. She said it was easily one of her best days.

“It may not seem like a big deal to everybody, but to go through [an experience] where people are constantly telling you no and making you feel so small, and then finally somebody recognizes that you do have a talent and you have this mind…when somebody recognizes that about you, it’s such a great thing.”

COLONEL OSKEY (LEFT) AND LT. COLONEL WEAVER (RIGHT) WITH PRESIDENT CRAWFORD JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

ROTC

LAURA FITZGERALD MIAMI STUDENT

Miami University’s Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) received manned affiliate status in a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Wednesday, March 28, expanding the program and bringing more officers to teach at Miami.

Currently, the program has one contractor and a part-time national guardsmen as instructors, brigade commander Lance Oskey said.

Starting this summer, the army will dedicate two officers as a part of the partnership, a captain with about ten years of service and a senior non-commissioned officer with about 15 years of service.

“That really is significant growth as far as what this program is going to be able to do,” Oskey said. “And the way we’re going to be able to enrich the instruction to the cadets as well as engage the campus, both with the student body as well as the increased [group of officers] here.”

Starting with the class of 2022, Miami must

graduate at least 10 commissioned officers a year to keep its manned affiliate status, professor of military science Lt. Col. Martin Weaver said. If it succeeds in maintaining its numbers, Miami can eventually become a host school.

The manned affiliate status is the first step in that process.

Senior military science instructor David Ramsey said four commissioned seniors graduated this year.

Weaver also teaches for Mount Saint Joseph University, Thomas Moore College, Northern Kentucky University and Xavier University, the other four schools that make up the “All for One” battalion. Miami has the largest student body and second-highest cadet population of its battalion, which is the main reason it’s being chosen for manned affiliate status.

“There really is no reason [Miami] couldn’t grow to become its own program,” Weaver said.

Miami’s Army ROTC was considered crosstown before Wednesday, meaning the school received all of its support from its host, Xavier University, Oskey said. Cadets in the program are required to take one lab elective a semester and attend three physical training (PT) ses-

sions a week.

The army started to phase in the manned affiliate status this year, so classes and PT were held at Miami, and cadets only had to travel to Xavier once or twice a month. But in previous years, cadets had to travel to Xavier for class and PT. Cadet Veronica Ruiz-Krausp said the manned affiliate status might attract more recruits because it requires less travel.

“It will be an incentive to want to join [Miami’s ROTC] Army because with Xavier as our host, we have to sometimes travel and rely on them, go to their schools,” Ruiz-Krausp said.

“So if we have all of our program working here, everything is happening in Oxford.”

Ramsey said there are currently 29 cadets enrolled, up from 16 at this time last year. The goal is to have 40 cadets enrolled next fall.

The ceremony also included an award presentation for cadet Sydney Baker. The smiling freshman received a giant plastic check for enough money to pay full tuition and fees for three years at Miami University. In exchange, she will commission as a second lieutenant for six years of service in the army after she graduates.

Baker said she always knew she wanted to serve because of the values her family instilled in her. Baker started going to PT with ROTC last October and officially joined this semester.

She plans to contract with the army this fall.

“It’s such a great community and family that I knew this is where I wanted to put a lot of my time that I could make a difference by serving in the army,” Baker said.

Baker plans to commission to reserves for her six years of required service, although she could be called up for active duty. Ultimately, she wants to work in government using her French and Arabic skills.

Cadet Wesley Taylor said Miami’s Army ROTC has given him a lot of opportunities in his four years, from humanitarian and military training in Slovakia to airlift school and a conference with top cadettes from around the nation. He plans to attend flight school in Fort Rucker after graduation.

And ROTC has given him a family in college.

“It’s so great being around a group of people that care as much as this one,” Taylor said. fitzgelm@miamioh.edu

4 CULTURE

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

MITCHE49@MIAMIOH.EDU

The last to hear stories from the living room

DR. AL MILLER RETELLS HIS EMOTIONAL STORY TO MIAMI STUDENTS AT LEWIS PLACE ON MONDAY. JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

EVENT

MADDIE MITCHELL MAYA FENTER THE MIAMI STUDENT

An Israeli tradition honoring Holocaust survivors has come to Miami University. First, second and third generation Holocaust survivors will be speaking across Miami’s campus in commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day on April 12, 2018.

Hila Katz, the Jewish Agency Israel fellow to Hillel at Miami, has been working hard to bring this tradition from Israel to her new home in Ohio. Katz was able to participate in a program as a student in Israel that flew her to Poland to see the concentration camp sites from World War II. “My grandmother from my father’s side survived Auschwitz,” Katz said. “So it was really important for me to go there and see where she was. She remembered which cabin she stayed in, and I actually went to that one and put a flower for her memory.”

In telling her grandmother’s story, Katz began to get emotional and had to pause and collect herself. Her love and pride in her grandmother showed in her smile as she continued with the story.

“She survived this,” Katz said. “She

went to Israel and built a family. And it was just so important for me to go and do that.”

Like Katz’s grandmother, many survivors take great pride in telling their stories. For Dr. Al Miller, a first generation Holocaust survivor, telling his story is also a matter of making sure history doesn’t repeat itself.

Dr. Miller came to speak at the Crawford’s house on April 2. A group of around 40 students and faculty members sat in couches and chairs in the living room and listened to his story.

He was born in Berlin in 1922, and was only 10 years old when Hitler came into power. At the beginning and end of each school day, the teacher would salute Hitler and every student would salute back.

Little by little, his friends, neighbors and even some of his teachers would stop talking to him and his family because they were Jewish.

The Holocaust enforced the idea that, “The Jews are our misfortune.”

“If no one contradicts a lie, because it’s convenient or because they don’t want to speak up, words are added and it becomes the truth,” Dr. Miller said.

While words were the beginning of the problem, Dr. Miller emphasized that words are also a key part of the solution.

“Words are ever so important,” Dr. Miller said. “With words, you can intim-

idate people, you can say nasty things … or you can make people feel like one million dollars, you can change something in their life. It’s up to you.”

Speakers like Dr. Miller were able to come thanks to Katz reaching out to the Holocaust & Humanity Center in Cincinnati. Holocaust & Humanity Center Executive Director Sarah Weiss is thrilled to partner with Miami University on such an important event.

“Memory In the Living Room” will give students a chance to hear stories from survivors, their children and their grandchildren. The open-form dialogue that the living room setting creates will make the experience much different from a lecture series or other presentation that you might see in a museum or auditorium.

“We are the last generation and, in particular, today’s youth are the last generation that will have the opportunity to interact first-hand with Holocaust survivors,” Weiss said. “Future generations will only be able to hear these stories second hand, or third hand, or in written or oral testimonials. It’s up to us to then pass those stories on and not only listen, but really open our hearts.”

This event allows people to learn about the Holocaust in a different way than in a traditional classroom setting. The experience as a whole helped Dr. Miller’s story and message resonate with those

who listened.

“You hear [the Holocaust] in a classroom setting a lot and it’s a lot different to experience speaking with someone who actually was there firsthand and can give you their genuine feelings,” sophomore Hillel member Hannah Spector said. “Seeing that versus reading it out of a textbook is really impactful.”

Katz is very grateful for Hillel’s partnership with the university and their help in creating events like this to offer an educational experience for students.

“Something that happened a lot of years ago in the Holocaust does happen in smaller capacities in genocides still in our days,” she said. “In Africa and in so many other places. So bringing this program to this campus doesn’t only allow us to think of the past and what happened, but we also try to think of the present and the future to prevent this kind of thing from happening again.”

Memory in the Living Room is taking place at 7 p.m. April 2-4 in various places across campus. mitche49@miamioh.edu fentermc@miamioh.edu

Oxford Parks hides Easter eggs in the dark COMMUNITY

KEVIN VESTAL

THE MIAMI STUDENT

The line of tweens held tote bags or wicker baskets in one hand. The other hand was for flashlights that flickered on and off with excitement, like race cars revving their engines.

This was not an average egg hunt.

At 9:25 p.m., Oxford’s Parks and Recreation Department killed the lights at the TRI Community Center baseball field. A few eager egg hunters took this as their cue to lunge toward the two thousand plastic eggs laying in the grass in front of them, but they were quickly called back by a man in a blue rain jacket who would explain the rules.

“When we say ‘Go,’ that’s it, you go,” he said.

At 9:30 p.m. on the nose, the magic word came booming from a megaphone, releasing a mob. Sixty-five 4th-8th graders rushed into the dark.

Jennifer Gill, who heard about the hunt on the Oxford Talk Facebook page, watched from the sidelines as her 12-year-old son, Nate Couch, ran ahead of the crowd to poach the eggs in the center of the field.

“A lot of Easter egg hunts are for children,” Gill said. “This one allowed him to have fun, too.”

The night time event for teens was one of

three egg scrambles organized by Oxford’s Parks and Recreation Department last weekend. An adult version took place earlier Friday evening, while a traditional children’s egg scramble was held Saturday morning.

By 9:35 p.m., the lights were back on. No longer needing their flashlights, scavengers continued to comb the grass for remaining eggs, but the original rush had proved thorough. The eggs that once littered the field were now being piled up at the side of the parking lot as hunters cracked open their loot in hopes of finding an elusive prize ticket amid their mountain of sweet treats.

“Months of work, over in thirty seconds,” said Ryan Himes, the Parks and Recreation Department’s program director.

He and his friends said muddy shoes were a small price to pay for Sour Patch Kids.

In the weeks leading up to the scrambles, volunteers from the Oxford Senior Center and Miami’s fraternities and sororities stuffed candy and prize tickets into over 12,000 eggs. The prizes ranged from board games to Bluetooth headphones, as well as gear donated by Miami Athletics.

A girl wearing a red headlamp was the

THE GONZALEZ FAMILY ENJOYS THE EGG SCRAMBLE THIS PAST FRIDAY JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

first to approach the prize table to redeem a ticket. She immediately nabbed a Miami jacket and walked away, only to return moments later for a pair of white athletic gloves instead.

Originally planned for Thursday night, the teen egg scramble was pushed back a day due to rain. Himes said the rain delay had little impact on the event’s attendance, but the same could not be said for the adult scramble.

Last year, the adult egg scramble debuted at the Community Park Trail, where participants were challenged to climb trees and use other complicated methods to find eggs. Unfortunately, this level of difficulty was dampened by the rain this year, resulting in a milder experience at the TRI Community Center.

Matthew Cochran, 12, was undeterred by the recent weather. A veteran of the night egg scramble, he and his friends said muddy shoes were a small price to pay for Sour Patch Kids. They agreed that the best strategy was to run ahead of the crowd, then loop around to collect the eggs they missed.

“You can always go back because people miss eggs and step over them,” Matthew said.

At 9:45 p.m., all the empty eggs were packed away in a tub to be reused for next year. A handful of hunters stuck around to play tag in the playground across the parking lot, burning off excess adrenaline that would soon be replaced by an inevitable sugar rush. vestalkc@miamioh.edu

RIGAZIKM@MIAMIOH.EDU

CULTURE 5

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

Humans of Oxford Michael Archiable: Friend of rejection PEOPLE

MADDIE TOOLE STAFF WRITER

Michael Archiable marched up to two guys he didn’t know at the beach on the first day of spring break. He squirted a big blob of sunblock in his hand and casually asked them to lather up his back for him.

The guys said no, of course. Arch was glad.

Two days later, Arch wore plaid swim trunks and a red, flowered Hawaiian shirt. He walked around Seaside, Florida asking people to rate his outfit on a scale of 1-10. A couple people rated him as low as a two. Arch was not fazed.

Arch is seeking rejection. He records every awkward encounter on his phone, then uploads them to YouTube.

He first got the idea in an entrepreneurship class when his professor played a clip of a guy named Jia Jiang tackling this same experiment of constant rejection. The video immediately resonated with him.

“I used to be so scared of what people thought of me,” Arch said. “I just knew something had to change.”

For the next 100 days, Arch plans to follow Jiang’s lead and approach random strangers to ask them crazy things.

He keeps a list of embarrassing possibilities — asking other students to hold his hand as they cross the street, or proposing to an unsuspecting girl.

Arch equates this experience to riding a bike. He wants to be shaky and

SEBASTIAN NEUFUSS THE MIAMI STUDENT

fall down a lot at the beginning, but by the end of the experiment, he should be stronger and wiser. Arch hopes the experiment will help him to never fear risk again.

“I’m at college, I’m 20-years-old. I’m in the prime of my life right now. And I just want to make sure I am making the

most of it.”

Arch is learning a lot about himself throughout the experience. Among many things, he is an extrovert, a guitarist, a lover of all things outdoors and a real goof.

“I’m always willing to learn more,” Arch said. “I try to take things a little bit

Stage Left presents an evening of cabaret with a twist

lighter in life.”

After 10 days of being brushed-off and refused, Arch is not unnerved. He is motivated to keep going.

Arch posts a new rejection every day on his YouTube channel, which can be found under his full name, Michael Archiable.

April poetry contest buds into spring ART

CHLOE MURDOCK

THE MIAMI STUDENT

PAIGE GALBERG AND MEGAN BOWERS SING “THE OTHER SIDE” FROM “THE GREATEST SHOWMAN.” COLLEEN GRIMM THE MIAMI STUDENT

THEATRE

MICHAEL SMITH

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Will Ellis took to the stage of Pearson 128 in a striking pair of black high heels. In his unusual apparel, Ellis proceeded to delight his audience with a hilarious rendition of “Ladies Who Lunch” from Stephen Sondheim’s “Company,” a song originally written for a woman. This was just the beginning of a night of gender bending musical performances.

Miami University’s Stage Left premiered their first Miscast Cabaret Saturday night. A miscast cabaret is an opportunity to perform songs traditionally written for individuals opposite of your identified gender.

After Ellis, junior Emily Kapnick sang “Waving Through a Window” from Broadway’s recent hit “Dear Evan Hansen.”

Kapnick chose this song to explore the themes of anxiety and depression.

Junior Caroline Bastian, one of Kapnick’s sorority sisters, was particularly moved by Kapnick’s performance and expressed great pride in her friend.

“I haven’t seen her perform in a really long time,” Bastian said.

“This was so awesome.”

Stage Left’s One Acts chair Jessica Cooper and workshop chair Al Oliver III were the facil-

itators of the cabaret and were responsible for introducing the nine featured acts.

“There’s this organization, Broadway Backwards, that does a Miscast Cabaret every year where big Broadway names come out and perform songs,” Cooper said. “Al and I watched videos of the cabaret, where women would sing songs written for men and vice versa, and we thought it would be a fun.”

The theatre community welcomes members who identify as LGBTQ+. The idea behind this Miscast Cabaret was to allow people to comfortably play with gender roles and push the boundaries of social norms.

“Theatre is a great place to experiment,” said Cooper. “And overall, our mission was to try something new and fun, something you normally wouldn’t get the opportunity to do.”

The cabaret also served as an opportunity for those not currently involved in a Stage Left production to perform, but with a smaller time commitment and lower budget than Stage Left’s regular shows.

First-year political science, English literature and philosophy major Brandon Small was thrilled to perform in the cabaret. He stopped performing after high school and has been longing for an opportunity like this. Small

sang “And I’m Telling You, I’m Not Going” from “Dreamgirls.”

“This was a great opportunity for me to sort of dip my feet back into being on stage and doing what I love,” said Small. “I recently went through a devastating breakup and definitely resonated a lot with Effie’s character.

It’s raw, it’s vulnerable and it’s so damn catchy.”

The wide range of song selections helped to move the show along and keep audience members engaged. First-year Morgan Eakin was impressed with Stage Left’s take on this performance type.

“I haven’t seen this sort of thing in real life,” said Eakin.

“Just recordings. It’s more fun in person, especially when you know the people in it and you have a connection.”

Hoping to have more cabarets in the future, this Miscast Cabaret served as a “trial run” to understand what worked well and what can be improved on for the future. The cabaret was really about having fun, and Cooper exemplified this by singing “Never Getting Rid of Me” from “Waitress.”

“It’s too low for my voice, but I don’t really care because I’m having fun doing it,” said Cooper.

“The song is funny, awkward and dorky, and I can relate to that.” smithd21@miamioh.edu

toolemb@miamioh.edu

Learning is the continual/ Change in which one/becomes an alloy/of the Entirety of the world/Beautiful university, where?

This poem by sophomore Viengsamai Fetters became one of three grand-prize winners in last year’s social media poetry contest. Fetters, a literature major, wrote her poem in the Notes app on her phone the night before the deadline.

The theme last year, determined by President Gregory Crawford and Director of Creative Writing Cathy Wagner, was Diversity.

“They were saying, ‘Hey, we’ve got things to work on, but we can do that together,’” Wagner said.

Fetters and other participants posted their poems on Twitter and Instagram under the #LoveHonorPoem hashtag, to compete for the chance to win prizes.

Last year, senior JuJuan Johnson and graduate student Shamika Karikari were the other two grand-prize winners.

The three winners each received a Love & Honor medal, a handwritten note from President Crawford and a $40 gift certificate to the Miami University Bookstore. Honorable mentions received $18.09 in Miami University Bookstore credit.

Fetters spent the Miami University Bookstore certificate she won on a textbook she rented for her linguistics anthropology class, which she found serendipitous.

“Linguistics anthropology is about how language and culture interact with each other, which I think is very poetic,” Fetters said.

The last line of Fetters’ poem, “Beautiful university, where?” is in Arabic. While this was left out in the original

announcement of the poetry winners, Wagner is working Fetters’ last line back in.

Some poets were seasoned veterans, while others — like mechanical engineering major Julie Matz — entered a poem for class credit. Matz is a junior in the Lockheed Martin Leadership Institute, which President Crawford had invited to participate in the poetry contest.

“My poem was a terrible play on math,” Matz said. “All of my writing is very distinct and straightforward because what I know is calculus.”

Matz won an honorable mention for her poem.

This year, the prizes and the number of winners will stay the same, but participants will instead write their poems based on the theme of Spring.

“It’s all about opening the senses,” Wagner said.

Wagner and the Miami University Creative Writing Cohort hope to see, feel and hear spring while reading poems under the #Miamioh_poem hashtag.

The contest deadline is April 20, and Wagner hopes writing poems related to spring will be a destressor in the midst of projects and exams. Wagner also wants this contest to inspire honest writing.

“I don’t think that people should necessarily write pretty, happy poems,” said Wagner. “I think it’s important to write about whatever is going on in Miami in the spring. Writers can take it wherever they want.”

Last year, the Diversity theme followed the same strain of honest writing. This is best exemplified in a line from Johnson’s poem: I heard there’s more power in unity than division/So either y’all just don’t see the vision/If we combine can you imagine the impact of that collision! murdocc3@miamioh.edu

6

Science & Health Gaining field experience: Athletic training students collaborate with sports teams

A dangerous trinity: Grad alcohol, sexual assault & THAI WRIGHT

THE MIAMI STUDENT

First-year Miami graduate student Lauren Sherrard is researching a topic that has recently dominated national conversation: sexual assault. Specifically, Sherrard studies the intersection of alcohol, sexual assault and bystander intervention among undergraduates at Miami University.

According to the Ohio Department of Higher Education, 16.7 percent of Miami University students reported experiencing sexual harassment and 20 percent reported non-consensual sexual contact in 2017. Mentored by Dr. Rose Marie Ward in the Department of Kinesiology and Health, Sherrard investigates the external factors — such as environment and alcohol use — that influence whether a bystander will intervene in a situation where a sexual assault may occur.

She has been working to formulate a research question and project: conducting a literature review and critically evaluating the campus climate at Miami. Sherrard will conduct surveys, using the results to improve the

ATHLETIC TRAINERS, LIKE DILLON CAMPBELL (ABOVE), SOMETIMES WORK WITH ATHLETIC TRAINING MAJORS MATT HECKERT THE MIAMI STUDENT

CAROLINE CREEK ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Miami’s athletic training major gives students meaningful career experience with Miami athletics before graduation.

Students within the program work with a specific varsity or club sports team each semester. The students assist with medical treatment during sporting events and offer preventive and rehabilitative care.

Program director Eric Brooks said that this hands-on experience makes the major unique. He compared the students’ training experience to riding a bike.

“How do you really learn how to ride a bike? You ride a bike,” Brooks said. The athletic training major, he said, offers students the same opportunity by letting them work directly with Miami student-athletes.

Students within the major have the opportunity to complete a board certification exam during the second semester of their senior year. When they pass the exam, students become eligible to work as athletic trainers at the high school or collegiate level.

“A lot of [graduated] students come back and join the staff here [at Miami],” Brooks said.

Athletic training programs across the country, including at Miami, are currently transitioning to a combined master’s and bachelor’s program. By 2025, Miami expects to implement this change, which will require students to complete three years of undergraduate general education classes and science credits before officially beginning the two-year athletic training program. “[The program] lets them get the basic sciences, then the athletic training degree,” Brooks said.

Junior Kendra Willhoite started at Miami as a kinesiology major, but she added an athletic training major at the end of her first year.

“I enjoyed the medical atmosphere and the medical opportunities [the athletic training program] offered,” Willhoite said.

Each semester, the athletic training students are assigned their specific “rotation,” or the athletic team they’ll be assisting. Willhoite is currently working with the men’s baseball team. During past semesters, she worked with the women’s soccer team and track and field. She attends all the practices her schedule allows and travels with some teams.

After graduation, Willhoite plans on attending optometry school to specialize in sports vision. Although this is an unique career aspiration compared to fellow athletic training majors, she said that her experience working with athletes “gives [her] an advantage going into professional school.”

This advantage extends beyond hands-on experience with athletes. The athletic training program currently consists of roughly 30 students, creating a close community. “[We have become] a little family,” Wilhoite said.

Despite the intense time commitment to class and attending practices, Willhoite said that being a part of the athletic training program is worthwhile.

“It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it,” Willhoite said. creekce@miamioh.edu

“I realized Greek organizations were getting extra programing... and wondered if we can open [that] up to the public.” sexual education programs Miami has in place. The preliminary work completed thus far will help her tailor the surveys and ask appropriate, high-yield questions.

Sherrard’s research coincides with increased national attention on sexual assault. Sexual assault has become more openly discussed in our society and on university campuses as a result of initiatives like the #MeToo movement, Denim Day and Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Sexual assault and harassment are also being discussed in academia, with serious investigations led by organizations such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and American Chemical Society (ACS). Women at ACS are discussing sexual assaults they experienced during graduate school by professors in positions of power, while the NSF is investigating recipients of their grants, removing funding if grantees are found guilty of sexual assault.

Sherrard’s interest in her research stemmed from her undergraduate involvement in a program similar to Miami’s HAWKS Peer Health Educators, in which she taught incoming undergraduate students about sexual consent and alcohol. Additionally, her time serving as a traveling and leadership consultant for her sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha (ZTA), also helped to ignite her passion for sexual and alcohol use education. In her role with ZTA, Sherrard traveled across the country giving presentations about sexual assault and how to be a supportive sister in these situations.

“That’s where I saw the programming gaps,” Sherrard said. “I realized Greek organizations were getting extra programming that general students aren’t, and wondered if the extra programming is more helpful and something we can open up to the public.”

During orientation, first-year students at Miami University receive training in consent, sexual assault and how to respond or intervene in these situations, but the topic is rarely, if ever, revisited.

This is a topic that is hard for a lot of people to talk about, Sherrard said, but it needs to be discussed in order to take action and to give students more confidence in intervening. Sherrard’s research goal is to pinpoint where students lack confidence in these situations and tailor a program to address those insecurities.

Her research also investigates the bystander effect, a phenomenon stating that the more people witness a distressing situation, the less likely any one person will be to attempt to help or stop the situation — each person thinks someone else is going to do something about it.

The most notorious occurrence of this phenomenon is the 1964 murder of Catherine “Kitty” Genovese, which was witnessed by 38 citizens in 30 minutes, according to

Miami highlights co ALYSSA MELENDEZ ONLINE EDITOR

From belly dancing and tai-chi to core and yoga, Miami University offers a wide variety of classes and programs for their employees.

Cassie Wilson, assistant director for employee wellness at Miami, knows all about these programs. The Employee Wellness Center, where Wilson works, serves Miami’s 5,000 employees and their spouses who are enrolled in the university’s health insurance.

The department’s focus is on encouraging active living, healthy eating and preventative health, decreasing the prevalence of diabetes among its employees and promoting a tobacco-free campus.

Many of the programs offered to employees are free. One of the center’s most popular initiaves is “Fitness for Life,” which offers

faculty and staff the opportunity to attend a variety of free group fitness classes. Wilson herself is a certified yoga instructor and the permanent substitute teacher for all of the classes.

Wilson is a strong believer of maintaining overall health and views it as an important component of self-care.

“People need to put themselves first, because work is always going to be there and there’s always going to be more work to do,” Wilson said. “If they put themselves first, then they can approach that work from a better state of mind holistically, where they can concentrate better, be less reactive, more creative, more able to focus.”

The Employee Wellness Center also offers free personal trainers and free counseling.

By offering opportunities to improve personal health, the department helps more than

NGUYENM3@MIAMIOH.EDU

7

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

student researches silent bystanders

Slice of Science Ringing heads, cracking knuckles and canine feelings MORGAN NGUYEN SCIENCE EDITOR

What causes a concussion?

Between 1.6 and 3.8 million sports and recreation-related concussions are estimated to occur in the United States each year. However, scientists remain unsure of how a blow to the head produces the symptoms of concussions.

New research suggests that concussions originate not necessarily from the collision of the brain with the skull, but likely in the stretching and tearing of tissue that “ringing” causes deep within the brain. The study, utilizing a new modeling technique, finds that this ringing is a result of the brain oscillating at different frequencies, similar to a bell.

New research implies new safety standards; researchers suggest that better helmets could be designed to dampen the most damaging low-frequency vibrations.

Pop goes your knuckle!

But what makes the sound? Scientists have struggled to discern an answer because the “cracking” all happens so fast; instead, they look to mathematical formulas. They tested a popular theory: Bubbles form in a fluid-filled space between the finger and hand bones, and when the joint expands during the act of knuckle-cracking, the subsequent collapse of those bubbles causes the popping sound. The model indeed confirmed that “mathematical” bubbles in the knuckle joint generated sound waves that look just like the ones created in real life. Blame it on the bubble!

“Yeah, I feel you,” says Fido GRAD STUDENT LAUREN SHERRARD IS FOCUSING IN ON THE FACTORS THAT AFFECT BYSTANDER INTERVENTION ERICK CRAIGO THE MIAMI STUDENT

the New York Times.

“There are a lot of different ways to intervene,” Sherrard said. “It’s okay to be unsure in these situations because sexual assault situations are rarely black-andwhite. There is a lot of gray area, especially when you include different external factors like alcohol. The main thing would be learning to be an active bystander.”

Sherrard said her research experience has helped her improve interactions with survivors of sexual assault, develop relationships with professors across campus and gain a well-rounded experience. Though the subject of her research is somber and can be disheartening, the process of the study and knowledge gained excites her.

“I love doing research; there is a lot to learn outside of the classroom,” said Sherrard. “My research is continually growing and adapting.”

Any dog lover will tell you that our canine friends are good at reading faces and are able to discern between emotions such as happiness and anger. Scientists know that, like humans, dogs watch the left side of people’s faces, where emotions first appear. But what neural mechanisms underlie this ability? To find out, researchers trained eight border collies to lie still in a fMRI scanner and presented them with photos of humans’ either happy or neutral expressions. Results showed that a happy human face produces a distinctive signature in a dog’s temporal lobe and other neural regions. Researchers summarize “human emotions are specifically represented in dogs’ brains, highlighting their importance for interspecies communication.” nguyenm3@miamioh.edu ILLUSTRATIONS: CONNOR WELLS

wrigh101@miamioh.edu

omprehensive health initiatives

ILLUSTRATION: NINA WILLIS

2,000 of Miami’s employees save on health insurance premiums.

Miami also offers many well-being programs for students, albeit with a different focus than its employee programming. Two distinct areas that student well-being addresses are alcohol abuse and sexual abuse prevention. Both the student and employee programs promote mental health, physical health and tobacco-free living among student and employee well-being initiatives.

Stress-Less Week, an annual initiative happening this week, exemplifies the overlap between student and employee programming. Both employees and students are welcome to attend Stress-Less week events, which are primarily free fitness classes. The week is designed to help increase awareness of ways to manage stress and anxiety and to improve Miamians’ emotional health.

In addition to specialty events, Miami students can improve their personal health by taking advantage of Miami’s Rec Center, intramural sports, Late Night Miami events, healthy dining hall options and more.

While these options have long been available to Miami students and employees, they’ve recently garnered more attention, in part because of the emphasis Miami President and University Ambassador Greg and Renate Crawford have placed on fitness.

Claire Wagner, director of University News and Communications, said the Crawfords have prompted increased coverage of Miami’s well-being programs. Student health and overall well-being is a focus of the presidential family — the couple are often seen walking around campus with their dog Ivy or hosting monthly workouts at their house.

University News and Communications

partnered with Student Affairs and Employee Well-Being in January, and their collaboration has led to several changes in marketing of Miami’s fitness initiatives, including a new website, launched a few weeks ago, that consolidates all of Miami’s health initiatives and programming in one place at miamioh. edu/well-being. The website aims to serve as a central location for current and incoming students to learn about the many health and well-being programs Miami offers.

Over the next few months, Wagner said, increased coverage of Miami’s health and well-being initiatives will continue.

“There’s so many good health stories out there, that’s one of the reasons we’re doing this,” Wagner said. “Let’s just get it out there.” melendak@miamioh.edu

8 FYI

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

SIMANSEC@MIAMIOH.EDU

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The rhythm of Miami Club Boxing FROM PAGE 14

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Super Smash Bros. added to varsity E-sports E-SPORTS

MICHAEL STEMMLER THE MIAMI STUDENT

The Miami University Varsity E-sports program has added Super Smash Bros. (Smash) to their list of official varsity E-sports.

Miami is one of the first collegiate varsity E-sports programs to adopt the wildly popular game.

The news is unsurprising given the size of Miami’s current Smash community consisting of 325 members. Under the banner of “Smash”, the varsity program has two teams – one for Super Smash Bros. Melee (Melee) and one for Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Wii U (Smash 4).

Smash 4 team captain Nathan “Hunter” Sterzenbach has been playing Super Smash Bros. since childhood, but gravitated toward the competitive scene after a few months of Smash 4.

“I knew people played the game competitively, but I didn’t know it was this world-wide affair,” Sterzenbach said. “I saw one of the top players of the game streaming himself practicing in the lab doing crazy combos, and I thought, ‘wow that’s kinda sick.’”

While the games may be different, the rules are the same: two players fight in a best of three format. Each can select from a variety of different fighters – 26 for Melee and 58 for Smash 4. During each fight, both players have lives called “stocks.” The first player to take away all of their opponent’s stocks wins the game. In Melee, players start with four stocks and in Smash 4, they begin with two.

Super Smash Bros. Melee, was released in 2001 by Nintendo and has a nationwide cult-like following. Team captain Hunter “Snap” Hersko-Fugitt leads the Miami University Varsity RedHawks.

Smash 4 was released in 2014

and is the most recent game added to the Super Smash Bros. franchise. Melee is solely played using GameCube controllers, while Smash 4 allows competitors to use the Wii U gamepad, Wii remotes or the heavily favored GameCube controller. Each of these games has a large, steady professional scene, but the world of collegiate Smash is uncharted territory.

“It’s another big step forward for E-sports. Smash is not traditionally thought of as much of an E-sport as League, because it’s grassroots,” Sterzenbach said.

“Things like Miami picking up Smash and the league we are going to be entering is a strong step for Smash being more of a popularized and serious E-sport.”

As of right now, Miami University Varsity Smash competes at regional tournaments as individuals or doubles, but a nationwide collegiate league is in the works.

Unlike the other varsity E-sports, Smash is primarily an individual game. In the future collegiate tournament, each player fights until they are out of stocks. At this point, the next player enters and fights the same opponent until one team of five is completely eliminated.

The Smash team consists of 12 players – six for each game. While full competition has not officially started, the teams are working hard for a strong start.

“Everyone has really been getting together to practice and discuss what competitions we will be entering,” Sterzenbach said. “Our team is excited and ambitious for what’s ahead.”

The Miami Varsity Smash 4 team will compete as individuals this Friday, April 6 at Bowling Green State University. stemmlmf@miamioh.edu

imaginary opponents.

The boxers exhaled with each punch, making a noise similar to a musician imitating symbols clashing or a rapper beat-boxing, in order to ensure their core is tight when receiving a blow from their imaginary opponent.

No one talked about what to do next, but everyone moved seamlessly from one exercise to the next when the digital bell rang from the speakers.

Miami Club Boxing has worked this way for the past six and a half years, since Buller took over in 2011. The team has always been registered with the National Collegiate Boxing Association, part of USA Boxing, but it wasn’t until five years ago when the team culture shifted and became more competitive.

There’s still a recreational aspect, and up to 20 regulars attend practice every evening.

The six competitive members are required to attend practice, a standard of excellence established several years ago.

“I like the culture we have in the club now,” Buller said. “As a result, we compete better than we used to. Now, when people match up with a Miami boxer, they know it’s not something easy. They know they’re going up against a boxer who trains hard, is in shape and knows what they’re doing.”

These boxers do know what they’re doing, as four of them are regional champions and one is a regional runner-up. The regional champions – Brown, junior Ryan Adelson, senior Adan Salguero and junior Harold Rogers — will enter the National lottery to be seeded first, second or third in their respective weight class and sophomore Jacob Isele, the regional runner-up, will be seeded either fourth or fifth.

All five will box for individual belts, with their placings ultimately counting toward Miami’s team score.

Placing in the top four makes a boxer an all-American. For the past couple years, Miami club boxing has placed in the top 10 as a team, usually behind service academies. This year, with an unprecedented five regional champions and three former all-Americans, the boxing team is optimistic heading to West Point, NY. Furrowed eyebrows and sweat-soaked cot-

ton t-shirts don’t convey the expected optimism from the boxers. Even after months of practice, running six days a week, intense conditioning and a strict diet, the boxers’ body language isn’t over-confident.

To an untrained eye, any boxers’ practice boxing, known as sparring, looks exactly like the others, but each of the five judges will rate a boxer’s technique as superior or inferior to their opponent.

Though technique objectively determines a boxing National Champion, mental toughness, attitude, commitment, conditioning and a pinch of natural talent create the competitive athlete that is a Miami club boxer.

“Boxing is like no other sport,” Adelson said. “You don’t hear people say, ‘do you play boxing?’ It’s a lifestyle. When I’m in boxing season, you live it. You can’t half-ass it.”

Halfway through his sparring, Isele takes a punch to the face, and his nose starts to bleed.

Blood drips, dotting the already red mats. The lack of reaction from the boxers is unnerving.

The automated bell rings, and the boxers tap gloves as a high-five.

Isele gets paper towels to stop his nosebleed, while his teammates use Clorox wipes to clean up the blood. Buller makes a mental note of the momentary injury. As president of the NCBA, he logs all injuries for every match across the country throughout the season — ensuring the safety and continuation of collegiate boxing.

A final spar, a final workout circuit by the rec team and a final technique practice on the heavy bags end before the last bell rings from the speakers. Each boxer unwraps their hands and softens their brows – smiles creep onto the faces of the now spent athletes.

“I have a love/hate relationship with [fighting] because it’s so hard and pretty scary, but it feels really good to do,” Rogers said. “Especially if you win.”

The competitive boxers will travel to New York today, and compete from April 5 to the 7. And, they’ll continue to love the sport where they have to hate their opponent for three two-minute rounds.

“There’s nothing like it,” Adelson said.

“There’s no other feeling than stepping into the ring and seeing an opponent across from you.” simansec@miamioh.edu @emilysimanskis

Cincinnati Reds’ pitching FROM PAGE 14

For starters, Luis Castillo emerged as a potential name to solidify the front of the Reds’ rotation.

Castillo had the fastest average fastball velocity for all starting pitchers in 2017 and posted a stellar 3.12 earned run average (ERA). The peripherals on Castillo’s statistics impressed as well, as he struck out more than a batter per inning and posted a fielding-independent ERA (FIP) of 3.71. Because of his success last season, Castillo has thrust his name into the conversation with Joey Votto and Nick Senzel as one of the most important pieces in the Reds’ current rebuild.

The next name to keep an eye on is starter Tyler Mahle. Mahle had a phenomenal season in the minor leagues in 2017 and even threw a perfect game in Double-A Pensacola. Unlike Castillo, Mahle does not have an electric fastball or a sweeping slider, but rather boasts Greg Maddux-like control over the location of his pitches. While I am by no means comparing Mahle to an all-time great pitcher like Greg Maddux, I believe that Mahle’s path to success is in the mold of pitchers like Maddux, Don Sutton or the Chicago Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks who are masters of controlling the plate and varying speeds.

After Castillo and Mahle, we reach the wildcards of the rotation. Amir Garrett had a promising start to last season, but his season derailed so drastically that it would make some of history’s most horrific train accidents blush.

Robert Stephenson has been a “promising arm” in the Reds’ minor league system since the first year of Barack Obama’s second term in office, but he finally appeared to live up to his potential in the second half of 2017. Nonetheless, Bob Steve will begin another season of Major League Baseball in the Minor Leagues.

Sal Romano will enter this season as No. 3 in the

Reds’ rotation and is another pitcher who experienced a sustained run of success at the end of 2017.

Romano, who has a frame similar to former Reds’ hurler Mat Latos, has decent velocity on his fastball and could potentially be a No. 3-5 starter in the Reds’ rotation in the future.

Homer Bailey and Anthony DeSclafani are two pitchers who have unfortunately been associated with one another due to their injury history. Bailey, a former top-of-the-line starter, pitched in his first Opening Day for the Reds this season and appears to be fully healthy for the first time in years. DeSclafani, on the other hand, appears to be tied to his annual tradition of beginning the season on the Disabled List and hopes to join the Reds in a couple months after recovering from an oblique injury.

DeSclafani, or “Disco” as he was nicknamed long ago before his injuries, is still relatively young at 27 years old and showed promise in 2015 and 2016.

If he can remain healthy for an extended period of time, Disco would be a great addition to the Reds’ rotation.

While there are certainly other names to keep an eye in the organization -- including a revamped bullpen that might be the best the Reds have had in the last four years -- I believe these seven pitchers have the greatest chance of impacting the Reds’ season this year. Although, for those inclined to look toward the future, Hunter Greene may be a name to keep on your radar.

If the Reds want to contend in 2018, their pitching will need to be somewhere near the league average. The Reds actually boasted the ninth-best combined offensive and fielding WAR in the league last season. If they are able to assemble something resembling a major league rotation, there is a chance the Reds could playing meaningful baseball well into July, August and perhaps even September.

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Half of parking tickets unpaid, Miami missing out on revenue

Miami walks off against Toledo FROM PAGE 14

stringing a whole bunch of hits together [in the eighth inning],” Hayden said. “It wasn’t like we were making errors, or walking or hitting guys. They just strung together some hits.”

Miami wasn’t done, though. After Senger tripled to start the bottom half of the eighth, junior right fielder Dallas Hall drove him in with a sacrifice fly, knotting the game at seven.

Miami’s bullpen held strong in the top of the ninth, as junior Andy Almquist stranded runners on the corners to keep the score tied.

Massman played hero in the bottom of the ninth, ripping a walk-off single to give Miami an 8-7 series-opening win.

Almquist (W, 4-0) faced just one batter, but got the win after pitching Miami out of the ninth-inning jam.

The two teams got an early start Saturday, after Game Two’s first pitch was moved up to noon due to weather concerns.

Toledo grabbed an early 1-0 advantage on a solo homer in the top of the second, before the ‘Hawks tied it back up on a Hall sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the inning.

Two more crossed the plate for Miami in the bottom of the third inning to make it 3-1.

Continuing the back-and-forth play, the Rockets scored three in the top of the fifth to retake the lead, before Senger scored on an error in the bottom half of the inning to knot it back up at four.

After a scoreless sixth inning, Toledo took the lead for good with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh. The Rockets tacked on two more in the ninth and held the RedHawks scoreless the rest of the way to win 8-4.

MU junior Michael Hendricks (L, 1-1) was tagged with the loss after giving up the go-ahead dinger in the seventh.

Capitalizing on their momentum from Saturday, the Rockets scored first in Sunday’s rubber match, plating two in the top

9

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

of the third.

Stephens started the scoring for Miami with an RBI double a half-inning later. After Senger hit an RBI single to tie the game, sophomore second baseman Will Vogelgesang followed with an RBI single of his own to put the RedHawks ahead 3-2.

Toledo struck for two runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh to jump out to a 6-3 advantage.

Following the recent trend of late-game dramatics, it was only natural that Miami plated three in the bottom of the eighth to force another tie.

The first run scored on an RBI double

by Hall. After the ‘Hawks got another run on a wild pitch, sophomore designated hitter Cal Elvers hit a sacrifice fly to knot the game at six.

Toledo was held scoreless in the top of the ninth to preserve thew tie.

Parker Massman led off MU’s half of the ninth and reached base on a hit by a pitch.

With Massman on first and nobody out, Senger drove a double into the left-center field gap, bringing Massman all the way around and giving the RedHawks a walkoff, series-clinching win.

“I’m lucky to get to watch [Hayden Senger] play sometimes,” Hayden said.

“He’s a really hard-worker. He prepares really hard. He’s the same guy Game One to Game Three in the weekend, which is tough to do when you catch all three games.”

Junior Bailey Martin (W, 2-3) was deemed Sunday’s winner after pitching 2.1 shutout innings out of the ‘pen.

“I’m really proud of [my guys],” Hayden said. “We didn’t play the cleanest game, although I think our pitchers did a really good job of keeping it where it was.”

The three-game set keeps the ‘Hawks a perfect 2-0 in conference series thus far.

Miami announced a change to its schedule on Monday, adding a home game against Otterbein today. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.

Call me, beep me if you wanna write sports: 919 - 448 - 1519

FROM PAGE 1

Transportation Services’ budget.

“MUPD has managed [its] expense budget to help absorb any fluctuation in revenue,” concluded Ellis. “They have had favorable impacts from revenues other than fines.”

And, the police captain is quick to remind people that MUPD isn’t trying to make money off of students and their parking mistakes.

“We’re more interested in writing good tickets for violations,” explained Spilman, “not tricking people into getting a ticket.”

MUPD gives warnings before writing tickets. This benefits those drivers who might still be confused about where they can park.

Each student, faculty, staff or visitor is eligible for one parking warning per fiscal year. According to Miami’s website, there are only a few offenses that don’t get warnings, including illegally reproducing or misusing a permit and violating parking rules for special events.

Miami also gives drivers an opportunity to appeal their parking tickets, though only 13 percent of appeals were approved in 2017.

“I don’t like the idea of having to build a budget around people [parking] wrong,” said Spilman. “I would rather build a budget

around people complying with our parking regulations and building a system that is more sustainable with people doing the right thing.”

To make this system possible, the university strives to make all students aware of how parking works. Beyond the instructive signage across campus, parking information is made available online and provided for every person who buys a parking pass – student, staff, visitor or otherwise. And, that’s a lot of drivers – last year, Miami made over $1.1 million in parking permits.

The H.O.M.E. Office issues and sell the permits. They’re also are responsible for helping students learn how they work. ​“It’s important to us to make sure students understand the rules!” wrote Sherri Bowling, assistant director of the H.O.M.E. Office, in an email.

The H.O.M.E. Office provides parking information to all drivers when they purchase permits. Representatives give out parking brochures during orientation and keep their website up to date with parking regulations. rosserms@miamioh.edu

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Miami Tribe members talk history, language FROM PAGE 1

“I don’t see a pile of rocks,” he said. “I see a pile of stories.”

In his presentation, McCoy spoke about how the stories of the Myaamia people and their fellow Great Lakes tribes could be found in the rocks and other natural materials they left behind.

This included exotic objects made of galena, copper, mica, conch shells, obsidian and iron.

None of these materials are naturally found in this area. In fact, the only naturally occurring iron that could be found was in meteorites.

This means the tribes of the region, including the Miami, must have either traded with each other and the other tribes, or they went out to gather the materials themselves, McCoy said.

Either way, it is proof that native peoples had complex societies with established trade systems and centers and advanced metalworking technology.

Haley Strass, a member of the Miami Tribe and frequent presenter at Myaamiaki Conferences, particularly enjoyed McCoy’s presentation.

“I’m a psychologist by training, and so a lot of the questions I ask myself are kind of existential in nature…thinking about space and earth, and how they were formed and our place in that,” she said. “I think the reason, historically, our people looked to those things was to explain our existence and that’s exactly what Tim’s talking about.”

The second presentation was “The Western Rim of Fort Ancient Settlement and the Pre-Contact Origins of the Myaamia People,” given by Stephen Warren. Although not a member of the tribe, Warren has done research related to Myaamia interests.

Warren discussed the Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), which requires human remains of native people must be returned to their tribes.

However, many researchers have been able to exploit this law by claiming the gap in historical record between pre- and post-removal tribes makes many remains “culturally unidentifiable.” Warren presented evidence that showed natives still occupied their lands during that gap in the record.

“Essentially, the burden today for NAGPRA protections falls on modern tribes,” Warren said. “If they are to make culturally unidentifiable objects identifiable, they have to do the necessary research…

It’s about protecting the human rights of Miami ancestors.”

Warren was followed by Michael McCafferty, who presented “Symbolic Language in the Early Historic Miami-Illinois Dictio-

MYAAMIA CENTER DIRECTOR DARYL BALDWIN ADDRESSES ATTENDEES OF MYAAMIAK CONFERENCE. BO BRUECK THE MIAMI STUDENT

naries.” McCafferty, who worked to translate dictionaries of the Myaamia language written by French Jesuit missionaries, explained a variety of Myaamia expressions and metaphors.

For example, the Myaamia phrase maciciipihkapita translates to “that which has taken root” or

up was “Understanding Indian Reserves,” presented by Cameron Shriver and tribe member Doug Peconte.

Shriver ran through a brief history of how, through a series of treaties, Myaamia homelands were separated into individual and community reserves, and how those

ing it here and…weaving the narrative of the story.”

Next, tribe member Wesley Leonard presented “Decolonizing Linguistic Science Through Native American Participation.”

Leonard spoke about Eurocentric ideas of how language works, and how it is understood.

“I would say I’m definitely a part of the community now — it wasn’t something I expected to learn.”

- Brandon Butcher “he is lazy.” Kyaamwa mahweewa means “the wolf is enraged” and refers to an argumentative person. Takaakani ayooro is spoken to someone who won’t stop knocking on one’s door and essentially means, “Use an ax!”

“Your ancestors were witty people and sometimes given to sarcasm,” McCafferty said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

Amanda Buduris loved his presentation.

“I’m a language nerd,” she said.

Neither Myaamia nor Miami student, Buduris attended the conference for the first time.

“I didn’t really know what to expect, this being my first one,” she said.

But, through McCafferty’s explanation and others, she felt engaged despite not being part of the culture.

Fourth in the conference’s line-

reserves were gradually sold off.

Peconte explained that the development of a Graphical Information System (GIS) would allow tribe members and researchers to input information about the transfer and loss of lands. “[GIS is] a narrative of land retention over time and a tool for Myaamia families to tell their own stories that I am not privy to,” Shriver said.

The project resonated with Lauren Swaidner, a tribe member and Miami graduate whose family once owned reservation land in Indiana.

Swaidner has been to multiple conferences before and always enjoys coming back.

“I live on a reservation now in South Dakota,” she said, “so it’s been really cool for me to take bits and pieces of what’s going on here and bring it back there, or taking what I’ve learned there and bring-

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In his experience, these “colonial” viewpoints, when applied to Native American languages, do not fit how natives think of their own language. They decontextualize language from culture in a way that is alienating to natives for whom language is tied intimately to peoplehood. His proposed solution to this disconnect is to get more Native Americans involved in the field of linguistics.

The next presentation “wiikiaaminki neepwaankanki: Learning in the Home” brought a personal (and decidedly cute) note to the ongoing focus on language.

Kristina Fox, an assistant in the Myaamia Center’s education and outreach office, and Jesse Seddelmeyer, director of saakaciweeta, one of the tribe’s summer education programs, talked about childhood language development and the resources available for teaching

myaamiaataweenki, the myaamia language, at home.

They also shared video and audio of their own children learning the language. One clip showed Seddelmeyer teaching numbers to her three-year-old daughter, Riley.

As her mom sings the single digits, Riley counts along on her fingers for a few measures before the exercise devolves into an impromptu game of patty-cake. A second video, filmed a week before the conference, shows a slightly-older Riley counting passing cars — out loud — from behind her living room window.

“She’s missing a couple in there,” said Seddelmeyer, to laughter from the room.

For those interested in picking up rudimentary myaamiaatawenki, the Myaamia Center YouTube channel has a playlist of 10 children’s songs. The center is also working to update Niiki, an app that teaches household Myaamia words, for the latest versions of iOS and Android.

The final talk of the afternoon focused on the experience of Myaamia students at Miami University.

The panel of students was led

by Kara Strass, a Myaamia student in the Student Affairs in Higher Education master’s program who works with Myaamia Center, and Haley Strass, a Myaamia doctoral candidate at Iowa State who is interning at Miami University’s Student Counseling Center next fall.

More than 120 Myaamia students have attended Miami since 1991, when the first three Myaamia students enrolled. In that time, 70 degrees have been awarded to Myaamia students and 30 currently study at the university.

Those who currently attend are recipients of the Myaamia Heritage Award program, which requires that students maintain full-time status, keep up their GPA and take a one-credit-hour heritage class all four years.

To the surprise of the five undergraduate students who participated in the panel, the heritage class has been a cornerstone experience, one that fosters Myaamia identity in a unique way.

“For me, I expected to go to Miami, focus on my biochemistry studies and kind of have to go to a class each week,” said Myaamia junior Brandon Butcher. “In that class, I expected to learn about my heritage, kind of like history, but what I found was that it was more about community building, and I would say I’m definitely part of the community now — it wasn’t something I expected to learn.” arwinejk@miamioh.edu evansjm4@miamioh.edu

NOTICE Zeta Beta Tau no longer operates a chapter on the Miami University campus. If you are aware of any Miami University students participating in ZBT activities, please report them to (317) 334-1898.

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11

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

Protests continue over racial unrest at Miami FROM PAGE 1

recording videos and taking photos to post on social media.

Their message was focused on needing their fellow students to speak up, reflected in the chant: “White silence equals violence.”

“If you’re standing on the sidelines, there is no sideline,” junior Miranda Woods said. “There’s no gray area here.

You’re either for us or you’re against us.

You either call your friends out when they make these statements and say these things or you just continue to feed into the racist culture that [Miami] is.”

ASG President Maggie Callahan and Secretary for Diversity and Inclusion Courtney Rose were also present at the protest and later sent out a letter to the Miami student body, condemning students’ use of hurtful, racist language.

“Regardless of whether you ‘mean it’ or not, words carry a lot of weight,” Callahan, Rose and ASG Vice President Luke Elfreich wrote in the letter. “Saying that it was ‘just a joke’ is not an excuse for using hurtful or disrespectful language. Ever.”

The next day, around 15 students piled around the couches and sat on the second floor of Miami’s administrative building, Roudebush Hall.

A sign reading “What Love What Honor? #blacklivesmatter” faced the staircase, greeting anyone who approached the second floor.

President Greg Crawford addressed the students while handing out a platter of cookies and a case of water bottles.

“I am on a journey to transform Miami,” Crawford said. “I stand with you and am in 100 percent support of what you do.”

One student chuckled to himself while another whispered an audible expletive as Crawford turned his back to face another student.

Rodney Coates, professor and coordinator of Black World Studies, also spoke to the students in Roudebush. After Wright’s initial message went viral in November, Crawford established the 2017 Presidential Task Force on Inclusion and Diversity with Coates at the head. Coates asked the students for their help in continuing the work.

“I need to hear from you guys,” Coates said. “You all have to help me to make recommendations to transform this place...If you want to talk about the culture of this

STUDENT OCCUPIED THE ROUDEBOUSH LOBBY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON TO DRAW THE ADMINISTRATION’S ATTENTION TO THE PLIGHT OF BLACK STUDENTS AT MIAMI. CONTRIBUTED BY CEILI DOYLE

institution, it has to be in terms of diversity and inclusion.”

Coates encouraged students to come to his class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-4:10 p.m. this semester to contribute toward his overall research.

“What you’re doing is extremely important,” Coates added. “What we need to do is ensure that it’s not just a moment, but this becomes a movement and a process.”

Coates also praised Crawford’s intentions, calling him the first president he had seen in his 28 years at Miami who is “actively trying to make this a more inclusive place.”

For some students, though, Crawford and Coates’ statements are not enough.

“Why isn’t Ron Scott here?” junior Aleah Holley asked Coates, referring to the vice president for institutional diversity.

Coates declined to speak on the behalf of his colleague.

“Dr. Coates was saying he’s here to work with us,” Holley said. “But what he did not say was ‘Miami University is doing something about this.’ I know we have allies, but this isn’t about personal allyship at this point. It’s beyond that. We need in-

stitutional allyship.”

Crawford tweeted a statement to the Miami community after the original protest in Armstrong on Monday, March 26 saying, “Once again we are facing words and symbols of hate and intolerance, directed against members of our own community.”

Many people thought his words were vague, and Holley looks forward to seeing a clearer response that can inform the students, faculty and staff about what’s going on at Miami’s campus.

And, as far as future protests and demonstrations go, the Miami community should be prepared for more.

“Don’t expect this to end,” Holley said.

“We’re here to stay.”

BAM 2.0 followed up Wednesday’s sitin by holding a second, but smaller, protest in Armstrong on Thursday.

“The administration needs to do something about everything that is going on, especially because we pay to be here,” junior Imani Steele said.

A group of 20 students sat on and around the Seal in Armstrong with signs that read “Do black lives even matter to Miami?” and “Black dollars matter, but black lives don’t matter to the university.”

BAM 2.0 wanted to make it clear to the university that they will continue to speak up and make noise unless the racial climate on Miami’s campus changes, Steele said.

A list of demands from BAM 2.0 will be released on Tuesday, April 3 through the Diversity Affairs Council listserv and various student organizations’ listservs as well as on the BAM 2.0 Facebook page and their Twitter account @BAM_98_.

In a press release issued by the movement on Monday, April 2, Steele, Holley, Woods, Kyra Germany, Davaughn Golden, Clara Guerra, Jaylen Perkins and Jermaine Thomas wrote BAM 2.0’s mission statement.

“The Black Action Movement has regenerated in order to: address discriminatory incidents on campus; demand the restructuring of institutional policies and initiatives; and enlighten others of Black students’ ordeals to usher an inclusive Miami University community.” doyleca3@miamioh.edu Emily Williams and Jack Evans contributed additional reporting to this story.

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12 OPINION

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

DAVISKN3@MIAMIOH.EDU

Miami community must break the cycle The following reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.

Last semester, a first-year student incited outrage in the Miami community when he used the N-word in a GroupMe chat. The student, Thomas Wright, apologized at the time and claimed, through comments on a Facebook post condemning his actions, that he was “ashamed” and “embarrassed.”

But last week, a screenshot began circulating of a Tinder exchange someone had with Wright over spring break, in which he bragged about being “way edgier” than them. He used an article — the one that we wrote — about his use of the racial slur to back that up.

Again, the screenshot sparked fury among students, and generated written responses from Associated Student Government, the collective and the administration.

More notable than that, though, was the response from students, who organized three protests in three days — in Armstrong Student Center, in the Farmer School of Business and outside President Crawford’s office in Roudebush Hall.

As Rodney Coates, Global and Intercultural Studies

professor and coordinator of the Black World Studies program, wrote in an op-ed for the Student last fall, this series of events — outrage over a racist incident, then subsequent protests — is “cyclical.” Every three or four years, he explained, a new class of students arrives who has not experienced past years of fighting against discrimination.

“Thus, after an ‘event’ we ramp up institutional resources to effectively educate, sensitize and socialize a given cohort of students . . . as effective as these strategies might be in the short term, they may have limited impact on the next wave of students.”

But, while activism is nothing new on Miami’s campus, four protests in the span of four days — not to mention plans for more — is something we haven’t seen before.

This has the potential to break the “cycle” Coates explained in his op-ed.

The students who organized and participated in the protests, who are primarily African American, are also requesting very specific things from the university and its students. Junior Imani Steele told the Student last week that they want Miami’s administration to issue a better Climate Survey, improve upon their minority recruitment efforts and establish rehabilitation programs following

Black Action Movement 2.0: We demand more than recognition Since its founding in 1809, Miami University has failed to cultivate a culture that is welcoming and receptive for its Black students. Historically, the actions taken by administration, while recognized, simply are not enough. We, the Black Action Movement 2.0 (BAM 2.0), on behalf of Miami University’s Black community, are holding administration accountable for effectively combating the issues plaguing its Black students. Therefore, these are our demands.

1. We demand that Miami University identifies space on campus for the construction of a new building to serve as the Office of Diversity Affairs (ODA) that will be open and welcoming to all marginalized student groups.

This space must be identified by August 31, 2018.

2. We demand a considerable uptick in the number of racially diverse students, faculty, and staff populations of Miami University’s Oxford Campus through: The student population reflecting the demographics of comparable Ohio public universities: six percent Black students, six percent Hispanic, four percent Asian (domestic), two percent Native American by 2025.

Increase the percentage of ethnically diverse faculty to 25 percent by 2028.

The expansion of the Cincinnati Scholars Program to Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton and Chicago by 2022.

The reconstruction of the Bridges program by implementing qualifications for attending the program based on marginalized identities, including first generation for academic year 2018-19.

3. We demand a comprehensive report from Dr. Ron Scott, Associate Vice President for Institutional Diversity, including: The initiatives and accomplishments of his office from academic year 2013-14 through 2017-18.

A copy of the job description of Dr. Ron Scott, Associate Vice President for Institutional Diversity.

This demand must be met by April 6, 2018 and sent via email to bam1998collective@gmail.com.

4. We demand Miami University revise the “Discrimination & Harassment” section of the Code of Conduct.

This demand must be met by June 1, 2018.

5. We demand Miami University creates a sanctioned adjudication process to address acts of racism and discrimination with clearly defined disciplinary actions for reported students, staff and faculty.

This demand must be met by June 1, 2018.

6. We demand that Miami University send a notice of adjudication to the student responsible for posting the offensive, de-

rogatory and direct remarks via Snapchat regarding Black students who were engaging in lawful protest on March 26, 2018.

This demand must be met by June 30, 2018, pursuant to demand five.

7. We demand incident reporting forms to be more accessible and visible to students, faculty and staff by: Having the Dean of Student’s office include discussion on discrimination and harassment during their summer orientation session revolving around “community expectations, personal responsibility, and student safety.”

Training faculty, staff and student employees to navigate incident reporting forms.

Requiring Resident Assistants to inform residents of the process of accessing incident reporting forms.

Spelling out the “Office of Equity and Equal Opportunity” on the MyMiami homepage as a Quick Link.

Administering a quick and efficient means of educating all current Miami students — on all campuses — on how they can access this link.

This demand must be completed by April 13, 2018.

8. We demand the implementation of diversity and inclusion training for all incoming students, current students, and faculty and staff on all Miami University campuses (Oxford, Hamilton, Middletown, West Chester and Luxembourg).

This demand must be implemented by the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year.

9. We demand transparency in the form of monthly reports from the university on updates of the following initiatives: Dr. Coates’ “2017 Presidential Task force on Diversity and Inclusion” The search process for the next Dean of Students.

Council on Diversity and Inclusion (CODI) BAM 2.0 demands This demand shall be emailed out to the student body by the last day of every month of the academic school year.

10. We demand a meeting with the following administrators: Dr. Greg Crawford, University President Dr. Ron Scott, Associate Vice President for Institutional Diversity Dr. Jayne Brownell, Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Mike Curme, Dean of Students Dr. Kelley Kimple, Director of the Office of Diversity Affairs The date for this meeting will be determined by BAM 2.0 and an invitation will be emailed to all parties by April 6, 2018.

This letter was edited to fit this space.

Visit BAM 2.0’s Facebook for a press release and a longer version of this letter.

racist incidents.

They also want stronger responses from the administration when these racist acts occur. While Crawford issued a statement via Twitter last week, addressed to the Miami community, calling for a more “inclusive and welcoming” Miami, he did not directly address Thomas Wright or his actions.

Obviously, Crawford can’t singlehandedly absolve Miami of racism. But his failure to specifically explain and condemn Wright’s actions normalizes that kind of behavior and presents a missed opportunity to educate students — many of whom probably had no idea exactly what “intolerance” and “bigotry” he was referring to in his statement.

We, as we feel everyone should, stand with these student activists and protesters, and believe that they can enact change in the Miami community. Their demands are not only reasonable, but necessary for administrators and other students to meet, if we actually want to start, as Crawford said, “creating the kind of community where everyone feels welcome.”

THE COLLECTIVE: AN OPEN LETTER TO CRAWFORD Greg, Organizers and activists from all walks of Miami, be they workers, faculty, students or Oxford residents, are engaged in mass action against the institution you represent. Whether an action centers around anti-racism, combating sexual assault, fighting classism, workers’ rights or student issues, our struggles are tied to each other. This institution is failing our communities.

Sexual assault is an epidemic affecting students at universities across the nation and it is greatly affecting students at Miami University. Miami is complicit in contributing to a culture that re-traumatizes its student survivors and negatively impacts their lives.

There must be an end to rape culture.

There must be an end to silencing victims. And there must be an end to sexual assault running rampant on this campus.

Miami University is currently under investigation by not one but three separate Title IX investigations. That makes our university the most federally-probed school of the entire state.

However, this is hardly a surprise when Miami is also one of the few universities in the nation to have been fined twice for violating the Clery Act, which mandates that all universities report their crime statistics to the federal government, Miami University has and continues to fail its survivors over and over again, and the Title IX investigations are only one example of this. The support services that are offered are minimal and understaffed.

Survivor voices are not being heard and are blatantly ignored. Perpetrators are not being held accountable. a Due to the failure of the Miami University administration several students have decided to create community-led efforts to support one another. There have been numerous incidents where the police have been inadequate at supporting survivors as well as other students in need who fear arrest due to underage drinking or using recreational drugs. To fill this gap, the collective organized groups of students to walk their peers home, with the intention of preventing instances where people take advantage of people walking alone. The collective also collaborated with student organizations to hold a rally designed to empower those frustrated with Miami’s lack of action toward sexual assault. Through

these actions we hoped to provide support that Miami students desperately need and give voices to survivors.

Universities are notorious for covering up instances of sexual assault, and Miami is no different. Where we do stand out however, is how great the problem of sexual assault at our university is. At Miami, the chances of facing sexual assault are even greater than the average national statistics, according to our 2016 climate survey data.

We are irate. We are disappointed about how you’ve handled the recent incident involving Nicolas Cristescu, and your lack of transparency on how you are handling the prevalence of sexual assault on our campus. We are concerned, because it appears that the response your administration is giving is refusing to listen to and understand survivors.

We are especially troubled by the new policy to restrict access to dorms at specific time periods. It is more than inconvenient; it is extremely unsafe.

This is a counterproductive response that does nothing to stop sexual assault on this campus. This shows a lack of insight into the lives of students and an attempt to protect your reputation by instituting a meaningless policy just so you can claim you did “something.

Students don’t want inefficient policy that will only make our lives harder.

We want viable solutions that support survivors, and that requires listening to survivors. Ending this policy and providing more confidential reporting options are a good way to start.

To any survivors reading this, we believe you, we support you and we are here for you. We will continue to advocate for and with survivors on this campus and uplift their voices. We deserve to be supported and respected by the institution we pay tuition to attend. We will no longer be silent — not on sexual assault, not on white supremacy, not on any injustice facing our peers at this institution. We hope to one day to attend a university that supports the needs of survivors, provides quality support and holds perpetrators accountable.

-the collective This letter was edited to fit this space. Visit miamistudent.net for a longer version of this letter.

Local women are sorry KIRBY DAVIS CEILI DOYLE

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Almost every female Miami University student reports that they are sorry. Not for anything in particular, most of them were quick to clarify — just in general.

Sophomore Sophie Jackson, along with two of her friends, attributed their inexplicable urge to apologize for everything to their polite, Midwestern upbringings.

“Actually,” Jackson said, “That’s bullshit. It’s just because I’m a woman.”

When a male student seated at the table next to her in Armstrong leaned over to interject, she told him he was wrong.

“Sorry,” she promptly apologized, wondering if maybe she had expressed her opinion when he hadn’t explicitly asked

for it.

Sophomore Christian Lopez said he was unsure why his girlfriend “is always, like, apologizing for everything.”

“The other day, I spilled coffee all over her stats homework,” Lopez said. “And she apologized for having it out on the table.”

Taylor attempted to justify the apology, saying that she felt as though it was her fault for leaving her homework in a coffee-spillable zone.

“First of all, what does that even mean?” Lopez asked, perplexed. Then, when addressing his girlfriend, said, “The only thing you have to apologize for is apologizing too much.”

Paul Martinez, Jackson’s business legal studies professor, and Andrea Taylor, her Spanish professor, were both also

confounded as to why she — and all their other female students — feel compelled to apologize for everything.

“Why doesn’t she just issue a blanket apology on social media to everyone she’s ever met?” Taylor said. “She can re-share it daily.”

“It would save her a lot of time,” Martinez added.

Jackson and her friend Skylar Thomas defended themselves; Jackson said she realizes the constant apologizing is “probably annoying as hell,” but that 20 years in, she’s unsure how to stop.

“Whether it’s for something I actually did,” said Jackson, “like forget to take my clothes out of the dryer again, or for something completely out of my control, like that freak thunderstorm yesterday, just know that I am sorry for everything.”

Thomas remembered one night when she and Jackson went Uptown, and a classmate from their business legal studies course bought them each a drink.

Thomas responded with a confused, “Wait...are you sure?”

Their classmate, Bobby Wright, shrugged.

“Yeah my buddy’s working the bar tonight, it’s no big deal,” he said.

Thomas turned to Taylor with a smile and immediately apologized to Wright.

“Sorry for her,” Jackson added.

“Sorry,” Thomas said, when her friend pointed out that she seemed to be apologizing a lot. daviskn3@miamioh.edu doyleca3@miamioh.edu

OPINION 13

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

DAVISKN3@MIAMIOH.EDU

A.J. NEWBERRY NEWBERAJ@MIAMIOH.EDU

TO-DO: NETFLIX AND CHILL OUT

ILLUSTRATION: NINA WILLIS

EMILY DATTILO

THE MIAMI STUDENT

My senior year of high school, sitting at the kitchen table, I paged through a Miami brochure. A student quote caught my attention.

I don’t remember the exact words, but the soon-to-be-graduate talked about how special it was to live within a few-mile radius from all her best friends, and how much she was going to miss it. That hit me.

College is full of countless activities, many of them involving other people: maintaining Snapchat streaks with your best friends.

Scrolling through Instagram and Twitter. Going uptown for Bagel & Deli. Waiting in line at Brick. Club meetings. Classes. Group projects.

Constant socialization. You get the point.

This can be really great. It can also be draining.

Being around other people all the time definitely has its benefits.

If you’re anxious about midterms or friend drama, it helps to talk to someone.

It’s pretty safe to say we’ve all struggled with juggling our individual to-do lists. Stress inevitably walks hand in hand with school.

It took me until second semester

to realize that it’s okay to put myself first and spend some time alone.

Often, it feels like there’s constant pressure to be doing something with someone but there’s nothing wrong with saying no.

The college lifestyle can be overwhelming. It doesn’t take me too long to recall a time I was drowning in a sea of unfinished tasks.

For me, Tuesdays supply a continual source of stress. With four classes back-to-back, by the time 4:10 p.m. rolls around, I typically have a headache.

It’d be nice to go home and sleep, but homework and studying relentlessly vie for my attention.

And every week, I decide the same thing — they can wait half an hour.

On Tuesdays, my friend Kylie and I leave English class, where we analyze rhetorical strategies and discuss the complex characterization and the historical context of books like “Frankenstein.”

In dire need of a mental break and junk food, we head to Armstrong and order mozzarella sticks from Pulley.

Our backpacks stay zipped for a half an hour, and we just talk. If there’s not too much homework awaiting us, we watch Vine compilations.

Hanging out at Pulley motivates me through those taxing Tuesdays, and by some unknown mozzarella stick magical power, my headache disappears.

By the time I return to my dorm after dinner, it’s 8 p.m. I leave my room at 9:30 a.m. — that’s more than 10 hours on the go.

I’ve also spent the entire day surrounded by and engaging with other people. Admittedly, I do love being busy, but there’s a limit to what I can handle.

My Wednesdays are much more relaxed, with fewer classes and more time to myself.

We all deserve days like that.

Living a few-mile radius away from my best friends isn’t something I take for granted. It’s probably my favorite part of college, but that doesn’t mean managing everything is always easy.

Classes, appointments, lunches, working out and meetings always crowd the organizational blessing that is Google Calendar, but time for myself has never found its way onto the agenda.

Recently I’ve discovered that to enjoy a balanced college experience, it needs to.

Watching a Netflix episode, for example, provides a necessary mental break; just try not to let that one episode turn into an entire season.

(This behavior defines procrastination, but that’s another story).

Setting aside me-time was challenging at first because I had no way to hold myself accountable. Second semester, I found the solution.

Now, three times a week, a new event happily glows purple from my Google Calendar called “Emily hour.” By purposefully scheduling time just for me, I force myself to put school aside for just an hour and relax.

I’d suggest taking a minute to do the same on your calendar. (Unless your name happens to be Emily too; in that case, maybe call it something else). dattilec@miamioh.edu

Let’s talk Stormy Daniels BEN FINFROCK

THE MIAMI STUDENT

America, we need to talk.

Our fixation with porn star Stormy Daniels peaked last week after she sat down for an interview with Anderson Cooper on CBS’ “60 Minutes.”

Over 22 million people tuned into an interview filled with juicy, disturbing details about her alleged affair with President Donald Trump (if you’re like me, though, you turned off your TV after Daniels revealed that prior to sleeping with Trump, he compared her to his daughter Ivanka).

It’s easy to understand why Daniels has become a fixation for the media. She is smart, well-spoken and beating Trump at his own game.

There’s also the obvious attention this scandal is getting because it involves infidelity, abuse and possible legal problems involved in the signing of a non-disclosure agreement.

However, I think we can all agree that Daniels has received her fair share of air time.

The affair has not hurt Trump’s job performance or caused him to lose any supporters. Just this past week, the Associated Press released a poll that found his approval ratings are up by seven points. This means supporters of the president are not going to leave him over this scandal; they knew who he was when they voted for him.

At the time of the 2016 election, the Access Hollywood “grab ‘em by the pussy” tape had made national headlines, and multiple women had accused Trump of sexual harassment. Trump’s consensual affair with Daniels is not going to change supporters’ view of him. To them, the press’ continued fixation on this story only confirms their beliefs that the media has it out for Trump.

Daniels cannot continue to

distract us from more pressing concerns at hand. According to Everytown for Gun Safety, on an average day, 96 American are killed by guns. This problem is finally being handled because of the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas, who are forcing this country to have a conversation about gun violence.

Stephon Clark’s death is also gaining national attention for the issues of racism and police brutality. At a Sacramento City Council meeting on last Tuesday Clark’s brother, Stevante, interrupted the meeting and challenged the council to make real changes after the shooting of his brother.

On Easter morning, the president renewed the debate over DACA when he tweeted, “DACA is dead because the Democrats didn’t care or act.”

The jeopardy of hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants hangs in limbo.

If President Trump refuses to work on a deal for DACA, then many immigrants in this country could be forced back to a country they barely know.

Stephon Clark’s death, DACA and the movement against gun violence are just a few stories which cannot afford to be deemed as less important because of Stormy Daniels. We need an informed electorate who are alert and involved in the policies and decisions made by our government. This will not happen if we continue to devote time and energy to a story which will not have any real effect on job performance of the presidency.

In any other presidency, this would be important news. But I guarantee that when historians write about the Trump presidency, Stormy Daniels will be a single sentence in this long and chaotic chapter of American history. finfrobd@miamioh.edu

Sports

14

SIMANSEC@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, APRIL 3, 2018

MANNINO ADDS EXPERIENCE, EXCITEMENT TO MU HOCKEY HOCKEY

EMILY SIMANSKIS SPORTS EDITOR

Miami Athletics announced on March 29 that Miami Hockey head coach Enrico Blasi hired Peter Mannino as associate head coach.

With the hiring of Mannino, the Brotherhood simultaneously welcomed a new level of commitment to success and tangible excitement to the program.

“I think he’s got a personality and energy to him that’s very contagious,” Blasi said on Monday.

“He’s going to bring that energy, that work ethic, that newness of fresh eyes and things like that, that will hopefully inspire all of us.”

Speaking with Mannino, his energy is immediately apparent in how he describes himself as a coach who desires to be trustworthy and approachable, fun-loving and competitive. “[The players] will know the line when things are fun and they also know when it’s time to punch the clock and really get to work,” Mannino said over the phone on Monday.

It is also apparent in how he talks about desperately wanting to win a National Collegiate Hockey Conference championship, something Miami hasn’t done since the 2014-15 season, and an NCAA championship, a feat Miami hasn’t ever accomplished.

THURSDAY, PETER MANNINO WAS NAMED ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH OF MEN’S ICE HOCKEY. CONTRIBUTED BY MIAMI ATHLETICS

“You’re not building the unbelievable history, you’re taking it to a new chapter, a new level of Miami history,” Mannino said. “The end all, be all is going after a championship, winning a national championship and being very successful within the NCHC. I know myself and Rico and the whole staff totally believe in that – that we have a group who can do that.”

Though Miami is unfamiliar with recent NCHC and NCAA success, Mannino isn’t – he brings sev-

eral years of experience coaching young hockey players to championships. His added experience as a former collegiate hockey player will provide depth to Miami’s bench.

Mannino comes to Miami after spending the 2017-18 season as an assistant coach with Miami’s NCHC opponent, the University of Nebraska-Omaha. This season, the Mavericks finished fifth in the eight-team NCHC, whereas the RedHawks finished last.

Before coaching at Omaha,

Miami walks off against Toledo

SOPHOMORE OUTFIELDER TOM KELLEY BATS AGAINST TOLEDO ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT MCKIE FIELD. ANGELO GELFUSO THE MIAMI STUDENT

BASEBALL

CHRIS VINEL STAFF WRITER

The Miami RedHawks’ baseball team (15-9, 4-2 MAC) seems to be repeating the same script, as it used two more walk-off hits to take two out of three games from the Toledo Rockets and earn another Mid-American Conference series victory.

Seven of the RedHawks’ 15 wins this season have now come in extra innings or walkoff fashion.

“I think our team gets excited when there’s adversity right now,” MU head coach

Danny Hayden said after Friday’s game. “I think that’s kind of how they operate and [confidence] was definitely the vibe in the dugout.”

After scoring seven runs all series against Eastern Michigan the weekend before, Miami’s offense exploded for eight runs in the series opener against Toledo (7-17, 3-3 MAC).

Senior shortstop Carlos Adrian Texidor got the offensive battle started with a sacrifice fly in the second inning, before Redshirt sophomore left fielder Kyle Winkler made it 2-0 on an RBI single two batters later.

Miami added two more runs on a double from junior catcher Hayden Senger in the bottom of the third.

Toledo finally got on the board in the top of the fourth, hitting a two-run double to slice its deficit to 4-2.

MU added an insurance run in the fifth, when a sacrifice fly by freshman center fielder Parker Massman made it 5-2.

The RedHawks stole a run in the bottom of the seventh, as Massman got picked off, but ran around long enough for sophomore designated hitter Landon Stephens to score, making it 6-2.

Toledo wasn’t ready to give up yet. The Rockets came out firing in the top of the eighth, quickly loading the bases. They then struck for five runs, scoring on a bases-loaded walk, two RBI singles, a sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout.

Sophomore reliever Grant Hartwig was finally able to stop the bleeding for the RedHawks, as he came in and held the visitors scoreless for the remainder of the inning.

“They did a great job coming back and CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

Mannino spent two years as an assistant coach with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League. He coached the team’s penalty kill unit to finish first in the league in 2017 and second in 2016, and was a part of the Steel’s record-setting year in 2016-17 which ultimately saw them win the Clark Cup. Prior to his coaching days, Mannino played as the starting goaltender for the University of Denver and led his team to a national championship during the 2004-05 season.

Mannino would play professionally for seven organizations including a handful of NHL appearances with the New York Islanders, Atlanta Thrashers and Winnipeg Jets.

Mannino’s extensive experience as a player and coach in the NCHC and his recruiting connections from the USHL drew Blasi to him as a candidate. Miami’s strong alumni base, campus culture and hockey’s history of success drew Mannino to Oxford – he thinks the university is a phenomenal environment for a student-athlete.

But, Mannino only wants to further improve Miami hockey’s culture and he anticipates this will come from a consistency the program hasn’t seen in years. Mannino will work with Blasi to encourage the RedHawks to play even-keel amidst failure and success, and to not let the repeated failure of the past affect the attitude when look-

ing to the future.

“I think it’s the mindset, first and foremost,” Mannino said.

“You’re building a new culture, a new environment in the locker room. I want our group to be the tightest group – the tightest team – and that starts now.”

The hiring of Mannino comes 12 days after Miami Hockey announced former associate head coach Brent Brekke and assistant head coach Nick Petraglia would not return for the 2018-19 season.

Blasi emphasized the decision was mutual between himself and Brekke and Petraglia, respectively.

Both former assistant coaches are pursuing other opportunities better suited for their career aspirations and family life.

“It was the right moment to move forward,” Blasi said.

After a 12-20-5 season and a 6-15-4 conference record, it’s certainly time for Miami Hockey to move forward. Mannino and Blasi are “pounding the pavement” to finish recruiting for next season, and are looking forward to welcoming a third assistant coach to complete the revitalized coaching staff.

“I’m just really thrilled and I want people to know that,” Mannino said. “This is a very committed approach and I’m thankful to be a part of it.” simansec@miamioh.edu @emilysimanskis

The rhythm of Miami Club Boxing

MIAMI CLUB BOXING WELCOMES BOTH RECREATIONAL AND COMPETITIVE BOXERS TO CHESTNUT FIELD HOUSE. JUGAL JAIN THE MIAMI STUDENT

CLUB SPORTS

EMILY SIMANSKIS SPORTS EDITOR

Ten jump ropes whirred rhythmically on Thursday evening at Chestnut Field House. The pitter-patter of sneakers hitting the gym floor almost matched the drops of rain hitting the sidewalk outside, and not long after, the sweat of the Miami club boxers matched the humidity of the March evening in Oxford.

The only mismatch of the evening was the light-heartedness of the four recreational boxers and six competitive boxers participating in a sport that requires a certain mental toughness unlike any other sport.

“No one wants to get punched, but we come out and do it for fun every day,” senior Parker Brown said.

Before someone could figure out how

to work the aux-cord, you could hear one boxer poke fun at another’s jump-roping ability. A recreational member welcomed a first-time visitor to the club’s 4 to 6 p.m. practice block. The five competitive boxers called out to each other and asked about making weight for the upcoming national competition.

When the music came on, the boxers wrapped their hands and put on their gloves. Speed bags and heavy bags were punched. The room got louder as the boxers got quieter.

They all “shadow-boxed” against imaginary opponents — practicing footwork and technique before coach Eric Buller arrived.

The recreational boxers, three girls and one guy, occasionally made eye contact and joked with each other while shadow boxing, whereas the competitive group of six guys stared into the eyes of CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

Cincinnati Reds’ pitching – an unassuming chunk of rock COLUMN

MITCH HAUSFELD COLUMNIST

Have you ever looked at a magnificent statue and wondered, “How could someone look at an unassuming chunk of rock and imagine creating that?”

If so, I’d like to introduce you to the end goal of the Cincinnati Reds’ current regime.

The Reds’ current and previous rosters for the past four seasons have shared many similarities with

large, unassuming chunks of rock.

For one, because it is an inanimate object, a large chunk of rock would probably not be very good at the sport of baseball. Coincidentally, the Cincinnati Reds have not been very good at the sport of baseball either.

On a more metaphorical level, though, similar to a sculptor meticulously whittling and carving away at a masterpiece, the Reds have spent the past four seasons attempting to find the pieces of a legitimate and contending baseball team.

For all intents and purposes, last season was another disappointing year for the Reds on a rebuilding timeline that has progressed at a seemingly glacial pace. There were, however, notable silver linings and bright spots along the way. The most obvious include Scooter Gennett’s four-home run game, Votto’s second-place finish in National League MVP voting and Tucker Barnhart earning his first Gold Glove Award.

Additionally, the more optimistic fans can point to Raisel Iglesias’ emergence as an elite closer,

Luis Castillo’s impressive debut in the starting rotation and Eugenio Suarez’s solid all-around season as signs that better days are yet to come.

That being said, the direction of the Reds’ 2018 season is still very much up in the air. Most likely, it will be determined by the same problem that has been a thorn in their side for years -- pitching. Last season, Reds pitchers combined to post the lowest collective WAR (wins above replacement) in Major League Baseball and posted an astronomical 5.17 earned run aver-

age. This poor performance came fresh off a 2016 campaign when the Reds’ pitchers allowed the most home runs in the history of Major League Baseball.

For 2018 to be labelled a step in the right direction, the Reds need to find out if they have at least twoto-four quality starting pitchers on their staff. While a couple of pitchers made an impact last year, the spots on the rotation still appear to be wide open. Here are a few guys looking to stick in the rotation for CONTINUED ON PAGE 8