ESTABLISHED 1826 – OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
The Miami Student TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016 Volume 144 №31
MIAMISTUDENT.NET
Miami University — Oxford, Ohio
Firm, contract impede transparent presidential search PRESIDENT
EMILY TATE
MANAGING EDITOR
The committee tasked with identifying Miami University’s next president has reviewed resumes and held interviews with candidates, but beyond that, little is clear about the status of the presidential search. This uncertainty, critics
say, is because Miami’s use of an executive search firm deliberately masks the process from the public. And, while this serves the interest of the Board of Trustees —who, in September, announced the search would be secret — some believe the approach is harmful for Miami’s students and employees. When Miami officials signed a contract with search
firm Isaacson, Miller last summer, James Finkelstein said they put the university in a vulnerable position. “I’ve negotiated hundreds of contracts for all sorts of agencies — governments institutions, non-profits, public and private universities. This is not the kind of contract I would ever consider signing,” Finkelstein said. “I can’t imagine anyone ever
really allowing it. I think it’s a problem.” After reviewing the contract, Finkelstein, who is a Miami alumnus (’74) and a professor of public policy at George Mason University, sent a 1,400-word letter to the chair of the Board of Trustees, David Budig, expressing his concern. “Candidly, I’ve not seen many agreements that
provide as few protections to the university as does Miami’s contract with Isaacson, Miller,” Finkelstein wrote in the letter. “In fact, I would argue that in signing this contract, the university has failed to protect the most basic aspects of the public interest as well as those of the faculty, staff, students and alumni.” In his letter, Finkelstein describes, in detail, four red
flags he noticed in the contract, though he says there are far more. His first concern was that Isaacson, Miller bases its fee on a percentage — in this case, one-third — of the president’s first-year compensation package. This, he argues, provides incentive for Isaacson, Miller to seek SEARCH »PAGE 8
Sorority hopefuls search for acceptance during ‘rush’
AMANDA WANG THE MIAMI STUDENT
GREEK LIFE
BRITTON PERELMAN MANAGING EDITOR
The names in this story have been changed to protect the identities of the four individuals. Emma, Kelly, Claire and Brooke clutched their white
2016 recruitment shirts. It’s Thursday night, right after the kick-off ceremony. The girls, friends from the same dorm hallway, felt overwhelmed, more stressed than they had before the kick-off ceremony. But it was an excited nervousness. They’d been told to dress nicely and
remember deodorant. They had no idea what to expect of the next two weekends of sorority rush. Welcome Round Emma bought a huge bottle of honey, extra tea and cough drops at Kroger earlier in the day, but her voice was already
Happy New Year!
新年快 乐 Students, community ring in the Year of the Monkey
CONNOR MORIARTY PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
cracking. All of the girls were hoarse, the result of screaming conversations with people standing less than two feet from them. “You don’t realize how much of an exercise talking is,” said Claire. Emma, Kelly, Claire and
HOLIDAYS
ANGELA HATCHER
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On Feb. 6, 2015, students crowded into Hall Auditorium. A long table dominated the left wall of the foyer, clad in a silky, golden tablecloth. Student members of Miami University’s Chinese American Cultural Association worked behind the table, handing out raffle tickets for prizes that included a one-way plane ticket from China to the United States
Brooke looked exactly the same as everyone else on Friday and Saturday. They wore white recruitment Tshirts, jeans, boots and lanyards holding their nametags. Personal touches came in the form of necklaces, manicured nails or gold bangles. A watch on Emma’s wrist served as a and a check for $1,000. Students eagerly crowded around the table, greeting their friends and chattering excitedly. Along the right side of the foyer was a lavish red carpet. Students posed for pictures in their stylish outfits while a photographer snapped away on his camera. There were banners hanging around the photo area covered in traditional Chinese calligraphy. Everyone in the hall was teeming with energy and excitement.
way to keep track of time during the rounds, when the girls were required to leave their phones outside the rooms. At the start of the night, Brooke couldn’t help but compare herself to everyone else, looking at how other girls RECRUITMENT »PAGE 2
Spring Festival had officially begun at Miami University. Spring Festival, more commonly known to westerners as Chinese New Year, celebrates the turn of the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar. This year marks the Year of the Monkey. This year, Chinese New Year falls on Feb. 8. The celebration begins Feb. 7 and lasts roughly 15 days. NEW YEAR »PAGE 5
The Miami University Confucius Institute Lion Dance Club sets fire to the stage during their performance at the Chinese New Year Concert on Saturday.