ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
VOLUME 148 No. 1
MIAMI UNIVERSITY — OXFORD, OHIO
TUESDAY, AUGUST 27, 2019
Pulley Diner and Armstrong Student Center no longer open 24 hours RACHEL BERRY NEWS EDITOR
STAFFING SHORTAGES HAVE SHORTENED PULLEY’S HOURS. ASST. PHOTO EDITOR BO BRUECK
Bob and Doris ‘52 Pulley Diner and Armstrong Student Center (ASC) will no longer be open 24 hours a day. Pulley is closing from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. due to staffing shortages, said Geno Svec, executive director of campus services. It’s difficult, he said, to find people for all shifts but even moreso for the late night hours. He attributed the staffing issues to a low unemployment rate and Miami University’s location in a small town far from a larger city. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Ohio’s unemployment rate went down 1 percent from August 2017 to August 2019. The U.S. Census Bureau said Oxford’s unemployment numbers actually went up from 2011 to 2017, but there was no more recent data available. Junior Aidan Kuhn said he understands the reasons for closing overnight. “They could either run a couple poor people
ragged trying to put them in different places and spread them over several shifts, or they could actually have okay service and get your meals to you pretty fast,” he said. Many students, though, are sad to see the hours change. Sophomore Connor Manos said she thinks there needs to be a place for students to go 24/7, especially since the dining halls close at 8 p.m. She also mentioned safety for drunk students who might come to Pulley after a night out. “I think I only came here late at night, so I probably won’t come anymore,” said junior Kaycee Siedler. “It was a nice place that you knew would always be open and you could come get food or just sit with friends, so it’s sad that it’s not open anymore.” On average, Pulley had 21 customers from 2 a.m. to 7 a.m. Excluding Pulley’s numbers, ASC had about 13 students over that period, said Katie Wilson, director of ASC. “That few people in a building of 200,000 square feet isn’t safe for those students or for the student staff,” Wilson said. “It’s a big building to have that few people in it and still be a safe environment, so I felt like without dining being open we couldn’t maintain a safe environment in the rest of the building.” ASC will now be open from 6:30 a.m. to 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
DELTA TAU DELTA GIVEN 15-YEAR SUSPENSION ERIN GLYNN
NEWS EDITOR The university investigation into hazing, including the paddling of a new member, by the fraternity Delta Tau Delta has concluded. Miami’s Vice President of Student Life Jayne Brownell has decided to suspend the fraternity until 2034. In March, a member of the fraternity’s 2019’s pledge class anonymously filed a complaint with the Office of Community Standards (OCS), alleging that fraternity members blindfolded him and bludgeoned him 15 times with a spiked and grooved paddle. The decision was appealed by Delta Tau Delta twice over the summer, first to the University Appeals Board and then to Brownell. In March 2029, after a ten-year suspension, Delta Tau Delta will have the option to petition the university to come back to campus earlier. That petition would need to provide “significant evidence” that the fraternity has begun to become a “more positive, safe, and healthy experience for students,” Brownell wrote in her decision. Brownell also wrote that, though Miami administration will have final say in the conditions of Delta Tau Delta’s reinstatement, she expects that the university will also want “evidence that the local chapter has ceased all official or unofficial activity on our campus” before the fraternity submits its petition. Delta Tau Delta members did not respond to a request for comment. glynnee@miamioh.edu @ee_glynn
This Issue
Welcome back & meet our staff
DELTA TAU DELTA CAN RETURN PRIOR TO 2034 ONLY IF THEY PROVIDE EVIDENCE OF GOOD BEHAVIOR. PHOTO EDITOR JUGAL JAIN
From the Packers to the pitch
From Washington State to D.C.
Ryan Smith works to keep his football dream alive
Calvin Colby cycled across the country, stopping at community centers along the way
Remembering Shawn Lienhardt
pages 4 & 5
News » page 5
Alright, one more time from the top
Our columnist says it’s not such a bad idea to take some time off school, after all
Recent MU graduate and roller hockey teammate dies in car accident Sports » page 13
News » page 8
Culture » page 9
Opinion » page 14