The Miami Student | March 16th, 2021

ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES

Volume 149 No. 17

Miami university — Oxford, Ohio

“You never know what you don’t know”:

one year into the pandemic

Commencement to be held in person, separated by academic division

ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

GRADUATION

On March 13, 2020, exactly a year ago this past Saturday, Miami

ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

sent an email to the student body notifying them that classes would be delivered remotely for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester.

The email came after a series of changing plans for the university, starting with an email from President Crawford on March 10, 2020 that moved classes online until April 12, 2020.

At the time, the university was

Miami University’s spring commencement will be held in person over the course of three days, according to an email sent to the MiCrawford on Monday, March 15.

The Colleges of Creative Arts ence – the latter of which is located on the regional campuses – will hold their commencement ceremonies on Friday, May 14 at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.

DeWine to move education to remote learning after three Ohioans in Cuyahoga County tested positive for itive cases in Ohio.

Now, a year later, Ohio has reported around 988,000 cumulative cases and almost 18,000 deaths from COVID-19.

Dean of Students Kimberly

and Computing will hold its commencement at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 15, and the College of Arts and Science will split its commencement into two ceremonies at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Health and Society commencement will be held at 8 a.m. on Sunday, May 16, and the Farmer School of Business commencement will also be split into two ceremonies on that day at 1:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.

All ceremonies will take place at Yager Stadium and each graduate will get tickets for six guests.

more than it did a year ago regarding containment strategies and operations.

“March of last year, people thought, maybe we need to kind of go home and regroup and we’ll be there for a couple of weeks and then we’ll come out,” Moore said. “I don’t think anybody knew the duration that we were about to face.”

Jayne Brownell, Miami’s vice events of the past year have changed the way she and her colleagues do their work forever.

“I think this is a moment that makes us rethink what students need, how we deliver support and services [and reinforces] the idea that community is important, that engagement is important, that college is more than what happens in the classroom,” Brownell said.

Brownell said the past year was fessional career, even after noting that she worked in New York during 9/11.

She also said she understood that when students imagined their college experience, it didn’t include a pandemic.

“Unfortunately, there are points in time where people of college age

Part-time student, part-time entrepreneur:

are asked to take on more adult responsibilities,” Brownell said.

“Sometimes, it is because there was

distanced “pods.” All guests will be required to wear masks.

“Commencement is a beloved tradition, and our opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of our students as they reach this milestone in their academic journey,” Crawford wrote. “We know the pandemic has shaped this last year in many ways, and we admire your creativity, flexibility and fortitude.”

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Fraternities reportedly throwing large-scale underground parties

how to run a business in college

STUDENT LIFE STAFF WRITER self trapped at home for the foreseeable future, she, like many Miami University students, quickly began to fall back on projects that might have otherwise been put on the back burner.

One hobby Shockley found she had a pasly.

“Sustainability has always been a big part of who I am, so I wanted to be able to make a big“I wanted to learn how to repurpose items that would otherwise be wasted.”

This Issue

Shockley, a marketing and sustainability double major, specializes in making vintage-style necklaces, particularly those in the style of various iconic fashion brands. Her bestsellers are pendants made from repurposed buttons embellished with the iconic Chanel logo.

“I really believe in repurposing clothes and jewelry and moving the fashion industry in a more sustainable direction,” Shockley said. “I think it’s important to use every piece of an item before you buy something new.” moving the buttons from the original article of clothing before attaching a necklace loop to the back and placing them on a chain. She typically charges around $40 for each piece.

“All the materials I use are silver, from the button itself to the loop and the chain,” Shockley said. “So I make my prices based on the materials I use.”

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STUDENT LIFE TAJ SIMMONS ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR Some anonymous Miami University fraternity and sorority members say parties as large as 200 people have been thrown in basements of fraternity houses in an attempt to avoid mass gathering penalties.

Three Miami students spoke to The Miami Student about their experiences with these parties under the condition of anonymity. large-scale parties began just recently. “[Fraternity and sorority parties] started about two to three weeks ago,” he said. “Before then, there were small amounts [of people] hanging out. About three weeks ago, we started getting it going. I’d say generally there’s about one to two every weekend.”

The pledge also said he thought fraternities have been more willing to host larger parties

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY

How Oxford is addressing homelessness within the city page 4

recently due to the warmer weather, decreasing COVID-19 social expectations and boredom. “[Fraternity members] have been throwing crazy parties throughout college, and when [the pandemic] hit, the attitudes changed,” he said.

“No one was having a great time.”

While fraternities are still hosting parties, the pledge said they have been keeping gatherings out of public view to avoid being penalized under mass gathering laws.

“Obviously, we don’t want any penalties, so we have to keep it quiet,” he said. “If we kept it too loud, the university would not treat us too kindly.” an email to The Miami Student regarding the rules and regulations in hosting mass gathering parties, as well as the expectations of fraternity and sorority life surrounding them. “[Parties of more than 10 people in a crowded area] are the same for all CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

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“You never know what you don’t know”: CONTINUED FROM FRONT a war … or there was the depression or other kinds of upheaval in the world where you are forced not only to think about your own experience but how you have an impact on your community.”

Moore said each student, in addition to pandemic concerns, has their own circumstances to consider.

“When confronted with disruption, confronted with unexpected challenges and circumstances, you know, our students manage the best way they can,” Moore said. “I think the multiple adaptations, at the same time, for a long time.”

Meta Hoge, a sophomore journalism major and sustainability co-major, said in an interview with The Miami Student last March that she place at Miami. going to still keep in touch with everybody?’ and you know, we’re supposed to not be gathering and all that, so I was just worried about feeling

more lonely, but it all worked out,” Hoge said.

Hoge said she’s come a long way from where she was this time last year. better mentally than I was last year,” Hoge said.

“In a way, I’ve kind of learned a lot about myself.”

Hoge said if she could go back and tell herself something, it would be that everything was “I would tell myself, ‘You’re gonna do good said.

Michael Ferro, a junior international studies and Spanish double major, said life in the pandemic just feels normal now.

“I feel like last year in March where everything was so new, no one knew what was happening, everything got shut down — now we know more about what’s happening,” Ferro said. “It feels normal, I know it’s not normal at all, but, [we’ve] been doing it for so long, like this semester and the fall — it just feels normal to me.”

Moore said during the beginning of the pandemic, she was proud of the way students re-

Part-time student, part-time entrepreneur: reselling app that allows users to buy and sell clothing and accessories, Shockley personally delivers any pieces she sells to Miami students. pieces she no longer wears.

“I want to make an impact in my own carbon footprint on the Earth,” Shockley said. “The fashion industry’s impact on climate change is real, and I’m hoping that my small store can help me reduce my carbon footprint and encourage others to do the same.” a senior individualized studies major with a concentration in small business management and global wine studies, runs a baking business out of her apartment. nia, so really everything I bring with me from home has to be able to make it on a plane. I’ve ports for four years now.” where she specializes in putting an artistic twist on traditional cakes and cupcakes. Her cakes are often highly elaborate, with detailed frosting

sponded to the uncertainty. The fall, she said, was a wake up call for students when guidelines and restrictions became more prevalent in campus life.

“Most of our students do the right thing almost all the time,” Moore said. “For the students who wanted to do things in the traditional way, they were met with some pretty, pretty stark consequences.”

This spring, though, Moore said far more students are choosing not to follow guidelines. “[In] the fall, I saw much more of a community approach from students,” Moore said. “So that’s been disheartening. We are seeing a spike increased compliance issues across the board.”

Hoge said this past year has made her value the little things in her life more.

“It makes you appreciate more the moments when you actually go and do something, even if it’s just like going to get some ice cream,” Hoge said.

Ferro said he would advise his past self to be prepared for a “long ride.”

“Last year, I was supposed to study abroad in the summer, and that didn’t happen, and I was

supposed to study abroad this semester, and that didn’t happen, so it’s like, I eventually just realized those weren’t going to happen,” Ferro said. “I would tell myself, ‘Just get ready, things

Moore said the past year taught her a valuable lesson.

“You never know what you don’t know,” Moore said. “I would really enjoy being face to face again and being in the same room and company of my colleagues and my students again. I times.”

Brownell said some of the key things the student body and university have learned over the last year include adaptability, innovation and not taking things for granted.

“I think that the thing I will take away from 2020 more than anything,” Brownell said, “is to be ready for whatever today brings and to manage that, and to then move on to the next hard thing.” @cosettegunter guntercr@miamioh.edu

Fraternities reportedly throwing large-scale underground parties

how to run a business in college

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

one year into the pandemic

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

and fondant decorations.

“I love that I have something I’m really passionate about that also puts a smile on other month just for family and friends.”

In addition to juggling her business and in Entrepreneurship.

“I’ve always really struggled with time management and how that factors into knowing my whelming at times. I’ve always struggled with knowing my worth while running my business because I can’t just charge people the cost for inthat’s a really hard thing to do.” work in the wine industry. But she doesn’t plan Unless my dream of opening a bakery-by-day, wine-bar-by-night comes true.” lordance@miamioh.edu

ing, [must] utilize third party vendors/venues like restaurants and bars and [must] follow the on capacity, seating, distancing and mask reIf a fraternity or sorority party of more than ter in question would receive a citation through ciplinary process. ters may include prohibiting sophomore members from living in fraternity houses, as well as having restrictions on social functions for a period after pandemic restrictions have been lifted. wrote. “The penalties could be quite severe.” tended six or seven fraternity parties this semester, one of which was discovered by the police.

The pledge said she didn’t think the fraternity hosting the party, which she said was thrown on “I was at one party, and they shoved us out of the basement and into separate rooms,” she hook, like this is a warning.”

had attended “a few” fraternity parties, including another separate party discovered by the police on Feb. 20.

“When the police came, we were told [by fraternity brothers] to separate ourselves into difam actually unsure if anything happened to that fraternity.” ban citations given on the date of either fraternity party. thrown in the basement of a fraternity house preventive guidelines.

This pledge said she thought those hosting the parties were tired of having to stay socially distanced for a long period of time, and to cope, parties were hosted.

“You can’t stop living your life,” she said. “We can’t be cooped up for so long. Frat parties are a way of life to feel semi-normal.”

press time to requests for comment. @simmons_taj simmontp@miamioh.edu

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY 3

LUMPKIBM@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021

Mystery statue creates confusion on North Quad

CONTINUED FROM FRONT Sydni Rivera, senior kinesiology major, said she understands why the university is separating the ceremonies by division, but she still wishes everyone in her class could graduate together.

“I think it will obviously be a lot shorter and more convenient if it’s separate colleges,” Rivera said, “but also, later down the road, I think it would be nice to look back and say like, ‘Oh yeah, our whole class was together at one point and got the opportunity to [graduate together].’”

Logan Fry, senior political science major, expressed excitement about the decision and said he looks forward to his family seeing him gradu-

A NEW STATUE DONATED BY A MIAMI ALUM HAS BEEN THE SOURCE OF CONFUSION FOR NORTH QUAD RESIDENTS. HUMOR EDITOR JESS ROBINSON

ON CAMPUS

Murray said. “I wish it was more engineer-re-

LAURA GIAQUINTO

have the heartish statue that’s like right next to the art building because that makes sense.”

THE MIAMI STUDENT This school year, a new artistic statue was added along the sidewalk past Benton Hall leading to North Quad, prompting questions and amusement from the Miami University community.

Senior gerontology major Lucas Adams and senior education Major Keresa Murray both live on North Quad and see the statue frequently.

“It was weird because I wasn’t here last semester, and I come back and there’s just an egg,” Adams said. “I was like, ‘alright.’”

Murray was similarly confused.

“They didn’t put the plaque there, like, when they built it,” Murray said. “So it was just plaqueless for like a whole semester.”

The statue is called “Capturing The Scent of Rain” and was donated by Miami alumnus Thomas Smith.

Robert Wicks, director of the Miami University Art Museum played a large role in overseeing the donation and installation of the artwork.

“Tom Smith has been a major donor to the art museum from early on, and in the mid90s, he donated the Mark di Suvero sculpture which is called ‘For Kepler,’” Wicks said.

“It is one of his iconic works. He also gave a fund for the art museum sculpture park for its maintenance and upkeep.”

Smith has also donated Ursula von Rydingsvard’s “Heart in Hand,” which is placed around the Schwietz Arts Plaza.

“A third work came down the pipe just a little later,” Wicks said. “That one was dedicated in October 2020 and was the Jun Kaneko piece. And that one interestingly started its life as just a number. He had a series called dumpling. But when we corresponded with the artist to ask, ‘Do you have a name for it?’

He responded with, ‘Capturing the Scent of Rain.’”

Murray said she doesn’t understand why the statue was placed near the engineering building.

“It’s weird being at a divide. Like, you can stop there if you want, but I don’t know,”

ate, even in a smaller ceremony.

“I was raised by my grandparents, and so they were at my high school graduation, and I’ll never forget their faces and how loud they were when they watched me walk across the stage,” Fry said, “and so all I wanted was for them to see me walk across the stage at my college graduation since I’m a first generation [student].”

Additional reporting by Asst.

Campus & Community Editors Sean Scott and Lexi Whitehead. @madphabes phabymr@miamioh.edu

Dairy Queen set to open in Oxford this summer

process. tion,” Wicks said. “There is a master plan for the university with ideal locations for things like public art, but that’s in a constant state of found on North Quad there was a nice location for the Jun Kaneko piece.”

First-year diplomacy and global politics major Caitlin Zawodny also sees “Capturing the Scent of Rain” on a daily basis. on what it was, but at least it gives an easy way if you’re meeting up with a friend, it’s a landmark that everyone can identify,” Zawodny said.

Despite mixed reactions from students, Wicks said Smith plans to donate more pieces in the future.

“Now, there’s another work, a fourth piece,” Wicks said, “that is actually a steel coil type piece, and we’re looking for a location.”

Wicks is hopeful for the future of art installations across Miami’s campus.

“Hopefully, there would be a way for something to come up on a map that says if you want more information about this piece, click here,” Wicks said. “I think that is part of a plan with an interactive map of Miami’s campus that would include that level of detail.”

Most students have no idea about these pieces’ stories, but that’s something Wicks hopes to change by using technology to spread understanding of the various installations across campus.

“How can we begin to use these as educato the world that these art styles represent?”

Wicks said. “I think that the fact that everyone has their smartphone that, one day, they’ll put a QR code there where you can get additional information about the piece about the artist and about the art tradition, so that you don’t say, ‘Oh, what is that? I have no clue.’” giaquiln@miamioh.edu

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THE NEW OXFORD DAIRY QUEEN WILL LOOK SIMILAR TO ONE CURRENTLY LOCATED IN WEST CHESTER (PICTURED). CONTRIBUTED BY BRAD HUELSON

LOCAL BUSINESS ANNA MCDOUGALL THE MIAMI STUDENT Graeter’s and Spring Street Treats will have some new competition in Oxford starting this summer. Progress toward opening a new Dairy Queen (DQ) is currently underway.

Junior Libby Boothman (favorite blizzard: Reese’s peanut butter cup) is just one of many Miami University students anxiously awaiting the opening of the DQ. “I love DQ, but I don’t have one in my hometown,” Boothman said, “so when I heard they were putting one in Oxford, I freaked out.”

Formerly a KFC, the DQ is set to be located at 5046 College Corner Pike, next to Bob Evans.

The DQ will be built in the new generation style, meaning it will have a more modern, updated look compared to other DQs. Brad Huelson (favorite blizzard: classic Butterchose to come to Oxford because he knew it would be attractive to students during the school year and Oxford locals during the summer.

“I am extremely excited,” Huelson said. “I ran years, but we decided to open the DQ because it is The opening of the Oxford DQ has been in the works for several months now, with hiring pro-

cesses going back as far as November, though the building and development process has not been without challenges.

Huelson said the process of turning the 30-year-old building into a functional and aesthetically appealing facility is time-consuming and costly.

“Regardless, I know that it will be well worth it in Oxford,” Huelson said.

Currently, the closest Dairy Queen to Oxford is located more than 20 miles away in Liberty Townwork at the Oxford location have been receiving training over the past couple months.

Tygerlilly Labello (favorite blizzard: Reese’s student at Miami majoring in psychology, but she is also one of the incoming assistant managers of manager in January 2021 and has been training at the Liberty Township location since then.

“I help crew members, make sure the shop is well organized and even get to write on cakes with frosting,” Labello said. “I love this job, and I look forward to seeing it in Oxford this summer.”

Whether it’s burgers or birthday cakes, the Oxford Dairy Queen is sure to provide all Oxford residents with yet another option for their late night snack, post-exam reward or just an average day’s treat. @annamcdougall28 mcdougas@miamioh.edu

4 CAMPUS & COMMUNITY

CARLINTM@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021

Oxford’s cold shelter helps homeless people out of cold One family Lind recently worked with was evicted as an indirect result of COVID-19. The family’s mother was pregnant when the lockdowns began and hasn’t been able then because she had to care for a new baby. her because she had a job; she had a good income,” Lind said. “Her kids grew up expecting to be able to buy the things they want.”

Like many famOXFORD’S HOMELESSNESS ISSUE OFTEN GOES UNNOTICED, BUT CITY OFFICIALS AND VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS ilies Lind works ARE TRYING TO HELP MEMBERS OF THE CITY’S HOMELESS POPULATION. PHOTO EDITOR BO BRUECK with, the mother received an eviction no$74,000 resolution to extend the protice from her landlord OXFORD COMMUNITY gram into 2021 and cover next Novem- after failing to pay rent. ber and December.

The current moratorium on evicSEAN SCOTT After several major snow storms tions due to loss of income from the ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY in February, Oxford Citizens for Peace pandemic has made it easier for some EDITOR and Justice (OCPJ) decided to help ex- to stay in their apartments. Renters are still obligated to pay partial rent, Oxford’s cold shelter operated at tend the program through March.

“We knew that [the cold shelter though, and landlords still have the 133% capacity for the month of Februfunding] was running out at the end power to evict for various reasons. ary.

For the family Lind worked with, The shelter, which consists of six of February, and we decided that we rooms at the Budget Inn, is maintained wanted to do something about that one missed payment too many meant by the Family Resource Center (FRC), because it was cold,” said Barb Caruso, they could be evicted regardless of the an organization that assists local fam- president of OCPJ’s board executive pandemic, and as temperatures rise, ilies with basic needs. In a particularly committee. “March is still cold … We Lind said FPBC has had more clients freezing month with frequent snow, the wanted to continue it a bit more until it coming in with eviction notices.

“Our phone hasn’t stopped ringing need for immediate shelter exceeded got more conspicuously warm at least.”

Sherry Lind is the chair of Ox- since the warm weather started,” Lind what the cold shelter could provide.

Brad Hoblitzell has lived in Oxford ford’s Housing Advisory Commission said. “The [landlords] are no longer for 12 years and became the director (HAC) and a family services coordi- hesitating. Many of these people who of the FRC in 2019. He said homeless- nator for Family Promise of Butler have been in poverty or just above povness in Oxford can go under the radar County (FPBC), an organization that erty, living paycheck to paycheck, don’t because so much focus is placed on the helps families with children under 18 even know where to start.” uptown area rather than the outskirts of town where lower income housing is prevalent across Butler County, and shelters everywhere are full. has an estimated 67 homeless residents tends to be.

“As of [March 6], all the shelters are according to a recent housing assess“A lot of the focus in Oxford is with Miami University, obviously,” Hoblit- full and have been full,” Lind said. “Be- ment by Bowen National Research zell said. “That’s not a bad thing … [but] cause of COVID, we’re cut back severely (BNR).

For Caruso, that number wasn’t there’s a certain picture in your head on the number of people we can help. when you envision Oxford. When you Our shelter program, which normal- surprising.

“The response we’re getting [about visit the campus and that area, you ly helps around 10 families at a time, don’t think, ‘Oh, there’s a homelessness has only been able to do two at a time the cold shelter], the notes and phone because of COVID. There are so many calls from people we know, indicates issue.’”

The cold shelter was supposed to people out there who need shelter, but that people are not surprised that we have homelessness going on,” Caruso operate for four months, November there’s just nowhere for them to go.”

- said. “But it’s not something we think through February. ing housing for recently evicted fam- about every day.”

The cold shelter doesn’t just operate for with Coronavirus Aid, Relief and ilies over the past few months. Even if Economic Security (CARES) Act fund- a family comes from Oxford, she said as a one-night refuge. Hoblitzell said ing before City Council approved a the rent in the city can be too expensive the FRC focuses on making sure people compared to Hamilton or Middletown. have a safe place to go after they leave.

Miami students from Texas grateful for Oxford Baptist Church water bottle donation MIAMI COMMUNITY TAJ SIMMONS ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR Texans in need of clean water may soon be opening water bottles collected by the Oxford Baptist Church.

Oxford Baptist Church Pastor Ruddy Allen said about 50 to 60 families and organizations helped bring together more than 42,000 water bottles for those in need in the aftermath of the recent winter storm in Texas. The community water drive was held from Feb. 28 through March 5.

“It’s miraculous, wouldn’t you say?” Allen said.

Allen said the church was inspired to take action through Matthew 25: Ministries (M25M), an international humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization located in Cincinnati.

On March 12, M25M retrieved the church for storage and transported the water to the Dallas and Houston areas.

From there, water bottles will be distributed to those in need.

According to the M25M website, “Matthew 25: Ministries has shipped approximately 11 truckloads of disasby the winter storm in Texas.”

Will Beck, a sophomore software engineering major at Miami University, made the decision to take the spring semester remotely from his hometown in the north Dallas area.

“Since COVID and now the storm, it’s just been chaos,” Beck said. “You are just a little bit more grateful for everyday things.”

While Beck’s family home did not have any power outages or burst pipes, some of his neighbors weren’t so fortunate.

“It’s super random – one street has [power], one street doesn’t,” Beck said. “I was living every day expecting the power to go out the next minute.

I’d make a meal and wait to bed expecting to wake up to no power.”

Sydney Herrick, a senior art and architecture

history major, is from the suburbs of Austin, Texas. Herrick said she thinks a major reason for the damage caused is because Texas is not used to dealing with snow storms.

“They don’t have salt or plows that can really access the suburbs,” Herrick said. “My mom tried to get groceries eat.”

In the days leading up to the winter storm, Beck said most grocery stores ran out of basic necessities, meaning donations from small communities like Oxford were that much more appreciated.

“I went to the grocery store the day before and there was nothing – nothing at all,” Beck said. “To have these it’s amazing. It’s something you would never really think would apply to you, but it’s crazy to know that there’s people out there caring for us.”

Herrick said Oxford’s donations could not have come at a better time as well.

“I think the fact that a large developed place like Austin having to have donations sent in through tiny little communities like Oxford is telling as to how underprepared Austin was for this whole situation,” Herrick said.

“I just thought it was super generous considering it’s so far out of their reach.”

Interested community members ing supplies to Matthew 25: Ministries or to a relief organization of choice. @simmons_taj simmontp@miamioh.edu

THE OXFORD BAPTIST CHURCH DONATED WATER AND SUPPLIES TO TEXAS COMMUNITIES. CONTRIBUTED BY RUDDY ALLEN

Stays can last three days or three weeks.

“We want to see [the people we take on] move from point A to point B,” Hoblitzell said. “That can mean a lot of where we can throw money at this, but options of service for them that would be a better answer than what we have.”

Even though Oxford is expanding services for low-income families and homeless people, Assistant City Manager Jessica Greene said not everyone wants help.

“We’ve experienced in Oxford that sometimes when people are homeless, they don’t want to go to a shelter,” Greene said. “They don’t want help.

They only use the cold shelter when it’s really, really cold, and other than that, they’d rather do something else.”

Greene said the Oxford Police Department and private agencies have responded to concerned calls regarding homeless people in the past. Some“We’ll approach a family or a person and say, ‘Can we help you, do you want to get to a shelter?’” Greene said.

“Sometimes they’ll say, ‘No, I’m good, thanks’ … That’s called self-determination. People have the right to choose to live the way they want to live or to deny assistance.”

Celeste Didlick-Davis is a visiting faculty member in the department of family science and social work where she teaches about family poverty. She said for some, the familiarity of being homeless makes it harder to accept help.

“Sometimes it’s the [mindset of], ‘I’d rather feel free than have to abide by rules that don’t make sense to me,’” Didlick-Davis said. “Sometimes it’s, ‘I’ve had something negative happen to me when I try to live in an organized manner, and I don’t ever want to be put in that position again.’ Sometimes it’s trauma.”

When someone does go to the FRC is diversion. The agency looks for family or friends people can stay with or refers them to other agencies if they are locatOnce the FRC decides it is able to assist, the person or family has to meet certain requirements. Their income must fall below 125% of the federal poverty line, which is $12,880 for individuals or $26,500 for a family of four.

Additionally, they must reside in the Talawanda School District.

If someone meets the organization’s

requirements, the next step is paperwork. Hoblitzell said they go over the rules and gather relevant information long-term place to live.

While the requirements may seem strict, Hoblitzell said they don’t normally turn people away without trying to help, especially from the cold shelter.

“We’ve had a couple situations where someone found out about us who was down in Hamilton and came up looking for shelter,” Hoblitzell said.

“If everything was full [there], we would bring them in and work with them to try to remedy their situation.” organizations have made strides to help the city’s homeless community during the winter, but the cold shelter operates for only four months of the year.

While the transitional housing City Council helped fund will operate year round, that leaves eight months of lowered capacity for emergency shelters.

Didlick-Davis pointed out while this may seem problematic, many without homes opt to live outside during the warmer months anyway.

“There’s an uncomfortability between this outdoor living or this homelessness and how to get to stability,” Didlick-Davis said, “and we have be[Some people would] rather not have to follow the rules of the homeless shelter.”

Hoblitzell agreed and added that people in Oxford have refused shelter in the summer because Oxford doesn’t have its own long-term homeless shelter.

“I think the need a lot of times for shelter goes down a little bit in the warmer months,” Hoblitzell said. “I’ve met people in my time here that would rather stay outside in Oxford than go to a shelter in Hamilton … We do have folks who live outside during those months.”

While it’s an unfortunate scenarHoblitzell said it’s been gratifying to see the Oxford community rally behind the cold shelter.

“The numbers have shown the need for such a program in the city,” Hoblitzell said, “and I think a lot of the community is rallying around the needs knowing that it’s been used. We’re trying in the midst of this to not only keep people warm and safe, but to give them some tools to move forward into better situations.” scottsr2@miamioh.edu

Primary Health Solutions administers COVID-19 vaccine to community CAROLINE HAUBENSTRICKER STAFF WRITER Since late January, Primary Health Solutions has distributed COVID-19 vaccinations to members of the Oxford community who criteria. Two of the recent spaces the healthcare provider has used for distribution are the Talawanda Middle and High School buildings.

Primary Health Solutions is a healthcare provider that uses 10 free-standing and school-based health centers throughout Butler and Montgomery Counties to serve the community.

They are currently administering the vaccine in three locations: Oxford, Hamilton and Dayton.

They receive the vaccines from the Ohio Department of Health, according to Dr. Stephen Roller, chief operPrimary Health Solutions.

Roller said Primary Health Solutions knew Talawanda would be a willing partner to administer the vaccine because of their prior connections.

“As the volume of vaccines given by the Ohio Department of Health increased,” Roller said, “we knew we couldn’t accommodate giving over Primary Health Solutions receives a weekly email on Wednesdays detailing the type and number of vaccines for the following week. The majority of vaccines received by the Ohio Department of Health have been manufactured by Moderna.

Holli Morrish, director of communications and public relations for Talawanda School District, said all students are remote on Wednesdays for intervention days, leaving parking lots and school buildings mostly empty for the vaccination program.

As of March 12, Talawanda has held three vaccination clinics with Primary Health Solutions. Morrish said the partnership will continue in the future.

“We are really pleased about this,” Morrish said. “We know that vaccines are the most likely way we are going to reach herd immunity, and I hope we are able to get the pandemic under control.”

Members of Ohio’s current vac-

ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR ABBY BAMMERLIN

cination phase are not the only ones being vaccinated through Primary Health Solutions.

Jerritt Collord, a 44-year-old Oxford resident, has no vaccine-qualifying health problems. Still, she received School on March 10.

The line to wait outside was a long one for Collord. Once she was inside the building, though, she said it was Collord said the long wait gave her time to think about being in line for the vaccine when other people may need it more than her.

Collord said she would have liked to see older people be able to receive the vaccine before her.

“If these are actually surplus [doses], it is your duty to get vaccinated as soon as possible to help herd immunity,” Collord said. “At the end of the day, the only thing you can do is try to nerable demographics aren’t getting these doses.”

Selection process for vaccine distribution cine, those interested can visit Primary Health Solutions’ website to register.

Primary Health Solutions then

“There has been some misinformation that you can just show up,” Morrish said. “They want you to register for the vaccine on their website to get selected. But older people are able to call.”

However, many people have shown up without an appointment They received the extra shots that were not administered to those with appointments.

The website asks for the individual’s preferences for date, time and place of their vaccination. They also ask for contact information of each individual to then text and email them pointment for vaccine administration.

“At the end of the day, the directive from the Ohio Department of Health is that we are trying to get the most but what we don’t want to do is waste any doses,” Roller said. “So, if we have additional vaccine supply, and we do not have anyone that meets the certain criteria, then we would give those vaccines to anyone.”

Roller said those who are able to get the extra doses after waiting in line are then guaranteed an appointment to receive the second dose. The second dose for the Moderna vaccine should

current phases outlined by the Ohio Department of Health.

Governor Mike DeWine’s website, in the number of vaccines given to Ohio, DeWine outlined individuals included in Phase 1D and Phase 2B of Ohio’s vaccination plan which went into effect on March 11.

Phase 1D includes individuals with certain medical conditions not addressed in previous phases, including type 2 diabetes and end-stage renal disease. Phase 2B will open vaccinations for Ohioans ages 50 and older.

Roller said anyone who wants to get vaccinated, should.

“We’ve been in a lot of communities, [and] the response in Oxford has been robust,” Roller said. “I don’t want people to get frustrated if people don’t get a call right away. We are trying to work through the phases [put out by the Ohio Department of Health]. Everyone is doing their best.” @haubenstrickerc haubence@miamioh.edu

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY 5

LUMPKIBM@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021

Actions speak louder than words: POLITICS SHR-HUA MOORE STAFF WRITER The Biden administration has been reversing and revising Trumpera policies since day one of taking control of the White House, and language is no exception. The administration has changed the rhetoric political issues.

Among the changes, Biden has

ministration.

oric] are absolutely a bad thing,”

this isn’t anything new,” Armstrong

designed to make us feel complacent with what’s going on. While words concerning immigration have changed, the policies really haven’t.”

During his campaign, Biden promised not to deport anyone

a lot of persuasion and trying to frame things a certain way that may how they say things concerning climate change and immigration lets the administration frame things their way, letting them have a better foundation to get things done.”

Armstrong said the changes were unnecessary compared to direct action.

use the hashtag #climatecrisis on Twitter. The White House has also started asking those looking to contact the administration whether they

talk about things, it’s getting things

The changes were not well-received by some students on Miami’s Taylor Armstrong is a junior political science major and the chairman of the College Republicans (CRs) at Miami. He saw the shift in rhetoric as less of a concentrated

Members of CRs are not the only ones who found problems with the administration worrying about words rather than taking action. ness economics major and a member of the College Democrats. He expressed frustration at the rhetoric

a political maneuver by the new ad-

Armstrong.

not interested in debating how we should talk about things; we’re more interested in doing the things in the

Although he tried to implement this policy, the measure was blocked by a federal Texas judge, and thousands of undocumented immigrants have continued to be deported during his term, although arrests are down.

Gates said he was disappointed that the Biden administration did not make further attempts to push through the blocked policy, with the word changes being the only meaningful policy that he believes has been implemented so far. excuse the Biden administration has made while ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has continued to deport hundreds, if not thouhaven’t changed what they’re doing.

They’re just changing the way they’re talking about it so Biden voters are

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The University of Cincinnati (UC) opted for required and voluntary strategic mitigation testing, which its website

not required.

Miami and BGSU replaced spring out the semester, and UC replaced spring break with two reading days.

The spring semester lasts 16 weeks for all three schools.

All three schools currently use a combination of course delivery methods (in-person, hybrid, online syn-

cial work and international studies double major who is also a member of the College Democrats. She welcomes the rhetoric changes but agrees they are not enough.

what the change in rhetoric means for the American people as a whole.

Armstrong expressed concerns that the change in wording was limiting freedom of speech for Americans.

good change, but the changes are individual interests with collective concerns, and this whole rhetoric can change the term ‘illegal alien’ to ‘non-citizen,’ but how much does that matter when you’re still deporting thousands of immigrants and letting ICE commit these human rights abuses against them?”

Brunton thinks it’s important to still be critical of the Biden administration despite liking it better than the Trump presidency. critical of Biden’s inaction because there’s not insane undying loyalty to a party — a lot of us voted for Biden because we thought he was a better candidate than Trump,” she said. erything he’s doing. It’s not a sports team; you don’t just root for your colinvolved in making change.”

While there is general disappointment in these changes, stu-

lem with our government wanting to properly address things, but let’s not get hung up on it or regulate it. Let That’s the whole point of free society.”

Gates disagreed that the policies could limit free speech. its own code that it uses to persuade on free speech to look at that rhetoric and use it in a humanizing way.

That’s not subversion, that’s the nature of free speech.”

Regardless of why, the students all agreed on one thing: Biden’s words are just that until they’re acted upon. @hua_shr moorese6@miamioh.edu

COVID campuses: OHIO UNIVERSITIES LEXI WHITEHEAD ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR While the decision to send all Ohio students home last spring was made by Gov. Mike DeWine, it was up to individual colleges on how they wanted to proceed in the 2020-2021 school year.

From replacing spring break with wellness days to altering how dining halls function, colleges across the nation have taken many precautions against COVID-19 within the past year.

How do Miami University’s COVID policies and case numbers match up against other schools in Ohio, like Bowling Green State University (BGSU) and the University of Cincinnati (UC)?

Testing Strategies Last semester, Miami implemented random, wide-net testing for random to schedule a test, and tests were mainly nasal or throat swabs.

This semester, however, Miami changed its methods, instead focusing on surveillance testing of strategic samples. Saliva tests are taken and pooled together, and if the virus is detected in the sample, students are to return for a nasal or throat swab test. Nasal and throat swab tests are also used for symptomatic students.

Bowling Green State University (BGSU) uses randomized surveillance testing with self-administered nasal ment.

to symptoms or suspected exposure,” in order to monitor trends on campus and encourage healthy habits among students. The website does not specify what type of test is used. only on Mondays and Tuesdays, whereof the week. Like BGSU, however, all dents to get tested before they go home for the summer.

Campus and Academics Miami, BGSU and UC all require face coverings and social distancing while in campus buildings. They also clean areas many times throughout the day and ask that anyone coming on campus complete a health check for any COVID symptoms. es between safety measures on each campus.

For example, UC requires use of the COVID Check app for conducting daily health checks. Based on a student’s anpass,” which allows them access to to quarantine or isolation. Students are required to show their green pass in order to access certain campus buildings.

At Miami and BGSU, daily health the Campus Clear app as a tool to conduct daily health checks, but using it is

when it comes to the fall 2021 semester.

While Miami has announced that it will return to mostly in-person classes by then, BGSU will continue mixed delivery but have more in-person options. opportunities but doesn’t have any concrete plans yet.

Dining halls remain open at all three universities but with more options for carry-out and tables organized for social distancing. Dining hall employees also now serve students instead of students serving themselves.

Of the three schools, Miami is the only one to utilize a Remain-in-Room plan, where it assigns residence halls a level of COVID safety. If a residence quarantined.

Case Numbers Between March 3 and March 9, Miami reported 122 new COVID cases out of 2,760 tests given.

BGSU’s COVID dashboard is updated every Tuesday. Between March 1 and March 7, it reported 1,123 tests itive tests.

Four of the last seven days on Mi-

ing sexual/interpersonal violence training within fraternity and sorority life. pandemic has placed a lot of tension and added stress upon all of us,” Stephens said.

DESIGNER

new cases on that day, but Miami also has a larger student population than BGSU. UC, however, has a larger student population than Miami and reported

a Director of Transgender Equity and Inclusion to improve the experience of transgender students at Miami.

Stephens said he plans to improve the university’s response to acts of hate, formative” and inadequate.

bring students together through Ground” series — videos meant to create conversations between stubackgrounds and ideologies to help currently at Miami’s campus.” address it and talk about those things so we can continue to move forward.” health and plans to dismantle the

STUDENT GOVERNMENT HENRI ROBBINS STAFF WRITER

size the university’s Campus Cares telecounseling, moving the current Farmer School of Business location to the Armstrong Student Center to increase accessibility and utilization.

Miami University’s Student Body creating mental health awareness in p.m. on Thursday, March 11, for a debate sponsored by Associated Student Government (ASG) and The Miami Student.

Lena Giang, respectively.

Following introductions, the three plan to address student wellness outside the COVID-19 pandemic.

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fraternity and sorority life. initiatives involves restructuring the ence ... to accelerate belonging among Stephens discussed plans to expand trauma-informed care training to all health center professionals and ing telehealth to Miami students outside the state or country and increas-

by online classes.

their campaigns. to have more access to their elected leaders and intends to bridge the gap between ASG and other student organizations.

He also plans to re-establish student court following its disbanding in 2018. the student body, Director of Food and Beverage Brent Mason and Campus Services to address dining dollar parency with respect to meal plans.

do here is mobilize the student body I lost my grandpa a couple weeks ago, who was like a father to me. It absolutely wrecked me. I am grieving, and I will probably be grieving for a long time. I think a lot of students on this campus share that grief and have lost loved ones.”

Stephens said he plans to look into bettering the university’s response to the pandemic and work to create a paign” to encourage students to get the COVID-19 vaccine and provide international students with alternatives to Canvas and Google.

From there, candidates were be once elected.

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said.

Stephens said he plans to create an advocacy fund for student-led social activism. He said there are plans lations and the Division of Student Life to create funds that alumni, businesses and students can donate to. support and backing from our university to help push our university into being on the right side of history and

eight positive tests out of 1,509 tests given between Feb. 27 and March 5. @nwlexi whitehan@miamioh.edu

to Miami, along with working to decrease the burden on students who are a part of marginalized groups.

Council and Black Greek life through creating spaces for students of color to advocate and work to create actionable changes.

Giang said they plan to work with the Division of Student Life to imsity through the implementation of a zero-tolerance policy toward hate speech. validate hate groups through accidental things like liking comments on Instagram,” Giang said. how they plan to perform both within and beyond their roles as vice president. dents, communicate their perspectives when working with administraGround” series. tives, along with working to create more visibility for student artists.

Giang said since she and Stephens they will be able to work toward the and experiences.

said. was asked a question about the inclusion of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) as one of their campaign pillars.

@henrixrobbins robbinha@miamioh.edu

6 CAMPUS & COMMUNITY ASG asks students to “pick their portion”

CONTRIBUTED BY MIAMI ASG

DINING REAGAN RUDE THE MIAMI STUDENT Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) launched an initiative earlier this month to reduce food waste in campus dining halls by asking students to “pick their portion.”

Dining halls across campus now display stickers on the glass in front of food stations prompting students food they wish to receive. Options include double, full and half-portions, as well as “just a taste.” Posters with information about food waste are also located at dining hall entrances.

QR codes on the posters lead to an ASG webpage with information about estimating portion sizes, statistics about food waste in the United States and details about Pick Your Portion’s objectives.

The website contains visualizations to help students understand serving sizes using household items.

For instance, the website compares one cup with the size of a baseball, and three ounces of cooked meat to the size of a deck of playing cards. year academic senator in ASG and one of the creators of Pick Your Portion, explained the motivations “One of the main tenets of my platform was investigating composting at Miami,” she said. “We decided as a committee that it would be best to direct our attention towards reducing food waste to begin with.”

Reducing food waste at the vironmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Hierarchy and revolves around throwing away less food.

Tiefenhaler said specifying portion sizes can ultimately help reduce food waste.

“The server cannot read your mind on how much you want, so if you just say, ‘I want some carrots and some mashed potatoes,’ you’re just going to get a random amount,” Tiefenthaler said. “You may have just wanted to try the potatoes, and instead you get this huge portion that you’ll end up wasting.”

The purpose of ASG’s program has nothing to do with giving nutritional advice, as is the case with posters like MyPlate.

“The intention of this program is not to make students feel guilty about what they’re eating or regulate that in any way,” Tienfenthaler said. “This is more focused on the sustainability side.”

Geno Svec, executive director of campus services and chief hospital-

HEADLEDD@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021

Oxford helps senior residents get vaccinated

Miami Student that, while dining halls throw away food at the end of partment, students specifying their portions could lead to less food waste in the long run.

“The menu items are projected based upon the usage the last time that item was used in the rotation,” Svec wrote. “The menu item is prepped and produced as needed.” amount of food they wish to eat, those food items will be prepared the next time around. Svec wrote reduce dining hall waste overall as a result.

While it remains unclear how many have adjusted their language, a key part of the initiative relies on getting enough students to adopt

DESIGN EDITOR OWEN BERG

SEAN SCOTT ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

food. writing major, said if not enough people use the new language to begin with, the program will have dif“I think it depends on the stuit and it’s normalized enough that people know the words, then they’ll say it.”

First-year Luke Nordhaus said, may forget over time.

“I think most people would probNordhaus said, “but over time, they might forget about it eventually, focus on their portions.” they have not begun using the stickers’ recommendations. rudere@miamioh.edu

program on March 5 to help elderly residents sign up for COVID-19 vaccinations and to provide transportation to the Butler County Fairgrounds vaccination site.

Jessica Greene, assistant city manager, said she created a hotline at 513-524-5238 after receiving calls for weeks from residents who were confused about the vaccination process. callers up, and Butler County Regional Transit Authority (BCRTA) reserves a number of bus seats each day to bring elderly residents to and from the fairgrounds.

“I said [to the Butler County Health Commissioner], ‘What if we helped to remove barriers to getting people vaccines in Oxford?’” Greene said. “The barriers could be transporternet, availability of internet or some basic things like people who don’t have printers.”

When the program started, Greene said she expected 10 to 12 calls a day. Instead, they have averaged 200 or more.

“It’s been really rewarding,” Greene said, “but also very surprising how much need has been out there …

We have three people here answering the phone, and our phones are ringing nonstop.”

Despite the high volume of calls, ed transportation. Greene said most have needed help with the sign-up process itself but are wary of public transit and prefer to drive themselves.

Jeanne Glaser is the operations administrator for Oxford Seniors, a senior service organization. Glaser said their local team helps get those who do need transport to and from the bus stop.

Oxford — we take people to medical appointments, hair appointments,” Glaser said. “It was just a natural partnership with the city because they know we have vans. We transport seniors all the time, so that’s why they reached out to us.”

While Talawanda School District currently operates a vaccination site, Greene said the city hasn’t worked

out the logistics with the district yet.

When the city tried to send elderly residents there to get their shots, it led to long lines. At the fairground site, though, shots are by appointment, so lines haven’t been a problem.

Greene said the program is in a trial phase for the next three weeks. The for vaccinations to 50 years old. As vaccine availability continues to increase, though, Greene said the program may not be necessary a month from now.

Glaser said for now, Butler County years and older until demand is met.

Even if that changes, Oxford Seniors will continue to provide transportation within Oxford for people who need it.

“It’s a really great collaborative health department, Butler County Transit, us [and] the city, it was an ideal situation to try and help people who wouldn’t otherwise get access as ting now.” scottsr2@miamioh.edu

Seniors join SilverSneakers at three Oxford locations COMMUNITY MEGAN MCCONNELL STAFF WRITER Oxford resident Susan Horn preparation for her daily two mile walk on the local sidewalks around the neighborhood, town and campus.

However, with warm weather and two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in her system, Horn now has somewhere new to walk: the Miami University Rec Center, a participating community center in the SilverSneakers program.

SilverSneakers is a free program care Advantage plans for seniors 65 years and older. According to members receive access to online workouts, more than 17,000 gyms on health-related items.

Three Oxford gyms and community centers are considered SilverSneakers locations: Anytime Fitness, Royal 24 and the rec center.

Before the pandemic, Margi Moul, an Oxford resident and memMIAMI’S REC CENTER IS A PARTICIPANT IN THE SILVERSNEAKERS PROGRAM FOR SENIOR CITIZENS. THE MIAMI STUDENT ZACH REICHMAN

aerobics and weight lifting classes healthy.

“It’s a really smart thing for insurance companies to do,” Moul said. “The healthier we are, the less they have to pay for things.”

Another Oxford resident Carol Schnipper also joined the SilverSneakers program after turning 65 this past year. As a former nurse, Schnipper realizes the importance of exercise and the potential health neakers.

“The body starts turning on you by the time you reach a certain age, and if you don’t stay limber and have a good strong core, there’s a problem down the line,” Schnipper said.

Although Moul is an avid walk-

er, she had a similar realization that prompted her to join the program.

“You reach a certain point where you realize that you have to do a little more than just walking,” Moul said.

Before moving to Oxford from St. Louis this past year, Horn was an active member of the SilverSneakers. Although she and her husband have yet to utilize the program its members by motivating them to stay active.

“The positive was that we just nitely encourages you to get out there.”

At Miami’s rec center, members

of the SilverSneakers have access Additionally, there are a variety of yoga, step, barre, aerobic exercise, A popular activity among members is pickleball.

“Talking to relatives, they say that – oh my gosh – there are tournaments, and I mean big tournaments,” Schnipper said. “Like tennis, you can have varying levels of really intense and aggressive. Now, having said that, there are a lot of people who are just starting out, like me, too.”

classes and workouts. However, Moul prefers to attend in-person.

“You can now access it on your TV, but it’s not nearly as fun as being there with other people,” Moul said.

Over the last year, many senior residents, including Moul, Schnipper and Horn, have not attended the gym or community center in-person due to the global pandemic.

However, as of Feb. 8, citizens 65 years of age and older were eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccination, according to the City of Oxford’s website. Several local residents have received both doses of their vaccine and are cautiously returning to their social lives: intimately seeing fam-

ily, having dinner with friends and exercising at the recreation center.

For Schnipper, the COVID-19 vaccine provides reassurance.

“It relieves a lot of the stress on me,” Schnipper said.

Without the fear of getting sick, Schnipper, Horn and Moul are returning to Miami’s rec center in an around the indoor track and playing pickleball.

“Frankly, 60 is the new 40,” Schnipper said. “You are still, or can be, in great shape, emotionally and mentally.” @meggy_nicole mcconnmn@miamioh.edu

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY 7

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Entertainment

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“Dance Moms”:

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ENTERTAINMENT 9

I underestimated “Minari:”

why I was so wrong

OWEN BERG DESIGN AND STYLE EDITOR from Korean American writer/director Lee Isaac Chung, follows the Korean American Yi family after they move from Los Angeles to a plot of land in rural Arkansas. It is made clear early on that the move was the family patriarch Jacob’s (played by Steven Yeun) idea. He dreams of starting his own farm, where he plans to grow Korean vegetables to sell to the increasing number of Korean immigrants coming to the United States.

His wife, Monica (played by Han Ye-ri), is frustrated with their family’s relocation and doubtful of her husband’s plans, while their two children David (Alan Kim) and Anne (Noel Cho) spend their days going to church and exploring the Ozark wilderness.

After Monica’s mother, Soonja (played by the incredible Youn Yuh-Jung) moves from Korea to live with them, tensions continue to rise between the parents as well as between David and Soonja. But as things seem to fall apart for the Yi family, they ultimately arrive at a deeper understanding of each other.

On Monday, “Minari” was nominated for a total of six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Original Score and Best Screenplay. Youn was nominated for Best Actress, and Chung for Best Director. Yeun is in the running be nominated in that category. All this awards buzz is being touted as a landmark for Asian representation in Hollywood. ...

I am Korean American, so when I saw the trailer for “Minari” in September of last year, movie would be mostly in Korean, and that much of the cast and crew were Korean/Korean American raised my hopes farther. But I wasn’t prepared for how “Minari” completely exceeded my expectations, shattering my notions of what a movie about Asian immigrants in rural America could be. vid and his grandmother’s interactions, where Chung precisely examines the incongruencies that many Asian-American kids feel within their own families. David is the only member in the family who was born in the U.S., and we see the dissonance of growing up in an immigrant household within a rural American community already taking root in David’s 7-year-old subconscious. The snide remarks he makes about how his grandma “smells like Korea,” or isn’t “a real grandma” because she can’t bake cookies show us where he learned how to be “American” from.

For me, moments like these stung in an unexpected way. I never met my Korean grandparents, but I remembered my own childhood confusions with the Korean half of my family. It brought me back to how, as a young child, I once asked my Korean mother why her eyes were so small, or how I would hold my nose when she ate kimchi at dinner.

“Minari” so meticulously unearthed these uncomfortable memories from my youth because, in David, I didn’t just see a child who looked like me – I saw my childhood. I saw it in a way I never had before on screen, in full color through such subtle, intimate details.

As an Asian American, I’ve grown used to having to adjust my own perspective to relate to movie characters. The fact that I’m Asian while my cinematic idols are usually not is a constant silent caveat. When we do see Asian characters, they’re too often either whitewashed (sometimes to the point of being cast as Emma Stone) or are exoticized vessels for the white gaze to consume essentialized versions of Asian cultures through.

This is why “Minari” felt so refreshing. It was a rare chance to see my heritage as part of a as expository knowledge that needs to be spoonfed to a white audience in order for them to understand the plot. Chung spoke on this during an interview with J.J. Abrams.

“As an Asian American, I feel like often we’re so closed in by this idea that we have to explain ourselves to a white audience,” the writer/director said. “Or that with immigrants, you almost have to justify why they are there, why we are seeing them.”

“Minari” doesn’t bother with explaining itself to white people, nor does it use pain to justify why the Yi family gets to exist. It doesn’t center the family’s status as outsiders, and racial trauma is never sensationalized to make white viewers feel sorry for the Yi family.

It seems like this fact resonated with much of the movie’s cast as well. In an interview with the Middleburg Film Festival, Yeun explained why the role was so attractive to him.

“There are versions of our stories that are steeped in the search for our identity,” Yeun said. “And those are necessary and beautiful in our own right, but in this instance, I read such a human portrayal of us, and that is what I gravitated towards.” tinctive Korean American identity, but it doesn’t need to be pursued or defended. Instead, it just gets to exist, giving the characters ample room to breathe and express themselves. While the Yi’s Korean Americanness is inseparable from

Please leave COVID out of this, Hollywood

OUR DESIGN AND STYLE EDITOR WATCHED THE NOW OSCAR-NOMINATED FILM “MINARI”AND REFLECTED ON HIS IDENTITY AS AN ASIAN AMERICAN. PHOTO FROM @MINARIMOVIE

destiny — their humanity does. ...

“Minari” helped me realize an important truth about my desire to see more Asian represtarted to expect to see stereotypes about Asian people get turned on their heads. For example, seeing Steven Yeun as a stoic, sweaty farmer in a trucker hat and a white tank top gave me hope that I would get to see the typical weak Asian male archetype get subverted; headlines like anticipations. the only thing that can actually dismantle these stereotypes is to give these Asian characters enough depth to actually be seen as real people with whom we can empathize. That sounds really obvious, but I really hadn’t thought much about how merely reacting to stereotypes can only take us so far.

The racist trope of the emasculated, impotent Asian nerd isn’t going to disintegrate upon the creation of some rugged, virile Asian shallow. Neither character can exist without the other to give it shape. Therefore, the stereotype persists through both of them.

So, while I was excited when the trailer suggested that Yeun’s character might be the successful Asian male hero who I had been missing all my life, I felt even happier when I turned out to be wrong. Yes, Jacob is determined, but he’s also extremely stubborn. He’s neglectful of his family at times, dangerously balancing their well-being with his own dreams to be a farmer. He struggles with getting his crops to grow, is hanging by a thread.

In other words, Jacob is complicated. He isn’t burdened with the task of subverting Hollywood stereotypes because he’s deep enough

to exist beyond their grip. He’s something more important than an Asian superhero – an Asian protagonist who is allowed to fail.

This matters more to me than any amount of awards recognition does. Even though the stone for Asians/Asian Americans in American cinema, how and when the industry chooses to recognize us doesn’t mean much to me. Yeun for best actor in the Academy’s 93-year history – why should I pat them on the back for taking so long? ...

I underestimated “Minari.” My expectations were high, but they were also misguided, only as shallow as the ever-present Hollywood shortcomings that informed them. While I completely expected it to be honest in its portrayals of Asian American characters, I now realize I didn’t actually know what that kind of honesty Instead of pandering to the white gaze, “Minari’’ reminded me that the years I have spent staring in the mirror held up by cinema, only to nalized that same gaze within myself. I can feel it peering over my shoulder right now, the way it does whenever I write about my own identity as how valid my feelings and experiences really are or whether or not anyone will even care. I suspect Chung probably felt the same way when I know just one movie will not save me from this nagging part of my subconscious. But “Minari” gave me an ounce of freedom to escape that gaze, a rare chance to see myself not through new eyes, but through my own. For that, I can only praise it. bergoe@miamioh.edu

How I’ve made it this far in college:

ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR ABBY BAMMERLIN

COSETTE GUNTER, ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR icans and three in 10 Black or Hispanic Americans report knowing a close friend or relative that has died from COVID-19, it’s safe to say course of the pandemic.

However, despite the obvious mental, emotional and physical hardship that Americans, as well as the rest of the world, have been and are still experiencing, production studios are already churning out shows and movies that revolve around life in the time of COVID-19.

Freeform’s “Love in the Time of Corona” were tine with anything from resisting texting exes to feeling disconnected from family and friends.

Though these are real experiences, the shows represent a privileged lens of the pandemic experience. While some Americans waited in long lines at food donation centers, others never went to bed with the fear of what they would eat the next day. Not every American had a pool in their backyard to enjoy or stable internet access to work from home, like many of the portrayed characters did.

Other pre-COVID shows like “black-ish” have already written COVID-19 into its scripts, and many others plan to incorporate the pandemic into future episodes, just a year after America went into lockdown.

Even worse, movies like “Songbird” and “The Second Wave” capitalize on and dramatize situations too close to the reality that Americans have faced in the last year. Not to mention, there are other strains of the coronavirus that present real threats of second waves.

Granted, for shows like “Grey’s Anatomy”

and “The Good Doctor,” it might be too outside the realm of reality to exclude every mention of the coronavirus and the pandemic, but timing is everything. We’re not even out of the pandemic, and soon, our methods of escape will widely re— accurate portrayal or not. its way into Hollywood, and at some point, it will be important to include such a pivotal point in history, but the reality is that this moment in time is not over yet, and the time to do that is not now.

There is still grief, there is still widespread ed, recovered patients are still coping with longwant to see when they turn on the TV or log onto world they have to return to again tomorrow.

Producing ‘pandemic’ shows and movies insensitive. It showcases a lack of connection to the exhausting experience of the last year — something that can’t already be summarized, As Ryan Murphy, writer of “American Horror Story,” said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, “I’m personally more interested in things that are about hope, beauty and romance — the opposite of the darkness that we’re going through.”

There will be a time when the pandemic is something to be looked back upon, but for an event that continues to be so widely devastating, writers should put themselves in the shoes of those who are continually stricken by loss and destitution. These stories can only be told after time has begun to heal and provide perspective.

Otherwise, it’s just taking away another safe space people desperately need. @cosettegunter guntercr@miamioh.edu

LOFI HIP-HOP IS THE KEY TO OUR ASSISTANT CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR’S EDUCATION. DESIGNER SADIE VAN WIE

LEXI WHITEHEAD ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR due and very little focus, but I have a trick that tivity.

I’m not usually able to listen to music while doing homework because it distracts me, but radio - beats to relax/study to” playlist on YouTube does the exact opposite.

Maybe it’s the video loop featuring an anime girl doing her own studying. Maybe it’s the smooth simplicity of the songs that melt away the anxiety around my schoolwork, giving me the courage to actually get it done. Maybe it’s simply my association of the playlist with studying. something comes over me, and I’m suddenly motivated and focused with enough energy to do what I need to do.

It’s on as I’m writing this. a downtempo genre that combines “chill-out” music with hip-hop. It became popular on YouTube in 2017 with 24-hour live streams, like ChilledCow’s, dedicated to the genre.

The stream is like a radio station, only without the ads. Users can pull up the livestream on YouTube whenever they want and start listening to what’s on at the moment.

Cow’s channel, as well as other similar YouTube channels, but I’ve never had a reason to stray away from ChilledCow’s “beats to relax/study

to.”

ChilledCow also features the playlist on Spotify. It’s not live music like on YouTube, but the playlist is updated every day.

As “chill-out” music, the songs tend to be fairly simple and easy to listen to. This makes them the perfect background music for studying. The music is low-stakes, with no harshness or surprises. There also aren’t many vocals.

Most of the time, I can’t tell when one song ends and another starts because of the simplicity and soft melodies. til the last minute, no matter how menial they are.

While this is a whole other problem I need where I have a big paper due at 10 a.m. the next day that I haven’t started.

It pushes me through late night/early morning study sessions. It keeps me focused for longer than I’d be without it.

Studying can get boring, yet the music isn’t actually distracting me from my work. Rather, it acts as background noise that keeps me focused work. meme, and because of this, producers tend to stray away from the genre. I don’t know if the music is necessarily “good” (I can’t say I listen to it outside of my study sessions), but I don’t really care. All I know is that several papers would not have gotten turned in without it. @nwlexi whitehan@miamioh.edu

Sports

10

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021

NELSO156@MIAMIOH.EDU

RedHawks go 1-1 in the Battle of the Bricks

The team held its lead until Ohio scored -

The Bobcats dominated the rest of the set to win 25-16 and put them up 2-0 in the match. a win. game. Junior outside hitter Sophie Riemersma Miami kept its lead until the Bobcats tied it up at 15, but the RedHawks were back on track right

lead.

The fourth set was a constant battle for both teams.

There was no clear leader until Ohio’s head coach Deane Lewis was issued a red card to put The set continued to go back and forth until a -

25-21.

The match was then tied at 2-2.

FRESHMAN MIDDLE HITTER ABBY STRATFORD SPIKES THE BALL DURING LAST WEEKEND’S SERIES AGAINST OHIO. THE MIAMI STUDENT ZACH REICHMAN

BAILEY ALTHAUSER

the team up 3-2.

The ’Hawks maintained their lead for the remainder of the set, and a block from Riemersma won the match for the RedHawks, 3-2.

THE MIAMI STUDENT The Miami RedHawks faced the Ohio Bobcats in a two-game series last weekend for the “Battle of the Bricks.”

Millett Hall, the RedHawks rebounded Satur-

6-5.

The teams went back and forth for a few points until the Bobcats went on a scoring spree to reclaim their lead, 15-11.

The RedHawks were not able to come back

beginning.

Both teams traded the lead, with the score In the end, it was a kill from junior outside hitter Mariana Rodrigues that won the set for the Bobcats, 25-23.

led the team with 16 kills. Senior setter Morgan the night before.

“I’m real proud of them,” Condit said. “ToCondit said that being down 2-0 and coming back for a win showed the girls that nothing is work together.

scored six points in a row to take the set 25-20. set.

The Bobcats won the third set 25-22 to take the match 3-0.

“Tonight was not a good match for the Red-

put the team up 1-0. @baileyalthauser althaube@miamioh.edu

Baseball loses series, 2-1, against the Memphis Tigers last weekend

championships LUKAS NELSON

Mid-American Conference.

-

SPORTS EDITOR

sonal best.

held their own against tough competition pionships.

al at the European U20 Championships in In both races, the ’Hawks were competing with marquee programs. Of the 12 teams In McLear’s race, he was one of two run-

team’s best time of the season.

The four-runner DMR team includes

competitors at the meet for Miami, scored

ished second in the race, losing to Oregon

@LukasTheDream nelso156@miamoh.edu

MIAMI BASEBALL WILL FINALLY GET TO PLAY A HOME SERIES THIS WEEKEND AGAINST TOLEDO. THE MIAMI STUDENT ZACH REICHMAN

The RedHawks avoid a shutout Miami wasn’t able to secure a win in Satur-

THE MIAMI STUDENT

ing two runs in the second inning with a walk, a big win as well. fell to the Tigers for the rest of the series.

Miami does the shutting out

Back hit an RBI double.

The RedHawks were able to bring in the secNate Stone.

The RedHawks extended their lead, 5-0, in baseman Michael Morissette hit an RBI single.

Brokemond walked and Back hit a two-RBI double.

In four innings throughout the remainder of the game, Miami scored four more runs. In the

pitch, single and a two-run double in the third er run in the fourth inning with two doubles.

The RedHawks weren’t shut out, though.

In the third inning, Brokemond and Back gled to get one run on the scoreboard for Miami.

And in the eighth inning, Back hit a solo homer to start the inning. runs Memphis took the lead, 2-0, with a single, a RBI double. solo home run.

The Tigers fought back in the sixth inning inning, Memphis hit a couple of singles, stole a base and grounded out to extend its lead to 4-1.

The RedHawks were able to get one more run in the ninth inning.

baseman Brian Zapp walked, bringing in a run.

In the sixth inning, Zapp walked on four

time this season. The four-game series against FOUR REDHAWKS POSE WITH THEIR TROPHIES. (TOP) JUNIOR FINLEY MCLEAR RUNS IN THE 800 METER DASH AT THE NCAA INDOOR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. (BOTTOM) PHOTOS BY ANGELA FIENO

doubled and substitute designated hitter Nick Clark hit an RBI double.

@lilyfreiberg freibell@miamioh.edu

SPORTS 11

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021

NELSO156@MIAMIOH.EDU

Men’s basketball takes step forward in Owens’ fourth season Lairy took on a bigger role this season. He started every game this year after mostly comone of the team’s most consistent players.

He led the team in minutes played and assists while raising his scoring average from 8.2 to 12.8 points per game. Lairy shot a team-high 41.6% from 3-point range and was generally an The junior’s ability to navigate ball screens, drive into the lane and shoot pull-up jumpers makes him a tough player to guard. Despite his stature, he also plays with a lot of tenacity on the Next season, Lairy should be one of the team’s most important players and a leader on the court.

Myja White 6’1” guard 5.9 ppg, 2 rpg, 41% 3-pt fg White was often the forgotten man this season. He wasn’t option one, two or three on the times the whole season.

Still, the redshirt sophomore was one of the team’s most tenacious players, often having to guard bigger players. He was perhaps Miami’s best guard defender and could guard the opponent’s best perimeter threat. If there were a stat for charges drawn, White would almost certainly lead the RedHawks.

White’s shooting improved from last season, as he went from shooting 22.5% from three to on the team among players who shot at least 10 free throws.

In short, White is the perfect “3 and D” role player.

He isn’t the most talented player on the rosREDSHIRT JUNIOR FORWARD JAMES BECK WAS ONE OF MIAMI’S MOST CONSISTENT PLAYERS OFF THE BENCH THIS SEASON. THE MIAMI STUDENT ZACH REICHMAN

LUKAS NELSON SPORTS EDITOR Men’s basketball head coach Jack Owens turned his fortunes around this season.

After three seasons of little improvement, and perhaps even some regression, his Miami RedHawks squad needed to make some noise in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) this year.

The team had to do so without its star player, guard Nike Sibande, after he transferred to Pittsburgh.

Things didn’t look great to start the season.

After six games, the team was 3-3, with two blowout losses and three wins against lesser competition.

After a narrow defeat against Bradley on Dec 19, COVID-19 reared its ugly head. The team shut down team activities through the end of the calendar year and didn’t play its next game until Jan. 9.

The ’Hawks managed to win that one, 7058, against Northern Illinois. Miami lost its next game to Ohio, but the team was on a roll. It scored 80 or more points in its next four games, three of which were RedHawk victories.

Then their scoring came back to Earth as they lost four straight games to tough competition.

Still, Miami managed to win four of its last second year in a row.

Though the team’s performance in the MAC tournament was solid, it wasn’t enough to beat times, but the RedHawks always responded, cutting the Bulls’ lead to 59-58 with four min15-5 run to win, 74-63.

After a breakout season for Owens and his program, let’s take a look at the team’s roster this season and going forward.

ROSTER EVALUATIONS Key Departures Precious Ayah 6’6” forward 3.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 56.7% fg Milos Jovic 6’5” guard 21 games played, 1 ppg Ayah played his best basketball toward the end of the season, starting the RedHawks’ last six games and giving them good minutes. He was the team’s best big man in the MAC Tournament, scoring nine points and grabbing six rebounds.

Jovic’s playing time faded as the season went on, and his scoring was a non-factor. Still, he gave the team key minutes when needed and

Though he made only three of his 14 attempts from 3-point range this season, Jovic leaves Miami as a career 37.4% 3-point shooter.

Ayah and Jovic were consistent rotation players this season, but the RedHawks shouldn’t have a hard time replacing either of their minutes.

Key Returners Dae Dae Grant 6’2 guard 13.7 ppg, 3 rpg, 41% 3-pt fg, 87.2% ft Grant made a leap in his sophomore season, becoming the team’s leading scorer. He improved his scoring average from 9.3 points per game to 13.7 and drastically boosted his shooting percentages.

Grant was Miami’s most reliable 3-point threat, making a team-high 57 shots from behind the arc on 41%. He eclipsed 20 points in reer-high 28 points in a blowout win against Eastern Michigan.

Perhaps Grant’s best game came on the road against Central Michigan. He scored a gamehigh 25 points and made seven of his 12 shot attempts from 3-point range. Grant’s hot shooting was a key factor in Miami hitting 18 threes in the game, the most in school history.

After the season, Grant was named a thirdteam All-MAC player. The sky’s the limit for him, and with more consistency, Grant could future.

Dalonte Brown 6’7” forward 13.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 48.3% fg, 37.3% 3-pt fg, 85.7% ft Brown improved his game in a meaningful way this season, averaging career highs in scoring, rebounding and assists.

He also improved his shooting percentages, going from a paltry 29% behind the arc to from the free throw line are both career highs.

Simply put, Brown looked more comfortable scoring the ball, whether it was a catchand-shoot three, a face-up jumper or going all the way to the rim.

He made a big impact on the boards, leading the team with 7.4 rebounds per game.

Though Grant was the lone RedHawk who made an All-MAC team, Brown was arguably the team’s best all-around player.

Although Brown is a senior, he will use an extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19 to come back for another season.

Mekhi Lairy 5’8” guard 12.8 ppg, 3.3 apg, 41.6% 3-pt fg, 80.5% ft

as he stays in Oxford.

Eli McNamara 6’9 forward 3.7 ppg, 1.9 rpg McNamara started nine games at the start of conference play but struggled to stay on the has never been able to put it all together.

Ayah took McNamara’s starting spot and some of his minutes.

With Ayah gone, McNamara may be able to carve out a consistent role and could even take back his starting spot.

Isaiah Coleman-Lands 6’0” guard 7.8 ppg, 3 apg, 81.3% ft Coleman-Lands, also known as ICL, was the team’s sixth man at the guard position. The redshirt junior was a strong veteran presence this season, and could come into the game and slow things down as a point guard.

He had a 2.6 assist to turnover ratio, which ranked second in the conference. His 67 total assists for the season is a career high and was good for second on the team.

ICL’s shooting took a tailspin this season, going from 35.3% from 3-point range to 29.5%.

from Oakland University in Michigan. He was in the starting lineup to begin the season but eventually settled nicely into his role as a bench player.

The redshirt junior came into the game and His 4.9 rebounds per game ranked second on the team behind Brown.

Although scoring isn’t Beck’s No. 1 priority, he still managed to score 7.1 points per game, Beck racked up a team-high 51 fouls on the season and sometimes found himself glued to the bench with foul trouble. If he wants a bigger role next season, Beck needs to get better at being an inside presence without fouling.

Javin Etzler 6’8” forward 3.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 37.5% 3-pt fg Etzler didn’t have a big role this year, but he was a solid bench player when called upon. The redshirt freshman played in 17 of the team’s 23 games.

His most consistent skill this season was the ability to hit the long ball, as he shot 37.5% from behind the 3-point line.

Etzler’s most productive game was a blowout win against Central Michigan, when he scored tempts from 3-point range.

Standing at 6’8”, Etzler’s size and shooting make him a prime candidate to earn a bigger role next season.

Looking Ahead but he should get contributions next year from players already on the roster. The one other player Miami might miss is junior forward Josh Brewer, who entered the transfer portal earlier this week.

Freshman center Jackson Ames is a young player who could develop into a solid starter during his time in Oxford. The 6’11” Ames appeared in just six games this season.

Freshman guard Bryson Tatum is another player who could turn into a useful piece after taking a redshirt season. With Grant, Lairy, White and Coleman-Lands in front of him on the depth chart, Tatum can develop on his own time.

With more internal improvement and a workouts, the Miami RedHawks may have a chance to be one of the top teams in the MAC next season. @LukasTheDream nelso156@miamioh.edu

SCOREBOARD TUESDAY

VOLLEYBALL

SATURDAY

Toledo……..……………… 0

BASEBALL

Miami….……….....…….… 3

Miami……………….…... 3 Coastal Carolina……..... 5

THURSDAY MEN’S BASKETBALL

VOLLEYBALL

Miami…………………….. 63

Ohio….....…………..….. 2

FRIDAY HOCKEY Miami……………………. 2

’Hawks Talk

Still, his 7.8 points per game make him the team’s fourth-leading scorer.

Coleman-Lands is a key piece for the RedHawks going forward, as he should be in red and white for at least one more season.

James Beck 6’8 forward 7.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 48.5% fg Beck was a revelation for Miami this season,

North Dakota………….... 6 VOLLEYBALL Ohio …..………….…...… 3 Miami ……......……......... 1

Miami…...…………........ 3 FIELD HOCKEY Ohio….…………………. 0 Miami……………….…...1

SUNDAY BASEBALL Miami……………..……. 2

FIELD HOCKEY Ohio..…...…..…….…….. 0

Kent State..………........ 2

Miami…...………...…….. 3 BASEBALL

TENNIS

Miami……..…...………... 9

Toledo…….…………… 5

Memphis..…………….... 0 TENNIS Miami……………………. 3

Miami……..………….... 2

Opinion

12

WOLFFRG@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2021

STAFF EDITORIAL

Don’t just vote to vote — know who you’re voting for rial board. from March 15-17 on the Hub. the student body for the next year, so we believe voting is important — and educated voting even more so.

We, at The Miami Student, have had a chance to talk to all three slates running for the SBP and VP positions, and we thought all the campaigns had their strengths and weaknesses. ing the Miami student body is Trey Petrella and Ruku Pal. We were encouraged by their solid experience in Associated have done with the current SBP, and their platform’s concrete actionable steps to get their goals accomplished.

With the campaign slogan “Many voices. One purpose,” they plan on focusing on the pillars of Diversity, Equity & goal is ultimately to create a university that is home to all of its students. They share many of these goals with the other slates, but we believe they are the best equipped to achieve the changes they are looking for. istration, which we know goes a long way when it comes to getting things done. They have been a part of working on extending the credit/no credit option and extending dining hall accommodations to include students fasting for Ramadan.

They have a solid grasp on the necessary steps to get

these goals accomplished, and because they both know how to get policies passed within student government, we believe tion.

On the one hand, we feel they may not be the most in tune with the everyday issues many students face and care did not reach out to the Black Student Action Association while campaigning. But they have surrounded themselves with a more diverse team that we think and hope will be able We know the applications for two secretary positions will be sent out to the entirety of the student body. Our hope is that this will bring in voices who better represent students from marginalized groups, whose needs, we believe, should make sure this happens.

If they want to create a school that feels like home, they need to bring everyone to the table.

Vada Stephens and Lena Giang are our second choice for the positions of SBP and VP. Their general statements felt more in touch with the marginalized groups on campus — they themselves are the most diverse ticket and have connections with many intercultural and international student groups, and their platform focuses on changes more centered around advocacy for those communities. They were also the only ticket to reach out to BSAA during their campaign, which is encouraging. actionable steps toward their ambitious goals in the short time they would have. These candidates will have only a year to do what they set out to, and concrete steps to get there

An informed student body is a strong student body DEVIN ANKENEY THE MIAMI STUDENT “You’ve already read your two free articles for the month. Subscribe for more.” *click* Nope, way too much money.

We’ve all gotten to this point. Reading through a couple of articles to better inform ourselves for the day, then the USA Today, The Guardian or The Washington Post paywalls hinder any further access to information and news for those without a subscription.

The largest newspapers in the country have paywalls. The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today all have paid subscriptions that allow the reader to access everything ever written for that paper.

At an institution of higher education that wishes to “defend the freedom of inquiry that is the heart of learning” via an informed student body, there are but only two major national newspapers students have unlimited and current access to: The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

The former is known for unbiased, skillful reporting with a famous editorial board and a massive circulation. The latter is well-known for its economic reporting, a clear nod to the ever-prioritized Farmer School of Business.

I have no qualms about having access to these papers. In fact, they’re quite trustworthy

“One would have expected the tensof-thousands of dollars in tuition would be enough to cover a few extra subscriptions to online papers.”

news sources. But only being able to read two is inherently narrowing to one’s worldview, especially when those two are known for being consumed by a somewhat elitist audience.

Reporters can never be truly without bias, and reading from the same people and sources consolidates a person’s views and forces them into a corner we’ve recently seen many Americans fall into. This can lend itself to the inability to change one’s mind or see another perspective.

be expected to fork up the hundreds of dollars it would take to be reasonably informed from an array of sources wide enough to garner an unbiased understanding of the world.

One would have expected the tens-of-thousands of dollars in tuition would be enough to cover a few extra subscriptions to online papers.

It’s blatantly classist that only those with formed.

With the recent article published in The Miami Student on how small our population of Pell Grant recipients is, I can’t help but notice a pattern of policies and practices that prioritize students and families with wealth.

With only 13% of our student body “who est among public four-year colleges in Ohio), it becomes ever more clear that Miami can expect its students to pay for their news, as Miami attracts those with the money to do so.

Miami must invest in an equitably informed student body. The Washington Post, USA Today, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Guardian, Le Monde and Time Magazine are just a few of the immensely important news sources from which we should have unencumbered and free access.

And no, the print copies stashed in King campus, are not even remotely enough for the student body to be reasonably well-informed, especially noting how many fewer articles are in print compared to online.

College is meant to be a period of our lives when we learn to think more openly, learn to take in a wider array of perspectives and views and learn how to comprehend the vast and complex world in which we live.

Good journalism is the epitome of free expression and free thought. Miami’s philosophy of a liberal arts education is based on these same values. Their view of a liberal arts education teaches students to “Be curious. Ask questions. Seek answers. Explore. Experience.

Express.” Yet, Miami does not provide its student body with the resources to achieve these goals.

To “become a better global citizen,” one must know of global events, the international system, international news. This is such a simple solution to widely achieve the goals Miami sets out for its students.

The expectation that students, many of whom are in debt from college costs, must ministration embodies performative values is horrifyingly hypocritical to the Miami mantra of Love & Honor.

Love and honor your students by giving them knowledge. By giving them truth. @devin_ankeney ankenedw@miamioh.edu

mean absolutely everything.

As for Madelyn Jett and Aidan McKeon, the third team running, we felt their goals were not as relevant as the other two slates. This is not to say their goals of getting student workers parking passes and extending the reach of dining dollars are unimportant. But their approach toward bigger issues they wanted to tackle, such as diversity, equity and inclusion and mental health, felt more disorganized and less achievable than the other candidates’.

While we are endorsing Petrella and Pal in this election, we do not believe they are perfect, or that they have everyTo whoever wins, we have a few things we hope you keep Represent marginalized groups on campus and bring them into the decision-making space more and more. We know this is a part of all the teams’ platforms, but it is something we are very invested in seeing actually happen over the next year. If we are going to make positive changes, we need diverse representation.

Push for the interest of the students even if and when the administration presents itself as a barrier to your more ambitious goals.

Maintain a tone of transparency with students so there can be accountability and trust between us and our government.

We are excited to see the change our new SBP and VP will bring. No matter who they are, we wish them luck, love and honor.

For all other students: Do your research, think about the change you want to see and, please, vote.

Grief.com:

dealing with loss in an online world

AMES RADWAN COLUMNIST Last week’s wellness day was, for me, anything but well. After all, that was the day I found out that a friend of mine had passed away — a friend I had never met in person, but a friend nonetheless.

It’s no secret to anyone close to me that I have friends all around the world, but I’ve never met many of them in person. Since my senior year of high school, I have spent a fair amount of my free time coding web pages for a series of websites, and I have made so many friends through those experiences.

There are some in the UK, some in the Netherlands, some in Canada, others in various countries in Asia and South America — but even if they lived 20 minutes from me, I still probably would never meet them. After all, I’ve grown up in an age where anything can happen with people you meet on the internet … including dangerous things, like kidnapping or murder. as “my coding friends,” may not know my name or where I live. But that doesn’t mean I’m not incredibly close with some of them.

They are always just a quick Discord message ure out a code that’s stumping me or even just fool around with Discord bots for an hour. I don’t know these people personally, but in an age like today’s where everything from school to work to social media is online, they have still become some of my closest friends.

Which is why this past week has been so hard for me.

On Tuesday morning, I was at work when I received a Discord ping on my break from one of my bosses on a site for which I’ve been coding for out on site,” the message read. “Today we found out that H passed away on March 4th.”

H, whose on-site name I would rather not disclose, was one of my dearest friends on that site. it weren’t for her, I likely would have quit coding entirely and never looked back.

After all, in online communities such as this one, there are a lot of amazing coders who can be very intimidating to a newbie like me. I could barely get anyone to throw two words my way, except for H. She was welcoming and sweet, took me under her wing and even gave me my on-site nickname of “Lasagna,” a code name by which I still go today. If I ever had a problem, whether it to her for help.

When I found out that H had died, as I later told my mother on a tearful phone call, I think I

First, I couldn’t believe it. Sure, H’s account had been inactive for the last few days, but everyone takes breaks, so I hadn’t thought anything of it. Not many people disclose their real ages on these sites, but I know that H wasn’t even 30 yet.

It’s hard to believe it when anyone dies so young.

Then I was furious, because as that message from my on-site boss went on to tell us, H had since before I had even met her. Naturally, I was furious with the disease, but also with H herself.

She had never told me or any of our coding teammates about this.

Maybe if she had told us, we would have been able to prepare for the inevitable, instead of being hit with this horrible news out of nowhere. I know that she did it because she didn’t want to be pitied, but I still wish she had told me.

It made it worse when I checked our DMs together and found that the last message I ever privately sent her was complaining about an illness I’d come down with last December. She listened once said a word about her own troubles. She was just that kind of person. We joked together about how time seemed to be moving so slowly lately, and that was it.

Bargaining is a little hard to do when the person you love is already dead, but I did sit and stare at the little grey dot next to H’s Discord name for a little while even as the tears were running down my face. I begged and pleaded with the universe to please, please just let it turn green. Let her log on one last time so I can say good-bye.

Of course, that didn’t happen.

I spent the rest of my day in a funk, and almost a week later, I’m still not OK. Thirty years ago, the idea of having met someone on a computer and not knowing their name or location but still calling them a friend would have been considered insane. Even now, my parents are naturally a little worried every time I mention an online friend, because who knows if they are who they say they are? I’ve even had some people tell me that my coding buddies aren’t “real friends” because I don’t “really” know who they are in real life.

But in today’s world, you don’t have to know someone’s name or what they look like in order to call them a friend. Social media and the internet have seen to that. We form friendships, these truest bonds from person to person, over someone’s personality, their interests and their love. people in “real” life. Our online lives can be just as ever spoken to H, but I know that she was a real friend to me, and in the end, that’s what matters.

Rest easy, H. I hope time is moving faster for you now. radwanat@miamioh.edu