The Miami Student | March 2, 2021 by The Miami Student

ESTABLISHED 1826

OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES

Volume 149 No. 15

Miami university

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021

‘I’ve had panic attacks; I’ve lost sleep’:

xford,

Ohio

Autism Speaks controversy challenges student philanthropy

FACULTY MADELINE PHABY ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

ALICE MOMANY

When Miami University faculty found out more than half of visiting assistant professors (VAPs) would not have their contracts renewed after the spring 2020 semester, many were gutted. In addition to losing their friends and colleagues, some worried their own workloads would increase as their departments shrank. Nearly a year after the decision was made, this fear has come true for many. VAPs are temporary faculty on one-year contracts that can be re-

THE MIAMI STUDENT Autism Speaks, the foremost autism related organization in the United States, has faced its fair share of controversy over the last decade. While the organization has made strides to improve its reputation, many members of the autistic community argue that Autism Speaks doesn’t speak for them. Two Miami University student to the controversy surrounding Autism Speaks. Alpha Xi Delta, one of Miami’s 19 sororities, remains in partnership with Autism Speaks. Cat Singerman, Alpha Xi Delta’s president, said because the sorority’s national chapter is associated with the organization, there isn’t much that Miami’s chapter can do about the partnership. Miami’s Autism Allies Club, which was formerly a local chapter of Autism Speaks, broke from the national advocacy group in 2019 to focus on other ways of supporting members of the Miami community with autism. Autism Speaks, founded in 2005, donates millions of dollars toward autism research, sets up tax-exempt savings accounts and provides access to healthcare for individuals with autism. The organization has increased awareness through its Autism Awareness Month campaign and its annual Autism Speaks Walk, which has become the world’s largest autism fundraiser. However, in a 2009 campaign video, Autism Speaks compared autism to cancer and frequently used

For that reason, the VAPs that left Miami last year were not technijust not renewed. This was primarily done as a money-saving measure, as Miami was forced to issue tens of millions of dollars in student refunds as a result of COVID-19. Provost Jason Osborne wrote in an email to The Miami Student that departments were never told to reduce their VAP appointments by a certain amount, but they were asked

DESIGNER MACEY CHAMBERLIN

caused by more than just their faculty duties. “I would start by acknowledging that I think most of us are feeling overburdened or burned out – fac-

its members at the beginning of the fall semester about how their workload has changed since COVID-19 hit. The survey asked questions about the respondent’s course load, course caps, service obligations and other aspects of faculty workload. Of the 53 respondents, 74% said the number of classes they were teaching had increased, 36% said their course caps had increased and 47% said their service obligations had increased. Just 9% of respondents said they felt Miami’s upper administration recognized and appreciated the additional work they’d put in. Osborne acknowledged the burnout many professors are experiencing but said they are not the only ones feeling this way, and that it is

as possible, which in turn reduced the need for VAPs. “This was primarily done to ensure we were being good stewards wrote, “and to ensure we could weather an economic challenge of Osborne also said department chairs were ultimately responsible for ensuring faculty workloads were reasonable and fair. “Every department is being asked to update their policies to make teaching responsibilities to ensure Miami’s advocacy chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) issued a survey to

wrote. “For faculty, feeling overburdened is more than a function of Stephen Norris, a professor of history, has many responsibilities in addition to those of a typical faculty member. As director of the Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies, he juggles the administrative duties of running the center along with teaching, university service and scholarship. Due to these additional responsibilities, Norris typically has a 1-1

But, because the history department lost its three VAPs, his teaching load what he is used to. “Everyone [in the department] got at least one extra class, but I got two, and all of that is a direct result “and it’s not like my responsibilities for the Havighurst Center or reNorris also said all the courses he taught in the calendar year 2020 were new to him, which added another layer of stress on top of his increased workload and having to “For the most part, a lot of these extra courses were ones we weren’t expected to teach, and in many cas-

additional services like therapy for families with children with autism. Although there are treatments such as therapy and interventions, autism

Norris said. “When you repeat the departmental standard of 2-2.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Few and far between: COSETTE GUNTER ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR Only about 7.5% of the U.S. population has been fully vaccinated as of March 1, according to NPR’s COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker. Under the CDC’s three-phase distribution plan, college students are not scheduled to get their doses until phase three. Ohio has not released estimated dates for phase three of distribution. Ohio is currently in phase 1b of its rollout plan, which includes Ohians aged 65 and up, 16 and up with underlying health conditions and adults/ employees in K-12 that plan to remain educating in-person. Despite the distant promise of vaccination for most college students, some Miami students are already fully vaccinated. Sam George, a sophomore architecture major, was a part of the University

the vaccine potentially. I know it’s probably going to become something we’re

all gonna need at one point, so I was just like, ‘You know what I’m just gonna

Brick every weekend, but I still go out and see

George received the placebo vaccine in the study and was unblinded in December and told he was eligible for the actual vaccine doses. -

Carroll said the vaccine does make him hopeful for the future, but the new variants of COVID-19 also keep him cautious. “I think people have a false sense of hope right now and don’t totally realize the circumstances of the pandem-

George said there were some moments where he was nervous about participating in the study because of the and hoped he did get the placebo. Looking back, George said he was happy he was able to be vaccinated. “I feel fortunate that I got [the vacone else really that has got the vaccine George, however, is not alone. Patrick Carroll, a sophomore computer science and pre-medical studies the Moderna vaccine in late December week of classes. er academy through the University of Akron and training as an EMT in his hometown in Cleveland. He received

June 2020. The study took six months to complete, and George was paid for attending his doctor visits at the Rochester Regional Health Hospital. George’s aunt works in the infectious diseases sector of the hospital and asked George if he would participate in the study. George said he was able to participate in the trial because he was healthy and did not have any underlying health conditions. “I did it because they were like, ‘Oh, you get 100 bucks each appointment,’

fully vaccinated college students

not quite at herd immuMaddie Canter, a sophomore microbiology and pre-medical studies double major, the Moderna vaccine in January and her second two weeks ago. Canter is a volunteer at Fort Hamilton hospital and said all the personnel teraction with patients. The personnel were ranked on priority, and Canter got an email in December that said she was eligible.

abled him to receive the vaccine. Carroll said his arm was sore after him chills and aches, but the symptoms lasted only 12 hours. Carroll said the vaccine helps his mindset on campus but noted that he still tries to be careful. “I don’t go uptown a whole lot, but I’m hanging out at friends’ apartments

This Issue

only thing I experienced was soreness at the injection site for 24 hours. The second is a little worse. I had soreness, and then, the next day, I woke up with a fever, a headache and nausea and just kind of felt achey, but that only lasted Canter said she feels safer knowing she is vaccinated, but she doesn’t act

it’s not absurd. I’m not going to

“With the limited research on, like, can vaccinated people still spread [the coronavirus] even if they don’t actually become sick, I don’t feel safe changing Canter lives with three other people who aren’t vaccinated and still tries to take all the precautions to keep them safe. Canter said the vaccine gives her hope for the future of the pandemic. “I think it’d be better if more people were vaccinated, and I feel more reas-

should take it if they have the opportunity to. “I think it’s a very ill-advised decisaid. “It’s pretty safe for the most part, too, so I think it’s silly if you choose not George said he understands any apprehension people might have around taking the vaccine because he was skeptical himself but also agrees that it’s a promising solution. “I think it’s important to trust the George said. “If you really want things

“I think everyone that has the opportuCarroll said he was not nervous to take the vaccine and thinks everyone

@cosettegunter guntercr@miamioh.edu

5% chance of contracting COVID-19.

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY

PHOTO

Sexual assault reports are down this year, in part because of COVID-19

An inside look at parties during the pandemic

page 5

DESIGNER MACEY CHAMBERLIN

OPINION

page 8

Basketball regular season page 10

The beginning of a journalism journey page 12

This Week

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TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021

Named the Best College Newspaper (Non-daily) in Ohio by the Society of Professional Journalists.

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Multimedia Editors Chloe Murdock Magazine Editor

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challenges student philanthropy

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Professors struggle with increased

CONTINUED FROM FRONT is a neurological variation that cannot be education, awareness and allyship for the autis-

CONTINUED FROM FRONT courses, you already have a database of sorts, but entirely new courses require creating all those

Kulbaga also said the increases in workload -

There is also a lack of representation of peo-

said, “so [the] workload increases for us hit partic-

voiced their opinions to the club about the negOsborne said though he does foresee a need -

Student that she was aware of the controversy

Speaks is trying to get better by changing the words it uses and increasing representation, but the change is happening too slowly for

“There are a lot of better organizations out

“To have those autistic voices in power giving autistic people the power they need within the organization will - Shae Cole Weiser

work] which is an organization by autistic people for autistic

current faculty taking research leaves and securing grant funding, the university does not have an

Cole Weiser said she thinks on autistic students knowing

the events that have happened over the past cou-

organization, considering how -

that whites can do as well, but diversity is an inher-

the challenge and continue to provide an unparal-

She thinks that, in order for

conduct research and disrupt the “teacher-schol-

needs to begin with representa“To have those autistic voices in power giving autistic people

handling their workloads fairly well, especially

Increased workload as a result of the loss of Stephanie Dawson, director of the Miller Center for Student Disability Services, agrees Dawson discussed the heavy lack of represennual philanthropy event was scheduled for last

Theresa Kulbaga, professor of languages, litsaid she had a scheduled course release get canceled, saw her course caps increase and had addi-

taken a toll on his personal life, and that he does -

changes were at least partly caused by having less -

past fall, however, it hosted an art sale with pro-

fear their obligations will never return to their

Despite the struggles of their increased work-

is not only the responsibility of disabled people underrepresentation, but we all have a collecShae Cole Weiser, a senior speech pathology -

@alicemomany momanyaj@miamioh.edu

caps on courses that were instituted last year will

@madphabes phabymr@miamioh.edu

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY 3

LUMPKIBM@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021

Oxford prioritizing housing, economy and climate in 2021

CITY OF OXFORD -

SEAN SCOTT

ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

ASG faces cabinet resignation, passes two pieces of legislation

scottsr2@miamioh.edu

Miami celebrates Black history with renaming ceremonies DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

phabymr@miamioh.edu

Three slates to run for student body president and vice president -

THE MIAMI STUDENT

keeseysa@miamioh.edu phabymr@miamioh.edu

@abby_bammerlin bammeraj@miamioh.edu

Talawanda teachers begin receiving second dose of vaccine

COVID cases at Miami low overall, with recent increase

TALAWANDA TEACHERS BEGAN RECEIVING THEIR SECOND DOSE OF THE COVID-19 VACCINE LAST WEEK. PHOTO EDITOR BO BRUECK

CITY OF OXFORD CAROLINE HAUBENSTRICKER Around half of the teachers in the Talawareceived their second dose of the COVID-19 vacThe Butler County Educational Service CenDESIGN EDITOR OWEN BERG

county, coordinated the administration of the vaccine for all 10 school districts in Butler County. the vaccine on Feb. 4. The schools were closed, but students were given work to take home.

said Holli Morrish, director of communications

JAKE RUFFER Although the current number of active COVID-19 cases is still considerably low comversity’s active COVID-19 cases are beginning

Morrish said the district had remote learn-

her mind. “I think that there’s a level of stress that

The Centers for Disease Control and Pre-

tested more often than last semester, and Danciutiu said all her friends have, too. “From what I’ve talked about with all my

on Feb. 28. However, Miami’s Associate Director for University News and Communication Carole Johnson wrote in an email that recent

infected. Estimates like this and recent downward

COVID-19, forcing the middle and high school to turn back to remote learning. The elementary

teachers received when they agreed to get vaccinated.

Danciutiu said she’s been tested four times this semester. Her only reservation about the ative test results.

environment. COVID-19 testing team doesn’t entertain it as a solution. “Herd immunity is not a

Face-to-face instruction resumed at the middle and high school on Jan. 18. classes online because of health concerns for themselves or family members. Morrish said she was unsure which vaccine teachers were given. There was no mention of

Green said.

quarter or less of actual infections.

dashboard currently shows only 129 active cas-

In November, Morrish said many facul-

residence hall currently above a level two status. -

“Herd immunity is not - COVID

“We all continue to wear masks, social dis-

‘Oh, two days ago I was tested and it came back

by Steve Large, Dana Cox and Gwen Fears in an email to The Miami Student. The team also said national trends are not indicative of “We are always at least somewhat insulated from state and national trends because we are a relatively self-contained

itive over winter break. Barnes submitted his results to the university through Med+Proctor and was cleared from testing for 90 days. While he hasn’t taken feels good about this semester’s trend.

the team wrote. “The meaDean of Students Kimberly Moore warned against letting the low numbers give way to irtransmission rates than what is going on more broadly in the

ing themselves against COVID-19 over the next few months. She said the TSD will continue to monitor “We are monitoring the situation closely be monitoring it closely and work with the local and follow the rules that Gov. [Mike] DeWine

continue to be caring and conscious when it -

beginning of this semester. We are also see-

Before the recent increase in cases, the university’s dashboard had seen a downward trend in active cases, matching statewide data. Hahne and Brandon are the only residence

in regard to both the number of tests done with cessed in.

Moore said students should continue to

by students, but feelings about the virus’ cam-

double major. First-year nursing major Abby Green said

year, and as of March 1, Brandon is the only

From glass slippers to glass screens:

Charter Day Ball to be hold virtually in 2021

will be a reminder of the strength and dedication of the Miami community.

STUDENT LIFE ANNA MCDOUGALL THE MIAMI STUDENT

Charter Day Ball, and it seems that for many students, the ball has been overshadowed by the

Ocurring every three years during the week of Feb. 17, Charter Day Ball is one of Miami University’s most cherished and long-standing traditions. Dating all the way back to 1976, the forfrom the Miami community, including students, faculty and alumni. Senior Alexandra Bartkoske attended the last Charter Day Ball as a freshman in 2018 and says it was one of the most fun and memorable nights of her college career. Like many other events in 2021, however, It will be an interactive, virtual event occurring For nearly a year now, the students of the Miami University (MU) Traditions organization ing the founding of the university alive. However, the students of MU Traditions did not want this to be just another Zoom video call. They want to make this event something that

feature student artists and their work, and have a virtual walk-through of the Miami University “We want this event to feel similar to a Rockjunior Anikka Cook, the current entertainment chair for Charter Day Ball in MU traditions. wanda School District. In order to maintain the theme of the event while following COVID-19 guidelines, Miami orations box from MU Traditions so they can hall to match the theme of the ball as they tune in. “Whether you wear your fanciest dress or your fanciest PJs, we just want everyone to have a good time and celebrate the Miami commuchair of MU Traditions. For some students, the 2021 event would

“I had heard the words ‘Charter Day Ball,’ but I was never familiar with exactly The freshmen class has already had to work through an extremely untraditional and challenging transition to college, and Charter Day Ball they have had to miss out on. Regardless, MU Traditions does not want students to have to miss out on yet are utilizing social media as well as trying to involve student organizations to try “Being here means you

CONTRIBUTED BY MU TRADITIONS

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY 5

LUMPKIBM@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021

Miami police see decrease in sexual assault reports resources are still available to them, includ-

CRIME

According to the MUPD’s Safety Bulletins sued if the incident “constitutes an on-going

MEGAN MCCONNELL THE MIAMI STUDENT

violence incidents, eight dating violence inci-

This school year, Miami University is seeing a decrease in the number of sexual

Although it has shifted to virtual meetings, it

some administrators are attributing to the

— and incidents of domestic and dating vi-

bulletins from Miami, but she also noted the

lated to sexual assault, misconduct and inter“[If] you decrease here, you decrease tential instances [of -

again, [about] listening [and] being judge-

still has access to all -

is-Flenaugh, assistant Dean of Students

coordinator, said it’s critical that students, learning

@meggy_nicole mcconnmn@miamioh.edu

remotely,

First wellness day gets mixed reviews from students -

STUDENT LIFE

THE MIAMI STUDENT

the next day, I had so many assignments due at

ferent activities that could be real-time or asyn-

giaquiln@miamioh.edu

Miami ranks highly in wheelchair-accessibility -

ACCESSIBILITY

sory Council (SDAC), and they are the leading

STAFF WRITER

Wheels

have a direct line to our center and can relay

ami’s Student Disabilities Service (SDS) and its

needed an accessible restroom in an academic

Accommodations include accessible hous-

Environmental accessibility involves adjusting lighting, seating, restrooms and fragrances to be robbinha@miamioh.edu

Are you a: • writer • photographer • designer • or illustrator?

Join the TMS Team!

6 CAMPUS & COMMUNITY

HEADLEDD@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021

Fraternity for Eagle Scouts emphasizes service and community As a service fraternity, Epsilon Tau Pi mainit’s really cool to see how Boy as a result of that, it’s gonna make Epsilon Tau Pi evolve.” To become an Eagle tal of 21 merit badges, serve in a leadership position in their troop for at least six months, complete their own service project and demonstrate that they live by the Junior geology major Alec Baldasare became an Eagle heard about Epsilon Tau Pi through his brother who was a member at another university. When Baldasare came to Miami, he knew there wasn’t a chapter here, but he wanted to start one.

Park, collected food for local food drives and helped a local scout troop earn merit badges. With COVID restrictions, it’s harder to do as many service projects, but it’s still able to do trail cleanups often because they are outside where members can safely social distance. but another focus is building a brotherhood. All of the members are very close, and Baldasare said this is partly because they are a small group. numbers. We’re not just looking for anyone to come in. We’re looking for people who will add themselves to our mission.” continue being involved in scouting, which was important to junior mechanical engineering “Epsilon Tau Pi is kind of a continuation of

perwork for both Miami and the National Board of Epsilon Tau Pi. The biggest chalthe 10 members required to start the chapter. @ETPI_MIAMIOH

When sophomore Mason Hardman started

wasn’t interested. But when he came to campus, he coincidentally ran into Baldasare’s son. They started talking, and Hardman talked to some other people in the fraternity and really liked them, so he decided to join Epsilon Tau Pi. Epsilon Tau Pi is a national service fraternity

school, his adviser showed him his son’s Eagle project as an example. “I was a little annoyed because his son did a really good job, and that’s what he was expecting out of me,” Hardman said.

its programming. This means girls are able to

January 2019, his adviser, Chris Baldasare, told him that his son started a fraternity for Eagle

Although no women have joined Epsilon Tau Pi at Miami yet (the inaugural class of female

GREEK LIFE LEXI WHITEHEAD ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

the members are open to the idea in the future.

what that means to us is continuing the brotherhood and opportunities we had in scouting trips and events and giving back to the community in any way we can.” @nwlexi whitehan@miamioh.edu

it is, is that it’s a very niche category, you know, the re-

continue that on in college,” Baldasare said. He found that putting up posters around

“Epsilon Tau Pi is kind of a continuation of scouting through college.” - Michael Van

and Miami’s chapter of Epsilon Tau Pi started in spring 2019. Baldasare is now the executive president. According to the national Epsilon Tau Pi website, the fraternity is dedicated to “upholdthat you can relate to us too is I think, courteous, kind and cheerful are three things that … I carry when I’m just in my everyday life as well,” said Hardman, referring to three of the values listed

supply chain and operation management major,

University Greek Life maintains pledge senate bans class size amid pandemic student-faculty relationships FACULTY ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR tion forbidding nearly all romantic relationships meeting. The current policy only bans relationships between students and faculty when the faculty member “exercises academic authority” over the student in their class or a student whose dissertation they are advising. The new policy, authored by professor of Enbetween faculty and graduate students are permitted only if the two parties are not part of the same department and the faculty member has no authority over the student. The only exceptions to this policy are relationships which existed before the student enrolled or the faculty member was employed at Miami. Professors must report these relationships in the every year. The text of the resolution does not provide a ty member is found guilty of violating this policy, they will be given a written or verbal warning by icy but expressed concern that the university may be overstepping by regulating who they can and cannot date. Bill Moser, associate professor of accountancy, said he strongly disapproves of relationships between students and faculty but also doesn’t think relationships between consenting adults should be banned. “This policy is not illegal in the laws of the Unitthis policy, Miami University will be required to stick their noses into our proverbial bedrooms.” Professor of English Cathy Wagner proposed an amendment to the policy stating that faculty simply being on a dating app does not constitute pursuit of a romantic relationship with a student. This amendment passed unanimously. Pennington later proposed another amendment which would change the wording of the resolution to only ban relationships between students and faculty in the same department. Many senators argued this wording was too similar to the existing policy, and the amendment was struck down with 27% approving, 66% dissenting and 7% abstaining. Despite this, the resolution itself passed with 69% approving, 20% dissenting and 10% abstaining. The policy will now be sent to the Board of to meet next on May 12, 13 and 14. @madphabes phabymr@miamioh.edu

GREEK LIFE ALEX COX STAFF WRITER Miami University’s spring recruitment for fraternities and sororities garnered a similar number of students joining Greek Life compared to previous years before the COVID-19 pandemic. “Our numbers were relatively the same,” “We had a slight dip in the men from 2020 to 2021, as far as accepted bids. But they still had more accepted bids than they did in 2019 … for recruitment among the Panhellenic Council and Interfraternity Council chapters were comparable to years past. In 2019, Miami saw 529 men and 891 women accept bids. In 2020, 620 men and 902 women accepted bids. This year, 564 men and 914 women joined chapters. Although plans for virtual recruitment began months ago, there were some concerns among fraternity and sorority members leading up to the process. Hayley Zimbric, a member of Phi Mu, assisted with the recruitment for her sorority. “I thought recruitment could go either way,” Zimbric said. “Everything got moved online, so it was [a lot of work] making sure that every girl that came in had somebody to talk to.” Zimbric said the process was time consuming for the sorority, as it involved a lot of transitioning paper documents to a digital format. ing sisterhood events and a small social, were able to meet social distancing requirements

and still occur in person. However, the interviews were all conducted over Zoom. and harder to connect with people over Zoom,” Zimbric said, “but I know it’s worked out really well.” dent Ben Peterson, vice president of recruitment for Beta Theta Pi, echoed this sentiment. “I think it went really well, especially considering the circumstances and expectations we kind of had as a chapter,” Peterson said. “We had good expectations, but we were also frankly, it was just as good if not better than most years.” Although the recruitment numbers for Miami’s National Pan-Hellenic Council chapter intake processes are not yet available, Vance justing the rigorous process to be virtual. Although Peterson, Vance and Zimbric voiced concerns about trouble connecting without faceto-face interaction, very few students leadership and management major Jackson Granger participated in the recruitment process this spring. “I think that overall I was impressed with how well it was put together and how well they were able to really there’s a lot of

things you couldn’t do because of COVID,” Granger said. Looking toward the future, Vance, Peterson and Zimbric all spoke to lessons learned from this year. In addition to the virtual recruitment process being more accessible to students not on campus, the online programming proved what was possible. “I think it’ll allow us to just be more adaptus in a way that I don’t think we’ve ever been challenged. I don’t think recruitment has ever been virtual in any sense. I think it just put us to the test and forced us to change plans on a we did adapt to that, and that’s why we do get a strong pledge class this year despite circumstances.” coxaj4@miamioh.edu

challenged us in a way that I don’t think we’ve ever been challenged.” - Ben Peterson

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY 7

KWIATKDM@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021

“Dialogues Concerning Democracy” EVENT SHR-HUA MOORE STAFF WRITER Miami University’s new virtual event series, “Dialogues Concerning Democracy,” began on Feb. 22 with a lecture on the roots of the Jim Crow era. The series, sponsored by the Menard Family Center for Democracy, is focused on helping members of the Miami community and beyond learn more about the history of American social and political issues as well as how to discuss these issues with others that John Forren, associate professor and chair of the department of justice and community and the executive director of the Menard Family Center for Democracy, said the institution was created to foster political participation and facilitate important conversation. ways to increase civic and political engagement and understanding in the Miami community,” Forren said. “We sponsor programs munity problems.” The “Dialogues Concerning Democracy” sues each Monday at 7:00 p.m. from Feb. 22 through April 19. It features professors from Columbia and Stanford University, authors and a former chair of the Federal Election Commission. some issue or some problem we have in contemporary American governments,” Forren said. “It brings experts and thought leaders to campus and lets people interact with them, and helps inform our community and the broader community in southwest Ohio about these issues.” given by Richard Paschal, a practicing attorney and adjunct professor at Campbell University in North Carolina. Paschal’s lecture focused on the laws be-

TAJ SIMMONS ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR of alcohol for their 21st birthday in one of Oxford’s uptown bars may have to wait just a bit longer this year. Senior Zach Resatar, a political science mawhere to celebrate his big day was an obvious

RICHARD PASCHAL VIRTUALLY PRESENTED ABOUT THE HISTORY OF JIM CROW. PHOTO EDITOR BO BRUECK

hind Jim Crow in North Carolina and how “Jim Crow consisted of vagrancy and apprenticeship laws, segregation of institutions ple and American Indians,” Paschal said. “It guise.” Paschal ended the lecture with an open Q&A session, answering queries from some of the 120 people that attended the event. He tance of recognizing the ugly parts of America’s past. “We can’t deny our history, or it puts us into a deeper hole and it puts us into the hole that we are in today,” Paschal said. “Race is not an American dilemma, it is the American our history and how we got here.” First-year Thu Vo is double majoring in political science and psychology. She had to attend the lecture for a class but gained a lot of value from the experience. She described

has become a hot topic even in my country,” Vosaid said. “This was a great opportunity to learn about this topic and to understand why they did.” all aspects of America’s history. “The reason why we should not ignore painful events is because it gives us a full understanding of America, its legacy and its progress,” Vo said. “If we focus less on those problems and ignore the oppression that has half truth, a pseudo history.” The series is open to anyone interested in engaging with both past and contemporary isWhile the events are virtual, they have very real implications for face-to-face conversations about America’s internal issues. “Understanding the complex, sometimes ren said. The Dialogues on Democracy series lecture schedule can be found on the upcoming events page on the Menard Center’s website.

her as a student from Vietnam. tory or the history of racism, and recently it

@hua_shr moorese6@miamioh.edu

from Miamian to musician

career path.

STAFF WRITER 2020 Miami University graduate, released is set to release an EP this spring. Originally from the Cleveland area, home in Charlotte, N.C., since graduation. She graduated from Miami with a degree Throughout her years at Miami, Forbes acted in plays, was the musical director for the Despite her degrees, she had an eye-opening moment junior year that led her to focus on her musical career. After all the time she put into her degree, it still seemed to matter less to her than music. “I’m going to prioritize music, and I’m going to be a musician,” Forbes said. “Deciding that was a big step for me.” Forbes has put a lot of time into music throughout her life. Forbes can play the piano, guitar, cello and has recently started playing bass. She was also a part of the Contemporary Youth Orchestra of Cleveland. Forbes said she often dismissed her own talents and never saw songwriting as a valid

sic,” Forbes said. “I always invalidated the

mo video and her second, “Under Wraps,”

head.”

created from a guitar pattern given to her by a friend. After learning the pattern, she said the words started to form organically. “I sat down and recorded a really low-quality demo of it as soon as I wrote it,” Forbes said. Her second single just popped into her head. “I was folding my laundry and I heard

people. Without something lined up, she decided to lean into her music career while “I’m still applying for jobs for the purpose of supporting my own music career,” Forbes said. “But I can completely prioritize music fore graduation.” Rian Sondag, Forbes’s friend from the Miami theatre department and 2020 graduate, unpredictable time. “I’m amazed, especially in the pandemic reer out of.” Another friend, Austin Lamewona, agreed. Lamewona got close with Forbes while on a theatre trip to Chicago during their senior year in 2020. any songs written to having two singles out,” Lamewona said. “That’s not an easy thing to do, especially with the attention to detail she has.”

Resatar said he and his friends were in the middle of planning the day when he learned -

on spending it alone.” Junior Romie Crist, an art major, turned 21 on Feb. 18 and had big plans for her 21st before the COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s a family tradition to go to Las Vegas for your 21st, but it’s just not the safest right now,” Crist said. “I’d have a better time if I just waited, so that’s the plan.” Instead of traveling to America’s “Sin City,” Crist and her family had dinner in her homecoholic beverage as a 21-year-old. Crist said she quite necessary. “I didn’t get carded since I was with my parlicense,” Crist said. Crist said getting alcohol on her own was an exciting feeling, but without a bar to utilize it, the excitement didn’t last. “I went to Kroger to buy alcohol, and I wasn’t carded there either,” Crist said. “You get this -

Local artist Brooklyn Forbes: ABIGAIL KEMPER

Miami students miss out on typical 21st birthday celebrations

me under wraps,’” Forbes said. “The meaning was indirect for me. I wasn’t trying to say it. It just said itself.” She spent months editing and exploring the hidden meaning behind the lyrics in her head. Forbes changed the verses several times to get to the heart of what she was feeling. “I realized the core of everything inspiring the song was me being a people of myself,” Forbes said. After releasing two singles, Forbes is excited for the variety of music she’ll be producing. She plans to include an acoustic version of “Under Wraps.” “The genres between the songs

21 on Feb. 9 last year, a month before the bars shut down. “I was able to go to [Bar 1868], and it was fun,” Slawson said. “This was pre-COVID, so tra special before things started closing down.” Senior biology and environmental science double major Ryan Gerbitz also just made the “I remember for my 21st, it was before everything shut down and things were pretty normal,” Gerbitz said. “Some friends and I went to one of the bars, and we did the normal party

of it as recelebrating the birthday.” - Zach Resatar

from each other and really difForbes said. “I’m really excited because it’s such a wild card.” As an artist, Forbes said she wants to be unique. She admires cause of how niche and unique they are. “That would be my dream,” Forbes said. “To be doing my own thing, never conforming to anything and staying real to me.” For Forbes, success is not being on the radio or having a soldout show but having a genuine fan base and a strong sense of self. “My goal is to connect to my inner artist as much as I can and build that relationship with myself where I feel creatively free,” Forbes said. “I want to be authentic everyday and be expressing who I am through my music. My goal is not something external that I can reach and achieve, but my goal is within myself. I’m not chasing something that’s outside of me.” Though Forbes aims to develop herself creatively, she does receive a lot of support from her friends. She developing a musical called “Underground.” gether, he has seen her develop. “It’s been very encouraging as A RECENT MIAMI GRAD IS USING THE PANDEMIC AS A TIME TO FOCUS ON HER BUDDING MUSIC CAREER (FORBES’ COVER ART FOR HER SINGLE “UNDER WRAPS”). CONTRIBUTED BY BROOKLYN FORBES

thing for the 21st. We had a blast.” While Gerbitz was able to go out on his big day, he said he felt for those who weren’t able to. be in that spot,” Gerbitz said. “But I would tell when everything opens. When this whole thing is over, you can celebrate it then.” Resatar said he did eventually plan on having what he called a “faux birthday celebration” for when he is able to go to the bars with his friends. birthday,” Resatar said. “I just can’t wait to get the party started.” @simmons_taj simmontp@miamioh.edu

communicate creatively with Forbes. na said. “When it comes to creating music and art, there’s not really any ego. There’s sanely good ability to communicate her ideas when it comes to music.” get her songs on Spotify — the money she spend to get her songs on the platform — it’s not stopping Forbes. She continues to press kempera2@miamioh.edu

she is now,” Lamewona said.

PHOTO

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021

Pandemic Parties BO BRUECK PHOTO EDITOR

This is a short series of images from Saturday, Feb. 27. The students in these photos wish to remain anonymous. Miami University upperclassmen revelled in the spring weather this Saturday. Students danced around lawns littered with red cups and empty cans. The number of feet fell well over 20 despite COVID guidelines. These were The pandemic did not faze them.

BRUECKRO@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021

PHOTO 9

Students enjoy nice weather at Cook Field JAKE RUFFER ASST. MAGAZINE EDITOR

When the sun came out to signal the start of spring, Cook Field saw a vibrant repopulation by all manner of frisbees,

footballs, Spikeballs, soccer balls and more. Spring came early on Saturday, Feb. 27, as the snow melted and Miami for some long-awaited outdoor recreation.

Sports

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021

NELSO156@MIAMIOH.EDU

RedHawks swept in weekend series vs. Western Michigan STAFF WRITER -

REDSHIRT SENIOR FORWARD ABBEY HOFF (PICTURED, IN PINK) WAS ONE OF THREE REDHAWKS HONORED ON SENIOR DAY. THE MIAMI STUDENT ZACH REICHMAN

THE MIAMI STUDENT -

SEVERAL REDHAWKS CELEBRATE A GOAL DURING A FEB. 13 LOSS TO ST CLOUD STATE. THE MIAMI STUDENT ZACH REICHMAN

@jacksmerz schmelj2@miamioh.edu

RedHawks look to improve seeding before MAC tournament

The Game

TV: ESPN+ Radio: Miami Radio Network

Players to Watch

knoxj@miamioh.edu

The Game TV: ESPN3/ESPN+ Radio: Miami Radio Network Record: 4-18, 3-15 MAC REDSHIRT FRESHMAN FORWARD JAVIN ETZLER ATTEMPTS A 3-POINTER DURING A FEB. 12 LOSS TO AKRON. THE MIAMI STUDENT ZACH REICHMAN

LUKAS NELSON SPORTS EDITOR

Players to Watch -

@LukasTheDream nelso156@miamioh.edu

SPORTS 11

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021

NELSO156@MIAMIOH.EDU

Miami baseball gets series tie against Florida International University LILY FREIBERG STAFF WRITER Miami baseball in Miami, Florida, was a roller-coaster ride, as the team played a tough four-game series against Florida International University. game and won, 21-4. Miami lost the seven-inning game on Saturday evening, 8-4, and fought back again to win, 15-6, in the series closer on Sunday. Miami loses a well-fought battle Friday’s game was a “battle of the pitchers,” as the score stayed 1-0 from the third inning to the seventh inning. Starting pitcher Sam Bachman had a rough start as the Panthers loaded the bases with two singles and a hit-by-pitch. But Bachman ended the inning with three strikeouts, and two onetwo-three innings followed. In the third inning, third baseman Mac Hippenhammer was hit by a pitch and stole second

The Panthers made a small comeback in the seventh and eighth inning. In the seventh inning, Florida International tied the game, 1-1, with a walk, a steal and an RBI single. In the eighth inning, the Panthers took a 3-1 lead with plays. An 11-run inning scored 11 runs in the eighth inning. Vogelgesang doubled, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on another wild pitch. First baseman Stephen Krause walked and Stone and an error from Florida International’s designated hitter Dalton Back hit a solo home run afterward. and advanced to second base on a passed ball. Shortstop Tyler Wardwell walked, and Hippenhammer grounded out to advance the runners. walked and Stone singled to bring in Wardwell.

and second baseman Will Vogelgesang struck

Florida International had an opportunity to bring in some runs in the fourth and sixth inning, but Bachman shut them out.

two-RBI double to put four more runs on the scoreboard. Miami led 20-1 by the end of the inning. The RedHawks avoid a shutout

The Panthers made a comeback early in Saturday’s second game that went only seven innings. In the third inning, Miami quickly got two batters out. But after a double and an error by Wardwell that brought in a run for Florida International, followed by a walk and another error by starting pitcher Kenten Egbert, the Panthers took a 4-0 lead after a three-run homer was hit. Florida International extended its lead to 8-0 with a walk, an RBI single and an RBI groundout in the fourth inning, and a single and The RedHawks avoided a shutout in the sixth inning. Back walked and Krause was hit by a pitch. Stone hit an RBI double to bring in one bringing in two more runs, and later scored himself. Although Miami got some runs in the game, the team fell short, 8-4, by the end. Miami makes a comeback in extra innings Florida International had the lead until the ninth inning in Sunday’s series closer. Starting in the second inning, the Panthers put two runs on the scoreboard with a couple singles, a walk and a two-RBI single. In the third inning, Florida International brought in another run with two walks and an RBI single. In the fourth inning, the Panthers extended their lead, 6-0, with a single, a couple of reaches

— one on an error from relief pitcher Jay Wilson single, another walk and another RBI single. Brokemond were hit by a pitch, Vogelgesang hit an RBI single and Stone lined out to bring in another run. With a series of singles and walks, the RedHawks rounded the bases slowly to bring in four runs and tied the game, 6-6, in the ninth inning. Miami took the lead in the 10th. Vogelgesang hit an RBI double and Stone hit a three-run bomb to put the RedHawks in the to clear the bases again. Back walked to load the bases, Vogelgesang singled and Stone was hit by a pitch to extend the cut this Friday at 12 p.m. University, and Miami ends the weekend with a p.m. Saturday, and the game against the Wildcats starts at 11 a.m. Sunday. @lilyfreiberg freibell@miamioh.edu

BAILEY ALTHAUSER

Before the season, the ’Hawks were ranked second in the Mid-American

THE MIAMI STUDENT The Miami RedHawks are excited to be playing softball this year after last year’s season was cut short by two months. ent this year. Practices have to happen in small groups, and schedules are constantly changing. Miami has also faced another big change this season: a new coach. Kirin Kumar was hired as the head coach in August after being an assistant coach at Virginia Tech for the past two years. “The girls are awesome,” Kumar said. “They’ve gone through a pandemic, a coaching change, everything, and they have not lost stride.” Kumar has focused not only on the physical training, but also the mental side of things. The team has spent a lot of time working with the sports psychologist on top of their practices and strength training. “When you get to this level, everyone’s

out there and play our game.” Vierstra was the team’s leading pitcher last season with a 2.22 earned run average Brianna Pratt, who had a 3.15 ERA with 46.2 innings pitched, and senior Taylor Rathe, who had a 3.15 ERA with 13.1 innings pitched, will both be returning this season as well. Last season’s leading hitter, Lott, will also be returning this season. Last season, at-bats. will also be a big help to the team this season. She has started the season out with a

who can mentally handle the rigors of a Division I softball schedule and academics and put it all together.”

The team has played nine games so far this season, with a record of 4-5. Kumar says the RedHawks’ schedule began with some very tough opponents. “They did really well, and I think they’re taking that experience for the season and knowing that they can hang with

In a two-game series against University of Tennessee, the RedHawks lost the

were elected by their teammates to be a part of this committee.

SENIOR PITCHER TAYLOR RATHE HAD A 3.15 ERA IN LAST YEAR’S PANDEMIC-SHORTENED SEASON. THE MIAMI STUDENT MACY WHITAKER

coaches. “Preseason polls don’t mean too much

said they know when to be a teammate and when to be a friend.

win in the second game, Tennessee’s only loss so far this season. “They were hungry for it,” Kumar said. “Knowing that we can beat those teams is really satisfying.” @baileyalthauser althaube@miamioh.edu

’Hawks Talk STAFF WRITER Strong defense is a trademark characteristic -

fourth in the country, allowing only 1.04 goals per game.

stingy. “[The players] are skillful, they have great

“The team is excited. The team is looking citement and that energy can really go over any challenge that we might face.” founded. Almost a year and a half ago — the last time Hawks won their third straight Mid-American

this together with a good game plan and discipline, we can really reach big goals. Defense is a big part of this team.” ranked 11th in the country last year with four than one. The RedHawks likely won’t have to look -

Miami loses leadership and talent with the its roster. many top contributors from last year’s championship squad. -

The RedHawks will also look for a big year from senior forward Allie Grace Joyner, who started all 21 games last year and scored eight Sophomore goalie Isabella Perese returns in net after an extremely solid freshman season.

in his team. “There is a lot of very good leadership on the team,” he said. “It’s a team that is very cohesive our work and put the pieces together.” today at 1 p.m. vs. Ball State, before traveling west for two games at Saint Louis on Thursday and Friday. @jacksmerz schmelj2@miamioh.edu

Opinion

WOLFFRG@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, MARCH 2, 2021

STAFF EDITORIAL

Professors need more help, Miami Provost Jason Osborne says the university has the best interest of the students’ tuition dollars in mind when making

Board. Miami University has lost millions of dollars due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused budget cuts. And one of With the loss of so many great teachers, along with them went some of the values our institution claims to hold. Now, professors are stressed to the point of losing sleep and compromising their style of teaching because they’re beAs such, many departments across campus are grossly underMiami’s reputation for being a top school for undergraduate teaching is in serious jeopardy if this continues. And to us, that reputation is most of Miami’s appeal. A Miami degree means something after we leave Oxford. Beyond simply expertise, many of our departments have also lost some of their diversity because of these VAP cuts. ness, that feels like a slap in the face considering the promises the university has made to improve upon creating a diverse environment on campus. How can we expect to maintain any claim to excellence ing classrooms?

students? It’s simple — they’re not. Teachers are under extreme pressure to meet the needs of their departments without any extra help. So, in the midst of picking up extra work, learning how to teach with new technology and letting nothing slip through the cracks, teachers are unable to perform at their best. With many professors having more classes to teach, and more kids to teach them to, they can’t do their job to the best of their abilities. Their classes are bigger than normal, and so we lose the small class experience that so many kids expect when they come here. Miami is a medium-sized school. In fall 2019, our undergraduate main campus enrollment was 17,327. In fall 2020, Ohio State’s undergraduate main campus enrollment was 46,984. Looking at the numbers, we are not Ohio State, no matter how much the administration may love to follow its lead. Students come to Miami hoping for a more individualized learning experience. Instead, they’re getting jammed into lecture-style zoom classes that fall short of excellence by a mile. To address and begin solving this problem, we need to cut

demic. They should do it again. The money needs to be reinvested in what makes us a great school — the classrooms. That’s what students really care about, and that’s what the university we pay to attend needs to care about, too. Our education has taken enough of a hit through the transition to virtual learning. We don’t need it to get any worse. And they are not going to get the academic experience they’re paying for. So the administration should take money away from where it absolutely does not need to be: in the pockets of highly paid administration, new buildings and brand new sports equipment. nority groups. Reallocate the unrestricted funds we already have in the Education & General budget to where they will acright now: acknowledge the mess they’ve created, extend the mental health services available to students to faculty and again. We’ve all had enough.

our university took a 10% payout at the beginning of the pan-

Finding my future amidst the chaos:

how high school made me a journalist

DAVID KWIATKOWSKI CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR I had an epiphany recently. OK, maybe more of a realization, but it was from something I blurted between a realization and an epiphany is the verbal aspect. Anyway, last week during our editorial discussion on Miami potentially extending the standardized test-optional policy at Miami, I was talking about my experience at Parma Senior High School (my alma mater) and how, my senior year, I had to pay for my ACTs out of pocket. I then proceeded to go on a tangent about how witnessing the inner hand steered me in the path I am going today. It’s why I became a journalist. It came out of nowhere. I had never connected those two events together until that moment, and our opinion editor Rebecca immediately interrupted our editorial to ask me if I wanted to write a column. So, here goes. *** I am from Cleveland, Ohio, more

the high school to save money. So I went from being the last sixth grade class at Renwood Elementary School to Greenbriar Middle School for one year, and straight into Parma Senior High School. We were promised this was going to be saving taxpayers’ money, and we eventually were blessed with a “grant” my freshman year to give everyone in the school MacBooks. My sister was in middle school and got an iPad. We had an assembly about it and everything. I knew my school district had money problems. I wasn’t naive. My consolidated for eighth grade, my sixth grade math teacher explaining to us what it meant that our school district was “in the red.” Until one day in September 2016, I was sitting in my chemistry class and one of my friends came up to me and said that one of her teachers told her there were massive budgetary cuts on the horizon. A lot of teachers were going to lose their jobs and the entirety of the art department, Key Club, Spanish Club and other orgs of that nature would be eliminated. We were all confused. We had thought everything was going to be

“I didn’t want to miss a single second of it. I was angry just as much as I was scared just as much as I was enthralled at what was going on.”

15 minutes outside downtown, and I lived there my entire life before I came here. When I was in sixth grade, my school district announced it would be consolidating the eighth graders into

OK. We began to feel angry that there was no mention of cutting anything sports-related, and like usual, the humanities were cast aside. I remember us saying we wished we had some sort of proof so we could tell everyone what was happening.

Then, my chemistry teacher walked out of the room immediately. We all froze. Were we about to get in trouble? Admittedly, none of us were doing our lab, but we didn’t know if we had said too much. We continued talking and I noticed her walk back inside. Heading right toward us with a piece of paper in her hand, she walked past us to the lab area, placed the paper face down on the table and looked back at us. “Hi,” she said. “I’m gonna leave this paper right here, and we are going to act like you just found it lying want to see.” Then, she walked away and went back to her desk. We all looked at each other until my friend gathered enough courage to get the paper. superintendent and our school board president that was sent to the teachproblems our district was facing. Not only did it lay out all of the proposed cuts my friend had mentioned for the next school year, it revealed information even worse. Recently, our treasurer and superintendent had both stepped down and our new treasurer and superintendent had begun to go through not only did the eighth grade consolidation not save us $11.2 million like our old administration projected it described any money was saved from it at all. The MacBooks never came from a grant; the taxpayers paid for them. “As our new Treasurer delves into were told by our former Treasurer. The lack of consolidation savings, the 1 to 1 technology costs, the over-estimating of revenues and underestimating of expenditures have had a devastating impact on our district’s Our school district was projected to be $7 million in the red, and that was a best-case scenario if we passed our property tax levy. We rarely pass our levies. We were looking at cuts to-

taling $15 million. There was a school board meeting that was announced on Oct. 6, 2016 where they planned to discuss the next steps. They were considering consolidating all three high schools in my district into one. We were dumbfounded. Class eventually ended, and we talked to my chemistry teacher after class where we exchanged a very powerful conversation that changed my life. She told us how angry she was that the students were going to be the last should not be withheld from us. I still haven’t forgotten that, and I often think about how she could have lost her job doing that. However, the way that things were looking, her job was already at stake. Word spread fast. The next day in my English class, we spent the entirety of the class period talking about the email sent to the teachers with our English teacher. I remember raising my hand and not vote for a levy or have any impact in the decisions being made. She told our class that, as students, our voices were not only the most powerful, but the most important. If we wanted to be heard, we should go to the school board meeting. My friends and I made plans to go. After school that day, I went home with my friend to her house. All of a sudden, we heard helicopters swarming over my friend’s house and soft chanting coming from outside. My friend lived relatively close to our high school and the adjacent high schools, Valley Forge and Normandy, had marched from their schools to ours for this meeting. We immediately scrambled to go see the scene, and it was insane. People had made signs, there were news cameras everywhere, and the meeting had not even started yet. I remember people had to stand outside because there were so many people there. Every seat was packed. There were so many chants that I still remember. My favorite being “This chant would have been more creative if you didn’t cut the arts.”

Parents and students began booing as the school board stepped out. People shouted for them to resign and asked where the money was. School board president Kathleen Petro began the meeting and said some opening remarks that explained how sad she was to hear about the state of our district. from the audience. I couldn’t tell if it was a student or a parent, but it didn’t matter — we all felt it. And with that, she leaned into her microphone and uttered a sentence that became an inside joke for my graduating class. “I, Kathleen Petro, resign as school board president.” This was the beginning of the meeting. The auditorium erupted in cheers and gave a standing ovation as Petro walked out the door. My ears were ringing from how loud the cheers were. My friend eventually left the meeting to go home, but I didn’t want to miss a single second of it. I was angry just as much as I was scared just as much as I was enthralled at what was going on. Information was withheld from me. I was cheated, my parents were cheated, generations of children after me were going to be cheated. I felt I needed to stay so I could explain to my parents what was happening. A few weeks later, another member of the board resigned. We were granted an extension to amend our budget plan — however, due to there not being enough board members present to vote, we were not able to have a levy for the 2017 school year. I watched my senior year as some due to the levy not happening. My favorite Spanish teacher lost her job due to another Spanish teacher in the district signing her contract minutes before her, even though they both had been there more than 10 years. Going through all that, I don’t see how there was any way I wasn’t going to wind up being a journalism major. Some might say it was even my calling that found me. @kwiatkdm kwiatkdm@miamioh.edu

Super Spreader 101:

how to cause a COVID-19 outbreak

CLAIRE LORDAN THE MIAMI STUDENT When I woke up to a phone call at 8:00 a.m. on a Friday, the one day of the week I have no morning classes, I was a little pissed. If anyone had something they needed to tell me, it could wait until at least 10:00 a.m. But when I saw my boyfriend’s name across the top of my phone, I was instantly wide awake. In a moment, I knew exactly how the next few minutes were going to play out. He’d been tested for COVID-19 a couple days earlier, and I had a feeling he probably wasn’t calling so early to tell me that he was negative. “Hey. I got my test results back.” Have you ever known exactly what the answer to your question is going to be, but you still have to ask it anyways? Not fun. “Is it positive?”

“Yeah.” Shit. Ten minutes later, I was on the phone with Student Health Services (SHS), feigning a cough in the hopes of getting tested. I know there’s some moral ambiguity in lying to a medical professional, but considering my options were either to lie about having symptoms or not get tested at all, I wasn’t exactly losing sleep over it. The ends justify the means sometimes anyway. So, I got my test. For the next two days, I hunkered down in my residence hall room and waited for my inevitable positive test. Despite not hearing anything from the university or SHS yet, I wasn’t too ed my pending test result, and I’d be told what to do once it came in. Looking back, putting that much faith in the university was naive, to say the least. On Sunday afternoon, while on

FaceTime with my mom and enjoying my early Valentine’s day present (COVID? In the middle of a pandemthat my results had come in. “At least you’ll know for sure now,” my mom said. By the time I scrolled to the very bottom of the email, I couldn’t even be excited about the NEGATIVE scrawled across in green text. “So what, is the school just gonna leave me alone now?” I asked her. “No, I’m sure they’ll still contact you,” she said assuredly. I believed her until 5 p.m. on Monday, when SHS closed for the day. Close contacts are still required to go into quarantine, so I’d spent the whole day on edge, waiting for the phone call from the university. By that point, I was living out of the bag I had packed since Friday afternoon, ready to go at a moment’s notice. When Tuesday went by without a

word from the school, now four days contact, my anxiety turned into anger. “They’re seriously just not gonna contact me?” I said to my boyfriend over the phone, who by now was halfway through his isolation in Dodds Hall. negative test. Either way, it’s not your responsibility,” he said. But it felt like it was. My test had come back negative, but there was no way to know whether that meant I actually didn’t have it or just wasn’t showing symptoms yet. Every trip to the dining hall, every interaction in my hall hallway, felt like I was putting other people at risk. And what if I hadn’t cared? What if I’d said fuck it, gone on a weekend-long tour of Miami’s best bars and fraternity basements, and potentially exposed hundreds of people?

Did the university just not care anymore? and left about a dozen voicemails, the university called to tell me that the health department had lost my information. I don’t really know what that means, but I can’t say I cared too much at that point. I ended up spending half of my 10day quarantine period at the Miami Inn, only after reminding the university that they were supposed to have me in quarantine. I’m not sure I could pinpoint an exact moment where my situation dent saying this: If you’re trying to control a pandemic, the best way to do it probably isn’t by relying on colfor quarantine. lordance@miamioh.edu