The Miami Student | September 15, 2023

Miami holds on to enrollment rates as national decline hits colleges across the country

Stay prepared: A guide to Miami’s active shooter policy

ALICE MOMANY SENIOR CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

This story contains mentions of gun violence.

On Wednesday, Alert Carolina, the mass alert system for the University of North Carolina (UNC), “armed or dangerous person” after “a man allegedly brandished a gun after an employment-related con-pus-wide shooting at the university that killed three individuals.

In response to the recent incidents at UNC, The Miami Student has compiled this list on Miami University’s active shooter policy.

For a full list of emergency procedures and contacts, visit the Miami University Police Department’s (MUPD) website.

If an active shooter is outside

OLIVIA PATEL STAFF WRITER -

leges are facing declining college admissions year after year as the number of students seeking a path of higher education declines nationally.

The two main reasons for this phenomenon are a continuous dropping birth rate leading to an overall smaller demographic of students, and the fact that fewer and fewer students are graduating from high school. This trend is impacting college admissions all around the country, but not here in Oxford.

Brent Shock, vice president for Enrollment Management and Student Success, said Miami Universi-

ty saw a record number of students enroll following the pandemic, with in 2021, pulled from a pool of more than 36,000 applicants. This was a 14% increase from the year prior — a dramatic jump from the pre-pandemic years, where admissions barely reached the 4,000 mark.

Miami received 29,990 applications

2021, with 4,519 students enrolled. Out of the near 30,000 applications, 15% of all applications ended in an enrolled Miami student.

In 2023, Miami received 33,912 applications, and 4,046 became Miami students. The percentage of

applications that became Miami students decreased from 15% to 11.9% from 2021 to 2023. intensive marketing campaign titled ‘We Will,’ where we have worked to expose the Miami brand further and further out,” Shock said.

He added that Miami is looking to advertise to students outside the Midwest bubble, in places like the east coast, Texas and Georgia.

The “We Will” campaign is not the only initiative Miami took to increase admissions following the pandemic. Bethany Perkins, assistant vice president and director of Admissions, said Miami has also been working to make sure students who deferred for

a year remember why they chose Mi-

“It is very important to us that students did not lose sight of their goals after deferring, and we really worked to ensure that Miami was their ultimate college choice,” Perkins said.

Low enrollment across the country

While Shock said that Miami is keeping applications and enrollment high, there is currently a national decline. Miami is part of a network of colleges that will have to deal with a decrease in the pool of students.

On Thursday, Sept. 7, Miami’s President Greg Crawford and Provost Liz Mullenix held a faculty

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Danny Fisher knows that he belongs on the PGA Tour

KETHAN BABU STAFF WRITER

Over Labor Day weekend, the RedHawks’ golf team traveled to Michigan to compete in the Island Resort Intercollegiate. The RedHawks, ranked 145th in the country, played against other golf programs from around the country, including Michigan (130), Illinois State (109), Coastal Carolina (105) and North Texas (103).

Though the competition was tough, the RedHawks placed fourth out of 11 teams. Miami’s top scorer, Danny Fisher, led the team to their victory, shooting for 207 over three

Fisher has earned a number of accolades during his time at Miami. This past week, Fisher was named Athlete of the Week in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

Over the summer, he played in the US Amateur Championship, his biggest tournament so far. In 2023, Fisher was named to the All-MAC Second Team for the second year in a row. Also this year, he was recognized as an All-American Scholar

and named MAC Golfer of the Week twice in March. His individual achievements stand on their own, but Fisher is more concerned with the RedHawks’ performance as a team this year.

“My individual accomplishments are what they are,” Fisher said. “I care more about the team’s performance. We were disappointed to

lost by 12 shots over three rounds to came when his grandfather took him to the course when he was 8 years old. He continued to play basketball, baseball and soccer but started to take golf more seriously when he got to high school. For him, a sport like golf makes the individual player

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

The Three Valley Conservation Trust: A

preserve more than 24,000 acres of land in Southwest Ohio. The trust has also assisted private landowners in receiving nearly $40 million in state and federal funding through easements.

“We want to make sure that the ecosystem services on that property and the habitat on that property remain at least as good as they are when we get it or get better,” said Randy Evans, the executive director of Three Valley Conservation Trust.

If an active shooter is outside the building, MUPD urges students, fac-ably a room where both doors and windows can be locked, and turn the outside of the building.

Someone in the building should the location to the dispatcher. MUPD advises students not to leave the room until administration or po-

If an active shooter is inside

If an active shooter is inside the same building, MUPD again urges the same procedure as if the shooter was outside the building. The police department encourages students, room, preferably one where both doors and windows can be locked, the room should get as close to the sight from windows and doors.

If the room cannot be locked, identify the nearest location that can be safely reached and secured, although MUPD emphasizes waiting to leave until it is safe to exit the building.

If an active shooter enters the room

If an active shooter enters the room that you are currently in, MUPD urges students, faculty andone in the room should dial 911 and inform the dispatcher of the location. If you can’t speak, keep the dispatcher on the phone so they can hear what’s taking place.

MUPD says attempting to “overpower the shooter with force should be considered a last resort.”

What to expect

MUPD is trained to head immediately to the scene where shots were last heard. Their goal is to stop the shooting as soon as possible. According to MUPD’s active shooter arrive in teams of four. They may be dressed in bulletproof vests and tactical equipment and may be armed with guns.

cers will ask you to keep your hands to arrive on the scene will not aid with any injuries, but rescue teams will be dispatched, as well as emergency medical personnel, to treat and remove injured individuals.

Police will not let anyone leave the crime scene until the situation is under control and it has been announced that the threat is over. The it’s important to remain calm and answer as you experience the events.

Emergency alerts

This year, Miami launched its RedHawk Alert messaging system to provide emergency communicaMiami’s Butler County campuses, which includes Oxford, Hamilton, Middletown and West Chester.

SAM NORTON GREENHAWKS EDITOR

Southwest Ohio is a region rich in fertile agricultural land fed by dozens of streams that crisscross the landscape, with pockets of protected forest and grassland reminiscent of pre-settlement ecosystems dotting

the map. Behind hundreds of plots and thousands of protected acres is the Three Valley Conservation Trust,ford community.

Founded as a trust in 1993 to “preserve open land in the Four Mile Creek Valley in southwest Ohio,” Three Valley now owns or helps to

Three Valley undertakes a wide range of conservation projects, including water quality monitoring, native habitat restoration and property management. Through easements, they have allowed hundreds of property owners to transform their land into more functional and healthy ecosystems.

“It's our way of making sure that water quality increases, air quality increases in the area [and] biodiversity increases in the area,” Evans said.

Previously called Omnialert, the emergency messaging system sends texts directly to individuals’ phones about immediate danger facing the entire campus. It provides quicker notice than the safety bulletins sent to university emails.

Guests and visitors can opt-ining campus by texting “muguest” to 79516.

momanyaj@miamioh.edu

staple in conservation in Southwest Ohio

MIAMI ADMISSIONS ARE ON THE RISE AS MANY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY ARE SEEING A DOWNWARD TREND. PHOTO BY JAKE RUFFER

DOWN

1 What you normally need to join fraternity/sorority

2 The Manning with more Super Bowl wins

3 Flame source at some concerts

4 Number of Super Bowl 2023

5 Hamiltons

6 Batman’s Birds

9 Pranks, inform.

10 Popular Starbucks milk

12 Feed and keep healthy

13 “__’s get degrees”

14 Tiny marcher

15 Same thing over and over and over and...

18 A singular dotted cube

19 Uganda’s cont.

22 You may mix up a sousaphone with this

23 Option iPhone Messages just added

25 A number’s homophone

26 Opposite of WSS

ACROSS

1 Location of three ghost kitchens (and a soonto-be Starbucks)

7 “As _ __ and breathe!”

8 Start eating

11 National heritage month from Sept. 15Oct. 15 (pg. 3)

14 __ Museum by Western Campus

16 Emma in “La La Land”

17 “I __ _ nap!” (aka me after labs)

20 “It’s no __!”

21 A conscientious shopper in a world of fast fashion (pg. 10)

24 A smart one in “Divergent”

27 USA’s landbound national animal

28 A time to explore Miami’s trails (pg. 13)

The invisible pets of Miami’s campus

supposed to be there.

Nicole Valencia, a Miami University graduate veterinary technician, had a handful of her own illegal pets during her time at Miami. During her junior year, she got two pet rats, Pickles and Chai, and Dona the hamster. She got another hamster, Rupert, her senior year.

“[Dona] was actually living in a fraternity house, and they got it and thought they could take care of it. And, they realized it was too much work,” Valencia said.

“So they’re just trying to sell it on eBay and I was like, ‘Don’t do that. I’ll take it.’” Valencia said she got her other hamster Rupert when girls in a dorm didn’t want her anymore and put her outside.

thought, especially because rats are kind of weird,” Valencia said. “But every time we had a party, every time that we had people over, everyone always wanted to see them.”

on Valencia, similar to how on cam-ond-years.

The threat of an incident report did not stop an anonymous sophomore cyber security major though, who brought geckos into his dorm his

The student would walk a blanket-covered tank into his dorm both years, with no one suspecting the contents to be two leopard geckos. But from that day on, the geckos, named Blue and Peanut, would get a lot of attention.

“They’re just fun, and they’re not too much work,” the sophomore said. “You can hold them, and they’re really friendly.”

Despite the pets themselves not being too much work, hiding them the trio was walking down the hall from their friend’s room, the student had to cup the geckos in his hands to hide them from a resident assistant (RA).

type of animal, not just cats and dogs.

French said Milo was the star of Hall, and a lot of people in the dorm were very helpful if he ever needed anything. Milo has a “step-mom” that watches her when French is in class or isn’t in the dorm.

“The funniest times [were] when she would sit at the window and watch people pass by, because she’s very social,” French said. “So she’d see them pass by the dorm and be like, ‘Wait, I want to play with them.’”

Emotional support pets are welcomed on campus, but illegal pets can bring trouble to their owners.

is in a dorm, immediate action is required. Rob Abowitz, the associate director of resident life at Miami, said residence life doesn’t check door-todoor to see who has pets. Usually, a resident director (RD) sees a cat in a window or hears a dog barking and, if there are no emotional support animals in the building, reports them.

At the end of the day, though, Abowitz said incident reports pertaining to illegal pets are few and far between, mostly because of the tremendous risk that students take bringing them into the residence halls.

Having a pet in college has several perks: they garner a lot of attention

from people, they’re an easy topic of conversation at parties and they’re a steady companion through college life.

However, the tiny friends can cause a dangerous game if they’re not

Building

Oxford: Meet the man who has designed most of the city

campus. Rory McNutt, a junior at Miami, lives in Stewart Square. This square houses favorite local restaurants like Gaslight Brewhouse and Patterson’s Cafe, as well as the apartment McNutt resides in. All of these were all designed by Webb in 2006.

McNutt noted the archway just outside her place makes the space “very visually pleasing.”

“It’s a fun place to start to see if there’s something from history that we can bring back,” Webb said of the archway. “We actually saved that from the old school, and that’s why we named it Stewart Square because it was [originally] the Stewart School.”

In a small town like Oxford, lots of the buildings are historic, posing a certain challenge for anyone looking to create new buildings here.

“We’ve come to call it forensic arthese old buildings are built,” Webb said of the town’s aesthetic.

Valencia’s friend found out and gave Rupert to her. Even after Valen-pus, the risk of having a pet was still there. Valencia said while she was living at her house on Walnut Street senior year, she had a few close calls of being caught.

While pets in dorms are against the rules, not everyone hides them.

David Christian French, a junior engineering and computer science double major, has a 3-year-old ferret named Milo. The emotional support animal was a gift because of his love for weasels and the show, “Avatar: the Last Airbender,” which has a ferret in it. According to the Miller Center for Student Disability Services, an emotional support animal can be any

“I’m a dog owner and a pet lover, and I think the positive impacts of being around animals outweighs the risk,” Abowitz said. “But say that to someone who has severe allergies, or someone who gets bitten, or to a roommate with a dog barking. It’s not a part of our system.”

stumbata@miamioh.edu

Miami alumni set to lose email access in the spring

GRAPHIC BY DREW KOEWLER

SADIE CHILDS THE MIAMI STUDENT

If you’ve been anywhere in Oxford, chances are you’ve been in a building designed by Scott Webb. DuBois Book Store, Kofenya and Stewart Square are just some of the places where Webb has left his mark.

Webb’s path to helping turn Oxford into what it is today began when he was in junior high, working with his father on their family home.

“While I thought it was really fun to participate in the construction, I was super fascinated by the drawings,” Webb said.

That led Webb to wonder, “Who’s the one that gets to tell us what to do?”

Webb grew up in Oxford and went on to graduate from Miami University in 1985. There, he honed his skills in the Department of Architecture before moving to Cincinnati to work for a number of years. However, Webb ended up coming back to his hometown.

“It never occurred to me that I can work 20-some years and run this practice 90% in this town,” Webb said. He has constructed over a dozen buildings in Oxford alone, working in both commercial and residential sectors. Some of the most notable of his designs have been the plethora of mixed-use developments he has contributed to the Oxford landscape.

Webb’s mixed-use designs also

Lyndsey Carter, a senior marketing major, works at Kofenya, another historic building that Webb helped redesign. The now-functionfor a horse trading business in Oxford long before Webb redesigned it.

“It’s a really old building, but I said. “I feel like there’s enough space for people to have their space, do have enough space back here to do what we need to do.”

This is something that Webb values in his design process.

“Architecture is equal parts art and problem-solving,” Webb said.

That’s the approach he takes to all his projects, making sure that people he is building for. It’s also what makes him most proud in particular buildings like the DuBois Book Store.

Webb recalls working on the project with the owner of the store, who is a third or fourth generation DuBois. The importance of leaving behind a building that can be used for generations to come was something Webb wanted to honor in his design.

“It’s been a unique practice in that I don’t have any competition,” Webb said. “And my clientele just seems to share my interest in want-able work.”

Miami University alumni previously had lifetime access to their Miami email addresses as an entry for the university to stay in touch with its previous students. After April 8, 2024, though, that window will be reduced from a lifetime to just 45 days.

27, 2023 and given a little over a year’s notice to transition to another email account. Kim Tavares, associate vice president and executive director of the Miami University Alumni Association, said the university gave more time to alumni in comparison to other colleges whotion over what they needed.

“We wanted to be able to give the good Miami customer service to our alumni and give them the time to be able to make this change,” Tavares said. “So this not only gives our alumni more time, but it gives us more time as well to make sure that we are capturing information correctly, getting updated information and just helping to monitor the process.”

This development is due to Miami’s service provider, Google, universities for more than a decade. Many schools, including Miami, took advantage of this provider for email access to alumni.

“About a year ago, Google, on pretty short notice, informed the

entire higher education community that they were going to end that service, and that it would be moving to a paid service, and that’s a massive impact,” David Seidl, vice president for information technology and CIO, said.

Moving from a free service provider, the IT department decided to contact the alumni department to determine their next steps.

After speaking with the department and looking into whether or not payment was needed, the university realized how little alumni actually utilized the lifetime email access given to them.

“It turned out the alumni use of storage, which is the expensive thing through Google, was more than half of Miami’s entire usage,” Seidl said.

“There was a large cost there for relatively low usage by individuals. So a small percentage of our alumni population was dragging a large amount and free, and we didn’t have to care until suddenly that was no longer true.”

Seidl said the IT department would rather aim the resources and energy absorbed by alumni email and students.

With over 240,000 alumni, only about 80,000 have a miamioh.edu

The alumni administration sent to those who had a Miami email on email address. Then, they sent the information again through a post-

card.

Mackenzie Kicher, ’21 Miami graduate, said she found out through an undergraduate and later received the physical copy that was sent to her parents’ address.

“I’m glad they didn’t email the old email, because I totally would not have seen it because at this point, like I don’t use that email ever … so that was nice to get a physical copy,” Kicher said.

Like Kicher, many alumni do not use their previous university email addresses after a year or so following graduation and switch to personal accounts, but some graduates were upset with the new transition.

“Less than 1% of that 80,000 [alumni with email access] have come back to us … [with a] negative response,” Tavares said. “I understand them … They’re important as well, and we are working with them to try to help them out.”

Because of the 13-month advance notice, Tavares believes they are doing everything they can to assist anyone who may need help or have questions regarding the process.

“The majority of the responses have just been questions,” Tavares said. “Some people read the date wrong … there’s others, if they’re struggling with the process, we have the ability to help them [and] that’s the great thing, too, about giving them the lead time. We can assist them and have better customer service and [try] to do it very quickly.”

wenholje@miamioh.edu

TAYLOR STUMBAUGH

ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

GRAPHIC BY MACEY CHAMBERLIN

‘Provides real-world experience for whatever you want’: How ASPIRE is inspiring students

tion at all three levels of government:

“If it impacts Oxford, ultimately it’s probably going to have a blowback on the university as well,” said Thomas, who is a regular attendee at the Butler County Commissioners

Nicole Hoyer, the assistant director of government relations and a Miami alumna, works out of the statehouse in Columbus to track leg-

Thomas said the team also works closely with the state’s Inter-University Council, an association of Ohio’s public universities that works to improve the quality of public higher education, and the American Asso-

versities, a larger advocacy group for public research universities across

ALICE MOMANY

SENIOR CAMPUS & COMMUNITY

EDITOR

Two years ago, Spencer Mandzak attended an ice cream social for Miand shook hands with the university’s -

“There are students that go here for years without meeting the pres-fessors here who’ve never met the president, so being able to say ‘Yeah, president and say hi to him,’ that’s Mandzak’s involvement through many opportunities to meet notaCity of Oxford, the state of Ohio and strategies, partnerships, institutional -

the university’s original institutional opportunities for students, business-

“We’re the external relations for the university, not exclusively but primarily, so we do community relations, government relations, corporate outreach and entrepreneurship,”

Thomas, a Miami alumnus, has been the director of government relations at the university since 1999, but his passion for civic engagement

“Even when I was an undergrad, I was involved in government on cam-

Thomas wants to give students that

Under the institutional relations behalf of higher education in legisla-

In addition to government revariety of programs that promote innovation and accessibility to a college university’s regional campuses to offer the Work+ program, which helps students earn a degree while working a part-time job with a local business

fers the Early College Academy for high school students to earn an associates degree at no cost to them, and Fisher Innovation College@Elm Center in Oxford which promotes collaboration between private and public

The College@Elm was unveiled in April, but Thomas’s long-term goal for the project is to improve Oxford’s economy and provide a welcoming atmosphere for anyone to collabo-

“It’s aimed at students, faculty,

they are interested in … or they want to be a part of a team that is dealing with startups or other businesses that are there, they have a space, that’s

Mandzak said the countless op-

does, is that it provides real-world experience for whatever you want,”

Mandzak started as an intern inlative director and is now one of the working to build an internship struc-

Evelyn Morrison, a junior public administration and sustainability

major, is the other Deputy Chief ofas and Hoyer, completing tasks they

educational leadership class, EDL students an internship, whether it’sbut to be holistic leaders on campus

ships, so getting students involved in one part very easily translates to them momanyaj@miamioh.edu

Lawsuit against the City of Oxford dismissed, local man files motion to amend judgment

which banned gatherings of more

claimed it went against his right to peaceful assembly under the Firstor Michael Smith, then-Vice Mayor William Snavely, city manager Doug

The lawsuit was dismissed bytrict Court for the Southern District

“We were certainly pleased with show that, at the very least, he suffered injury from conduct the city or its agents in some way have directed

-

suit against the City of Oxford for COVID-19 policies was dismissed two

amend the judgment after his law-

I think Council felt it was very important to do what we could to protect the health and safety of the public,” El-edged that he was never cited for violating the ordinance, but it deterred him from gathering with family for “How can a municipality write an ordinance that tells me how many people I can have gathering in my

alleged injury was the “‘chilling’ effect the ordinance had on his First Amendment rights,” and the emo--

for the judge to alter or amend its the order is “based on errors of law

The errors include the argumentgous, a statute of limitations limited a lawsuit and the distinction that his emotional distress did not come from the ordinance but rather the city’s vi-

The amended complaint presses six claims: three of which are violations of the First, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments, a claim of conspiracy to interfere with civil rights, a claim of civil conspiracy and a claim

“If that is denied, which I anticipate it will be, I will be going to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals,” not been served with the lawsuit to his knowledge, but they will be premomanyaj@miamioh.edu

League of Women Voters of Oxford presents November ballot issues and voter ID changes

Voters now need an Ohio driver’s li-

Out-of-state driver’s licenses, soand insurance cards are no longer

“We’re very concerned that people won’t know until they get to the Brinkman emphasized that this law is the most important thing Oxford residents, college students and Ohioans should know so they have enough time to decide how they plan to vote and whether they’re absentee

Brinkman said the elderly, disabled and college students are thedent comes to an Ohio college from out of state, they can register to vote they consider Ohio their permanent Ohio does not require them to change their licenses, and under the new voting laws they could register to vote, Because someone cannot have at once, it is unclear how registering

However, absentee voting does -

can use the last four digits of their social security number for mail-in voting — the caveat is that they must be

Other important issues that will be on the ballot were also discussedshrine the right to reproductive freedom with protection for health and

Citizen-initiated constitutional amendments and citizen-initiated statutes are the only two ways for an sustainability coordinator, said the city’s electric aggregation program helps residents and businesses purchase renewable energy at a competitive price and use energy wisely to

“Our aggregation systems are aministration major and member of

“I love this kind of work that our community does for educating its members on elections and civic en-

stumbata@miamioh.edu

ALICE MOMANY SENIOR CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

Hip-hop happened big-time at the MTV Video Music Awards

Olivia Rodrigo gives a grungy perspective of young adulthood experiences on ‘GUTS’

BENEDICT

GABBY

THE MIAMI STUDENT

In early 2021, “drivers license” became the song that changed everything for a young and heartbroken Olivia Rodrigo.

The song broke the internet, keeping an 8-week streak at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. It was an endearing break-up anthem that Rodrigo shortly followed up with her debut album, “SOUR,” which had multiple hit singles and a heavy impact on teenage girls approaching adulthood while going through their

“SOUR” was successful due to its catchiness, relatability and overall ability to transform the pop genre by spouting youthful wisdom with a unique and beautiful voice.

Unfortunately, I don’t think the same can be said for Rodrigo’s newest album, “GUTS.”

“bad idea, right?” is the second single from the record. It has a catchy chorus, funky and angsty instrumental and a few stand-out lines, all of which make up for a lack of creative or clever songwriting.

Rodrigo’s addition of grunge and angst truly begins to sink its teeth on the third track, “vampire,” the June. It’s pretty basic but very fun to scream-sing in the car.

“lacy” explores a blurry line between homoeroticism and jealousy with plain lyrics and a similar melody to the rest of Rodrigo’s songs. On “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” the grungy guitar solo at the beginning tricks the listener into thinking the lyrics will be more introspective or interesting than they actually are.

delivery in her music — it really suits her voice and musical storyteller. I love a fun revenge song, and Rodrigo didn’t disappoint with this one.

“love is embarrassing”

angst. I enjoyed Rodrigo’s candidness about her dating life and rollercoaster of emotions throughout her relationships. While the lyrics are adequate, they’re also relatable for anyone who has made stupid mistakes in their love lives.

STYLE EDITOR

Wherever Nicki Minaj hosts, she brings the house down. And at the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) on Tuesday, Sept. 12, the queen of rap got to showcase the skills that make her a legacy performer.

The VMAs ran from 8 p.m. until almost midnight and celebrated the 50th anniversary of hip-hop on MTV. The award show ended with partying onstage and shouting out spanned talents from Minaj to others like the Furious Five and last year’s co-host, LL Cool J. Minaj’s longtime boss and best friend, Lil Wayne, opened up the night with a mob-style dance basked in red light. He set the tone for the rest of the event by hugging everyone else on stage and thanking the audience.

Other ground-shaking moments for rap and hip-hop came from Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s performance of “Bongos” and Doja Cat’s medley of hit singles from her upcoming album, “Scarlet.”

SZA won the Best R&B Moonman for “Shirt” among crazy competition, and Ice Spice won Best New Artist. Diddy also took home the Global Icon Performance, and announced her plans to cross into music.

The very best of all the hip-hop performances, however, was Minaj’s. She debuted her new single pop vocals before switching gears to dark rap by surprising fans with another brand new track called “Big dress and revealed her skin-tight

It was Shakira’s Video Vanguard performance, though, that earned the loudest cheers. Even at 46 years old, she quickly struck into multiple acrobatic poses, hyping the whole venue up with gold and hips. over and over with their impressive choreography, theatrics and live vocals. Olivia Rodrigo promoted her latest album “GUTS” by following-up Lil Wayne early on with two new singles. Måneskin played with the essence of MTV itself by having the lead singer direct the viewer using a clunky, ’90s handheld tape recorder-inspired camera.

After her performance, Minaj continued to hint at her upcoming album, “Pink Friday 2,” by smiling back and forth with the queen of clues, Taylor Swift. While Swift accepted Best Direction for “Anti-Hero” onstage, the two icons once again referenced the astrological sign they share, which keeps sparking rumors online about a future collaboration.

Swift experienced yet another big awards night after last year, when she shocked the crowd by introducing her 10th album, “Midnights.” This year, she was the most nominated artist, spanning 11 categories, mostly in her video pursuits. She won Best Pop and Song of the Year for “Anti-Hero” and appeared in a body-length, slim black dress adorned with gold buttons.

And to make history again, Swift scored the title award of the VMAs — Video of the Year — for “Anti-Hero,” which marked her second year winning in a row. Despite not dropping any news for Swifties like she did in 2022, Swift delivered a heartwarming speech and then highframe of the show cut.

No matter who won at this year’s VMAs, the one thing all audiences could agree on was that hip-hop will live on for another 50 years and forever after that.

stefanec@miamioh.edu

After a two-year hiatus, Rodrigo’s writing feels stagnant and melodramatic compared to the compelling lyrics on “SOUR.” Many of the songs also sound similar to each other, with a few exceptions, but Rodrigo’s lovely vocal performance makes up for her less-than-interesting lyrics.

The album starts with “all-ameriher head and chest voice throughout the song. The lyrics are nothing exciting, but I do like the juxtaposition of her switching her tone from sweet to sour between her verses and chorus.

After a few extra listens, I’ve come to enjoy “making the bed.” Rodrigo is both self-aware and self-deprecating in this song, singing over a simple melody with lyrics detailing how she only has herself to blame for feeling unhappy.

Rodrigo continues to blame herself on “logical,” where she sings about manipulation in her past relationship and her irrational thoughts while being entranced in love. The chorus is subpar when it comes to lyrics, but it’s a sad ballad with unfortunate implications about Rodrigo’s denial throughout an unhealthy relationship.

As a stark contrast to “logical,”vorite song on the album. I love when Rodrigo gives a pouty and snarky

“the grudge” has received a lot of praise from people who enjoyed the album, and I agree with them. This song portrays the emotional turmoil Rodrigo has felt even after her relationships. I can feel the frustration in both her voice and verses, which really helps sell this song for me.

The instrumental for “pretty isn’t pretty” is an indie sound that I enjoyed with Rodrigo’s voice. The song’s concept is nothing unique, of Rodrigo’s struggle to attain peak physical attractiveness as a woman and the impossibility of being perfect.

“teenage dream” is a nice ending to the album. As harsh as I was at the beginning, this is a satisfying and pretty conclusion to “GUTS.” I loved

listening to Rodrigo’s voice alongside the piano on this song as she laments about growing up.

Overall, I see “GUTS” as the bi-curious and grungy older sister to “SOUR” and recommend it to any teenager with growing pains.

Rating: 6.5/10

@gabbethroast benedigr@miamioh.edu

Modern day, modern experience: How phones affect concerts

a way that couldn’t be translated to any amount of social media posts.

But, in a way, my experience was also changed by the sea of phones top song. The lights encompassed me from behind and shined toward the stage. The singing from the crowd was quieter, and Alex Turner seemed less inclined to actually play to the crowd.

Livia Zuesi, a junior accountancy major, said that audience members having their phones out takes something away from the experience. The Taylor Swift and Car Seat Headrest concert that Zuesi went to both involved a wall of phones.

Even though the atmosphere at good things can happen from having your phone out at a concert.

“My friend’s sister couldn’t get tickets so she FaceTimed her during parts of the concert,” Zuesi said. Instead of intending to add to the experience, many concertgoers use their phones to record for themselves.

Julia Russell, a sophomore biology major, went to a Taylor Swift concert in Cincinnati this summer. At the concert, Russell took multiple videos of the performance, but she hasn’t watched any of them since then.

ASST. C&C EDITOR

It’s hard to miss all of the massive concert tours currently going on. For one, big names like Beyoncé and Taylor Swift don’t go unnoticed. But mostly, they’re hard to miss because of their prominence on social media. Today, people can watch photos

and videos of concerts just hours after they happen by simply opening X (formerly Twitter), Instagram or Snapchat without having to be there. Videos of the Arctic Monkeys concert that I went to over the summer were posted before I left the arena. Does that devalue what I saw? The short answer is no. I was there and saw it with my own eyes in

Entertainment’s

STAFF REPORT

The start of a new season brings us a plethora of media to consume.

The entertainment section has come together to compile a list of our most anticipated releases for this fall. From albums to movies to games, we’ve got it all. Give it a glance – you about.

‘The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We’ - Mitski (Sept. 15)

Mitski described the concept of “The Land is Inhospitable and So Areing experiences she’s had while living in America and the country’s painful and private sorrows. Even when she’s gone, Mitski says she wants the album to feel like a love that’s haunting the land, which I think is going to be a really thrilling direction and concept.

As an avid Mitski fan and a lover -

nitely be all over my Spotify Wrapped at the end of the year. - Gabby Benedict, The Miami Student Mitski is one of my favorite artists, and I absolutely loved her last album, “Laurel Hell.” Just from the singles, I know this album is going to be great. This will be an amazing release for Sad Girl Autumn! - Chloe Southard, Asst. Entertainment Editor ‘Rick’ - Ricky Montgomery (Sept. 29)

Ricky Montgomery is the artist that LITERALLY made my quarantine memorable! I’ve played “Line without a Hook” more times than

him and see more

“With everyone recording, it takes away the atmosphere of [the concert],” Zuesi said. “A lot of the time, people are more focused on getting a video than actually paying attention and enjoying it.”

That’s not to say phones only have

When Arctic Monkeys played “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball,” the audience held up their phones withball. The combination of the song and lights enlarged the moment.

“That was the thought behind recording them [to watch them later],” Russell said. “ I just haven’t done it.”

When at a concert, the audience should be able to do whatever they like within reason. Comedy shows will sometimes take people’s phones as they enter the venue, but that can’t scale up to a Taylor Swift-level event. Concert culture is changing, and maybe it’s for the better.

turmankd@miamioh.edu

@KaseyTurman

most anticipated media of the fall

of what his voice and sound can do.

- Katie Whitehead, The Miami Student ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ (Oct. 20)

Director Martin Scorsese is a living legend and one of the most important people in cinema’s histoa book, looks great, telling the story of murders on Native American land and the evil of the oil industry. Plus, it’s nice to see a streamer like Apple give this a proper theatrical release.

- Luke Macy, Managing Editor

‘Super Mario Bros.

Wonder’ (Oct. 20)

October 20 will be a packed day for great releases (and Italians). The Mario team has produced some strong games, and I’m excited to see a return to the 2D platformer that’s not part of the “New Super Mario Bros.” series. - Luke Macy, Managing Editor ‘The Killer’ (Oct. 27)

Based on a comic book series of the same name, David Fincher’s latest the-run hitman, has been receiving solid buzz out of its premiere at the Venice Film Festival. A new Fincher only giving it a limited theatrical run, it’ll undoubtedly be one of the most - Reece Hollowell, Entertainment Editor ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ (Oct. 27)

Growing up, “1989” was my favorite Taylor Swift album. There are so many good songs on the album, and I can’t wait to see how Swift has

changed some of the tracks. - Molly

Fahy, The Miami Student

“1989” is one of the greatest pop albums of all time, and Swifties and non-Swifties alike can look forward to more mature vocals on such iconic pop songs with “1989 (Taylor’s Version).” Plus, Swift herself has said that the vault tracks — songs that “1989” but will be released on this edition — are some of her favorites.

‘Higher’ - Chris Stapleton (Nov. 10) Chris Stapleton is one of modern country music’s strongest voices. His 2020 album “Starting Over” was a personal favorite of mine from that year, and now he’s returning with a new studio album, “Higher.” Promotion for the album has promised Stagenres beyond country, something I’m very interested in hearing the

results of. - Reece Hollowell, Entertainment Editor ‘Pink Friday 2’ - Nicki Minaj (Nov. 17) her high school experience by Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded,” I’m excited to see if her new studio album will live up to the name. I don’t love Minaj’s new music, so I’m hoping her new album will be more reminiscent of her old sound. - Emily

When Minaj announced she’d be releasing a sequel to her debut album “Pink Friday” (aka her best record ever), I almost cried tears of joy. “Pink Friday” has been on the soundtrack of my life since I was in third grade – I can’t wait for Minaj to revisit her old sound, even if it took 13 years. Barbz, rejoice. - Chloe Southard, Asst. Entertainment Editor

The many different types of Miami parents

LILY WAHL SENIOR STAFF WRITER KATIE WHITEHEAD

MIAMI STUDENT

THE

A fundamental part of the college experi ence is recognizing that everyone you meet bringing, and that no two people will ever think about things in the exact same way. This cial Miami University parents’ Facebook pag each other on everything from parenting styles to politics.

We’ve compiled a few of the most common simplify things for you.

The ‘never grow up’

Have you ever wandered into your res idence hall’s laundry room, only to see a

parent cannot come to terms with the fact that their beloved baby is now legally an adult. They’re commonly spotted grocery shopping at Kroger or trying to orchestrate play dates with other peoples’ children in the Facebook groups.

The ‘helicopter’ teed to have both Life360 and Find My Friends installed on their child’s phone — tracking their every move. They want to know who their child ate their meals with, what building and room their classes are in and exactly how much sleep they’re getting each night. If their ent will likely have their RA on the phone with orders to hunt them down within 30 seconds.

Bonus: The ‘helicopter (WITH DRONES!)’ sessive, but not obsessive enough to describe

This parent not only follows their child’s every move, but has two drones hovering around their child at all times to get extra vid eo feed angles on their life. They probably have their child’s roommate in their Life360 circle and access to their child’s Canvas account to make sure their assignments are turned in, their child’s professors to check in on their performance. The ‘other type of helicopter parent’

of hovering above their child like a helicop person’s slang for helicopter).

Oxford. Keep an eye out for Lululemon care packages at the package center or a Cartier

The ‘free range’ antithesis. Congratulations, you now have the Their child could skip all of their classes

PSA: Put your dawgs away

and stay out at the bars all night long, and they wouldn’t notice (or care)! This doesn’t make parent just wants their child to get the full college experience and learn life’s lessons the their relaxed style of parenting to be the best kind, and they’ll make sure you know, too, by ents on the Facebook page and telling them to

The ‘PROUD honors student parent’ ent feels the need to constantly boast about their own parenting on the Facebook pages by letting everyone know that their child got accepted into the honors college. Did another parent ask a question about how their child process and mention their child’s enrollment in the honors college 54 separate times. They’ll also post their child’s grades down to the per centage point, just to make other parents feel

The ‘complainer’

With this next parent, there’s always some parent. This parent can be found making pas students that don’t take their laundry out at the right time or sharing photos of all the lit ter spread around campus. They claim it’s for responsible their sweet, perfect child is all over the internet. If you ever think your child excels at anything, you won’t for long, because their child is immediately better at it. The ‘bestie’

This parent is obsessed with reliving their they and their kid are more like siblings than found Uptown on any random Saturday night, but especially during parents weekend. They’ll a student with sharpie Xs on their hands for their Snapchat. Much like the helicopter par thing too, but nothing important — just the college gossip.

In the wise words of Mrs. George from The ‘alumni’

Did you know that a ghost roams around

cause if you didn’t know, this next parent will be sure to tell you about what Oxford was like attended Miami way back before cell phones were even invented and they cannot let go of the fact Miami can change or move on in any way. They can be found complaining in the comments of Miami University’s Facebook page about new construction, begging them tion anything about Ohio University, though, and it was nice knowing you … they take the We hate to break it to you, but if your fu ture children attend Miami in the future, this will be you one day.

wahllm@miamioh.edu

whitehke@miamioh.edu

First-year’s guide to Brick Street: An infomercial

CONNOR OVIATT MICHAEL PATTEE STAFF WRITERS

Do you ever spend your Wednesday, Thurs day, Friday or Saturday nights getting eight productive, or do you attend events put on by something for you.

Introducing … Brick Street Bar!

Brick Street, better known as Brick, is the solution to all your problems! At Brick, peo ple’s standards are lowered and everyone’s sense of personal space and hygiene are thrown out the window. Ever thought your a solution for that. After jumping around in Brick’s mosh pit, there is a 99.9% chance of having someone else’s fermented wheat juice stain your shirt! That’s 31.4% more likely than the leading competitor!

Ever wanted to know what fermented low price of $19.99 (through a third party of course). What a deal! Trashcans serve as a swinging by Kroger.

Have you been trying to avoid crushed grape gore (that some people believe to have been stomped on by shoeless French peas ants) infused with fungus, stored in a fancy glass bottle that only opens with its very own Well good news for you, because Brick does if you’d like to have your beverage stomped,

just head back over to the mosh pit).

Sometimes you’ll even see communica of Uptown and declare a Brick Street major. The only requirements are a GPA below 3.0 and a personal statement that includes the er about what becoming a Brick Street major might look like for you.

And for all our readers out there (yes, all six of you) who might be dating basic white girls obsessed with songs about pickup trucks, jeans and fermented wheat juice or frat boys cially acceptable, Brick has Country Night!

For no additional charge, you can ruin your Wallen, Luke Combs and Zach Bryan, all while watching your girlfriend scream while wearing an oversized white and pink cowboy hat.

A semester pass to Brick Street is only $499.99 for the semester, but if you call now we’ll throw in a second for free if you pay the price of two season passes! That’s right, what normally would be two charges of $499.99 can now be purchased for one low fee of $999.98! So make sure you call now to buy your passes es on karaoke night!

patteemj@miamioh.edu

oviattcc@miamioh.edu

TEDDY JOHNSON CO-HUMOR EDITOR JULIAN BIALOUS THE MIAMI STUDENT

known as toes — help us Homo sapiens walk and balance upright. Most people are considerate enough to keep those dawgs muzzled and crated.

However, it has come to my attention that some of you students at Miami University seem to think that letting the dawgs out in class, walk ing around campus or at bars Uptown is now acceptable. This could not be further from the truth.

Just because your dawgs are barking does not mean they need to be out. I do not want to turn around in my Intro to Pottery class to see hairy,

Since when has it been acceptable to wear beach. Just because your fraternity stole its name to put your toes out for the world to see.

Do people really think nice weather is an ex it turns 100 degrees, people will just start eating with their hands and forcefully claiming territo ries on Miami’s campus until they take down the sity to pay homage to him and make it feel like knew there was a time and place for toes to be

out. As a man of class, he knew that even on the beach you should be knee deep, not toes deep, in the water somewhere.

To guys wearing Birkenstocks, wear socks. socks and sandals used to be shunned, my col league and TMS Style editor, Evan Stefanik, has this to say about men in Birks:

footwear option, it is loads better than wearing

In my personal opinion, unless you are get ting a monthly pedicure, your toes should be away.

good idea to go barefoot or wear sandals at Brick

Not only are the dawgs out, but they’re drink cough and who knows what else.

Excuse me. I just threw up in my mouth a bit just writing this.

single nastiest place on this Earth and you want

To combat this rampaging issue, I am start ing a service dog organization on campus called

So, just remember this PSA: Put your dawgs away.

sue.

john1595@miamioh.edu

GRAD STUDENTS

Want to THRIVE and not just SURVIVE in Grad School?

For more information contact jim.samland@cru.org

Four former RedHawks on NFL rosters Week 1

How numbers are changing the game of hockey

the men’s hockey team, gathering sta-

NISSO SACHA

THE MIAMI STUDENT

The growth of analytics in sportsnings in the early ’60s when Earn-able to sport teams has grown expoas simple as their chance of winning -

are taken, the more likely they will

“How many ofer, then maybe that’s go back to, ‘Yeah,formance coach to keep track of ath-athletes’ sleep, men-plement laser timers to test sprints on-

cisions against certain opponents as

“The longer the season goes, the streamlining what’s important, spegoing to want to change something, After games, Cisek says coaches -

NFL Week 1

Overreaction: Browns will win AFC North

STEVEN PEPPER STAFF WRITER

On a wet Sunday afternoon in Cleveland, the Browns opened the season with a 24-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. Despite the Browns being home underdogs, their defense put the clamps on their cross-state AFC North divisional rival.

I understand that Oxford is near Bengals country, but my favorite Week 1 overreaction is that the Browns will win the AFC North.

The Browns have yet to win the division since reactivating their franchise in 1999. The Bengals’ two-straight division titles, meanwhile, make them the new face of the North.

The division has two other teams: the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. However, neither looked like division winners in their opening games.

Fortunately for the Browns, they’ve owned the Bengals in the 2020s. After Sunday, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow fell to 1-5 against the Browns in his career, including being winless at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

The Browns’ defense has Burrow’s number. His career averages against the Browns for completion percentage, yards per game and passer rating are all lower than his overall career averages. That defense is the team’s key to winning the division. On Sunday, new Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s unit arguably looked like the best in the league.

The Browns gave Burrow the worst game of his life. He completed 14 of his 31 throws for a career-low 82 yards and no scores.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the league’s highest-paid quarterback had a completion percentage more than 12% lower than expected.

The Bengals’ ability to push the ball down the success. In their Super Bowl run in 2021, the team led the league in yards per completion (8.7).

In Cleveland, a rattled Burrow averaged a measly 2.6 yards a throw. He didn’t complete a pass of 10 or more air yards.

To be fair, Burrow could still be recovering from his calf injury in late July, and the weather Sunday wasn’t quarterback-friendly.

But three points are three points. The Bengals’ the Browns’ excellent game plan.

Burrow was under pressure from the Browns’ front almost every drop back. Schwartz sent a blitz

Four-time All-Pro defensive lineman Myles

Garrett looks to be the anchor of Schwartz’s new push rush. With a sack already to start the season, Schwartz put Garrett in various schemes that included him lining up one-on-one with the Bengals’ center.

With the addition of star rusher Za’Darius Smith on an almost whole new front, Schwartz’s blitz-heavy attack will be a nightmare for non-elite

Whenever Burrow did have time to throw, Browns’ underrated secondary locking down the opposing receivers. Browns defensive backs Denzel Ward and Grant Delpit made great plays to prevent Bengals superstar wideouts from hauling in big-time grabs.

Ja’Marr Chase was restricted to 39 receiving yards on nine targets. Tee Higgins didn’t catch a single pass on eight targets. stalled and punted 10 out of 14 times.

Now, despite how good the Browns are depoints on the board in big games. Although it’s is solid. led by the best running back in the sport, Nick rushing touchdowns in his 2022 campaign, Chubb the Year. with a 127 total yard afternoon. It makes it easier for the bell-cow back to produce when he is runBrowns quarterback Deshaun Watson has not yet returned to his Houston Texan form, but his 154 passing yards and two total touchdowns were enough to win a game behind a dominant defense and running game. the North in the last two seasons. However, this is their most talented roster in franchise history.

On Monday Night Football, the Browns travel to Pittsburgh to take on divisional rival Steelers. We will see if the Browns winning the division based on a Week 1 victory is an overreaction.

@stevenpepper38

pepperse@miamioh.edu

Mid-Amercian Conference (MAC) football Week 2 scoreboard

CAMERON JOHNSON

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Football season is back. This week, the RedHawks got back on track against the UMass Minutemen, with a 41-28 road win, after losing to the Miami Hurricanes in week one.

cord of 6-7 — 4-4 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) — last year,

the RedHawks were anchored by their defense, which ranked 35th in the country for points per game at in that category. The team was the best run defense in the MAC, and linebackers Ryan McWood and Matt Salopek were total tackles. While the RedHawks’ defensive front was strong, the de-

8, Miami 0 - New Mexico State 3

Saturday, Sept. 9, Miami 3 @ Illinois State 2

Jacquez Warren brings the defense: ‘I want to be the best player here at Miami’

equally as dangerous, in part thanks to 6-foot, 191-pound junior defensive back Jacquez Warren, also known as “Quez” by his teammates and coaches. Warren was raised by his mom and aunt in Durham, North Carolina, where he attended Southern Durham High School. Throughout high school, he racked up 202 total tackles in his career and was named team captain as a senior. After only playing in one Miami, he played in 11 the following year, starting for seven of them. Last year, he started in all 13 games played. In the beginning, football wasn’t on the forefront of Warren’s mind.

“I didn’t have anything to do,” Warren said. “I was always bored at the house. I tried baseball and didn’t really like it that much. My god mom and my parents got me into football, At his Boys and Girls club growing

up, Warren was given the nickname “highlight” because he made a lot of great plays.

Warren said being raised by his mom and aunt led him to have a very special relationship with both of them.

“They really just supported me whether I was just having fun or not,” Warren said. “They really got into it as well. They just wanted to see me happy playing football, and I was happy and getting good at it, and so they just supported me throughout the whole thing and kept pushing me to get better.”

Miami defensive coordinator Bill Brechin has been coaching Warren since the day he stepped on campus. He’s seen Warren’s improvement

“The biggest growth I have seen from Quez has been his approach to really everything in his life, his academics, his football,” Brechin said. “He has always been a great person, a great kid. He started to take things way more seriously since his freshman year, he wants to be great at everything. He wants to be a great person, a great boyfriend, a great student and a great football player.”son with 63 total tackles and two

interceptions. He’s one of the RedHawks’ most consistent players on Saunders Jr. transferring to Ole Miss — Quez, along with fellow defensive backs Eli Blakey and Michael Dowell, than last year.

“I have really high expectations for him,” Brechin said. “... He came in mid-year, I think it was sophomore year, after we had some injuries, and basically since then we have not been he just keeps making plays for us.”

External expectations are high. Warren has even higher expectations for himself individually.

“For this season, [my goal] is just to be better than I was last year,” Warren said. “I want to be more explosive and more elusive … this year more. I took conditioning way more seriously. I got bigger, faster and stronger, and that was my goal going best player here in Miami.”

AT HIS BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB, WARREN WAS NICKNAMED ‘HIGHLIGHT’ AS A KID. PHOTO BY JACK SCHMELZINGER

Live for the thrift of it all

Preppy is as preppy does

EVAN STEFANIK STYLE EDITOR

Every college student eventually faces that moment when, standing in front of their dismal closet, they give and brace their wallets for a redesign. But college students can easily afford quality and even popular namebrand items at thrift shops just outside their own campus — franchises like Plato’s Closet and Goodwill style the community while also helping customers in need.

Ruth Cole, the store manager of Goodwill in Oxford, Ohio, mostly encounters college students and elderly people at her location. They usually shop for things like purses, houseware and clothes to suit the season. Best of all, a whole 75% of her clothing selection is donated by good Samaritans in Oxford. Every day, Cole or one of her attendants greets them at the doors of the Donation Center, then sorts their bins or bags into categories in the backroom and has the producer canvas and price it all within two to four days.

“We have some freedom, so we out because that’s one of our top sellers,” Cole said. “We utilize everything that we can.”

Tri-County Goodwill plant. If a week passes without the product selling there, it gets recycled once more into merchandise overseas.ogy and art therapy double major

Avery Smith, however, hope to never let a good look go. She visits smaller thrift shops in her hometown but especially bets on Goodwill because of its quantity of choices.

Smith makes the trip once or twice a week with a friend and spends the whole day out, averaging two hours in each store and approximately a $40 high on apparel and accessories. This way, she covers more area by perusing every single aisle,

“Treasure hunting for clothes is so fun,” Smith said. “You never know what you’re gonna miss.” with thrifting four years ago when she locked eyes with a few crewneck sweatshirts. In the meantime, she runs a Depop, creates style boards on Pinterest and stays up to date on trends.

Despite gearing toward a goth aesthetic in her own thrift experiences now, in 2022 she found a great prom dress for her friend at much cheaper than its $500 retail markup. Smith prefers thrifting rather than department stores, partly because her shoes still hold up so well for their low cost, as well as its appealing process.

“I’m not a fan of fast fashion.

Thrifting is more sustainable,” Smith said. “I’ve never had a problem with the clothes I’ve thrifted.”

When not in the buying mood, Smith donates or sells things from her closet once they fall out of her interest or after a year. So does junior inclusive special education major Sydney Reynolds, who sifts through

her wardrobe every time she returns home.

her 16-year-old cousin as a hand-menew life. Afterward, she heads to Plato’s Closet to earn back half of what it purchases from her and leaves the remainder to Goodwill. that looks like someone else would wear it,” Reynolds said. One of her best sales earned her $115. She tends to fold the undamaged shirts and Air Forces, Converse and Vans shoes she hardly wears anymore into two to three big baskets, but also brings out numbers from storage during fall and winter breaks.

“I feel safe about the fact that I know they’re going to someone who needs it and will be happy,” Reynolds said.

Sometimes, Reynolds drives down to the Boys & Girls Clubs in Cincinnati to donate clothes. More locally, students like Reynolds might explore donating to or collecting from the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion’s Open Door Clothes Closet and Miami student body president Nyah Smith’s developing career-clothing resource.

Thrifting thrives in all forms –so Miami students should seize the chance to dress themselves up at their neighborhood Goodwill, before someone else snatches the most unforgettable item.

stefanec@miamioh.edu

throughout my life, there is one contant: preppiness. If you were to look through pictures of me as a child, you’d see that my mom dressed me in Polo Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, Gap and many other brands that contributed to my style evolution. I also credit her and my dad for creating my shopping problem, but that’s a topic for another article.

I’ve been infatuated with preppy style since I was young. The world built around preppy fashion usually has a deep history of quality, a well-crafted, tantalizing story and pieces that only get better with age.

Abercrombie & Fitch was my closet staple throughout middle school. The brand image, the quality, the history, the black and white ads, and the heavy smell of cologne wrapped me in.

That gave way to J.Crew in high school, and now J.Crew is nearly 100% of my closet in college, thanks to my job as a sales associate the Learning Miami University was

Snazzy Boutique: Newest thrift comes to Oxford

also known as “J.Crew U” only made my obsession with the brand even more compulsive. If my friends ask me what I’m wearing, I just shake my head and tell them to guess — headto-toe J.Crew.

J.Crew has crafted a world of quality pieces with a story that accompanies many of them. The bright neons and the neutral navies catch me every time, even if I already own three of the same roll neck sweater.view, a night out on the town — preppiness will never do you wrong.

Maybe this style came to be because of my upbringing in the preppy south of Lexington, Kentucky, but I found that I never gave in to trends that I saw fellow peers were doing throughout life. Preppy was always the way to go.

The easiest way to answer why my style is preppy is because it’s timeless, versatile and it’ll never go out of style. I always stick with polo and khakis, rugby and sweats, and loafers and jeans. Preppy combinations are in your favor for every occasion of life.

morri390@miamioh.edu

CAROLINE ROWELL

THE MIAMI STUDENT

In a world plagued by fast fashion and a town that thrives on the ever-changing, incredibly nuanced is the perfect place for a thrift store. This is where Snazzy Boutique in the Junction House on Elm Street comes into play.

Snazzy Boutique is open two days a week — on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. respectively. It occasionally hosts pop-up shops Uptown and in Armstrong Student Center.

The owner, Virginia “Gini” Maddocks, is a massage therapist by trade but a self-described fashionista by heart.

eclectic. Immediately upon enteringsure trove of clothing, gifts and more.

Maddocks and her store remind me of the scene in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid,” when Ariel is displaying her gadgets and gizmos and trinkets galore.

Inspired by the juxtaposition of her travels and the fact that she is a woman born and raised in Oxford who is also a Miami University graduate, Maddocks is passionate about providing Oxford residents and Mi-

amians alike with options for clothes that have come from near and far.

Maddocks said her mission is toable,” and she accomplishes this byment shops all over the world. She recently traveled to Spain and Morocco and found absolute gems.

Even though there are competing thrift stores around town, Maddocks wants to make Snazzy work because she said she’s “dedicated to the resale and reuse of fashion,” and she wants the clothes she selects for them.

The location of Snazzy Boutique is a challenge, but Olivia Arms, a sophomore business economics major who

doubles as an intern and frequent customer of Snazzy, said she always chooses to go to Snazzy.

“I love to thrift. I love the hunt,” Arms said. “I stopped in one day and

Not far from Kroger and right across from Shademakers Garden Center, Snazzy is aiming to draw perfect sweater to wear on a Saturday morning as fall in Oxford approaches.

Maddocks looks to connect with and promote local artists, as the Junction House also has a prominent and gorgeous art gallery. Snazzy hosts monthly parties in the space as well.

The name “Snazzy” comes from

the ideal that Maddocks lives by — when shopping, Maddocks only purchases items that she said “make [her] squeal and are always a little snazzy.”

The boutique carries all sizes and has a variety of clothing, jewelry and gift items. There are frequent Bucks’ on them and the shop truly is a joy-generator.

Interested shoppers can follow the boutique on its Instagram, @snazzyboutiqueandgifts, or check out its website. rowellca@miamioh.edu

SNAZZY BOUTIQUE. PHOTO BY CAROLINE ROWELL

LANDON MORRISON THE MIAMI STUDENT

Capturing the moment: Photoshoots and their influence on fashion

Ralph Lauren famously once said “style is forever.” Although it’s a nice sentiment, his logistics complicate things when it comes to everyday fashion.

At the end of each day, clothes must be washed and makeup must the creativity that goes into an outmuch longer.

Pictures are a way of capturing the essence of style, and photoshoots help fashion live forever.

Jack Kerstetter is a junior interior design major with a minor in fashion, as well as a model for UP Magazine,

a fashion publication at Miami University.

Kerstetter modeled for the photoshoot “Outdoor Outwear,” where he wore an autumnal essentials ensemble. His white button-down with a red sweater tied over the shoulders was paired with brown plaid pants. He Lauren vibes.”

“It wasn’t my personal style,” Kerstetter said. “But it forced me to wear something I normally wouldn’t and got me out of my comfort zone. I ended up liking it.”

Kerstetter said that modeling pushed him to embrace new experiences, both in terms of the clothes he wore and of being in front of a camera.

“It forced me to be more comfortable with how I am and how I take my own pictures,” Kerstetter said. “I learned what to do with my body and face so that it looks good while also feeling comfortable.”

From the photographer’s perspective, Deanna Hay, a senior international studies and media and culture major, agreed that model big part of any photoshoot.

Hay, who has been a serious photographer since 2020, believes that the model’s energy is one of the most important elements in photography. She noticed that people who are comfortable with what they’re doing and who they are around tend to be more willing to experiment with unconven-

tional poses.

An example of such poses can be seen in Hay’s photoshoot, “Cut + Color” for UP Magazine.

“Since the hair styling was so wacky and crazy, I got to play with angles and pose the models in a fun way,” Hay said.

Photographing fashion or hair canes and how she altered her shooting style depending on what feature she wanted to highlight.

“I like to focus where the action is going on,” Hay said. “In general, to be a better photographer, you have to get closer to the subject.”

Hay said she likes to do up-close detail shots of makeup. When it

comes to fashion, she plays around with the cropping. In particular, Hay did a shoot titled “Pattern Overload,” where the styling consisted of an entire wardrobe of mismatched clothes. “I would focus on just a sleeve or an ankle,” Hay said. “I played with cropping both during the shoot and during editing, rotating photos to divert [viewers’] attention.”

Modeling, styling, photographing and post-production editing show the myriad of ways in which photoshoots embrace unique perspectives and creative expression. From the pose of a model to the click of a camera lens, photoshoots are a way of prolonging style that begs to be showcased.

Fashion trends to watch for this fall

GIANNA COLARICH

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Autumn is quickly upon us, and for us fashionistas, there’s nothing more exciting than a fall style upgrade. As the weather cools down, here are some fall trends I’ve been loving so you can spruce up your fall wardrobe.

Princess Di

It wouldn’t be fall or spring style without the Princess Diana look. Every Miami University student’s triedand-true, it’s all over campus. Odds are you’ve worn it without even realizing.

Consisting of an oversized crewneck and a pair of biker shorts, this look is easy, casual and perfect for the summer-to-fall transition. Wear a turtleneck underneath for chillier days, or a tank top for warmer ones, and you’ve got the royal look down pat.

Pops of color

If you’re anything like me, the color palette of your fall wardrobe consists of neutrals and earthy tones. But fresh pops of color are taking closets by storm. Gone are the days of muted fall looks — jewel tones and spring brights are in vogue this year. While a wine red tends to be a

classic fall-to-winter staple, it seems to be the color of the season as ’90s elegance continues to make a resurgence. Worn with black or white and in textures such as satin or crushed velvet, it’s perfect for a chic pop of col-

But if burgundy isn’t your prerogative, consider pops of color via bright, eclectic cool tones – for instance blues, pinks and purples have all found favor on the runway lately.

Leather jackets Everyone should have a decent quality leather jacket in their closet. My staple piece last winter was a PacSun leather blazer, and no doubt

I’ll be wearing it time and again this versatile, there’s no better layering piece than a leather jacket on chilly autumn days. Mixed metals

“Mixed metals” has been one of one of my favorites, albeit one I just haven’t hopped onto yet (am I cool enough to?). Once an ultimate fashion taboo, combining silver and gold quickly gained popularity last season, and it doesn’t show any signs of slowing down into the fall. Bold and eye-catching, mixing metals is an excellent way to enhance

through layering your jewelry. With stacked rings, clunky bracelets and even assorted earrings, the options are endless. Whether you prefer to wear silver or gold, consider giving this two-toned trend a try.

Whether you follow the trends or not, fall is the perfect time to go outside your style comfort zone. I encourage you to play with new silhouettes, color palettes, hair and makeup looks this season – and I can’t wait to see what trends are next to hit Oxford.

KERSTETTER SMILES ON THE SHOOT FOR “OUTDOOR OUTWEAR” FOR UP MAGAZINE. PHOTO BY ANNIE HENRICHS TWO MODELS STAND IN MISMATCHED PATTERNS FOR THE UP MAGAZINE SHOOT, “PATTERN OVERLOAD.”

PHOTO BY DEANNA HAY

AVA SHAFFER THE MIAMI STUDENT

GreenHawks

of fossil fuels. Foley highlighted the multitude of new technologies and infrastructure that are being built with sustainability in mind, but also how society cannot let the opportunity to use them to their greatest potential slip away.

“The longer we wait the less impact those solutions will have,” Foley said.

DEVIN ANKENEY OPINION EDITOR

you’re maintaining it, it’s not full of weeds, you’re exempted from that turf grass height requirement,” Prytherch said.

tiful without looking messy,” Vance said. “These plants are supposed to be here.”

SAM NORTON GREENHAWKS EDITOR

A packed lecture hall full of Miami University students and faculty listened intently Thursday night as a world leader on solutions for climateture amid the chaos of climate doomism that plagues the conversation today.

Jonathan Foley, an environmental scientist and executive director of the climate solution database Project lecture on Thursday, Sept. 7, about the tangible hope that remains for An energetic and well-spoken professional, Foley devoted his lecture to discussing how stopping climate change is within our reach.

“I believe we can win this race for the future,” Foley said. He further explained how humans need to embrace sustainable change rather than continue the current cycle of ecological exploitation and destruction.

Foley began his lecture by emphasizing the need to use the technology that we have now and stop

Foley does not believe humans are too far gone to stop climate change; he merely believes humans have been delaying the action needed to reverse it. For Foley, the dreary sentiment around the future of our planet is as issue at all.

“We’ve sailed past awareness and into anxiety,” Foley said. “... We need to shift the conversation to talking about both problems and solutions.” about changing the way you live; It’s also about changing the way you think and talk, Foley said.

“Don’t inspire people with fear, inspire them with hope,” Foley said.

Knowing that he was talking to a younger crowd, Foley reiterated the environmental issues at hand. Despite the despair that can come with his work, Foley did not once suggest that there is reason to be pessimistic about the future if action is taken soon.

“It’s not game over,” Foley said. “There’s never been a more important moment in human history to step nortonsm@miamioh.edu

Lawn care is incredibly important to American culture. A perfectlygether household. However, the tidiest of lawns tend to be the least bene-

A new project started by the students of Oxford City Councilor and Miami University geography professor David Prytherch’s GEO 459 class, Advanced Urban and Regional Planning, in conjunction with the City of Oxford and Audubon Miami Valley, aims to rewild some of Oxford’s land.

Prytherch said well-kempt lawns do virtually nothing for the environment, and there’s been a movementtal health.

“People want to do something locally,” Prytherch said. “One of those things — that there’s kind of a national/international movement — takes the name of ‘rewilding.’”

Rewilding is an ecological process by which people try to increase the biodiversity of a given area. In short,er to what it was before.

In Oxford, City Council began the process to make rewilding possible. Prytherch said that process has involved changing the city’s property maintenance code to allow lawns to be rewilded and evaluating public lands to see where pilot programs can be set up.

Right now, the project has two pilot plots in Oxford Community Park. The plots were chosen because they don’t interfere with land currently in use and are easily visible to the community. The hope is to inspire community members to work on their own climate-conscious projects.

“These are also meant to be demonstration projects for what you can do in your own lawn,” Prytherch said.

As of this past spring, the Oxford property maintenance code allows residents to naturalize and rewild their own lawns. Residents must still perform upkeep on their lawn should they choose to rewild, although there are some exceptions.

“As long as it’s native species,

The prior requirements enforced a 10-inch limit to standard lawn grass. The goal of the project is to make it simpler for Oxford residents to take part in the national movement surrounding climate-conscious lawns. Rewilding is still a challenge — one that Audubon Miami Valley and Oxford are working on themselves — but residents can start working on their own lawns today.

“There are fewer barriers to doing it in terms of like, legally there’s no barrier to doing it” Prytherch said.

“The challenge comes from restoring native landscapes, again, [it’s] complicated. We live in a world full of invasive species.”

The program is currently researching and testing the best ways to restore land without allowing unwanted growth.

While many people nationally have been seeking ways to do their the climate impact from this rewilding so far is small. However, the ultimate goal is not to stop climate change with native lawns alone.

Kelsey Vance is an Oxford resident who has been naturalizing and nativizing her own lawn for over a decade since she moved here from Arizona.

“I want to represent a native landscape as something that looks beau-

Vance is studying sustainable horticulture at Cincinnati State to learn how best to work on her own property and give something back to the natural wildlife that used to live all across the Oxford area.

In her experience, Vance said maintaining a native lawn is easier and better for the environment.

“It ends up being cheaper,” she said. “If somebody were to have their front yard converted to a meadow, that only needs to be cut once a year, rather than every week.”

The changes to Oxford’s property maintenance code and the pilot programs naturalizing public lands areer of the new program, she was happy to see her city of residence taking strides to naturalize.

Vance hopes to build her lawn up in a way that sustains natural life, feeding animals and insects and bugs with native plants that look beautiful and help the environment. Though she’s been doing this for over a decade, she hopes others in Oxford will do “whatever they can do” to naturalize their lawns, even if it’s as simple as a couple of plants here and there.ery person,” she said. “I would love to see everybody put in a little pocket prairie.”

ankenedw@miamioh.edu

OPINION: While climate change pushes are well-

most substantial change.

As sustainability initiatives established by international, national and state regulations move forward, accessibility for many disabled indiregarding environmental awareness and pollution levels is a largely unpublicized issue: eco-ableism.

Eco-ableism, while often unintentionally caused, is the direct result of non-disabled environmental activists failing to recognize and protect the needs of their disabled peers.

more impacted by the transition to “greener” alternatives, disabled individuals are also two to four times more likely to lose their lives due to events fueled by the climate crisis. -

chael Ashley Stein, co-founder and Executive Director of the Harvard Law School Project on Disability.

Moreover, people with heart diseases experience disproportionate risk to their lives due to extreme heat than those without at any given time.

The problems with reusable alternatives

One of the most well-known waste reduction solutions is the removal of plastic straws from restaurants in favor of alternatives such as paper. Although this shift to paper straws can limit non-compostable waste, many navigating this change.

In reality, plastic straws account for less than one percent of all ocean

pollution, so the necessity of this change has been questioned. Paper straws, meanwhile, are inaccessible to many disabled individuals because they can’t be bent into or maintain a shape, and the straws may dissolve during use. As a result, people with sensory sensitivities or who are unable to lift or maneuver a cup — and people who require other accommodations — may have trouble drinking their beverage.

“The risk is that banning straws may confer moral license – allowing companies and their customers to feel they have done their part,” said Jim Leape, the co-director of Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, in an interview with the Stanford Report.

Reusable straw alternatives must be washed after each use, which isn’tences in dexterity or chronic illness. Additionally, the common materials of reusable straws may pose an impalement risk and can be either too

Green transportation impacts individuals with

limited mobility

According to the City of Cincinnati’s Green Cincinnati plan, cities in Ohio like Cleveland and Cincinnati are discussing and implementing parking reform to make areas more walkable. Although this reform is between every individual, the lack of disabled voices compared to non-disabled speakers limits an already underrepresented group’s voice.

For disabled individuals who live outside metropolitan cities and require a car or cannot walk long dis-

tances, the removal of these accessible spaces can be harmful. Public transit isn’t always an option, even when the bus itself is accessible. A lack of curb cuts, proper signage or seating at the barriers. The lack of accessibility may go unnoticed by non-disabled individuals, such as with BCRTA Bus Station D outside of Armstrong Student Center at Miami University. However, these assistive tools may be critical for some disabled individuals despite not being legally required by the ADA.

the United Nations Climate Summit in Glasgow (COP26) in 2021, Israeli energy minister, Karine Elharar, was unable to attend due to wheelchair inaccessibility. While the access issue was later reconciled, this is by no means a stand-alone instance.

Reconciling environmentalism and anti-ableism

While making a meaningful contribution to the sustainability movement may seem daunting, anyone focusing on lowering carbon emissions and waste when possible can aid in change.

Approximately half of the global energy-related CO2 was produced by the top 10% of emitters in 2021. By holding large corporations accountable, opting to support local companies and practicing ethical consumerism, the most substantial change can be made.

By encouraging inclusive practices and uplifting disabled voices in every aspect of society, especially in policymaking, a more accessible and sustainable world can be built.

Students at Miami can make an impact by supporting local sustainable initiatives and organizations like the Moon Co-Op or Armstrong Student Center composting bins, or by getting involved in environmentally focused organizations on campus,

Both environmentalism and disability inclusion are nuanced topics, but viewing these issues holistically and avoiding criticism about the contribution of others can promote the

Sarah Frosch is a disabled, out-

student publications.

froschse@miamioh.edu

Rewilding pilot program showcases how Oxford can do its part to prevent climate change

‘An incredible world is still within reach today’: World-renowned environmental scientist preaches optimism in the face of climate change.

SARAH FROSCH SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Hike-a-Thon 2023: Celebrating the development

AUSTIN SMITH THE MIAMI STUDENT

More than 500 Oxford citizens and Miami University students participated in the 2023 Hike-a-Thon commemorating the progress of the Oxford Area Trail System (OATS) on Saturday, Sept. 9. The OATS project is committed to planning, building and sustaining multi-use pathways to make Oxford “a regional destination and a greater place to live,” according to its website.

The 2023 Hike-a-Thon newly paved 1.3-mile DeWitt Log Homestead Connector that leads from the DeWitt Trailhead to Leonard Howell Park. The trail is part one of the third phase of the miles of multi-use pathways surrounding the City of Oxford.

“Not many small towns have access to 17 miles of trails. So we are so lucky to have the Miami Natural areas, The Oxford Area Trails, and both paved and dirt trails,” said Jessica Greene, the assistant city manager and an organizer of the event. “It’s all

just for our community, which is great.”

Some of the key features of the event included an open house at DeWitt Cabin, meeting the ponies with the Miami Equestrian Team, riding E-Bikes with BikeWise, the Deez Tacos food truck, Feathers and Furs booth, bird-watching and a musket demonstration every hour.

“This event has been going on for many years and it used to be run by the Miami Natural Areas under Jim Reid, but when Greene said. “So we were like, you know what, we should bring this back, and so we brought it back on a small scale last year.”

Greene also said the city included Reena Murphy, the new sustainability director, as it coordinated the project.

Before the trail was paved, it was made of crushed stone, making it less accessible to seniors and others who wanted to bike the trail.

“It’s a pleasant surprise. We are excited to bring wheels on it as well,” Oxford resident Angela Jones said. “We moved here four years ago, and the plans for

more multi-use pathways were a big reason why we moved here.

That was a big draw.”

The city expects part two of the current OATS phase, whichnda High School, to be completed by November this year, along with an additional overlook accompanying the trail. Future plans for the City of Oxford include phase four, which will go from Oxford Community Park to Talawanda Middle School will connect the middle school and Talawanda High School by 2025.

There were plans to design a northwest portion, connecting Oxford Community Park to the Black Covered Bridge, but the project was halted after pushback from the local community due to shared routes and timing.

“It was in the middle of COVID, and we just learned that it wasn’t the right time,” Greene said. “We were like, let’s just take a pause, and I think it’s the future.”

smith854@miamioh.edu

Are Miami pet policies too ruff ?

MANAGING EDITOR

I love seeing how technology advances and how we, as a human race, incorporate the advancements into our work.

I don’t like seeing how newspapers have been incorporating arti-

rooms, though.

I’ve seen more and more publipublishing articles using “The A.V.

the keyboard

increasing engagement, is it really bad?

nalist role, allowing the writer to stay

nalism necessitates a personal backalready written, so it’s incorporating sometimes also incorporating biases.nesses in reporting, and it gave me

perience or emotional understand-

who spend their lives doing great reporting. Don’t let their bylines become lost and reporting be taken by articles. Don’t let them slowly take our jobs — we want to write, and we can do a better job. What is AI’s place in probably isn’t going anywhere. It’s been creeping its way into our lives

joy and companionship through pet ownership. For college students, presents responsibilities and challenges when it comes to understanding and complying with university pet policies.

Miami University places a strong emphasis on outlining the prerequisites and limitations associated with pet ownership on campus. According to their policies, non-research animals are typically not allowed on Miami campuses. As a result, dogs, cats and other domesticated animals are generalresidence halls and apartments, academic buildings or any other university-owned or university-controlled

The university’s pet policy hasinclude things like service animals that help people with disabilities, emotional support animals approveddent residence halls and apartments,ceptions, being a responsible peting other rules and regulations, like keeping things clean. It’s all aboutpus. pets on campus; their presence regarding non-research animals arevironment.

By setting boundaries on pet ownership, Miami can address various practical concerns such as almost pets are well-behaved, not all animals are predictable, and encounanimals can lead to accidents Limiting pet policies help enthat shared spaces and buildings on campus are respected, cleanly, and well-maintained.

Ultimately, as much as we cherish contribute to the overall well-being necessary balance between the en-

As someone who has seen the attest to their importance. Duringsmall white dog named Daisy. in her well-being and academic per-

are pretty special pets. They provide much-needed emotional support to students dealing with mental, physical or psychiatric disabilities. Hav-

prescribe it to a student with a disthat student’s treatment plan.

Miami recognizes that certain individuals may have allergies to -

even though they may not be entirely hypoallergenic.

Additionally, its important to need to be away, you should either

dence hall system.

structure can help students develop time management skills and a sense valuable to students during day-to-

For students who adore animals there are great options to consider. You can check out student organizavolunteer opportunities with the Animal Adoption Foundation and Anianimals and give back to the community. -

tions on campus is a testament to the that Miami takes toward promotingtends to nurturing our mental andcompanions.

@RyderMakenzie rydermf@miamioh.edu

ate listicles — not a surprising move Dispatch used a program called LedeAI to write high school sports recaps in August.cles depresses me. I’d much rather see a seasoned journalist turn these stories into something much morethe newsroom. Does AI even think it gets questioned in the same way a Here’s what it had to say. role does AI have in journalism and predict trending topics. The AI was wrong, however, saying it could be don’t have a personal background orgram created by OpenAI. However, I have been trained on a diverse data-

tion.

listed answers like accuracy, impar-

plauded. What are some of the problems problems with using AI to write articles. The most immediate problem is that AI simply can’t be present in places the same way a journalist can.

During the summer, I heard leadproblems with AI-generated stories.ated work, it can also sometimes incorporate that work into its writing without saying so. This one’s a major concern as it can lead to lawsuits over plagiarism. AI writing just isn’t very interestno creativity and creates bland artimedia outlets were publishing trash

Even though AI can add more

Our capitalist society isn’t going journalists can learn to use it proplives easier without threatening theirthe common saying, “Keep yourBecause journalists must covneed to know how to do many tasks, without being able to be trained on everything. trainer, doing the tasks a journalist might not know how to do. I’ve used -

It’s a great time-saver, leaving more resources to be used on actual reporting.

the newsroom than being an assistant, and that’s why, so long as I’m here, you’ll never see a genuine news article written by AI at The Miamiing and reporting and to do so would undermine their commitment to

@lukejmacy macylj@miamioh.edu

MAKENZIE RYDER THE MIAMI STUDENT

AI is infiltrating the country’s newsrooms. Don’t let it behind

DEVIN ANKENEY OPINION EDITOR

Nobody — except maybe babies — is immune to the cycle of politics in this country anymore. Whether you’re an activist or prefer to stay out of politics entirely, it’s impossible to avoid it.

Since the 2016 election, this has become even more true. Politics is embedded in everything these days. It’s tiring. As a member of the high school class of 2020 and the college class of 2024, I’ve had a weird upbringing that’s been framed by the presidency of the time.

Donald Trump was the president for my entire high school career. I remember coming into school the day after the election, not even halfway and witnessing students crying in class and in the halls. I remember teachers having no idea what to say.

Nearly every day of my — and many others’ — high school career had at least one mention of the president and what batshit thing he tweeted or did that day. Social studies classes became about putting history in context with the current events more than it ever had in previous years for me.

While presidential elections inhaving high school and college each be fully framed by a presidential term has changed the way many people memories — mind you, I wasn’t on campus until late September 2020 —

SEAN SCOTT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Each month, The Miami Student publishes more than 100 stories online, and we print a newspaper every other week. Whether you pick up a physical copy or visit our website, you’ll be greeted with a broad range of coverage.

But sometimes, you still won’t see the story you want.

In our generation’s 24-hour news cycle, it’s easy to expect coverage the moment an event happens. When long-lasting stories like the presidential election or higher education legislation in Ohio break, we’ve been trained to read follow-up after follow-up, constantly exposing ourselves to new angles and in-depth analyses.

It’s easy to forget as consumers that someone on the other end has to produce that.

Like its name suggests, The Student is a team of student journalists, ranging from journalism majors all the way to environmental scientists. And like every other student, we have full course loads, social lives (sometimes), family obligations and hobbies beyond the newsroom.

No matter how ambitious we are, stories will slip through the cracks. Here’s how we decide what to cover — and what you as feedback.

Taking a story from inception to completion

Regardless of the section, every story begins with an idea. Each section has its own process, but here’s how it works in Campus & Community, our largest section which focuses on news and culture.

First, writers and editors attend a weekly meeting, and everyone comes prepared with two to three story ideas. These can come from anywhere: event calendars, questions our writers have about how things work at Miami University, Oxford City Council agendas, conversations with friends, story tips, Oxford Talk on Facebook and

was watching the drawn-out count of the 2020 election.

That election set the tone for so much of my life here at Miami University. My journalism classes and inthey would have been four years ago. Even if I were in the class of 2023, my journalism experience would have

Classes that, for a time, focused on the state of journalism under Trump’s presidency have shifted back into a more standard practice. The under a Joe Biden presidency, many people in the industry can rest — if only a little — easier.

The constant “enemy of the state” leaving the industry battered but attempting to mend.

My friendships have changed, too. High school conversations would be full to the brim, constantly, with talk of Trump and the politics of the time.

It was inescapable. So much was happening so quickly and in real-time, all of it during some of my most formative years, too.

Now, political conversations certainly come up, but there’s far less of an air of terror in our voices. My friends and I will have a brief chat about the next election but move on soon after.

Politics simply isn’t a 10th as consuming as it used to be.

Now, I think that’s genuinely a good thing. I’m glad that Biden is the president despite his shortcomings because I can make it a number of

days without a groundbreaking news alert. But, I have to keep reminding myself that these two important periods of my life, high school and college, have been completely shaped by these experiences.

The current and the former presidencies have formed our national discourse. I wouldn’t recognize my high school experience without it being nearly taken over by the Trump era.

I’m not sure I would recognize my college career up until now if the 2020 election were smack dab in the middle of my tenure here.

I’m worried about my and my colleagues’ next four years after Miami.

Trump framed our high school experiences, and Biden framed our college experiences. High school and college are both breeding grounds for political discourse — sometimes it can worldview.

However, our next four years are murky. Are we looking at a new era of Trump? Of Biden? Of some outsider?

I don’t know. There’s now way to know yet. But, I do know that our next four years, our formative career-building years, are going to be framed by the next presidency and the discourse and cultural shift that comes along with it.

My best advice to my colleagues in the class of 2024 is simply be aware of how our lives fall into the context than you would think.

I can’t say I’m excited to see what happens in the 2024 election and how that will change my life professionally and socially. But, I’ll at least be paying attention and making sure I acknowledge the great weight this my life on a day-to-day basis.

ankenedw@miamioh.edu

more. Once everyone has shared their ideas and talked about it, the editors are left with a list — sometimes 30 or more stories long. No matter how good each individual idea is, it would be impossible for us to cover them all. With that in mind, our editors then prioritize, picking the most important and timely stories we need to cover based on a news judgment they’ve cultivated from years of experience at The Student, in classes and at internships.

After that, they pitch back out a pared-down list of ideas to the writers. Often, writers will pick up stories that they themselves pitched, but we have restrictions. Writers can’t interview their own current professors or friends, or cover stories with any relation to them.

A day or two after the meeting, our writers get budget lines. These act as a starting point and explain a bare-bones version of what the story is and who they should reach out to. Unless it’s event coverage, the published article never meshes exactly with our budget lines, because our understanding of stories changes as we speak to sources and gather information.

Most stories take about two weeks to fully report. Some have a quicker turnaround — think breaking news or events — but if it’s an in-depth report or a feature, it’s going to take time. We aim for a minimum of three sources in most reported stories, and our intent is to take a wide range of perspectives into account for both individual stories and as a publication.

Sometimes, an issue is important enough that we need a team of writers and a period of months to do it justice. What can feel like silence from us is often a sign that story. The less people want to talk to us about something, the more important it is for us to cover, and the longer it’s going to take.

Here’s where you come in So, where does that leave you, our readers?

Well to start, we don’t know what we don’t know. If there’s something you want to see cov-formation for each section editor on our about us page online, or you can submit a tip through our story tips page.

Keep in mind that we don’t have the bandwidth to write every story we want to write. It’s never an easy decision to say no to covering something important, but do. If multiple people suggest the feedback on our existing coverage, that’s a strong indication to us that we should start pursuing or continue to pursue similar topics in the future.

And if you are unhappy with our coverage, let us know. You can reach me directly at eic@miamistudent.net or scottsr2@miamioh. edu, or you can reach out to a section editor. If you’re a student, alumnus, Miami employee or nearby resident, you’re also more than welcome to submit an op-ed to our opinion editor, Devin Ankeney. As a rule, we will edit for AP style and concision — not content — but we might not run columns that don’t have a clear tie to Miami or Oxford. If you submit something that doesn’t run, we’ll always explain why. For students who are unhappy with our coverage on certain issues, I’d invite you to come write for us. We’re always in need of more reporters with any level of experience, or even voices in the room advocating for coverage of

Finally, a personal request: Please be patient with us. We’re all students trying to learn and grow as communicators, as journalists and as people. It’s impossible for a news organization to make everyone happy, and that’s not our job. However, a conversation is a great place to start.

scottsr2@miamioh.edu

ABBEY ELIZONDO SENIOR STAFF WRITER

I know you’re tired of hearing about sickness, COVID-19 and everything else people are hacking up after coming back to campus. I know I am. But, I think I have some remedies for staying healthy during You’ll know some of them, but we all need a reminder every once and a while. Stay hydrated I’ll avoid repeating the cheesy and cliché sayings about drinking enough water while also stressing the importance of drinking water.es out of your system and allow your organs to function properly during a cold or any illness.

I take it to a bit of an extreme when I drink eight cups of tea the our routines when dealing with colds. Eat balanced meals I struggle with this often when I’m sick, curled up in bed, not wanting to make anything, and I normally end up eating processed crackers and chips. You need to give your swimming through your system.

Homemade soup with fresh veggies like celery, carrots, herbs and spices not only helps you battle cold chills but gives you tons of vitamins and water (celery is mostly water)ness out. Canned soup works just as well, or whatever concoction you can make at the dining halls. Just make sure you’re eating something to nourish your body.

Stay rested and stay home

You’ve heard this before; stay home for yourself and everyone else when you’re sick. It keeps everyone healthier and gives you time to recover. Missing one day of class is worth it over spending another week feeling exhausted. OK now that I’ve shared the tried and true methods, here’s what I’ve done in the past that has worked for me. Now for the weird ones I’ve used in the past that may or may not help

people. I think they’re great for which don’t exist for viruses like the common cold unfortunately. Hydrogen peroxide salt gargle

My grandma always told me to do this when I felt a sore throat coming on. Mix a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide with one cup of water. Use it similar to a mouthwash, tilting your head back a bit to let the salt help with the indrink it by accident — very gross.

You can do this one to two times a day until your sore throat is gone. I’ve noticed this helps more with cold sore throats than strep throat symptoms.

Don’t tune out when you see the words “essential oils.” I use them for daily preventative health rather than thinking they are essential nutrients for the body.

oils, grab one with a blend of cloves, cinnamon, eucalyptus or pure peppermint. The bark blend will helption while the peppermint will reduce congestion symptoms. Fill the two to three drops, no more. Trust me, it will do the job.

Peppermint has also helped my headaches in the past. Now I’m done with that spiel.

Eat … garlic?

Some people on social media swear by the garlic soup or garlic pasta they make to reduce cold symptoms. I have yet to try this method out, but from a person who loves to use garlic in most of her dishes, more garlic is always better. I hope everyone has a healthy and well-rested next few weeks. We all need it for sure!

Framed by the presidency: What it’s like having your life surrounded by politics

Everyone gets sick in college; use these tried and true remedies to help

Putting together the paper: How The Student gets made

JAKE RUFFER PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Every other Friday, Miami students walking to class pass fresh stacks of the latest happenings. On newsstands across campus, the Student’s print edition sits at the end of a long journey, which began the previous Wednesday night.

Student Center. They grab a slice of pizza, sit setting up the rollout of content for the next few days on www.miamistudent.net.

The week’s stories are prepared after a few days of editing, and the layout team starts copying words onto pages, using Adobe InDesign

to place photographs and adjust the product’s appearance.

Today’s 24-hour news cycle sees plenty of snags and hang-ups, and lots of time is spent onto campus to capture missing photographs, information and designers generate extra visuals.

When full spreads have been arranged, editors give them one last look before they’re rolls into Oxford on Friday morning, and at noon distributors move the stacks of papers to stands, like the conspicuous red one near Emporium, where the papers wait to be picked up and read.