The Miami Student | December 1, 2023

ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES

Volume 152 No. 8

Miami university — Oxford, Ohio

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

Five defining moments on Miami’s path to the MAC Championship

Differences both good and bad: The international student experience at Miami SHR-HUA MOORE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

MIAMI UNIVERSITY FOOTBALL HAS THE CHANCE TO WIN ITS 17TH MAC CHAMPIONSHIP -- AND ITS FIRST SINCE 2019 -- ON SATURDAY IN DETROIT. PHOTO BY JESSICA MONAHAN

JACK SCHMELZINGER SPORTS EDITOR This Miami University football season has been nothing short of remarkable.

The RedHawks finished the regular season campaign with 10 wins for just the fifth time in Miami football history, which dates back to 1888.

The RedHawk defense gave up just 86 points in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play, the conference’s best scoring defense since 2000.

In this issue

Junior kicker Graham Nicholson had the best kicking regular season in recorded college football history at any level, making 23-of-23 attempted field goals. That’s the most kicks any player has made since at least 1976 while making 100% of his regular season kicks.

The season was full of twists and turns, and the RedHawks have the chance to give it a happy ending this weekend in the MAC Championship game. Miami plays No. 23 University of Toledo on Saturday, Dec. 2, at

noon in Detroit. After that, no matter what, the RedHawks will play in a bowl game, but a MAC Championship would be their season’s crowning achievement.

Here are the five most important moments from Miami football’s 2023 season: Sept. 1: Miami gets smoked in season opener, 38-3 at Miami (Fla.) Going into this game, Miami fans were quite optimistic.

The RedHawks were returning nine starters from a defense that was the best in the MAC a season before.

Star junior quarterback Brett Gabbert was back after an injury-riddled 2022 campaign. The RedHawks had a chance to shock the world against the school that causes ours to be infuriatingly known as “Miami (OH)” or “the one in Ohio.”

After the game, there wasn’t much reason for optimism for the Red and White.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Gobbler opens to long waits and high-priced food KAITLIN MCDOWELL FOOD EDITOR

CAMPUS & COMMUNITY

The world according to Lee, a life-long student - page 4

ENTERTAINMENT

The most popular games played at the Miami University Esports Lounge - page 7

Oxford’s first fried chicken restaurant, Gobbler, opened Monday, Nov. 27, on 327 W. Spring St. Opened by David Kuo, who also owns Brick House Cafe, Gobbler offers a large menu of sandwiches, chicken tender platters, soups and other appetizers. Despite the wide array of offerings, there were no vegetarian entrees, and the only protein on the menu besides chicken was cod.

Gobbler allows its customers to order their food at the counter and then wait for their order to be called.

It offers a large dining area that makes for a cozy atmosphere, especially with the small fireplace in the wall.

The interior of Gobbler is filled with chicken-related posters and puns including phrases like “welcome to our coop” or “cool chicks live here.”

For a college town restaurant, the prices are a little high. “The Healthy Hen,” a grilled chicken sandwich, costs $10, the exact same price as a grilled chicken sandwich from

THESE TWO SKELETONS ENJOYED THE FALL WEATHER FROM AN OXFORD RESIDENT'S PORCH. PHOTO BY EVAN STEFANIK

Chick-fil-A. The only difference is that Chick-fil-A is a well known, high quality chain.

No restaurant is perfect in its first few weeks of operation, but the service was quite slow for a counter-service style restaurant. My food took over 40 minutes to come out.

The restaurant was quite full with customers awaiting their food, and the amount of staff members did not

match the demand for food.

The first item I tried was The Healthy Hen, a grilled chicken sandwich with lettuce, pickles, a fried pickle and Gobbler sauce served on a pretzel bun. For those of you wondering what Gobbler sauce is, I would describe it as very similar to the popular Korean dressing, Yum Yum sauce.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

Uptown prepares for Christmas and the impending departure of thousands of students TAYLOR STUMBAUGH CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

SPORTS

‘I’m getting better every day’: Brett Gabbert talks recovery after seasonending injury

November is coming to an end, which means Christmas trees are out and lights are up. While some of Ox-

ford’s Uptown businesses are taking part in the holiday festivities, others are getting ready for a very slow few weeks.

Tommy Amarantos, owner of Skipper’s Pub, is one of the many

- page 8

GREENHAWKS

How to shop more sustainably this holiday season - page 10 DUBOIS BOOK STORE PUT UP FESTIVE DECORATIONS FOR THE UPCOMING CHRISTMAS SEASON. PHOTO BY TAYLOR STUMBAUGH.

business owners not doing much for the holiday season. He said Skipper’s will close for five and a half weeks when all of the Miami University students are gone for Christmas break.

“We don't really do any Christmas things,” Amarantos said. “I mean, we put Christmas lights outside every year, but that's about it.”

Despite the few decorations, the pub isn’t without its December specials. Amarantos said there will definitely be fun holiday-themed shots and drinks waiting for exam-ridden students.

Despite having stockings hung up in previous years, Steve Cupp said his shop, Vertigo, doesn’t have any decorations this year. Like most other businesses Uptown, the tattoo and body piercing parlor is open yearround, similar to the DuBois Book Store.

Meanwhile, in Uptown Park, Perry Gordon and Dan Umbstead hunker down in their shed waiting for CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

Making the leap from living at home to a college dormitory is a major life change. In addition to learning how to make new friends and balance classes, many students are living away from home for the first time. Many have to adjust to a new town or city, and some have to go to a different state altogether.

For other students, going to college may also be their first time living in the U.S. Despite a national decline in international student enrollment, they have been an essential part of Miami University’s student population.

Students come from all around the world to attend Miami, which can bring benefits as well as challenges.

Some students have had the opportunity to reflect on the U.S. and experience its culture — both the good parts and not-so-good parts.

Jacky Linden Jacky Linden is a senior history and diplomacy & global politics double-major who grew up in Luxembourg. She said that the U.S. in general is held in high regard by Europeans.

“Of course, many Europeans grow up fascinated by American culture,” Linden said. “All of the movies we watch come from Hollywood. We remember that you guys liberated us in World War II … so we kind of put you guys on a pedestal.”

After rigorous research that narrowed down her options to three colleges in America, Linden picked Miami because of its connections with Luxembourg and a scholarship she received from the university.

She initially had some difficulties fitting in, but eventually found a community on campus that she resonated with.

“I did struggle in the beginning a little bit because the typical Miami student that is in Greek life and goes out a lot and has a lot of money … that’s not me,” Linden said. “I didn’t feel like I could really make great friends with those people … But [through being an Arabic minor] I’ve found such a welcoming, beautiful community now, and I’m very happy about it.”

Although she feels her Luxembourgish identity supersedes her American one, Linden said that the diversity in the U.S. is much more respected than it is in Europe, where immigrants and people of color are often discriminated against.

“I think diverse and minority populations here are aware of their oppression, and speak up against it constantly, very loudly,” Linden said. “I grew up with very racist things in Luxembourg … We have to get off of our high horse and stop pointing at America all the time for being racist because we have a lot of work to do.”

However, she expressed some concern about the stances of some Americans on these diverse groups. “[The reactionary forces in America] are very scary to me, not only because of who I am, you know, but because of who my friends are,” Linden said. “My friends are gay. My friends are transgender. My friends are Black and my friends are Brown, and it's very scary to see what some of these politicians are saying.”

Juan Moya Juan Moya is a junior mechanical engineering major at Miami.

Before enrolling at the university, he had only ever visited the U.S. as a tourist from his native country of Ecuador. He said the biggest difference between Ecuador and the U.S. is the reliance on cars. “[In America] having a car is a need. In Ecuador, you could probably use public transportation and you’d be fine,” Moya said. “Even for an internship I applied to last summer, they had to reject me because logistically I couldn’t get there without a car.”

Moya, who got an internship this past summer after applying to more than 100, said that finding internships and employment opportunities in the U.S. was an additional challenge.

“As an international student, it’s actually pretty hard to get an internship where you want to get a job,” Moya said. “Right now, I’m on a visa sponsored by Miami. But later on, CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

FYI

2

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

Voted Best College Newspaper in 2023 at the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists Awards.

Things to do

SEAN SCOTT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Luke Macy

Macey Chamberlin

Digital Managing Editor

Design Editor

Alice Momany

Jake Ruffer

Print Managing Editor

Photo Editor

Reagan Rude Senior Campus & Community Editor

Fri

Reece Hollowell Audio Editor

Kasey Turman Taylor Stumbaugh

Ryann Beaschler

Campus & Community Editors

Video Editor

Jack Schmelzinger

Claudia Erne

Sports Editor

Social Media Editor

Devin Ankeney Opinion Editor

Megan McConnell

Reece Hollowell Entertainment Editor

Olivia Patel

12/1

Chloe McKinney

Kaitlin McDowell Food Editor

Asst. Campus & Community Editors

Evan Stefanik Style Editor Teddy Johnson

Asst. Sports Editor

Patrick Sullivan

Asst. Entertainment Editor

Humor Editors

Erin McGovern

Kethan Babu

Asst. Design Editors

Claire Lordan Magazine Editors

Fred Reeder Jr.

Devin Ankeney Business Manager

Sacha Bellman

Adam Smith Asst. Business Manager

Aim Media Midwest

12/2

Tickets are free for Miami students with their IDs, $10 for students otherwise. There will be a TalkBack after the concert to meet the dancers.

Tue

Faculty Adviser

12/5

Business Adviser Printer

Advertising information: ankenedw@miamioh.edu Send us a letter? eic.miamistudent@gmail.com The Miami Student is published biweekly during the school year by the students of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

The content of The Miami Student is the sole responsibility of The Miami Student staff.

Opinions expressed in The Miami Student are not necessarily those of Miami University, its students or staff.

CORRECTIONS POLICY

Armstrong Student Center, Wilks Theater

12/4

Hannah Potts

Sam Norton Greenhawks Editor

The Miami Student is committed to providing the Miami University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication.

GRACE GROVER THE MIAMI STUDENT Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) elected a new Speaker Pro Tempore, passed three pieces of legislation and heard three committee updates during its weekly meeting on Nov. 28.

Senators Olive Abram, Kirsten Osteboe, Nicholas Barry, Gracie Grady and Jeffrey Koch were nominated for the Speaker Pro Tempore position. Each nominee gave a two-minute speech about qualifications and what it would mean for ASG if they were elected. Then, they were given one minute to answer questions.

Ultimately, ASG elected Osteboe.

In her speech, she said she would update the senators’ Canvas page and ensure a clean office space upon election.

Osteboe also spoke about transparency. She plans on having oversight meetings bi-weekly.

“With senators that might end up with an oversight referral [we want to] get ahead The first resolution ASG passed encouraged Miami to include a clause about composting in the next dining contract, following Aramark’s departure. Senator Abram helped author the resolution.

“We just want to make sure that there is some sort of clause in [the contract] that enforces composting, specifically in the back of the house,” Abram said.

Senator Kiser Young expressed support for the resolution. “[The Sustainability Committee is] already trying to make strides in how we reduce food waste on our campus,” Young said. “By locking Miami into that, that’s a really smart idea.”

Senator John Day co-authored the second resolution passed. ASG will encourage Miami to institute a sustainability fee. Students would pay a mandatory $15 per semester.

The legislation was based on other schools with similar fees. Day referenced the $50 mental health fee students pay for campus services.

The last piece of legislation, co-authored by Senator Daniel Martin, aimed at updating the role of the

Secretary for Safety and Wellness.

The resolution changed certain language around mandatory duties.

Instead of being “required” to hold an event during both semesters, the Secretary is “encouraged.” ASG unanimously passed the resolution.

Secretary of On-Campus Affairs Grace Payne reported that 9,222 meal swipes were donated over Thanksgiving break. Students set a new record for the highest amount of donations. The previous record was set before the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What a way for me to go out,” Payne said.

Secretary of Communications and Media Relations Sydney Marcum gave ASG an update. She discussed working with the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) committee on inclusive communication training. Marcum thanked those who helped with the Power of Words campaign. She talked about the ASG newsletter, which shares information about upcoming events. Students can subscribe to the newsletter on the ASG website.

Secretary of DEI August Ogunnowo gave an update on their committee’s progress. March 11 to 16 is DEI week. There are various events being held from 3 to 8 p.m. like honoring the Myaamia tribe March 11, cultural food showcases on March 13 and an art show on March 15. The committee will request funding from ASG for this event, but Ogunnowo said they will reach out to other potential sponsors as well.

Secretary of the Treasury Venus Harvey gave an update on the decrease in organization funding requests. However, ASG gave out $64,000 more than last fall. Harvey said funding for student organizations is returning to pre-pandemic levels.

“That’s what we want to see,” Harvey said.

The next ASG meeting will be at 6 p.m. on Feb. 6 in the Joslin Senate Chamber.

Dance Theatre Winter Concert

7:30 p.m.

Commuter Appreciation Day King Library, 320

11 a.m. 1 p.m.

Celebrate Miami’s commuter students with free food, drinks and prizes. This is an opportunity to destress and meet fellow commuters.

Cookie Decorating Hamilton Quad The Regional Office of Student Activities & Orientation is hosting a sugar cookie decorating event with games!

1:30 p.m. 2:3o p.m.

Wed

Board Game Afternoons

12/6

At the Western Center you can enjoy board games, videos games, disc golf and even just hanging with friends.

Wed

Swing Dance Lessons and Activities

12/6

ASG elects a new Speaker Pro Tempore and passes 3 resolutions

7 p.m. 9 p.m.

Enjoy improv jokes and big laughs with your friends and family.

Sat Mon

Chloe Southard

Sketched Out Improv Show

Pearson Hall

Peabody Hall, 22

Armstrong Student Center Enjoy swing dance with your partner at these surprise lessons. The activities and games are a great way to make new friends.

3 p.m. 5 p.m.

6 p.m. 7 p.m.

How Miami students are destressing for finals ANNA REIER STAFF WRITER After Thanksgiving break, students return to colleges across the country, disappointed by the stressful weeks coming up. At Miami University, the phenomenon remains the same. The conclusion of the semester means finals, projects and countless hours in the library.

Another key aspect of finals week is stress relief. Without their usual outlets like ignoring homework, going out Uptown or enjoying the warm weather, Miami students need to get creative.

To see how students destress, The Miami Student went around campus polling Miami students on how they best destress for finals. These were some of the most common (and entertaining) answers.

Exercise The most common stress reliever among the group of polled students was exercise. For sophomore nursing major Grace Gaul, this is a highlight.

First-years Ashley Carter and Ashlynn Rohem also like to go for runs.

“I like to run, that makes me feel better,” Rohem said.

Additionally, first-year Maddie Brake recommends going to the rec when it’s too cold outside to run. If that doesn’t work, she likes to hang out with friends.

Hanging out with friends Spending time with friends is also a common way students deal with

stress, especially during finals week.

Jamie DeSalvo, a sophomore marketing major, said she likes to “take a break and go grab hot chocolate” with her friends.

Avery Corbett, a sophomore psychology major, emphasized the importance of hanging out with friends to take a break from schoolwork.

“I like hanging out with my friends, laughing, and then I feel like I can get back into it,” Corbett said.

Sleeping Harper Graves, a sophomore finance and accounting major, thinks sleep is the most important element of stress relief.

Alexa Quinn, a sophomore nursing major, also emphasized the importance of naps.

“I think taking naps is the best way to destress and relax,” Quinn said.

Tuning out of schoolwork earlier A key aspect of finals stress reduction is making sure students still take time for themselves. Abby Zimmermann, a sophomore nursing major, likes to do that before bed.

“I make sure to close all my electronics early, by 9:30 p.m., so that I can relax before I go to bed,” Zimmermann said.

Another approach is getting studying done ahead of time. Owen Burgess, a sophomore business economics major, says that he likes to get his work done early, because “if [he] gets [his] work done, then there

is nothing to stress about.”

Golf No matter the weather, sophomore economics major Dominic Sortor likes to relax by playing golf.

“You can still play when it’s cold, you just have to have some heart,” Sortor said.

He also noted that he was out playing 18 holes over Thanksgiving break in Michigan.

Relaxing with therapy pets For sophomore Dani Benson, a sports management and fashion co-major, there’s only one real way to relax during a stressful period such as finals.

“I deal with my stress by hanging out with my therapy dog,” Benson said.

Student Counseling Services will offer dog therapy during finals week on Wednesday, Dec. 6, from 1-4 p.m. in Armstrong Student Center Pavilions A and B. Hallmark Movies Julianna Lopez, a sophomore engineering major, likes to take a more accessible approach to stress management.

“One way I destress is by watching Hallmark Christmas movies and eating snacks,” Lopez said.

Whatever your approach may be, here at The Student we are hoping that you too can find a way to relieve some stress, and are wishing you a successful end of the semester. reieram@miamioh.edu

grovergc@miamioh.edu

STUDENTS ARE HARD AT WORK PREPARING FOR FINALS IN ARMSTRONG STUDENT CENTER. PHOTO BY ANNA REIER

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

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William Snavely re-elected as Oxford’s mayor OLIVIA PATEL ASST. CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR Mayor William Snavely took his seat as mayor once again on Nov. 27 during an organizational meeting at the Butler County Courthouse. Also sworn into Oxford City Council at this meeting were newcomer and former mayor Michael Smith and current city council member Jason Bracken.

On Nov. 7, four city council candidates were on Oxford’s November general election ballot, with only three seats up for grabs. Snavely retained his seat receiving more than 2,100 votes. Smith followed with almost 1,800 votes, and Bracken also kept his spot with more than 1,700 votes. Jon Ralinovsky, the only firsttime candidate, failed to win a seat, receiving less than 1,300 votes.

The organizational meeting opened with Chris Conrad, law director, swearing in the three newest members, who each pledged to uphold and enforce the ordinances of the city and discharge their duties as city council members of Oxford.

Council then moved into a private executive session, delegating which city council members would be part of Oxford’s various boards and commissions. Most importantly, nominations for city council mayor emerged from this executive session.

William Snavely, nominated by vice mayor Chantel Raghu, accepted his nomination for mayor and pledged to serve the City of Oxford as he had in his previous term.

“I am pleased that my colleagues

OPD responds to multiple thefts at Walmart and Uptown businesses

CHRIS CONRAD, LAW DIRECTOR, SWEARS IN WILLIAM SNAVELY FOR HIS SECOND CONSECUTIVE TERM. PHOTO BY OLIVIA PATEL

supported me for mayor,” Snavely said. “We have an aggressive agenda and a lot of key areas, so we will do our best.”

Also serving a second term is vice mayor Raghu, who received her nomination from city council member Alex French. Both nominations were a result of a majority vote done in a private executive session during the organizational meeting.

The swearing in of both Snavely

and Raghu, as well as Bracken and Smith, were greeted with a round of applause from their fellow council members.

“We have a good council that will work together,” Snavely said.

Council will meet again on Tuesday, Dec. 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the Oxford Courthouse. patelou@miamioh.edu

Five defining moments on Miami’s path to the MAC Championship

GRAPHIC BY MACEY CHAMBERLIN

MEGAN MCCONNELL ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR The Oxford Police Department (OPD) responded to several reports of theft and damage between Nov. 13 and Nov. 26. Reported thefts ranged from televisions to packages.

In the City of Oxford parking garage on West Walnut Street, a vehicle charging station was found damaged on Nov. 13 just after 9 a.m.

Later that day at 11 a.m., officers responded to Walmart, where a theft was in place. Upon arrival, officers located the suspect in the store, took them into custody and charged them.

There were several reports of theft on Nov. 14. at 3:30 p.m. A low hitch was stolen off a woman’s vehicle parked on the 700-block of Fuller Way. An hour later, another subject reported a bike was stolen from The Verge apartment complex. At the time of the report, there were no suspects.

According to OPD’s media report, there were no incidents reported on Nov. 15.

At 10 a.m. on Nov. 16, a woman reported to police that her trailer hitch mount and hook had been stolen from the 600-block of S. College Ave. Police responded to an unconscious male on the sidewalk just after midnight on Nov. 17. He was cited for disorderly conduct, prohibitions and underage drinking and transported to McCullough-Hyde Hospital.

Later that night, another male was involved in an altercation that resulted in vehicular damage and attempted to flee police. He was charged with obstructing official business, prohibitions, criminal damage and underage drinking.

Just before 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 18, a combative male was arrested at Brick Street, and OPD charged him with criminal trespass, assault, resisting arrest and underage drinking.

A woman reported at 11:20 a.m. that her door’s window had been broken by a male knocking the night prior. No entry was reported, and at the time of the report, the male was unknown.

At 10 p.m. on Nov. 18, officers responded to a shoplifter at Walmart.

On Nov. 20, an individual went to the police station just before 2 a.m. to report that they had been threatened by an unknown individual on the internet and sent them money out of fear.

Officers also responded to two reports of theft. Just before 6 p.m., an individual at the Annex Apartments reported a package had been stolen. Another individual on the 6000-block of Vereker Dr. reported a theft with a known suspect.

At 7:20 p.m. on Nov. 22, two individuals stole four televisions from a store on the 5700-block of College Corner Pike. The suspects had left the scene by the time police arrived.

An investigation is ongoing.

The next day, an individual reported disruptive and abusive behavior by a member of his “house organization” on the 120-block of S. Campus Ave. At 1 p.m. on Nov. 22, a Juniper employee reported a “lace cami” had been stolen by a teenage girl. Several hours later, two juveniles stole merchandise without paying from another business on the 10-block of W. High St. On Nov. 26, an individual reported their car tire had been damaged in the Level 27 parking lot. mcconnmn@miamioh.edu

THE REDHAWKS’ SEASON WAS MASSIVELY CHANGED WEEK 8, WHEN STAR QUARTERBACK BRETT GABBERT SUFFERED A SEASON ENDING INJURY AGAINST TOLEDO. THE REDHAWKS ARE 4-0 SINCE THAT GAME. PHOTO BY JESSICA MONAHAN

CONTINUED FROM FRONT “After the game at Miami, I’m walking with our police guy,” Miami football head coach Chuck Martin said just last week. “And I barely knew him back then. I’m just wondering what he’s thinking like, ‘What a waste of time walking with this loser.’ Where [the team] has gotten to since has just really been fun to be around.”

Despite that embarrassing Week 1 loss, Martin said it positively affected Miami’s season. The RedHawks went into the game at the University of Miami expecting to embarrass the Hurricanes on their own turf. Since then, they’ve been willing to claw and play ugly, striving to win in any way possible.

Sept. 16: Miami beats Cincinnati for the first time since 2005 In Week 3, Miami won its biggest rivalry game for the first time in 18 seasons.

With the game against the University of Cincinnati tied at 24 and less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the RedHawks forced a huge three-and-out by Cincinnati. Miami was going to get the ball back with about four minutes left.

Then the Bearcats faked a punt on fourth-and-nine from their own 26-yard line and converted it for 27 yards.

Cincinnati then marched the ball down the field, chewing time and gouging chunks out of the RedHawk defense. Nine seconds remained on the clock at the last fourth down, and all Cincinnati needed to do to win was nail a simple 35-yard goal.

But the RedHawks blocked it.

Yahsyn McKee flew around the right side of the Cincinnati line and smacked the Victory Bell from the jaws of the Bearcats.

That sent the game to overtime.

Gabbert led the RedHawk offense to a touchdown in two plays. The Bearcats’ turn lasted 11 plays. On the 11th play, the day’s hero came through again. Cincinnati’s pass was intercepted in the end zone by McKee, and the RedHawk sideline went wild.

“There will be people who don’t know what our end-of-year record is,” Miami head coach Chuck Martin said after that game. “But they’ll know we beat Cincy.”

Oct. 21: Brett Gabbert injured as Miami falls to Toledo 21-17 Week 8’s MAC Championship prequel was heartbreaking for RedHawk fans in multiple ways.

Miami went into halftime losing 21-3 to the University of Toledo, the MAC Championship favorite. Coming out of halftime, the offense got rolling. Miami scored an early touchdown and was about to score another to cut the Toledo lead under one possession when a Toledo lineman fell on Gabbert’s leg as he tried to push into the end zone from the Toledo 2-yard line.

Gabbert suffered a broken tibia and fibula on the play, and an ambulance took him to Mercy Fairfield hospital. He underwent surgery for the season-ending injury that night.

After Gabbert’s injury, redshirt sophomore quarterback Aveon Smith entered the game. The RedHawk defense forced four straight punts on the Toledo possessions after Gabbert’s injury, but Smith and the RedHawk offense wouldn’t score another point either.

“The only thing we talked about is what Brett Gabbert would expect from us,” Martin said after the game.

“If that son of a gun knew we were over here pouting, he’d be very disappointed in us. He’s laying on the field talking about winning the game. He’s holding my hand talking about, ‘You got to win this game coach. We’re go-

ing to win this game.’”

Oct. 28: Smith and the RedHawks upset Ohio Whoever won Week 9’s Battle of the Bricks between Miami and Ohio University, who were both 3-1 in MAC play at the time, was going to be in the drivers’ seat to the MAC Championship. Whoever lost would have to win out and hope the other lost two of its remaining three games.

Smith and the RedHawk offense put up 30 points in the crucial win.

After allowing 128 yards and 10 points on the first two Ohio chances of the game, Miami’s defense forced eight straight fruitless drives for the Bobcats.

It was a statement win for the RedHawks, one that helped them get back on track after the loss of their most important player. If Miami hadn’t stepped up amid that adversity, it’s likely the 2023 season would have been just another “if only.”

Nov. 15: RedHawks beat Buffalo to clinch a spot in the MAC Championship The RedHawks never trailed in their 23-10 win over the University at Buffalo.

“These kids have been working their whole lives for this,” Martin said after the game. “… In your life, these moments are hard to get. It’s what we do this for.”

With the win, Miami punched its ticket to the MAC Championship game for the first time since 2019. It saved the RedHawks from having to sweat out last week’s game against Ball State, which Miami won due to a last-minute blocked kick from Yahsyn McKee. The RedHawks will play the No. 23 Toledo Rockets for the 2023 MAC title this Saturday, Dec. 2, at noon, at Ford Field in Detroit. @jackschmelznger schmelj2@miamioh.edu

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Campus and Community The world according to Lee, a life-long student

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

LEE FISHER SITS WITH A FELLOW STUDENT IN UPHAM HALL BEFORE CLASS. PHOTO BY ALICE MOMANY

ALICE MOMANY PRINT MANAGING EDITOR On Nov. 19, Lee Fisher woke up and enjoyed a cup of coffee on his back porch at the Knolls of Oxford retirement community. As he enjoyed the peacefulness of his Sunday morning before church, he noticed a sweat bee buzzing around his mug, attracted to the sweetener.

It suddenly piqued his interest.

The average temperature that day was around 43 degrees – surely too cold for a sweat bee, Lee thought.

Fascinated by the resilient little bug, he went inside to his computer and typed in, “the life of a sweat bee.”

“That’s just the way my head works,” Lee said with a laugh.

Lee has always been naturally curious. As his wife Rosemary says, “It’s the world according to Lee.” Much of Lee’s world is contained within the walls of Miami University’s Upham Hall, where he can be seen every Tuesday and Thursday with his black and green backpack, ready to learn. At 77 years old, he has taken university classes on religion, anthropology, gerontology and history, all for fun.

“Age should not define whether or not you enjoy learning,” he said.

And for Lee, it doesn’t. When he was an undergraduate student at Miami in the ’60s, he sat in the same classrooms — many of which he said have remained unchanged — with the same natural curiosity. During his time at Miami, he was involved in the Men’s Glee Club, which ultimately led him to meet Rosemary, who was

a Choralier.

“One day she turned to me and told me she could sing her own part, that I didn’t have to sing it, and that’s how it started,” Lee said, while smiling at Rosemary sitting next to him.

In 1968, Lee graduated from Miami with degrees in political science and accounting. That same year, he was drafted by the U.S. Army to serve in the Vietnam War. “I was sitting in the same buildings that I sit in today, and I had two choices: to be drafted and fight or flee the country as a felon,” he said.

Lee proposed to Rosemary before he left, but they decided not to get married because he didn’t want to potentially leave her as a widow.

Despite the distance, the two wrote letters to each other almost every week about Lee’s adventures traveling from Amsterdam to Berlin and Rosemary’s final year at Miami.

“I love you [and] feel very, very empty without you,” Lee wrote in a letter dated April 21, 1969.

“Take care, love [and] be good!

Remember I love you much,” Rosemary would respond.

Over the course of two years, the two collected more than 300 letters, which have been donated and are available at the Walter Havighurst Special Collections and University Archives.

Ten days after Lee returned home, they got married and moved to Pennsylvania, where he worked in the rail industry while Rosemary taught third grade at their local elementary school. Despite his background in political science and accountancy, Lee

always had a fascination in archeology and applied twice to graduate school to pursue his interest; however, illnesses got in the way both times preventing him.

In the late 2000s, the couple began looking for a continuing care retirement community, and their southwestern Ohio-roots brought them back to Oxford. In 2013, the couple moved into the Knolls of Oxford, and Lee began taking classes at the university for enjoyment. Two years later, at 70 years old, he was accepted to the University of Cincinnati’s graduate school but experienced enrollment challenges, so he decided to continue taking courses at Miami.

Last year, he took Adulthood and Aging (FSW 466) with professor Amy Roberts, which delves into interpersonal relationships. Roberts enjoyed Lee’s perspective as an older student and his contributions to class discussions so much that she invited him and Rosemary to come back to her class to speak about their marriage of 53 years.

“As a student in the class, part of what Lee was able to do very effectively was to approach topics with curiosity, and engage with other students to find out how others think and feel about aging,” Roberts said.

“He was willing to open up about situations that are hard, as well as very rewarding.”

Lee’s application of personal experience to class content is also something that professor Elena Albarrán has enjoyed in her class, Revolution in Latin America (LAS 319). Albarrán has also invited Lee to talk to her oth-

LEE AND HIS WIFE EXCHANGED MANY LETTERS DURING HIS TIME IN THE VIETNAM WAR. PHOTO BY ALICE MOMANY

er classes and appreciates having him as a student because of his eagerness to learn.

“Being of a different generation and being in the classroom for a different reason, he’s learning out of the pure pleasure of learning and not because he needs a job or a specific set of skills,” Albarrán said. “That can really model to students the beauty of just learning and inquiry for the sake of self-improvement.”

In the past 10 years, he has taken 17 courses at the university. Lee said the biggest difference between his experience in the classroom now compared to 50 years ago is the lack of participation by students.

“This shyness and timidness about having a conversation with people that you don’t know is in stark contrast to what I would have been encouraged to do when I was their age,” Lee said. “You can’t learn by being silent.”

But despite his frustration, he has been able to make friends in the classes he has taken. It’s not uncommon for students to be invited to dinner at the Fisher household, and former students always make it a point to see them on their visits to Oxford.

The couple’s involvement with Miami extends beyond the classroom. In 2015, they started the Lee and Rosemary Fisher Glee Club Scholarship for members of the Glee Club, and four years later, they endowed the Fisher-Holoviak Music Professorship for the Glee Club director.

“They’re great advocates, in particular for the Glee Club, but for the

university as a whole,” said Jeremy Jones, the director of the Glee Club.

“Their love and dedication to giving back to the student experience is amazing.”

In 2018, Lee helped establish the Alumni Veterans Tribute Memorial, and three years later, the couple was approached by the university to establish an innovation and workforce development hub that would one day become the Lee and Rosemary Fisher Innovation College@Elm Center.

The center, located on 20 S. Elm St., provides a space for small businesses to start up in Oxford with the goal to stimulate economic and workforce development in Oxford.

“Once [businesses] are started in town, we want them to stay in town,” Rosemary said.

Since returning to Oxford, the Fishers have made it a priority to give back to the university that brought them together and has been an important part of their lives. They enjoy being involved in all aspects of student life whether it’s in the classroom, Glee Club or the Fisher Innovation College@Elm because “the world according to Lee” is guided by one principle: “Become the adult that that person needed in their life when you were their age,” Lee said.

And Lee is already preparing to be that person for a whole new class as he plans his schedule for next semester. momanyaj@miamioh.edu

Differences both good and bad: The international student experience at Miami CONTINUED FROM FRONT if these companies want to hire me, they will have to do all the paperwork and go through the process, so I have a [work visa] unless I marry someone or something.”

Moya said that he’s glad to get an engineering education in the U.S. because it’s more hands-on than programs in Ecuador. However, he said there were some issues unique to international students at Miami.

He wasn’t able to transfer his high school credits until this summer because of the difference between Ecuador’s education system and the education system in the U.S., and he can’t apply to scholarships

with citizenship requirements.

Despite these challenges, Moya said he was glad to end up in an area like Oxford. In addition to finding friends and his girlfriend at Miami, he appreciates Midwestern weather.

“In my city, it’s in the 60s all year, so we basically don’t have seasons,” Moya said. “Oxford’s weather is actually pretty nice.”

Eiko Ishiyama Eiko Ishiyama, a senior media and communication major, came to Miami as part of a dual degree program from Kansai Gaidai University in Osaka, Japan. She said the biggest difference she

ISHIYAMA HAS NOTICED THAT PEOPLE IN THE U.S. ARE MORE FRIENDLY. PHOTO PROVIDED BY EIKO ISHIYAMA

noticed between Japan and the U.S. is how often people smile.

“In America, I think most people are really friendly compared to Japan,” Ishiyama said. “When you make eye contact with Americans on the street, they just smile at you. In Japan, we don’t smile at all, even if we make eye contact.”

Similarly to Moya, America’s lack of public transportation was very apparent to Ishiyama.

“The transportation system in Japan is really, really good. We can go anywhere by a train or a bus,” Ishiyama said. “But in America, if you don’t have a car, you can’t

go anywhere. Some people even make friends just because they want to use [their friend’s] car!”

Ishiyama said besides going to an international student Thanksgiving event last year, she doesn’t really participate in any American holidays. In fact, she said that her national identity is even more pronounced on Miami’s campus.

“I feel like my identity as a Japanese [person] is getting stronger because there are a lot of white people here … When it comes to Japanese people, I only know four, including me,” Ishiyama said.

“I’m also in the Japanese Culture

MOYA ENJOYS MIAMI’S HANDS-ON LEARNING. PHOTO BY SHR-HUA MOORE

and Language Club, and since I introduce Japanese culture to a lot of Americans there, it makes me feel more like I’m Japanese.”

For Ishiyama, studying abroad in America comes with distinct benefits and disadvantages, especially as she prepares for the workforce after graduation.

“Honestly, I really like people here and then I really like the nature [in the United States] so I want to stay here,” Ishiyama said. “The problem is it’s just really difficult for international students to get a job here.” moorese6@miamioh.edu

LINDEN HEARD ABOUT MIAMI THROUGH ITS LUXEMBOURG CAMPUS. PHOTO PROVIDED BY JACKY LINDEN

MUDEC sees sizable increase in student participation MEGAN MCCONNELL ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

GINA ROTH

THE MIAMI STUDENT For the spring 2024 semester, the Miami in Luxembourg program at the Miami University Dolibois European Center (MUDEC) is sending 17o students to Europe, the largest recorded group of students in the program’s 55 years.

Kimberly Miller, assistant director for Miami in Luxembourg, has worked at Miami for two years and said the increased interest is likely due to a post-COVID spike and the program spreading by word of mouth. A new student apartment has also created more spots for students.

“Basically overnight, we were able to admit 5o more students than we typically have in the past,” Miller said.

“That is obviously a great thing.”

However, this increase in interest isn’t limited to the spring and fall semesters. Miller said MUDEC has also seen an increase in students in their summer and winter programs.

MUDEC has made several changes in order to accommodate more students. Miller said she changed the model to prepare students to go abroad, shifting it from a series of orientations to a one-day retreat. The program has also added additional course offerings.

“We’ve had to work and think harder and smarter than we have in the past to make sure we are accommodating and still want the student experience to be really positive,” Mill-

er said. “We don’t want students to feel like they’re not getting support in the same way as they were before, so we’re always kind of redeveloping and coming up with new plans.”

Despite these changes, students have still enjoyed their experiences.

Maddie Durham, a junior history and global and intercultural studies double major, studied in Luxembourg last spring. She said she always wanted to study abroad and came to Miami specifically for the Luxembourg program.

“I grew a lot,” Durham said. “I learned a lot. It was fun to be with all Miami students.”

Durham said she would recommend the program because it allowed her to gain a greater sense of independence while in school.

“If you’ve never been abroad be-

fore and you really want to kind of get out of your comfort zone, but not too much because it’s Miami campus,” Durham said. “It’s the perfect place to do it.”

Despite the interest in Miami’s study abroad program, some students have elected to go with a third-party study abroad program instead.

Shane Cris, a junior professional writing and media and communication double major, will be studying abroad for the spring 2024 semester but not through MUDEC. He said he chose to study abroad with University Studies Abroad Consortium, a nonprofit organization, because he wanted “to have a more different, unique experience” with another university.

Instead of Luxembourg, Cris will be studying in Brighton, England, and said he is excited about the chance to

immerse himself in another culture.

“I’m probably never going to get an opportunity like this again,” Cris said.

Miller said enrollment for the fall 2024 semester just closed and is, again, setting record numbers. She said, as a MUDEC alumna herself, she is excited about “bringing more people into the legacy.”

“Right now, we have 13,000 people that have gone through MUDEC’s doors,” Miller said. “I would love to see the program continue on for another 55 years.” mcconnmn@miamioh.edu rothra2@miamioh.edu

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

5

Uptown prepares for Christmas and the impending departure of thousands of students CONTINUED FROM FRONT Christmas tree customers. The Oxford Lions Club volunteers said the club has been putting this non-profit on for 64 years, and the money from the trees goes toward different programs they support like youth programs and different eye care needs like glasses and eye doctor appointments.

Gordon said the Lions Club set out the trees the weekend before Thanksgiving with the help of many volunteers.

“There were a couple of fraternities, the high school baseball team was here,” Gordon said. “We probably had 40 kids here pulling trees off the trucks and stacking them and setting them up for us, which is a big help …

It was a community event right away because of all of the volunteers.”

The sale goes on until all the trees are sold. Sometimes it lasts until Christmas Eve. Christmas trees aren’t the only things on sale. You’re Fired and Red Brick Nutrition have seasonal decor and deals for students.

You’re Fired employee Deb Lahrmann said they have Christmas-themed deals like Miami Monday, where students can show their

IDs and have a $3 studio fee instead of $8. This special ends on Dec. 4.

Lahrmann said the business put up its decorations around two weeks ago.

“We started talking about it, and we’re like, well, let’s just do Christmas on the farm,” Lahrmann said.

“But we didn’t want it to be rustic. We wanted it to be more like kitschy fun.”

The pottery shop also made its own garland of red ornaments and oversized popcorn pieces sculpted from spray foam. You’re Fired is known for its ornate windows. Last Halloween, the shop had a stripper skeleton in the window that attracted customers.

Lorna Wodzak, a sophomore business economics and business analytics major, was heading Uptown in the late November cold to her job at Bagel and Deli when she said she hadn’t ventured near the shops very much.

“I haven’t had the chance to go way Uptown,” Wodzak said. “But I’ve definitely noticed the temperature shift, so it’s very, very festive.” stumbata@miamioh.edu

JUNIPER HAS LIGHTS STRUNG IN ITS STORE TO CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAY SEASON. PHOTO BY TAYLOR STUMBAUGH

DAN UMBSTEAD, A VOLUNTEER WITH THE LIONS CLUB, GETS A TREE READY FOR A CUSTOMER TO TAKE HOME. PHOTO BY TAYLOR STUMBAUGH

WILD BERRY’S SHOP WINDOW IS DECKED OUT WITH STOCKINGS AND A FAKE SANTA CLAUS. PHOTO BY TAYLOR STUMBAUGH

How to celebrate Hanukkah at Miami this year SEAN SCOTT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF As people across Miami University’s campus are preparing for finals week and making plans to travel home for winter break, Jewish students are balancing those last projects and exams with preparations of a different kind to celebrate Hanukkah.

Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday that lasts eight days and nights, falls at a different place on the calendar each year between late November and mid-December. Last year, the holiday ran Dec. 18-26, and students were off-campus for the entirety of the festivities. This year, the holiday stretches Dec. 7-15, the last day of finals at Miami.

For Eric Glassman, a junior finance major and president of Miami’s branch of Hillel, the holiday is a celebratory time. Hillel has weekly Shabbat dinners on Fridays, and he said the Dec. 8 Shabbat will be especially lively because of Hanukkah. Beyond that and nightly menorah lighting, though, he said the programming is relatively laid-back because of how the holiday conflicts with the academic calendar this year.

“It’s going to be a lot more quiet as far as our Hanukkah programming goes,” Glassman said. “We’re going to do menorah lightings … but just because of the timing, it’s not going to be too hectic this year.”

Chabad, another Jewish organization on campus, has events planned for each night of the holiday. Rabbi Yossi Greenberg said that because of when Hanukkah falls this year, he hopes students are able to make it home to spend a night or two with their families before the eight days of celebration end.

“We’re happy for students to go home at least for a few days so they can spend at least one or two nights with their families,” Greenberg said.

“It’s nice because it’s eight nights, so they could celebrate some of it here on campus and then hopefully, if they’re done with finals, go home and celebrate with their families, as well.”

The last two times Hanukkah has started while students were on campus, Chabad has celebrated by lighting an ice menorah at The Seal. The

organization will continue this tradition with a grand menorah lighting at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 7. Other events will include a latke eating competition, menorah lighting in designated residence halls and more.

This year, Hanukkah comes after two months of the Israel-Hamas War. As Jewish people navigate the continuing crisis, Greenberg and Glassman both said it’s important to have a holiday to celebrate separate from the war.

“It’s been hard to navigate being Jewish in college during the war and after the attacks,” Glassman said. “I don’t want to call it a distraction, but having something that is a complete mood shift from what’s been going on I think is going to be helpful to me.

I know a lot of other students have been feeling scared or anxious or angry and sad, so having something that’s joyous is going to be, I think, a nice change of pace for everybody.”

For a full list of events, students can visit Chabad’s Instagram, @chabad.miamioh, or Hillel’s website, muhillel.org.

Where to participate in menorah lighting ceremonies Several dorms across campus have been designated for nightly menorah lighting in the lobby, in addition to off-campus locations. Students are not permitted to light candles in their dorm rooms but can gather at any of the locations below to take part in the celebration each night.

CHABAD CELEBRATES HANUKKAH BY LIGHTING AN ICE MENORAH AT THE SEAL. PHOTO PROVIDED BY YOSSI GREENBERG

• The Seal (Academic Quad): 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 7, only • Marcum Hall (North Quad): 6:30 p.m. each night, 5 p.m. on Friday • Scott Hall (Central Quad): 6:30 p.m. each night, 5 p.m. on Friday • Dennison Hall (East Quad): 6:30 p.m. each night, 5 p.m. on Friday • Clawson Hall (Western Campus): 6:30 p.m. each night, 5 p.m. on Friday scottsr2@miamioh.edu

HILLEL HAS WEEKLY SHABBAT DINNERS ON FRIDAYS, AND THE DEC. 8 SHABBAT WILL BE ESPECIALLY LIVELY FOR HANUKKAH. PHOTO BY JESSICA MONAHAN

6

entertainment Christmas movies that aren’t ‘Christmas movies’

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

REECE HOLLOWELL ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Christmastime is here, and for many that means putting on a movie to help get in the holiday spirit.

Everyone has their favorite list of films to watch around the holidays.

While I am not the biggest Christmas movie fan, I always find time to watch “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and a few others.

Since many Christmas movies leave me feeling cold, I often turn to films that are Christmas-adjacent; they may have similar themes, take place around the holidays or simply evoke a wintery vibe, but few people would call them “Christmas movies.”

For those who are like me and want some variety in their Christmas movie diet, here are a few to help spice up those cold winter nights.

‘Die Hard’ (1988) While the inclusion of “Die Hard” may seem redundant, it’s necessary as the king of debates over whether it’s a Christmas movie or not.

We can relitigate that argument another time, but wherever you fall on the spectrum, the film is still an undeniable classic. Easily one of the best action films of the ’80s, “Die Hard” is a tense, funny and thrilling experience every time I watch it. It also touches on an under-explored theme for movies set at Christmas: Sometimes Christmas parties suck.

‘Gremlins’ (1984) “Gremlins” has been a staple of my holiday watchlist since I can remember, working as both a fun Christmas adventure and a genuinely good horror movie for kids.

The first half sets the stage for the mayhem to come as a boy receives a Mogwai (an unusual creature) as an early Christmas present. Eventually, the Mogwai spawns a hoard of maniacal Gremlins that terrorize the boy’s town.

There are so many incredible scenes throughout — the Gremlins going caroling, watching “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” getting wasted at a bar — that culminate in a final showdown at a toy store. “Gremlins” is the perfect holiday film for those looking for something with a little edge to it.

‘Carol’ (2015) Switching genres into soft, sad romance, “Carol” is for those lonely winter nights when you just need a good cry.

Following a worker at a department store (Rooney Mara) who becomes infatuated with an older socialite (Cate Blanchett), the film tells a story of forbidden love and painful desire. Taking place during the holiday months, “Carol” uses its Christmas aesthetic for fantastic ambiance, making for an unconventional but deeply affecting watch.

‘Little Women’ (1994 or 2019) While the events of “Little Wom-

How Sinjin Drowning made me (kind of) care about gaming CHLOE SOUTHARD ASST. ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Let it be known that I am not a gamer.

For a long time, my video game knowledge didn’t extend past Nintendogs, Minecraft, Animal Crossing and Five Nights at Freddy’s (which I am not good at).

I could never get into popular titles like Grand Theft Auto (GTA) or Call of Duty because they seemed far too complicated for me. I happily kept my distance from the gaming community for years and, despite my younger brothers’ pleas, continued to stick to what I know — silly, simple games.

The summer after my first year at Miami University, my brothers finally convinced me to play Fortnite.

I found myself pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed the game despite not being remotely good at it.

Still, I steered clear of gaming content and only ever indulged in games that were familiar to me.

Then I found Sinjin Drowning.

Sinjin Drowning is a YouTube channel hosted by siblings Weston and Kalynn Koury. They primarily create gaming content that ranges from Roblox to MovieStarPlanet to GTA and more. The brother and sister duo occasionally vlog, but it’s clear that video games are their niche.

Once I watched my first Sinjin Drowning video, I was hooked. The Koury siblings achieved the impossible for me: They managed to make gaming content entertaining and amusing to watch. Their contrasting personalities make for a perfect content creator duo as well.

And I know what you may be thinking: Roblox videos and the like aren’t true gaming content. But to that I say you would be wrong.

They’re video games, right? Content is being made from those games, right?

Enough said.

Unlike most gaming creators, Sinjin Drowning doesn’t take any game too seriously, which is part of the reason why I love the channel so much. The duo always appears to have a good time while playing together, and even when they fail, they continue to keep things fun.

One of the main issues I had with gaming content before was how serious creators are about whatever they’re playing. I, for one, don’t want to watch a grown man get genuinely upset and scream at a video game

when things aren’t going his way.

As someone who primarily plays video games to goof around, it’s refreshing to see others who do the same.

Plus, most gaming channels nowadays tend to pander to Gen Alpha, making them obnoxious, annoying and flashy. Sinjin Drowning is nothing like this. The duo’s videos aren’t filled to the brim with red arrows and sound effects every 20 seconds.

The dynamic between the Koury siblings alone makes them entertaining to watch. Weston is the loud, outgoing younger brother, and Kalynn is the chill, witty older sister. As an older sister myself, watching the duo reminds me of my relationship with my two younger brothers.

The Kourys’ sense of humor is rooted in internet and pop culture, which I’m a huge fan of. Whether it’s Kalynn reciting Nicki Minaj lyrics or Weston arguing with Roblox “Total Drama Island” players about glazing, I’m going to laugh every time.

The duo also has their own inside jokes that have spread across the fanbase, including but not limited to Weston’s Fourth of July party, tugging on ponytails, the bach (beach) and the duo’s extensively questionable Roblox usernames.

Watching Sinjin Drowning’s content has inspired me to venture out of my comfort zone and indulge in games that I never would’ve played before. I’m now an avid Roblox player, and I would like to eventually try out games such as GTA and spin offs of Five Nights at Freddy’s.

I still wouldn’t call myself a gamer — I’m far from it. But I do like to be silly and just mess around in games. That’s what makes them so fun for me.

Just ask my brothers. They’re the ones who always carry our trio in Fortnite while I mess around with emotes and ride aimlessly on wildlife.

Sinjin Drowning uploads an astonishing five days each week. No matter what the duo plays, I’m engaged with its content, even if it’s a game I wouldn’t personally be interested in.

Maybe Sinjin Drowning’s content isn’t something you’d consider serious gaming, but that’s OK with me.

It’s helped me gain an appreciation for gaming, and it’s allowed me to indulge in and genuinely enjoy video games. @_chloebowie_ southacr@miamioh.edu

GRAPHIC BY CHLOE SOUTHARD

en” span across the whole year, some of its most notable scenes happen at Christmas, and the general warmth and cozy feeling of the various film adaptations make it perfect for this time of year.

Whether you prefer Greta Gerwig’s 2019 version with Saoirse Ronan or Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 adaptation with Winona Ryder, both offer a wonderful atmosphere for the holidays, perfect for decorating or to throw on at a Christmas party.

‘Eyes Wide Shut’ (1999) Perhaps the most left-field choice on the list, Stanley Kubrick’s final film kicks into gear after a couple (Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman) attend a Christmas party and realize that they are both unhappy in their marriage.

Cruise spends the rest of the movie wandering the streets, getting into increasingly bizarre situations.

“Eyes Wide Shut” is by no means a family film, but it is a thoroughly entertaining fever dream from one of cinema’s finest directors. It also perfectly invokes the feelings of the drama the holidays can bring.

‘Spencer’ (2021) On the heavier side, “Spencer” takes place over a few days surrounding Christmas as Princess Diana (Kristen Stewart) visits her family and deals with feelings of isolation.

As the film progresses, she contends with various family members — including her strained relationship with Prince Charles — and sees visions of

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR REECE HOLLOWELL IS GIVING YOU SOME VARIETY AMONGST THE TRADITIONAL CHRISTMAS MOVIES. PHOTO BY REECE HOLLOWELL

her childhood.

Stewart’s performance as Diana is magnetic and helps paint a clear picture of this often misunderstood historical figure. Plus, the film can work as therapy for those who may be dreading seeing certain family members over the holidays.

‘The Holdovers’ (2023) The most recent addition to this list, “The Holdovers” finds a private school teacher (Paul Giamatti) forced to watch a group of children who ar-

en’t able to go home for the holidays.

Aesthetically, the film emulates the style of films from the ’70s, but it still manages to feel fresh and modern. It’s funny, raw and emotionally complicated in a way where it already feels like a film that will justify revisiting several times down the line, and its found-family storyline makes it a great comfort film for the holidays. hollowrr@miamioh.edu @HollowCentral

Miami is ‘Enchanted’ to have Swifties: How Swiftie culture is celebrated at Miami

TAYLOR SWIFT FANDOM HAS BEEN EVERYWHERE IN 2023, EXTENDING TO MIAMI UNIVERSITY, AS WELL. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH

KATIE WHITEHEAD THE MIAMI STUDENT No matter where you go, you can’t escape Taylor Swift.

With her worldwide stadium tour “The Eras Tour” grossing over $4 billion and her tour film earning over $160 million in the box office, Swift is taking music and the world by storm.

At Miami University, students are sharing their love of all things Swift in a multitude of ways. This year alone, two Swift-themed clubs, a plethora of activities and even a radio show have all come to fruition for fans to enjoy.

Here are just some of the ways Swifties can make the most of their fandom at Miami.

‘Swiftie Studio Sessions’ “Swiftie Studio Sessions” is Miami’s only Taylor Swift-themed radio show.

Hosted by junior Audrey Lorigan and junior Evan Stefanik, “Swiftie Studio Sessions” is a RedHawk Radio show that plays all different eras of Swift’s music and focuses on a different theme related to Swift such as her songs’ meanings, fashion and Swiftie inside jokes.

Lorigan, a psychology major,co-founder and host, said the radio show was formed after she met someone who had a radio show in one of her classes. The first episode officially aired on Feb. 10.

“After finding out that the radio was something I could do, I was talking with Evan about it, and one day had the idea,” Lorigan said.

“Both of us are Swiftie besties, and after I told him about having a Taylor themed show, we both knew we had to do it.”

Being a Swiftie goes beyond listening to music. Lorigan said the show provides a lot of information about the artist for new Swifties to get up to speed on what it means to be her fan.

“When I was a newer Swiftie, I wish I had things like this to help me learn about her,” Lorigan said. “Evan and I both put together easy-to-understand content for each episode.”

Tune into Swiftie Studio Sessions every Friday from 4-5 p.m. on RedhawkRadio.com and follow the duo on Instagram @swiftiestudiosessions.

The Taylor Swift Society Formed earlier this year, The Taylor Swift Society is the first-ever student organization at Miami dedicated to all things Taylor Swift.

The society hosts a range of activities such as friendship bracelet making, powerpoint nights, Taylor Swift karaoke and more.

President and founder, junior strategic communications major Sheridan Sparks, says she formed The Taylor Swift Society after realizing there wasn’t a place at Miami for students who loved Taylor Swift.

“I originally thought that coming into Miami, I was going to get bullied for liking Taylor,” Sparks said. “But after coming here, I realized there were so many other people who also liked her music and I wanted to form a club for people to talk about it.’’

Sparks said the Taylor Swift Society helped her form many friends.

“Although we all come from different backgrounds, we can all come together and bond over something we all love,” Sparks said. “I think us college students in particular love Taylor Swift because her songs are so personal and with everything she’s been through from the early 2000’s to now, it’s inspiring to watch her growth.”

You can join by following the group on Instagram @thetaylorswiftsociety, emailing the president sparksse@miamioh.edu or registering on The Hub. Miami’s Version (A Taylor Swift Appreciation Club) Miami’s Version is another Taylor Swift-themed club at Miami dedicated to the appreciation of Taylor Swift. Miami’s Version, also formed in 2023, creates a space for Swifties and non-Swifties alike to hang out.

The club has hosted activities such as friendship bracelet trading, album collage making, Taylor Swift trivia and a Swift-themed Halloween party.

Miami’s Version treasurer, second-year accounting major Isabella Strbik, said she wanted to be an executive of the club because she thinks Swift deserves to be appreciated for the safe space her music creates.

“Miami’s Version is a safe space for Swifties and non-Swifties alike to learn and talk about her,” Strbik said.

“Taylor’s music creates a safe space for people. No matter who you are, you can appreciate her music.”

Stribik said people should join Miami’s Version because it’s a fun way to learn about Swift and make friends.

You can join by following the group on Instagram @miamis_version, emailing the president crabtrr@miamioh.edu or registering on The Hub. Taylor Swift-themed celebrations and activities Swiftie culture extends beyond dedicated clubs. Students are also showing their love at dedicated events held by other student organizations.

Last semester, RedHawk Radio hosted a free, 21+ Taylor Swift Night at Corner Bar from 8-10 p.m. called “The Oxford Era.” Participants were encouraged to dress up in various “Eras” themed clothing.

On Oct. 11, Miami Activities and Programming (MAP) hosted a Taylor Swift themed dance party in Central Quad complete with Eras themed cookies, craftable friendship bracelets, a DJ and free lemonade.

Delaney Barrett, a junior English education major, said she attended the dance party because she thought it was the perfect event for someone like her.

“My friends were going so I knew it was going to be a good time,” said Barrett. “I love Taylor Swift so much, and I knew that Taylor Swift songs plus hanging out with my friends was going to be the best night ever.”

Barrett thinks MAP should hold this event again because it was a great bonding experience.

“Taylor Swift brings together a whole community of people that bonds together really easy,” Barrett said. “I actually made a new friend there, and we’re having lunch together this week.”

To make sure you’re in the know of all the Swift-related activities offered on campus, keep an eye out for events from MAP on its Instagram @ miami_map. whitehke@miamioh.edu

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

7

Finished part one of ‘The Crown’ season Miami 6? Here’s what to binge before the finale alumni’s film

about grief to debut on digital movie retailers LUKE MACY DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR

GRAPHIC BY SEAN SCOTT

SEAN SCOTT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF If you’re anything like me, you spent your Thanksgiving break binge watching the first part of the final season of Netflix’s “The Crown.”

Now, I have to wait weeks before I can watch the season — and series — finale, but rest assured, I’ll still get my fix of British drama, royal hijinx and (spoiler alert) death.

Here’s what you can watch or read to hold you over until Dec. 14, when “The Crown” returns for its last hurrah.

Movies ‘Spencer’ By far my most literal pick on here, “Spencer” follows Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana over the course of a particularly awful holiday retreat. While “The Crown” does well highlighting the turmoil Diana causes within the royal family as a whole, “Spencer” hones in on her personal psyche and struggles with mental illness.

‘The Iron Lady’ Margaret Thatcher played a defining role in Season 4 of “The Crown,” but she’s front and center in “The Iron Lady.” Meryl Streep turns in

an excellent (as usual) performance here, and it’s an especially good pick for anyone more interested in politics than the dynamics of the royal family.

‘The Favourite’ Starring Olivia Colman, who portrayed Queen Elizabeth in “The Crown” seasons three and four, “The Favourite” follows Queen Anne as her health and mental state decline drastically, and two women compete for her attention. It’s the best Yorgos Lanthimos film by far, and it’ll make you wish “The Crown” was set in the 1700s.

‘The King’s Speech’ If you wanted to see more of Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, in season one of “The Crown,” this movie is for you. Did it deserve the Oscar for Best Picture? No. Is it worth your time and a valuable addition to your collection of media about British royals and politics? For sure.

TV Shows ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ Hear me out: “The Crown” is full of family drama. “The Haunting of Hill House” is also full of family drama. Season six of “The Crown” centers on the death of a young woman and its ramifications. “Hill House”

centers on the death of a young woman and its ramifications. Sure, “Hill House” has more ghosts and jumpscares, but it’s also the best show ever created, so there’s that.

‘House of the Dragon’ Everyone in “House of the Dragon” talks in vaguely British accents, and that’s enough of a connection for me. If it’s not enough for you, this is also about a family being torn apart by politics. The comparisons write themselves.

‘Parks and Recreation’ Like Diana and Elizabeth before her, Leslie Knope is a strong woman in a position of power looking to make a change in the world. Sure, her world is small-town Indiana and not the British empire, but that’s a small detail.

Books ‘Pachinko’ If your favorite part of “The Crown” is watching a family interact across generations, this book is for you. “Pachinko” follows four generations of a Korean family struggling through poverty and occupation in the mid-1900s. There’s no royalty involved, but there’s plenty of drama and scandal.

‘Anna Karenina’ Is there really enough time to read an 800-page book by Leo Tolstoy before the season finale drops? No, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying.

“Anna Karenina” deals with themes of aristocracy and infidelity just like “The Crown” does, though this time it’s through the lens of the Russian empire.

‘The Bell Jar’ In the same vein as “Spencer,” “The Bell Jar” is for people whose favorite part of “The Crown” is its depiction of Diana’s mental health.

“The Bell Jar” follows college student Esther as she navigates an internship in New York City and eventually experiences a mental breakdown.

‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ It’s really easy to get tired of the English. I highly recommend taking a jump to a different continent before the season finale and getting lost in “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” a multigenerational family drama set in Colombia. This has more magical elements than “The Crown,” but the themes of family love and strife tie the two together. scottsr2@miamioh.edu

The most popular games played at the Miami University Esports Lounge STELLA POWERS STAFF WRITER Despite the oftentimes incredibly busy schedules of college students, many still find themselves with extra leisure time that they don’t know how to use.

Located in the Armstrong Student Center, Miami University’s Esports Lounge provides students with a place to play their favorite video games on a gaming PC. The space is great for students who enjoy gaming but left their consoles at home.

The lounge has many games available, giving students several options to choose from. From Fortnite to Rocket League, here are some of the most popular games played in the Esports Lounge.

Fortnite Following the release of Fortnite Chapter 4: Season OG, many people who played the game growing up have been revisiting it, some even playing with the same friends they played with when the game was first released.

Fortnite is a popular battle royale style game, with numerous additional game modes that players can enjoy and change things up with.

Cooper Tirola, a first-year undecided major, played Fortnite back in 2017 and enjoys playing the game now because of the nostalgia.

“It came out when I was in seventh grade, and it was this huge thing, and I haven’t really played for

FORTNITE IS ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR GAMES AMONG VISITORS TO THE ESPORTS LOUNGE. PHOTO BY STELLA POWERS

a ton of years but then they just released this Fortnite OG thing,” Tirola said. “So I’m back, and all the boys are back.”

League of Legends Another common game played

MIAMI’S ESPORTS LOUNGE FEATURES SEVERAL POPULAR GAMES AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS AT NO EXTRA COST. PHOTO BY STELLA POWERS

in the Esports Lounge is League of Legends, a game that is also known for its multiplayer. Games are played between two teams consisting of five players each.

“For Esports, [popular games are] League of Legends and Valorant,” Tirola said. “I don’t play that, but I see people play that all the time.”

Overwatch 2 Overwatch 2, known for its characters having roles with unique abilities, is a team first-person shooter with a variety of different game modes for people to play. The game has evolved significantly over time, becoming free to play with more ingame purchases.

Michael Greenwood, a first-year undecided major who intends on studying business, says that Overwatch 2 is one of the most popular games played at Miami. “[Frequently played games are] Fortnite, Overwatch or League of Legends probably,” Greenwood said.

Rocket League Many gamers at Miami also spend their time playing Rocket League, a video game that combines soccer and cars.

Adam Siddiq, a first-year undecided major, has used the Esports

Lounge to connect with some friends, both at Miami and from other schools, and play some of his favorite games.

“Personally, I like Rocket League and Fortnite, and those are two games I play,” Siddiq said.

Valorant Valorant, a team deathmatch, first-person shooter game played with a team of five people, is also popular among students. As the game goes on, players can progress and purchase greater weapons to enhance their in-game abilities.

Siddiq says this is another frequently played game at Miami, among many others.

“I’d probably say Valorant, or maybe Fortnite,” Siddiq said. “I just know they play a lot of different games.”

Though a great variety of games are played at Miami, an overwhelming majority of students said that their favorite game to play is Fortnite, and that it is one of the most commonly played games in the Esports Lounge. powers40@miamioh.edu

When Jeffrey Crane Graham lost his friend Peggy in high school, he had a difficult time processing his emotions.

Graham took an unconventional approach to dealing with his grief: He wrote and directed a movie akin to his experience, which released on digital retailers Nov. 28.

“I had a very hard and long emotional journey trying to understand my friend’s death just because she was so young,” Graham said. “ I had a very smart friend watch it and say, ‘I think it’s so cool that the five characters you populated the movie with all represent the five stages of grief,’ which is not at all what my intention was … but I was like, ‘That’s exactly what I meant to do.’”

The film, “Always, Lola,” follows five best friends who reunite on a camping trip after their high school friend Lola dies. As they try to memorialize her, they unravel secrets surrounding her death, building tension among the friends.

Graham, who graduated from Miami University in 2013 with a high school English education degree, chose to shoot some of the film in Oxford, filming at locations like Kofenya, Steinkeller and the Oxford police station. Graham also hired two Miami peers from his graduating class as actors: Sheldon White, a marketing major, Stage Left alum and fourth-generation Miamian who plays Riggs; and Collin Campana, a theatre major who plays Trey.

The actors even brought some of their knowledge from Miami to the independent film’s shoot.

“Miami taught me specifically a really strong work ethic in terms of budgeting my time, prioritizing things,” Campana said. “I don’t know how the theatre department runs now, but when I was there, it was run as if you were in a professional show, and the teachers in classes would be honest with you.”

Graham became friends with White and Campana in college and thought of the two when making the movie, recruiting them for acting and also using them for creative feedback.

“I wrote the parts for them, and at least specifically picturing them as I wrote,” Graham said. “... They’re great actors, but they’re also great story brains.”

White and Campana said they were interested in the script for the movie but also just wanted to take the opportunity to work together.

“I just think making a movie with your best friends is still fun,” White said. “If you have the opportunity to do it in your life, do it.”

Graham compared the process of creating a film to being an entrepreneur, taking finances and other considerations into account.

Graham estimated that 80% of the film’s budget came from his own savings, and the rest came from producers like Keven Undergaro, producer for AfterBuzz TV. Still, Graham, who didn’t even think he’d go into filmmaking, said the sacrifice was worth it, adding the film to the growing list of microbudget, do-it-yourself films.

“We [had] two very hard choices,” Graham said. “One of them [was] to not make the movie and be 90 years old in a nursing home, talking about the movie we never made. And the other choice [was] to just try to do it and see what happens, and they both sound really hard, but I think the first one actually sounds a lot harder.”

Before the film found a distributor, Graham brought “Always, Lola” to multiple film festivals where it won awards like best feature at the Marina del Rey Film Festival or best ensemble and director at other festivals.

Graham said that after these screenings, the film got a number of deals, and he picked the one that was best for this movie. With the film’s release, the world will get to see his tribute to his friend, with whom he shared a love for movies.

“It’s kind of cool that there’s this artifact in the world that will always exist, that sort of love letter to her, which is kind of special,” Graham said. “And I think she would have liked it too.” @lukejmacy macylj@miamioh.edu

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

‘I’m getting better every day’: Brett Gabbert talks recovery after season-ending injury

BRETT GABBERT CURRENTLY SITS THIRD ALL-TIME FOR MIAMI UNIVERSITY IN PASSING YARDS. PHOTO BY JESSICA MONAHAN

JACK SCHMELZINGER SPORTS EDITOR Down 21-10 in their biggest game of the season to this point, the Miami RedHawks are two yards away from punching into the end zone to cut the University of Toledo lead under a touchdown.

Star junior quarterback Brett Gabbert smacks his hands together, and before the snap even hits them, he’s moving toward the end zone.

He doesn’t make it a yard before he meets the Toledo defense. Gabbert gets wrapped up. As he’s going down, clutching the ball like it holds the world’s secrets, a Toledo defensive lineman joins the pile and falls perpendicular on Gabbert’s leg.

Gabbert rolls over, flings his helmet away and pounds the turf in agony. An ambulance takes the field. An hour later, Gabbert is in a bed at Mercy Fairfield Hospital, awaiting surgery, the end to his magical season.

The Miami Student interviewed Gabbert a few weeks after the injury.

Here’s what the star-signal caller had to say: How have you been doing mentally and emotionally since your injury against Toledo?

You know, at first it was really tough, but I’m actually doing really well. Surgery went well, and the amount of support I’ve received from not only friends and family but teammates and coaches from our staff and teams around the country [has been amazing].

This sport has meant everything to me. The circumstances are tough, but I’m definitely doing better than expected. I’m very thankful for that.

Can you just take me through the moments after the injury?

So during the play, I knew it wasn’t good. I heard it, felt it, saw it. I knew pretty much right away it wasn’t great.

But I think if you look at things

glass half full, as I’ve been trying to, I did get lucky. Nothing happened to my knee, nothing happened to my ankles. It’s just my fibula and tibia. So, if you look at it like that, I saved myself weeks of recovery. That part I’m extremely thankful for.

All the trainers, doctors, paramedics, police: they made this process go extremely smooth. I think surgery went extremely well. So far things have been going pretty well.

I don’t mean to make you relive this, but you’re sitting there on the field, you look down at your leg, what’s going through your mind?

You know, at that point I was fairly helpless — there really wasn’t much I could do. I’m just really glad that we have such a great training staff and doctors and surgeons … without them it definitely would have been a lot harder.

Last year you only played four games because of injury.

This year you come back and you’re kind of having a magical season. How does that feel to kind of have that be snatched from you?

Yeah, all injuries are tough. All season ending injuries are really hard mentally and physically. But at the end of the day, that’s football. That’s life. Life isn’t fair.

I’ve just had bad luck in recent years with having surgery on my collarbone and my leg, but that’s just kind of how life goes. I will say I’m proud of how well we were playing. I’m proud of how the guys have played since I got hurt.

Obviously it’s been a frustrating two seasons. Do you feel like you’ve been able to take

anything personally from what you’ve experienced the last two years? Are you the same person that you were at the beginning of last season?

That’s a good question. Yes and no … I’m a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. I just think that now with some of these injuries, I’ve been able to really enjoy the little things in football and in life in general. I’m just enjoying practice, enjoying fall camp, enjoying spring ball, being in the locker room, hanging out with the guys.

Once that’s taken away from you — in the blink of an eye, just like that — you just value it that much more, you realize at some point that comes to an end.

During this time, has there been anyone you’ve been able to lean on?

My trainers, I see them every day.

They’ve really been helping me out a ton. And there’s also my family, friends and roommates. My mom has been in Oxford every day taking care of me, because I couldn’t really move or get out of bed for a couple of weeks.

She was doing everything. My dad has been here a ton too, he’s had to leave periodically for work, but without my parents, the situation would have been a lot harder.

What are they telling you about the recovery and rehab process for this injury?

I try to take things one day at a time. That really helps because I’ve been getting better every single day.

My leg feels better, I’m moving it more. From what I’ve been hearing, I should be able to make a full recovery and play football again, if I choose to do so. But like I said, I’m not worried

about that. I’m just worried about getting better tomorrow.

So they inserted a rod in your leg, are you going to have trouble at airports the rest of your life?

I hope not, but we’ll see. It’s titanium, so I don’t go off or not. My collarbone doesn’t set it off, so I think I might get lucky.

What are your goals? Are you hoping to play football again next year?

I’m just taking things slow, worrying about tomorrow, one day at a time. But I’m not going to sit here and lie – everything is on the table. I’m going to really weigh my options and see what I want to do with my life. I think football is definitely a possibility next year, but hanging the cleats up might be a possibility too. I’m only like three weeks post-surgery, so I’m not too worried about it.

After your playing career is over, what do you want to do?

I really can’t answer that for you.

I think when it’s all said and done, I’d like to stay around the sports world just because it’s what I know. I’ve been around it my entire life, ever since I was a newborn. But yeah, I don’t know what I want to do.

Anything else you want to say to people listening to this interview?

I’d just let them know I’m doing well. Spirits are high, and I’m looking forward to the rest of this season.

Editor’s note: This conversation has been edited for concision and clarity. @jackschmelznger schmelj2@miamioh.edu

Gameday with the ‘Voice of the RedHawks’

STEVE BAKER HAS BEEN THE VOICE OF THE REDHAWKS SINCE THE 1980S. PHOTO BY STEVEN PEPPER

STEVEN PEPPER STAFF WRITER There’s about three hours until Eastern Illinois University and Miami University face off in the Miami Classic.

There’s not a single player on either team warming up on the court, but at the media table Steve Baker is untangling various power cords.

If you’ve tuned into a RedHawk

basketball game, you’ve heard a similar opener.

“From Millett Hall, on the campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, welcome into college basketball,” Baker says.

Baker’s been the ‘Voice of the RedHawks’ since the 1980s, providing play-by-play for football and basketball broadcasts. Since 2001, he’s served as the athletic department’s Director of Broadcasting.

Decades of covering hoops has made preparing for home game days a solid routine. In the days leading up to this particular contest, Baker watched previous Eastern Illinois games to familiarize himself with the opponent’s playstyle.

Early in the morning, Baker filled out a page in his Markwort Basketball Scorebook. Scorecards allow broadcasters to have many facts about each player on hand, from their hometown to their career highs.

On the left side of the page are notes on the entire RedHawk roster. On the right side, there’s not any room left for more information on the Panthers.

“I try to get as prepared as I can,” Baker said.

Miami began televising all basketball games on ESPN networks eight years ago. Baker arrives at the media table a few hours before a game to power on equipment and plug in headsets. While he’s no longer the sport’s radio broadcaster, he still plugs in the radio technology.

After setting everything up, Baker heads over to the production trailer at the back of Millet Hall to monitor the audio levels and cameras. The trailer is magical. There are hundreds of colorful buttons, each with a different function to run a ESPN broadcast.

To keep Baker on the same page as the program, the producer in the trailer speaks with him through a headset during the game. The producer alerts him whenever the broadcast is heading to a commercial break or showing a replay.

Baker has to balance simultaneously having the color commentator, the game and the producer in his ears.

At one point during the Eastern Illinois game, Baker informed viewers there was a media timeout, but the producer quickly corrected him that it was an Eastern Illinois timeout.

“It’s a unique thing,” Baker said.

“You just get used to it.”

When everything is ready to go in the trailer, Baker comes back to the broadcasting table to ensure the audio is good in his headset. He and the producer run through a few countdowns to test Baker’s microphone.

Baker will have time to relax before the game if the producer gives him an OK. LaRosa’s Pizzeria is catered for all staff and members of the media. He prefers to set up early to avoid rushing before a game starts.

“There’s always problems with technology,” Baker said. “That’s one of the reasons why we get here so early. Friday night, a week ago, we’re streaming a volleyball match, and we walk into our trailer, and the audio console isn’t working at all.”

Once Baker is done eating lunch, he walks down to the broadcasting table to settle before tip-off. He pre-records the broadcast opener.

“Game three of the Miami Classic between the host Miami RedHawks and the Panthers of Eastern Illinois,” Baker said. “Hello again, everyone, and welcome in. I’m Steve Baker, and alongside is Randy Hollowell. We’ll be bringing you the action today.”

The RedHawks lead after the first half, 43-30. Baker uses the break

to coordinate with the production crew on how to start the second-half broadcast. The replay man creates short highlight reels for Baker and Hollowell to discuss the best first-half performer from each team.

The final buzzer sounds. On days Baker does television broadcasts, his day is over when he packs up the equipment.

“That’s the joy of doing TV,” Baker said. “I don’t have to do a postgame show. We can just kinda wrap it up and be done.”

The RedHawks survived a late Panther rally, winning the tournament’s finale 76-64. Baker is passionate about calling games and learning new technologies, but his favorite part of the job is seeing Miami’s talent produce wins.

“That’s when it’s fun,” Baker said.

“Guys are playing well [and] doing the right things for the most part to get a win. Losses are never fun, but to see this team and how they’re coming around, that’s one of the best parts of the job.” @stevenpepper38 pepperse@miamioh.edu

RedHawks maintain academic excellence with the help of multiple support services KETHAN BABU ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR When Camber Hayes joined Miami University in 2020, she made her presence known instantly: She was made a captain of the Miami soccer team in her first year and recorded two goals and 14 assists in her career. Off the field, Hayes has received various academic accolades. Last spring, she received the Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholar Award, which is awarded to athletes who maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 and are active in their campus and community.

This story shouldn’t be surprising for Miami. Last semester, the university announced that the RedHawk student-athletes posted a combined GPA of 3.22, with 69.4% of student-athletes earning a GPA of 3.0 or higher in the spring. More than 40 athletes, including Hayes, earned a GPA of 4.0 or higher. This marked the 37th semester in a row that athletes maintained this level of academic success.

Miami seems to excel at supporting athletes academically, with several resources and support services inplace solely for the athletes to utilize.

For sophomore linebacker Luke Myers, the support that Miami has provided has been more than adequate for his academic success.

“I would say that the resources are definitely there,” Myers said. “I know who I would need to reach out to and everything.”

Myers, a finance major, is a part of the 69.4% that has maintained a GPA

above 3.0. In the fall, he dedicates around 30 hours each week to football, including practices, watching film and traveling. This left him with the difficult task of managing his time to ensure that he stays on top of his homework. To do this, he tracks his assignments each week and marks due dates in advance.

“Planning out my week is really important,” Myers said. “If you have practice or something in the morning, you can’t be staying up till 3 or 4 in the morning doing homework and getting three hours of sleep, or you’re not going to perform the way you want. Planning and organizing is really key.”

In addition to managing his time, Myers uses the resources provided by the Student-Athlete Academic Support Services. Each athletic team is assigned an academic coordinator that helps the players register for courses and find tutors among other things. The football team’s academic coordinators are Tanner Below and Ryan Swallow, the latter of whom is the Director of Student-Athlete Academic Support Services.

Swallow worked as an academic adviser in the College of Arts and Science from 2011 until 2019, when he began working in student-athlete academic support services. Since 2019, he has helped athletes develop effective time management and studying skills, assisted them through registration and collaborated with teams and coaching staff in regards to players’ academic wellbeing.

Swallow and Below work closely with the football team, which have

benefited heavily from their assistance. Myers realizes that both have a clear interest in the athletes’ well being.

“They make sure that you’re in the right courses and help with scheduling,” Myers said. “We always go to them first. If you’re having trouble in a class, you can go to them and they’ll show you the resources that you have and show you where to get tutors.

They’re both very easy and accessible to reach out to. You can tell that they care about us.”

Swallow’s department tracks their athletes’ progression and ensures that they’re on track to finish their degree. To accomplish this, the academic coordinators work closely with the athletes and their academic advisers.

“We work with [their advisers] very closely,” Swallow said. “We track along with their plans and studies.

We’re always looking at their audit and making sure their classes make sense because they have to meet progress towards degree requirements that the general student doesn’t have to.”

When many students get to college, they are caught off guard by the changing nature of academics compared to high school. The workload becomes heavier and the time required for homework is extended.

Swallow acknowledges that for many athletes, this shift can make or break their grades and eligibility To combat this, Miami provides incoming first year football and men’s and women’s basketball players the opportunity to participate in the Redhawks Summer Bridge program. This

program prepares student-athletes for the academic rigors at Miami by teaching them study skills, informing them of the resources available on campus and showing them how to use Miami services, such as Canvas.

Once their athletes are acclimated to Miami, they can begin to take advantage of the resources that Swallow and his department highlight during the Summer Bridges Program and recruitment. These services range from free tutoring to individualized assistance through the Individualized Learning Specialist (ILS) program led by Emily Bruns.

Bruns began her current position as Senior Individualized Learning Specialist last spring, but has worked with Miami and ILS since 2021. According to her, the ILS program intends to help students that require additional assistance with academics.

“A lot of the challenges that our students face have to do with the academic requirements here at Miami being very different from the academics that they’re used to in K-12 education,” Bruns said. “For a lot of our students, their backgrounds and education aren’t necessarily the same as what others are that come to Miami on non-athletic scholarships.”

ILS is designed for students who require additional academic support in balancing their academics and athletics than provided by other Miami programs. Bruns and the other specialists work to identify athletes who are struggling more than usual and point them in the right direction.

They do this by reviewing athletes’ scores in high school and working

with the academic coordinators, who have already worked with the athletes during recruitment and orientation.

Through her work with ILS, Bruns helps athletes reach the level of success they desire. In a program with excellent average academic performance, the students that are struggling may get overshadowed, which ILS attempts to correct.

“There are some students at 4.0 and some at 1.0 or below,” Bruns said. “I think that’s why the program that I oversee is very important: we want all of our students to be successful. Sometimes success can be a 3.0, a 3.5, or a 4.5. Sometimes, success is remaining eligible to be on the team.”

Miami athletics, on average, thrive in academic performance year after year. This is accomplished through abundant resources provided by the academic-support and programs like ILS, as well as the hard work of the athletes and those who want to see them succeed. The most important skills that athletes need to succeed in their sport and academically include time management and utilization of the resources available to them through the Student-Athletes Academic Support Services and ILS. While there is room for improvement in many areas, such as offering the Summer Bridges Program to more sports, the RedHawks have continuously shown academic excellence, and Miami is always adapting to new conflicts. babukc2@miamioh.edu

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

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Miami hockey Terence Moore: A increases safety trailblazer who started measures after at The Miami Student death of professional JEFFREY MIDDLETON THE MIAMI STUDENT Oct. 28, might have been a regular day for many people. However, in the hockey world, that date marked the tragic loss of a beloved former National Hockey League (NHL) player, Adam Johnson.

At just 29 years old, Johnson lost his life playing in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) after his neck was cut by a skate of opposing player Matt Petgrave. Since the tragedy, players and organizations around hockey have started to emphasize the usage of neck guards.

The Miami University RedHawks hockey program is doing much of the same thing, with players beginning to use neck guards as soon as the incident happened. Equipment manager Andy Geshan is tasked with making specific gear available to players.

“It’s basically just getting a product, providing it and making it available, and then the players decide what they want to do,” Geshan said.

A Miami hockey alumnus provides mock turtlenecks with kevlar material in it through a deal he has with the hockey-based company Warroad. The turtlenecks also have a little bit of kevlar material in the wrists to protect players.

As far as the frequency of these injuries happening, in Geshan’s experience, there have been a multitude of players cut by skate blades. In 2010, defensive player Will Weber was slashed horizontally on the side of his neck below his chin. He cut an artery and required 100 stitches.

After that incident, the team received a neck guard product from the hockey company Bauer. Some players used it for a bit, but it didn’t stick. Geshan has kept the product as a backup option.

“We still have a stock from 2010 of the Bauer product, and we just made it available,” Geshan said. “It was completely optional. Some guys have tried and discontinued its use, and some continue to use it.””

But the job of protecting players goes beyond the equipment manager. It also extends to head coach Chris Bergeron and his staff.

Bergeron is in his fifth season at Miami. He joined the program after the Weber incident occurred, but he understands how serious this issue is.

“The protection of these players is the first and foremost concern we always have,” Bergeron said. “Helmets, gloves, shin guards, all those kinds of things are great, but anyone who knows hockey knows how dangerous the skates and the blades can be, especially to areas that are a little more exposed.”

In response to the recent death of Johnson, Bergeron believes that the availability of safety equipment should be the primary concern instead of how it looks or feels.

“With this cut-proof stuff available, let’s use it,” Bergeron said. “Why not be overprotective and sacrifice a little bit of comfort to stay protected? Like anything else, you can get used to it. Let’s be proactive. These things are available, so why not protect yourselves and your children from these things happening?”

The next step for some leagues is mandating the usage of neck guards. The current NHL and National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) policies don’t require neck guards.

Shortly after Johnson’s death, the Western Hockey League joined the rest of the Canadian Hockey League in making neck protection mandatory for players during games and practices. USA Hockey, which governs youth hockey in the United States, is expected to implement mandatory neck protection sometime this winter.

When it comes to the Miami hockey team though, the plan is not to mandate neck guard usage.

“We don’t want to learn a hard lesson through tragedy, but we also want to treat them like adults, and that’s where we are right now,” Bergeron said. “We’ve given them all the information. We’ve talked about how to protect themselves, and I want them to protect themselves. We have not made it mandatory to this point.”

According to Bergeron, every player gave the garments a chance at practice the day after they received the equipment.

“When I discussed it with the staff, it wasn’t going to be mandatory, but it was going to be talked about,” Bergeron said. “It was going to be encouraged, and we were going to have pieces for them to use if they chose to use it.”

Even if Miami players are not required to wear them yet, the NCHC still has the option to mandate the use of neck guards for member teams. However, as of now, they have not decided to mandate them, according to a statement from NCHC Commissioner Heather Weems.

“Following the tragedy of Adam Johnson, the Conference confirmed all our member teams are offering neck guards to student-athletes, as well as cut-resistant wrist guards and socks,” Weems wrote in an email to The Miami Student. “While we encourage our student-athletes to use or at least try the neck guards, we are not mandating them at this time. The NCHC will continue to work with the NCAA on all safety matters, including recommendations and policy to maximize player safety.”

Hockey is an inherently dangerous sport, but when something like the Johnson tragedy happens, it still shocks the world. Miami hockey isn’t mandating anything as of yet, but as discussions continue, who knows what the future is regarding protective gear in hockey. @jjmid04 middleje@miamioh.edu

NISSO SACHA STAFF WRITER Terence Moore was born and raised in South Bend, Indiana, but moved around due to the nature of his father’s job, working as a supervisor for AT&T, living in Cincinnati, Chicago and Milwaukee over the course of three years.

“We moved to Cincinnati in 1968, the first year of the Bengals,” Moore said. “I always call myself the only true Bengals fan, because I’ve been a Bengals fan since they first came into being in ‘68, win or lose.”

In 1968, Moore visited Miami University for the first time when going to a high school basketball tournament with his father.

“It was sort of like the Wizard of Oz, everything in black and white and then all of a sudden, it turns to living color because we’re in a city called Oxford, Ohio,” Moore said. “We’re going to this brand new building called Millett Hall, it had just opened up. At that moment, at 12 years old, I said to myself, ‘This is where I want to go to school.’”

Moore was first interested in journalism after a sports editor from the Milwaukee Journal came to speak to his high school English class. He jumped in with his high school paper, becoming the news editor while balancing playing varsity football and baseball. Moore chose a path in economics at Miami University and became involved with The Miami Student his first day on campus in September 1974.

“My English teacher said ‘everybody wants to be a journalist now because of Woodward & Bernstein, so major in something else but still write,’” Moore said. “So I was an economics major at Miami, and my passion was writing.”

In his junior year, Moore became the first Black sports editor at The Student, and its first African American editor of any kind. After graduating from Miami, Moore continued his journalism career just eight days later at the Cincinnati Enquirer, becoming the first Black sports writer for the organization.

“One of the reasons I was able to make it at a very high level, from the day I left The Miami Student, for the next 45 years to where I am right now, is because of The Miami Student,” Moore said. “There’s no doubt in my mind.

We ran it like a real newspaper, we took it seriously, and we had a lot of gifted people on the paper.”

During his undergrad, Moore experienced one of the greatest eras of Miami sports. From 1973 to 1975, Miami’s football team went 32-11 and ranked tenth in the final Associated Press poll in 1974. Miami’s baseball team made the NCAA tournament twice during Moore’s time.

Residing in Hepburn Hall, Moore lived with Bill Doran, Houston Astros Hall of Famer, Ron Zook, former head football coach of the University of Florida, and Sherman Smith, Super Bowl champion and former coach with the Seattle Seahawks.

Moore recently published his second book,

“Red Brick Magic,” about Miami’s sports leadership legacy, profiling Sean McVay, John Harbaugh, Paul Brown and other coaching greats. ““I read about all these coaching legends that went to Miami,” Moore said. “What was so striking, many of these guys, traditionally, were guys who had not been noted to be very friendly to the media. But once these guys, these Miami legends, found out I went to Miami University, their eyes would light up and they would say, ‘Well what do you want to know?’ Because it just had that magnetism about it.”

Moore is currently a national sports columnist for Forbes.com and has a weekly TV show in Atlanta called Sports Zone Sunday.

Moore is also a contributor for the NFL Network, MSNBC Sports, and ESPN Outside the Lines. He previously wrote for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution for 25 years, becoming the first Black sports columnist in the South. “[Being the first], I was always aware that it was bigger than me and that however I reacted, or didn’t react, was going to affect people for generations to come, and certainly immediately,” Moore said. “What made it easier for me to do was the examples I had of my parents.”

Moore has been surrounded by “firsts” his entire life. His father was the first Black supervisor of AT&T. His mother was the first Black supervisor of the Milwaukee branch of the Federal Reserve Bank. His younger brother, Darrell, was the first Black baseball player at the University of Wisconsin.

“I came from a family of Jackie Robinsons,” Moore said.

In 2014, Moore returned to Miami as a visiting professor where he taught journalism to students like former Miami Student Editor-In-Chief Chris Vinel.

“I used to follow him out to his car after class, he and I would walk out to his car together and he’d still kind of continue on with a story he was telling in class and go just a little bit beyond what we talked about that day and share an extra tip with me,” Vinel said. “It was just incredible stuff. I ate it up.”

Vinel, a 2021 graduate, served as sports editor before becoming editor-in-chief for The Student. He is currently a sports reporter for the Daytona Beach News Journal covering high school and college sports.

“Every time I sit down to write it’s almost like I can hear Terence in my head, telling me the things that we went over in class or that we talk about all the time,” Vinel said. “He said he learned these principles from mentors he had early on in his career and he’s carried them with him throughout the decades.” sachanz@miamioh.edu @NissoSacha

What would it take for Miami to jump to the Power 5? brings in just over $3.5 million per year.

Additionally, a substantial increase would need to be made in salaries for non-revenue sports such as golf, swimming and diving, cross country and track and field just to remain competitive.

Finally, Miami would need a major increase in assistant coaching pay.

Miami spends less than $3 million total on assistant coaching salaries.

None of that includes things like additional support staff, nutritionBELIEVE IT OR NOT, A LOT WOULD HAVE TO CHANGE FOR MIAMI TO JUMP TO THE POWER 5. ists and recruiting staffers GRAPHIC BY JACK SCHMELZINGER that would be needed to comami would need to consistently com- pete in a new, bigger arena of Power 5 SEAN WIESEMANN pete with teams in a Power 5 confer- football and sports in general.

THE MIAMI STUDENT ence.

Facilities Staff As the football season for the Miami has poured considerable The lucrative nature of being a money into its facilities over the past Miami University RedHawks winds down, the team is preparing for Power 5 football head coach makes decade, with a new scoreboard in Yagits first Mid-American Conference sense considering the tens of millions er Stadium, a new $13 million indoor (MAC) Championship appearance of dollars in revenue that football practice facility on the north-side of since 2019. This year, for just the brings in for many Power 5 universi- Yager and the Goggin Ice Center. third time since the Jimmy Carter ties.

However, in order to accommoStill, the $75 million buyout that date the additional attendance asadministration, Miami finished the Texas A&M University will pay their sociated with a new Power 5 status regular season with 10 wins.

Such a great season begs an inter- recently fired coach Jimbo Fisher in and the need to compete with other esting — albeit unrealistic — question: installments through 2031 is some- nearby Power 5 stadiums, arenas and What would it take for Miami to play thing that even the biggest programs fields, a significant amount of addiin the country would have a hard time tional investment would need to be at the Power 5 level and compete?

In college football, the biggest five stomaching. made in both quality and capacity.

According to USA Today, Miami’s athletic conferences (soon to be four Additionally, old Millett Hall with the dissolution of the PAC-12) head football coach Chuck Martin would likely need not only a capacity are known as the Power 5, with the currently receives an annual salary of expansion from its current maximum remaining 5 athletic conferences (the $575,300 which is the third-lowest in capacity of 9,200, but also a notable MAC included) known as the Group the MAC and in the bottom five head aesthetic renovation. of 5 schools. Schools like the Univer- coach salaries in all of college football.

Yager Stadium currently seats a Miami would need to pay close to maximum capacity crowd of 24,286. sity of Cincinnati (UC) and Brigham Young University have jumped to the $2.7 million per year to offer a com- While that’s average compared to Power 5 over the last few years, and petitive salary as a Power 5 school, Miami’s peers in the MAC, Yager StaSouthern Methodist University is set the salary of the current lowest-paid dium’s capacity is in the bottom 15 Power 5 head football coach. Scott among all Football Bowl Subdivision to do so in 2024.

Here are a few big things that Mi- Satterfield, UC’s head football coach, (FBS) schools, meaning it would need

increased capacity to move to Power 5. Yager would especially need to expand its capacity in the away stands and potentially extend behind at least one end zone.

On top of the various increases in capacity, new luxury boxes would be needed, not only to generate additional revenue but to accommodate the donors who are making this hypothetical transition to the Power 5 possible.

Attendance The most obvious way to transition into the Power 5 is to increase attendance to sporting events. The more winning a team does, the more likely fans are going to come to games, especially for the revenue-generating sports of football and men’s basketball.

Miami has employed a variety of other measures in an effort to boost attendance, such as making all sporting events on campus free to students, giving out thousands of dollars to students at each game and continuing efforts of the student loyalty program Code Red to increase student and fan engagement in Miami’s athletics. However, there are several other measures that need to be taken in order to host marquee events at the Power 5 level.

First, the amount of hotel rooms would need to drastically increase to accommodate the influx of fans. According to the Oxford Observer, the city of Oxford has 379 hotel rooms.

That number would need to increase exponentially to not only accommodate opposing fans but also alumni who are not in the area but want to attend a game.

Additionally, more students might come to games if the opposing fans and Miami’s students weren’t put directly next to each other in the stands at Yager Stadium. A designated student section, perhaps built in front of either end zone, could increase stu-

dent participation and engagement, and it would create a better fan experience, taking students out of the sun.

NIL Arguably the biggest factor in a hypothetical Miami jump to the Power 5 wasn’t even a part of college athletics three years ago.

In the summer of 2021, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) made it legal for its athletes to profit off their Names, Images and Likenesses (NIL). As a result of the rollback of NCAA rules on players getting paid, millions of dollars have been shelled out per year by top programs in hopes of getting new players from the transfer portal and recruiting the best high schoolers. According to On3.com, there are 25 college athletes right now whose NIL deals are worth over $1 million per year. The same website estimates that four UC football players have NIL deals worth over $100,000 per year.

Miami would need to start with actually having an NIL collective of its own. NIL collectives are independent groups that fundraise for various universities and give out money to attending athletes in the form of NIL payments. Nearly every Power 5 school has an NIL collective, and many non-Power 5 schools do, too.

Miami would not only need to start a collective, but fundraise north of $1 million annually just to compete in the Power 5.

Unless Miami makes a major shift in philosophy and decides to compete with the financial big dogs athletically, then there likely won’t be any incentive for the athletic department or administration to make the massive leaps in funding and expenditures required for Miami to become a Power 5 team. wiesemsm@miamioh.edu

10

GreenHawks

How to shop more sustainably this holiday season SAM NORTON GREENHAWKS EDITOR Thanksgiving break has come and gone, and the holiday season is now in full swing. Miami University students have just three weeks until the end of the fall semester and a return home for winter break.

The season is known for family reunions, good food and gift-giving.

But with the ever-present and often overbearing consumerism that comes with gifts around the holidays, it is important to remember the impacts over-consumption has on our planet.

Gift-giving is inextricably linked to whatever holiday you may celebrate during this time of year, whether that be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or something else.

Giving to others is great, but giving sustainably is even better. Here are some easy ways to shop more sustainably for your friends and family this year: Give experiences, not things A gift doesn’t always have to be a material object. Consider getting tickets to that concert you and your friend have been talking about, a play at your local theater or some tickets to your family’s favorite sports team.

Not only can this be a gift that you share with the recipient, but it almost guarantees the gift will not go to waste. So many material gifts end up in the trash without being used and loved, but with an experience, all that is left over is great memories.

Buy second-hand Second-hand shopping has exploded in popularity in recent years and is a great place to start when looking for gifts, especially clothes.

Buying a used item keeps it out of the landfill, reduces emissions that would otherwise result from new products being produced and is usually cheaper than buying new.

Lightly used items can look just like new, your friends and family don’t even have to know.

Along with thrift stores, some large name-brands have their own ways to shop second-hand. Levi’s, Lululemon, Pacsun and many more companies have started programs that take in used clothing and resell it, giving customers an easy way to find exactly what they’re looking for without the unknowns that come with thrifting.

Buy from sustainable brands Not all gifts are made the same.

From the raw materials used to the method of assembly and shipping, companies have plenty of opportunities along the supply chain to reduce their impact on the environment.

Researching how ethically and sustainably a company makes its products can be a great way to make sure the gifts that you are giving are better for our environment than others. Look for organic materials, Fair Trade labels, reusability, recyclable packaging and other signs that the company made an effort to consciously be more sustainable.

Just watch out for greenwashing.

Shop at local businesses You may hear about how shopping locally is great for economies and people in your community, but shopping locally is also often more sustainable than buying from large corporations. This is due to the reduction in emissions from shipping, automobile emissions and the damage that large-scale operations do to the land around it.

Also, local stores often buy from local farmers, local manufacturers or make their products themselves.

The more localized an operation is, the less impact it will have on the environment. Plus, buying local is unique, and your friends and family deserve a thoughtful gift.

Think before you buy This is a great mindset to have not only when buying for yourself, but also for others. Taking a second to think about the impact a gift had on the environment during its production and where it will end up in the future can greatly help in decision-making.

Being environmentally conscious does not mean you have to stop buying gifts. Rather, it can be a great way to practice your ability to live more sustainably. When you buy gifts that are better for our planet, you should not only feel better about yourself, but you could also inspire those who receive your gifts to do the same.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

How could Ohio’s Senate Bill 83 impact teaching climate change and policy?

SOPHIE KWIATKOWSKI THE MIAMI STUDENT Last May, the Ohio Senate passed Senate Bill 83 (S.B. 83), a bill proposed to “promote intellectual diversity in Ohio institutes of higher education.” If passed through the state House of Representatives and signed

by Governor Mike DeWine, S.B. 83 could limit the expression of beliefs in the classroom that the bill deems as “controversial.”

The bill defines a “controversial belief or policy” as any idea or topic that is “politically controversial.”

This vague definition allows for the targeting of a wide range of beliefs and policies from diversity, equity and inclusion to climate policies. This past summer, S.B. 83 was edited, and one of the big changes was its shift from labeling climate change as controversial to more narrowly labeling climate policy as controversial.

Currently, S.B. 83 is in the House Committee waiting to be voted on after a series of ongoing hearings. This period of a bill’s life is often referred to as its “mark-up session” during which public opinion is taken into consideration before the bill is voted on.

S.B. 83’s last hearing took place just days ago on Nov. 29. During this hearing, public testimony, mostly against the bill, was heard and there seemed to be a glimmer of hope for the bill’s failure. This hope was highlighted in the removal of the anti-striking provision in a revised version of the bill as well as wishy-washy support in the House.

“It doesn’t have the votes,” said House Speaker Jason Stephens.

However, Senator Jerry Cirino, the bill sponsor, counter-claimed Stephens’ statement: “I think there is

tremendous support in the House [for S.B. 83.]”

While it is unclear how S.B. 83 is favored in the House and how the bill will police these topics in the classroom, Miami University professors are already preparing to modify their classes, especially regarding climate policy.

“I don’t like the idea of the legislature telling faculty how to teach [climate change and policy] or micromanaging those teachings,” said David Gorchov, a biology professor who primarily teaches BIO155 Field Botany and IES275 Principles of Environmental Science.

While Gorchov is concerned with the potential regulations, he also feels that students should learn about both sides of polarizing topics.

Gorchov said that he already presents climate policy as a contentious subject in the classroom and that he would not be “doing anything that runs afoul of S.B. 83” if it were to pass.

Like Gorchov, Maija Sipola, a geology professor who teaches GLG121 Environmental Geology and GLG141 Geology of U.S. National Parks, said when her courses shift to discussing climate, she focuses on science and not so much on policy. If S.B. 83 were to pass, it would not have an impact on her teachings of climate in the classroom since she only teaches the strong evidence of modern climate change.

However, if climate change was still labeled more broadly as “controversial” in the bill, Sipola expressed concern about the bill majorly “affecting what students learn.”

Douglas Meikle, a biology professor, said S.B. 83 would also not affect his teachings much since he, like Sipola, focuses primarily on cli-

GRAPHIC BY SOPHIE KWIATKOWSKI

mate science and not on policy in his courses.

However, if the bill kept its wider definition of climate change as contentious, Meikle worried that “for younger faculty, it would potentially stifle or dictate how they’re going to teach.”

Meikle also had hopes for S.B. 83 to be litigated against but said many faculty members can’t afford to bring lawsuits forward, so organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union might come in to support those efforts.

Miami students prepare for potential impacts on education While professors are preparing for potential modifications of their courses by the Ohio legislature, students are becoming increasingly aware of the role politics can have in higher education.

“The fact that [S.B. 83] has politicized science drives me nuts,” said Abby Haverkos, a junior individualized studies major with focuses on environmental studies, geography and sustainable development.

However, Haverkos said if S.B. 83 did pass, it would not significantly impact her learning since she is going into her final year at Miami.

Despite the bill not impacting her own college experience, Haverkos said that discussions of climate change should not be “up for debate in the realm of higher education.”

“I don’t see, at least Miami University specifically, being super woke on climate change,” said Evelyn Morrison, a junior public administration and sustainability double major. “I feel like [Miami] steers away from climate change language in general.”

Like Haverkos, Morrison said the bill would not affect her learning especially since Miami is not, in her view, diligent in teaching about climate change topics.

Morrison, despite not viewing Miami as vocal on climate issues, expressed worries about professors being hesitant to share their climate research and viewpoints, which would downgrade her learning experience.

What’s next?

While S.B. 83 does not currently outline a concrete policing power of beliefs and policies it deems “controversial,” like climate policy, its selection of topics that fall under this umbrella could set precedents for the future of higher education in Ohio for many professors and students.

To keep updated on S.B. 83’s progress, visit the Ohio Legislature’s page on S.B. 83 and listen for opportunities to write testimony on your opinion of S.B. 83 as ongoing hearings take place in the House. kwiatksk@miamioh.edu

THE ROUTE S.B. 83 MUST TAKE THROUGH THE OHIO LEGISLATURE BEFORE IT BECOMES LAW. PHOTO FROM THE OHIO LEGISLATURE

Oxford’s next steps in building a sustainable future AUSTIN SMITH THE MIAMI STUDENT With global temperatures projected to rise 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit by 2050 and 19 out of 20 of the warmest years on record occurring since 2001, there is tremendous urgency for communities to take action about climate change. Higher temperatures make us prone to more frequent and severe droughts, storms, rising sea levels, coral bleaching and destruction of native habitats. Mitigating climate change is a global initiative, and Oxford is a part of that fight.

In recent years, the City of Oxford has taken steps to promote sustainable practices. Oxford’s Climate Action Plan, an amendment to the Oxford Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan, which was passed by the city council in September, aims to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2045 and promote sustainable living.

Other sustainability steps include the city leasing land to install a solar

array over a closed sanitary landfill, reducing emissions from the decomposing waste. Although all steps like these are crucial in the fight against climate change, the town itself can only do so much.

Now, Oxford is calling on its residents to help make changes toward a better future by informing them how to transition to renewable energy in their homes. The city recently hosted an Electricity and Efficiency Fair on Wednesday, Nov. 15, to educate residents about taking advantage of tax credits and rebates offered by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Meeting with seven vendors selling HVAC, EVs, solar panels and other green technologies, community members learned how to save money and the environment.

“As a family, there might be a bunch of big financial decisions that you have to make, such as buying a car … so letting them know that’s [tax incentives] out there makes financial sense,” said Carla Blackmar, a volun-

teer for the event who works for the Hefner Museum of Natural History.

The tax incentives include up to a 30% tax credit toward getting a home energy audit, installing solar panels or other renewable energy options and buying energy-efficient appliances. Special rebates are also offered to low-to-middle-income households to make the transition to clean energy more affordable for everyone.

Miami University is similar to Oxford with its own Climate Action Plan, and has taken steps toward informing students of their own place in the university’s goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2040. Although the tax incentives are catered toward homeowners, students can also help contribute to a better planet through the little daily decisions they make.

“Tying these kinds of individual decisions, for example, on campus, in the laundry rooms, there will be signs that say ‘wash on cold,’ there’s all this little stuff that you can do to help Miami get to that carbon neutral goal,”

Blackmar said.

Although many community members are glad about Oxford and Miami’s steps to promote citizen-initiated renewable energy, some residents expressed concerns that they need help understanding the technology and that switching to renewable energy is inaccessible to them.

William Miller Jr., vice president of the Ohio Farmers Union, says he has researched why people choose appliances with cheaper upfront costs rather than ones that save money in the long run. He believes that the upfront cost of green technologies is inhibiting people from transitioning to long-term renewable energy.

“They would buy the cheapest one, I mean, that’s just part of human nature,” Miller said.

Although Oxford’s push to promote clean energy in individual homes is great for transitioning off harmful nonrenewable energy sources, some residents may need additional assistance. For example, elderly residents may not be willing to replace their old appliances with more sustainable options that pay off in the long run because they may not reap the cost benefits.

Sybil Miller, wife of William Miller Jr., who was honored by the Oxford City Council for her social justice work, believes that if more people understood how clean energy technologies worked, the citizen-led initiatives would be more effective.

“If you educated people about how these things work, not in a didactic way… [it] would allow more people to be innovative and take the risk [of adopting clean technologies],” Sybil Miller said.

Although some community members may find challenges in transitioning to clean energy, continuing to educate and inform Oxford residents about transitioning to renewables while also fostering a culture of inclusivity is a great step toward a sustainable future. smith854@miamioh.edu

nortonsm@miamioh.edu THE ELECTRIFICATION FAIR EDUCATED OXFORD RESIDENTS ABOUT AVAILABLE RENEWABLE ENERGY OPTIONS. PHOTO BY AUSTIN SMITH

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

11

How a task force and committee combined to create Miami’s ‘2040: Climate Action Plan’ TAYLOR POWERS THE MIAMI STUDENT The Miami University Climate Action Task Force and the Sustainability Committee combined for the 2023-2024 academic year to form the Climate Action and Sustainability Council with the goal of writing the university’s plan for carbon neutrality.

The “Miami 2040: Climate Action Plan for Miami University,” outlines goals and actions necessary for the university to reach carbon neutrality by 2040. The plan was created from the recommendations of Miami’s Climate Action Task Force, which was formed after President Greg Crawford signed the Presidents’ Climate Leadership Commitments (PCLC) — Climate Commitment in September 2020. By signing this commitment, Miami pledged to create a plan within three years for how the university will reach carbon neutrality.

The task force would have disbanded at the end of the academic

year after it completed its task of writing the plan; however, the plan still has to be approved by other organizations and may undergo several rewrites where the task force’s insight will be crucial. Therefore, the task force has combined with the university’s Sustainability Committee.

“There’s still many steps to go for approval, and there’s probably going to be rewrites, and so we will be going back to the Climate Action Task Force for that,” said Johnathan Levy, co-chair of the Climate Action Task Force and the Sustainability Committee.

Susan Meikle, another co-chair of the council, said one of the reasons the university has started to focus on sustainability was due to a protest by students, faculty and community members in September 2019 on the National Day of Climate Action. At the time, many other schools were committing to the PCLC, and Miami had not yet.

“It was just pushing the administration to make a commitment to sign

this,” Meikle said.

When Crawford was hired in 2016, he assigned the Sustainability Committee to look into plans for carbon neutrality.

The City of Oxford created a climate action plan as well, said Reena Murphy, Oxford’s Sustainability Coordinator. She said that the city and the university have been in frequent communication about their plans.

She sits on the university’s committee, while Olivia Herron, director of sustainability for Miami, sits on the city’s committee.

Venus Harvey, a senior political science major, is the only undergraduate student on Oxford’s Climate Action Task Force. She believes the climate action plan is very important.

“Even if [climate change is] not harming us a ton right now, it’s going to,” Harvey said. “It’s important for both Miami and the City of Oxford to play our part and our role in preserving the earth and doing what we can to have a tomorrow.”

She emphasized that students

GRAPHIC BY WHITNEY WILSON-HARRIS AND MACEY CHAMBERLIN

should utilize the Oscar Sort smart waste stations in Armstrong Student Center to combat the issue of climate change because Miami students are “notoriously bad at recycling compared to other schools.”

The Climate Action Plan has been submitted to Crawford for approval.

Once approved by Crawford, it will be submitted to the Board of Trustees in December, who will give feedback on the first draft. A second draft will be written with hopes for approval at the Board of Trustees’ February meeting. powerstj@miamioh.edu

Saving balloons worth of money with helium reclamation AUSTIN SMITH THE MIAMI STUDENT Scattered around the Hughes Hall basement chemistry lab lies a series of copper pipes snaking their way around the building. To regular onlookers, the pipes look like any other utility pipe. Little do they know that these copper pipes are saving Miami University hundreds of thousands of dollars each year.

The chemistry department uses substantial amounts of helium — a nonrenewable resource that, when released into the atmosphere, is gone forever — in its nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. This problem inspired Robert McCarrick, Miami’s EPR specialist, to do something about it, resulting in the purchase of a helium reclamation system.

The helium reclamation system captures burnt-off helium gas from the NMR and EPR spectrometers, converting it into liquid helium and storing the liquid to be used for magnet fills and other necessary functions.

“We liquefy about 5,000 liters of liquid helium a year,” McCarrick said. “To put that in normal terms …

we capture about 300,000 party balloons worth of helium per year.”

In years past, McCarrick was eyeing a way to spearhead the project with little success until 2012, when a national helium shortage seized the nation, causing the price of liquid helium to skyrocket from $7 per liter in 2008 to $12 per liter. McCarrick saw this event as an opportunity to convince the university to invest $500,000 to install the system.

Currently, the price of liquid helium is $40 per liter. With the helium reclamation system, Miami saves approximately $100,000 a year in costs associated with buying helium. This figure considers the costs of maintaining the system and providing the immense electricity required to liquefy the helium.

“Some other universities have actually had to shut down their high field NMRs because the cost got too high to run them,” McCarrick said. “If we didn’t have [the helium reclamation system], it would be a disaster.”

Miami’s 850 MHz NMR spectrometer, used to study molecules’ structure, is the facility’s biggest NMR magnet. It is one of the first things shown to prospective chemistry students when visiting campus.

To keep the magnet running, it must be filled with liquid helium every few

months.

Anne Carroll, Miami University’s NMR Instrumentation Specialist, is grateful for the helium reclamation system not only because of the cost savings but also the logistical challenges of obtaining and transporting liquid helium.

“There have been [helium] shortages … and if that coincides with when you need it, that could mean the difference between having an NMR and not,” Carroll said. “There’s also the act of transporting helium … [and] some can get lost … but you’re still paying for it.”

According to McCarrick, Miami was one of the first universities nationwide to adopt such a system, preventing irreversible damage to the equipment and keeping EPR and NMR research alive.

“I am so grateful and so impressed that Rob had the foresight to make this a priority as early as he did,” Carroll said. “Before many people were thinking about the dwindling supply and increased demand for liquid helium.”

Not only is the system cost-saving, but it’s self-sustainable, allowing Miami students to utilize the research equipment for years to come. smith854@miamioh.edu

A BRUKER 600 ULTRASHIELD NMR SPECTROMETER SITS IN THE CORNER. PHOTO BY AUSTIN SMITH

WORK SPACES ARE INTERTWINED WITH GAS STORAGE CONTAINERS. PHOTO BY AUSTIN SMITH.

A COMPLEX MIX OF DIALS, KNOBS AND PIPES ENSURES THAT HELIUM IS ABLE TO BE CAPTURED AND REUSED. PHOTO BY AUSTIN SMITH

SOME LARGER HELIUM COLLECTING PIPES ARE LABELED. PHOTO BY AUSTIN SMITH

ROBERT MCCARRICK OBSERVES THE HELIUM-FILLED PIPES LINING THE BASEMENT OF HUGHES HALL. PHOTO BY AUSTIN SMITH

AN EPR SPECTROMETER SITS AGAINST THE WALL, ONE OF THE MANY MACHINES THAT RELIES ON THE HELIUM RECLAMATION SYSTEM. PHOTO BY AUSTIN SMITH

FOOD

12

Mealtime with Meredith: DIY cheese danishes MEREDITH PERKINS COLUMNIST One of my favorite Starbucks treats is its cheese danish.

These danishes have a flaky puff pastry base and a sweet cheese topping that adds both creaminess and a vanilla flavor to the treat.

However, I have always been a little bit ambivalent about Starbucks food.

Given the baked goods are mass-produced and frozen far in advance, they never quite taste fresh, and $3.65 is quite the price tag for a frozen danish.

Hence, for this week’s Mealtime with Meredith column, I decided to explore a longtime ambition of mine: Could I recreate the Starbucks cheese danish at home, and could I make it taste better than the original bakery item?

While researching, I found that food blogger Lifestyle of a Foodie had created an easy copycat Starbucks cheese danish recipe.

While I didn’t copy her recipe directly, as I wanted to customize the flavor of my danish a bit more, her recipe taught me the basic building blocks of the danish: puff pastry dough, neufchatel cream cheese, vanilla extract and sugar.

For my recipe, I wanted to create both copycat danishes and cinnamon cream cheese danishes: a twist that would provide a deeper flavor profile than the typical Starbucks recipe.

This beginner-friendly recipe is ideal for anyone looking to save money — my danish is 75 cents per portion, nearly one-fifth of the cost of a Starbucks danish — and to bake a quick treat. This recipe can be finished in less than 30 minutes.

I start by preheating my oven to 400 degrees.

Then, I unroll my bundle of premade refrigerated puff pastry dough on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and divide the puff pastry

PERKINS’ CHEESE DANISH RECIPE PAIRS PERFECTLY WITH ONE’S MORNING COFFEE. PHOTO BY MEREDITH PERKINS

sheet into 10 squares with a pizza cutter or knife.

I then spread the danish rectangles on two cookie sheets so each danish has enough room to cook.

After, I combine one stick of softened cream cheese, a teaspoon of vanilla and three tablespoons of sugar with a spatula in a medium bowl.

If you want more cream cheese per danish, I recommend using 1.5 sticks of cream cheese and increasing the vanilla and sugar to taste.

Once the cream cheese mixture is combined, scrape the mixture into a plastic bag and cut a 1-inch hole at the corner to make a DIY-piping bag.

Add cream cheese to the middle of each danish, making sure to leave at least an inch of room at the edges.

If you want to make cinnamon danishes, sprinkle cinnamon on top of half of the danishes or combine cinnamon into your cream cheese.

You could also make pumpkin spice danishes by adding pumpkin pie spice, if you prefer.

After the cheese is added, the danishes are ready to bake. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, switching the two cookie sheets to different racks halfway through to ensure they cook evenly.

If you want to mimic the Starbucks danish texture, wait an hour or so to fully cool before indulging, though I enjoy them hot.

Additional danishes can be stored in airtight Ziploc bags for up to a week.

This recipe makes 10 servings, so you can enjoy these danishes throughout the week or bring them to a holiday party as a special treat!

THIS CHEESE DANISH ONLY REQUIRES SIX INGREDIENTS, SOME OF WHICH ARE PICTURED ABOVE. PHOTO BY MEREDITH PERKINS

perkin16@miamioh.edu

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

Dear Skyline Chili: Give me breakfast or give me death DEVIN ANKENEY OPINION EDITOR I’m an Ohio convert.

My father’s family has lived in the Dayton area for nearly 300 years, but I was the first generation to be born and live outside the Buckeye State.

So, like a moth to a flame, I had to follow the footsteps of the Ankeneys before me and spend some time in Ohio.

I quickly found some local traditions to love.

Skyline Chili is a polarizing cuisine. The less-than run-of-the-mill “chili” doesn’t look or taste anything like the chili I had been used to growing up. Most people are put off by the strange texture of the dish and the decision to put it over a bed of spaghetti.

Not me.

I won’t bore you with the classic ooh-ing and ah-ing over Cincinnati-style chili, but to say that I’m an absolute fanatic, is an understatement. So, when Skyline announced a breakfast menu for its Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky Airport (CVG) location, I was thrilled.

Knowing I had a flight home for Thanksgiving, I eagerly awaited the announcement that the CVG Skyline would be open in time for me to have

SKYLINE CHILI IS A CINCINNATI STAPLE, BUT THE COMPANY IS HOARDING ITS BREAKFAST OFFERINGS AT THE CVG AIRPORT. PHOTO BY DEVIN ANKENEY

a 6 a.m. feast on breakfast chili. After a short interaction with Skyline on X, the app formerly known as Twitter, I was secure in my belief that it would be open.

Then, they confirmed it. Step one: complete.

On the morning of Saturday, Nov. 18, I made my way to my early flight with a massive grin and an empty belly.

I approached the ordering counter of the brand new Skyline, nearly trembling from the suspense, before seeing the array of beautiful options available only at this one Skyline location.

I settled on the “Breakfast Way” and the “Breakfast Coney.”

The former is exactly like Skyline’s regular 3-Way except with hashbrowns instead of spaghetti, and the latter is exactly like a Coney except it uses a sausage instead of a hot dog.

I’ve never eaten a meal faster in my life; I ate so fast I didn’t even have time to grab pictures. The delectable delight was magnificent, and I nearly started licking my plastic tray clean after scooping as much chili and hash browns as I could with the provided fork.

The hash browns were delicious and perfectly spiced — somehow proving a worthy opponent to the traditional spaghetti. The breakfast coney was quite good DEVIN ANKENEY SHOT THEIR SHOT WITH SKYLINE CHILI. too, but didn’t differSKYLINE CHILI RESPONDED. PHOTO BY DEVIN ANKENEY entiate much from the

standard coney.

I spent my entire Thanksgiving break thinking about that Breakfast Way and the hash browns used. I spent many moments pondering the Breakfast Chilito and everything else Skyline had to offer at CVG. To describe with words the extent to which my expectations were exceeded would be journalistic malpractice against the beloved chili chain in a manner that I cannot deem fair.

However, there is one massive, unbelievable, fatal flaw in Skyline’s breakfast offerings.

It isn’t served anywhere outside the CVG airport.

This delicious treat is only sold in the morning hours of the day and only at the airport location of Skyline.

It’s an absolute travesty of justice to not bring this gift from the heavens to those of us not traveling by plane at the correct hours of the day.

I write this as an open letter to my dear Skyline Chili: please, please allow us all some breakfast Skyline at more locations. You need not even change your hours. Simply serve the breakfast offerings during your standard hours. I guarantee many Breakfast Way sales at all hours of the day.

Consider these words as a written manifestation of me begging on my knees, willing to sell my soul to acquire some tantalizing breakfast Skyline outside the grip of needing to have a flight before 10:30 a.m.

I am not alone in this desire. The writers at The Miami Student want this. The people of Oxford want this.

The whole of Greater Cincinnati wants this. We need it.

You, alone, can deliver.

Signed, Devin Ankeney, Opinion Editor Luke Macy, Digital Managing Editor Reece Hollowell, Entertainment & Audio Editor ankenedw@miamioh.edu

Gobbler opens to long waits and high-priced food CONTINUED FROM FRONT The chicken was cooked very well, and the fried pickle was a surprisingly good touch to the sandwich, but I was a little disappointed that my pretzel bun was slightly burnt, ruining a little bit of the flavor of the sandwich. For the $10 price of this sandwich, I was pleased with how much food I received.

Next, I tried a Gobbler chicken sandwich, a fried chicken sandwich topped with lettuce, Gobbler sauce, and once again a fried pickle, all served on a pretzel bun. I ordered this as a combo meal, so I also received a side of mashed potatoes. The fried chicken was very crispy, and the pretzel bun was not as overcooked as my previous sandwich.

I was very pleased with the mashed potatoes as they were creamy and very flavorful. I wouldn’t typically order mashed potatoes at a restaurant of this style, but these did not disappoint and paired wonderfully with my chicken sandwich.

Finally, I tried two different orders of chicken strips, known as the Gobbler chicken strip combo, so I could try different sides. My first order of chicken tenders came with tater tots

and green beans. The chicken tenders were a little too tender for my liking and not very crispy, but the chicken inside was very juicy.

Although they were cooked well, my tater tots did come out cold, which made them slightly unappealing. The green beans were packed tightly in a plastic container and cold, which also made them slightly unappealing.

I would not recommend these two sides.

With my next order of chicken tenders, I ordered a side of fries, which may have been one of my favorite things at Gobbler. This is a big statement as many fries taste the same, but these fries were the perfect amount of soft, while still maintaining the potato flavor.

I usually dip my fries in ketchup, but the ketchup I ordered turned out to be very thin buffalo sauce, thus I ended up dipping my fries in the Gobbler Sauce.

Both of these chicken tender combo meals were $12, which for two chicken tenders and sides, seemed a little outrageous to me.

Because Gobbler was filled with new customers, I had the chance to get the opinions of Miami University

THE HEALTHY HEN. PHOTO BY KAITLIN MCDOWELL

students as well.

“The temperature of my food was cold when I got it, and they need a better food pickup system, to avoid the long wait,” Julia Stemple, a primary education major, said. “My green beans were also too soft and mushy.”

Other students had good things to say about the food quality.

“The chicken was very juicy, and I was happy with the amount of food I received for the high price,” Mary Spurgeon, a social work major, said.

Gobbler will be open every day from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Its food is available for delivery through Oxford to You, and students can find Gobbler’s menu on its website. Unfortunately, the website does not advertise nearly half of the foods found on the menu board in-person.

All in all, Gobbler is a good addition to Oxford’s food scene, as Uptown is currently populated with a multitude of Chinese restaurants and American-style joints. I’m excited to see this restaurant grow and hopefully improve their service.

Rating: 6/10 mcdowekr@miamioh.edu

GOBBLER CHICKEN SANDWICH WITH A SIDE OF MASHED POTATOES. PHOTO BY KAITLIN MCDOWELL

LOCAL RESIDENTS AND STUDENTS ALIKE FLOCKED TO GOBBLER SOON AFTER IT OPENED. PHOTO BY KAITLIN MCDOWELL

GOBBLER’S MENU IS EXPANSIVE, BUT SOME OPTIONS AREN’T AVAILABLE ON MOBILE ORDER. PHOTO BY KAITLIN MCDOWELL

CHICKEN STRIPS WITH A SIDE OF TATER TOTS AND GREEN BEANS. PHOTO BY KAITLIN MCDOWELL

CHICKEN STRIPS WITH A SIDE OF FRIES. PHOTO BY KAITLIN MCDOWELL

humor My Official Nice-List Application CONNOR OVIATT STAFF WRITER This may come as a complete surprise to everyone, but I was not a perfect angel growing up. I’m still not. Despite being on the nice list for the first 18 years of my life, my run of niceness ended last year, when I received a lump of coal from Santa Claus.

Over the past year, I have intensely reflected on why this occurred. I have realized the error of my ways and set out to correct them. So, I have created a little apology list in hopes that I can show my remorse. I have decided to apologize for the ten worst things that I have done in my life and show why I deserve a spot on the nice list.

Dear Santa, I am sorry for convincing Timmy Jones that eating Purell hand sani-

tizer would turn him into Spiderman.

Timmy idolized Spiderman, and I should have known that he would do anything to turn into him. I didn’t think he would end up in the hospital - if anything, I thought it would make him more clean (he had really bad breath).

I also apologize for clogging all of the school toilets with homemade bricks and then blaming it on Ivy Sanchez. Mixing in the manure from the neighbors’ cows was particularly cruel. I do truly feel bad that Ivy got expelled and her parents disowned her — however, she is currently a successful Roblox streamer, so I think it’s all good now.

Since I’m on my apology tour, I’m also sorry that I convinced my brother I could help him teleport into an Animal Crossing video game, biking him to the zoo (he was blindfolded in

a wagon), and then dropping him into the tiger exhibit. I convinced the police that it was an accident, but it really wasn’t. I could have really gotten hurt, and it was a mistake. Oh, and he probably could’ve gotten hurt too.

I also want to repent for beating up the little girl who got the last set of “My Little Pony” figures I wanted last year. I really wanted the limited edition Scootaloo figure that was in that pack. I know that the video of the fight led to the downfall of Toys R Us and that the little girl is still probably terrified of college kids. If it helps, I donated the other three figures to Toys for Tots this week.

I am sorry for releasing 100 “Axe bombs” on my last day of middle school, causing the school to catch on fire. This was incredibly cliche, not funny and made a bunch of students smell horrible for a week.

I also have to confess to catfishing Richard Harris and then blackmailing him into doing my homework in English class. I’m sure that this apology letter would be of much higher quality if I hadn’t cheated.

I apologize for spiking the hot chocolate at football games, causing multiple students to pass out and get expelled. I know that the school now uses breathalyzers for all of the students before games, but there’s really no need.

I regret lying in my college essay about the time my brother’s best friend’s cousin’s aunt’s roommate’s dog cut open its paw. I know I made myself sound heroic when I talked about carrying the dog two miles uphill (both ways) through the snow, on the way to the vet. I probably wouldn’t be in college if I didn’t make that story up.

13 FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

Please forgive me for going into New Bar, finding a naive group of freshmen, and convincing them that there was buried treasure at the bottom of the Western pond that could only be found after completing a ritual on the roof of Farmer. I didn’t think a group of 18-year-olds would believe that story, but I guess we can see the results of a 90% acceptance rate.

Lastly, I am sorry for having absolutely no remorse for anything I listed above. I find each of these instances comically funny, so I am using them for content. I know I deserve to be on the naughty list, but I ask that instead of coal, you give me a copy of the movie “Cats” (that would truly be torture).

Sincerely, Connor Oviatt oviattcc@miamioh.edu

A fowl morning: Journal entry from Liberty, of this year’s presidential pardoned turkeys MICHAEL PATTEE STAFF WRITER Dear Diary, Today, I, Liberty Turkey, received a pardon from President Biden. It has been a rather eventful, and quite frankly traumatic day. It started out normal. I vlogged “Day 87 of trying to fly” on TurkeyTube and InstaFowl, and gobbled up my breakfast. Afterward, I plucked a few of my feathers that just wouldn’t unruffle (I had to look my best for Sleepy Joe).

After plucking those feathers, all my farm-mates were herded out of our enclosure and into the field where

we saw a line of black limousines and people with cameras starting to record and take photos. There was even someone talking into a funny-looking stick with a fuzzy top, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. It seemed like chicken scratch to me.

Slowly, after the president addressed the people with the fuzzytopped black stick thing, he walked over and pointed at me and another turkey on the other side of the field.

At that point, one of the herders started walking up to me. Personally, I never liked this herder as he had an ugly “mustache” that was really more like five hairs and a chocolate milk

stain. Not to mention he always wore shorts, even if it was 40 degrees and windy!

Anyway, I wanted to give him a bit of a hard time, so I started to run away. After about five seconds of running and vigorous flapping, I realized I really should’ve been laying off all that turkey feed, and I decided to give it up. But then to my surprise, the “mustache” man picked me up! I was about to remove one of his prized facial hairs, but then I realized I was being carried toward the president.

All of a sudden, these cameras were being pointed in my direction, and I was suddenly very glad I’d plucked

those feathers earlier today.

The president ended up talking some more, and after he finished, he started to walk away towards a tractor, mistaking it for his limo. In a surprising twist, one of his staff members redirected him towards the limo.

I mean, talk about a plot twist.

Once the people with the furry sticks and cameras left, they put me and some other turkey named Bell into this big cage and put us on an airplane. I was incredibly distraught because the place the cage was put in didn’t have any windows, meaning I couldn’t show everyone following along with my vlogs that I finally was

flying.

I tried to get some sleep while Bell gobbled on and on about how she was stuffed from breakfast. After waking up, I realized that we’d landed. Our crate was being carried out, and I saw that I was being carried to what looked like a retirement home! Like are you kidding me?!

So now it’s just Bell and I. There are a few other old geysers here, but all of my friends are gone. It’s been a rough one.

Until Next Time, Liberty patteemj@miamioh.edu

Top gifts I received at Christmas KATIE WHITEHEAD THE MIAMI STUDENT In honor of reviving the holiday spirit (and creating a Christmas list for that super rich Great Aunt that spoils me, even though I haven’t seen her in years), here’s a list of the top 3 Christmas gifts I’ve ever received: Animal Crossing: New Horizons Just like everyone else in the 2020 quarantine era who had absolutely nothing to do in their house except stare blankly at their wall, I, of course, wanted to cave in on the trend of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

If you don’t know what that is, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is, first of all, get a life, second of all, screw you, and third of all, allow me to enlighten you. In this video game, you are the mayor of your own virtual island. You use iron nuggets and clay to build houses and buildings such as grocery shops, clothing stores and a

museum to serve the cute animal villagers of your town.

Of course, when I got the game, I immediately locked myself in my room and played it while my teachers struggled to get their Zoom classes working.

I’d spend about 14 hours a day on the game, repeatedly digging up dirt to build cute little decorations around the island that actually just ended up looking like a big, unthemed mess.

However, my random decorating helped me avoid paying off my loans to Tom Nook and avoiding interacting with any “ugly” villagers.

In addition to the lack of loan payment, I would also spend any ounce of money I received on hot tubs because why not. Even if I have debt, at least I had a hot tub. At this moment, I learned that I shouldn’t be left alone with a credit card.

This game taught me many important life lessons that I continue to use today as an almost 20-year-old college student. These include but

are not limited to, how to ignore taxes, how to avoid getting scammed by con artists and that if you ever want someone to leave you alone, just hit them repeatedly with a net. Works every time.

The iconic pink 2011 Barbie Dreamhouse I will never forget the Christmas morning of 2011. Santa brought me a Barbie Dreamhouse. I babbled on and on about how much I needed this dreamhouse because my Barbies needed somewhere to live.

I had the old Barbie Dreamhouse.

You know, the one with the slide that would break 24/7 and had no doors.

Yep, that’s the one.

The minute I got that Barbie house, I took my Barbie’s off of my bedroom floor where they once slept and moved them into the house faster than any realtor on “House Hunters” ever could. The house itself was so great that I literally defied physics when I played with it.

There were no stairs in the house.

For some reason, Interior Designer Barbie really fancied slides, so my Barbies would have to either climb up the slide or magically float to get up and down to where they needed to go. I would also magically spawn cars into the house, and the Barbie’s could enjoy random other dolls spawning into their hot tub for no reason.

It was truly paradise.

For the Barbies at least.

My Kens remained constantly butt naked in the Barbie Dreamhouse hot tub, untouched except for if I wanted to make them dance “Magic Mike” style in the middle of the kitchen for no reason at all.

I hope they know they’re Kenough, and I hope they were able to see the Barbie movie (fully clothed of course).

My hoverboard from 2016 Ah, 2016. How I will never forget you and the stupid things you made trendy for some reason. Just like every other kid at the time that grew up watching random YouTubers drive with these things in the middle of the

street, I of course, was surprised and joyful to receive a hoverboard.

I rode it around the house 24/7 in my fluffy pajama pants, gliding around everywhere I could, while my family happily ate their dinner, and my dog was barking at every noise the board made.

My hoverboard era didn’t take long to end. Because two weeks after I had gotten the board, the battery died, and I had lost it.

I never knew what happened to the board. Maybe I’ll find it during holiday cleaning.

Who knows?

Of course, the best gift I’ve ever received is love (cheesy I know). My family and friends always show their love for me every day and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

From me and all of the humor section, Happy Holidays and spend your gift money wisely!

The Miami Student Holiday Wishlist THE MIAMI STUDENT EDITORIAL STAFF

Kethan, Asst. Sports Editor - To get my name pronounced correctly on the first try from people.

Sean and Luke, Editor-In-Chief and Digital Managing Editor - We want the data section to Teddy and Patrick, Co-Humor Editors - To not return and for the AP Stylebook to update its be cut from print editions. rules about numerals. And we want jobs.

Sam, GreenHawks Editor - I want snow. Screw Alice, Print Managing Editor - I want the AP you global warming.

Style book to adopt the Oxford comma (please, I’m begging).

Devin, Opinion Editor - Breakfast Skyline at more locations.

Reagan, Senior C&C Editor - For my family to stop asking me what I’m doing after college. I Jake, Photo Editor - Unlimited film for my camfeel like Dustin Hoffman in “The Graduate” — eras. minus the affair with an older woman.

Sarah, Senior Staff Photographer - A new camTaylor, C&C Editor - I want the Oxford comma era. I am begging, my girly is holding on for to be banned from the English language. dear life.

Kasey, C&C Editor - I want The Miami Stu- Jessica, Senior Staff Photographer - For football dent to stop using my townieness against me. players to stop trampling me when I’m photographing games.

Livi, Asst. C&C Editor - To stop getting recognized solely for my podcast (I’ve done other cool Macey, Design Editor - Free Adobe Creative things, too).

Cloud for life. I’m not making enough money after I graduate to be paying for this shit.

Megan, Asst, C&C Editor - One more year with TMS. Hannah, Asst. Design Editor - Please, more designers for next year so I’m not so lonely.

Reece, Entertainment Editor - For Hollywood to treat the people who make movies like peo- Erin, Asst. Design Editor - A new (refreshed) ple and not disposable pieces of meat. Also the TMS production playlist.

Fortnite section.

Kaitlin, Food Editor - More food writers.

Chloe, Asst. Entertainment Editor - For Sean to allow The Miami Student Fortnite section to Claudia, Social Media Manager - For X to come to fruition. change its name back to Twitter.

whitehke@miamioh.edu

14

Opinion

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

Gym culture is a good thing and we should embrace it

80 people and pink stuff: A not-so-typical Thanksgiving GINA ROTH THE MIAMI STUDENT

GRAPHIC BY ERIN MCGOVERN

TEDDY JOHNSON CO-HUMOR EDITOR With YouTube celebrity Sam Sulek rising in popularity, so too has fitness. Fitness influencing and gym culture have gained popularity too, and it’s a good thing. You should embrace it.

My first year of college, I was a really skinny kid — like, frighteningly skinny. 5’7, 130 pounds of stretched skin and bones. I still worked out and was still in good shape, but I never made any progress. All I did was run and do bodyweight exercises, all without eating enough food.

My energy, mental health, confidence and view of my body were at an all-time low.

I did that for two years.

But, like many gym rats, I got hurt by someone. That flipped a switch in my head.

I switched to lifting heavy metal objects and fully embracing my gym rat side. Now, I am a 170-pound, confident junior college student in the best physical and mental shape of my life.

Going to the gym changes lives. Take a look at some of the influencers at our school: Gabby Hayes, Raj and Roh, Javuan Robinson and Sam Sulek.

Some of their pages have pictures of them from two years ago. Often, the old versions of themselves look unrecognizable.

So let them use cameras to take pictures in the gym. Let people record themselves. They worked their ass off to get where they are now.

They have every right.

I have been to Miami University’s Recreation Center countless times, and I get it. The Rec is super crowded, but the cameras hardly take up any space. The people using cameras are space-conscious. They understand the gym is crowded and would be fine moving it. Talk to one of these influencers — they are cool people.

The content they are making inspires others to take up weightlifting, too. The number of high school students going to the Rec now can be annoying, but they all want to lift because they saw a Sam Sulek video or some other influencer’s content that inspired them.

This is good. We need more people to go to the gym.

According to the CDC, only 24.2% of American adults aged 18 and over met the Physical Activity Guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening

activity.

These guidelines call for 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity (e.g. walking) a week and strength training focused on major muscle groups two times a week.

Let’s say this takes five hours a week. 75.8% of Americans don’t have five hours each week to work out, despite the fact that people who work out have a reduced mortality rate by 21%.

But we have time to spend hours scrolling through TikTok, binge-watching a show or finishing that last piece of homework due ages ago.

If you say you don’t have time to go to the gym or workout, you may not realize how much time you can save by avoiding binging activities.

Don’t want to go to the gym though because of the crowds? Okay, I got you.

If you want to hit legs, do 100 air squats and 100 lunges.

Want to get a bigger chest? Do 200 pushups.

Need your lungs to get back to where they used to be before smoking drunk cigarettes on the Brick Street patio? Go run outside.

Everyone wants abs. Try planking for five minutes with minimal breaks to get the abs you always wanted.

Or, you could go to the gym in the morning when no one is there.

We should be proud to go to a school where healthy habits like going to the gym regularly are embraced.

You don’t need a gym to work out, but I hope that after working out at home for a while, you will want to go to the gym because it can be a life-changing place.

I never considered my mom’s side of the family, the Logans, as unconventional. I never thought Thanksgiving with the Logans was strange.

When I was little, all I cared about at dinner was scarfing down pink stuff — a whipped cream, strawberry and jello concoction created in the depths of the Midwest — and playing Guitar Hero on my cousin’s PlayStation.

It was my own little tradition, just one in the sea of tradition intertwined with the day.

My Nana’s farm, where my Thanksgiving dinner is held every year, is in a tiny town — not even big enough for a stoplight. Younger me thought I was related to everyone living there because everyone at the church seemed to be an aunt, uncle or cousin.

Every time I visited the farm, my family consumed me, and Thanksgiving was no different.

Our gathering was always ginormous. When I was younger, I didn’t even grasp how many people were there. They just swarmed around me.

We would wake up the morning of Thanksgiving, my Nana’s and the surrounding family houses filled to the brim with relatives, to run the “Turkey Ramble.” This is like your average turkey trot, except it’s populated only by people attending the Logan Thanksgiving dinner later that day.

The racers would start at my great grandmother’s old house and run, or walk, the mile to my nana’s, where shots of Fireball and Irish cream liquor were waiting.

Then it’s time to cook. Every oven in the vicinity was used. My aunt roasted squash at the church. My cousins cooked and mashed the potatoes they had peeled all night before. Someone would mysteriously produce the pink stuff.

Next, we would dress in the stretchiest formal attire we had and head to my great aunt’s, where all of our food, along with assigned seats, would be waiting for us.

I never thought it was weird that we had three different dining room tables with turkeys on each end. I never thought our dessert table with dozens of pies, precariously stacked cakes and chocolate eclairs were out of the ordinary.

I didn’t even think it was weird that we stood up and sang before we ate every year.

Then I grew up, and people started telling me it was weird.

“What do you mean you have 80 people at Thanksgiving this year?”

I didn’t think it was that many.

“What do you mean you eat pink stuff?”

I don’t know. It’s delicious. I don’t ask questions.

I began to think: “Huh, maybe this is weird.”

But so what if it is? Of course, my college-educated farming family with solar panels and Obama campaign slogans on their barns are a little unconventional. It’s not what most people expect. Why should our Thanksgiving be any different?

So, come November when I’m putting on my Sunday best to sing in a house filled with almost as many people as my high school, a third of whom with names I don’t even know, I’m not thinking about how weird my situation is.

I’m thinking about how excited I am to eat. rothra2@miamioh.edu

Gina Roth is a third-year student majoring in journalism and individualized studies. This is her first year writing for the student. She likes writing stories that make people think.

john1595@miamioh.edu

Teddy Johnson is a junior majoring in sports communications and media from Bloomington, Illinois.

He has been writing for The Miami Student for almost three years, serving as Co-Humor Editor and is contributing to multiple sections.

GRAPHIC BY MACEY CHAMBERLIN

Seasons change, and I’m ecstatic about it

ABBEY ELIZONDO SENIOR STAFF WRITER As we shift out of fall and into the winter season, it’s made me reflect on

lege students, we know that already.

I’d rather talk about how excited I am to move with the changes.

Winter break is a favorite of mine, and I hope to savor my last one.

Spending time at home, cuddling with my cats and cooking my favorite meals with my family are just a few things I am looking forward to in the coming weeks.

I also have a winter internship, giving me time to gain professional experience and make connections in my career industries of interest. Trust me, this was long-fought, so if you have yet to get an internship at any point in your college career — we’ve all been there.

While these may not seem like big changes, they will be the last time I’m prepping for an upcoming semester.

GRAPHIC BY ALICE MOMANY I don’t want to speak for all of the seniors who were here during the COVID-19 year, but I dreaded coming back to GRAPHIC BY HANNAH POTTS campus during the first two years with all the my time here at Miami University.

I’m ending my last fall semester and uncertainty and change on campus. going into my last spring semester. Would we wear masks? Would I have I won’t say anything like “it goes by any in-person classes? Would Miami faster than you think” because as col- require the vaccine? When would col-

lege life return back to “normal” for us?

Now, I’m excited for the change rather than dreading the first few weeks of the semester. I can take some fun classes after finishing almost all of my required credits for my majors and minor. I can continue networking and begin to apply for jobs after graduation. I can savor my last few months with the friends I’ve made here at Miami before we have to say our last “goodbyes.”

But I’m also excited for my life to slow down after a busy and difficult semester. I live in a relatively small town where everything is local and within walking distance, but I can also drive 10 minutes to get to downtown Columbus.

Old memories with friends from my high school will flood back into my mind and force me to follow trekked paths to their houses as if time stopped, waiting for our return home.

The holiday season is a big reason people like to celebrate during winter break, but I want to tune out the marketing and consumerism for a bit. Instead, I would rather focus on my favorite holiday season traditions.

The best memories I have are watching holiday movies like the live-action “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and “Home Alone.” After watching

it so many times as a kid, I have some of the scenes from The Grinch practically memorized.

I can’t wait until I can see my grandma and take her out to lunch, or see my family at Christmas when we exchange gifts and smiles. I want to savor the time I have with my cats as well, knowing I’ll be the main human in the house after their long drought because my parents work all week.

These times are precious to me: times that feel less important in the summer months when everyone is on vacation or working their job or interning.

If you’re worried about this winter term — whether you’re a senior, are taking classes or have a job — try and appreciate the time you have once you’re home or finally done with exams and projects. This time is meant for a break to bring balance back to your life. elizonar@miamioh.edu

Abbey Elizondo is a senior double-majoring in professional and creative writing, with a minor in digital marketing.

She has been with The Student for a little more than two years and is a senior staff writer.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

15

How many journalists does it take to change a tire?

REECE HOLLOWELL ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Cars are a lot like people: I don’t really understand them.

When things are going fine with my car, it’s easy to coast along and tell myself I’m doing a good job, even if I’m not quite sure what’s going on under the hood. In fact, I like driving,

I volunteered to drive, so we piled into my 2002 Honda Accord, and I started navigating toward Uptown.

As I drove, I could tell something felt off about my car, but I didn’t know what.

None of my dash lights were on, so I wrote it off as the roads just being a little rough.

We pulled up to a stop sign, and a couple walking by turned and looked at my car.

One of them pointed at the tires, and it quickly became apparent where the problem was. Sure enough, when we parked and I investigated further, my back-passenger tire was completely flat.

So, to deal with this GRAPHIC BY JOSIE ZIMMERMAN problem, we walked away and went to get food.

As I sat in the restaurant, I tried to think through all the GRAPHIC BY HANNAH POTTS possible solutions. I and do it enough that I feel comfortcould call a tow truck, but able driving in pretty much any con- it was a Sunday evening and most dition. places would be closed. I could drive But when any problems arise, that it to a mechanic to be fixed the next comfort flies out the window. day, but I wanted to avoid driving That’s exactly what happened on the flat tire as much as possible. I a few weeks ago as Opinion Editor could change it out for my spare, but I Devin Ankeney, Digital Managing had no idea how to do that.

Editor Luke Macy, and I left the The last time I needed to change newsroom to indulge in our favorite a tire, someone who knew what they Ohio delight — Skyline Chili. were doing helped me through the

entire process. That was about two years ago, and by this point, I had forgotten much of what to do.

Like I said, I understand cars as much as I understand people, so I was surprised when Devin and Luke volunteered to help me change the tire.

For much of my life, I have felt like a burden on the people around me. I have trouble asking for help because I don’t want to bring any more stress than someone is already dealing with.

Plus, that night was the perfect excuse for an understandable decline; it was cold, dark, raining, and they had already made plans to binge a short series prior to getting dinner.

And yet despite all this, they still offered to help me.

Once we wrapped up eating, we went back to the car and began the lengthy process of trying to figure out how to replace the tire. After an hour of sorting through tools, fumbling through the car’s user manual and raising the car … then lowering it … then raising it again, the spare was attached and the flat tossed in the trunk.

Despite the labor-intensive job that none of us really knew how to do correctly, plus the added environmental pressures, everyone managed to keep their spirits high. Devin and Luke were constantly cracking jokes, singing, playing music and just generally making the hour fly by.

It wasn’t until I finally arrived home that it sunk in what the whole evening had meant to me.

My friends had, without flaking or complaining, helped me change a tire in the dark, cold rain.

As much as I care about my

friends, I also always worry that I’m on the periphery of our friendship, that I’m disposable. Having experienced what it’s like to be left out of things constantly in previous friend groups, or having people drop plans or never show up, I’m often on guard and ready for it to happen again.

When I needed them most, Devin and Luke stepped up and helped me out. I’m not sure I could ask for better friends than that.

While my tire may be patched back up and (hopefully) won’t give me any problems in the near future, if it does I hope Devin and Luke are with me. Maybe this time it’ll take us less than 30 minutes to remember the car comes with a user manual. hollowrr@miamioh.edu

Reece Hollowell is a senior double-majoring in journalism and professional writing from Oxford, Ohio. He has been with The Student for almost two years, and is currently the Entertainment Editor and Audio Editor.

Stop calling it ‘Christmas break’ SASHA KAPINOS THE MIAMI STUDENT As December approaches, the holiday season dawns upon us, and many families prepare for massive feasts, yearly reunions and gift shopping.

When we drive down our streets, we see houses lined with sparkling Christmas lights, pine trees and statues of old Saint Nick. But what about the people who don’t celebrate Christmas?

It is important to remember that America is a melting pot of different cultures and traditions, and while they’re often forgotten, holidays such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa are still celebrated by many Americans.

Also, for many people, Christmas is an emotionally taxing time of year that could be characterized by single-parent households, estranged relatives, divorced parents and many more “non-traditional” family dynamics.

When living in a diverse country and community, it’s important to understand that Christmas is not the all-encompassing event of the holiday season.

As an American belonging to a Russian-Jewish heritage, I participate in many traditions other than Christmas. For example, every December, my family and I celebrate Hanukkah.

Hanukkah is a celebration lasting eight days in early to mid-December characterized by lighting a menorah,

eating traditional foods and listening to traditional Jewish music. For me, Hanukkah consists of getting together with my community, lighting the menorah and eating donuts, latkes and drinking hot chocolate.

Contrary to popular belief, many Jewish families, including mine, actually do celebrate Christmas in their own traditional ways.

In fact, it’s very common for Jewish-Americans to gather together on Christmas Eve to drive around and admire houses with extravagant lights and decorations and then come together to eat at a Chinese restaurant.

Another interesting tradition shared by mine and other Russian families is the Russian New Year.

Many Russian Americans celebrate the New Year with grand meals composed of cultural Russian food and gift-giving.

Many don’t understand the significance of celebrating the New Year because most people view it as more of a party than a traditional holiday.

But for me, it has been the one day a year when I get to see my extended family and receive the gifts I’ve been wanting for months.

However, in my experiences with Christmas, it’s always been an alienating time — seeing all my friends reconnect with their families and distant relatives and receive an exuberant amount of presents from Santa.

For a long time, I wished that I could celebrate Christmas. Only recently it dawned on me that I do

celebrate the holiday, just in my own way which, in many ways, still makes me feel left out when I notice my friends talking about the Elf on the Shelf or leaving cookies out for Santa.

Even for those celebrating Christmas, it can be tougher for some than others. Many children of divorced families must split up their time between their two parents: two parties, two sets of gifts and double the driving.

Also, factors such as losing a loved one can make Christmas even more difficult. It’s hard to celebrate such a family-orientated holiday knowing that a loved one is no longer with you, and you can no longer enjoy something you both shared.

Christmas is not always the easy-going, light-hearted holiday it’s cut out to be, especially when it comes to difficult family dynamics and deceased loved ones. This joyous holiday loses its Christmas joy and spark and can become an event that some would rather avoid. Yet still, this time of year can still be one of great celebration and joy.

So, whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or nothing at all, this holiday season is the perfect time to get together with friends, family and loved ones. This time is about cherishing the people in your life no matter which holiday you celebrate.

GRAPHIC BY MACEY CHAMBERLIN

Sasha Kapinos is a first-year psychology major with a minor in Spanish from Cleveland, Ohio. She is a contributor to the opinion section of The Student.

kapinoav@miamioh.edu

The end of a chapter didn’t understand why I spent my Friday nights cooped up in my dorm room, finishing a story for the school newspaper.

But ever since I joined student media in high school, I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. I was meant to be a writer. A reporter. A journalist.

And when I walked into the newsroom for the very first time, I realized other people felt the same way. Everyone there was just as, if not more, passionate about journalism than I was, and it was refreshing to have something in common to share.

Over the next several years, we would spend Wednesday nights putting the paper together, Sunday afternoons planning upcoming content and weekends celebrating. I couldn’t remember a time when I wasn’t scheduling three interviews a week, or waking up with the sun to finish an article before its deadline.

The newspaper quickly consumed all of my free time, but I didn’t mind.

It felt like it was what I was meant to do.

Now, that chapter is coming to an end, and it’s time to say goodbye to my name in printed ink. To the friends I have made at The Student.

To the newsroom. Even though it’s sad, I know this goodbye marks a new chapter in my life and an opportunity to explore new passions.

Being a part of this incredible organization and community has given me so much, and I am forever grateful. It sounds cheesy, and maybe it is, but The Student has brought me a forever best friend, a network of incredibly talented writers and a lifetime’s worth of memories.

I’ll hold onto those things for as long as I can. Thank you for the best three and a half years. ankenedw@miamioh.edu

MEGAN MCCONNELL, A DEVOTED MEMBER OF THE STUDENT, IS GRADUATING FALL 2024. PHOTO BY JAKE RUFFER

MEGAN MCCONNELL ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR I joined The Miami Student before I ever stepped foot on campus as a first-year. Before I ever moved out of my childhood bedroom into an empty dorm room across the country.

Before I ever sat in my first classroom in McGuffey Hall for an introductory journalism course.

I had talked with several professors about The Student during my first tour. But when I logged onto a Zoom meeting one random day in August, I didn’t realize the handful of first-year students who greeted me would be-

come so much more than my classmates over the next three and a half years.

It was hard as a first-year during the pandemic to make friends and fit in. I never saw a soul roaming the halls of Brandon Hall, and almost every seat in class was vacant. The friends that I did manage to make

Megan McConnell is a senior double-majoring in journalism and psychology from Leawood, Kansas. She has worked at The Student for nearly three and a half years and has held several editorial positions. Currently, she serves as an Assistant Campus & Community Editor.

16

Photo

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2023

Walter E Havighurst Special Collections SARAH FROSCH SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Located on the third floor of King Library is the Walter Havighurst Special Collections library, home to anything from historical documents, sheet music, rare books and photography, to a lock of Abraham Lincoln’s hair.

“We have the gamut, so we really help everybody across campus,” said Jacqueline Johnson, an archivist with the special collections department.

The archives are available for professors to access so that many primary source documents can be brought into the classroom for students. Thanks to the digitization efforts of people like Alia Levar Wegner, Miami’s digital collections librarian, the university is able to produce roughly 30,000 images every year for digital access, with viewers located all over the world.

“We have around 40,000 users of our digital collections a month,” Levar Wegner said.

“Our digital collections have more use, more hits than even our library homepage.”

The collection’s particularly rare pieces draw an audience from those outside the Mi-

ami University community according to Levar Wegner.

While Shakespeare folios, collections of the playwright’s work, may be somewhat common, more recently printed works, such as two sets of children’s literature printed in Japan’s internment camps during World War I, have a higher value as the only editions in the United States.

While student-curated exhibitions often feature themes of sexuality and race, the librarians maintain an archive of over 14,000 physical pieces across a wide range of topics, each meticulously cleaned, repaired and preserved.

Eric Harrelson, preservation and conservation librarian, works to maintain the collection, battling the wear and tear of items in the collection.

“It is really important to maintain that primary source material as accessible for researchers,” Harrelson said. “... I try to ensure that we can maintain access, maintain the ability for researchers to use the material and to access the material that is old.” froschse@miamioh.edu

IN ADDITION TO WRITTEN WORK, THE ARCHIVES ARE HOME TO HISTORICAL OBJECTS SUCH AS BICYCLES, DOORS AND CHESTS. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH

SPECIAL COLLECTIONS MAINTAINS A VARIETY OF PROPAGANDA POSTERS USED AT DIFFERENT TIMES OF CONFLICT AND FROM MANY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND POLITICAL PARTIES. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH

IN ADDITION TO MORE CLASSICAL TEXTS, THE SPECIAL COLLECTIONS ALSO PRESERVE CHILDREN’S LITERATURE, SUCH A COPY OF THE WIZARD OF OZ POPUP BOOK. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH

ERIC HARRELSON, PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION LIBRARIAN, IS PART OF A TEAM THAT ASSESSES AND REPAIRS EACH ARTIFACT AS IT IS COLLECTED. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH

THE COLLECTION HOSTS A FIFTEENTH CENTURY ILLUSTRATED PRAYER BOOK, ALSO KNOWN AS A BOOK OF HOURS, WHICH WAS FREQUENTLY USED IN CHRISTIAN WORSHIP PRACTICES. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH

THE STUDENT-CURATED EXHIBITION INCLUDES DESCRIPTIONS OF EACH WORK ALONGSIDE THE ORIGINAL TEXT. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH

OVERSIZED FOLIOS HAVE THEIR OWN SECTION IN THE ARCHIVES, SPANNING SEVERAL ROWS OF SHELVING. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH

STUDENT CURATORS HAVE CREATED AN EXHIBITION OF POETRY AT MIAMI FROM 1827 TO PRESENT DAY. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH