ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
Volume 147 No. 4
Miami University — Oxford, Ohio
Bird scooters flock to Oxford SAMANTHA BRUNN NEWS EDITOR
The City of Oxford plans to bring Bird e-scooters to town in the next two weeks, despite Miami University’s reservations expressed in last week’s cease and desist letter. “From my perspective as mayor, the city is going to go ahead with this project, regardless,” Oxford Mayor Kate Rousmaniere said. Rousmaniere hopes that once people see how the system works in practice, they will be more likely to support the endeavor. “We’re not required to talk to the university,” Rousmaniere said. “We did it as a courtesy, really. But, we hope to see improvements on that front in the coming months.” David Creamer, senior vice president for finance and business services at the university, said university officials are willing to continue pursuing discussion on the topic, but request that the city delay bringing the scooters until more discussion and analysis takes place. Creamer said the university is waiting to hear back as to when those discussions will occur. Once those steps are taken, Creamer said, the university will evaluate whether university policy should be amended. Alan Kyger, Oxford’s economic development director, announced in the Student Community Relations Committee
PLANS FOR BIRD SCOOTERS IN OXFORD WERE ANNOUNCED AT THE SCRC MEETING. ASST. PHOTO EDITOR BO BRUECK
ARMITAGE TRIAL SET FOR EARLY JANUARY CÉILÍ DOYLE NEWS EDITOR
(SCRC) meeting last week that there are plans in place to reserve on-street parking spaces as officially designated stations, or “nests,” for the Bird Scooters pilot program in the Uptown District. Kyger said the city is doing what they can to ensure the pilot program will serve everyone well. “We asked ourselves, ‘How do we make this work best for our community?’ And we are following that answer as best we can,” Kyger said. Oxford has also requested that Bird Rides, Inc. create a geo-fence along High Street between Campus and College Aves. The geo-fence would prohibit scooters from being operated on the sidewalks in that area. Bird Rides, Inc. could also potentially set a geo-fence around the university to the same effect. As part of the permitting process Bird went through to work with the city, the city will receive a share of the revenue from the e-scooters. The city will receive $1 per day, per scooter, in operation. The initial scooter fleet will be comprised of 100 scooters, so the city will receive $100 per day from Bird Rides, Inc. The revenue sharing is meant “to promote bike and scooter safety, as well as improvements to the CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
ARENA
Following a motion for continuance filed in August, former Miami professor Kevin Armitage’s trial has been set for Monday, Jan. 7, 2019. Armitage, who was arrested for trying to hire a 14-year-old, sexually-trafficked girl earlier this year, is still in federal custody “detained without bail pending” his trial, according to the court’s docket. He will remain in the U.S. Marshal Service’s custody until the trial starts, said the public affairs officer for the U.S. Attorney’ office, Don Ledford. The Student reached out to Armitage’s lawyer, Chris Angles, for comment, but Angles said he “cannot discuss pending litigation.” Armitage’s case was initially going to be tried on Monday, Sept. 24, but it was pushed back to January 2019 in order to give the prosecution, represented by U.S. Assistant Attorney Teresa Moore, and Angles “reasonable time necessary for effective preparation,” according to the scheduling and trial order document signed by U.S. Magistrate Judge John Maughmer. Judge Brian Wimes will preside over the trial, which will begin at 9 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 7, 2019 in Courtroom 7D at the Charles Evans Whittaker U.S. Courthouse in Kansas City, Missouri. doyleca3@miamioh.edu @cadoyle_18
SIX SEXUAL ASSAULTS REPORTED IN LESS THAN A MONTH STAFF REPORT
A profile in bookshelves
Yesterday afternoon the Miami University Police Department (MUPD) sent out the fifth “Safety Bulletin” email in relation to a sexual assault reported either to MUPD or the Oxford Police Department (OPD) in the first four weeks of the semester. One of the assaults, which occurred on Wednesday, Sept. 5 and was
Kimberly Moore begins her tenure as dean of students CÉILÍ DOYLE NEWS EDITOR
Kimberly Moore, Miami University’s new dean of students, worked for 14 years at Loyola University Chicago where she had a bookshelf in her office. The bookshelf was filled to the brim with the obligatory assortment of books, picture frames and inspirational quotes. But what made it really unique was the knickknacks. Loyola students had a goal to “make the bookshelf” as they were about to graduate, often bestowing Moore with small gifts and tokens of appreciation before they entered the real world. A Dwight Schrute bobblehead, a Sister Jean figurine and a maroon-and-gold scarf stand out in particular on Moore’s new bookshelf in Warfield Hall office. Dwight’s bobblehead used to be passed among Moore’s Loyola colleagues at the end of meetings to say, “Hey, you’re doing an
GRAPHIC: ARTHUR NEWBERRY
CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
New dean of students Kimberly Moore is eager to learn about the Miami community and its traditions while tackling problems head-on. The Miami Student Erik Craigo
This Issue Harsher alcohol policy
Recruiting new talent
Updates to the code of conduct mean less leniecy for liquor possession.
College of Creative Arts shows off to prospective “thriving artists.”
News » page 5
Culture » page 7
Listen to Christine Blasey Ford
Dom Robinson digs in at WR
Women are talking. Are you listening or talking over them?
Eighteen months ago he was a quarterback. Now, he’s catching passes.
Opinion » page 8
Sports » page 14
reported Thursday, Sept. 6, was not reported in a safety bulletin campus-wide. In combination with the aforementioned assaults, there have now been a total of six sexual assaults. The Student has reached out to OPD’s records specialist and MUPD’s Records Unit to obtain copies of the incidence reports for the assault reported on Monday, Sept. 17; Friday, Sept. 21 and the two separate reports made on Sunday, Sept. 23. This story will be updated online at miamistudent.net as soon as requests for records have been returned.
Ren Fair
photos on page 6
2 FYI
This Week TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
Named the Best College Newspaper (Non-daily) in Ohio by the Society of Professional Journalists.
JACK EVANS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Audrey Davis Kirby Davis Alison Perelman Managing Editors
Kelly Burns Opinion Editor Ben Finfrock Asst. Opinion Editor
Ben Smith Design Editor
Megan Zahneis Chief Copy Editor
Jugal Jain Photo Editor
Alyssa Melendez Web Designer
Emily Brustoski Video Editor Ceili Doyle Samantha Brunn News Editors
Lindsay Cerio Business Manager
Caroline Creek Asst. News Editor
James Tobin Faculty Adviser
Madeline Mitchell Kate Rigazio Culture Editors
Fred Reeder Business Adviser WDJ Inc. - Bill Dedden Distributor
Emily Simanskis Sports Editor Cartoonist Arthur Newberry
Asst. Photo Editor Bo Brueck
Designers Connor Wells
Photography Staff Erik Craigo G M Akand Sabik Heather McCowan Justin Maschmeyer Kat Holleran Macy Whitaker Colleen Grimm Danielle Nehring
Opinion Columnists Michael Stemmler Paolo FedericoO’Murchu Senior Staff Writers Julia Arwine
Matthew Heckert Ruisi Luo Genevieve Dietz Zach Reichman Zaim Haq Tyler Galyon
Things to do
Thursday
Friday
Dance Off with the Crawfords, Uptown Park, Thursday, 9-10:30 p.m. Join team Love with Renate or team Honor with President Greg for a night filled with dancing. Come support your team and participate in Zumba and line dances with the Miami Group Fitness Team. Register to be on a team on the Rec Center website. Check in starts at 8:30 after the a capella concert.
Chinese Festival, Cook Field and Uptown Park, Friday, 2-8:30 p.m.
Friday
Saturday
Bandstand 2018, Millett Front Lawn, Friday, 7-10 p.m. Join Map, Panhellenic Association and the Interfraternity Council for a night of dancing, free performances from various Miami organizations, food trucks and music from DJ Steve the Greek.
2018 Hike-A-Thon Plus, Miami University Natural Areas, Saturday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Come rain or shine to learn, discover and explore the natural beauty Miami has to offer. The free event is open to all, including your four-legged friends on a leash.
Give yourself a much deserved break and head to the Armstrong Pavilion to make your own pizza. Join MAP for this yummy free event while supplies last. Get there early!
Videography Staff Jack Barteck Rick Das
Website: www.miamistudent.net For advertising information: miamistudent@gmail.com Send us a letter? eic@miamistudent.net The Miami Student is published on Tuesdays during the school year by the students of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. The content of The Miami Student is the sole responsibility of The Miami Student staff. Opinions expressed in The Miami Student are not necessarily those of Miami University, its students or staff. CORRECTIONS POLICY The Miami Student is committed to providing the Miami University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication.
VIDEO
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VIDEO EDITOR EMILY BRUSTOSKI
Oxford Farmer’s Market: Meet your local vendors
https://youtu.be/ZPcYmknYx9o
TMS ARCHIVES “Little sexual harassment reported at university” “Sexual harassment, called an ‘increasingly visible problem nationally, does occur at Miami,’ university officials said.”
Sept. 26, 1980
NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET
NEWS 3
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2017
Bird Rides, Inc. scoots to Oxford
Here’s how to use the flock of Bird scooters coming to Oxford
FROM FRONT
infrastructure for bikes and scooters,” said city manager Doug Elliot in an email to city council with university president Greg Crawford cc’ed. According to a document answering the city’s questions about Bird, Bird Rides, Inc. said they “would be happy to offer $1 per day per Bird scooter for the University to enhance multimodal transportation options, like bike and Bird lanes,” should the university choose to reconsider their e-scooter policy. The aforementioned document also states that internal Bird user studies show that every Bird ride takes away 0.75 car trips, thereby limiting the carbon emissions inherent in relying on students driving their cars to and from campus. Miami’s Climate Action Plan goals include reducing carbon emissions by 20 percent by 2020. Adam Sizemore, the director of the university’s sustainability committee, said the committee had not been consulted when the policy to ban e-scooters was drafted. “It may come across my table eventually,” Sizemore said. “There was a lot of confusion about it on the committee. I do know the university is trying to study it the best they can.” Creamer said the university’s main concern is ensuring both the perspectives of scooter users and pedestrians is considered. “Once we are confident in how those groups will both be best served, then we would be more willing to examine and assess current university policy,” Creamer said. Rousmaniere said, after the SCRC meeting, the city is confident the program will serve the community well and has put months of effort into bringing an alternative form of transportation to town.
A BIRD REPRESENTATIVE DEMONSTRATED THE PHYSICAL TECHNOLOGY WITH WHICH THE SCOOTERS ARE EQUIPPED ASST. PHOTO EDITOR BO BRUECK
CAROLINE HAUBENSTRICKER THE MIAMI STUDENT
brunnsj@miamioh.edu @samantha_brunn BIRD SCOOTERS.
A profile in bookshelves: Kimberly Moore begins tenure as dean of students FROM FRONT
awesome job.” When she left Chicago for Oxford, her colleagues gave her Dwight to keep. The Sister Jean figurine is an original from 2011, a gift from Loyola’s marketing athletic director, seven years before Loyola’s men’s basketball team made a historic run to the Final Four. The gold-and-maroon scarf, a symbol of the “Harry Potter school,” or how Loyola is affectionately referred to in the media, was a tradition first brought to the university by Moore. “When we were [first] launching spirit week we were trying to come with swag,” Moore said. “And... we decided to print these varsity scarves and they took off.” Moore is the originator of quite a few traditions on Loyola’s campus, from the Hogwarts-esque scarves to the school’s Convocation Walk and Cheer Tunnel to the Commencement Walk. She started her career by working in Chicago’s West loop, climbing the ladder in advertising and marketing after graduating from St. Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. “It informs my lens, but I didn’t enjoy the work,” Moore said. “It didn’t feel purposeful to me and I felt like something was missing in my work.” In fact, it was only after Moore was invited back to St. Mary’s to give a lecture on business ethics when she realized what her true passion was: education. “I thought to myself as I was standing [at the podium], ‘how do I do this?” Moore said. She wanted to make her work’s purpose about student development. Moore quit her job in the corporate world and switched gears, seeking a master’s degree in higher
education at Loyola, instead of the MBA program to which she was initially accepted. After graduating in 2004, Moore was hired on full-time as the director of student affairs and Greek life and worked there for 14 years before making the shift, and five-hour drive, to Miami. But, Moore is no stranger to the ever-growing list of problems facing Miami’s culture, and is prepared both to tackle them head-on. “Miami stood out in the sense that there’s a focus on the whole person,” Moore said. “It’s an academic and human experience. [But] Miami has a unique set of circumstances that make the work different here.” For Moore, changing the worst parts of Miami culture requires a systemic approach. Both Miami students and staff, she believes, need to recognize that there is no “one-off” solution to all of the challenge areas —sexual assault, diversity and inclusion, mental health and high-risk drinking. “No one office or department owns any of these things or its solutions,” she said. Moore, who took over for former dean of students Mike Curme on July 23 this past summer, has two main goals: to listen and learn, and to build relationships. Her first goal is to listen and learn. Her second is to build relationships. “I’ve seen and heard students empower one another through peer to peer accountability,” she said. “If students care for one another, things start to change. Racist remarks shouldn’t be okay. “Who’s allowing them and who’s staying silent?” Moore said. Moore emphasized that one of her biggest goals is to cultivate a culture at Miami in which students are held accountable and hold each
other accountable for what they say and do. “When folks ?do not feel safe in our environment, we all have something to lose,” she said. The same holds for addressing sexual assault, which is often a major problem within the Miami community. There have been five cases reported in the first month of this semester alone. “We can’t seem to figure this one out, nationally or internationally, as human beings,” Moore said. “There are best practices I could speak to: awareness, programs, training ... the law. “But we’re not missing any of the procedures,” she added. Instead, Moore suggested that we have to do more to learn about who our students are. Surveys and data, she said, only tell one piece of the story, and assault is not okay in any way, shape or form. “Our nation isn’t even in agreement about this,” Moore said. “We need to keep having conversations about why students behave in this way.” At the end of the day it’s about doing the right thing, she said. “How do we help students see the interdepence and connectivity with one another changes behavior?” Moore said. She wants to help and is ready to dive in, setting up meetings with leaders on campus, faculty members and administrators and is already participating: Moore had a spot on last week’s first-ever diversity inclusion forum. She wants students to feel comfortable approaching her on how to address the problems facing Miami and how we can help each other care for one another. Moore’s door is open. And, there are a few empty spots on her bookshelf, too. doyleca3@miamioh.edu @cadoyle_18
Bird Scooters are headed to Oxford in the next few weeks. The electric scooters (e-scooters), which have become popular in larger cities across the U.S., can be used as an alternative mode of transportation that can help improve access to public transportation, decrease Oxford’s carbon footprint and are relatively easy to use. Bird scooters will co-exist within the framework of the bike infrastructure enforced on Miami’s campus and the City of Oxford. Riders would be required to follow all traffic laws and would under no circumstance be allowed to ride on sidewalks. Helmet-wearing, while not legally required, is strongly encouraged while riding an e-scooter. As of now, you cannot ride Bird scooters on campus, per university policy set in July. However, that could eventually change in light of Miami Associated Student Government’s (ASG) recent support for reevaluating the university’s e-scooter policy. Here’s what you need to know: Safety and community well-being Riders must be 18 years old or over, must provide pictures of their government-issued driver’s license in the Bird app and must to go through a scooter introduction module on the app to understand how to use the scooter properly. “Bird Watchers,” or community reporters, can sign up through the app to keep an eye on the community to make sure the scooters are used appropriately. The watchers can monitor scooter parking, rider etiquette and any other concerns that may present themselves. The scooters always have headlights on, regardless of the time of day or weather conditions, to provide extra light for the riders and increased visibility of the rider to other traffic. The break lights will similarly always light up. Both of the rider’s hands must be on the handlebars for the scooter to function. Phone use is severely limited by this feature, thus helping to prevent accidents. The scooters have a maximum speed of 15 mph, but the scooter’s level of charge and the rider’s weight will both factor into how fast the scooter will travel. The less charged and heavier the passenger, the slower the scooter will go. A rider must provide their own helmet or purchase one from Bird for $1.99. Bird Rides, Inc. plans to hold free helmet giveaway events in Oxford that could involve free food and activities as incentives for people to pick up a helmet. Riders who damage property and/or the scooter itself will be penalized and pay for damages. If injury or damage
results from a scooter malfunction, Bird’s insurance policy will cover the associated costs. Bird’s accident statistics are one in every 30,000 rides, which is comparable to the accident rate of regular bicycles, according to the representative from Bird Rides, Inc. at the recent presentation held by SCRC. Bird Rides, Inc. will share revenue from the scooters with the City of Oxford. The city will receive $1 per day, per scooter in operation. The initial scooter fleet will be comprised of 100 scooters, so the city will receive $100 per day from Bird Rides, Inc. The fleet will be removed from the streets in cases of snow or ice. They will either be housed by the local Bird catchers for shortterm stays or in a local storage unit for months-long periods of bad weather. Logistics The scooters will be located at “Nest locations,” where they will be scattered around town every morning to be picked up and used. The nest locations will be determined by data analytics, so more scooters will eventually be congregated in the most trafficked areas. Riders can access the scooter by checking in on the app to start the ride. Once the rider reaches their destination, they must appropriately park the scooter and take a picture of the parking job to ensure proper parking etiquette. The average cost per ride is around $3, and rides are typically between eight to 10 minutes long, on average. It costs $1 to begin the ride, and riders are charged an additional 20 cents per minute. The costs are entirely calculated per ride, and there is no flat membership fee. Fees cannot exceed more than $100 per day. Bird Rides, Inc. will offer an affordability package to those community members who can legally prove they are members of low-income households. The scooters will be taken off the streets after 9 p.m. by paid local contractors who will then take the scooters to their home to charge overnight. The contractors, or “Bird Catchers,” are paid $5 per scooter per day. Sometimes, when a lone scooter is stranded in a far-away area, a bounty is placed on it until it is picked up. The bounty can escalate up to $20. The cycle begins again when the scooters are placed back at the nest locations at 6 a.m. the next day. The contractors cannot be any students that live on campus, as the scooters cannot be inside school buildings, much less on campus. Local businesses or individuals can apply to be scooter mechanics, and Bird Rides, Inc. will contract out repairs locally to keep the fleet functioning at its peak performance. haubence@miamioh.edu
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NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
ASG passes bills to expand sales of pregnancy tests and in support of e-scooters on campus RACHEL BERRY STAFF WRITER
Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) voted unanimously to expand the sale of pregnancy tests to all on-campus market locations and also voted to change the university policy banning electric scooters at their meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 18. The e-scooter bill was created in response to the ongoing issue between the university and the City of Oxford. Currently, Emporium is the only on-campus store that sells pregnancy tests, which were just recently added at the beginning of the school year. When Jannie Kamara, a sophomore political science and black world studies double major, first proposed the bill, she was told pregnancy tests could not be sold at other locations, but she was not given any reasons for this alleged stipulation. Senators at the meeting pointed out that condoms are sold at all of the markets and even in the vending machines, thus pregnancy tests should be no different. The pregnancy tests are located behind the counter at Emporium, so customers have to ask the cashier if they want to
PREGNANCY TESTS ARE NOW BEING SOLID AT EMPORIUM. PHOTO EDITOR JUGAL JAIN
purchase one. ASG is now circulating a survey to gauge student opinion on pregnancy tests before taking the request to administrators. Max Mellott, a senior international studies and history double major, was elected as ASG Parliamentarian. As such, he is now responsible for making sure parliamentary procedure is followed and for reviewing the constitution, bylaws and standing rules.
Both Sarah Siegel, a senior quantitative economics and sustainability double major, and Conor Daly, a junior sports leadership and management double major, were voted into roles on the steering committee. The steering committee was formed within ASG to look over its agenda and decide which bills will be voted on in future meetings. berryrd@miamioh.edu
40th anniversary of Greek Week blood drive held this week
LILY O’GORDEN
THE MIAMI STUDENT
The annual Greek Week blood drive, Miami University’s largest campus-wide event of the fall, marks its 40th anniversary this week. The blood drive will take place Tuesday, Sept. 25 and Wednesday, Sept. 26 from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and will be hosted in Armstrong Student Center this year for the first time instead of the Shriver Center. Miami has partnered with the Community Blood Center to put on the event. The university is the Community Blood Center’s largest blood drive partner. Mark Pompilio, a member of the Community Blood Center’s public relations team, hopes the 40th anniversary of Greek Week will help make the blood drive a success. “This year is an incredible milestone,”
Pompilio said. Students across Miami’s Greek community are planning to take part in the charitable event. “I am donating blood because I am a very healthy person, and if someone is not healthy, I want to be able to help,” Emmie Hanna, a sophomore marketing major, said. Sophomore biology major Julia Burns has attempted to donate blood twice and will attend this week’s drive. “I know that donating blood will help someone, which is why I keep trying,” Burns said. “I love helping people.” University ambassador Renate Crawford plans to visit the blood drive on Wednesday. Those unable to donate blood can volunteer to hand out cookies to donors at the drive. ogordelm@miamioh.edu
PHOTO FROM LILY O’GORDEN
City council rejects upzoning proposal SAMANTHA BRUNN NEWS EDITOR
City Council voted unanimously against rezoning a parcel comprised of two areas between W. Spring St. and W. Walnut St. at the latest council meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 18, dealing a blow to the development company who intended to redevelop the area. The councilors agreed the upzoning proposal to change the zoning from General Business (GB) and Residential Office (RO) to Single, Two, or Three Family Mile Square Residential (R3MS) did not follow the comprehensive plan for the city’s development and it did not make sense to make an exception in this case. “I appreciate that the developer tried to speak the language of our plan, but I think they misinterpreted the meaning of it,” councilor and Miami University professor of geography David Prytherch said. Opus development company intended to use what would have been the rezoned land for a student housing complex. They also had plans in the works to purchase the university’s former food services building that is now abandoned. Councilor Chantel Raghu asked the Opus representative what would happen to those plans if the upzoning proposal failed to pass. “I’m not prepared to comment on that right now,” Ben Angelo, the representative from Opus, said. Oxford mayor Kate Rousmaniere said council would be open to talking about adding housing developments to the city in the future if they were meant to house the growing senior citizen population. “It makes more sense to address the silver tsunami,” Rousmaniere said. “High school student enrollment numbers have been declining across the country, so I don’t see enrollment numbers at the university growing soon. I see and hear about apartments that aren’t being filled [in town], but it’s hard to judge.” In the meeting, council also voted unanimously to approve Rapid Fired Pizza’s request for a wine permit. The plaque given to Oxford by its sister city of Differdange, Luxembourg, was presented by Prytherch and the councilors had a photo op with the piece “that will most likely find a nice place in our new city hall,” Prytherch said. The next city council meeting will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 2. brunnsj@miamioh.edu @samantha_brunn
Miami strives to improve inclusion, diversity efforts BEN DEETER
STAFF WRITER
Two words, diversity and inclusion, guided discussion at the first-ever Inclusion Forum on Monday, September 17 in Armstrong’s Wilks Theatre. The forum was presented by 18 student organizations, including Associated Student Government (ASG), the Diversity Affairs Council (DAC), Feminists Working on Revolutionary Democracy (FWORD), the Residence Hall Association, the Panhellenic Association and the Interfraternity and National Pan-Hellenic Councils. “Miami today continues to struggle with diversity and inclusion, although improvements are being made and should be acknowledged,” said Courtney Rose, ASG secretary for diversity and inclusion, in their opening remarks. “This forum is our effort, the effort of diverse and motivated and strong student leaders, to push Miami a bit closer to justice and equity.” Rose’s remarks were followed by an update from Black Action Movement 2.0 (BAM 2.0). Senior Miranda Woods’ presentation centered around the demands issued by BAM 2.0 in April and the progress made toward those ends. Examples of demands met include the creation of a button on MyMiami
for reporting bias incidents and finding a larger space for the Office of Diversity Affairs. The university is still working on demands including mandatory diversity and inclusion training for all students and monthly updates on ongoing diversity initiatives. The demands not met by the administration yet, Woods said, include providing a full job description for Ron Scott, the vice president for institutional diversity, changes to the student code of conduct and the adjudication process regarding discrimination and harassment. Scott said he was present for “the first half of the first hour” of the event before leaving to attend another event. After the BAM 2.0 update, the forum opened up to presentations from other diverse student organizations. These organizations included the Students with Disabilities Advisory Council (SDAC), the Interfaith Council, FWORD, Spectrum, the Chinese American Business Organization and the Native American Student Association. Additionally, Akosua Boadi-Agyemang, a senior accounting major, shared her experience as a black international student. “I want people to understand that you hear a single story of Africa,” said Boadi-Agyemang, who was raised by Ghanaian parents in Botswana. “You hear the
poverty, you hear the war, you hear the disease. I want to tell people that there is education, there is beauty.” “The event was really helpful for me to begin to understand the variety of experiences we have here,” Kimberly Moore, Miami’s new dean of students, said in an interview following the event. “The most important thing is to understand where we are now so we can know where we need to go next.” Following the student organization presentations was a panel of administrators and student leaders including Moore, vice president of student affairs Jayne Brownell, director of the Office of Diversity Affairs Kelly Kimple and Rodney Coates, the head of the presidential working group on diversity and inclusion. Each panelist was asked one or two questions concerning diversity and inclusion initiatives related to their position. Coates used his time to discuss the progress made by the Presidential Working Group. The group’s research produced a 140-page document with more than 100 recommendations for the university, among them requiring first-year students to complete a “module in diversity and inclusion” similar to the already-required AlcoholEdu. The group also recommended setting clear protocol for reporting bias incidents
and creating a “Presidential Student Advisory Council” consisting of diverse student leaders that meets monthly to discuss diversity initiatives and concerns. “How do we own diversity?” Coates said. “How do we make diversity something that we all share and not something that ‘they’ do over there? The biggest thing we all can do is point the finger at ourselves and ask, ‘What am I doing for this thing called diversity?’” Brownell devoted her time to the new diversity and inclusion module recommended by the presidential working group. “We’ve been looking for a product like this for several years now,” Brownell said. “We’re one of the first schools in the country to sign on to this. What we’re doing is more than what’s recommended. Rather than only have a student sit down and do the module and that be the end of it, we feel it’s important to have facilitated conversation afterward.” In the closing remarks, Rose thanked participants and attendees. “The important thing now is to turn what we talked about into tangible action,” Rose said. “I hope this event will set a precedent for these conversations going forward.” deeterbj@miamioh.edu
NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET
5 NEWS
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
Gen Z-ers navigate life and college GENEVIEVE DIETZ THE MIAMI STUDENT
Sophie Crist was eight years old when the 2008 recession hit her hometown of Tiffin, Ohio. Her mother was trying to juggle running a home and going to college. At the same time, her dad suffered a pay cut while working for the Ottawa Board of Developmental Disabilities. “[My dad’s] idea of success is more monetary,” Crist said. “So he always wanted me to do incredibly well. Going to college was never not an option for me, because that’s what you needed to do to get a good job.” Crist’s motivation for her studies landed her a spot as one of Miami University’s Humanities Scholars. Crist’s is a story found in many members of a generation rooted in the struggles of growing up in the recession. She is part of Gen Z – also referred to as the “iGen.” There is some debate on the exact cutoff dates for Gen Z, but Pew Research categorizes anyone born in January 1997 and after as a post-millennial, or a Gen Z-er. According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, with the baby boomer generation retiring and unemployment at historic lows, “Gen Z is filling immese gaps in the workforce.” Members of Gen Z desire financial security and have a strong work ethic that will com-
GRAPHIC FROM: THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
pensate for retiring baby boomers. But the generational differences transcend economics, said Ronald Becker, an associate professor in Miami’s Department of Media, Journalism and Film. Students are used to being constantly stimulated, and they want that same digital stimulation to be incorporated in their classes, which Becker said has resulted in increased demand for online courses. The university has also had to adapt to the ways in which students communicate.
Harsher underage drinking penalties draw criticism
“Students are increasingly hesitant to come see me during office hours and don’t feel comfortable solving problems in person,” Becker said. Becker said students are losing the value of interpersonal communication. Having a conversation with a student face-to-face is more powerful than sending an email, he said. “There’s a moment of communication that is being left behind to your detriment,” Becker said. “Gen Z is so used to texting that when they
Students, administrators discuss diversity at first-ever Inclusion Forum DAN WOZNIAK
JACK EVANS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Underage Miami students caught with hard liquor this year will face heavier penalties than in past. Ahead of the fall 2018 semester, the university revised its 105A and 105B policies — sections of the student code of conduct that dictate how the school disciplines students for drinking too much and drinking underage. For Miami students younger than 21, possessing “distilled liquor,” as the code refers to it, used to be a 105B violation. Now, underage possession and consumption of liquor is classified under the harsher 105A rules. The disciplinary changes were voted on by the Student Affairs Council (SAC) in an April 2018 meeting. The SAC membership includes administrators and student leaders from Associated Student Government, the Diversity Affairs Council (DAC) and the Residence Hall Association, among others.
“It’s just a dumb policy to change the code to deter behavior and then not advertise it at all...” -Austin Worrell The sanctions under 105A follow a twostrike system. The first offense results in a mandatory four-hour substance abuse class, which costs $200, and a comprehensive substance abuse assessment that costs $250. The second offense results in suspension “either immediately or at the close of the current semester/term, for a minimum of either fall or spring semester and may also include summer and/ or winter term,” according to the code of conduct. Underage possession or consumption of less-alcoholic “fermented alcohol” — beer and wine, among others — is still punished under 105B, which follows a three-strike system. The first offense results in a two-hour program ($150), the second in a substance abuse assessment ($250) and the third in suspension. Previously, the 105 policies didn’t make a distinction about the type of alcohol involved. Section 105B covered possession and consumption while 105A focused on drunken behavior. “Intoxication or exhibiting negative behavior associated with intoxication after consuming alcohol,” is still a violation under 105A, even after the changes. Supplying a minor with either class of alcohol is also punishable under both
105A and 105B. Any combination of three 105 violations — regardless of “A” or “B” status — ends in suspension, according to the code of conduct. The possibility of updating Miami’s drinking rules wasn’t a new discussion on campus when the changes were approved, but some student leaders who pushed for reform aren’t satisfied with the implementation of the changes. Effie Fraley, a junior and chief of staff for the DAC, was the president of the RHA at the time of the SAC meeting. They attended the April meeting when the 105 policies were passed and voted no, in part due to concerns about the harsher rules affecting students who use Good Samaritan policies and decide to get help if a friend needs medical attention. “When students are reporting, they are winding up with charges that they didn’t know they were signing up for because the policy is criminalizing further a substance that is already in abundance here,” Fraley said. The issue of notice — whether students are aware of the new policies — was also a concern raised by Austin Worrell, a law clerk at Rittgers and Rittgers who graduated from Miami last May. During his time in ASG, Worrell was a vocal proponent of revising Miami’s alcohol guidelines. “I see this often now. If a student admits, ‘I was drinking gin and tonics all night,’ and they were charged with underage possession in the court, now the school is going to charge you with 105A,” Worrell said. His argument is: If students don’t know about policies designed to deter behavior, how can there be any hope the behavior will be deterred? “Kids are just going to make whatever choice they want because they don’t know there is a difference. For me, it’s just dumb policy to change the code to deter behavior and then not advertise it at all. You can’t deter if there is no notice,” Worrell said. “I’ve talked to many students who are pretty keen on how the school works and they didn’t … know the specific changes in policy,” he said. “I didn’t see a schoolwide email — where are the posters in Armstrong saying, ‘Do you know that the new policy is?’” Both Fraley and Worrell said they felt administrators made promises that weren’t kept — that the university said new drinking policies wouldn’t be more punitive than they already were. Most systems suggested by students involved keeping 105A for gross intoxication and breaking down alcohol by class within 105B, or adding a third 105C category for lesser offenses. “The changes just grouped everything together and just doesn’t understand student behavior at the end of the day,” Worrell said. evansjm4@miamioh.edu
talk to a teacher, they do not switch between an informal conversation to a formal one,” says Becker. Rose Marie Ward, kinesiology professor and associate dean of the Graduate School, also sees changes in how students and parents communicate about grades. “I can see more of that being asked for from parents as this generation comes into Miami, because they want more access to records,” Ward said. “What we have as an issue there is that you are adults.” Because Gen Z-ers are digital natives, Ward said, they have grown up watching the consequences of having bad decisions recorded and posted online. “The ‘going out and doing it on your own’ philosophy is becoming more popular in this generation,” Ward said. “There is a lot more political activism coming out of this generation than ever before. The Parkland shooting – those students became activists overnight, whereas we would have never seen that before.” With the world at its fingertips, Gen Z is making strides toward change, Ward said. “Gen Z is more conscious of things,” Ward said. “You guys are making a lot of decisions that are very different than what we saw with millennials, and there is a turn with risky behaviors. I think there is going to be a different direction for you guys, because your lives have been documented since day one.” dietzge@miamioh.edu
THE MIAMI STUDENT
Shortly after 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 18, Miami University president Greg Crawford addressed the faculty assembly and presented plans for tackling various goals in the upcoming year. Tenured Miami professors, as well as librarians from various departments, made up the assembly and gathered at Shideler Hall to hear about the changes to come this fall semester. “This year will be the year of strategic planning,” Crawford said. “I think what we’re going to do is claim success.” To enhance the university’s planning abilities, Crawford is putting together a steering and integration committee that will oversee several smaller subcommittees. The subcommittees will address specific areas of the university that have been deemed in need of improvement. One of these subcommittees will focus on diversity, inclusion and community. “This year is the largest and most diverse class in Miami history … We have 17.2 percent domestic students
of color – which is up from last year – 7.5 percent international students and 15.8 percent first gen[eration],” Crawford said. The Miami administration believes focusing on the success and welfare of minority students is essential to the university’s success. “Diversity, inclusion and community is a sense of cultivating a culture,” said Phyllis Callahan, Miami’s executive vice president for academic affairs. “A learning environment where everyone’s included and feels welcome, are provided fair treatment, access, and opportunity to advance.” The committee will focus on recruiting and retaining minority students, as well as making these students feel appreciated by offering them programs designed to assist them. Nicole Thesz, a professor of German language and culture, was an international student herself. Thesz felt the assembly did a “fine” job addressing the inclusion needs the university has and is excited for the upcoming year. By the end of September, faculty will be appointed to the committees to move forward with Crawford’s plan. wozniad2@miamioh.edu
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6 CULTURE
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
RIGAZIKM@MIAMIOH.EDU
Rockin’ the Ren Fair
KNIGHTS PREPARE FOR THE JOUST OF A LIFETIME WHILE COSTUMED PATRONS GATHER TO CELEBRATE THEIR FAVORITE TRADITION. DUARD HEADLEY THE MIAMI STUDENT
DUARD HEADLEY
ASST. CULTURE EDITOR
The lingering summer heat has vanished at long last and with its disappearance, renaissance fair season is in full swing. From Sept. 1 to Oct. 28, thousands of people devote an entire day to roaming through crowded stalls and jousting fields dressed in outfits ranging from from jeans and a t-shirt to full suits of armor. At the Ohio Renaissance Festival, each weekend has a specific theme. Pirates, barbarians, time travelers and ghosts all get a chance to flock to the fairgrounds and show off their costumes in grand fashion. Last weekend’s theme was fantasy, and while the festival tends to lend itself to fantastical occurrences all the time, the theme attracted a wide array of magical creatures; dragons, fairies, satyrs and goblins all walked amongst people in hoodies and flip-flops. Entering the castle-esque gates of the fair and being dubbed a “lord/lady of merriment” by a sign hanging from the archway, fair-goers are instantly taken eons away from the fields and farms of southern Ohio that lay just a few feet outside the gate. Just inside, a man in a red jester’s costume swallows fire while vendors behind him hawk turkey legs the size of a man’s arm. Shops of all kinds offer magical baubles and mystical trinkets. A stall named “Lost Viking Hoard,” flanked by fiercely bearded norsemen, sells tankards and furs. The shop next door, named “The Gilded Lily,” displays ornate fold-
ed paper art and intricate silver jewelry. While the products each vendor has for sale are certainly interesting, the names of the shops themselves are equally worthy of recognition. “Siege the Day,” “Fur Leather After,” “Johnson’s Wood of the Morning” and many more stand out. Just off the muddy road, a small crowd gathers around a veteran artisan. Flames sizzle out of a blowtorch that has been elaborately shaped to resemble a dragon, and the craftsman holds long, thin tubes of glass in front of it. With practiced precision, he twists and flips the molten glass, morphing the rod into an ornate flower right before the crowd’s eyes. Clapping and murmuring, the crowd deposits a few dollars into the man’s tip jar and leaves, and the artisan moves onto his next stick of glass. Down the road and across a wooden bridge, a stall simply named “The Armory” displays bladed weaponry of all shapes and sizes. Here, two college students, Julia Arwine and Theo Mesnick, hoist colossal swords, grinning from ear to ear as they do. Each blade is at least six inches longer than their wielders are tall. According to the shopkeeper, the blades are too short. “Back when swords like these were in use, it was appropriate for a weapon to be a foot longer than whoever was using it,” the armorer explains. “William Wallace’s broadsword was over seven feet long!” Tucked away in a shady spot beneath the trees, a tent sits apart
A CRAFTMAN ENTERTAINS THE CROWD AT THE ANNUAL OHIO RENAISSANCE FAIR. DUARD HEADLEY THE MIAMI STUDENT
from the rest. Use of this fully furnished pavilion, complete with wooden chairs, lavish rugs and burgundy cushions, is restricted to the festival’s season pass holders. As the sun dips lower in the sky and twilight spreads across the fields, the fair’s largest event begins. Wizards in flowing robes and parents holding enraptured children crowd the large pen in the center of a large, grassy field. From atop the wooden stands, a drummer with the legs of a goat taps out a beat as the announcer strides to the center of the arena. It is time for the joust. After acquainting each half of
JULIA ARWINE AND THEO MESNICK DUEL IN JEST. DUARD HEADLEY THE MIAMI STUDENT
the crowd with the knight they’ll be cheering for, the announcer waves his hand and the combatants thunder into the ring. Shining in their full platemail, the two horsemen wave to the crowds before taking their places at opposite ends of the pen. Then, to the sounds of raucous cheering and booing from the audience, the two knights charge at one another. The long wooden lances speed towards their targets and come crashing into the combatant’s breastplates, shattering spectacularly and sending both riders to the ground from the sheer force of the impact. After picking themselves up, the battered
knights re-mount their horses and smash into each other again and again until finally, the reigning champion, Josh Avery, is declared the winner. At long last, hurried by a steady drizzle of rain, thousands of fair-goers cross through the gates of the festival, stepping out of medieval Europe back into rural Ohio. Sorcerers climb into their sedans and pixies pack into their pickups, leaving the stalls and streets vacant until next weekend, when a whole new crowd will flock to the fair, looking to take a step back in time. headldl@miamioh.edu
PATRONS ENJOYED A FAIRY GARDEN AT THIS WEEKEND’S FANTASY-THEMED FAIR. DUARD HEADLEY THE MIAMI STUDENT
MITCHE49@MIAMIOH.EDU
CULTURE 7
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
Arts Day welcomes prospective ‘Thriving Artists’ to Oxford MAYA FENTER STAFF WRITER
CUREENT STUDENTS LEAD GUESTS TO A PANEL ON THEATRE COMMUNITY. ZACH REICHMAN THE MIAMI STUDENT
“As dean, I have banned the term ‘starving artist.’ We don’t say it here! It’s not allowed!” Liz Mullenix, dean of Miami’s College of Creative Arts (CCA), prefers to refer to her students as “thriving artists.” With a 95 percent student placement rate in jobs or graduate school within one year of graduating, Miami’s art students are hardly starving. In the Arts Day audience of about 100 prospective Miami students and their parents, there were nods, chuckles and sighs of relief. Arts Day is CCA’s annual recruitment event for high school students in grades 10-12. It is an opportunity for prospective students and their families to visit campus, explore Miami’s various art programs and meet CCA faculty. “We knew a bunch about Miami, but not a lot about this particular field, so I feel like we learned a lot,” said Ruthie Galberg, a high school junior from New Lebanon, Ohio. Ruthie has had a love for photography since she got her first camera in 7th grade. She recently started her own senior portrait business and takes photos of animals at her local shelter to help them get adopted. She has two older sisters who are current students at Miami, one studying business and the other studying education. Despite being familiar with the university and having visited campus before, it wasn’t until Arts Day that Ruthie discovered Miami’s photography program. “She came in here interested in communication design, and then after talking to the
photography professor she’s thinking maybe she might be more interested in that, so it was a great opportunity to talk in-depth with him about the program,” Ruthie’s mother, Beth Galberg, said. In addition to learning more about the programs that the CCA offers, students could attend various sessions based on their area of interest, such as architecture and interior design, theatre, art, art education, art and architecture history and interactive media studies. From there, they could meet faculty, tour the facilities, talk to current students and have their portfolio reviewed by a staff member in a one-on-one session. A portfolio submission and/or audition is required for students who wish to major in the various areas of study within the CCA. “We want their portfolio to not be a hindrance for them, and I want them to feel confident that they know what to do and what the rules are,” CCA professor Tracy Featherstone said. “The biggest mistake I see students doing is that they may have taken a photography class in high school, and then only try to submit photography in their portfolio, and we try to encourage them to at least round it out a little bit.” Arts Day is not only a major day for recruiting prospective students, but a day for CCA to gain exposure in general. “The College of Creative Arts are for all of our arts majors,” said CCA Associate Dean John Weigand. “But really we want to be out there for all Miami students. Come see a play, come see a class, come study abroad with us, all of that.” fentermc@miamioh.edu
PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS GATHER AROUND THEIR DESIRED FIELD’S CURRECT STUDENTS. ZACH REICHMAN THE MIAMI STUDENT
Dave coulier brings a full house to Wilks
Jelly donuts and Jesus:
How Delight is creating a safe space for women on campus
LEAH BALL LEADS FEMALE MINISTRY IN DISCUSSION OVER DONUTS. ASST PHOTO EDITOR BO BRUECK
ANNA MINTON
THE MIAMI STUDENT
DAVE COULIER PULLS A CLASSIC UNCLE JOEY BY BRINGING HIS CLOWN ACT TO MIAMI. PAIGE SHRIVER THE MIAMI STUDENT
MADDIE TOOLE
THE MIAMI STUDENT
Dave Coulier is a professional at making himself laugh, a connoisseur of cartoon impressions, a humble harmonicist and an allaround relatable, funny guy. Most know him as Joey Gladstone, or Uncle Joey, from “Full House” and “Fuller House.” On Tuesday night, he was good ol’ Dave, an interesting character all his own. As part of Miami Activities and Programming’s Comedy Series, Coulier brought a literal full house to Wilks Theater. Fans of “Full House” began lining up for the 8 p.m. event at 6:45 to ensure a seat. Some wore 90s-era clothing: electric shirts, high-waisted Levi’s and side ponytails held up with scrunchies. The theater filled in only 20 minutes. When Coulier emerged from behind the black curtain wearing a Miami hockey jersey, his fans erupted in applause. His first joke: “All right, calm down. I’m not John Stamos.” Coulier writes his own stand-up comedy but specializes in impressions. His Spongebob and Patrick bit was incredible, and his Scooby and Shaggy impressions were impeccable. Amid jokes about Transportation Security Administration employees having low SAT scores and the wimpy, not-so-scary names of hurricanes, Coulier was simply relatable. He sometimes made himself laugh
so hard he had to stop talking for a minute to control himself. Crowd participation was a big aspect of the show. At one point, Coulier pretended to hit a golf ball and someone in the audience echoed a perfect falling sound effect. When he was ending his set with a long harmonica solo, someone’s ringtone played perfectly along. Coulier paused to thank the audience member for their contribution. At the end of his set, Coulier decided to end on a more serious note. He began with how he loves interacting with college-age students, and how impressed he is with this generation. Coulier strongly believes that Generation Z will be the generation that changes the world. “I think your generation has hope,” he said. “I think you’re going to do it.” Alex Vancura, director of arts and entertainment for MAP, is in charge of choosing and welcoming the comedians for the Comedy Series. She was able to reach out to Coulier’s agent to bring him to campus. Before and after the show, Vancura was in charge of escorting Coulier to and from his dressing room. “He’s very down to earth. He’s nice, personable and completely unaffected by his fame.” Coulier is currently touring and doing comedy shows, mostly at universities. toolemb@miamioh.edu
Donut in hand, Leah Ball took off her shoes and leaned back, legs perched on her chair. Over 60 girls circled her as she read out of her pink prayer book and joked about how she wrote all of the discussion questions as the girls were walking in. “We have a saying here: ‘To lead with vulnerability,’” said Ball. “I think this about sums that up.” This was the first meeting for Delight, the new ministry organization on Miami’s campus. This worship group separates itself from others by being a “women-centered community,” according to student worship chair Carrie Bantz. Delight started at Belmont University, and now has groups on over 100 different campuses across the country. Ball originally got involved with the organization at Belmont University before transferring to Miami at the beginning of her junior year. “I went from a general member to a leader, and it was a big adjustment,” said Ball. Now a senior, Ball realized that one of the first things she missed about her old school was her church community. “I was struggling a lot, I didn’t have a good group of women who shared the same values as me,” said Ball of her transition to Miami. “I realized that we don’t have any ministry geared just towards women.” Ball has been able to recruit eight of her friends onto the Miami Delight leadership team, and the group’s kickoff meeting was last Wednesday. Even though Mega Fair’s cancellation seemed to have a negative effect on many new organizations, Delight was able to use its social media presence to secure 76 new members. “My personal goal is for every single woman on campus to receive an invitation somehow,” said Ball. “We are really focused on community, and building strong friendships and genuine connections.” Unlike many Christian organizations on campus, Delight leads its discussion through stories and testimonies. Each girl has a book that they bring to the meetings.
In these books are stories written by college students across the country about problems and doubts that they have had with their faith, and how they overcame them. While Delight is separate from other ministry groups, Ball hopes to work more with them in the future. “We do realize that there are awesome organizations on campus,” said Ball. “We want them to work together with us.” For example, Bantz, the worship chair for Delight, is also a worship leader for another Christian organization on campus, Cru. She and Ball want to plan a worship night that will unite the two groups. “I got brought in by a friend who told me about Delight’s mission,” said Bantz. “I love the way that we talk with women and try to create a vulnerable space for them to feel safe.” This emphasis on creating a safe space for women could not have come at a better time, said Bantz. She hopes that Delight can be seen as a safe haven for any girls who feel lost or are struggling, especially in light of the #MeToo movement. “I think there are a lot of girls that are hurting, and there is a lot of brokenness,” said Bantz. “I want to tell that girl who feels broken that there is healing to be done, and it can only happen once you let that brokenness out.” Delight plans to take its ministry beyond worship sessions by participating in service projects throughout the year. Next week, the group is holding a feminine product drive and is encouraging women to bring donations to its meeting. All in all, Ball and Bantz want to create a space for women to be “vulnerable” — that is, a space where the pressures to be perfect and to hide all weaknesses can fade away. “We want to foster community through the vulnerability of women,” said Ball. “We want to surround each other with women who are real and genuine, and are there to love on them when they are down.” mintona2@miamioh.edu
8 OPINION
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
KLBURNS2@MIAMIOH.EDU
Take the scooters to the streets and keep them there The following reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board. No one knows that this is the age of technology and convenience better than Miami University students. When we heard about the introduction of Bird scooters in Oxford, we were on board. If you don’t know what Bird scooters are, you can check out our story about them on the front page and come back. The scooters can help students and community members who are injured, running late or who just want to get where they’re going with minimum effort. Theoretically, the scooters will help clear up some of the traffic in Oxford caused by students driving the relatively short distance to campus. Unfortunately, that’s as far as we’re going to
get because the university has banned the scooters on campus — which is understandable. A number of risks accompany these scooters’ introduction to Oxford. They run up to 15 mph, so we’re supposed to use them in the street or in bike lanes. That’s probably not going to happen. People are more comfortable on sidewalks than they are in the streets. So, sheerly out of habit, someone is going to end up disrupting foot traffic on the sidewalk in a mad rush to campus. Miami has made it clear that if students bring a scooter on campus, they will not be able to pause their rides until they reach the $100 maximum fee or until they are taken off campus. This policy is supposed to discourage students from bringing them on campus, but with the introduction of scooters to Oxford, eventually some will find
their way to campus. Another issue that could present itself is the possibility of students riding scooters while intoxicated. We’ve written exhaustively about Miami’s drinking habits (which are, believe it or not, statistically worse than the average four-year public Ohio university’s). We all know that our school has a problem handling alcohol responsibly. So how will Bird keep drunk students from renting one of their scooters? Bird says they will prevent this by removing the scooters from the nests at 9 p.m., which could be effective, though it doesn’t take day drinking into consideration. Maybe the consequences will scare students into passing on drunk-driving Bird scooters; if you’re caught, you’ll be charged with a DUI. Bird is taking some measures to try to ensure the safety of its users, but that
doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be effective. For instance, Bird requires riders to wear helmets, despite lacking resources to reinforce this policy. Bird will dole out free helmets to encourage riders to do this, but what’s the likelihood a college student running late to class is going to care about wearing a helmet? A scooter offers the potential for an extra 15 minutes of sleep in the morning and, for many of us, this is appealing. However, we need to be responsible and respectful. Students and other city residents using the scooters need to be cautious on the streets of Oxford by using the bike lanes and wearing helmets to protect themselves and make smart choices about where we take them. And, most importantly, let’s stay sober while we operate them.
Take Christine Blasey Ford seriously, or admit you don’t respect women KIRBY DAVIS MANAGING EDITOR
When a woman decides to report sexual misconduct she has experienced, you don’t have to relive her trauma. You don’t have to endure the depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder which she has developed as a result of that misconduct. All you have to do is hear her out. Just listen. I’m not saying all men should drop everything and embark on anti-sexual misconduct crusades, devoting their life’s work to sniffing out abusers (though I really appreciate the work Ronan Farrow is doing). But until men start trying to understand what it’s like to be a woman on the victim’s side of a sexual assault investigation, we will continue living in a society in which sexual misconduct is considered unfortunate but unavoidable. Men — and some women — can’t even begin to understand if they keep selectively empathizing with women’s stories, or flat-out refusing to listen to them. I was disappointed (but not surprised) when Christine Blasey Ford’s account of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulting her in high school was met with widespread public disdain when her story went public last week. When Blasey, now a psychology professor in California, learned of Kavanaugh’s nomination, she wrote to her senator Dianne Feinstein that, at a house party in 1982, Kavanaugh had trapped and forced himself on her with the help of a friend. Surprise, surprise — Blasey and the Democrats defending her have been accused of using her account as a stalling tactic. In a Sept. 17 editorial, the Wall Street Journal acknowledged that, while Blasey may be “sincere in what she remembers,” Democrats had an ulterior motive in publicizing her story — “an election-eve #MeToo conflagration” to take down Kavanaugh. The editorial calls the potential shake-up “a serious injustice” to the Supreme Court nominee, who they claim has “led a life of respect for women in the law” since the incident.
We, as a society, spend so much time fretting over how men will be affected by sexual assault allegations — even when they’re guilty, which is 98 percent of the time — that we neglect to consider how their accusers are affected by being sexually assaulted. Samantha Bee, who had my personal favorite response to critics of the anonymous woman who accused Aziz Ansari of sexual harassment in an essay last January, also defended Blasey on her show “Full Frontal.” “[Blasey] did America a favor by coming forward with extremely relevant background information about an important job applicant,” Bee said. She questioned why it’s “never the right time to bring up assault allegations against a rich white dude,” referencing Brock Turner (the former Stanford swimmer who was convicted of attempted rape in 2015, served six months in jail then appealed on the grounds that he’d only sought “outercourse” from the unconscious woman he assaulted.) Blasey has been criticized for waiting 36 years to come forward with her story. But Turner’s accuser, who did not wait to report her assault to authorities, was still publicly vilified for speaking out at all. Blasey is not alone, as evidenced by the #WhyIDidntReport hashtag that blew up last week in her defense. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, most women wait months, or even years, to report incidents. The majority of women, and over 90 percent of college-aged women, don’t report at all. The problem clearly isn’t the amount of time women wait to speak out about being assaulted. It’s the fact that, when they do so, it inconveniences men. So why would the men want to listen to them? Anita Hill, who testified before the Senate in 1991 that Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas sexually harassed her while he was her supervisor at the Department of Education and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, published an op-ed in the New York Times on Sept. 18. “In 1991, the phrase ‘they just don’t get it’ became a popular way of describing senators’ reaction to sexual violence,” Hill wrote. “With years of hindsight …
‘not getting it’ isn’t an option for our elected representatives.” Women don’t have the option to pretend sexual violence doesn’t exist. Men do, but they shouldn’t. President Trump, of course, has weighed in on Blasey’s situation via Twitter: “If the attack on Dr. Ford was as bad as she says, charges would have been immediately filed with local Law Enforcement Authorities by either her or her loving parents.” Just as our society downplays the repercussions of sexual assault for its victims, we downplay how difficult it is to actually trudge through the reporting process. This leaves too many people with the perception that it’s a one-off conversation with a police officer or doctor, when, even if you’re not recounting your story in front of the Senate, it is still a lengthy, emotionally exhausting process. Once, a tenured male professor asked my friends and I why more students don’t report sexual misconduct. If you want to report an incident, he said, all you have to do is sit down once with the police or your school’s disciplinary office, right? Wrong. Reporting sexual misconduct is, at minimum, a month-long process, during which you have to retell your story to person after person. If an investigation yields enough evidence for a hearing or a trial, the process drags on for another month, at the very least. Some may extend years. Women don’t gain anything from experiencing and reporting sexual misconduct except, statistically, increased levels of depression and anxiety. Blasey is set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee this Thursday. Even if Blasey had waited 50 years to tell this story, and even if she was the only one Kavanaugh had ever assaulted (which, according to a recent New Yorker story, is not the case), her story would be valid. And what she’s doing is brave. We can’t pick and choose which women’s stories to take seriously; we have to listen to all of them. Women aren’t asking for that much — just to be heard. They deserve that. daviskn3@miamioh.edu
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Satire: MJF Introduces New Mansplaining Co-Major KIRBY DAVIS
MANAGING EDITOR
The Department of Media, Journalism & Film (MJF) announced Monday, Sept. 24, that it will introduce a new Mansplaining co-major next year. According to a press release from MJF, students earning a Mansplaining degree will primarily take classes that teach them how to effectively communicate things that women already know to them. Students can take elective courses in independent film, French film, Quentin Tarantino films and feminism. Brayden Miller, a high school senior who hopes to attend Miami next fall, said he’s “psyched” about the new co-major. “I think I’m pretty good at mansplaining, but I would love the opportunity to hone my craft,” Miller said. “Did you know the majority of communication majors are female? I think we can change that in my lifetime.” Miller’s English teacher, Karen Schulman, said she’s sure Miller — and the rest of his male friends — will thrive in MJF’s new co-major. “Those guys basically taught my class for me,” Schulman said. “Hopefully, with this new program, they’ll be able to talk over their female professors, friends and girlfriends even more effectively going forward.” MJF made it clear in their press release that the Mansplaining co-major isn’t just for men. The department hopes that male and female students alike will join this “innovative” new field of study. “Of course, there will only be male professors teaching classes for the co-major,” the press release said. “But we don’t want female students to be intimidated by that; did you know that the majority of American college professors are men? They should be used to it.” Sophie Brown, a senior journalism major, said the Mansplaining co-major is “absurd.” As she started to explain why she was “disappointed but not surprised” about the new program, her boyfriend, senior business major Will Kramer, interjected. “Listen, I think it’s a great idea,” Kramer said. “I’m already pretty good at mansplaining, otherwise I’d totally pick up a minor.” “He is,” Brown said, through her teeth. “He’s great at it.” daviskn3@miamioh.edu
OPINION 9
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
Let’s take the price tags off our conversations
Satire: Another anxious student falls victim to ‘sidewalk culture’ WILL GORMAN THE MIAMI STUDENT
ILLUSTRATION: CONNOR WELLS
EMILY DATTILO COLUMNIST
Mention money, and cue the uncomfortable gazes and unanswerable questions. Then cue the uncomfortable situations and conversations because personal financial situations are really nobody else’s business. We all know that physical markers of wealth aren’t exactly anomalies here in Oxford. Pastel shorts, Vineyard Vines shirts, Lululemon shorts and Patagonia jackets are all common sidewalk sightings. I remember one day in December of last year, I walked to class behind four kids all wearing Bean boots and North Face jackets. Personally, though, I try to avoid bringing money into my discussions with friends because it feels tactless and insensitive. Some students come from single-income households or are paying for college on their own. Maybe one of their parents just lost their job. Certainly private information like this isn’t broadcast for all to see, but it’s just something to keep in mind. Money can be a source of tension and frustration for some, just as much as it’s a source of pride and security for others. Not everyone who attends Miami went to private school, takes annual exotic vacations and sports an
Apple Watch. I try to channel my own individual style, but I do own a few preppy items. I like my Bean boots, okay? Sue me. On the other hand, some individuals just don’t prefer brand-name clothes. They see spending $40-50 on a Vineyard Vines long-sleeve as a waste of hard-earned money that could be spent elsewhere. We have to respect that. But going along with this, sometimes those people who dislike name brands deem others who do as “basic,” and make judgements on brand-wearing individuals. I have multiple friends who love their name brands. One of them has Prada sunglasses. Another holds a true appreciation for Michael Kors. My friends wear these items without attitudes of entitlement or rudeness; they simply like the brands. It can, however, become uncomfortable when others begin to make comments about how much money each item costs and whether it’s a waste of money. One of my friends talked about a time her friend bugged her about spending money on real Birkenstocks when fake ones could be bought so much cheaper online. She also brought up the girl’s
North Face jacket and said she figured that it cost more than $60. How are people supposed to answer these confrontations? Once again, in all honesty, it isn’t really anyone else’s business how much money another person spends on clothes or shoes. These are personal choices and private ones. It’s a totally different situation if a girl is showing off her Kate Spade bag and bragging about its cost. In that case, I feel like a remark or comment back about the worthwhile nature of that purchase might be necessary. But when these comments are unsolicited, things begin to take a different shape. It’s hard to know how to respond to comments like these because money is a sensitive subject. I think situations like these provide a simple yet important reminder to be cognizant and respectful of financial circumstances found on any part of the spectrum. Take a minute to think before you speak and remember that no matter your monetary situation, there’s no price tag on sensitivity. Tactfulness and classiness also remain free of charge, so don’t forget to use them. dattilec@miamioh.edu
Last Tuesday, Sept. 18, a male student was admitted to McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital after his blood pressure spiked dangerously high. According to reports, Kenneth Johnson fainted on Spring Street, outside of Armstrong Student Center. “I thought it might have been from heat exhaustion,” said Dr. Margaret Albertson, “but my heart dropped into my stomach when I found out the real cause.” Doctors say that the cause of the incident was 19-year-old Johnson encountering junior linguistic major Holli Minnick, an acquaintance he barely knew well enough to interact with. “I was walking by Armstrong when I saw this girl from my microbiology class last semester,” Johnson said. “I saw her coming from a distance, but I wasn’t sure if it was really her or not.” Johnson’s first mistake, he says, was making eye contact. “She looked back at me right away,” he said. “That was deadly. By then I had already decided to look down at my phone, but, like, she saw me, and it was definitely her. So, already, I was in too deep.” Dr. Albertson says this is not the first time she’s had a student come into McCullough-Hyde after passing out from an awkward interaction. “We call people like Kenneth victims of ‘sidewalk culture,’” she said. “When a student sees someone they hardly know, they will have a fight-or-flight response. To greet or not to greet?” It turns out that Johnson had indeed taken MBI 111 with Minnick last spring. “Yeah, we sat, like, three seats apart from each other all semester,” Minnick said. “Sometimes we complained about the readings we had to do. I don’t think Kenneth ever did them, though.” Eyewitnesses say that around 15 seconds after Johnson passed Minnick, he fell over onto the sidewalk. “I remember saying something like, ‘Hey,’ and that was all,” Johnson said. “It was terri-
fying. I didn’t know what to do because we’d made eye contact about three times, but I didn’t want it to look like I was checking her out, because I wasn’t.” Minnick’s account of the event tells a different story. “I just saw him and smiled,” she said. “That was all. It wasn’t that weird to me. We acknowledged each other and moved on. I wasn’t even there long enough to notice him faint, because by then, I was already inside Armstrong.” Johnson said this is not the first time he’s experienced a spike in blood pressure from a social interaction. “I remember sitting in the hospital bed and being like, ‘Dude, wow, it’s never been this bad,’” he said. “I think it just needs to stop. Let me stare at my phone intensely if I’m passing by you.” Johnson believes that others should change their sidewalk behavior to suit his own wants and needs. “People just need to stop saying ‘hi’ to me,” he said. “I hate feeling like I need to talk to people. Don’t even look at me. I hate this stupid sidewalk culture.” Dr. Albertson says that she and her colleagues knew exactly what to do to treat Johnson’s recurring problem. “We told him to stop interacting with people he barely knew because he’ll probably make it awkward again,” Albertson said. “He said that it’s not easy to make that happen.” Minnick said she has not heard from her former classmate since the incident. “Like I said, I didn’t even know he passed out,” she said. “I thought saying ‘hey’ would be a nice thing to do despite not being friends.” Johnson has no future plans to make eye contact with anyone next time he walks around campus. “I’m practicing how convincingly I can look down at my phone on demand,” he said. “I might even pretend I’m calling someone if I see more than one acquaintance at the same time. I can’t take huge risks like this anymore.” gormanwm@miamioh.edu
CARTOON: ARTHUR NEWBERRY
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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
ATTENTION STUDENTS AT MIAMI UNIVERSITY
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SIMANSEC@MIAMIOH.EDU
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
Soccer drops first two MAC games, looks to pick up win
SPORTS 11 VOLLEYBALL SWEEPS MAC OPENERS BENNETT WISE
THE MIAMI STUDENT
MIAMI’S JUNIOR MIDFIELDER OLIVIA WINNETT FENDS OFF BOWLING GREEN’S SOPHOMORE MIDFIELDER NIKHITA JACOB AT HOME ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON. HER EFFORTS WERE FUTILE IN A 2-0 LOSS TO BGSU. PHOTO BY RUISI LUO THE MIAMI STUDENT
BEN PANZECA
THE MIAMI STUDENT
Miami soccer (2-6-1, 0-2 Mid-American) had a tough weekend against Bowling Green State University and the University of Toledo. The RedHawks were unable to come away with any points to open Mid-American Conference play, losing 2-0 to the Falcons and 2-1 to the Rockets. The home team got off to a slow start in Friday’s match against Bowling Green, conceding a goal less than two minutes into the contest. A poor back-pass forced junior defender Lydia Brosnahan to commit a foul at the very top of the box, and Falcons’ junior midfielder Chelsee Washington ripped an unstoppable shot on the ensuing free kick to give the visitors an early lead. “It’s disappointing to start the conference off with a loss,” MU head coach Courtney Sirmans said. “But there are positives to take away. We just need to be braver and more courageous when we play. You have to take risks in this game.” Miami struggled to create chances in the first half, as BGSU outshot the RedHawks 10-2 and dominated possession for much of the first 45 minutes. Senior midfielder Bianca Medancic entered in the 30th minute to give the ’Hawks with a spark off the bench.
DOMINIQUE ROBINSON ISN’T JOKING AROUND FROM PAGE 12
utilize his size to catch the ball. Gardner also stands 6 feet 4 inches tall, but weighs 25 pounds less than his mini-me (or, in this case, bigger-me). He’s known for making crazy catches over defenders – something Robinson’s size allows him to mimic. Robinson flashed loads of potential in spring ball earlier this year with acrobatic, Gardner-like grabs. Martin was surprised to look up after some plays and see Robinson was the receiver. He had assumed it was Gardner. Even after all Robinson’s hard work, results haven’t come. In his first game after Gardner’s injury, Robinson was held without a catch against Bowling Green. He’s never caught a pass in a real game. Yet, the opportunity remains. “Who knows who can step up?” Martin said. “Somebody’s got to step up. Gardner left big shoes to fill.” Is Robinson ready to take another opportunity and fill those shoes? “Of course,” he said. vinelca@miamioh.edu @ChrisAVinel
Despite the Falcons’ dominance, the Red & White entered the break trailing by only one goal. Miami almost scored the equalizer early in the second half after Medancic beat two defenders in the box and pulled a shot just inches wide of the far post. There were few scoring chances after her near-miss. Bowling Green secured an insurance goal in the 71st minute, converting off a corner kick and doubling its lead. The score stood and the Falcons won 2-0. The 18-7 shot margin tested Miami’s senior goalkeeper Pat Koutoulas, but she came up with six saves. “On a positive note, this was better than the last game [against Xavier], but we need to be better going forward,” Sirmans said. Miami was far more threatening in attack Sunday against Toledo, outshooting the Rockets 16-10 in the match, but couldn’t complete the comeback after falling behind 2-0 through 51 minutes of play. Senior defender Kirsten Fehlan nearly put the RedHawks on the board first, when she redirected a corner kick on goal in the 15th minute, but it was cleared off the line. The Rockets earned a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute when freshman midfielder Elbony Rodriguez tucked a deflected cross into the back of the net. Once again, Miami entered halftime down by one.
Toledo padded its lead soon after the second half began. Koutoulas managed to make the initial save, but the ball careened off the post and flew across the goal where it was easily tapped in by a waiting attacker. MU stepped up the attack after falling behind 2-0, but wasn’t rewarded until the 71st minute when freshman forward Lyda Bogdanovitch scored from the left side of the box off an assist from freshman midfielder Kristina DeMarco. It was Bogdanovitch’s third goal of the season. The ’Hawks comeback effort became even more difficult in the 79th minute when Brosnahan was given a red card for a foul inside the box, giving the Rockets a chance to increase their lead and reducing Miami to 10 players on the field. Though Toledo missed the penalty kick, it held the advantage to hand Miami its second defeat in three days. Sirmans didn’t comment after the game. Koutoulas had her hands full over the weekend, making 11 saves in the two games. The RedHawks will be on the road for their next three conference matches, beginning with rival Ohio University on Friday. Kickoff is at 4 p.m. panzecbj@miamioh.edu @BenPanzeca
The wheels and wins kept rolling all weekend for the RedHawks. The Red & White drove 242 miles to sweep Akron 3-0 on Friday, zipped 219 miles to Buffalo for another 3-0 victory on Saturday, before rounding out the trip with a 450 mile bend back to Oxford where the ’Hawks now hold a record of 10-4 (2-0 Mid-American Conference). “They were very determined together and they competed hard for every single point of every single set,” head coach Carolyn Condit said. “It was wonderful to win on the road as we first start out the MAC race and to do it in three sets each – it certainly helped us feel more ready. “ Condit says the tough non-conference schedule prepared the team for the pressure of MAC play. “We’ve seen better opponents,” Condit said. “I just felt like I knew they were prepared and I was very impressed how poised the team was.” Miami showed flashes of how dangerous they will be in-conference. Junior middle hitter Margaret Payne recorded a double-double with 13 kills and a career high 11 blocks against Buffalo, while freshman Corinne Jemison put down 10 kills against Buffalo after adding seven on Friday. Defensively, sophomore libero Abigail Huser led the team in digs in both matches with 26 over the span of the weekend. “[Huser] could have had more, but we were blocking so well,” Condit said. As a team, Miami ranks second in kills and hitting percentage allowed in the MAC, something Condit says shows how smart the team plays defensively. Condit thinks the team’s defensive play will help carry the team going forward. The road ahead only gets tougher as Miami faces Bowling Green State University (8-7) and preseason favorite Ohio University (7-8) in the next two weeks. Both experienced teams took their first two conference games. “We are definitely going to be underdogs from an experience standpoint, but I think if we just play in the moment and control our side, I don’t think there is a limit to where we can go this year,” Condit says. The RedHawks return to the hardwood Thursday, Sept. 27 at 6 p.m. at Bowling Green. The match will be televised on ESPN3. wisebm@miamioh.edu @bmw32999
Miami field hockey continues hot streak with win over Indiana FROM PAGE 12
goalkeeper Sachi Ananias to make it 2-0. Indiana’s only big opportunity of the half came in the 32nd minute when it was granted a penalty stroke. Senior goalkeeper Maddie Passarella came up with the save to hold the shutout. The RedHawks couldn’t escape harm in the waning minutes of the first half. With a minute left, Miami was awarded a penalty corner, but it resulted in a fast break the other way. Senior back Kendall Hunker hustled to make the defensive play, taking the ball away from an Indiana forward to close out the half. “I think that we lost a little bit of our discipline in the last five minutes of the first half and that scared me,” Puzo said. Nevertheless, the RedHawks went into the locker room with the 2-0 lead, ultimately outshooting the Hoosiers 4-1. In the second half, Miami coasted past Indiana. The Hoosiers struggled with ball possession, only generating 10 offensive chances with one scoring opportunity. After sophomore midfielder Morgan Sturm passed to the middle of the circle in the 45th minute, junior forward Kenzie Peterson put one home. Peterson’s goal was her second of the season and put the ’Hawks up 3-0. Indiana attempted to energize its team with fresh goalkeeper redshirt freshman Shelby Querry. But, Portugal continued the RedHawks’ dominant play and scored another unassist-
MIAMI’S FIELD HOCKEY TEAM CELEBRATES A GOAL AGAINST KENT STATE ON FRIDAY AFTERNOON. THEY WOULD WIN 3-0.MATT HECKERT THE MIAMI STUDENT
ed goal in the 52nd minute after a penalty corner. Querry stood no chance against the laser to the upper right corner. And, Portugal wasn’t done. The senior completed the hat trick with 10 seconds left in the game. Her 13th goal of the season came from Berlie and completed the 5-0 blowout. “I think today we played with a lot of heart and everyone came out of the gates really quick,” Peterson said. “We communicated really well and worked together as a team really well today.” The only dark mark on the weekend was Miami’s struggle with its penalty corners – part of the reason the RedHawks had half as many shots as its Kent State game.
“We probably had more circle penetrations than we had against Kent State [...] but we were not taking shots,” Puzo said. Ignoring the average play from penalty corners, Miami dominated Indiana. The ’Hawks outshot the Hoosiers 8-2. “We worked really hard to drop back on the ball quickly and get under it so they couldn’t pressure fast,” Sturm said. Miami begins a five-game road trip with MAC-opponent Central Michigan on Friday at 4 p.m. The RedHawks are next home on Oct. 20 at noon against Appalachian State University. hartwejm@miamioh.edu @2399Jj
Sports
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SIMANSEC@MIAMIOH.EDU
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2018
Miami football runs over Bowling Green for first win CHRIS VINEL STAFF WRITER
After three consecutive Saturdays of letdowns and losses, the Miami RedHawks finally grabbed their first victory of 2018. Spurred by the resurgence of their running game, the ’Hawks (1-3, 1-0 Mid-American) rushed for a season-high 289 yards to defeat Bowling Green 38-23 at Doyt L. Perry Stadium. “You always feel good when you win,” MU head coach Chuck Martin said. “It doesn’t matter who you play, how you win, win a low-scoring game, win a high-scoring game, win a blowout, it doesn’t matter. Winning makes you feel good, so we feel a little bit better.” The running game couldn’t have reappeared at a better time for the injury-riddled RedHawks who were missing several starters, including redshirt senior running back Kenny Young and senior receiver James Gardner. “We felt like, going into this game, we should be able to run the ball some,” Martin said. “Looking at the halftime stats, everyone that touched the ball was averaging like 10 yards a carry, so they were reading off the carries and the yardage, and I’m like, ‘I don’t care who you give it to, just keep giving it to him because everyone is averaging eight to 10 yards a carry.’” Miami attempted to establish the run from the first offensive play of the game. Redshirt senior quarterback Gus Ragland didn’t
Miami field hockey continues hot streak with win over Indiana JJ HARTWELL
THE MIAMI STUDENT
Miami field hockey won its fourth game in a row when it beat Indiana University 5-0 on Sunday afternoon. The win capped a two-win weekend after a Friday 3-0 victory against Mid-American Conference opponent Kent State. The defense allowing only two shots and one penalty corner, the midfield controlling possession for the majority of the game and the offense scoring off 60 percent of its shots combined for a dominating Miami (7-4, 2-0 MAC) performance. Senior midfielder Paula Portugal led Miami past Indiana (2-7, 0-2 Big Ten), scoring a hat trick. Portugal’s three goals put her second on Miami’s all-time point list (145) and tied for third in goals (61). “I think we can be very happy with the weekend,” head coach Iñako Puzo said. “I think we played very well both games.” Miami’s first goal came in the 18th minute when Portugal took the ball through traffic and set herself up for an easy shot. Portugal’s 10th goal of the season was unassisted. Nine minutes after Portugal’s first goal, sophomore midfielder Leonor Berlie scored a goal of her own off a great finish. Berlie hit a rolling rebound past the Hoosiers sophomore CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
REDSHIRT SENIOR QUARTERBACK GUS RAGLAND HANDS OFF THE BALL TO REDSHIRT JUNIOR RUNNING BACK MAURICE THOMAS. THE REDHAWKS’ RAN THEIR WAY TO A WIN AGAINST BBSU ON SATURDAY. CONTRIBUTED BY ISAIAH VAZQUEZ BGSU MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
throw his first pass until the Red & White’s third drive. Another reinvigorated element of the RedHawks’ offense was the big play. Two plays of over 29 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown scamper by redshirt junior running back Maurice Thomas, resulted in Miami taking its first lead of the season. The score was also the team’s first touchdown since Week One. A field goal by junior kicker Sam Sloman extended Miami’s lead to
10-0 on its first offensive drive of the second quarter. After the Falcons responded with a field goal of their own, the RedHawks went back to the big play. Redshirt senior running back Alonzo Smith found a hole and carried the ball 34 yards to the twoyard line. Ragland used his legs to punch it in two plays later, boosting Miami’s advantage to 17-3. On the RedHawks’ final drive of the first half, Ragland found redshirt sophomore tight end Andrew
Homer for a touchdown to make it 24-3 with under a minute before intermission. The onslaught continued into the second half, as Ragland connected with redshirt sophomore Jack Sorenson for a 31-3 lead with nine minutes left in the third quarter. That score held into the fourth quarter. Playing against mostly second-string defenders, Bowling Green scored 20 points in the fourth period, but its deficit proved
too much to overcome. The ’Hawks added another touchdown and held on to take a 38-23 victory in their MAC-opener. Miami won the total-yards battle with a slight 408-385 edge. Although Ragland passed for two touchdowns and had his best game since Week One, it was the runners that set the tone for the RedHawks. Smith led the group with 164 yards, while Thomas, Ragland, and redshirt freshman running back Davion Johnson each had a touchdown on the ground. BG’s freshman quarterback Jarret Doege starred in its comeback attempt, throwing 237 yards and two touchdowns. Martin believes a win will do wonders for his team’s confidence -- something lower than usual due to the 0-3 start. “It was a hard week,” Martin said. “We were 0-3 and we didn’t feel good. It’s not like we were blaming. You could say, ‘Well, just brush it off.’ We’re not brushing it off. We’re human beings. We work hard at this and we were 0-3. It was a pretty somber group all week, but it was a pretty focused group.” MAC-play continues next weekend, as the RedHawks host Western Michigan for Miami’s family weekend game on Saturday. The contest is set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff and will be broadcast on ESPN+. vinelca@miamioh.edu @ChrisAVinel
Dominique Robinson isn’t joking around CHRIS VINEL STAFF WRITER
Sophomore Dominique Robinson is in a much different position than he was 18 months ago. Then, he was buried on Miami football’s depth chart. Now, in wake of an injury to senior wideout James Gardner, Robinson has an opportunity to step into Gardner’s place. But, Robinson is literally in a different position than he was 18 months ago. Then, he was a quarterback. Now, he’s a wide receiver. Robinson graduated high school early and enrolled at Miami before 2017 spring practices. He played quarterback throughout high school, but saw the depth and experience the RedHawks had at the position. Robinson spotted an opportunity and decided to make a change. The opportunity started as a joke. Because a few wide receivers were banged up or dealing with academic issues, Eric Koehler, MU’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, teased his quarterbacks that one of them was going to have to switch positions. “He was playing,” Robinson said. “But I was like, ‘I’m about to switch over. I’m not about to sit here behind [several quarterbacks] and not get any reps.’” Robinson was called into head coach Chuck Martin’s office. Martin asked Robinson if he was serious. His response: “hell yeah.” Not many people would be willing to throw away years of hard work – Miami originally noticed
his performance as a signal-caller and recruited him because of it. But this position change wasn’t a demotion. “It was an opportunity,” Robinson said. “So I just took it.” His early practices as a wide receiver gave him nothing but encouragement. They were easier than he thought. “Since I was new, our defensive backs didn’t know what kind of release I was going to give them,” Robinson said. “They were playing off me [during the first few practices], and I was just catching a lot of balls.” Once summer camp came, the defenders adjusted to Robinson’s tendencies, making it harder for him to continue his early success. “The hardest thing, for me, was the routes,” Robinson said. “I knew the routes. I knew what they were and the concepts because I played quarterback. So I knew all the routes. It was running them. It’s different because you have to stop, make cuts, and you don’t do that at quarterback.” Knowing the routes was the only advantage of being a former quarterback. Robinson confesses he still over-thinks them and needs to perfect his timing. Luckily, he’s blessed with rare physical tools. Listed at 6-foot-4, 240 pounds, the sophomore resembles a defensive end. He’s bigger than most NFL wide receivers. To put his size into perspective, the average wide receiver at the 2018 NFL Combine stood 6 feet 1 inch tall and weighed 205 pounds. Robinson’s frame alone doesn’t guarantee success. Martin thinks Robinson’s physical tools combined with his mental makeup could make the receiver a match-
SOPHOMORE DOM ROBINSON JOKED HIS WAY INTO BECOMING A WIDE RECEIVER. CONTRIBUTED BY MIAMI ATHLETICS
up nightmare. “His biggest strength is his intent and his pride,” Martin said. “He doesn’t care that, maybe, some other kids have been playing wideout since they were fiveyears-old. He doesn’t want them to do anything better than him.” According to Martin, Robinson’s a quick learner. Ironically, he’s spent the last 18 months watching Garder – the guy he’s
now tasked with replacing. “I’ve watched James [Gardner] since I got here,” Robinson said. “I watched him run his routes. I wanted everything of mine to be like his because he’s a good receiver.” He pinpoints one specific thing he’s learned from Gardner: CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
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