The Miami Student | March 1, 2024

& COMMUNITY EDITOR

Spencer Mandzak, a junior public administration major, and Patrick Houlihan, a junior political science major, have ofcially announced their campaign for student body president and vice president following a review by both Associated Student Government’s (ASG) Judicial Council and Elections committee.

The pair will run against Will Brinley, a junior marketing major, and Babs Dwyer, a junior sports communication and media major, in

an election on March 18-20. Students will be able to vote through The Hub. The announcement came after Speaker of the Senate Tia Bakshi said that Mandzak and Houlihan may not be eligible for the ballot because of how they gathered their signatures.

“If both Spencer and Patrick had 150 signatures, the committee would have had to review some other information that we were given regarding a potential violation,” Bakshi said during a Judicial Council meeting.

Houlihan and Mandzak both denied the violations after the Judicial Council meeting. Mandzak said that

their signature gathering was not the only one in question.

Houlihan confrmed the violations as level two violations as described in the ASG bylaws. Houlihan said that the violations were “clerical errors” within the signatures.

“We aren't aware of the violation,” Houlihan said.

“Not only that, but there's a couple diferent allegations against the other ticket’s violations,” Mandzak said after the Judicial Council meeting.

Current Student Body President Nyah Smith said that while she and Vice President Jules Jeferson are not involved with the review of vio-

lations in the current election, they

Not just escapism: Literature and environment course teaches

the importance of art in crisis

SARAH KENNEL STAFF WRITER

On a stormy night, an undergraduate student named Rachel Carson read Tennyson’s poem “Locksley Hall” and knew her future was tied to the natural world. She went on to write “Silent Spring,” the book that helped begin the American environmental movement and led to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Michele Navakas, professor of English and Afliate of the Institute for the Environment and Sustainability at Miami University, hopes students in her literature and environment course, IES/ENG 264, can also use literature to fnd their place in the world.

Navakas believes the role of literature is frequently misunderstood and reduced to an irrelevant secondary study or escapism. To her, it is so much more.

“There’s nothing like it for helping us make meaning,” Navakas said.

In her class, the ability of literature to help one speculate imaginatively, connect seemingly unrelated information and analyze their role in the world is applied to environmental studies. The climate crisis is most commonly communicated through data tables and scientifc studies, where it is easy to lose sight of how literature can be applied to these fndings.

In response to this, Navakas points to scientists like Carson, and even Charles Darwin who greatly valued literature.

LILY

WAHL

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Picture this: You’re new parents to twin boys. It’s time to put them to bed, and they demand a bedtime story before you can have some peace and quiet for the night.

As your adorable children kick and scream, all you can remember to tell them about are your days at your alma mater, before children permanently altered your sleep schedule.

Miami University alumni Jody and Ian O’Neil, class of 2011, decided to fnd a way to combine two important periods of their lives. “Miami

STELLA POWERS ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY

EDITOR AUSTIN SMITH ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY

EDITOR

The Myaamia people have been burdened with a series of forced removals, leaving behind their traditions, artwork and land. The “Reclaiming Stories” project is working to change that. The “Reclaiming Stories” project, which began in 2020, is a team of Peewaalia (Peoria Tribe), Myaamia (Miami Tribe) and non-Native scholars working to reconnect to and reclaim the art of hide painting. Through hosting several workshops,

Memories A-Z” is a children’s book featuring 27 watercolor images that each align with an aspect of Miami life and culture, with one for each letter of the alphabet.

As Miami Mergers that didn’t meet until after graduation, Jody and Ian drew on their own Miami memories while writing their children’s book.

gic because it was such a great experience for both of us,” Jody said.

“Whenever we talk about Miami or think about Miami, we feel nostal-

the team has created a collection of painted

ZYNs are buzzing: The rise of nicotine pouches at Miami

JOEY SKOLNY THE MIAMI STUDENT

It’s not often that the average Miami University student takes a look at the university’s policy on tobacco and other related products. Doing so brings up a page that lists all of the diferent kinds of tobacco or nicotine products — except for one.

ZYN nicotine pouches, or “Zyns” as they are referred to, are the newest craze in the world of nicotine delivery, and Miami students have developed a taste for the small white pouches.

Zyns come in an array of favors ranging from cool mint to citrus, and the main diference between packs is the amount of nicotine each pouch contains. The company ofers either 3 milligrams or 6 milligrams of nicotine options that come in small plastic tins, just like chewing tobacco.

Users take one, sometimes two or three, of the quarter-sized pouches and place them between their gums and lips. After a few minutes, the nicotine fows into their bloodstream.

Addiction to nicotine is proven to have some sort of impact on someone’s physical and mental health. Quitting is no easy task either. A person going through the process of quitting will usually sufer from

KASEY TURMAN CAMPUS

Two tickets prepare for student body president election

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

community.

In addition to multiple students at Miami, the account has endorsements from Lucas Will, the student body president of the University of Toledo, and Shannon Brown, a student body president candidate at Kent State University.

Mandzak and Houlihan were unable to comment on their campaign due to the 92-hour ban following the Elections Committee’s fndings.

Brinley and Dwyer

Brinley and Dwyer were announced as student body president-elect and student body vice president-elect on Feb. 19 before the meeting of ASG’s Judicial Council and Elections Committee ruled that Mandzak and Houlihan’s ticket was valid. Brinley and Dwyer ofcially announced their campaign on Feb. 20 on their Instagram account. Their announcement included their four-person campaign team and endorsements from all 25 fraternities on campus and the Interfraternity Council, of which Brinley sits as the vice president of recruitment.

Brinley said that their “connecting our paths” campaign focuses on pull-

ing diferent communities at Miami into student government to encapsulate the whole student body.

“The reason why we’re running is that we feel that we can connect a lot of diferent students on campus,” Brinley said. “We are both in unique positions where we’re involved in a lot of organizations on campus and being able to connect diferent student organizations is something that can be a very positive thing for us during our campaign and then during our tenure if we were to be elected.”

Although neither Brinley or Dwyer have experience in ASG, the pair are confdent in their ability to work with the organization and learn while bringing an outside perspective that past student body presidents and vice presidents have brought.

Dwyer said that bringing student representation to the two positions was a strong suit for the pair and something they’ve shown in their respective student organizations so far at Miami.

“I’d like to just be someone who can be approachable but still be a leader on campus, and I think that we’re two people that have always been like that in most of our organizations,” Dwyer said. “Building between [their paths campaign] and getting everyone on campus involved and realizing that student government basically encompasses everything and everyone is the big thing we’re running on.”

turmankd@miamioh.edu

TAYLOR STUMBAUGH

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

David Hemmer held the fnal open forum for Miami University’s search for a new College of Arts and Science (CAS) dean on Tuesday, Feb. 27.

Hemmer began by discussing why Miami would be a good ft for him and segued into the leadership philosophies he acquired from his previous tenure as the dean of College of Sciences and Arts at Michigan Tech University (MTU).

“The faculty, to me, are the most important asset of the college and the institution,” Hemmer said. “So we need to set things up so faculty can succeed, so they get good mentoring, so they have opportunities to travel [and] to have their research supported and listened to.”

Hemmer also talked about his accomplishments as a dean and how he could bring those successes to Miami. His list included an increase in retention rates and diversity, equity and inclusion classes for STEM professors. Hemmer also helped design a faculty equity query tool, called AFEQT.

“This is for deans and chairs to buck up and say, ‘Well, are we giving women the same size startup as men,’ and these things are really tough to analyze because, maybe we hired more women in visual arts who don’t get a startup or we hired a computational chemist in the lab,” Hemmer said.

Following his highlights from MTU, Hemmer outlined the challenges facing higher education today. In his speech, he included how fewer students and parents put value in college, how tuition is increasing,

revenues are decreasing and how there is a need to market degrees differently. However, he said there are positives amidst the challenges.

“[Miami has] amazing undergrads who do really well in leadership positions when they graduate, great retention [and a] strong national reputation,” Hemmer said. He then broached the topic of restructuring Miami’s low enrolled degrees. He said when making decisions, he would know about the total cost before anything was decided, and he would put less emphasis on frst jobs out of college and more on mid-career success. He also mentioned a budget model that supports collaboration and interdisciplinary degrees.

Following his plans, the foor opened to questions from the 20 attendees, who asked Hemmer about a variety of topics including grants, funding and building consensus.

Ellen Yezierski, director of the Center for Teaching Excellence,

asked Hemmer how he would support and reward teaching excellence as CAS dean. Hemmer said expectations must be clear to everyone that teaching is valued and accounts for promotions. So the expectation would be that everyone does an exceptional job in the classroom.

“At Michigan Tech, we have something called the dean’s teaching showcase, where every single week in our newsletter we celebrate someone for the innovations they’re doing in the classroom,” Hemmer said. The director of the animal facilities Jazmin Hembree said she went to Hemmer’s forum to make sure the facilities were being represented and that Hemmer was familiar with them.

“I think he has good experiences [and] has some good ideas,” Hembree said. “I think we have good candidates, so it’s kind of a tough race here.”

stumbata@miamioh.edu

Armed male arrested, door kicked down and man scammed in Oxford

Between Feb. 19 and Feb. 26, Oxford police responded to 15 incidents, according to the Oxford Police Department’s report.

At

At 10:13 a.m. on Feb. 24, ofcers were dispatched for an injured animal who was deemed “beyond help” and was

On

the

At 2:07 a.m. on Feb. 25, an ofcer on patrol observed a female lying in a yard surrounded by a group of people on the 10 block of S. Poplar St. The ofcer stopped to check on the welfare of the female, and it was determined that she needed to be transported to the hospital. She

was cited for disorderly conduct.

At 3:05 a.m. on Feb. 25, on the 100 block of W. Vine St., a male was reported to be kicking down the door of a residence Uptown. He made it inside before being confronted by the resident.He was found approximately two blocks away and was charged with criminal damaging and burglary. He was then transported to the Butler County Jail.

On Feb. 25, a male reported to the police department that he was contacted through Meta by a stranger and was scammed out of several thousand dollars.

smith646@miamioh.edu

ASG hears student concerns about Miami Dining and voices support for Ohio House Bill 27

THE

Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) discussed several issues during their weekly meeting on Feb. 27, including student concerns. ASG heard from the assistant vice president of health and wellness and passed legislation supporting Ohio House Bill 27 (H.B. 27).

Senator Nya Hodge said there were eight cases of food poisoning at Bell Tower in the last two weeks, specifcally from the chicken. Hodge committed the concern to the On-Campus Afairs committee.

Senator Abby Showalter expressed concern about Miami Dining, as well. She is dissatisfed with the afordability, specifcally with the food court Dividends in the Farmer School of Business.

“It’s no secret that the food at Dividends is incredibly expensive,” Showalter said. “Spending $16 on a salad is ridiculous.”

Secretary of On-Campus Affairs Grace Payne said she could reach out for an ofcial response but doesn’t think anything would change due to the supply and demand of the products.

Showalter said allergens weren’t listed on the GrubHub app, but Payne redirected her to the Miami Dining website to fnd them. Nonetheless, the concern was committed.

Steve Large, assistant vice president of Health and Wellness and chair of the mental health committee, spoke to ASG about the committee’s progress surrounding communication and fu-

ture initiatives.

The Ohio Department of Higher Education awarded Miami $980,000 with the intended focus on student mental health to be spent over the next two years. Large said some of the money was spent on a web developer to update Miami’s website.

“Our website, as it pertains to resources, is not great,” Large said. “It’s not intuitive. It’s not comprehensive. It’s very disparate.”

Large said another part of the money set up the Mental Health Incubator Fund where people can apply for funding for diferent initiatives and programs surrounding mental health. For year one and year two, $60,000 was set aside, and 17 applications have already been submitted.

“Student mental health is everyone’s value and responsibility

here,” Large said. “We wanted to make sure we had an opportunity for folks to try to get access to some of that money.”

Large said he hoped the committee could work with other campus groups regarding mental health awareness in order to have more communication synchrony and strategy between groups ASG passed legislation that voices support for H.B. 27 . Spencer Mandzak, Secretary of Academic Afairs and candidate for student body president, said the bill provides transparency to incoming students regarding paying for higher education.

Mandzak said if passed, students would receive a one-page document outlining details like the cost of attendance and fnancial aid. It would also say how much money average graduates

make and how long it would take to pay of student loans. H.B. 27 has bipartisan support in the Ohio House.

Secretary of Governmental Relations Patrick Houlihan gave an update saying the committee is planning a civic engagement forum and is still looking for speakers. A debate between College Democrats and College Republicans is at 6 p.m. on March 20 in Wilks Theater. Houlihan said they are still trying to fnd a moderator. Audience members will have the ability to ask questions as well. The next ASG meeting will be at 6 p.m. on March 5 in the Joslin Senate Chamber. grovergc@miamioh.edu

Matthew Smith discusses strategies for strengthening liberal arts at Miami

STUMBAUGH, CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

Miami University’s College of Arts and Science’s (CAS) dean search continued on the morning of Feb. 20 when Matthew Smith, one of the four fnal candidates, held his second forum. Smith began by discussing his history with Miami as an alumnus and faculty member.

“I’m always grateful to Miami for the foundation they gave me in my career, and when I saw this position open up, I was very excited to consider the possibility of coming back,” Smith said. “Knowing your reputation for education, for the teacher-scholars and for the care that I’ve seen your faculty demonstrate to people, I’m really excited.”

In Smith’s speech, he outlined strategies he would use to strengthen and retain liberal arts traditions at Miami, considering the trends and opportunities facing colleges of arts and science right now.

He said a major trend currently sweeping the nation is a rise in antipathy toward higher education and liberal education. To fx this, he said the university needs to spotlight graduates who have been highly successful with liberal arts degrees and those still earning them.

“I’ve helped my colleagues in the history department [at Radford University] build something called the center for archives and digital history,” Smith said. “The idea of the center is that students do history. They don’t just show up for a lecture. They’re actively going out, seeking the artifacts, the letter documents of history, putting them into the lab and preserving them.”

At Radford, Smith said they created a Wicked Initiative to teach students about global issues and invite them to innovate solutions. The university then took it one step further and created a Wicked Festival, where hundreds of students create projects across multiple departments and disciplines and present their results.

“That’s interdisciplinary, where it’s not just one department doing one thing, it’s multiple departments serving a common cause in support of students and their aspirations,” Smith said. “That’s what I want to see more people do in the liberal arts as it matures [and] as it evolves.”

When speaking on retention at Miami, Smith said it’s all about extending hospitality and the importance of creating a sense of belonging both academically and personally for students, staf and faculty. He said as dean, he would talk to people across the college — the different chairs, directors, staf and students — to build community and garner feedback to move the college forward.

Following the presentation, the foor opened for questions from the less than 20 attendees. They fuctuated from supporting and rewarding teacher excellence to prioritizing requests for resources in higher education. Rosemary Pennington, a journalism professor, asked how Smith would prioritize competing requests for funding and faculty lines.

Smith said the frst thing is to fully understand what is being asked, where the money will be applied and the likely outcomes that come along with that are – then compare and contrast those. “I got 27 diferent requests that I had to prioritize, put them in order in terms of what I thought was the most important …” Smith said. “... I’ll tell you one thing, I prioritize new equipment for the center for archives of digital history. I’m seeing movement there, I’m seeing results there, I’m seeing activity there from the students so I prioritize that.”

German professor Nicole Thesz said she liked the focus on interdisciplinary and community building as a way to solve problems.

“You can tell he’s from communications because I think he was very good at balancing examples and putting people in a situation where they can imagine how he would handle crises,” Thesz said.

David Hemmer, the dean of the College of Sciences and Arts (CSA) at Michigan Technological University (MTU), is the next candidate to have an open forum. His forums will take place Monday, Feb. 26, 4-5 p.m. and Tuesday, Feb. 27, 9-10 a.m. in Kreger Hall, room 319.

stumbata@miamioh.edu

Not just escapism: Literature and environment course teaches the importance of art in crisis

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

Alongside literature, communicating injustices through art can be essential to raising awareness from the public.

Latoya Ruby Frazier, a photographer whose work showed the public that the Flint water crisis was far from over, will speak to the class later this semester. Navakas encourages her students to consider how Frazier’s art was such a success in communicating this injustice.

The class is currently studying Carson’s book “Silent Spring,” which serves as an example of how literature prompted the American public to reconsider their role as a part of nature and their responsibility to protect it.

“Without literary knowledge and understanding there’s no Silent Spring,

there’s no American environmental movement,” Navakas said.

Bea Jones, a junior microbiology and sustainability major, feels confdent in writing scientifcally but hopes this course will provide a new avenue for communicating. “I think being able to communicate to a larger, broader, public audience would be really useful,” Jones said. Navakas hopes students will walk away from her class with the ability to read a wide variety of literature — from Edgar Allen Poe to Octavia Butler — and apply them to today’s environmental issues for themselves.

In the bigger picture, she hopes to foster a greater appreciation for the power of literature to help students in any feld interpret the world around them. To take advantage of this power, students have to jump in, explore literature and learn how to make it relevant

to their situation, she says.

Sophomore political science and sustainability major Olive Abrams hopes to go into environmental law. For her, STEM and policy classes can be depressing — but learning about the environment through literature can bring a new sense of hope.

“It seems like people who approach environmentalism from a literature perspective seem to have a lot more hope and optimism, and just general faith in everyone in the world to wake up essentially,” Abrams said.

Navakas sees this hope as another function of literature essential to humanity.

“We can’t act if we’re in despair,” Navakas said, “but art gives us hope, and hope is what we need most right now.”

kennelse@miamioh.edu

GRACE GROVER

MIAMI STUDENT

GRAPHIC BY MACEY CHAMBERLIN

TAYLOR

withdrawal symptoms such as “defcits in neurocognitive function including sustained attention, working memory and response inhibition,” according to a study in the National Library of Medicine (NLM).

Logan Bartram, a senior in Miami’s nursing program, says using Zyns helps him focus when he needs it.

“It kind of sharpens your focus a little bit,” Bartram said. “The head rush you get from it brings everything into focus real quick for you.”

While students may fnd it feels like they can “lock in” while using Zyns, it is important to note that excessive Zyn use may be the thing causing a lack of concentration, according to the NLM study. In short, someone may feel like they can only focus when they have a Zyn in simply because they are physically dependent on that nicotine to help them maintain focus.

For some students, however, Zyns aren’t always their frst choice when trying to fll their thirst for nicotine. Many users only fnd Zyns after using other ways to get nicotine beforehand. Some students, despite their Zyn use, still prefer other ways to get their nicotine fx.

“I defnitely prefer smoking,” Bartram said. “It’s a quicker thing.”

A big draw for using Zyns is the idea that they are a healthy alternative to other nicotine-packed devices. After getting hooked on nicotine at an early age, people may decide to transition over to Zyns.

Rebecca Baudry Young, director

of student wellness at Miami, says that students need to ask themselves what their health goals are. While Baudry Young said Zyns may be better for you than smoking, she added that it’s not very difcult to fnd anything healthier than smoking. People struggling with nicotine addiction often deal with a number of problems.

“We know what implications nicotine [has] with your mental health,” Baudry Young said. “If you’re thinking about your physical health, having this dependency on a product is going to be impacted, your fnancial health will be impacted because you’re spending all your money on these products.”

Like many other nicotine devices, Zyns can be more of a special occasion type of product, or it can develop into an all-day, every day kind of thing. For Patrick McCafrey, a junior fnance major, Zyns ofer a way to ft in socially.

“It feels like I’m a little less with reality and more just in my own little world,” McCafrey said. “... It just makes it a little bit extra, a bit more special.”

skolnyjc@miamioh.edu

ALICE MOMANY PRINT MANAGING EDITOR

Seven individuals have been named to oversee the operation of the Miami University Center for Civics, Culture, and Society by the Ohio Senate.

The nominations for the council passed the Ohio Senate Workforce and Higher Education Committee on Feb. 28 in a vote of 4-1. Senator Catherine Ingram (D-Cincinnati), the only Democrat on the committee, voted against it but did not explain why.

Ingram did not respond to a request for comment.

At its December meeting, Miami’s Board of Trustees approved an academic council of alumni and political ofcials who will work to create a center focused on American constitutional ideas and traditions. The initial individuals approved by the board were not the same individuals approved by the state senate, but Alecia Lipton, associate director of media relations at Miami, said the university was allowed to amend the council until it was heard by the senate committee.

The initial council approved by the board of trustees included two women, former Miami trustee Sandy Collins and Columbus lawyer Leah Pappas Porner. After the revisions, seven men were confrmed.

Miami was one of fve universities to receive state funding for the creation of a civics center, receiving $2 million each fscal year. The other universities include Cleveland State University, the University of Toledo (UT) and the Ohio State University (OSU). The University of Cincinnati was originally named in the legislation, but during the same committee meeting, Senator Jerry Cirino (R-Kirtland) said the center will now be located at Wright State University.

According to the legislation, each school was required to appoint its council by Dec. 31. So far, only the councils for OSU, UT and Miami have been approved.

Members were required to have relevant experience, and only one member could be an employee of the university. Each member will also be subject to term limits, with three of the members serving two years and four members serving four years, which will be decided at the frst council meeting.

Ryan Barilleaux

Barilleaux, a professor of political science, is the only Miami faculty member on the council. According to his university biography, his research “focuses on executive and administrative power in the American political system.”

During his time at Miami, he has won the Distinguished Service Award from Miami’s DisAbilities Awareness Club, the Outstanding Teacher Award from Miami’s Associated Student Government and the Efective Educator Award from Miami’s Alumni Association.

Barilleaux was not available for an interview but said he “hopes that it will live up to what the state legislature expected when it created the Center.”

According to the Ohio Secretary

of State’s Voter Files, Barilleaux is registered with the Republican Party.

Thomas Cleveland

From August 2017 to June 2018, Cleveland was a postdoctoral fellow at Miami where he taught political theory and American politics. Now, he is the executive director of the American Political Tradition Project at the Jack Miller Center.

The Jack Miller Center is a nonproft organization that creates campus programs that encourage education in “America’s founding principles and history.” Although the Jack Miller Center is a nonproft organization, the founder of the center collaborated with the Intercollegiate Studies Institute, which promotes conservative thoughts on college campuses, to conceptualize the center. Cleveland did not respond to a request for comment.

Donald Crain

After graduating from Miami in 1970, Crain has since continued to be involved with the university. He served as a trustee from 2006 to 2015, was president of the Red & White Club Board and was a member of the Miami Middletown Citizens Advisory Council. A former Miami baseball player, Crain and his wife endowed the Donald and Susan Crain Baseball Scholarship.

According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Voter Files, Crain is registered with the Republican Party. Crain was not immediately available for comment.

Gary Gregg

In 1991, Gregg graduated with his master’s in political science from Miami and went on to earn his doctorate degree in the same feld three years later. Now Gregg directs the McConnell Center at the University of Louisville. Founded by U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, the center is a nonpartisan organization that ofers “civic education programs for teachers, students and the public.” Gregg was not immediately available for comment.

Dennis Lieberman Lieberman graduated from Miami in 1975 with his bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology with a concentration in gerontology. He continued his education at the Dayton School of Law, where he continues to teach as an adjunct professor. He served on Miami’s Board of Trustees from 2009 to 2018. He was also the chair of the Montgom-

ery County Democratic Party for 13 years and served on the Montgomery County Board of Elections for 11 years. Although he is the only verifed Democratic-afliated member on the council according to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Voter Files, he is not worried about political ideology playing a role in the creation of the center.

“With my over 40 years of experience in all these areas, I’ve learned a lot about the ability to discuss matters with people who don’t agree with you in a civil way, about the ability to do what’s good for the community,” Lieberman said.

Jefrey Sikkenga

Sikkenga has been a professor of political science at Ashland University since 1997, where he teaches courses on political thought, the U.S. Constitution, the U.S. Supreme Court and civic education. He is also the executive director of the Ashbrook Center, which is an independent center at Ashland, that works to “strengthen constitutional self-government” of students, teachers and citizens through education. The center is named in honor of Congressman John Ashbrook, who represented Ohio’s 17th Congressional district for over 20 years.

According to the Ohio Secretary of State’s Voter Files, Sikkenga is registered with the Republican Party. Sikkenga did not respond to a request for comment.

Bradley Smith

Republican commissioner Smith was nominated to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) by President Bill Clinton and confrmed by the U.S. senate in 2000. During his term, which ended in 2005, he served as vice chairman in 2003 and chairman in 2004. He is now an endowed professor of law at Capital University. In addition to Miami’s council, Smith has been confrmed to sit on the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture, and Society at OSU.

“One thing you really have to learn to do, if you want to be efective at the FEC, is how to work with people and how to build coalitions and fnd compromises and make everybody happy, so that may be the biggest takeaway as I work for Miami,” Smith said. Although a timeline is unclear, the next steps for the council will be to determine term limits for the members as well as launch an open search for a director of the center.

momanyaj@miamioh.edu

TAYLOR POWERS

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Miami alum Mathew Hall will serve as the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion’s (CSDI) new associate director of LGBTQ+ Initiatives, with goals to maintain the center’s foundational programs and increase collaborations.

Hall was previously employed at SUNY in Brockport, New York, where he worked with violence prevention and LGBTQ+ issues. He joined the 1809 LGBT Alumni Group at Miami in 2018 and was secretary until moving into his new position as associate director.

“The timing was very celestially correct, appropriate, to make a change for me,” Hall said.

Hall graduated from Miami in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and history. He received his master’s in college student personnel from Ohio University and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in global gender and sexuality studies at the University of Bufalo.

His research focus is on queer and transgender survivors of sexual assault but also studies the concept of institutional betrayal. This is the failure of an institution to support an individual in a time of crisis, such as failing to prevent or respond supportively to wrongdoings by other individuals.

“What does it mean for a student

who has been victimized in one of the most intimate ways possible, to then potentially feel as though they’re being victimized by their institution at the same time?” Hall said.

Hall became intrigued by this concept after hearing Jennifer Freyd, a psychologist, speak at a conference and found the notion profound.

“It added this extra layer to this already challenging and traumatic and messy experience of processing trauma and healing, while also being a student,” Hall said. While a student at Miami, Hall worked closely with CSDI, acquainting him with previous employees in this position. He said this position was what made him consider going into higher education.

“It just feels like a full circle moment,” Hall said. In his new role, Hall wants to maintain some of the “foundational things” at CSDI, such as the Safe Zone and Pronoun Training workshops. He also plans to look at some external elements of the position.

“How are we collaborating, for example, with Talawanda High School and Middle School, to provide mentoring to young LGBT students who are thinking about what it might mean to go to college?” Hall said.

He also wants to see an increase in collaboration eforts outside the university. Hall said he wants to bring in Equality Ohio to do a legal name

change clinic and partner with TriHealth to do a workshop to help students navigate the medical system for sexual health needs.

Hall recently started working with the City of Oxford to plan events for 2025’s Pride Month and plans to attend Pride in Hamilton and Middletown in the meantime.

Dasha Wood, director of CSDI, frst met Hall during the interview process and thought he was the best

candidate for the position due to his strong background with LGBTQ+ and women and gender studies.

“I hope that he brings some fresh outlooks and just some strategic framework on how we best support our LGBTQ+ students at the univer-

TAYLOR STUMBAUGH CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

It was a random Wednesday night in February when I walked into Withrow Hall to get my tarot cards read. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting into, but I knew one thing for sure: I wanted Tracey Hayes to be the one to read them.

During the hour-and-a-half event, I wasn’t the only one to throw myself into the ideas she laid out; however, some participants were more hesitant than others. The student before me ended up resonating with their reading on the last card. Hayes, who has been reading tarot for 30 years, said she saw something click in them after so much uncertainty.

The readings for the night were set up by Emily Hofman, the Withrow Hall Resident Director (RD), who knew Hayes personally.

“She cares so much about students, and she was genuinely so excited to do this, which I thought was so cool because I wasn’t ofering her anything out of it,” Hofman said. “She was stoked, and I know that she really does love doing this kind of stuf and working with students.”

Throughout Hayes’s education at Northern Arizona University, she did research in psychology and counseling concerning how the brain works and how people interact with each other. In her studies, she came across the concept of advice and how nobody takes it.

“When you’re seeking advice, when you’re struggling with an answer, [or] with a question, you’re going to ask for input from other people,” Hayes said. “And somebody is going to say something that really reafrms what you already know, in your core value system, but you need to hear it from an external perspective.”

As an academic adviser in the College of Creative Arts, she gives advice every day, but she said she’s just refecting back to them what they already know.

However, Hayes said she never reads a student’s cards during an advising meeting because she likes to keep her spirituality separate from her job. But that doesn’t stop students from fnding her outside of class or during events.

“It’s kind of interesting [because] as advisers we connect with our stu-

dents by being authentic and being human,” Hayes said. “But at the same time, we also have to be mindful and walk that line of what my personal beliefs are should not impede my ability to do my job or your ability as a student to get information from me.”

Even though Hayes keeps the two parts of her life separate, she is open to being a mentor. She said the individualistic nature of tarot reading is difcult because the reader has to fnd a version that speaks to diferent people while also keeping that card’s meaning.

“There’s a gazillion billion people on the planet, and we can all have different interpretations and versions, and if how I read resonates with you, awesome,” Hayes said. “If how I read doesn’t resonate with you, awesome. Go fnd somebody that does resonate with you, because oftentimes, you’re looking for comfort and solace and a way to make sense of the chaos that we live in and tarot can be a tool for that.”

Hayes said there isn’t a large group of tarot readers in Oxford, but if someone is looking for them there

are tells, just like in any community.

“When you’re in the spiritual community, you see these coded messages like, are you just wearing a triple goddess because you like moons or because you’re one of my people,” Hayes said.

One of the people that Hayes has found in the tarot community is Evelyn Mendlowitz, an RD at Marcum Hall. She said she started about eight years ago when she lived in Pennsylvania to fnd a spiritual outlet and to feel more connected with the universe, but when she moved to Miami she didn’t know anyone until Hayes.

The pair met through Hayes’ partner who also worked in Residence Life, and over time they have learned from each other as well as read for one another.

“She’s incredible, [and] it’s so great being with her because she is so more well versed than I am,” Mendlowitz said. “I’m like a new little baby, which I’ve only been so for like eight years now, but she is knowledge upon knowledge, which is wonderful.”

stumbata@miamioh.edu

KASEY TURMAN CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

As Nathan French sits in his small but personalized Upham Hall ofce surrounded by piles of books and papers, he thinks of more than the next class he has to teach. He thinks of the future of the nearly 100-year-old comparative religion department that he calls home. He thinks of the eight students majoring in comparative religion. He thinks of his future at Miami University.

All of these thoughts popped up when the Ofce of the Provost asked 22 majors to reconsider their place at Miami. Since the provost’s request, comparative religion announced its proposal to close its department, which French and department chair James Hanges presented at the Feb. 12 University Senate meeting.

The department’s plan proposes that the current religion majors be taught out by the 2029 spring semester. Before then, the current religion minor will be revised to meet new needs while the existing faculty are dispersed into other departments to teach similar material to their current curriculum. At the same University Senate meeting, French and Hanges proposed the possible creation of the Center for the Study of Religion, Policy and Public Life that coincides with a certifcate of the same name.

Issy Byrd, a frst-year diplomacy and global politics and comparative religion double major, added the religion major last semester, two days before she received notice that it would be eliminated. While she knows why the major is in danger, she hopes students can study religion in some capacity in the future.

“It’s defnitely a little disheartening to know that it’s being taken away, but I understand why; I’m not oblivious to the fact that I don’t know any other [religion] majors … But I think putting something else in the place of it is a great alternative,” Byrd said.

Despite the uncertainty of the department’s future, French sees a spot at Miami for both the faculty and information that the department holds.

and can relate to and have a lot of empathy for the decisions that they’re making.”

The changes that the 22 majors are facing are reported to save $1.2 million in the short term by reducing the number of contingent and visiting faculty in each feld, according to a report given to University Senate on Feb. 26. At that same meeting, Senior Associate Provost Carolyn Haynes said there is value in Miami ofering a wide variety of classes and majors to all students.

“We know that a major prepares you not for your frst job, but for your lifetime,” Haynes said. “We need a liberal education in order to really prepare you for resiliency, for the changing career paths.”

Haynes said that the changes come with the shifting landscape of higher education and that student demand is the driving force behind the retrenchment. She said students are now asking for classes that act as parallels for the jobs that they want or coincide with their major more cohesively.

“Our students want more than one major and want a more customized constellation of diferent kinds of programs and credentials that are aligned to their personal and professional goals,” Haynes said.

This was true for Byrd, who added the comparative religion major because it aligned with the topics discussed in her diplomacy and global politics classes.

“I’m not sure if they’ve already looked at combining majors or things like that, but [if they did] that wouldn’t be a total elimination of that course,” Byrd said.

In Irvin Hall, the Department of German, Russian, Asian, and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (GRAMELAC) has found a solution to a problem that both it and the French, Italian and Classical Studies department faces. The two departments submitted a plan to combine the majors that are currently ofered into one major with multiple concentrations that will retain all faculty while teaching the same curriculum.

us the chance to talk about thunders, to tell stories [and] revisit these historical contexts … [it’s] important to the broader revitalization work,” said Elizabeth Ellis, history professor at Princeton University and member of the project.

Minohsayaki, or painted hide robes, are a signifcant part of Peewaalia and Myaamia history. This art form eventually served as a gift of alliance to the French during the 17th and 18th centuries, with several painted robes from the Myaamia and Peewaalia people currently featured in the Musée du Quai BranlyJacques Chirac in Paris, France.

The robes are made using natural pigments on deer or bison hide, and many are on display at the museum. Ground hematite and charcoal are commonly used as pigments.

“It’s reclaiming and invigorating an aesthetic of beauty for Myaamia people that’s unique,” Cameron Shriver, Myaamia Center historian and professor, said. Distinct shapes, patterns and colors — red, yellow, blue, white, clear and black — are characteristic of Myaamia robes. Current research from Reclaiming Stories suggests the shapes may symbolize specifc characters in Aalhsookhaana (the winter stories), as well as thunder and hailstones which represent power.

“If we think about the robes and the stories embedded in the robes … they were thinking very specifcally about the kinds of messages of power, spiritual might and identity that they wanted to share with the French,” Ellis said. Participants in Reclaiming Stories attended workshops across two summers to create replicas of traditional art ranging from blankets and coats to bags and robes. Many of these pieces are displayed at the exhibit, featuring art from Ellis, Shriver and George Ironstrack, assistant director of the Myaamia Center and historian on Myaamia topics.

“I was really fascinated to get to experiment with the processes, especially making pigments from minerals and applying them with either a binder, which in this case we’re using egg yolk, which historically hide glue is probably the most common thing used, but also to apply pigment with

my fngers,” Ironstrack said. Ironstrack’s painted bag is on display at the museum. He is not a practicing painter, but he learned many techniques along the way.

“There’s a lot of hand application of pigment or to ground into the fbers of the hide in a really interesting way,” Ironstrack said. “So I really enjoyed experimenting with those two diferent methods of applying and I learned a lot of lessons like I painted too close to the edge of the bag, so then when I assembled the bag together, a part of the design smeared.”

In the future, the “Reclaiming Stories” team hopes to take a trip to France with a much larger group and a set focus on the project to bring learning back into the community.

Ironstrack said there is still a lot of work to do and more meaning to discover.

“If you visit the exhibition, what you’ll see is a story that’s about work in progress and communities,” Ironstrack said.

This is not the museum’s frst exhibit showcasing works of the Miami Tribe, and it likely won’t be the last. However, there are not any future exhibits currently planned with the art museum.

“We expect there to be future exhibits, as well as other workshops and other means of sharing the knowledge once the story feels more complete to us in this work of reclaiming knowledge from France,” Ironstrack said.

The museum frst featured Myaamia art in 2003. In 2008, it held its “myaamiaki iiši meeh-

tohseeniwiciki: How the Miami People Live” exhibit, celebrating the vibrant heritage of the community with artifacts and objects from the Miami Tribe. Other past exhibits include Myaamia Ribbonwork in 2020 and “Interconnected: Land | Identity | Community” in 2022, which featured some Myaamia student artwork.

“I think it’s really important for the Miami University community to see living examples of Myaamia presence in their homelands,” Shriver said. “Miami is a good place to have living and vibrant examples of Myaamia art, language, culture and history.”

After June 8, the exhibit will move to Oklahoma to share the learning with the Myaamia and Peewaalia community.

Michael Galban, historic site manager of the Seneca Art and Cultural Center, will hold an accompanying program titled “Requickening and Awakening the Dormant” on March 16 from 3-5 p.m. powers40@miamioh.edu smith854@miamioh.edu

Indigenous communities have historically been misrepresented and

“What makes the academic study of religion unique is that it’s interdisciplinary,” French said. “So for all of us in the department, we have varying teaching and research interests that would ft in a lot of diferent programs.”

Despite his hope, French said that it’s “frightening” to go through the process of closing the department.

Even with the possible upending of his future, French sees the reality of Miami’s decision and the reasoning that went behind the upcoming changes.

“The material conditions that built the modern universities around us really don’t exist anymore,” French said. “We are competing with other institutions in ways that are changing all the time. And I think looking at the decisions that I’ve seen from the Ofce of the President, the Ofce of the Provost, the Board of Trustees, I understand

Even with the preservation of staf and classes, Mila Ganeva, GRAMELAC department chair, said issues come with combining multiple majors across a wide array of subjects.

“It is a challenge to maintain the brand of the individual majors that have been attractive to the students,” Ganeva said. “[The major] is going to be called a diferent name, but that doesn’t mean that you’re not going to study the things that you want to study.”

Within the changing state of higher education, Ganeva said a liberal arts education is important for everyone across campus.

“Miami is a liberal arts institution,” Ganeva said, “and our students, whether they major in engineering or computer science or health sciences or nursing or business schools, do need the humanities foundation for all kinds of ethical and humanistic choices they’re going to do within their professional lives.”

turmankd@miamioh.edu

JIM RUBENSTEIN

COMMUNITY COLUMNIST

Birch Creek Bakery, owned by Sasha Symon, frst appeared at Oxford’s Farmers Market on a dark, cold January morning 14 months ago, when only the most intrepid of shoppers and growers were there. Sasha and her husband, Mike Symon, have quickly become fxtures at the market, ofering artisan bread and pastries Sasha bakes. I buy one or two loaves and pastries from them every week.

Sasha and Mike were a “Miami Merger” three decades ago. When

Mike returned to Oxford from Miami University’s Luxembourg campus, he was invited to a party by another student returning from Luxembourg. Also at the party was the roommate of Mike’s friend, Sasha.

The Symons live in Loveland, where they both hold full-time jobs in business, and they hadn’t been back to Oxford since graduation. After Sasha took up baking artisan bread and pastries, they started coming every week to Oxford’s Farmers Market.

My favorite is the organic whole grain stone milled sourdough bread, and I sometimes add the Eastern European rye. These are densely packed

LIAM MILLER

THE MIAMI STUDENT

On Feb. 24, the Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church was not set up for regular services. The main chapel was organized to conduct interviews along with a secondary space with the ability to digitize documents. The individuals inside were not there for church but rather a data collection event.

Jazma Sutton, an assistant professor of history at Miami University, hosted a Black History Harvest in conjunction with Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church in Uptown Oxford. Bethel AME is the oldest Black church in Oxford and now has a mixed congregation.

A history harvest is when a university partners with a local community to preserve artifacts. In this case, Miami University Libraries and Sutton’s Black Midwestern history class partnered with Bethel AME to preserve local artifacts of Oxford’s African American community.

Sutton originally planned the history harvest after she struggled to fnd written records of African American women of the Midwest in traditional archives. In response, she started focusing on digital humanities work.

The event was organized with the help of Rev. Terrence Cato and Rev. Alice Cato, who are the pastors of the Bethel AME Church. They originally met Sutton during homecoming and ofered to help after she told them about her plans for a history harvest.

“This is not a Black thing. This is an Oxford thing,” Alice Cato said. “It’s just focused on the Black history in Oxford and everyone has history in Oxford.”

The Catos later advertised the event to the congregation and reached out to local community members inviting them to participate.

The event consisted of two rooms; the main chapel where interviews were conducted to digitize the oral history from local community members and a room where Sutton’s students digitized documents ranging from photos to newspaper clippings.

The event went beyond the documentation of Oxford’s Black history. Community members met and conversed with each other about the artifacts being preserved and found connections between shared pasts.

Deloris Coles, a class of 1964 Miami alumni and a member of Bethel AME’s congregation, brought in photos and newspaper clippings of her husband Charlie Coles, a former basketball coach for Miami. She resided in Oxford, where her father owned a car wash, until she graduat-

breads, twice as heavy as regular loaves, weighing nearly two pounds. Sasha uses certifed organic four from Janie’s Mill in Ashkum, Illinois, where the kernels of wheat are ground into four on a 3-foot diameter wheel-shaped mill stone. This ancient method of milling wheat grinds the whole wheat kernel, whereas modern industrial rollers typically strip away the nutrient-rich outer bran and germ, leaving only the interior endosperm.

I also take slices of Sasha’s Gâteau Breton each week to the French Club at Oxford Seniors, which attracts several of us intermediate-level French-language speakers, under the wonderful leadership of retired Miami French Professor Michel Pactat. Gâteau Breton is a very labor-intensive cake made with lots of butter, native to Brittany, France.

I recently asked Sasha how she got started with time-consuming artisan baking. I expected a standard response, such as “I watched my mother bake,” so I was surprised when Sasha responded that she learned to bake because of Rwanda. That response clearly needed more elaboration.

During the 1990s, Rwanda had been the site of the most notorious genocide in recent years. In a country of 7 million inhabitants, more than a million perished, and another 2 million were forced to move.

A decade ago, Sasha and Mike decided to take a holiday in Rwanda, a country only one-fourth the size of Ohio, but flled with breathtaking landscapes, including 12,000-foothigh mountains and pristine lakes.

Sasha and Mike were well aware of Rwanda’s tragic history and thought that healing would have occurred af-

ed from Miami. Later, she returned when her husband was hired by the university.

Coles was interviewed by Sutton’s students and described her experience growing up in Oxford as a Black woman in the 1950s and 1960s. Growing up in the 1950s, Coles experienced de facto segregation in Oxford. She described her experiences, which included being forced to sit on the balcony on fold-up chairs in the local movie theater.

Coles also described her experiences in the local Talawanda school district. While the schools were integrated, students tended to self-segregate.

“They didn’t know anything [about] Black people … just what they heard,” Coles said, “You didn’t say hi as you were walking down the hall like you do these days.”

De’Yon Brown, a senior sports management and educational psychology major, recorded the oral history that Coles told during the event.

“She does have an impact on me, knowing that there’s so much more to delve into about African Americans [in] Oxford,” Brown said.

He originally took Sutton’s course to learn more about Black history, which he feels is often overlooked by the traditional education system.

Tyayia Young, a graduate student in creative writing, cataloged material for the archive. She photographed community artifacts ranging from photos of family members and alumni gatherings to bowling plaques and magnets.

“I feel like I’ve [taken] some good pictures and just had conversations with people and to hear the other conversations going on around me,” Young said. “It was nice. Even if people don’t fnd out about this event, the people here have been able to share their history back and forth with one another.”

mill2174@miamioh.edu

ter 20 years, but the people they encountered were still traumatized by the genocide. It was difcult amid the sufering to enjoy the breathtaking scenery, so they returned home earlier than planned. Back in the United States, they decided to spend the remainder of their vacation from work doing something completely diferent. They signed up for baking lessons at King Arthur Baking School in Norwich, Vt. I asked Sasha why she does so much labor-intensive baking after a week of hard work and then drives to Oxford’s Farmers Market early every Saturday morning instead of sleeping

in. Her response: “It’s cool being here in Oxford. I work from home, and see no other humans all week (unless you count my husband).”

rubensjm@miamioh.edu

Jim Rubenstein is Professor Emeritus of Geography. At Miami, he was Chair of the Department of Geography and Advisor for the Urban & Regional Planning major. He now writes human geography textbooks and consults on the auto industry at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. In Oxford, he is Treasurer of the Board of Directors of MOON Co-op Market.

GINA ROTH THE MIAMI STUDENT

For students and community members looking for boba tea in Oxford, there are many options. From designated shops to restaurants with small selections, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, and it can be difcult to know where to start.

I teamed up with Mollie Dufy, a senior public administration and organizational leadership major, who runs the Instagram account @thebobaconcierge, to help taste test. Together, we embarked on a one-night boba adventure hitting six diferent shops.

For this experiment, we wanted to try to keep things as controlled as possible. The plan was to get a regular sized milk tea at each location and then try them all at the same time.

The evening started at Yum Cha, a shop in the plaza across the street from Kroger on Locust Street. We got a 16 ounce regular for $4.95. The store was cute and clean, although it was empty.

The bulk of Oxford’s boba is Uptown, so that’s where we headed next. We tried Ramen Hachi frst, which carries Tsaocha tea. The restaurant was lively with people chatting over ramen. Tsaocha didn’t have anything labeled “original milk tea,” so we opted for their ruby black tea, which was 20 ounces for $5.95.

Just a few doors down was Brick

House Cafe, which didn’t carry tea at all. The restaurant looked as if it was trying to be an Instagram photoshoot location, with a mix of yellow subway tiles, round clear acrylic tables with rainbow LED lights and vines hanging from the wall. There was even a printout of an Instagram photo box that people could pose with. The restaurant was empty. We got their caramel boba, a 20 ounce for $5. Next was Phan Shin, which is also more of a restaurant than a boba shop. There, we got a 16 ounce original milk tea for $4.25. Across the street was Aqua Tea, which felt more like a doctor’s waiting room than a boba shop, with no tables and two rows of chairs lining the walls. We picked up a 16 ounce original milk tea for $5.50.

Our fnal stop

STUDENT

THE

At the corner of West High and North Beech Street sits a building with a history of horses, hardware and hot drinks. Kofenya Cofee House, located at 38 West High St., is frequented by Miami University students and professors alike.

The building we see today was constructed at the turn of the century in 1900, but where the building stands was once one of Oxford’s frst businesses. Ezra Bourne, a live-stock dealer, made his living there trading and taking care of horses until his death in 1909.

The horse stable fourished for many years, with a picture of the original wooden structure dated 1897 showing men proudly showing of their horses directly outside.

There is also an original sign reading “E. Bourne. Livery and Feed Stable,” where the horses owned by people in Oxford would have been kept and cared for by Bourne. This was a vital business for the growing city, allowing it to accommodate both visitors and permanent residents.

The Italianate-style building we know today was built soon after, presumably to accommodate the large number of horses. The architectural style is apparent in the symmetry of the building: the stepped gable front roof creates sharp angles and the red brick.

Details of this style have long since been altered or removed altogether.

The original brick is covered in stucco and painted white, the decorative trim has been removed from the gable roof and the copper awning on the frst foor has been present since at least 1978. However, the small circular window and the curved tops of the other windows from the original design can still be seen on the second foor.

The building soon became the Oxford Hardware store, originally owned by William Umstead. Though it is unclear exactly when the

lone’s newest movie “Alarum” would be flming throughout the city.

“It has defnitely sparked a lot of interest in the community,” said Sally Roi, operations manager for Enjoy Oxford. “You can just look, scroll on Facebook and see how interested people are in it.”

The production soon afected Roi as the flm’s crew transformed the West Park Place building, her ofce space, into a bait and tackle shop. While the crew was setting up, Roi struck up conversations with one of the flm’s art directors, Travis Zariwny. “He was like, ‘Yeah, I’m a flm director as well,’ so we looked him up on IMDb,” Roi said. “And he was like, ‘I actually brought it up because I’d be happy to do a screening if you guys would be able to get that together.’”

On a quick turnaround, the Enjoy Oxford team arranged a Q&A screening of Zariwny’s horror flm “Cabin Fever” for Friday, March 1. The screening takes place at 7 p.m. at the Oxford Community Arts Center.

This event is just one of the side efects that can come with a production’s visit. Seth Cropenbaker, economic development specialist for Oxford, said movies like this can bring small economic benefts.

“As far as direct beneft, there’s

a little bit of revenue through the churn,” Cropenbaker said. “Folks being in town, whether it’s staying in hotels and going to restaurants and things like that, folks who are directly associated, afliated with the flming of the movie.”

However, Cropenbaker also said that the existence of this production doesn’t necessarily mean more movies will come to town.

“I don’t know that Oxford is going to become a flming Mecca,” Cropenbaker said. “Oxford certainly presents itself well depending on what someone wants to do. The state of Ohio is trying to encourage the movie industry to use sites across the state with some various tax credits.”

As studios start looking outside California when making flms, Ohio attracts productions through its tax credit breaks, which ofer up to 30% of a flm’s budget in refundable tax credits. “Alarum” received an estimated value of $5.9 million, denoting a budget of at least $20 million. Stallone will return to Ohio later this spring for his flm “The Epiphany,” according to tax credit information. The tax credit database also notes that a Warner Bros. feature flm could be flming nearby soon in Cincinnati, rumored to be James Gunn’s “Superman: Legacy.” Cincinnati was

ranked number 11 for cities for flming from MovieMaker magazine. This isn’t the frst time a flm has come to Oxford. In May 2022, John Green brought the flm adaptation of “Turtles All the Way Down.” Viewers might also recognize shots of Miami University in George Clooney’s “The Ides of March.”

Even though Roi had to relocate for the week, she said production hasn’t impeded much.

“The crew has been pretty respectful,” Roi said. “Pretty much all of the businesses are still open. There might be delays, but I think that with such a rare opportunity, at least from my perspective, everyone’s been very OK with any delays they’ve had to have.”

“Alarum” doesn’t have a release date yet. IMDb lists that the flm is about a spy rogue couple that must fee their honeymoon cabin after being discovered by the CIA. The flm is directed by Michael Polish, who last directed the Daily Wire flm “Terror on the Prairie.”

@lukejmacy macylj@miamioh.edu

SADIE CHILDS

MIAMI

Miami hockey alum finds appreciation for his professional career despite short stint in the NHL

JEFFREY MIDDLETON STAFF WRITER

Even though the Miami University hockey team is struggling now, it wasn’t long ago they were a perennial top program in the nation.

Those teams were led by a few players who were and are currently making an impact at the National Hockey League (NHL) level, such as Blake Coleman, Alec Martinez and Chris Wideman, and other players who couldn’t quite stick around for as long at that level.

One of the players who falls into the latter category is Andy Miele, one of the most impactful and unique players in the history of Miami hockey in terms of on-ice performance, accolades and leadership.

Originally from Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, Miele currently plays in Germany with the Grizzlys Wolfsburg in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL), the highest league in the country. Before going to Europe, he bounced around NHL organizations and the American Hockey League (AHL) after a four-year stint at Miami.

Miele’s claim to fame as a RedHawk is winning the Hobey Baker in 2010-11, an annual award given to the top men’s college hockey player across the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) landscape.

Miele is the only player in Miami history to win the award.

Standing at 5-foot-9, Miele was a unicorn on the ice, using his speed, agility and unmatched vision on the ice to create scoring chances for himself and his teammates.

A quick glance at his accolades might lead you to believe that Miele was expected to win the award or was highly touted in a way that many universities were looking to bring him into the fold, but that was not the case.

“I wasn’t highly recruited at the college level,” Miele said. “It was just Miami University and Ferris State at the time, and my dad, uncle, brother and sister all went to Ferris State. When Miami was recruiting me, they were a little bit lower in the standings, but once I got to campus, I loved it.”

It’s hard to believe that a player who would go on to win the highest award in all of college hockey wasn’t at the top of scouting lists across the country. However, two people were involved in bringing Miele to Miami, and one of them is a familiar face to many fans of the current hockey regime.

“Jef Blashill and Chris Bergeron were the ones that recruited me at the time,” Miele said. “They were the assistant coaches, and I got along with them really well. I loved what they were saying. The class they were bringing in the year that I was coming in had a lot of great players, so it was a no-brainer for me.”

Miele won the Hobey Baker in his senior season after scoring 71 points in 39 games. He was the highest scorer in the nation with 11 more points in fve fewer games than the next highest player.

That year, Miele played on a line with Trent Vogelhuber, his roommate for all four years at Miami, and Reilly Smith, a sophomore at the time of Miele’s dominance, a Stanley Cup champion with the Vegas Golden Knights, and current forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Skating with talented players will help boost an individual’s point total, but Miele also attributes the success of his senior season to other factors, including special teams.

“My linemates and I just had such good chemistry,” Miele said. “When you start getting points, you get the confdence, and it just keeps going and going. Things clicked, and we

never really got into a slump. Our lines had chemistry, and the power play was really good, and when the power play is clicking at 30%, you’re going to get a lot of points.”

After his senior season, Miele tried his hand in the NHL. After going undrafted, he was signed by the Arizona Coyotes for two years out of college and a year following the expiration of his initial contract, but he only played 15 total NHL games, which many might surmise was due to his stature.

the cards for me.”

However, Miele doesn’t attribute his short stint in the NHL to his frame.

“I don’t think it was a height thing,” Miele said. “I couldn’t fnd a role in the top two lines, and obviously, I wasn’t going to be a guy they’re throwing out to run around and hit people or be the defensive guy to stop their top two lines … It was either you are ready to play and help us win, or you’re not, and I just wasn’t ready yet.”

Because Miele couldn’t fnd a consistent spot with the Coyotes, he was not brought back to the organization, making it even harder to fnd a place on an NHL squad.

“After being there for three years, you’re not ‘written of’ as an NHL prospect, but it’s much harder after that,” Miele said. “I still enjoyed my career and always wish I had more time up in the NHL, but it wasn’t in

Miele went on to fnd a solid career in the AHL, playing for Arizona, Detroit and Philadelphia’s teams before heading over to Europe. There, he played in the Swedish Hockey League , the Kontinental Hockey League , which is Russia’s highest league, and the DEL, where he is today.

Not only has Miele taken his chance to play across Europe, but he also participated in the 2020 Olympics for the U.S., where he scored four points in four games and was named captain of the squad.

“The Olympics were amazing,” Miele said. “You come over to Europe, and you give up on the NHL career, [and] you think for sure the Olympics are out of the question, so to get that second chance at that was pretty amazing and something I’ll be carrying in my heart for my whole life. It’s always hard for me to put my feelings into words when explaining

that experience. It was one of the top highlights of my career for sure.”

While the Olympics and his time in Europe are still impressive feats for anyone in the hockey universe, many on the outside might view a career like that with a form of disappointment. Miele felt that way himself at one point, but he has learned to love his career for what it is and what it has brought him outside of the rink.

“For a while, it was hard for me to see the blessings in the everyday stuf,” Miele said. “Once I could get out of that little young, immature bubble and recognize all the blessings that I had in life and what hockey has done for me, it’s much easier to accept my career and be proud of it and continue to work on the things I need to do to have this career.”

@jjmid04 middleje@miamioh.edu

What to expect from Miami baseball this season

The Miami University RedHawk baseball team is of and running. Miami has gotten of to a 2-5 start to the season but has won two out of its last three games after winning the most recent series against Middle Tennessee State University. Before starting of the home

schedule against Oakland University on March 1, here are some of the storylines of the season. A new era It’s a new era for Miami baseball.

Brian Smiley entered the season as the new head coach after 14 seasons with the Indiana State University Sycamores. Smiley spent the last six seasons as associate head coach after an eight-year stint as an assistant coach.

Last season, Indiana State went 45-17 and 24-3 in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) play en route to the team’s frst Super Regional appearance since 1986. Now, Smiley is looking to lead the RedHawks to their frst Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship and NCAA tournament appearance since 2005.

Defense wins championships

Defense is Smiley’s bread and butter. Last year’s Sycamore squad led the country with a .984 felding percentage. Under Smiley, catcher Grant Magill won the MVC Defensive Player of the Year and was named a 2023 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I Gold Glove winner.

So far this season, the RedHawks hold a .971 felding percentage with seven errors. For comparison, Miami’s opponents this season currently hold a .967 felding percentage with nine errors.

MAC expectations

For Miami to reach the top of the MAC standings, it will have to jump quite a few teams.

Miami was picked to fnish seventh in the MAC Preseason poll, two points behind ffth place Ohio University and one point behind sixth place University of Toledo. That would be a familiar result for the RedHawks. Last season, they tied with Bowling Green State University for seventh in the MAC.

The top four teams at the end of the regular season make the confer-

ence tournament in Avon, Ohio. The winner of the conference tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. If Miami can qualify for the MAC tournament, it would be the frst time since 2019 and would be their frst time qualifying for the NCAA tournament. The RedHawks will have some stif competition in conference play.

Defending regular season champion Kent State University is frst in the preseason poll with 98 points and eight frst-place votes. They are closely followed by defending tournament champion Ball State University with 93 points and three frst place votes. Miami plays both of the top teams in the later end of the season. The team will face Ball State at Hayden Park on April 5-7 and will travel to Kent to face the Golden Flashes on May 3-5.

Transfer season

As one can expect in the transfer portal era, a new coach means there will be at least some degree of roster turnover. Smiley and assistant coaches Kyle Trewyn and Larry Scully brought in nine transfers in addition to fve frstyear signings. Notable non-pitching transfers include junior catcher Ty Batusich, who has started every game so far this season and leads the team with seven RBIs, sophomore infelder Tyler Gordon, who has also started in every game this season, and sophomore

outfelder Tré Keels, who currently leads the team with a .500 batting average (among qualifed players).

Some notable pitching transfers include graduate student Lukas Galdoni, who is tied for frst in the team in strikeouts (5), and 6-foot-10 junior Peyton Olejnik, who has thrown 6.1 innings this season.

Record watch for Zaborowski

Third baseman Ryland Zaborowski was the brightest spot for RedHawk baseball last season. He led the MAC in homeruns (20) and was one away from tying the Miami record for home runs in a season. That record is currently held by Mike Ferris who hit 21 home runs in 2004.

The Yavapai College transfer has started to receive preseason recognition. D1 Baseball listed him as the 27th best third basemen in the country and MLB scouts have their eye on the redshirt junior.

Zaborowski got of to a slow start this season after going 1-12 in the opening series against South Carolina and the midweek game against Indiana. But the slugger started to heat up after getting four hits and adding his frst home run of the season in the weekend series against Middle Tennessee State.

@BryanMiller33 mill2361@miamioh.edu

MIELE’S

THE REDHAWKS BASEBALL TEAM IS

Dan Gwitt hopes to continue the legacy of the volleyball team

KETHAN BABU SPORTS EDITOR

Toward the end of the 2023 volleyball season, Miami University head coach Carolyn Condit announced her retirement after 40 years with the program. With a legacy like hers, including a 682-549 record with Miami, the stakes are high for Condit’s successor and the future of the program.

Luckily Dan Gwitt, an assistant coach and former volleyball player at Penn State University, is up to the task.

Gwitt, who has been announced as Miami’s new head coach for volleyball, didn’t play volleyball until he reached high school. Growing up, he played almost every other sport, but found that learning volleyball later in his adolescent years was a welcomed challenge.

“I was fairly good at most sports,”

Gwitt said. “Volleyball happened later, and it’s a really difcult sport to learn, especially later. I think that was what attracted it to me. There were so many challenges in it, and I could feel myself getting better so quickly.”

Gwitt piqued the interest of Penn State, who recruited him despite joining the sport late. The Nittany Lions were a dominant force in the early 2000s, winning the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association con-

ference tournament and making the NCAA tournament every year in the 2000s.

Though he didn’t play as much as he hoped, Gwitt believes that his time at Penn State prompted him to get into coaching once he graduated.

“My Penn State career defnitely had some ebbs and fows to it,” Gwitt said. “I didn’t play as much as I thought I would when I went there, but I do think that was part of my journey, and it helped me as I’ve gotten older and gone through coaching for a long time.” With four years as a collegiate athlete under his belt, Gwitt set his sights on his coaching career. He began at Centenary College in Louisiana, where he became the interim head coach in 2007 and the youngest Division I head coach in the country.

After a break from collegiate coaching to coach club volleyball, Gwitt was brought back as an assistant coach at Indiana University, where he met future Miami women’s basketball head coach Glenn Box.

“We ran into each other on my second or third day on the job,” Gwitt said. “They were building that program into a powerhouse when I was there, so I was excited to see him here because I know he knows what he’s doing.”

In 2022, Gwitt returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach.

During his time at Penn State, Gwitt helped the program during back-toback successful seasons. In a victorious 2023 season, Penn State held a 23-9 record, a conference tournament championship and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in the NCAA tournament.

Gwitt spent two seasons with his alma mater before getting the call from Miami’s associate athletic director Jenny Gilbert.

“We talked for about 45 minutes straight, and I can tell that she was excited,” Gwitt said. “I was excited to talk to an administrator that really knew the sport … I just knew there was something special about it. You don’t have a coach that stays for 40 years unless this is a great place.”

For junior outside hitter Ellie Hanson, Condit’s legacy will still linger with the team as Gwitt joins the program.

“It’s really hard to understate how infuential, not only as a volleyball coach but as a person and as a woman in sports, she is,” Hanson said. “... I think that so many women today respect her so much and look up to her, and that will never stop.”

Senior Margo Lawson said she and other members of the team were impressed by Gwitt’s support for the program and commitment to continuing Condit’s ideal of treating the team as people frst.

“As soon as he met us, I could tell he was very confdent in himself,” Lawson said. “You can tell he cares a lot about not just the athlete but the person.”

With Gwitt at the helm and his expertise in recruiting, the future of the volleyball program is secure. In the ofseason, Gwitt will work to build trust and team-cohesiveness before attacking next year.

“I’m super competitive,” Gwitt said. “I want to win and want to win the right way. I think that it won’t take long for us to turn this program into an every-year competitor to win the conference title, and inevitably win the conference title a lot, if not every year.”

@thekethan04 babukc2@miamioh.edu

Bringing a program back to life: An inside look into Miami hockey’s recruitment strategy

WILL KEHRES, STAFF WRITER

Over recent years, the Miami University hockey program has struggled to fnd success. This season has been no exception, with the squad currently posting a 7-20-3 overall record and a measly 1-17-2 record in conference play.

The RedHawks hope to revitalize their program through some strong recruiting classes, which makes attracting top-end talent to Miami a high priority.

So, why do hockey players decide to come to Miami University?

For associate head coach Barry Schutte, players choose Miami for the social and educational opportunities.

“Small college town, intimate, engaged experience… a social experience that’s in a fun, safe environment that you can be proud of, and an academic experience that’s going to challenge you and push you outside your comfort zone but yet not overwhelm you,” Schutte said. “Those two heads I think are true for all Miami students, and those are still true for the student athlete.”

This idea is true for Bruno Bruveris, a frst-year goaltender from Latvia, and Max Dukovac, a sophomore forward from Illinois.

“The frst thing that stood out to me was the campus and the services that the school provides,” Bruveris said. “The business school of course was one aspect of it, and the second one probably would be the history of

Miami hockey.” “I had been on a few tours before and I’ve seen other college campuses, and this one is by far I think the most beautiful one that I’ve seen,” Dukovac added.

The recruitment process for NCAA Division I hockey typically begins around a player’s 15U year, as coaches are not allowed to contact players until Jan. 1 of their sophomore year of high school.

Schutte said the scope of the recruitment process has changed dramatically in recent years with the emergence of widespread video at the junior hockey level. Rather than focusing recruiting eforts in nearby areas, coaches can now efciently evaluate players from their ofce.

“Let’s say we need a left-shot, offensive defenseman, and let’s say we narrow that list down to fve guys,” Schutte said. “Well, we can really go back and watch every shift that those individuals play every weekend from our ofces and start to narrow it down, and then maybe we end up with our top two from the top fve.” Video has also made it easier for the coaching staf to evaluate international prospects, who have become an increasingly signifcant focus of Miami’s recruiting eforts over recent years. This year’s roster features 10 international students, including four Swedish players, three Latvians, two Canadians and a Slovakian.

The program’s transition toward international players has been born out of a shift in priorities among

North American recruits. While opportunities for playing time have historically played a much bigger role in commitment decisions, modern North American players are more focused on overall team success. With Miami’s recent struggles, it has been difcult to attract these recruits.

“We feel like we’ve been able to access a higher-level player on some level with some of the international kids because they’re looking for similar things that we’re looking for,” Schutte said. “A place where people matter, there are relationships and trust, all the facilities and the holistic approach of academics, athletics, social … that matters to them.”

The explosion of the transfer portal in college athletics has also forced the RedHawks to adapt. The team saw a mass exodus through the transfer portal at the conclusion of last season, losing eight players, including standouts Red Savage and Ludvig Persson. This forced the coaching staf to dip into the portal to replenish their numbers, but they want to avoid making that a top priority in the long run.

“Some [programs] have chosen to continue to try and do it the traditional way with the four-year guy,” Schutte said. “That’s ideally what we’ve tried. With our 10 sophomores, we’re hoping they’re four-year guys.”

The RedHawks do have a promising recruiting class coming in next season, with most players coming from the United States Hockey League (USHL), the top junior league in the U.S., as well as the top Swedish junior league.

The coaching staf places its faith in the current roster and returning players, and they see the incoming recruiting class as a means of adding to their established talent.

“We need to improve our skill, and that’s been a focus,” Schutte said. “We need to improve our overall hockey IQ. Now, we feel like some of our talent rests within our sophomore class, which hopefully will all be returning, and then we wanted to add some more NCHC-type skill and talent to the lineup.”

Miami’s current squad is nearing the end of its season, playing its fnal home series of the season against the University of Nebraska Omaha on Mar. 1 and 2 at Goggin Ice Center. kehreswe@miamioh.edu

MEREDITH PERKINS COLUMNIST

Bufalo chicken dip is a masterpiece of American cuisine. It combines three seemingly random ingredients — an overfowing cup of hot sauce, a pound’s worth of cheese, and a store-bought rotisserie chicken — into a simple, yet marvelous culinary experience that can bring any group together.

The dip is the descendant of the bufalo wing, a classic sports bar staple created in Bufalo, New York, in the 1960s. The frst recipe to popularize the dish was created by Frank’s Red Hot, who still distributes the original recipe on every bottle.

I love bufalo chicken dip because it transcends culinary boundaries. You can serve it on celery sticks, dip into it with tortilla chips, mix it with macaroni and cheese, serve it on sliders — you can even make bufalo chicken dip tacos, garnished with celery slices.

For my bufalo chicken dip recipe, I do a twist on the traditional Frank’s Red Hot recipe by adding extra seasonings and, somewhat controversially, chopped bacon.

By preparing bacon bits and

soaking the rotisserie chicken in the leftover bacon fat, the dip takes on a deeper, smokier favor that pairs beautifully with the heat of the Frank’s Red Hot Sauce. I also opt to use a block of sharp cheddar cheese, rather than two blocks of cream cheese, to add a sharper favor to the dish.

If you make this recipe, I must warn you — you’re going to be asked to make it for the rest of your life. OK, I’m slightly exaggerating. But this dip is pretty damn good. You’ll start with dicing half a package of applewood smoked bacon and tossing the bacon bits into a skillet heated to medium-high. You’ll want to make sure you’re cooking with a decent-sized skillet, as you’ll be adding all your ingredients into this later.

While your bacon cooks, peel the skin of a rotisserie chicken and shred the chicken into thin pieces. I recommend shredding the chicken by hand rather than by fork to make the process go faster.

Dump the shredded chicken into the saucepan, combining with the bacon fat until the mixture of bacon and chicken is well dispersed.

Now, it’s cheese time, arguably

the most important ingredient. Crumble a block of cream cheese and microwave it for about a minute to soften. While the cream cheese microwaves, shred one block of extra sharp cheddar cheese and add it to the pan. If you don’t own a cheese grater, hand-crumbling works just as well. Then combine cream cheese and stir until melted.

Once combined, add two tablespoons of garlic powder and Frank’s Red Hot hot sauce to taste. The traditional recipe calls for one cup of hot sauce, but I recommend adding in ¼ cup portions to customize to your spice level. I added around 1 ⅓ cups to my batch.

To serve, spread the dip in a small pan or large bowl and garnish with diced green onions. If you prepare the dip in advance, you can store it in the refrigerator and heat in the microwave for one minute increments, stirring between microwave intervals to disperse the heat evenly.

This dip pairs perfectly with celery, tortilla chips or crackers.

The dip will stay good in the refrigerator for up to 72 hours. perkin16@miamioh.edu

ABBEY ELIZONDO SENIOR STAFF WRITER

If you’ve been in Oxford for more than a few months, you know how routine some of the restaurants can get, ordering similar menu items over and over with no change. Recently, I stumbled upon Quesadilla Express. It’s the perfect new place for anyone who loves Tex-Mex cuisine and a quiet place to eat with friends. The location gives you a chance to get away from the familiar streets of Uptown, and my favorite part, the chance to get Dairy Queen on your way back home. When I frst walked in, I was greeted with a fun wall of plants and fowers with a bright pink sign in the center that said “Quesadilla Express” in loopy cursive. It’s the perfect setup to take pictures with friends before having a great meal.

I’ve already been there twice this semester and can’t wait to go back. The frst meal I ordered was a serving of three veggie soft tacos with plenty of toppings and salsa to top it of. What I like about the portions at Quesadilla Express is the versatility of what I can get in my taco bowl. Unlike Chipotle, which rarely has

good salsa and fresh toppings I like, this restaurant has plenty of options to customize tacos, burritos, and of course, quesadillas.

The second time I went to Quesadilla Express, I ordered the dish named after the restaurant, their “quesadilla express,” a quesadilla with a veggie flling of mushrooms and peppers with a side of chips and queso. I love restaurants that give me portions for multiple meals, and this even included chips and queso that I could take home.

For those nervous about spice level, I would urge you to try Quesadilla Express. The only dish I found slightly spicy was the queso, but even then, I wasn’t reaching for water or having to grab a tissue for watery eyes. Everything I’ve had was well-seasoned and customized to my tastes, so if you’re a fan of jalapeños, there’s an option for you too.

If you’re in need of some quality Tex-Mex that’s not your typical Fiesta Charra, go to Quesadilla Express. The service there is kind and considerate, while giving you the perfect meal to take home and enjoy a second time.

Rating: 8/10 elizonar@miamioh.edu

ly long lines due to its popularity, do not be intimidated: The wait passes in mere minutes, as the efcient grab-and-go self service model makes it simple for patrons to pick their pastries before approaching the register.

“A worker will hand you a tray and tongs and you pick out what you want,” said Melissa Ivers, a senior supply chain major at Miami University. “I had the almond croissant, and I was so surprised at how good it was. It was faky and had some kind of almond butter spread in the middle.”

The café ofers many familiar French staples, like crème-flled doughnuts, chocolate and strawberry croissants, danishes, croquettes and a wide array of macaron favors. The baked goods are made in-house, rather than shipped pre-made like Starbucks’ bakery goods.

While the traditional chocolate croissant and the blueberry cream cheese danish are delicious and airy, my favorite menu oferings from Tous Les Jours are the diferent Asian-inspired pastries, such as sweet rice donuts and honey cheese mochi pancakes.

The red bean doughnut, a sugar-coated doughnut with sweet bean flling inside, is a highlight of its Asian-inspired menu.

While the café could use more allergen-friendly options, as most of the baked goods include almonds and gluten, the French-Asian menu ofers an exciting café experience for students interested in exploring different types of pastries.

After visiting three times and ordering multiple pastries each visit, I’ve yet to have a bad experience — in fact, every pastry I try becomes my new favorite.

From croque monsieurs to yuzu pie, the variety and afordability of Tous Les Jours’ menu makes it an excellent choice for students wanting to try new foods without breaking the

bank. Although I ordered multiple pastries and cofees each visit, I never spent more than $20. As a companion to its bakery menu, Tous Les Jours ofers a variety of cofee and teas. While its full cofee menu wasn’t available in the early weeks I visited, the specialty drinks

While the store has amassed dai-

EVAN STEFANIK STYLE EDITOR

For a small business, moving to a college town can change everything. Rooted, Oxford’s up-and-coming hair and beauty salon, sprouted a whole new look to serve Miami University students.

Rooted is diferent from commission-based salons, instead hiring independent stylists who market themselves, set their own prices and make their own hours. The philosophy is to allow its employees’ careers to grow to fuller potentials.

Rooted hair stylist Shelby Buck works with eight other women. She becomes closer with them every shift, whether by doing prep and promo in the backroom or through supporting each other on the foor.

“A lot of our stylists are newer so we all help each other out,” Buck said. “We all want each other to succeed.”

Buck keeps her bookings open from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. Her extensions installments, product consultations, highlights and hour-long womens cuts all make up a stylists’ usual routine. With Miami students, Buck does all that and more.

“We have an amazing presence of Miami student customers,” Buck said. “It’s all really good business, and there’s new clients in the chair who are students all the time.”

Before Rooted opened in early January, Buck worked at its original location in New Miami for a year. Until its owner, Chalee McIntyre, decided to renovate and reopen in Oxford, Buck rarely saw walk-ins.

She spent her time there adjusting to the job, stocking up on the frst

shears, clippers and gloves of her hairstyling dreams. If not for Rooted’s owner reaching out at her cosmetology school’s career fair, Buck would probably belong to another salon and only earn part of her sales, rather than enjoying her current freedoms.

“It’s a big leap for stylists to go independent right of the bat,” Buck said. “It was scary and not the original plan, but I’m so happy I did it.”

The routine at Rooted gives Buck and her fellow independent stylists the larger clientele they need to touch-up on their resume experience.

“This time of year is the slowest season for hair stylists but we aren’t struggling because we opened near students,” Buck said. “Moving was the perfect ft. We’re never not going to have good customers.”

The team treats each other like family by texting and asking open questions. Once, Buck even took a class taught by Rooted’s owner and went out to eat with her later that day.

They hustle together around the weekends, flling appointments for students who usually return home for their cuts but have since discovered a quicker fx at Rooted.

As a lifelong lover of hair, Buck feels best about her pursuits knowing Rooted appeals not just to the community, but especially to Miami students.

“We’ve been really lucky that people are wanting to try us out,” Buck said. “Every day there’s something diferent.”

stefanec@miamioh.edu

CAROLINE ROWELL THE MIAMI STUDENT

Known previously as “J. Crew U” because of its reputation for preppy girls and khaki-wearing guys, Miami University is now a hub of trendy, comfortable and exciting fashion. As an upperclassman at Miami, my own style throughout my time here has defnitely evolved.

In high school, I could count the number of times I wore sweatpants or leggings to class on one hand. In the past two semesters at Miami, I

could count the number of times I wore something that was not athleisure on one hand. As a college student, I and so many others are faced with an incredible but trivial challenge: How do we decide what to pack for college? This question haunts me, and I frequently ponder about the contents of my childhood bedroom’s armoire.

What do I need for the perfect Saturday outft? Where are my most worn-in, perfect-ftting jeans from senior year of high school? In light of this strenuous situation, I have come to know and love the capsule ward-

robe.

I overpacked for college frst semester. My roommate would defnitely agree — our closet was not pretty.

Going through my camera roll, there are very few photos of me in diferent outfts — but there are at least fve black tank tops that I rotated. Don’t get me wrong, I love the art of the perfect tank, but it was a lot.

I discovered the capsule wardrobe when I found out I was going to have to pack clothing for four months in two suitcases: I studied abroad in Luxembourg for a semester and one can not board an economy AirFrance fight with eight IKEA bags.

I was left with no choice but to evaluate my absolute favorites, and it was tough. I consulted previous studiers-abroad and learned that I needed to pack lightly and be prepared to consistently rewear items. As a notorious hater of doing laundry and an overpacker, this was tough.

I did, though, fnd my niche: It is the perfect shade of light-wash denim. My two most notable pieces from my trip were my wide leg Madewell jeans and an Anthropologie denim bomber jacket.

Both pricier items, I knew these were investment choices. Their costper-wear is defnitely in the low dollar amounts by now, and I fnd myself reaching for them in my closet frst more than a year after purchase.

From Switzerland to Rome to Church Street Social, light-wash denim is a staple that will remain in my closet for years to come. I know that I won’t be able to pull it out at a corporate job post-graduation, but you’ll surely fnd me perusing a farmer’s market on a Saturday morning in cute jeans.

Transitioning from high school to college to post-college is a weird, vulnerable and scary time, but with a pair of good jeans and a perfect layering piece, I have faith that everything will fall into place.

rowellca@miamioh.edu

With the loom of graduation later this semester, many students at Miami University might be fearing what comes next for them. Some of them dream of artistic careers such as in the fashion industry and wonder if any room remains for them amongst such high competition.

But no matter where they are in their pursuits, students can learn about, embrace and even elevate their own relationship with style while still in college. Get involved in student organizations

Students can get safe, easy experience by experimenting with student organizations on campus.

Miami’s largest one, Miami University Fashion & Design (MUF&D), allows passionate students to develop their skills in everything from designing and modeling to leading. As the most widely reputable fashion organization on campus, students are bound to network with important contacts in the feld.

Another popular organization is UP Magazine. By working with this publication, students can emulate all

the best fashion magazines and try their own hand at the various roles ofered at UP. The Style section of The Miami Student invites writers of all calibers to make their voice heard. Those in the industry might someday pick up on what they have to say and want to incorporate their opinions in other fashion media. Take advantage of academic opportunities Miami and its community connects students to all kinds of opportunities in fashion. FAS450B, the frst course here to combine fashion and journalism, lets students of any major learn directly from another expert in the department. They can catch up on the fundamentals of fashion while also becoming comfortable in contemporary discussions, starting out as more than just a novice. Students can also choose a major or minor in fashion. The department features a select team of great minds in the game, teaching everything from history, study and actual designing.

One local option for students after graduation is cosmetology school, Aveda Fredric’s Institute. In its main, quick year-long program, students

have fun realizing their potential without spending much more money on their education.

Design your own professional trajectory

Many occupations, internships and other resume points are out there for fashion students of all levels at Miami, on and of campus.

The Cincinnati Style Report, the city’s leading fashion magazine, encourages students to be intern contributors during the academic year. Students should always feel free to inquire to big brands at Miami’s career fairs or by reaching out to shadow a job.

Another local company, Juniper, recently hired new female ambassadors to create social

EVAN STEFANIK STYLE EDITOR

Jody was a marketing major and a communications minor, and Ian was a strategic communications major. They both lived on Church Street during their time at Miami, less than 300 yards apart from each other, but they never met while attending the university.

The O’Neils decided to turn their idea into a reality when they realized that there were no baby books about Miami University on the market.

“Babies appreciate the books, but why not make a book for the parents?” Ian said.

“Since the Miami alumni group is such a passionate group of people that so fondly look back at their Miami experience … we thought it would be a fun walk down memory lane,”

Jody said.

Ian said it was very important to him and Jody to have a Miami alum create the art for the project because they would be familiar with the places mentioned. Luckily, he remembered that his college roommate’s younger brother was a cartoonist as well as a fellow alum.

SEAN SCOTT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Editor’s Note: This article contains light spoilers for “Dune: Part Two.”

As soon as the lights dimmed for “Dune: Part Two,” I started to tear up. I can’t pinpoint when exactly my deep love for “Dune” — both Frank Herbert’s novels and Denis Villeneuve’s on-screen adaptation — began, but this is the most excited I’ve been for a movie. Ever.

And after three long years of waiting, I can fnally say that Villeneuve did not disappoint.

The words that defne “Dune: Part Two” are scale and weight. Like the frst “Dune” or “Oppenheimer,” this movie demands to be seen in a theater where the sound shakes your seat, and you feel it every time the music swells.

I can’t think of any sci-f flm with more efective visuals than what “Dune: Part Two” pulls of. Every setting is both grand and grounded, and the same attention to detail is given to objects as small as knives and as large as spaceships or kilometer-long worms.

Beyond the impressive CGI and props, costume designer Jacqueline West gets to fex her creative muscles throughout this flm, too. The wardrobes for Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) particularly stand out.

“Dune” is a dense book without

a true hero, and much of the confict is internal. Yes, there’s a war, but the true story is about religious manipulation, the dangers of messiah fgures and Paul’s struggle to understand his destiny. To tell the story efectively, a lot rides on the actors’ performances.

Villeneuve has assembled one of the greatest casts since “The Lord of the Rings” to help propel “Dune: Part Two” to its place as one of the greatest sci-f/fantasy sequels ever.

Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya carry the heaviest burdens as the duke Paul Atreides and Chani, a Fremen warrior. Their relationship and ideological disagreements are central to the flm, and each of them gives a career-high performance here.

Austin Butler also stands out as the psychotic Feyd-Rautha, nephew to Baron Vladimir Harkonnen. A combination of Butler’s captivating performance, striking black and white visuals and directing from Villeneuve makes for the most memorable character introduction I can recall. My only wish is that Butler could’ve gotten more screen-time afterward.

But the best performances in “Dune: Part Two” by a sandworm-mile come from Javier Bardem as Stilgar and Rebecca Ferguson as the Lady Jessica. Bardem balances humor in an otherwise bleak flm with a sense of fanaticism and desire for the Fremen to gain control of Arrakis. He doesn’t waste any lines of dialogue, and what could have been a cheesy and jarring

Patrick Geyser is a Miami University class of 2016 graduate, majoring in marketing and minoring in 2D media studies. While he attended Miami, he was a cartoonist for The Miami Student, creating over 176 drawings for the newspaper. He credits this experience as an infuence on the rest of his career.

“It was really good working on deadlines … having to be creative, having to draw something and get it in twice a week with everything else going on,” Geyser said.

The creative process for “Miami Memories A-Z” was relatively smooth. Jody and Ian mentioned encountering few roadblocks, other than the time it takes to publish a book. Geyser described the fexibility he had in the creative process as an artist.

“Ian and Jody would give me a list of letters and all the potential things that they thought would work with them, and I would pretty much use my own knowledge of what that might be,” Geyser said.

For reference photos, Geyser used a combination of publicly available

photos of Miami’s campus as well as pictures from his own Miami experience to create an authentic depiction of life at the university.

Both Geyser and the O’Neils noted the process of getting “Miami Memories A-Z” ofcially licensed by the university. In order to get the book approved, the university had to sign of on the way that it was represented in the book.

The O’Neils decided to self-publish “Miami Memories A-Z” instead of seeking a traditional book deal through a publishing house. Currently, Jody handles the packing and shipping of all orders of the book.

“Even if it’s work, it’s something that we enjoy and we know that it’s been well received. It’s been really rewarding, and we’re grateful for that,” Jody said.

“Miami Memories A-Z” is available to purchase for $18.09 and will soon hit shelves at Brick & Ivy and DuBois bookstores.

@lilymariereads wahllm@miamioh.edu

MIA ZURICH THE MIAMI STUDENT

Adult cartoons and animated shows are often called “bad” media due to pre-decided notions about animated shows. Regardless of this, you’ll fnd the average college student repeatedly returning to shows like “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy” day after day.

These shows combine the child-like wonder that comes with animation with mature humor, giving them a unique quality that taps into a new market in the media industry.

These seemingly simple shows often have complex themes and plots that touch on various issues that teenagers, college students and adults can all relate to, making these cartoons “binge-worthy” shows where around 62% of viewers watch three or more episodes in one sitting.

Quinn Classen, a junior software engineer major, has learned to appreciate the overlooked details in modern adult cartoons.

attempt at being funny is instead effective.

Ferguson, meanwhile, transforms from a concerned — albeit complicit — mother to Paul and member of the Bene Gesserit to a full-blown Reverend Mother scheming to force her son into accepting the mantle of a messiah. Jessica’s transformation is uncomfortable and almost terrifying to watch, but Ferguson is utterly convincing throughout. She also talks to a fetus throughout the flm, so that’s fun.

Unfortunately, that fetus is where the one faw with “Dune: Part Two” comes in. Villeneuve postpones the birth of Alia, Paul’s sister, to the detriment of the story’s timeline.

Adapting Alia directly from the books is an impossible task. I don’t envy anyone burdened with faithfully depicting a toddler who is fully sentient and can access the lived experiences of hundreds of generations before her. It just isn’t screen-friendly, and I understand why Villeneuve held of on it for now and could skip over it entirely with a time jump in “Dune Messiah.”

The second half of “Dune” the book spans fve years and ends with Alia as a 4-year-old, giving time for Paul’s messianic plot to develop. By postponing Alia’s birth, Villeneuve is forced to condense the rest of the story into an eight-month period instead, and that just isn’t enough time for Paul to become a fgure-

“For shows like ‘BoJack Horseman,’ some episodes in there are extremely well thought out and very valid critiques of modern society with masks of satire and comedy,” Classen said. “This is an inherently complex and elegant way to approach issues like that.”

What separates adult cartoons from live-action are the added afordances that come with animation. Creators can design unusual scenarios to demonstrate real-world situations without being limited by human actors.

For example, in “South Park,” some episodes travel into the human imagination, where viewers can see diferent personifed elements of the human subconscious battling issues of morality. “Animation afords a lot of other possibilities for modes of communication and getting an emotion across,” Classen said. “For example, how you animate certain actions can promote a certain reaction to them that you can’t always achieve with live action.”

Some adult cartoons have more than 20 seasons and an extensive array of lovable characters, causing extreme audience loyalty. Turning on

“Futurama” or “Archer” as a comfort show to wind down after a long day has become the norm for many students here at Miami.

Engaging with media is the key to understanding the lure of adult cartoons. The minor details, easter eggs throughout episodes and jokes that are only truly funny to long-time viewers make these shows genuinely worth watching.

Michael Makee, a frst-year marketing major, has watched all 26 seasons of “South Park.” He said his familiarity with the characters and plot keeps him coming back to rewatch episodes.

People who want to start watching adult cartoons should be open-minded to the themes and humor many of these shows contain. Taking more sensitive topics displayed playfully with a grain of salt is the best way to consume this media.

“Starting to watch adult cartoons can seem weird to some people, but try not to be discouraged by some of the stigmas surrounding some of the shows,” Makee said. “For all you know, you may fnd your new favorite show.”

zurichme@miamioh.edu

head for the Fremen. The fast-tracked timeline didn’t dampen my enjoyment of the movie at all, but I did notice it every time Paul moved up a rung on his ladder to power.

Celebrities,

CHLOE SOUTHARD

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

If you’ve spent any amount of time online, it’s safe to assume that you’ve stumbled across content creator Brittany Broski.

Perhaps you know her from the viral 2019 kombucha meme. Maybe you know her from her unhinged secondary TikTok account. You might even know her as a friend and collaborator of drag queen Trixie Mattel.

Regardless, there’s a high chance you’ve seen at least one form of content involving Broski — even if you didn’t know it.

Since the kombucha meme blew up, Broski has regularly uploaded content to both TikTok and YouTube. She’s also gone on to interview celebrities such as Jack Harlow and Hozier. From January 2022 to December 2022, Broski co-hosted a podcast with fellow infuencer Sarah Schauer called “Violating Community Guidelines.”

“Violating Community Guidelines” ended abruptly (and messily); fans were left without any explanation as Broski and Schauer went their separate ways. I was devastated by this news, as I was a major fan of the podcast.

Then, in May 2023, Broski announced her new, solo podcast on Instagram: “The Broski Report.”

As much as I was going to miss Schauer and Broski’s dynamic, I still found myself excited for “The Broski Report.” An entire hour of Broski ranting about whatever comes to mind? I couldn’t ask for anything

more entertaining. So, since the podcast’s frst episode, I’ve tuned in every Tuesday to hear about Broski’s latest obsessions, experiences and more. “The Broski Report” has no structure; Broski simply talks about whatever she wants and shares her songs of the week.

From flm and music discussions to Wattpad to the issues within Christianity to Chernobyl — Broski covers it all.

No matter what the topic at hand is, Broski manages to make it entertaining. I’m not a fan of fantasy novels — something that Broski is extremely ardent about — but whenever she talks about her favorite books, I always fnd myself engaged and entertained.

There’s something enticing about these weekly babble sessions that keeps me coming back. They feel like a conversation with a friend; Broski is relatable and hilarious, and she knows her audience well.

Broski speaks casually and without a care. This unpolished, unscripted format is my favorite approach to podcasting. When I’m listening to a podcast, I don’t want something that I’m going to have to intently listen to — I want something that makes me giggle, something that I can listen to on a walk or while I’m laying in bed.

Broski has gained a reputation as the internet’s fangirl. She’s passionate about the media and celebrities that she loves. She speaks unabashedly about these obsessions and, to viewers like myself, it’s nice to see someone who openly expresses their interests and is so immersed in stan culture.

Even if I’m not a fan of some of the artists that Broski discusses, I appreciate her devotion to them and fnd the way she talks about them to be entertaining. Broski has also established inside jokes with her fanbase, which she’s dubbed Broski Nation. She’s the supreme leader, of course, and we’re her loyal subjects. At this point, Broski Nation has its own lore, including decrees, uniforms, a legal system and more.

The way Broski engages with her fans makes her content even more enjoyable. Typically, creators don’t actively participate in their fanbases. By creating this fctitious nation and consistently interacting with fans, Broski has made our relationship with her feel more personal, and that carries over to “The Broski Report.”

As someone who has been a fan of Broski’s content for years, I’ve loved watching her grow and expand her platform. “The Broski Report” has been an absolute gift that I now look forward to every week. If you’re looking for a comedic, easy listen, I couldn’t recommend “The Broski Report” enough. Yes, this is me trying to recruit new members to Broski Nation, and no, I’m not being paid to do it — we work for free in Broski Nation.

So go give “The Broski Report” a listen. You won’t regret it. I’ll leave you with some parting words from fearless leader Brittany Broski herself: “Goodnight, good luck and God bless.”

Rating: 10/10

@_chloebowie_ southacr@miamioh.edu

Black Plastic closes Oxford location, leaving

STELLA POWERS ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

Toward the end of the fall semester, record collectors were in for a shock when they made their way Uptown and discovered that Black Plastic, the record store in Oxford, had closed its doors. After opening in late 2022, the record store was only open for about a year before its closure.

Black Plastic sold a variety of records, with new releases from artists like Taylor Swift to older, used vinyl. On top of selling records, the store also held an early listening party for Mitski’s album “The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We.”

Emma Schaefer, a frst-year speech pathology and audiology major, attended this listening party. “It was fun. They gave us posters and wristbands and stuf for her new album,” Schaefer said. “We went and they played the record over the whole store.”

Despite having never purchased from Black Plastic directly, Schaefer has collected records since she was in eighth grade.

“I really like music, and I like having a physical copy,” Schaefer said. “I only get it for the albums that I really want.”

Some of Schaefer’s favorites in her collection are “Tusk” by Fleetwood Mac, “Folklore” by Taylor Swift and “Rubber Soul” by the Beatles. Schaefer wasn’t even aware that Black Plastic had closed and was disappointed when she found out through a group chat.

“I feel like a lot of kids listen to music and lots of people collect records now. I feel like it’s coming back,” Schaefer said. “So I think it’s important to have a place where people who like music can go and hang out and meet each other and buy records.” Schaefer believes that streaming services like Spotify may negatively impact stores like Black Plastic that sell physical media because once the subscription is paid for, users have access to all of these albums for free.

Ellie Irish, a sophomore majoring in emerging technology in business and design, has been collecting records since her frst year of high school when she received a record player for Christmas.

Irish collects records for a similar reason as Schaefer — the excitement of actually owning a physical copy of the album.

“I’m such a big music person,” Irish said. “I feel like there’s just something really special about getting your own pressing of some of your favorite songs and knowing that you don’t need the internet or rely on Spotify to listen to music.”

On top of owning a vinyl pressing, Irish likes being able to refect and enjoys the nostalgia of it all as well.

“It’s kind of nostalgic to go through the years and [see] how my music taste has grown,” Irish said. “Having a physical remembrance of it is just really special to me.”

Irish has bought around three or four records from Black Plastic and frequently visited the store with her dad.

She enjoyed going in and visiting with the owner, Steve Schmoll, as he understood his audience well and appreciated the community that Black Plastic provided.

“I defnitely think it’s important for any town to have a record store. I feel like there’s just a sense of community that it brings, especially because there’s not a lot of ways for people to come together through music,” Irish said. “It’s really important for anyone to just be able to browse through music, vinyl and refect on those.” Irish was devastated by Black Plastic closing.

“It’s just sad. I wish there was more that we could have done,” Irish said. “I don’t know if there was even anything we could have done, but I feel like it was such a good place to collect vinyl. I feel like the selection was always so good — a little something for everyone. It defnitely will be missed.”

powers40@miamioh.edu

The Miami Choraliers treble choir is a womens’ group on campus. For students such as Natalie Czarnik, a frst-year in Choraliers, her primary instrument is her voice.

Czarnik is a music education major with a minor in musical theater. Even if participation in a large ensemble wasn’t a necessity for her major, she’d still choose to be involved with the Choraliers.

“Whether or not it was required, I would be part of the choir because it’s cool,” Czarnik said.

The treble group, composed of around 50 students, rehearses on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each session starts with vocal warm ups like scales before practicing pieces for upcoming concerts.

Choraliers are divided into altos and sopranos with subsections within each group. Oftentimes, the girls play games to get to know each other in a large group gathering.

“This semester we went and performed at the Ohio Music Educators Conference, which is an invitation only type thing. It was a big honor for Choraliers to go sing and for us to experience,” Czarnik said. “We’ve been doing programs that are focused on women empowerment.”

Czarnik detailed a piece the Choraliers brought to the Ohio Music Educators called “What Happens When A Woman Takes Power?” This song asks questions about a woman in power exploring her rights to autonomy and being heard.

The treble choir dips into other pieces about human rights, including an upcoming concert concerning the Freedom Summer that Oxford partook in in 1964. The performance will include singing African spirituals and work songs that were popular with people of color.

One piece the girls sang during rehearsals was “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” an African American spiritual hymn that originates in early oral and musical African American traditions.

However, the Choraliers’ director, Robyn Lana, branches out into other kinds of songs as well.

“We’ve sung ‘Ave Maria,’ which is very classical,” Czarnik said. “One thing I defnitely like is our director flters in a bit of everything. Especially from an audience perspective, you’re always guessing, but somehow it all works together.”

Courtney Reckelhof, a sophomore in the alto section, provided her input in her experience with the Choraliers.

“I felt like I was slipping into another family,” Reckelhof said. “I felt right at home like I just had this sense of where I belong.”

Reckelhof went on to talk about the balance between balancing schoolwork with Choraliers. Getting caught up in schoolwork in balancing time as a college student is rather common. Fortunately for the Choraliers, the class counts as a credit each semester.

“The wonderful thing about Choraliers for me is that it is a class. It’s almost mandatory to go take a break,” said Reckelhof. “I actually fnd after

going into Choraliers I feel so much better.”

Currently, the young women are conducted by substitute Anthony Tracy King while Lana is in Hong Kong. Tracy King has taken pleasure in working with the girls in Lana’s absence, though the ladies talk fondly of both instructors. Reckelhof highlighted her favorite parts about working with both instructors.

“I just love when we have new directors come in. They bring in such fresh energy and a new approach to the way we function,” Reckelhof said. “And Mrs. Lana, I love her so much. She’s like our Choir Mom. She cares genuinely so much about us and growing the program.”

Reckelhof and the other girls in the program hope Lana will continue to instruct them year after year. They look forward to her return from Hong Kong. Some members will travel to Italy in May to perform on a tour in a few short months. Reckelhof is one of the members attending this trip abroad.

“For me personally, this will be my frst time out of the country,” Reckelhof said. “I’m so excited.

JOSIE ZIMMERMAN

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Places I want to visit for spring break It’s official: I’m a zynner

PATRICK SULLIVAN CO-HUMOR EDITOR

“Oh the Places You’ll Go” was a book written by Dr. Seuss. Dr. Seuss lived in imagination land and did not appreciate the harsh reality that you cannot just travel to any old place you’d like without a price.

“You’ll join the high fiers who soar to high heights.”

It costs $600 to fy from Oxford to Miami, Florida.

You can’t just join the high fiers, Dr. Seuss.

“And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go!”

Not everyone is a world famous author. Some of us are going wherever we can fnd a job this summer. Some of us have even succumbed to survive a summer in Wooster, Ohio, just for a paycheck.

If Dr. Seuss can live in imagination land and pretend that nothing can stop us from going wherever our heart desires, then allow me to present to you my imaginary list of dream spring break destinations.

Candy Land

Do I really need to explain this one?

Everyone remembers frolicking around the life size candy on the board game, Candy Land. Imagine spring breaking there. You’re seven beers deep by noon jumping on gum drops and taking bites out of licorice vines.

The sand you’re walking on is really just Nerds that you can scoop into your mouth by the handful. Go fshing for some delicious Swedish Fish.

Your dentist would have a heart attack when you came back, but you can’t say that sugar high wouldn’t carry you right through your severe hangovers all day. Hundred Acre Wood

Right of the bat, this destination might not seem all too tantalizing. I mean, who wants to vacation in 100 acres of trees, right? You will after I start dropping the names of celebrities who live in these woods.

Ever heard of Winifred Robin? Better known by his stage name, Winnie the Pooh. I know you would love a chance to hang out with Winnie the Pooh and Piglet.

I don’t know about you, but I want to try whatever gives Tigger his bounce every morning. And you can’t tell me poor, depressed Eyeore doesn’t know how to throw back

some tequila to mask his pain.

Where do I sign up to party with that crew?

Emerald Bay

At frst glance, Emerald Bay seems like any old college spring break spot, but it is so much more. At this bay, you would be in the hottest, safest hands because this is the home of “Baywatch.” Because we are journeying through the depths of my imagination, we will imagine that this Baywatch team is a combination of the prime ’90s team and the 2017 movie team. Imagine you combined the ’90s Chicago Bulls dynasty with the Lebron James that came back down 3-1 in the NBA fnals. That’s what you’re working with in the case of attractive lifeguards. I would purposely try to drown myself every couple of hours just to get prime Pamela Anderson or Alexandra Daddario to be my prince charming and scoop me up, carrying me of into the sunset.

If I’m being honest, it would even be cool if The Rock cradled me up. He could probably throw me so high. South Dakota

I’m sure you all have heard about the “50th state” called South Dakota. We’ve read all about the idea of this land being in the continental U.S., but I’m not convinced it actually exists. Which is why, the last place on my imaginary spring break list is South Dakota. According to legend, South Dakota is home to many diferent species of aliens, and there are a ton of super credible sources who have been lucky enough to see, and even get probed by, them. There’s also this fantastical mountain with humongous heads miraculously jutting out of the top. It’s so ridiculous that I have no idea how they got up there. A lot of people suspect aliens, like the pyramids. The main attraction of hypothetical South Dakota is the man himself. Bigfoot. Sasquatch. Yeti. Uncle Bill. I’ve heard all of the names of this giant, hairy, ape of a man who lives in caves and poops in the woods. He really doesn’t sound all that diferent from my dad. If he’s anything like my dad, though, he sure would know how to throw down a dangerous amount of alcohol.

sulli293@miamioh.edu

TEDDY JOHNSON

CO-HUMOR EDITOR

Alas, my dear Zyn, what doth make thee so beautiful? Thine buzz giveth me the shivers … If I were to write a poem about Zyns, that is how it would start. But why would anyone write about a nicotine pouch you bury in your upper lip?

Because our society obsesses over these little white lip pillows that give you such a buzz you’ll think you are in The Bee Movie.

But more importantly, Zyns are like narcan for beer. If you feel sleepy, pop some upper deckys and you’ll feel like a new person.

Zyns are necessities all the time, but most importantly on a night out. The problem is that each can only has 15 pouches. After pounding beers

and slugging claws, a can of Zyn diminishes faster than Joe Biden’s memory. The solution? Ask someone else for a Zyn. Don’t know how to ask? Here are my suggestions:

Hey, you got any Tucker Carlzyns?

Got any Zynacchino’s?

My good sir, doth thou have an upper decky? Anyone seen Christzyn McCaferey around here?

Yes, I would like a 6 milli lip pilly please and thank you. You, sir, look simply amazyn tonight.

There is probably a Reddit page full of diferent names for Zyns in case you are looking for suggestions. Now that a Zyn has been secured, make a toast with a friend, then place your tired lip on the best pillow known to man.

Then voìla, refreshed and ready. Everyone notices your revitalization. So much so that someone in the back yells, “Get this man his keys!” to which the rest of the bar erupts in approval.

I mean, Christzyn McCaferey didn’t get a nickname because he’s the best white running back of all time. No, it’s because he pops upper decky 6 mili vanilly lip pilly with the people.

It provides bravery where there is none. Tucker Carlzyn landed an interview with Vladimir Putzyn, one of the most difcult tasks in exzynstince. Before we know it, zyns will be in space.

Ah the admiratzyn I have for thee zynnachino.

john1595@miamioh.edu

Stories from a semester abroad

CONNOR OVIATT THE MIAMI STUDENT

For those of you who don’t know me (which I’m going to assume that the only people reading this article do know me), I am studying abroad in Luxembourg this semester. Don’t worry, it will be the only thing I talk about when I return to Oxford.

In addition to not having to attend any TMS events this semester, I have had many wonderful experiences while abroad.

I wanted to share with you some of the highlights of my trip so that I can remind you how much more awesome my semester is than yours. So, sit back, relax and enjoy reading about how much better I have it.

1. Asking Germans what it’s like to lose two world wars

My frst weekend here, I was able to go to Germany on some old rich dude’s dime (make sure to donate to Miami when you graduate, kids). While I was there, I took it upon myself to let the Germans know how much better we are as Americans, both tactically and intellectually.

Germany had easy opportunities to defeat the French (who we will get to later) and the British (couldn’t even take a bunch of American colonists) not once, but twice, and couldn’t fnish the job before big bad America came in to save the day.

So, I went into the public square, singing “The Star Spangled Banner,” and held up a sign that said, “Back to back World War Champs.” The sheer looks of shame on the faces of the

Germans were worth the thousands of dollars in debt that I am accumulating over here. I got a few snarky comments about being a “typical arrogant American,” but it’s not my fault they didn’t plan properly for the siege on Verdun. I also made sure to mention how stupid lederhosen look and spoke the truth all Germans fear most: that sauerkraut is the worst food ever invented. Overall, I put the Germans in their place and couldn’t be more proud of myself. 2. Messing with a French mime This past weekend, my friends and I went to France to eat bread and drink wine (very responsibly, I may add). However, while I was there, I had to tell all of the stupid mimes how dumb their professions were. Because baguettes are cheap (roughly equivalent to $3) I bought about 10 baguettes and smacked the mimes with them. When they pretended to slap me back, I would simply retort “You’re not doing your job correctly — you didn’t hit me with a baguette.” I decided that most of the mimes suck, as they would typically start sobbing. I’m hoping that my heroism inspired them to take on more useful professions, such as hot tub streaming or TikTok dancing. 3. Releasing bald eagles and griddying in every country I visit Finally, I wanted to bring two of America’s best pieces of culture to Europe – bald eagles and the griddy.

Because I am such an amazing patriot, I successfully smuggled 10 bald eagles into my luggage to release throughout Europe.

The lack of bald eagles is just another way that Europe is inferior to America. The eagles I am currently holding onto (Apple Pie, Baseball, Football, Betsy Ross, Fried Chicken and Timmy) are staying in my bedroom where I feed them a fantastic American diet of twinkies and hot dogs.

When they are ready, I will take them to a new country and let them chase their American dream. This will not be an ecological nightmare. Trust me, I read Charles Darwin’s stuf.

I am also going into each town center, blasting Cardi B and griddying my little heart out. The locals typically start yelling very loudly, which, because I never bothered to learn their language, I assume is in support of my fantastic dancing.

Multiple police forces have tried to stop my demonstrations, at which point I remind them of my First Amendment rights. I think I am drastically improving local culture and saving people’s lives with my astonishing moves.

Overall, I have greatly enjoyed my time abroad. I am going to continue fghting the good fght and let everyone know how much better America is than their stupid countries. If you have any ideas on how to help my cause, feel free to email me at:

oviattcc@miamioh.edu

Just another headline dump

HUMOR STAFF THE MIAMI

Humor editors break record long streak of not having a headline dump; no one notices

Another Valentine’s Day has come and gone; humor editors still single

St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner, time to harvest my potatoes

Farmer student facing unemployment after dad retires from J.P. Morgan

FACT: On campus dining options got so much better after I moved of campus

New Apple goggles sweeping the nation; my mom still won’t buy me one

FACT: Men who go to the gym regularly cry in the shower after making eye contact with women

As Women’s History Month begins, Bass Pro Shops, Home Depot and Ace Hardware stockpile ear-plugs

McDonald’s faces lawsuits as Shamrock Shakes proven not to be the ofcial drink of choice for leprechauns

Pledging frst-year boys conveniently “felt like cleaning the entire frat house” prior to inspection

Humor writers try to write a political joke, editors inform them that they will be replaced by an ad again in next week’s edition

Sliced vegetable supply increases in university dining halls as “Get to the choppa!” rings across campus

SCIENCE FICTION?

NO, JUST SCIENCE.

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Sign up for exclusive access, only available to Miami University Students.

Scan the code to receive 4 weeks of free access & the chance to receive a $15 gift card.*

*Only students selected to participate in a small survey about their experience will receive a gift card.

TAYLOR POWERS STAFF WRITER

Growing up in a small town, you’d probably expect that when I graduated high school I would enroll at a college hundreds of miles away from home. I’d pack up and leave behind the place I had spent my entire life.

I could’ve moved hours away to somewhere like New York or West Virginia, as some friends did. Far behind me in the rearview mirror would be my high school, the cornfelds and too many gas stations and pizza places to count.

Instead, I chose Miami University, roughly 20 minutes away from home.

And I chose to live here too.

I dread the classic “Where are you from?” icebreaker question teachers ask on the frst day of class. While my classmates get to participate in a little competition of “Who is the farthest from home?” I know I’ll always be the loser.

“Trenton, Ohio. It’s like, 20 minutes from here,” is consistently my answer. And the responses are always the same.

“Must be nice being so close, you’re probably never homesick.”

“You never have to pay for laundry since you can just take it home.”

“I’m sure you go home every weekend.” Allow me to shatter your expectations.

Yes, homesickness is not a common issue for me, because I never really left home. I just went from a small town to a slightly larger small town. However, I often forget how close home is because of how diferent Oxford is from my hometown. Everything is new and exciting to me, even though I’m subconsciously aware that if I need to return home, I can.

This doesn’t mean I never get homesick. I feel it when my parents send photos of my dog to our group chat. I feel it when the trains pass by in Oxford. I feel it when I’m up late playing video games with friends or looking at their photos on my corkboard, counting down the days till we’ll all be in town again.

I don’t take my laundry home every weekend either. Sure, it would save me some money, but not time. It’s much easier to head down to the basement than to drive home every week for a few hours just to clean some clothes.

Plus, I like doing laundry. Doing chores like laundry, cleaning, trash and grocery shopping makes me feel like a responsible adult.

I don’t go home every weekend. When I do, it’s to attend an event, like a friend’s birthday party, or a

show with my mom at the Aronof Center for the Arts in Cincinnati. She bought 2023-2024 season tickets for my 18th birthday and likes to joke she got them so I would be “forced to come home.”

As though she thought I would leave home and never come back. As if I was just waiting for the moment I could leave the safety and comfort of my loving parents. I make sure each trip home has a reason. If I come home every weekend, then what’s the point of paying for a dorm room? I could commute like my hometown friends who go to Miami do and save a decent amount of money while being able to shower without shoes and fall asleep in peace and quiet.

My original plan was to commute. But surprisingly, my mom encouraged me to stay on campus. She wanted me to experience college to the fullest.

I am very grateful she did. I appreciate that she allowed her wish for me to live and grow to overcome the motherly anxiety that made her uneasy at the thought of me leaving home.

I know I’m in no place to complain, considering there are students here who can’t even leave during the shorter breaks. I know how silly I sound complaining about how people expect me to never spend my weekends up here.

But I do fnd it a little crazy, and slightly annoying, that people don’t expect me to stay in town. I want the college experience and I won’t get it if I’m driving home every weekend. I want to take advantage of my time here before my life begins. powerstj@miamioh.edu

OLIVIA KERBEN THE MIAMI STUDENT

When you leave the country, it’s a given that some things are going to be diferent, whether it’s politics, currency, language or food. But I did not realize being a few hundred miles from home in the same country, there could also be such stark diferences.

The most notable shock I experienced in Oxford after coming from Maryland was an immediate cold shoulder when anything related to politics came up.

I grew up browsing the web and reading the news. Like clockwork, my family sat down for dinner and watched NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams at 7 p.m. I did not realize until I got to Oxford how unique my experience was.

Why it’s a problem

In today’s digital age, social media “news” has become extremely prominent, according to PEW research. An increasing number of individuals rely upon social media for their newsfeeds. This not only undermines journalism but also our democracy. The rise of social media brought about a digital revolution no one saw coming, and it destroyed a litany of journalism norms.

Because social media companies have asserted that they are largely not responsible for policing content on their platforms, it has become a dystopian Wild West environment.

Beyond our many outdated laws, a fundamental part of the problem lies with individuals who solely rely upon their social media feeds for the news, where believability is often unknowingly stretched.

This is an election year, and misinformation is continuously on the rise. Congressman Jim Clyburn said he worries about “whether or not we’re going to have a campaign for the presidency free of all of these interruptions and all of the misinformation.” Congressman Clyburn of South Carolina stated. This past week on Face the Nation, Clyburn touched on his personal experiences of hearing a concerning amount of untrue things.

Misinformation is continuously destroying the public trust and con-

JENNY FISHER

CO-PRESIDENT OF ORGANIZATION, LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF OXFORD

Good government groups are active in Ohio again, and you might see some of them holding a Citizens Not Politicians petition. The Citizens Not Politicians initiative is collecting signatures to bring reform to Ohio’s redistricting process. If passed by Ohio voters in November, this change to the Ohio constitution will remove politicians from the process of creating legislative maps and shift that responsibility to citizens through the creation of an independent redistricting commission.

Why is this important? Ohio voters overwhelmingly passed redistricting reform measures at the ballot box in 2015 and 2018 because they wanted to make the redistricting process fair. But those on the Ohio Redistricting Commission didn’t follow the rules.

In 2021 and 2022, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled seven times that the Ohio maps created by the commission were unconstitutional; fve times for state maps and twice for congressional maps.

How could this happen? The problem is that the Ohio Constitution doesn’t have a penalty for creating unconstitutional maps. Despite a constitutional mandate requiring an open and transparent process, politicians on the Ohio Redistricting Commission made these illegal maps behind closed doors over and over again. When fair district maps were needed for the 2022 election and had not been provided by the commission, Ohio voters saw it for what it was.

Our politicians were trying to run out the clock. Ohio voters had to vote on unfair, unconstitutional maps in that election. It’s voters who sufer when Ohio maps are not balanced, and politicians aren’t accountable to voters.

fdence in our democracy. This poses concerns as the U.S. remains polarized in a time when unity is imperative for the sake of our country and the world.

Why you should care

We hold a responsibility as global citizens to be informed about what is going on not only in our country but across the globe. Although the humanitarian issues going on in Chad may be a world away, it still is a signifcant issue requiring one’s attention and concern.

Domestically, prominent issues that never seemed to be a debate are now on the table for discussion. It is imperative, especially as a young voter, to use your voice to advocate for what you believe in and remember that your vote does matter.

What you can do about it

Across the nation, an unnecessary mental game of tug of war is taking place, when it is actually possible for things to be simultaneously right … or wrong.

It is important to understand how crucial open-minded conversations between one and another are. It sheds light upon diferent perspectives without seeking to tear down another’s perspective or force-feed ideologies to people who disagree.

I decided to poll my friends about how they get their news. The question asked was, “What platform do you rely on for your news?” The answer choices were social media, television/newspaper/radio and none.

Out of the 11 people who took the poll, 72.7% voted that their main source of information for news is their social media feeds. The other 27.3% voted that their understanding of news comes from

television/newspaper/radio.

I was not shocked but admittedly disappointed. Social media is a valuable tool for staying connected with others, but being solely reliant on it leaves individuals vulnerable to misinformation and becoming ill-informed. We cannot force individuals to become immediately attuned to what is going on, but you can do your part by creating a more informed public. This can be done by cross-referencing sources before sharing with others, having conversations with peers about issues to learn about other perspectives and continuing to advocate for what you believe in. And most importantly, vote!

Are you a: • writer • photographer • designer • or illustrator? Visit miamistudent.net to Join the TMS Team! Yes, I’m close to home. No, I don’t drive back every weekend Collecting signatures to end gerrymandering Relying on social media for news is dangerous Jenny Fisher is the co-president of the Organization for the League of Women Voters of Oxford. The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and infuences public policy through education and advocacy. Olivia Kerben is a senior double majoring in social justice and professional writing. Originally from Rockville, Maryland, Olivia has an unwavering passion for social justice and is enthusiastic about her opportunity to serve as an opinion writer for The Miami Student in her fnal semester. Taylor Powers is a frst-year double majoring in journalism as well as media and communication from Trenton, Ohio. This is her frst year with The Student, where she is a multi-section contributor. GRAPHIC BY MACEY CHAMBERLIN GRAPHIC BY ERIN MCGOVERN GRAPHIC BY HANNAH POTTS FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2024 Opinion 16

The Citizens Not Politicians initiative fxes these problems. It would create a 15-member Ohio

Citizens Redistricting Commission made up of fve Republicans, fve Democrats and fve Independents who represent the diferent geographic areas and demographics of Ohio. It prohibits current and former politicians, political party ofcials and lobbyists from serving on the commission. It requires fair districts by making it unconstitutional to draw maps that favor any political party or individual politician, and it requires the commission to operate under an open and independent process that relies upon impartial map-drawing specialists.

Getting an Ohio constitutional amendment on the ballot is difcult. 413,000 signatures must be collected from at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties by June. If enough signatures can be gathered, the initiative will be on the November ballot. If voters approve the reform measure, new maps will be created using the new process in time for the 2026 election. You’ll see signature collectors out at events and going door to door. The important thing to remember is the name, as it says it all: Citizens Not Politicians. Let’s end gerrymandering in Ohio once and for all. Sign the Citizens Not Politicians petition.

At

The purpose of liberal education in a tumultuous world

ROSEMARY PENNINGTON ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF JOURNALISM

When I was 18, I sat in a crowded lecture hall at Ohio University, crammed on both sides by people I didn’t know, freaked out about how I was going to keep my head above water. I felt myself begin to panic as I stewed in the warmth of other people when a large man wearing a sweat-stained shirt walked into the room, banged a book onto the lectern and just began lecturing.

No niceties. No roll. Just a large, open book, and then the chalk started fying.

I had enrolled in a Byzantine history class my frst year because it fulflled a university requirement and because I am, admittedly, a huge nerd.

That random class ended up being my favorite that entire year and among my favorites my entire time at Ohio University. My professor was not the most personable human being and barely paused to breathe while he lectured, but I loved every minute of every class. He told these amazing stories about the individuals we were studying and made me want to read more about people with names I could not pronounce.

That was the feeling of a lot of my classmates — we were all taking the class because we sort of had to, but all also just really loved it. Seats were rarely empty. It was the only class in my frst quarter I did not skip because I was afraid I’d miss something.

I’m a graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at

Ohio University, but it was classes like that random history class that made my academic college experience. I could feel myself stretching as I read and learned about places, people and ideas I’d never encountered in my tiny, Appalachian Ohio town. My Buddhist philosophy class taught me the importance of being in the moment. My art history class introduced me to artists I’d never heard of who are now among my favorites. In an African American studies class, I learned about the Middle Passage for the frst time.

More than anything else, though, these classes taught me to think. I learned to fact-check and interview in my journalism classes, but what I now recognize as liberal arts and humanities classes taught me to think. Taught me to grow.

Sometimes that growth was difcult. Sometimes it made me rethink assumptions I’d made about the world; other times it provided me the ability to more forcefully argue for the things I believed in.

David Foster Wallace, a problematic Generation X sage, once gave a commencement speech that celebrated the stretching a liberal education provides. The point of an education, he argued, is more than just “a material payof.” It is, instead, the ability to think — to choose what to pay attention to, what to care about and “how to construct meaning from experience.”

“Because if you cannot or will not exercise this kind of choice in adult life, you will be totally hosed,” Foster Wallace once told a Kenyon

College crowd. A liberal education provides you the material to help you decide who, and how, you want to be in the world.

It seems super abstract and maybe like fufy bullshit, but I preach it now because I lived it.

I live it still.

The liberal arts and the humanities — the bedrock of a liberal education — are under threat across the United States and the United Kingdom. What sort of world are we setting up for ourselves if the liberal arts and humanities are only available to a tiny subset of college students?

more important as we now sit in a stew of artifcial intelligence, toxic politics and disinformation.

Here at Miami, 22 academic programs could disappear because people have been convinced they don’t make economic sense any longer as students are looking for more professional skills.

As a graduate of a prestigious professional school, I would argue that my grounding in the liberal arts and humanities made me better at my job. It helped me gain a deeper understanding of the world around me and helped me to make connections between sometimes very disparate ideas or experiences.

I like to think that my grounding in the liberal arts and the humanities has helped keep me from “getting hosed.” That seems ever

The grass is always green: An ode to first homes and an ode to the second

LILLY MCCLELLAND

THE MIAMI STUDENT

If you lived in Normal, Illinois, and saw it the way I did, you would fnd life to be familiar. You would joke with every out-oftowner about its accurate name, avoid the same potholes for years on end, and, above all, longingly wait for the day you can leave.

At Normal Community High School, students who were able to leave were thrilled to do so. Leaving for college meant leaving the monotonous gray views for a life that would be exciting simply because it would be different. I was a student who hoped never to look back to the Central Plains, so I didn’t.

I never experienced love at frst sight until I came to Oxford. In my frst semester here, I cherished every walk to class and trip to the farmer’s market. I felt genuine warmth from the people I met and in the conversations I had, and, most importantly, I couldn’t believe there were hills.

As classes went on, leaves fell from the trees, and I fell into routine. Like most years, the privilege of school evaded me, and learning became a chore. By fnals, I was more than ready for a break.

I was happy to return to Normal. I was excited to play poker with friends whose tells I could read, I liked bickering with my siblings and I loved the home-cooked meals. Although, when my friends and siblings went back to school and my parents returned to work, I remembered that I was in Illinois.

Despite having been excited to get back home, the grass seemed greener in Oxford.

Here, I can slip on the ice in Goggin and laugh as my friends scoop me back up. I can go Uptown and do as any college student does. I can look out into the world and see something other than the tedious infnity of cornfelds.

Like many Miami students, I began to dislike our lengthy J-term. I felt as eager for it to end as I was for it to begin. It seemed like there was nothing else to do but wait to return to Oxford, so that’s what I did.

But as the break came to an end and time pulled me closer to the place I ached for, I saw the green of my frst home. I remembered that the sun blessed Illinoian skies not in the day, but in brilliant dusks. I forgot the banality of cornfelds and saw eternal abundance.

The grass might seem greener on the other side, but the grass you stand on is still green. The grass is green in Oxford, but the grass is green in Normal, too.

It wasn’t until I was outside Normal looking in that I was able to experience it completely. I wasn’t able to truly appreciate Oxford until I began

GRAPHIC BY MACEY CHAMBERLIN

living here. To develop a thorough understanding of a place, it must be experienced both inside and out.

It is difcult to appreciate something when it becomes familiar — much like how the dining hall food tastes worse when you have the same thing for dinner three times a week.

Recently, in my French literature class, FRE 303, my professor spoke of the joy of being a tourist. He expressed how only an outsider looking in can see the beauty of everyday life – specifcally making note of a Cambodian gas pump. He explained how captivating such a benign object was to him at that moment and that we would struggle to fnd the same elegance in the gas pumps we have grown accustomed to.

There is so much charm in discovering the unknown; maybe the unknown is simply a different angle from what’s familiar.

Finding my new home in Oxford has taught me to avoid comparison. There is no better or worse, there is only diference.

I might have lived my entire life never fully appreciating all that Normal has to give had I not been forced to see it in a new light. I might too quickly forget the allure of Oxford should I focus my eye on the breaks we are taught to look forward to.

While there is nothing wrong with looking elsewhere and indulging in where your gaze lingers, we cannot forget that the grass is green here, too.

mcclella@miamioh.edu

Lilly McClelland is a frst-year honors student majoring in diplomacy and global politics with an environmental science co-major and a French minor. She is a contributor to the opinion section of The Student.

A liberal education — like the one laid out by The Miami Plan — just may be your best defense against “getting hosed” once you leave Oxford. While you’re in Oxford, a liberal education just may provide a respite from all the other pressures you’re facing. Sitting in a crowded lecture hall, listening to my professor breathlessly describe Byzantine imperial life, I forgot about my funny accent, my lack of funds and my parents’ hopes for me for an hour and a half. It was an escape I desperately needed sometimes. Education is more than the degree. It’s more than skills or return on investment. A liberal education can provide you both with material comfort

GRAPHIC BY EMILY HOGAN

and intellectual growth if you decide to embrace it.

penninrm@miamioh.edu

Rosemary Pennington is an associate professor, area coordinator for journalism and a university senator.

How I found my ‘third place’ through video games

LUKE MACY DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR

It’s human nature to seek an outlet to end the day. For the cowboys of the old West, it’s the campfre. For the traditional American family, it’s the dinner table. For me, it’s the virtual world of my PlayStation.

Almost every night this semester, I’ve returned home from a long day of classes and immediately booted up my console. I kick back, grab my controller and open Discord on my phone. My friends are already there. We’ll pick a game — Fortnite, Rocket League, Minecraft, occasionally something from Jackbox Games — and just play and talk for an hour or two. We’ll chat about our days and things we’re excited for, not necessarily blocking everything else out of our lives, but detoxing from our daily routines.

I love it. At a certain point every day, I’m already looking forward, wondering what games we’ll play, what we’ll discuss. I grew up in that traditional American family, where we all ate around the dinner table. Some nights, we wouldn’t eat until 8 because we all had our after-school activities and work, but we tried to prioritize this time to just be together and talk. When I got to college, it was a huge adjustment not having this routine experience. I started with only a few friends who I could share my days with. Now that I have them, I’m cherishing these moments we can spend together each night, even if our “third place” is virtual.

The concept of a third place refers to the idea that people should have another space separate from work and their home. The term is defned in Ray Oldenburg’s “The Good Place.”

The third place is typically a calm area for conversation and regulars. Common spaces for this category include cofee shops, bookstores and community centers. Oxford has some of these, not enough, though. Sure, you can grab a cup of cofee with a friend at Kofenya or check out the Oxford

Community Arts Center, but this town doesn’t even have a bookstore.

Instead, Oxford has a large focus on the nightlife culture. Go Uptown most nights, and you’ll see people partying at Brick Street or Skipper’s. I’ve tried to ft in with this culture before, but it’s just not for me. I’d much prefer a quiet bar that allows for conversation, something my friends and I were unable to fnd despite a whole night’s worth of searching.

Thus, I am driven back to my room and the PlayStation. There, I can escape to a virtual world where these spaces that promote conversation between friends exist. We frequently choose video games that get repetitive after a while. It’s less about the games themselves and more about our interactions.

The virtual world has made it so much easier for third spaces. People across the world can regularly connect and have these frequent conversations. It’s also much more convenient to consistently hop on a video game each night than it is to walk to a crowded cofee shop.

The main downside is that virtual spaces are still restrictive in terms of location. A key point of third spaces is that they’re separate from the home, which is difcult to do with a console. However, so long as you have a designated area for your gaming and feel transported enough, it doesn’t really matter.

Not everyone is interested in gaming. Not everyone is interested in experiencing the nightlife of Uptown. The important thing is that you fnd your setting that promotes this regular communication and make that your third place.

@lukejmacy macylj@miamioh.edu

Luke Macy is the digital managing editor for The Miami Student. He is studying journalism, flm studies and American studies at Miami. His work can be found in multiple Ohio publications, and he’s received various awards, including best investigative reporting in Ohio.

Photo

Sylvester Stallone shooting new film, ‘Alarum,’ in Oxford

DEVIN ANKENEY OPINION EDITOR

Students and community members packed together across from Martin Luther King Jr. Park Uptown hoping to spot Sylvester Stallone while flming his new movie, “Alarum.” The whole park and much of the surrounding area was blocked of for shooting starting Feb. 27.

Since a staged plane crash was found in Hueston Woods earlier this month, rumors had been circulating that Stallone himself would make an appearance Uptown for flming. Crowds awaited his arrival for hours on Tuesday evening.

“He just landed,” one crew member was overheard saying, sparking rumors of his imminent arrival, ultimately to no avail.

Trailers on the set were labeled “Joe Travers,” “Lisa Travers,” “Helicopter Pilot” and “Splinter.” A man who appeared to be Stallone’s stunt double was seen entering and exiting one of the trailers as well.

Community members shared rumors among themselves, saying that Stallone was staying in Cincinnati at a bar all night, or that he was staying

in Oxford itself. One woman was excited when she thought she ran into Scott Eastwood by the trailers. The crowds were pleased, however, when the crew started shooting scenes with Jeeps burning rubber in front of Park Place West and Uptown Tattoo.

Ohio has become known in the flm industry for its signifcant tax credits for movie production. “Alarum,” directed by Michael Polish, is just one of many to take advantage.

On Feb. 28, Stallone was fnally spotted making his way to the set, where he began shooting a scene in which he enters a Polish bait and tackle shop. He walked from his trailer labeled “Joe Travers,” his character in the flm, to a black Chevrolet Tahoe.

He was driven across the street, likely to avoid being spotted by the public.

Entering Park Place West for the shoot, Stallone was seen beginning many takes, including some in which he was seen wielding a handgun.

The flm is expected to continue shooting in Oxford through at least March 2, when it is scheduled to flm scenes at the College@Elm.

ankenedw@miamioh.edu @devin_ankeney

ACTOR SCOTT EASTWOOD AND DIRECTOR MICHAEL POLISH THANK THE CROWD OF ONLOOKERS. PHOTO BY JESSICA MONAHAN

STALLONE’S DOUBLE WAS ON SET BOTH DAYS. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH