The Miami Student | September 29, 2023

‘This is absolutely heartbreaking’:

Miami considers eliminating majors in the humanities

Water-gate: How Miami keeps the grass — and sidewalks — watered

SADIE CHILDS

THE MIAMI STUDENT

If you’ve walked through Miami University’s campus early in the morning or late at night, chances are you’ve seen an unsuspecting student getting doused in water from the sprinkler system. Most of the Miami campus has witnessed the sprinkler system in action, working hard to keep our lawns and sidewalks watered.

Miami has roughly 2,500 acres of grounds, much of which consists of grass in between various walkways and buildings, and these acres need to be maintained through irrigation. Cody Powell, the associate vice president of facilities planning and operations, said the upkeep of these spaces helps them “achieve a certain experience.”

Two weeks before the frst day of class at Miami University, Latin American studies (LAS) professor Elena Jackson Albarrán opened an email to see a PDF titled “Opportunities for low-enrolled undergraduate programs.”

As she read it, she knew her semester would be an uphill battle.

The document, “Opportunities,” delivered a message of required changes for low-enrolled majors in the face of elimination. It presented four options for these programs — ranging from a focus on minors to combining with other majors — to continue to be a part of Miami, with a deadline of December to decide on a plan.

“Opportunities” is topped with a message that sums up Miami’s f-

nancial situation which has trickled down to multiple departments.

“Miami University is facing unprecedented fscal, societal and political challenges that are prompting very difcult decisions about our curriculum,” the document read. “Tragically, we no longer have the resources to support the current portfolio of academic programs, particularly our lowest-enrolled degree programs or majors.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

On most of Miami’s promotional material, there is some variation of pictures of the well-manicured, healthy, green lawns that make up the campus. Without the sprinkler system during times of drought and especially dry summers, Miami’s campus would not look the same.

However, this also leads to some issues for the student body when these sprinklers end up watering the sidewalks.

Laura Zipes, a junior majoring in history and middle childhood education, frequently gets caught in the crossfre of Miami’s lawn maintenance on Central Quad.

“I think the grass looks great and Miami prides itself on its awesome landscape,” Zipes said. “But it is a little annoying to have to walk past and be drenched every time I go to my hall.”

KATIE WHITEHEAD THE MIAMI STUDENT

The streets of Oxford are fooded with Miami University students left and right frolicking over academic quad, avoiding the Seal. The dining halls are full of friends and strangers alike eating together. The study rooms of Armstrong Student Center are fully occupied with groups and individuals, laptops and books in hand.

This can only mean one thing: Class is back in session.

Unfortunately, this means studying is back as well. But not all students use studying as a silent and grim time. Plenty of students enjoy listening to music while they study in order to improve focus, accuracy and precision on their exam scores.

The beneft of study music Research shows that listening to music while studying is proven

JON SCHOOLEY THE MIAMI STUDENT

In the world of sports, adversity is an inevitable opponent. Athletes will face many challenges that test their physical and mental strength.

For Sam Vaughan, the ultimate test came in the form of a devastating injury.

Vaughan is a junior ofensive lineman for the RedHawks. The 6-foot-7, 297 pounder started at ofensive tackle for the season opener against Kentucky in 2022. Within minutes of the opening drive, Vaughan went down with a torn ACL. The whole ofseason of hardwork and dedication with his teammates was stripped away from him in sec-

to assist students’ memory of academic material, increase focus, help students relax and motivate them to complete their work. This theory is known as “The Mozart Efect,” adopted from a study by Dr. Gordon Shaw. While all of us

onds, and he would go on to miss the remainder of the season.

This injury would be enough to break the spirits of many athletes, but not Vaughan. He wasted no time and started working toward his return. Road to recovery

Sam's injury was a moment that would change the course of his career. The torn ACL required immediate reconstructive surgery and a long recovery process, with a typical healing period ranging from nine to 12 months.

“It was a little scary at frst, not knowing when you will be able to play next,” Vaughan said. James Patton, Miami’s ofensive line coach, says losing a tremendous athlete like Sam impacted the RedHawks’ season immediately.

don’t necessarily listen to Mozart in particular when we study, the sound waves and vibrations produced by music show the same efect for all other genres as well.

The sprinkler system is divided into diferent sections that water diferent parts of the campus at different times. When the weather is dry, these zones go of three times a week, running from 20 to 30 minutes. When there is more rainfall, the irrigation typically runs for a maximum of 15 minutes.

The sprinklers are programmed to go of in the morning or in the evening when there’s less foot traffc, but many students still manage to get sprayed by them.

The area where Zipes lives is a section that goes of around 7 p.m., when many students are headed back from class or going to dinner. However, Powell said if the sprinklers were to be on in the middle of the day, there would be “more of an opportunity to get sprayed, which we want to avoid.”

The diferent section divisions also allow for some locations on campus to not be maintained at all, whereas others, like North Campus, need to be irrigated more frequently.

“It was maybe 20 plays into the game, and you lose your starting left tackle,” Patton said. “So yeah, it was pretty hard, and not just from the ath-

letic standpoint, but losing his personality and character was a setback for our team.”

ELENA JACKSON ALBARRÁN IS A PROFESSOR IN THE LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES DEPARTMENT, ONE OF THE 17 MAJORS IDENTIFIED AS LOW-ENROLLED.

PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH

Featuring talks by Kathleen Lynch, Jeb Card, Andrew Casper, Jacqueline Johnson, Robert Keller, Jordan Fenton, Jared Nally, Daniel R. Small, and Keynote by Erin L. Thompson.

DOWN

1. The place to be for quesadillas, tamales and arepas (pg. 11)

10. Top of a fraction

12. Inward burst

13. Free advice

15. White, to the French

16. They tried to rebrand from pancakes to hamburgers

17. “___ lmao”

18. Could be exotic

22. Audio to stimulate your brain (pg. 6)

25. Ambulance worker

28. A lovely scent

29. Tokyo’s old name

30. Miami alumnus combining fashion and innovation (pg. 13)

33. Colorful rings

34. Original movie score (abbr.)

37. Drake’s lover in “In My Feelings”

38. Spanish word “to disappear”

40. Egg-shaped lip balm craze of 2014

41. Vegetable spear

45. Negative outlook

46. A student’s top priority in order to stay sane (pg. 17)

ACROSS

1. Higher ed. for the Brits

2. “Ayo, can I getcha ___?”

3. Insinuate

4. Airport hassles

5. Fe

6. Disease that damages blood vessels (abbr.)

7. Life that would come in a U.F.O.

8. Pooh’s pal (and it rhymes!)

9. Hosp. worker

11. Massachusetts peninsula

13. “It’s not a ___, Mom!”

14. One of the three fundamental phases of matter

16. Hosp. area

18. The company behind Photoshop

19. Disease contracted from ticks

20. Man’s name that’s a Roman god’s name with its vowels switched

21. Current “renewal”

23. Chinese unit of weight

24. The bear in the sky

26. Red-capped character recently voiced by Chris Pratt

27. Long journeys

31. Spotted fsh in a pond

32. Mom jokes

35. Rune relative

36. Rely on

38. A girl scout’s accessory

39. Remaining member of Panic! at the Disco

41. Fitting

42. Smaller than an ocean but larger than a lake

43. Cult favorite fall drink (abbr.)

Theft increases as alcohol crime takes a backseat in Oxford

KASEY TURMAN

ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY

EDITOR

Oxford police responded to eight calls for theft between Sept. 18 and Sept. 25, according to the Oxford Police Department report. During the same period, ofcers cited four individuals for alcohol-related ofenses.

At 11 a.m. on Sept. 19, a male reported that his bicycle was stolen from an apartment building on the 600 block of West Chestnut Street. Later that day, ofcers received a report of a female losing her wallet and everything in it while she was at a bar on the 10 block of West Park Place.

At 7:18 p.m. that night, ofcers responded to a breaking and entering in progress. When they arrived at the house on Judy Drive, one individual was arrested for trespassing, resisting arrest and drug paraphernalia. The individual was then transported to Butler County Jail.

At 11:35 a.m. on Sept. 20, a female reported that her basement door was

pushed in overnight. She said nothing was stolen from her basement on the 100 block of South Main Street.

At 6:50 p.m. on Sept. 20, a bicycle was reported stolen from an apartment complex on Foxfre Drive. Separately that day, a man was seen stealing a bicycle from a business on the 5700 block of College Corner Pike.

On Sept. 21, a male reported that his bicycle was stolen from a bicycle rack at an apartment complex located on Ogden Court.

Last March, the Miami University Police Department announced new strategies to prevent bike theft after a spike last fall.

At 12:30 a.m. on Sept. 22, a drunken female was found on the front lawn of a house on the 100 block of South Beech Street. The female was issued a summons for disorderly conduct and obstruction.

At 2:54 a.m. on Sept. 22, a male was seen with an open container on East Church Street. When stopped, the male was cited for underage

drinking, open container and having a fake ID.

At 5:30 p.m. on Sept. 22, a female reported that an unknown person stole the items from her wallet while she was in a local restaurant on the 100 block of East High Street.

At 11:42 p.m. on Sept. 22, ofcers stopped a “heavily intoxicated” female on the 100 block of East Walnut Street. She was transported to McCullough-Hyde Hospital and issued a summons for disorderly conduct and underage drinking.

At 4:23 a.m. on Sept. 23, ofcers found a “heavily intoxicated” male lying in the street of East High Street. He was issued a summons for disorderly conduct.

At 4 p.m. on Sept. 23, ofcers responded to a report of a sick raccoon on the 800 block of Melissa Drive. The raccoon was deemed unable to care for itself and was euthanized. turmankd@miamioh.edu @KaseyTurman

ASG approves its fall internal operating budget and elects multiple positions

the next year, but they are not allocated to academics.

The budget was passed with 35 “yes” votes out of the 38 present senators.

Elections

Junior senators Ryan Parker and Caitlin Spyra were elected to the Student Life Council in an uncontested election. Both senators ran to improve life on campus, especially in dorms.

“I’m concerned about dorm environments and how [the council] can help with that,” Spyra said. “In particular, I’ve been doing some research into the temperature controls in the dorms and how it afects how people rest.”

Sophomores Jackson Abram and Anastastajia Mladenovska were elected to the Steering Committee in an election that featured fve separate senators. The senators running expressed their desire to help legislation on its way through ASG.

“I want to look at the diferent perspectives and work with other people and collaborate on how we look at legislation,” Mladenovska said.

The Miami Student covers Oxford elections in ‘People and Policies’

The Miami Student recently debuted its newest podcast, “People and Policies,” which features one-on-one conversations with candidates for Oxford City Council and Talawanda’s school board. The podcast, hosted by Staf Writers Raquel Hirsch and Olivia Patel, is posted on Spotify and The Student’s website. For this print issue, The Student is highlighting the most recent episodes with selected questions from the interviews. Conversations have been abridged for concision.

KASEY TURMAN ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

Nearly every seat of the Joslin Senate Chamber on Tuesday was flled for a meeting that included the election of three positions for Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) and the approval of the fall internal operating budget.

To start the meeting, Secretary of the Treasury Venus Harvey presented ASG’s internal operating budget. More than $73,000 was approved for the fall semester, but not without questioning from the foor.

Senator Dominic Roeder questioned the spending budget in comparison to the $36 million budget defcit that Miami is currently facing.

Roeder went on to say that with multiple humanities majors facing major changes, ASG should think more about its spending and send the unused ASG funds back to the university.

“We are here for the students,” Roeder said. “Does anyone remember reading the paper last year, we’re presented with a $36 million defcit as a university. So while I appreciate the secretary’s notion that if we don’t spend it, it goes away, we have an operating budget of almost a million dollars.”

Harvey and faculty adviser Scott Walter explained that the funds given to ASG are in a completely diferent category than those going to university academics. The unused funds by ASG are taken out of its budget for

Episode 2, Ivan Carver, School Board candidate

Hirsch sits down with Ivan Carver, who is running for Talawanda School Board.

Hirsch: Do you have any experience within education prior … and if not, how will your background working outside of education set you apart?

Carver: I don’t have experience in education, and I don’t see that as a negative … We need a business-minded person, and I have 20plus years of leadership experience with Dell.

What is your stance on the levy and potentially another one coming on the ballot?

The levy at this point, I think is really a moot point … A lot of frustration with people was bringing a levy on before they really looked at expenses. I think what people are really telling [the board] is, ‘Go and make some sensible cuts. If you still need money, come back to us at that point.’ That wasn’t the approach they took. They took a very negative approach, and I’m all about positivity.

“The green space between the psychology and engineering buildings, there’s that parking garage underneath,” Powell said. “It’s hot and you only have so much grass and dirt. You have to irrigate that more frequently or it’ll kill [the grass].”

To some students like Gracie Grady, a sophomore majoring in political science and minoring in community leadership and education, this amount of water usage seems excessive.

“One time, I was driving through campus with my windows down and the inside of my car got a little sprinkled,” Grady said.

Grady is also a district 5 senator on the Associated Student Government (ASG) and said other students feel so strongly enough about the sprinklers that they’ve made formal complaints to ASG. ASG brought this complaint to the university, which cited the lack of rain as the cause.

“We [Miami University] have to have the sprinklers on because there hasn’t been enough rain,” Grady said, sharing Miami’s response.

Powell confrmed that Miami will often try to adjust how frequently they irrigate depending on the weather and rainfall.

“We have the ability to have an

iPad and determine if a particular zone needs to be more or less and so they make adjustments to those schedules,” Powell said.

Miami doesn’t specifcally calculate the cost of the sprinkler system, Powell said, because its budget is combined with the annual water budget overall. The vast majority of the water comes from the local city water supply, but in some parts of the campus, the water is reused. On Western Campus, the rainwater as well as the condensation from the air conditioning units are collected in the large pond between Young and Hillcrest Hall and then reused for irrigation purposes.

Sophomore Lily Wahl was elected as the director of community engagement after a presentation that highlighted the future of connections between student organizations and ASG.

“I want to explore deeper connections with student organizations and form a toolkit for all of you to better engage with the people around you,” Wahl said.

The next ASG meeting is at 6 p.m. on Oct. 3 in the Joslin Senate Chamber.

ASG Members Mladenovska and Wahl are staf members of The Miami Student.

turmankd@miamioh.edu @KaseyTurman

council candidate

In this episode, Patel talks with Mike Smith, a former Oxford mayor who is running for city council.

Patel: How would you as a city council member support the needs of the lower income demographic in Oxford?

Smith: We are working really hard in conjunction with the TOPSS food pantry. We gave them money to get a refrigerated truck to get food to the city when people are unable to get to the pantry. We’ve also been

working with the churches to try and coordinate diferent nights where the churches ofer meals.

You faced recall when you were mayor during the pandemic. How do you plan to come back from that?

When that happened, I lost my temper. I made statements about the student population, which I have since apologized for, and we had a great dialogue about it. Now, we have a better relationship in terms of approachability.

Powell recognizes the diferent opinions about Miami and its water usage to maintain its green spaces but emphasizes its importance.

“We see a lot of students outside enjoying the environment, and we want to make sure that we have that right type of outdoor environment, and we want to do that in as sustainable and cost-efective [a] way as possible,” Powell said.

Grady’s advice to other students making their way through the sidewalks of Miami: “Do your best to stay dry. It’s not raining, but we still get drenched.” Childssb@miamioh.edu

Episode 4, Rebecca Howard, School Board candidate

Hirsch talks with Rebecca Howard, who’s running for Talawanda School Board. She’s been a member of the board since 2020.

Hirsch: As a representative of the district, what do respect and embracing diverse voices mean to you?

Howard: That really does mean understanding that we are a very large district and a very diverse district.

People often in the townships [are] feeling that their voices have not

been equitably heard. … It means not just respecting that there are diferent voices, but engaging with all people around this district.

When it comes to the budget defcit, how are you holding yourself and the board accountable to this issue?

Accountability means that we say, “Yes we see this defcit, and we are making strides towards reducing this defcit, towards addressing this problem.” And we have been doing that consistently for the last four years.

Episode 5, William Snavely, city council candidate Patel sits down with Oxford City Council candidate and current mayor William Snavely.

Patel: City council has a huge focus on sustainability. How do you plan on supporting the environmental initiative?

Snavely: We have made a big effort to try and put solar [panels] on as many public buildings as we can. We have also been encouraging citizens to put solar panels on their homes.

Solar is our main [sustainability] initiative right now.

How do you plan on working towards afordable housing?

Afordable housing is our number one issue. You have to care about the people who need care the most … We bought property of of Hester Road and are putting in a cottage community. This is for people who are not housed, or are just scraping by and can’t get anywhere else.

Water-gate: How Miami keeps the grass — and sidewalks — watered

Episode 3, Mike Smith, city

STAFF WRITER OLIVIA PATEL SITS DOWN WITH OXFORD CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE MIKE SMITH. PHOTO BY LUKE MACY

STAFF WRITER RAQUEL HIRSCH SITS DOWN WITH TALAWANDA SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE REBECCA HOWARD. PHOTO BY REECE HOLLOWELL

STAFF WRITER OLIVIA PATEL SITS DOWN WITH OXFORD CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE WILLIAM SNAVELY. PHOTO BY LUKE MACY

Later in August, Albarrán sat at a table as a member of Humanities Futures, a working group attempting to raise enrollment in “at-risk” humanity majors. As the aroma of a Miami-catered meal circled the room of colleagues who all received the same email, everyone’s eyes met with an equal emptiness and longing for a safe future.

“I feel like I’m having breakfast at my own funeral,” Albarrán said. What are the ‘Opportunities?’

Low-enrolled majors were identifed as having 35 students or less in the program by the Provost’s Ofce.

Along with LAS, 16 other majors were identifed as low-enrolled. These include American studies, art history, critical race and ethnic studies, classical studies, French, French education, German, German education, health communication, health information technology, Italian studies, Latin education, religion, Russian, East European and Eurasian studies, Spanish education and social justice. These majors now have four options ahead of them to continue to exist, or departments can create their own solutions to their low-enrollment problems.

The frst is to “develop, revise or focus greater energy on a minor or certifcate program.” The form describes this as a way to create new, smaller classes that will attract more students, especially through collaboration with the Ofce of Admission and Center for Career Exploration and Success.

The second option is to “propose and ofer creative and exciting new courses or other learning opportunities.” This asks the programs to create a group of signature inquiry classes and highlights collaboration in different departments and the Honors College.

The third option is to “combine stand-alone majors into one major with multiple concentrations.” This would combine two or more departments to create “distinct” concentrations. An example in the document is that the B.A. in East Asian languages and cultures has multiple concentrations in Japan and China, meaning that the two concentrations could be combined into a single program.

The fnal option outlined is to “collaborate with other departments on a cross-divisional and cross-departmental ‘super’ major or degree program.” A “super” major would be a 50 or 60-credit-hour major specifc to a student’s career path and would be either a blended or joint program between two or more departments.

A blended program combines classes from two diferent departments such as art management and art entrepreneurship combining and requiring classes in both the CCA and the Farmer School of Business. A joint program combines multiple curriculums from at least two departments that lead to one single degree.

Deborah Lyons, an associate professor in the Department of French,

eliminating majors in the humanities

Italian, and Classical Studies, has been at Miami since 2004 and has had her department reduced before due to COVID-19. When the chair of her department confrmed it was fagged for low-enrollment, she was upset with the word choice provided by the “Opportunities.”

“I know they were trying to put a positive spin on it,” Lyons said, “but I think it’s really important to recognize that this is absolutely heartbreaking for those of us who dedicated our lives studying these areas.”

The start of the landslide

During Miami’s budget symposium in February, Provost Elizabeth Mullenix announced that Miami is facing a budget defcit of more than $36 million.

The defcit has been brought on by low enrollment numbers across the country, a competitive higher education market and a decrease in state funding. At the same time, the mindset of college applicants is changing.

More than a year ago, during the Board of Trustees meeting on June 23, 2022, a presentation titled “Low Enrolled and Duplicate Program Report” was discussed, in which 12 bachelor’s programs were marked for elimination along with three master’s programs.

According to the Ofce of the Provost, the Board of Trustees did not mandate the elimination of the majors. The board asked for solutions for a shortfall in the university’s budget.

This September, Mullenix explained during a Sept. 11 University Senate meeting that the humanities majors working on a December deadline to avoid getting cut are up against a shifting tide across the country from liberal arts toward career-ready programs.

“We are looking at eliminating some low-enrolled majors, and it is a very difcult decision and process,” Mullenix said at the same University Senate meeting. “We should work swiftly to make immediate progress. We don’t want to retrench faculty, so we need to rethink liberal education in the 21st century. We need to express the humanities in new ways that haven’t been done before.”

In an interview with The Miami Student, Mullenix said some students going into humanities felds have a diferent mindset from others, one driven by passion rather than a paycheck, which is not refected in the national decline.

“I do think that all of our students in all majors end up doing really well and having great jobs, and that’s one of the things that really frustrates me about this national trend,” Mullenix said. “I can just tell you as dean of the College of Creative Arts for nine years … our students are not going in and making a ton of money necessarily right away, but that wasn’t their goal.”

Mullenix also stressed that the faculty did not bring this upon themselves. She pointed out an undesired national change that is forcing the university’s hand.

“There’s nothing that Miami fac-

ulty did wrong. This is a national trend in students and a shift in student demand,” Mullenix said.

David Creamer, senior vice president for fnance and business services, was not available to comment on the cost of ofering the fagged majors or estimated savings the university will get from restructuring.

Although it is unclear how the re-establishment of these majors will impact the university’s budget, Mullenix said the goal is to keep all fulltime, tenure and tenure-track faculty.

“I think that if we were to try to scale back, it would be in sort of adjuncts, temporary faculty, you know, in those areas,” Mullenix said. “But my hope is that we will retain our permanent faculty. I don’t have a crystal ball, but that is certainly what we’re trying to do.” The people afected when a major is cut

When cutting a major, it’s not just the education that is impacted.

Albarrán said that the four plans presented to programs take away the key factors that make LAS stand out to students, especially ones that relate to the material being taught.

“If we rebrand Latin American studies with critical race and ethnic studies and fold them into ethnic and justice studies or something, which is awkward, we lose a specifcity, and we lose an identity brand that is important in a growing demographic of students,” Albarrán said.

In the same Board of Trustees report from 2022, the only data used to decide which programs would be eliminated was a mark set at 14.4 students enrolled in a major. Qualitative data from professors or students was not used, nor was the cost to operate each program.

Olivia Thomas, a senior Latin American studies, international studies and Spanish triple major, echoed Albarrán about the cultural significance of LAS being eliminated or grouped with a diferent major.

“The only representation that I’ve seen of myself on campus is through the faculty of LAS,” Thomas said.

Daniel Martin, a sophomore polit-

ical science major, said that taking LAS classes impacted how he saw his own future. After taking a LAS class, Martin was able to work with emerging Latin American college students from Colombia, Venezuela and Panama as a guide during their transition to America.

“Without seeing the diferences and having those experiences [LAS classes and mentorship], I probably wouldn’t be focusing my poli-sci feld in Latin America alone,” Martin said.

LAS students were informed of the major being at-risk after Albarrán sent out a form titled “Support the existence of LAS!” at the beginning of the year. Martin and Thomas said that the only reason they knew of the elimination of the major was because of their professor.

The form has one question: “LAS is valuable to me because:”

At the time this article was published, there were 39 responses. The responses range from alumni praising LAS for their careers to current students describing it as the cornerstone of the liberal arts education that they came to Miami to receive. The future of Miami’s humanities

An initiative called Humanities Futures was created over the summer of 2023 by the Ofce of the Provost to help faculty face the challenges in redesigning their programs and departments.

Mullenix said the committee has 40 members who collaborated on diferent templates and resource packages designed to help interested faculty members blend their programs or combine majors, as well as integrate more career applications into classes.

Nathan French, associate professor of comparative religion and member of the Humanities Futures working group, said the committee has three challenges to tackle.

The frst challenge is to determine how Miami shows parents and students the value of humanities contributing to other degrees. The committee is working on strategies to efciently move humanities across

curriculums and is identifying institutional questions and areas that could be improved to make the curriculum possible.

“At a time when politicians, families, students want to see a clear pathway to a career, a clear contribution to the economy, there is a challenge that the humanities and liberal arts broadly face of explaining why creativity and innovation begin there,” French said.

French’s major is one of the 17 being threatened, and because of the small department, the majors have to respond in a diferent way. Since religion is one department with one major, if it has low enrollment, the whole department does, while other departments are still able to thrive if one major is lacking.

However, French said he’s felt no pressure or mandate to close the religion department. If anything, the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) is open and willing to help.

“So as goes the College of Arts and Science, so goes Miami,” French said. “The [dean of CAS] made very clear his commitment to work with the faculty toward fnding ways of ensuring our curriculum survives.”

Renee Baernstein, a senior associate dean for CAS, and professor Tim Melley, both members of the Futures Humanities group, declined to comment.

Professors across campus have come together to help save these majors in the hopes that it does not end with Miami losing part of its humanities.

“Will there be change, there will, and while that is really difcult, I think, I hope, I trust that we can really create something that is really a model for how to do this nationally,” Mullenix said. “We have such talented faculty, and I’m sure that we can work together … to come up with some really amazing things.”

turmankd@miamioh.edu

stumbata@miamioh.edu

The couple has taught in the area for a combined 70 years and has called Oxford home since they were undergraduates.

“We bought the house that we live in [now] in 1965 and have lived here ever since,” Karen Martino said.

Because of their deep-rooted history in the Oxford community, the Martinos are what Rene McKinstry would call “SWINLs.”

SWINLs are students who will not leave, and while McKinstry acknowledges that the acronym doesn’t make sense, she said it came to her one day when she was talking with a friend from high school.

ALICE MOMANY

SENIOR CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

Some people in Oxford are born townies; others become one.

That was the case for James Martino, who came to Miami University as a frst-year student in 1956. More than 60 years later, he still has an Oxford address.

Martino followed in the footsteps of his brothers and came to Miami as an engineering major but soon switched to physics and then math, before fnally deciding on education.

“I went to Miami’s guidance department when I got here and took a lot of preference tests because I just wasn’t happy,” Martino said. “They said, ‘Well no wonder you’re not happy, you’re in the wrong feld. You should be teaching.’”

He graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 1960 as a mid-year graduate and taught at a K-12 school in Reily Township. At the time, he was just grateful to have a job right out of college. He decided to stay in Oxford for the time being, and within fve years, he earned his master’s degree, started dating his wife Karen Martino and got a new job teaching at Talawanda High School.

Karen Martino graduated with her bachelor’s degree in 1963 and her master’s degree in 1968. She taught social studies at a middle school in College Corner, Ohio, before teaching in Union County, Indiana.

Unlike her husband, Karen Martino always knew she wanted to be a teacher. She grew up an only child, and it was one of the only felds open to women at the time. She grew up in Miami County and knew she would attend Miami.

“We were talking about someone one day and we were like, ‘Did they go to high school with us?’ Did they grow up here? Or did they come here as a student, and they liked the town, and they just didn’t want to leave?’” McKinstry said.

McKinstry is not a SWINL but a true townie, graduating from Talawanda High School in 1971. To become a SWINL, a resident has to be a former Miami student who permanently moved to the city. They have to live in Oxford for roughly 20 years to earn the unofcial status.

“I do get into a conversation with somebody occasionally, and it’s like, ‘Oh they’re a SWINL,’” McKinstry said. “It’s not a negative. It’s just a designation.”

After graduating from high school, McKinstry left but moved back to Oxford in 1986. In addition to students who never leave the city, she noticed how many of her former Talawanda classmates left and came back.

“It’s also a phenomenon that happened since I moved back, how many people that I went to high school

with that moved back into their family homes, redone their family homes and decided to stay here,” McKinstry said.

McKinstry’s own son graduated from the university and moved to Iceland for archaeology. Just two years ago, her son, a Miami Merger, moved back to Oxford with his wife.

“A lot of people come from big cities, and they come here, and they say, ‘This is a nice, quiet place,’” McKinstry said. “But it wouldn’t be a great town if it wasn’t for the university.”

The relationship between the year-round Oxford residents and the students who live in the town for nine months can be contentious at times, but for the residents who once roamed up and down High Street on a Saturday night, they enjoy the company of the younger generation.

“I’ve always enjoyed the youthfulness that the students bring and their enthusiasm,” Mary Butterfeld, a Miami alumna and Oxford resident, said. “When you see them being carefree, you kind of live vicariously through them.”

Butterfeld graduated from Miami in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Although she was born and raised in Hamilton, she was not predestined to attend Miami. She had a scholarship for Ohio University to play the bassoon, but she graduated high school early and started at Miami’s Hamilton campus. She ended up later transferring to the Oxford campus.

“I loved everything about Oxford,” Butterfeld said. “I lived in Oxford during those years, and it was always a fond place, which is why I moved back to the area. I loved it. I loved the community. I loved everything about

it.”

After graduating from Miami, Butterfeld moved to Vandalia, Ohio, for three years before returning to Hamilton where she worked for a CPA frm. After graduating from the university, she kept close ties to the Oxford community, working on a foundation organization for McCullough-Hyde Hospital and becoming a Miami parent.

In 1996, the Butterfelds bought a farm in Reily Township, and two years ago, she sold it to her son and his wife, also Miami Mergers. The Butterfelds bought a smaller farm of Stillwell Beckett Road and moved back to Oxford.

When Butterfeld was a student at Miami, she dated a townie who was very involved both in the Oxford and Miami communities.

“I think because I had someone that I was involved with that was very positive about that relationship, I’ve always maintained that relationship,” Butterfeld said.

The Martinos agreed that their interactions with students have been generally positive.

“The students have always treated us really, really well,” Karen Martino said. “It’s a two-way street. We respect them. They respect us.”

Between the students, life-long townies and SWINLs, McKinstry said the magic that makes Oxford appealing is its tight-knight community.

“If you are any more than two degrees separated from anybody that has been here for very long,” McKinstry said, “then you’re not from around here because everybody is somehow connected.”

momanyaj@miamioh.edu

‘This is absolutely heartbreaking’:

Miami considers

FRONT

Butler County Auditor gives local entities the chance to respond to increases in property tax

ALICE MOMANY SENIOR CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR LAURA GIAQUINTO SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Come Jan. 1, Oxford residents could see a signifcant increase in their property tax bills. The county auditor wants to ease the fnancial burden for residents, but not without a cost.

Earlier this year, 41 counties in Ohio underwent either a state-mandated triennial update, which happens every three years, or a full property reappraisal, which happens every six years. Butler County received a triennial update, and the Ohio Department of Taxation looked at the auditor values across the county and paired it with the sales in 2022. The results determined that the property taxes in Butler County were, on average, 37% below the market value.

“Then, they individually set other areas like West Chester Township, Liberty Township, City of Hamilton, City of Middletown,” said David Brown, communications manager for the Butler County Auditor’s Ofce. “They pull collectively a number for those as well to get to that overall 37%, and that changes depending on properties and areas of the county that might see more robust sales.”

To ofset the steep increase in taxes for residents, Nancy Nix, Butler County’s auditor, is ofering local government entities a proposal to collect the same amount of money they collected last year.

“Basically it’s not taking as much as they would be legally permitted to take in order to stay at last year’s funding level,” Brown said.

William Snavely, the mayor of Oxford, said the city council is aware of the proposal, but they have yet to make any decisions. While Snavely said resident fnances will play a crucial role in the decision to accept the proposal, the extra money would be benefcial in helping out the Oxford Fire Department and EMS Services.

“I think it’ll be an interesting issue because Miami University does not pay their fair share for fre and EMS coverage,” Snavely said. “We’re trying to get Miami to pay their fair share, and even if they pay their fair share, we might still need a levy for the fre department, so the question becomes, would we take the increase in property taxes instead of the levy?”

Snavely said the university does not pay property taxes as a nonproft organization, but other entities do pay property taxes and use the fre and EMS services. Oxford Township, Reily Township and Milford Township all pay something for their coverage of fre and EMS.

School districts face a similar dilemma

Separate from the city, the Talawanda School Board will also have to decide to forgo their portion of the increase or accept it.

A certain percentage of property taxes are allocated to schools, libraries and other local services, which can vary in price based on passed levies. Levies are measured in millage, which equals $1 for every $1,000 of taxable value.

In Ohio, some school districts are bound by

the 20-mill foor. In Butler County, eight of the 10 school districts are at the foor, which is the state minimum, and 53% of county residents live in those districts.

The law states that school districts cannot collect less than 20-mills of the assessed value, even if this means the amount collected from property taxes increases.

Lakota and Fairfeld are the only two school districts that are not at the 20-mill foor, which means residents living in the Talawanda School District will see a bigger tax increase.

Four townships beyond the City of Oxford pay property tax to Talawanda, including Hanover Township, Milford Township, Oxford Township and Reily Township.

Last year, Talawanda received more than $14 million in property taxes, which is determined by the county and fltered into the general fund or permanent improvement fund.

The general fund allocates money toward textbooks, equipment, teacher salaries, custodians, the busing system and more. The permanent improvement fund allocates money to two bond issues: the Talawanda High School construction project and the Bogan Elementary School construction project.

According to the school district’s website, in 2022, 67% of the funding for Talawanda schools was provided locally, primarily through property taxes. In 2021, the average cost of sending a student to school was $13,500.

Holli Hansel, Talawanda’s director of communications and public relations, said Talawanda only gets about $2,500 per student from the state. Additionally, she said they miss out on a large source of revenue because Miami University is tax exempt and owns a huge amount of land in the school district. For public schools in Ohio, 60% of state funding comes from the value of the properties in the district, so if the values go up, the district receives less money.

“[Nix] is wanting us not to take money based on this increased evaluation, but at the same time, we risk losing money from the state because of the increased valuation,” said Pat Meade, president of the Talawanda School Board.

In December, the school board made a series of cuts that would save the district $5.3 million over the next three years, after an operating levy failed to pass in the November midterm election. If the school board were to accept the increase in property taxes, Matt Lynkins, the president of Talawanda’s teachers union, said they may be able to bring back or eliminate some of the cuts.

Additionally, this year, Talawanda

teachers, administrators and staf members will not be getting an annual raise because of the district’s defcit.

Meade said that in 2021 teachers negotiated a three-year contract in efect from Aug. 1, 2021, to July 31, 2024. The contract stated that teachers would receive raises of 2% for the 20212022 school year, 1% for the 2022-2023 school year and 0% for the 2023-2024 school year.

“I think [the teachers’] motive was to show the taxpayers they were willing to sacrifce to be part of the solution to our economic problems,” Meade said. “I believe their hope was that the community would see their sacrifce and step up and pass the levy which did not happen.”

Lynkins said this structure of public school funding places too large of a burden on property owners.

“There are people who have large swaths of property in this place, and they depend upon it,” Lynkins said. “I would never want a situation where people simply have to sell their family farm that has been in their family for generations, so that they can fund schools.”

In 1976, Ohio House Bill 920 froze property taxes at the amount of their original assessment. This means that as property values rose with infation, the amount schools were given from property taxes remained the same.

Meade said the school board has not discussed whether or not they will accept Nix’s proposal, but the students will be at the forefront of the discussions.

“It’s for our students, and our students deserve a good education, and they deserve the community investing in them,” Meade said.

While both city council and school board will discuss the taxes and vote on a decision, their decisions are independent.

“Let’s just say Hanover declined the increase,” Shaunna Tafelski, Talawanda’s treasurer said. “It’s going to afect their local entity, but it will not afect Talawanda’s portion. Both entities would have to decline or accept.”

Meade has already calculated how much his property taxes would go up if both entities refuse Nix’s proposal, and while he disagrees with the increase, he argues there is an overarching problem targeted at the funding of school districts. “I know that it can be somewhat of a hardship on people, and I understand that there is a certain percentage of the population that own property and their income is fxed, and it might be difcult, and I do have sympathy for that,” Meade said. “Unfortunately, the way the state funds schools, it puts a great majority of the burden on local taxpayers.”

momanyaj@miamioh.edu

giaquiln@miamioh.edu

Miami is short on counselors but full of dedication

REAGAN RUDE CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR

Miami University’s Student Counseling Services (SCS) started the school year in fashion with a newly constructed building in a more accessible location.

They’re also, however, starting shorthanded.

With four vacancies remaining even after a summer of candidate searching, SCS is preparing to meet the needs of Miami students despite lower stafng.

John Ward, director of SCS, said Miami isn’t alone in its difculty hiring counselors — universities across the country are seeking to meet a surging demand for mental health resources for students, and supply has yet to catch up.

“We have all these open positions because there’s a lot of hiring going on,” Ward said, “which creates a situation where mental health clinicians really have their choice of job oppor-

tunities that they didn’t have before.”

An industry-wide trend

Mental health needs for college students — and everyone — skyrocketed during COVID-19. This was partly driven by heightened feelings of loneliness, anxiety and grief, as well as increased conversations surrounding mental well-being, the importance of self-care and the availability of counseling and therapy.

“There has been a concerted efort across the country, across the world really, in terms of paying attention to the mental health of various diferent groups of people,” Ward said. “What that then created was more resources and funds on a national scale being devoted to mental health care.”

As colleges are ramping up their counseling capacity, so are private practices, hospitals, telehealth websites and corporations. However, Ward said, collegiate mental health has undergone more hiring than anywhere else, over an even longer period.

From 2012 to 2022, the SCS coun-

seling staf doubled in response to the growing need: 5,699 individual counseling appointments occurred in the 2014-2015 academic year. By 20182019, there were 8,616. By 20212022, after the COVID-19 shock, the number was 10,130, and sessions remained roughly the same last year, with 10,064.

Jayne Brownell, vice president of Student Life at Miami and head of the Mental Health Task Force, said levels have stayed relatively the same as in 2021 because of reduced stigma in seeking out help, but have plateaued as conversations around mental health shift.

“The language of mental health overtook the language of the regular ups and downs of emotions,” Brownell said. “In 2o20-2021, nobody was sad, everybody was depressed. Nobody was anxious, everyone had an anxiety disorder. In reality, it was a very difcult time for everybody.”

However, Brownell acknowledged that there are certainly people who

have depression and anxiety disorders who need professional intervention and support.

“We want to make sure that all of those are getting counseling,” Brownell said. “We also want to make sure we’re ofering programming around wellness and emotional well-being to help students manage the more short duration distress related to things going on in their environment. “ How vacancies will and won’t impact services

Ward said that despite the vacancies, counselors won’t be taking on more patients as there are limits put in place to prevent burnout and ensure high-quality care. However, that doesn’t mean wait time will increase exponentially.

SCS ofers a stepped care plan that matches an individual’s mental health needs with an appropriate level of treatment. Students meet individually with a counselor as a preliminary assessment within one to three days of calling. From there, those who are in the most urgent need of care are prioritized.

Ward said that while some patients may require referrals for long-term treatment, other’s needs are met with just two or three counseling sessions. And they may fnd success in diferent modes, such as group therapy.

“We ofer group, not because we don’t have enough space in individual therapy — we ofer group therapy because it works,” Ward said. “Folks can really address the concerns they have in that format sometimes more efciently or quicker than they may in an individual setting.”

The SCS hasn’t seen any signifcant impacts of the vacancies yet, although Ward anticipates this may change as students get deeper into the semester. Around mid-October, when most midterms take place, through fnals week is when SCS gets the most trafc.

“I hope we all have grace for one another as a community,” Ward said. “There might be brief pain points as we adjust to this reality we have right now, but we have a long tradition of our system working and the university community getting through diferent situations like this.”

Individual therapy will likely be more afected than other modes like group or pet therapy.

“I do think the pinch that we will feel as a community will be one-onone counseling,” Ward said. “This is what most students gravitate toward in their minds, so that’s probably where we could develop a bottleneck frst.”

However, Ward emphasized that students should seek support at SCS if they’re in distress.

“Please still refer to student counseling,” Ward said. “I don’t want folks to hear there are some vacancies that we’re actively trying to fll and think, ‘I shouldn’t reach out.’” Communicating the benefts of counseling

Shelby Alford, a senior psychology major and secretary for Safety and Student Wellness in Miami’s Associated Student Government (ASG), has worked closely with Dr. Ward to help communicate the oferings of SCS to students. Alford encourages any students experiencing distress to make an appointment with SCS.

“Your frst appointment is free, and it’s so close, so you can really only beneft from trying it,” Alford said. “Everyone can beneft from therapy, it just helps to talk through things with someone, and sometimes students don’t realize that the thoughts or feelings that they have are symptomatic of something bigger.”

For students who see therapists at home but can’t meet with them at Miami due to location or insurance, SCS can refer them to clinicians either nearby or on telehealth following their frst intake meeting. If students don’t have insurance or cannot travel for therapy, SCS can make accommodations and continue treating them in-house.

Alford said that as of Sept. 26, seven students were on the SCS waiting list — all of which will be met with by the end of the week.

Ward said he is unsure of when the vacancies will be flled. Hiring, he said, tends to ramp up in January in anticipation of the following year, although they may fnd new hires before then.

“I expect that things are going to turn out just fne,” Ward said. “It’s just the uncomfortableness of waiting.”

HATCH THE MIAMI STUDENT AYDEN WACKER THE MIAMI STUDENT

For 20 years now, Miami University has celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with the UniDiversity festival. Every September, Miami students and Oxford locals alike travel Uptown to pet alpacas and donkeys, taste authentic Latin cuisine and enjoy live music and other performances.

UniDiversity is more than just a festival. It’s a time and place for the community of Oxford to unite and celebrate a culture that’s largely underrepresented.

“It’s important to highlight different groups of people to make sure they’re seen,” said Elaina Winslow, a junior biochemistry and food sys-

Oxford

tems/food studies major.

Joel Eccles, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, said that events like this are important since the Latino community “needs a point of gathering to share their culture.”

These conversations highlight the importance of events like this. Students understand that these celebrations mean a lot to the Latin community, as it helps them feel not only seen but understood.

In order for events like UniDiversity to be successful, immense amounts of planning are needed.

Since its frst year, the UniDiversity Planning Committee, directed by Jacqueline Rioja Velarde, has been up for the challenge.

“I have students not only from the Latinx community ... I have students from the equestrian club who will knock on my door and say, ‘Jackie

Breaking down Doja Cat’s most surprising album to date, ‘Scarlet’

KISER YOUNG THE MIAMI STUDENT

From albums like “Hot Pink” to hit singles such as “Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat has always been confned to the typical catchy pop girl archetype. Her trendy beats and mainstream lyrics never positioned her in the rap genre, but with the recent release of “Scarlet” on Sept. 21, we see a drastic change to this perspective.

On this 15-track record with zero features, Doja creates an album that truly displays her capacity to not only be a competent rapper, but to be a dominant force in the game as well.

This becomes crystal clear as Doja embodies all the slander her haters have thrown her way, and delves into a dark, moody and evil aesthetic throughout the album. These nefarious motifs directly contrast with her previous album “Planet Her.”

Doja created an immersive campaign prior to the release of “Scarlet” by completely recoloring her previous albums in various shades of crimson and (shocker) scarlet.

This redesign, accompanied by a slew of strange social media posts that depict weird distortions of Doja’s body and a variety of unsettling artwork, made audiences question her sanity. In turn, this sent a wave of criticism toward the Grammy-winning artist from both fans and critics alike as they tried to fgure out the new phase of Doja’s career.

From the singles alone, it’s clear that Doja is on a warpath to inform the world that she couldn’t care less about what critics have to say about her current look, music or life choices. This grows ever more apparent when focusing on the release order of “Attention,” “Paint the Town Red”

and “Demons.”

In “Attention,” Doja takes the time to explicitly engage with the public and explains that she knows the only reason people talk about her mental well-being is to get a few likes or a “blue check” (referencing verifcation on X, formerly Twitter). Following up in “Paint the Town Red,” Doja douses herself in some of her most frequent critiques, wearing the hate comments as a badge of honor as she raps about thriving in the life of fame.

Finally, only weeks before dropping the album, Doja Cat released her horror-core masterpiece “Demons.” It’s essentially about her becoming the evil, deranged lunatic the public perceives her to be.

Doja reclaiming the labels and judgment thrown at her is seen throughout the entire album as she continues to show of her artistic freedom on tracks like “Wet Vagina” when she says, “Kick me out the Met, but I really run fashion.”

Doja does not stop at just acknowledging the hate she receives; however, in almost every track she berates and claps back at the negative things said about her.

Songs such as “Skull and Bones” have cheeky remarks about “the only thing [she’s] sold was a record,” when there were rumors regarding whether or not the infamous artist sold her soul as a means to obtain fame.

This album is a perfect rebrand for Doja as she settles her grievances with the media and owns her story as a rapper. While this album defnitely has brooding rap anthems, the predicted fan favorite “Agora Hill,” features Doja performing on a pop-esque track that sheds light on her innate desire to share her love life, even though the world is against her.

“Scarlet” is a beautifully crafted work of art that, unlike many albums, is an entertaining yet personal look into an artist’s life. It maintains an upbeat and refreshing grit that attracts both new and current fans alike.

So whether it be another loss of half a million followers or comments saying she sold her soul, Doja has made it perfectly clear that she will always be her authentic self, or as she said on her Instagram Story on Sept. 24, “I’m just Amala pls.”

Rating: 8/10 youngk20@miamioh.edu

what can we do for you?’” Rioja Velarde said.

The name of the festival was coined by a retired Venezuelan Miami Professor who said that there is unity in diversity.

“That is the mission and the core goal of the festival,” Rioja Velarde said.

The festival can take upward of nine months to plan. Everyone involved — from the volunteers to performers to the police — are contacted months in advance to ensure the event runs smoothly, and with this being the UniDiversity’s 20th anniversary, extra time and efort was put in to make sure this year’s festival was as successful as possible.

Ballet group el Corazon de Mexico was invited to perform this year, just as they were 20 years ago at the inaugural UniDiversity festival. Despite

the name of the group, they didn’t perform a typical ballet. Instead, pairs of men and women sporting traditional suits and dresses alternated in taking the stage. The women incorporated their colorful dresses into their routine as the men presented their sombreros.

Throughout the 300-400 people that attended, el Corazon de Mexico contributed more to the pleasant yet exhilarating atmosphere. With a smile in every direction, expressive dance moves going on throughout and even a free piece of candy being given for spinning a wheel, anyone could enter and feel an instant sense of comfortability and inclusion.

Beyond the abundance of colorful and high-energy music, the festival took a shift into a more subtle and peaceful tone with renowned fute player, Nestor Torres. His smooth

Breaking

MIA ZURICH THE MIAMI STUDENT

As COVID-19 dissipates and people return to their everyday lives, concerts continue to gain popularity.

Prominent artists like Olivia Rodrigo, Drake and Lana Del Rey are going on tour, drawing in tens of thousands of audience members per show. But as the concerts get bigger, so does the price tag.

Infation rates are through the roof right now, with general admission tickets often costing more than $200 to see major artists. Regardless of these prices, people continue to see artists live, with Taylor Swift having such a signifcant turnout at her concerts that it boosted the local economy in cities where she performed.

“The fundamental issue is that there is one Taylor Swift … So what we have is a monopoly situation. Taylor Swift has a monopoly over being Taylor Swift,” said Charles Moul, an economics professor at Miami University. “Beyoncé has a monopoly over being Beyoncé, and as a monopoly, standard competitive models don’t apply, and we are in a situation where ticket prices will refect that.”

Most people do not buy tickets directly from the artists but rely on platforms like Ticketmaster, StubHub and SeatGeek when purchasing tickets. In addition to paying the prices set for the tickets by the artist’s managing company, there’s an added 20-30% in fees. Platforms like these can get away with such hefty upcharges because there’s ease to their service, which has caused them to take over the industry.

Ashley Sterling, a frst-year kinesiology major, recently purchased tickets to Dean Lewis and Noah Kahan’s performances in Columbus through StubHub. “I chose the StubHub platform because of its convenience when purchasing tickets,” Sterling said. “It was the frst option when you put it into Google and ofered the lowest prices for the venue. I didn’t necessarily look into other options when obtaining my tickets.”

The cost of seeing one of these big-name artists is equal to paying for two, three or even 10 smaller artists. Concerts have become more than just playing acoustic instru-

ments with a few speakers scattered around the crowd and are now theatrical performances.

“Concerts have become increasingly complex over the last 50 years,” Moul said. “When I heard about all the synching of technology, connecting of the wrist bands and the phones, and all of the three-dimensional graphics and everything, all I could think was that someone has to pay for that.”

Now that concerts are out of the average college student’s comfortable budget, it’s more of a rarity to be able to attend shows.

Still, some students believe spending a little extra on lights and cameras makes the experience worth a few extra bucks out of your pocket.

Thomas Patton, a frst-year fnance major, attended the Railbird Music Festival in Lexington, Kentucky, where artists like Tyler Childers and Zack Bryan headlined.

“When you are at concerts, you know the music and can open Spotify or Apple Music and listen to the artist any time,” Patton said. “But when you have light shows and other efects when artists perform, they speak to and get the crowd involved. It puts into perspective why you spent the money attending the concert.” The price of tickets not only refects the fashy lights, security and venue, but also refects the artist’s limits. Even though we all idealize superstars, they are still people and have physical and mental maximums when performing. Artists don’t have the stamina to perform every day,

and inviting fute playing set the tone for the second half of the festival as people conversed and laughed while the sun went down. The tone of the music blended perfectly with the immensely favorful and comforting food. Zhiqing Su, a graduate student geology major, said that the environment really “allows students to relax and enjoy their Friday night.”

After 20 years of planning this event, Rioja Velarde said this is her fnal year on the committee. However, given the success of UniDiversity and understanding just how important it is, this may not be the last time Oxford is treated with such a unique and beautiful display of unity and diversity.

hatchjb@miamioh.edu

wackeraj@miamioh.edu

which causes the price tags to rise to make up for that cost.

“It’s a free market; if Taylor Swift can make millions, every concert will beneft her,” said Lisa Ericksen, a professor of music at Miami’s Center for Performing Arts. “If she were ofering $50 tickets, she would have to spend three weeks in Cincinnati, and vocally, for her to do 45 songs or however many she does in a show is hard on your body.’

As the popularity surrounding concerts rises, lesser-known artists with small fan bases are overshadowed. The smaller venues become more challenging, and the news is plastered with the same fve familiar faces.

“There needs to be a place for those tier two through 10 artists to have smaller venues, not expect to do crazy tech shows and just show their art for what it is,” Ericksen said. “Say a Miami student has so much money for spending. Well, they want to see Taylor Swift or Harry Styles, and then they won’t have as much money to see somebody who is maybe at the Taft Theatre in Cincinnati.”

Prices may fall as the thrill of spending after the end of COVID-19 slows down, but there is no guarantee of what will happen. For now, prices will stay high as long as there are limited seats in venues and the demand for these artists stays put.

Zurichme@Miamioh.edu

JOHN

How Miami students use dorm rooms as entertainment spaces

STELLA POWERS THE MIAMI STUDENT

Dorm rooms play a large role in the lives of students at Miami University. For younger students especially, these rooms are where they sleep, study and often must fnd ways to entertain themselves.

Katie Middleton, a frst-year biology major on a pre-med track, uses creativity to keep herself entertained in her room.

“I watch a lot of Hulu and Netfix on my phone and my computer,” Middleton said. “And then I like to make friendship bracelets. So I’ll do that sometimes.”

Middleton uses the wall next to her bed to display photos from her time at home. She said it’s been good living in the residence hall so far.

Laurel Logemann, a frst-year primary education major, spends around three hours a day in her dorm. Despite spending the majority of her time elsewhere, she enjoys knowing she has her room to fall back on.

When she is in her dorm, Logemann and her roommate entertain themselves with many diferent activities.

“We play board games, and we

play Bananagrams,” Logemann said. “We listen to music. We do homework for fun. Just lots of music and games.”

Logemann described the experience of living in a d0rm as “exciting” and “a lot of trial and error.”

“It’s a new experience. It’s defnitely a little bit of a shock, but it’s fun,” Logemann said. “It’s cool to share a space with people who have very similar goals.”

Inside of their room, Logemann and her roommate have decorated the dorm with many diferent lights, signs and colorful posters that represent diferent national parks.

Christian Kolianos, a second-year history and diplomacy and global politics major, has enjoyed living in a residence hall, as it has allowed him to meet new people and experience living with someone else. When it comes to dorm room entertainment, though, he relies on his devices.

“Usually I’m just on my computer or I’m on my phone,” Kolianos said.

“I’m usually just talking to my roommate if anything.”

Sticking with the color scheme of his dorm, Kolianos has blue LED lights hung across the wall.

Gabby Ranz, a second-year biolo-

gy pre-med major, lives in a sorority dorm, so she spends a lot of time in the rooms of her friends and neighbors.

“When I’m in my dorm, honestly, I’m doing homework, talking to my friends, doing laundry, sleeping. I just like hanging out with my friends,” Ranz said. “I don’t really have time to watch movies and stuf but if I did have time I would do that.”

Taylor Brundige, a frst-year undeclared business major, tends to spend his time in diferent buildings such as Armstrong Student Center or Farmer School of Business, but he does utilize his own dorm room for a few hours a day.

“[I often] watch TV, do homework and talk on the phone with friends and family,” Brundige said.

Brundige also spends a signifcant amount of time in his residence hall, taking advantage of the community spaces within the building.

“I’ve watched football downstairs with friends. We have a little movie theater,” Brundige said. “We play ping pong or pool.”

Morgan Simon, a sophomore psychology major, says the time she spends in her room varies depending on the day, but it’s usually around

eight hours a day, not including sleeping.

“I’m either in my dorm or my neighbors’ dorms,” Simon said. “A lot of the time we will just sit and watch movies together or watch TV shows or we’ll just sit and chat and eat. Just hanging out with each other and being chill.”

Simon also fnds ways to entertain herself through creative outlets.

“I like to do my nails in my room,” Simon said. “I do my homework.”

Simon personalizes her room with shades of pink, string lights and a sign representing her sorority.

After two years of living in a dorm, Simon has described the experience as “awesome” and has enjoyed her time there.

“I have met my best friends and my roommates for next year,” Simon said. “I love living there and being so close to my neighbors.”

powers40@miamioh.edu

What do Miami University students listen to while they study?

CONTINUED FROM FRONT

When listening to music, the soundwaves activate the auditory, motor and limbic systems of the brain, stimulating the whole mind with a full brain workout and an expansion of academic and general knowledge. There is also a reduction of negative emotions such as anxiety and depression.

So the next time you may be sitting in your room rocking out to your favorite song, your brain will be rocking out with you.

The genres students are listening to

Here at Miami, students listen to a wide variety of music. From pop to country to indie to classical to even lo-f instrumentals, Miami students all come together with diverse minds

and music to complete the common goal of studying for exams.

Results from a study by The Miami Student with about 50 responses show that students listen primarily to 10 diferent genres, with pop and country holding a tie for the most popular.

Caroline Mason, a junior media and communication major, claims that listening to country music helped her do signifcantly well on her exams.

“I listened to country music while I was studying for my Greek Mythology exam, and I earned a 100%,” Mason said. “Country music helped me reduce distractions in the background, and without distracting noises around me, I can focus more on my actual schoolwork.”

Mason acknowledges that many people, herself included, enjoy a

The Hollywood strikes are finally ending — here’s why Miami should care

REECE HOLLOWELL ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

After 146 days, the battle between major Hollywood studios and their writers has fnally ended.

On Tuesday, Sept. 26, the Writer’s Guild of America (WGA) approved a deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that ended the strikes taking place since May 2. With this advancement, talks are also expected to resume with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), who have been striking alongside the WGA since mid-July.

Even with the strikes coming to a close, it’s worth refecting on what led to this point and what it says about the current state and future of the flm industry — and how it directly afects students at Miami University.

When the WGA originally announced its plans to strike, the organization hoped to address two primary concerns in its renegotiations.

The frst is residual pay: the idea that writers will continue getting compensated for projects they are involved in. While this has been a common practice in Hollywood for ages, the rise of streaming services have complicated matters, as Lexi Jamieson Marsh, a visiting instructor of media and communication, explained.

“What’s been happening is that contractually, the streaming networks have been using a lot of loopholes [and] will kind of pay for a series outright,” Marsh said. “But the number of times it’s screened or played, there’s no residuals for any of the writers, actors.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, as millions were stuck at home with little else to do but stream movies and television shows, companies like Netfix and Amazon gained a huge market share. But unlike traditional network television, contracts for residuals were vague, with streamers often paying only pennies to the creators and stars of their biggest shows.

“They’re really abusing writers. They’re really taking advantage of them,” Marsh said.

Britton Perelman, a 2016 Miami alumna and 2023 UT Austin alumna with a MFA in screenwriting, talked about how this issue also bleeds into writers rooms.

“We used to have 22, 24, 26 episodes in a season, and now it’s normal for there to be like eight,” Perelman said. “And when that change happens, you not only get smaller writers rooms, so there’s less jobs to be had, b” Perelman said. “But you’re needed for a shorter amount of time to work on that show … so the amount of work has gone down, and it makes it more

wide range of music genres, but she strongly recommends country music because of the calm and happy nature of the tracks.

“I’ve had multiple phases of music and I’m in my country phase right now,” Mason said. “I like listening to country music because the music is so upbeat and happy that it improves my mood and my focus. If you like country music, I totally recommend it for studying.” The artists students are listening to Miami students listen to a wide range of artists, from high-charting artists such as The Weeknd, SZA, Zach Bryan and Hozier to underground artists such as Fashion Week, LeelaMarz, Annahstasia and Nick D. Molly Teets, a frst-year computer engineering major, said listening to alternative band Interpol while studying created a mellow atmosphere that made it easy to focus on her academic material.

“I get distracted very easily, and their music is very easy to listen to,” Teets said. “Calming music really helps me focus and more specifcally with Interpol, it’s really nostalgic and easy to listen to.”

Although each student had a different artist they liked, only one artist was mentioned multiple times by students — and surprise to nobody, that artist was Taylor Swift.

According to the student research survey, students who listened to Swift while they studied had a GPA range from a 3.6 GPA to a 4.2 GPA, making them the most academically bright listeners out of all the other artists mentioned by students. There’s truly no “Bad Blood” between Swift and Miami.

competitive.”

The second concern the WGA was hoping to address was the ever-present threat of AI.

AI has found its way into the conversations of every industry, and flm is no exception. Perelman put this problem into context with Hollywood’s own output.

“There are movies and TV shows that are basically built on the premise that we take jobs from real people and give them to robots, and it ends up wreaking havoc,” Perelman said. “And those scripts were written by people, not by robots.”

Not only would implementing AI into the creation of flm rob the medium of its artistry, but it also would further contribute to the problems of job security facing writers. Perelman said the flm industry is already competitive with limited jobs for a large number of writers, an issue that AI would only exacerbate.

“I think it’s hard enough to make it when you’re out there against other people and contributing for jobs, and trying to make it in the industry,” Perelman said. “And then when you think about adding to that, ‘Oh no, I have to compete against robots.’ That’s terrifying.”

With these concerns in mind, WGA’s strike (and the SAG strike that followed) delt a massive blow to the studios from both a PR and fnancial perspective.

During the strikes, studios have delayed several highly-anticipated flms, along with various CEOs making statements that denounce the goals of the guilds. Hackett Rascher, a junior English literature and flm studies co-major, said he believed the studios’ response was of-putting and abrasive.

“I understand on their part that they’re kind of like, ‘We have our

The songs students are listening to

When it comes to studying music, no one listens to the same exact songs, but a wide range of songs in diferent genres instead.

These include mellow songs like “Yellow” by Coldplay, “Dark Red” by Steve Lacy and classical music pieces like “Swan Lake” as well as upbeat songs like “Jodie” by SZA and “Mad it’s my fault” by Graham.

Some listeners even preferred their songs to not have any lyrics at all, believing lyrics make it difcult to concentrate on their assigned material.

Mason said that the song “Honey” by local alternative band Fashion Week not only helps her exam scores improve but also helps support Fashion Week as a local band.

“I love their music, and it makes me feel good knowing that my

streams helped support local bands,” Mason said. “It’s important to step outside the mainstream once in a while and help boost the talent of local bands.”

Education is something that is not only heavily enforced but also greatly valued. The education received at Miami helps prepare students for their designated career felds in the workplace and the world around them. But it never says how you have to learn and how you have to study. Music is shown to help improve memory and concentration, as well as work out and challenge the brain. So what are you waiting for? Put your Airpods on, try listening to some new artists that your classmates enjoy, grab your books and laptops and get ready for a great year.

whitehke@miamioh.edu

own quotas to meet.’ But when you’re spending so much money on these movies that don’t need super-duper high budgets, I don’t know,” Rascher said. “They should re-evaluate on their end what they could do diferently to meet in the middle here, and it seems like they’ve instinctively shut down and not doing that.”

Now that it seems like at least the WGA strikes are fnishing up, many in the flm industry arehave been breathing a sighs of relief. Even so, the process says a lot about the current perception of labor in the United States, an issue that bleeds into areas even beyond flm, including Miami.

“TI think the issue is really that the writer’s strike is a piece of a bigger problem that’s going on,” Marsh said. “Miami faculty just unionized. So you’re seeing the importance of a union to speak for the little person.”

One of Miami’s primary roles is to prepare students for entering the job market, and for many, that includes being aware of issues surrounding unionization and fair pay. Natalie Dureiko, a senior biology and music double major and president of Miami Association of Filmmakers and Independent Artists (MAFIA), highlighted

this in particular.

“Strikes are so important in general, in trying to create those fair labor laws and things like that,” Duriko said. “And also understand it not just on the level of, ‘Oh, it’s just rich people trying to get richer,’ but really trying to understand the root of it.”

So while only a small fraction of Miami’s students will go on to work in the flm industry, the symptoms that caused these strikes are universal. In that way, the WGA and SAG’s fght for fair pay and personal autonomy should be relatable to everyone.

Marsh left a piece of advice for anyone worried about their future in the job market.

“Don’t be afraid to produce work, but also know your worth,” Marsh said. “I think a lot of the times when we’re passionate about something … we feel like we need to sufer for it, or we shouldn’t earn a living wage or we need to make more sacrifces than if we took a safer route. But you should always be paid for your work. And as you enter that creative realm, understand your worth and you can always ask to be paid.”

CHRIS HUTCHENS, FIRST-YEAR SPORT MANAGEMENT MAJOR, READS FROM A TEXTBOOK ABOUT SPORTS CONCEPTS. HE HAS HIS AIRPODS IN TO WATCH THE CINCINNATI REDS GAME. PHOTO BY CAITLIN DOMINSKI

CAROLINE KRUEGER STUDIES FOR AN EXAM ON MICROORGANISMS AND HUMAN DISEASE. THE FIRST-YEAR UNDECLARED MAJOR BUMPS CLASSICAL MUSIC THROUGH HER AIRPODS MAX. PHOTO BY CAITLIN DOMINSKI

Shifting Gears: A look into Miami’s car racing and building team, RedHawk Racing

hour endurance race to test their capabilities.

“That event alone pretty much governs the entire design of that car, because they need to be built as rugged and tough as possible,” Pascoe said. “If your car ran the entire time during the endurance event, you’re going to win or place really, really well.”

The RedHawks were 10 laps ahead in last year’s race before their car broke down, causing them to place second instead.

William Butler, another captain of RedHawk Racing, oversees the design team and has driven the baja car the last two years.

On the other side of the track sits the formula team which focuses on speed.

“Dynamic events are time trials, because these cars are really, really fast, and they’re also kind of dangerous,” Poscoe said. “The current world record for fastest car in our division is 0.8 seconds 0 to 60.”

For reference, the 2023 Chevy Corvette accelerates from 0 to 60 in 2.9 seconds.

The competition, known as Formula SAE or FSAE, functions as Formula One for students.

Start your engines, RedHawks. Miami University’s car racing and building team, RedHawk Racing, raises money, builds cars and eventually races them at organized competitions across the country.

This relatively unknown Miami team consists of multiple parts, including a formula car team (think

Formula One car), a baja car team (of-road) and a business team. They’re all aimed toward building cars for competition.

Each competition includes static and dynamic events.

“So for the static events, it’s pretty much analyzing how well did you build a car? How cost efcient were you with your budget?” said Ian Pascoe, co-captain of RedHawk Racing.

Teams also have to have documentation of how they built the car.

“Something that a lot of people don’t think about when they frst start being an engineer is that you build something and then you have to write how you built it,” Pascoe said “That’s pretty much so that when you get audited, you have proof that you built it well.”

While the static events are similar between the formula division and the baja division, the dynamic events vary.

The baja cars face a grueling four-

“It’s defnitely challenging,” Butler said. “It’s small, it’s cramped, not terribly comfortable. So you do have to put a lot of just kind of like pain in the back of your head and just kind of keep trucking on, while remaining fully aware of where your car is and where everyone else is, because it’s entirely novice drivers for the most part.” Baja cars face a particularly unique obstacle because of their choice of transmission.

“What makes these cars particularly challenging over perhaps the other cars, is we run manual transmissions, which of road is a bit of a nightmare to drive,” Butler said. “But it’s what makes us faster and so much more efcient than the majority of the other teams that we raced.”

“FSAE is a global competition,” Poscoe said. “Some of the competitions we enter are like 50 to 80 teams.” Racing costs money, even at the collegiate level. To secure funds for the cars, the business team comes into play.

“We reach out to a bunch of different companies and individuals over the course of the year and that’s where we get all of our funding from,” said Isaac Arredondo, the president of the RedHawk Racing business team. Companies like Pepsi and American Axle have sponsored RedHawk Racing in the past.

RedHawk Racing hopes to host a race sometime this year in the Oxford area against rival University of Cincinnati.

john1595@miamoh.edu

What is Miami University’s place in this new college football landscape?

WIESEMANN THE MIAMI STUDENT

In two of the past three recruiting classes, Miami University football has had the best recruiting class in the Mid-American Conference according to the football recruiting aggregator 247Sports.

While many schools might have an edge in things such as location in big cities (Bufalo, Toledo or Akron) or enrollment (Kent State or Ohio), the football tradition, facilities and continuity of the coaching staf at Miami have led to some big recruiting wins, with people frequently choosing the RedHawks over other MAC schools as well as some major conference ofers.

That is especially impressive considering the recent addition of the transfer portal, which allows players to decide to explore their options in potentially leaving, while still having the option to come back if the grass isn’t greener. Athletes rarely return after entering the portal, but it notably happened this year to the starting quarterback for the RedHawks, Brett

Gabbert, who elected to come back to Oxford after entering the portal in November 2022.

Some colleges see the transfer portal as a massive hindrance to building their programs. Coaches such as Clemson’s Dabo Swinney have received criticism from media organizations for eschewing it, but some others have taken the opposite approach. Most notably, Colorado’s Deion Sanders has only nine scholarship players still on the roster from Colorado’s 2022 1-11 roster. His team took in a record 54 transfers for this past year.

Miami has taken an approach that has shown this season to be a happy medium, with 19 players on the roster being transfers (roughly 20% of scholarship players) and 16 with Power Five experience.

“We are always going to recruit high school kids frst,” said Coady Keller, Miami football’s director of player personnel. “On average, we’ll take six transfers [out of the transfer portal] to subsidize our roster, if we see spots that might need addressing.”

A quick glance at the depth chart

Winnipeg Jets prospect Logan

Neaton isn’t done with the RedHawks

KETHAN BABU STAFF WRITER

The 2022-23 season for Miami University hockey was plagued with inconsistencies and disappointment. Finishing with a record of 8-24-4, the RedHawks were frustrated with their overall performance. The program hasn’t had a winning season since 2015.

The older players knew that the program could do better, and many seniors chose to return for a ffth year, including Winnipeg Jets prospect Logan Neaton from Brighton, Michigan.

Neaton has been playing with the RedHawks since 2021. However his college hockey career started in 2019 at UMass Lowell, where he made eight appearances and had a career save percentage of 0.862.

Soon after starting his career at Lowell, Neaton was selected by the Winnipeg Jets with the 144th overall pick in the ffth round of the 2019 NHL draft. When a player is drafted into the NHL, the team that drafted him reserves the right to sign him in the future. In the meantime, the player continues to play for his amateur junior teams or collegiately. Neaton continued to play for UMass Lowell until 2021, when he entered the transfer portal.

“I wasn’t really looking for it,” Neaton said. “It just kind of came up out of nowhere. I was on vacation with my family and I got the call while

waiting on a dock. That’s a once in a lifetime experience. But getting drafted isn’t the fnish line, it’s where the work starts.”

At the same time that he was looking to transfer, Miami head coach Chris Bergeron was looking for a goalie. When he noticed Neaton in the transfer portal, Bergeron knew he was the player the RedHawks were looking for.

“He needed a change of scenery, and we needed a goaltender,” Bergeron said. “The timing matched up perfectly for us to recruit him.”

Neaton transferred to Miami in April 2021. Among his many reasons for transferring, he was most impressed with the treatment he received from the coaching staf.

“The frst time I talked to Coach Bergeron, I knew what kind of person he was, and that he cared about us from a human perspective,” Neaton said. “That was the biggest thing I was looking for in the recruiting process: fnding good people who cared about both how we perform as athletes and how we are doing as humans.”

Neaton was reunited with fellow Michigander Jack Clement, who joined the RedHawks in 2019 and is the current captain of the team. They had played against each other in high school and together for club hockey in the fall and winter. Since Neaton transferred to Miami, he and Clement have become close friends.

“It was obviously great when he

makes Miami’s philosophy apparent. Even as the college football landscape has changed, Miami appears to maintain continuity and prioritize development at positions such as ofensive line, quarterback and tight end. That’s while supplementing positions such as wide receiver and cornerback with transfers. While on paper it might sound easy to just fnd plugand-play guys in the transfer portal to contribute to a program, it is a very tedious process, with many hours of evaluation needing to be made before even landing on a narrowed-down list of players to prioritize.

“[Even if] the way we have to recruit changes, there are still certain qualities and traits in players that we still look for … the recruiting philosophy hasn’t changed,” said Pat Welsh, ofensive and recruiting coordinator.

The transfer portal has led to some massive additions, such as wide receiver transfer Gage Larvadain, who started his career at Southeastern Louisiana. He had one of the greatest receiving performances in school history against UMass in Week 2, recording eight catches, 273 yards receiving and three touchdowns. He

fnished just 10 yards short of Jack Sorenson’s receiving yards record of 283 versus Ohio in 2021.

Yahsyn McKee, a defensive back transfer from Mercer, made one of the most memorable plays in school history, blocking the game-winning feld goal attempt against Cincinnati to send the Battle for the Victory Bell to overtime. The win broke a 16 game winless streak against the Bearcats.

In fact, in discussing the diference between their high school recruiting and transfer portal recruiting, both emphasized that they still saw themselves as lightly recruited, Larvadain — who has gained national attention for his performance so far this season — included.

The transfer portal is a two-sided coin. Miami has had its fair share of transfers to bigger programs, with players like all-Mid American Conference (MAC) ofensive lineman Rusty Feth transferring to Iowa, or all-MAC ofensive lineman Caleb Shafer opting to take his talent to Oklahoma.

The MAC, by virtue of being a member of the “Group of fve,” is always going to experience some turnover of talent by virtue of the bigger

schools snapping up its players. In July of 2021, the NCAA changed its long controversial policy of not allowing players to proft of their name, image and likeness. The change allowed players to get paid for the frst time in college athletics. For one, bigger schools can sell potential transfers on much more lucrative NIL opportunities than are available at Miami. According to Yahoo Finance, college athletes earned an estimated $917 million the frst year they were able to proft of their NIL, from July 2021 to July 2022.

In addition, these programs offer bigger exposure in front of NFL scouts, and larger brands.

However, the combination of being proactive in the transfer portal and accumulating quality depth has set Miami football up well. The Miami RedHawks have slain the giant that is Cincinnati and have its sights frmly on a MAC Championship and a double-digit win season.

wiesemsm@miamioh.edu

transferred here,” Clement said. “I knew him decently well from Michigan, and over the past two or three years we’ve gotten really close. He’s my roommate, and he’s been someone that I’ve leaned on a ton over the years.”

Neaton’s career at Miami got of to a rough start. In his frst game at Miami, he made 29 saves on 31 shots. However, later that season, he tore his meniscus and was out for the rest of the year. Clement noticed the efect this injury had on Neaton and the rest of the RedHawks. “We were excited to get him,” Clement said. “He got a few games early on before he got hurt. It sucked for us, and I know it sucked for him. It was a long recovery time for him, but he’s worked hard to get back and come back even stronger than he was before.”

Last season, Neaton was relegated to more of a back-up role behind starter Ludvig Persson. He played

nine games out of 36 and earned a save percentage of 0.900. Toward the end of the season, he got more opportunities and ended the season with fve starts. When Persson transferred to the University of North Dakota at the end of last season, an opportunity opened up for Neaton to take the starting job. Neaton and Persson have similar play styles as goalies, but Neaton is a bigger and taller player. Standing at 6-foot-4, Neaton can use his body to block shots without needing to make crazy athletic saves. After last season’s underwhelming performance, Neaton and Clement chose to return for a ffth year. They knew that the program could do better, and they intend to prove that this year.

“We struggled, and it was defnitely frustrating at times,” Clement said. “It added fuel to the fre, and it was a big reason why Logan and I came back for a ffth year. We want to get

the results we know the team is capable of.”

In preparation for the upcoming season, Neaton has kept his focus singular. He participated in a training camp with the Winnipeg Jets over the summer, but his current goal is supporting the RedHawks’ program.

“I appreciate everything that the Jets have done for me, but right now my focus is on Miami,” Neaton said. “I think we have the right group of people. There’s a lot of faith, belief and trust amongst the group.”

The RedHawks open their season on Oct. 7 against Ferris State. Bergeron and the players hope that the fans can expect an entertaining and enthusiastic team.

“Our guys want the student body and the fans in Oxford to watch them play,” Bergeron said. “We can’t expect that, we have to earn it.” babukc2@miamioh.edu

TEDDY JOHNSON CO-HUMOR EDITOR

SEAN

REDHAWK RACING BUILDS AND RACES CARS AGAINST OTHER COLLEGE RACING TEAMS. PHOTO BY ELLEN LONG

LOGAN NEATON WILL TAKE OVER AS MIAMI’S STARTING NETMINDER THIS SEASON AFTER STAR LUDVIG PERSSON TRANSFERED TO NORTH DAKOTA AFTER LAST SEASON. PHOTO BY BELLA SAGARESE

Pedal to the metal for Sam Vaughan’s return to play

Overcoming such a serious injury was not just a physical challenge; it was a mental and emotional battle.

“Obviously, there’s gonna be the mental hurdle you got to get over about retearing it, something going wrong, and when there is some popping not to worry,” Vaughan said.

Yet, Vaughan had a unique perspective on his recovery.

“You got to remember that it’s just as good as your old ACL,” Vaughan said. “It’s surgically repaired.”

This mindset was crucial to make this return, because ofensive linemen do the “trench work.” They often get rolled up on and take awkward hits throughout every game.

“You feel like RoboCop,” Vaughan said with a grin.

Regaining confdence with a little help

Every setback has its hard times, but Vaughan’s mindset stayed unbreakable, allowing him to make a full recovery in time for this season.

“I was fortunate enough the week before fall camp started this year to

get cleared by doc and got thrown right into the fre, exactly what I wanted,” he said. Vaughan shared a few turning points that he had to go through to get comfortable on the feld again. The fear of re-injury was ever-present, but ultimately the play of the 2023 season reignited his confdence.

“There’s a few times in camp that come to mind,” he said. “Obviously the practice and the frst time you plant your leg at a certain angle. Once you get the frst play out of the way, you’re just relieved and feel back to your old self.’”

Vaughan’s recovery was not a solo endeavor. He was quick to acknowledge the incredible support he received.

“I couldn’t have done any of it without the training staf and the people over at Mercy Health,” Vaughan said. “I mean, every day I had my family, my girlfriend and teammates on a daily basis keeping my spirits up.” Reshaping his game Returning to football after a year

away was not without its adjustments.

“When you spend 12 months away from football, you sort of lose your instincts a little bit,” Vaughan said. “You gotta play 110 miles an hour. No hesitation.”

He has his own take on hesitation. He referred to it as “paralysis by analysis.”

“He is just very driven, very motivated,” Patton said. “Sometimes in this game, you don’t realize how much you miss until you’re out. I know Sam all through the ofseason approached every rehab workout, every training workout just so he could get back for that frst play and he couldn’t wait.”

One aspect that sets Sam apart is his commitment to his team’s success. This year, he was moved to the guard position, after starting last year at ofensive tackle.

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Vaughan said. “All I want to do is get on that feld and win a MAC championship ring with my boys.”

schoolj2@miamioh.edu

Fun for all ages: Pickleball takes Oxford by storm

SHR-HUA MOORE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Nets are popping up on the basketball courts in the mornings, and tennis courts now have extra lines on them or are gone altogether. The courts behind Cook Field are flled with the sound of squeaking tennis shoes and thwacking paddles at least three times a week.

Pickleball has been the fastest-growing sport in America for three years now, and it’s here to stay at Miami University.

Junior accounting major Mitchell Groves is a new member of Miami’s pickleball club and emphasized the universal appeal of pickleball.

“Pickleball is sort of an in-between between tennis and ping-pong,” Groves said. “There’s a lot of [equal footing] for people who are new at it.”

Whether you’re 8 or 80, pickleball is accessible to anyone who can get on a court and is willing to learn.

The growing pains of a growing sport

The Miami University Pickleball Club started in the spring of 2021 with a mix of enthusiasm and logistical concerns. Junior sports leadership and management major Jacob Samberg joined the club for its inaugural meeting in the Rec Center.

“There were 80 people on the frst day,” Samberg said. “It was really, really crowded. No one knew what they were doing at all, and 90% of people had a wooden paddle or some $10 thing you would get from Walmart.”

Samberg stuck with the club and is now its current president. In addition to having more organization and space, Samberg said part of the club’s appeal is that it’s open to anyone.

“We have a club sports label on us, but we’re not like most club sports,” Samberg said. “We don’t do tryouts, and we don’t cut people from the team — whoever comes in is allowed to play, no experience needed.”

The club has grown over the past two years, with 357 students signing up at their mega fair table this September. Harry Hughen, a senior majoring in history, international

‘This means everything’: Miami captures Victory Bell for first time since 2005

JACK SCHMELZINGER SPORTS EDITOR

For the frst time since 2005, the Victory Bell has made its way back to Oxford.

The Miami University RedHawks recaptured the Bell on the night of Saturday, Sept. 16, with a stunning 31-24 victory over the University of Cincinnati (UC) Bearcats.

hero came through again. Cincinnati’s pass was intercepted in the end zone by McKee, and the RedHawk sideline went wild.

After the Game, the RedHawks hit Brick Street with the Victory Bell. They undoubtedly had an enjoyable night.

“People will talk about this win for a long time,” Martin said. “People will remember this win for a long time.”

studies and East Asian studies, is the club’s secretary this year. He keeps track of attendance and said the numbers were up at this point in the year compared to last year.

“So far this year we’re seeing a positive trend,” Hughen said. “The attendance for the club usually whittles down throughout the year, but we had 42 people show up to our last practice and average attendance has been in the mid-30s so far.”

The Pickleball Club practices three days a week on the Cook Field courts, weather permitting. The courts are flled with players preparing for tournaments, teaching other members or just playing with their friends. However, clearing the courts for practices can sometimes be challenging.

“Some tennis players have not departed with the best attitude recently,” Hughen said. “We’ve had to get our adviser involved once, and it’s a tough situation to navigate. We’d want them to be able to play too, but we do have [the courts] reserved for two hours.”

Belligerent tennis players notwithstanding, the pickleball club is here in a big way at Miami, and it is here to stay.

Pickleball drives changes at Miami and in the community Support for pickleball goes beyond student clubs. Miami’s Recreation Services Department has made pickleball possible through court installations and modifcations.

Geremy Bardon, the associate director for club sports at Miami, said the department made accommodations as the sport gained interest at the university. “With the popularity of pickleball rising not only with students but also community members, the Rec Center added lines on the second court and some lines on the fourth court for a total of seven courts in the gym,” Bardon said.

In addition to student demand, Bardon said a big reason for the expansion was due to the community members who play pickleball.

Doug Curry is the executive director of Recreation Services at Miami and president of the TRI community

center board. In addition to the court developments at Miami, he said there were renovations to the community center’s courts in town as well.

“Pickleball is booming, no question about that,” Curry said. “The courts at the TRI are jammed all the time on weekends — it started of as more of a senior activity, but now it’s booming for both students and the community.”

Curry said that the popularity of pickleball has helped achieve many recreation center goals at Miami and in the community.

“Because older people can play it, it opens up a whole new window activity-wise, from a rec professional perspective, that’s awesome,” Curry said. “Our whole goal is to get them to stay active and keep moving, so I think it’s great that it’s so popular.” Pickleball embraced by all ages

The rise of pickleball has also been transformational for many older community members. Whether they are trying to stay active, make new friends or become the best at the sport, pickleball is the go-to for many people in their 60s or older.

Susan Chabot is one of the people who, along with community member Tony Shepherd, organized a pickleball tournament among community members on Sept. 16. The tournament was part of the Oxford Masters Game series, which happens each fall and is aimed at people above the age of 50.

Chabot was one of the frst people in Oxford to play pickleball, having taped lines and playing with a few others around eight years ago. She described how nice it was when younger people started taking an interest in the game.

“Over the last two years, we’ve had three or four students who’ve walked on the courts and have asked ‘What are you doing? Can you teach me?’” Chabot said. “Yeah, the youngsters were playing with us old people. And we just laughed together … everybody was on the same level.” moorese6@miamioh.edu

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

The last fve minutes of the game read like an Agatha Christie novel. With the game tied at 24, the RedHawks forced a huge three-and-out by Cincinnati. The RedHawks were going to get the ball back with about four minutes remaining.

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

From there, Cincinnati marched the ball down the feld, chewing time and gouging chunks out of the RedHawk defense. Martin used all of his timeouts, but when the last fourth down rolled around, there were only nine seconds left on the clock.

The game was over. Cincinnati had won. All they had to do was nail an easy 35-yard feld goal as time expired.

And the RedHawks blocked it. Yahsyn McKee few around the right side of the Cincinnati line and snatched the Bell from the jaws of the Bearcats.

“The right tackle, the whole game, whenever they had a chance to kick a feld goal, he was stepping down super far,” McKee said. “I knew eventually I was gonna block one.”

The RedHawks kneeled to end regulation. After a short break and a lot of slack-jawed head shaking, Miami would get the ball to start overtime.

On the frst play of overtime, Gabbert dropped back and was quickly surrounded by Bearcat rushers. He stepped up and took of, winding over the left sideline for 17 yards. On the next play, he foated a pass to redshirt-senior Joe Wilkins, who caught it falling out of the end zone. The RedHawks had their score, they just needed a stop.

The Bearcats’ turn lasted 11 plays. Miami backed them up to third-and-12 on the frst series of downs, but Cincinnati completed a pass for the frst down. On the next play, another pass got them to the two. A penalty backed them up, but a play later, they got to the one yard line. Another penalty on third-andone backed them up to the 11. They gained nine on third down, and the Battle for the Victory Bell was down to one play.

On fourth-and-two, the day’s

On Monday after taking the Victory Bell, Martin credited his team’s mindset as one of the main reasons Saturday’s game was diferent from Miami’s 38-3 loss to Miami (FL) in Week 1.

“We went to Miami to win,” Martin said. “But the mindset probably wasn’t right. We went down to Miami to kick Miami’s ass, which was probably unrealistic … Our belief was insane on Saturday night. Our belief was over the top. But it was realistic belief.”

The RedHawk defense gave up more than 500 total yards and 30 frst downs. The Bearcats entered the red zone eight times during the course of the game, but scored only two touchdowns. Three of the times they entered the red zone, UC left without any points.

The Victory Bell win is a huge boon to Miami’s season. It’s the oldest non-conference rivalry in college football, and despite Cincinnati’s recent domination, it’s just as ferce as ever. Anyone who tells you otherwise has never walked around UC campus on gameday in a Miami polo.

Senior defensive lineman Austin Ertl said it was the most texts he’s ever had on his phone after a game.

“The atmosphere was amazing,” redshirt-senior receiver Joe Wilkins Jr. said. “Being in the locker room after a big win like that, everyone’s jumping around, music’s playing, bell’s ringing … the excitement level was through the roof.”

After the huge win in Week 3, the RedHawks took care of business against Delaware State (FCS) in Week 4, beating the Hornets 6220. Miami amassed 466 yards rushing and managed to cover a lofty 41-point spread against a much inferior opponent.

The RedHawks are coming out of their non-conference slate set up well for one of the best seasons in recent history. A 3-1 record after playing Miami (FL) and Cincinnati is better than anyone would have expected. Miami could win ten games this season for the frst time since 2010.

The RedHawks haven’t had a oneloss season since Ben Roethlisberger quarterbacked them in 2003. It all comes down to how they do in the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The MAC slate opens up for Miami at Kent State at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 30.

schmelj2@miamioh.edu

THE MIAMI UNIVERSITY PICKLEBALL CLUB WAS STARTED IN 2021 . PHOTO BY SHR-HUA MOORE

MIAMI SHOCKED CINCINNATI AT NIPPERT STADIUM

PHOTO BY JESSICA MONAHAN

sports

Can Miami football win the Mid-American Conference championship?

ing to Ball State.

ponents by tens of millions of dollars.

In 2019, Ohio State University, the Big Ten’s biggest spender, spent more than $35 million and two-anda-half times more than Purdue University, at the other end of the spectrum. Central Michigan, the MAC’s biggest spender, spends about $6 million and about two times what the lowest spender Akron does.

Recruiting is the life blood of college sports. The best players win. That’s millions and millions of dollars spent directly recruiting players and making those programs more attractive places to play. Not so much in the MAC though.

“In our league now, for eight straight weeks, it’s a fair fght,” Martin said.

es a major challenge as well.

JACK SCHMELZINGER SPORTS EDITOR

The Miami University RedHawks have fnished their conference slate with a record of 3-1, thanks to an unlikely upset over the University of Cincinnati. This week begins the Mid-American Conference slate. What follows is a preview of what Miami will face over the next nine weeks.

The conference of parity

Both redshirt junior linebacker

Matt Salopek and head coach Chuck Martin emphasized the parity in the MAC. Miami can’t write of any of its conference opponents.

“The MAC is the MAC,” Salopek said. “We have eight winnable games and eight losable games. That’s how it is.”

Martin said that the parity comes from the similarity in spending between conference members. He compared the MAC to the Big Ten, where teams like Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State outspend conference op-

That said, some MAC schools are better than others. As of Sept. 25, Fox Sports has the University of Toledo as the favorite to win the MAC championship, with betting odds more than 60 times more favorable than last-place Kent State. Miami falls in third out of 12 teams.

Miami starts its schedule against three of the four teams with the lowest odds at the 2023 MAC Championship, at Kent State, hosting Bowling Green and at Western Michigan.

Then the RedHawks play the two favorites, at home against Toledo and on the road at Ohio. They fnish the schedule hosting Bufalo then travel-

Key games Week 8 - Miami vs. Toledo, Oct. 21

If the RedHawks can take care of business Weeks 5 through 7, the frst true test of their mettle is against Toledo. The Rockets barely lost to Illinois Week 1. Then Toledo won its next three games, including a 71-3 thumping of Texas Southern.

Toledo returns 16 starters from its 2022 MAC Championship-winning squad, including seven all-conference selections. Its quarterback, dual-threat Dequan Finn, went for nearly 3000 total yards last season and 32 touchdowns. So far this year, he’s thrown four interceptions through four games but also recorded 10 touchdowns. Toledo’s ofensive line returns four starters. Running behind it, junior Peny Boone is averaging 7.7 yards per carry, including over 200 yards and two touchdowns against Western Michigan last week.

Their defense is holding opponents to under four yards per carry. They have eight takeaways through four games.

Their ofense is explosive and laden with threats. The defense is stout and makes big plays. Toledo is a force.

Week 9 - Miami vs. Ohio, Oct. 28

The team that Toledo beat in the MAC Championship last season pos-

Miami sports trivia

The University of Cincinnati’s football stadium is named for a former Bearcat who died from an injury sustained during the 30th Battle for the Victory Bell. What was his name?

a. Richard Paycor

b. James Nippert

c. Tom O’Malley

d. Joshua Gamble Miami and Cincinnati frst battled for the Victory Bell in which year?

a. 1888

b. 1899

c. 1910

d. 1929

A highly touted team to begin with, Ohio has already pulled of two upsets this season. Week 2, they beat Florida Atlantic 17-10, and Week 3, they beat Iowa State 10-7. Last year, ofense was their calling card, but allowing 17 combined points in those two games is impressive.

That ofense led the conference last season with over 420 yards over 30 points per game. Ohio returns all but two starters from that unit, including last year’s MAC Player of the Year, quarterback Kurtis Rourke.

So far, the Bobcats are holding opponents to under 70 rushing yards per game and fewer than 250 total yards. They have 11 takeaways already. They crushed Bowling Green last week, 38-7.

It’s clear who the two top dogs of the MAC are. Miami’s close on their tails, and if they hadn’t gotten beaten so bad Week 1, they might be right there. They’ll have their chance Weeks 7 and 8 though.

Miami opens up the conference slate on Saturday, Sept. 30 on the road at Kent State. The game kicks of at 2:30 p.m., and you can catch it on ESPN+ or on one of Miami’s gameday radio afliates.

schmelj2@miamioh.edu

After resigning from the faculty at Miami to become the president of what is now the University of Cincinnati, which person said Miami was “where it was more likely [students] would be made into Drunkards and Gamblers than good Scholars?”

a. Alfred H. Upham

b. William H. McGufey

c. Walter Havinghurst

d. John D. Millett

Which college football Hall of Famer coached at both Miami and Cincinnati?

a. Ara Parseghian

b. Sid Gillman

c. Bo Schembechler

d. Jim Tresse

What is Miami’s all time record in the Battle for the Victory Bell?

a. 47-73-2

b. 52-68-9

c. 60-60-7

d. 71-56-3

MEREDITH PERKINS COLUMNIST

The Panera Bread chocolate chip mufe is an enigma.

It is neither a cookie nor a mufn; it is something mysteriously in-between, such that each bite mimics the cake-like texture of a mufn within the thin, circular frame of a traditional cookie.

Whatever it is, the mufn has been my favorite baked good on the fast-casual café chain’s bakery menu since I was little. Growing up, my mom and I would go to our local Panera when we ran errands together, stopping to rest our legs and cozy up by the store’s freplace while splitting a mufe.

Thus, when I learned a Panera location was coming to Armstrong, I envisioned myself stopping in-between classes to grab a baked good or sandwich as an afternoon pick-meup.

I had just one problem: Everyone else had that same great idea.

The frst time I attempted a mobile order with Panera, I was notifed by GrubHub that Panera had a more than 60-minute wait. A full hour! And they sold out of my chocolate chip mufe! I decided to go to the café in person, assuming a line of people surely couldn’t be longer than the mobile line.

That is when I learned that Panera is fully-cashiered by GrubHub kiosks.

With a fully-asynchronous ordering model, Panera — unlike our Starbucks locations — does not ofer any priority for in-person orders or make it possible to speak with an employee with questions about your order, putting a signifcant damper on accessibility of the food options.

To work around the crowds, students can opt for Panera runs outside peak hours or plan ahead when they would enjoy Panera.

Unfortunately, the GrubHub ordering system doesn’t let students set pickup times for the future, so it is difcult to decide what time of day to order something.

As far as Panera’s menu goes, the Miami menu features many beloved Panera staples: cookies, bakery items, bread bowls, bagels, sandwiches, soups, salads, specialty cofees and charged lemonades.

The You-Pick-Two combo, Panera’s most popular lunch option, allows students to get a combination of soup, salad and/or sandwiches to create a flling, healthy lunch. While Panera has neither kosher nor halal options, the menu has a solid variety of vegetarian options, such as their Greek salad or Mediterranean veggie sandwich.

The two You-Pick-Two combos I tried were the caesar salad with white cheddar macaroni and cheese, as well as a roast beef sandwich with white cheddar macaroni and cheese.

My orders were packaged nicely, with my macaroni and cheese and roast beef still warm, and my salad was still nicely chilled at the time I ate my meal.

Panera’s mac and cheese was fantastic and flling for a small cup of pasta, but the salad and sandwich were pretty run-of-the-mill.

The salad and sandwich were both good portion sizes, but for a salad that was essentially just lettuce, dressing, and two croutons, $6 felt like a pretty ridiculous price to pay. At the same time, I ended up with an accidental free cookie in my order, which made my day enough to forget about the $6 basic salad.

Still, Panera may not be worth the cost.

While the quality of the bagels is far better at Panera Bread than its more afordable predecessor, Toasted Bagel, the cost of Panera menu items (You-Pick-Twos are around

$14) makes the café somewhat inaccessible to dine at on a regular basis for most budget-conscious college students.

For most of us, Panera will ultimately be a special treat to add some variety every now and then, rather than a daily dining option.

For students interested in checking out Panera Bread, I would recommend waiting until the back-toschool rush passes and wait times mellow out, or learning to watch the GrubHub app.

If you do decide to try Panera Bread, order ahead, pick up your order in a timely fashion, and — I could not encourage this enough — try a chocolate chip mufe perkin16@miamioh.edu

Growing up in the diverse cultural landscape of Atlanta, Georgia, I have become somewhat familiar with authentic Latin cuisine. I’m a fan of Latin staples such as street style tacos, empanadas and tamales, but I haven’t seen much of these foods since moving into Oxford this fall.

That changed last Friday when I went to the UniDiversity Festival Uptown and was treated with some truly

KAITLIN MCDOWELL FOOD EDITOR

On Sep. 22, news broke that Miami University would ofcially end its contract with Aramark, the company in charge of dining services, by the end of this academic year.

This decision came as a shock to many as Aramark has made so many changes to the on-campus food this semester, with the reopened Bell Tower and Panera. The reason for the split is still unannounced.

“The food is OK, but I feel like the market food has gone downhill and was better before Aramark came,” said Josh Russell, a junior majoring in middle childhood education. One change to the market food instilled by Aramark was the King Street sandwiches, salads and other choices that

amazing food and a glimpse into the vibrant culture from which it originated.

I started of the evening with a classic pair of street tacos as well as a quesadilla from El Cardenal. I was told to try the Tacos al Pastor and the chorizo quesadilla, which I ordered in addition to the carne asada taco, a goto of mine. In addition to chorizo, an Iberian sausage, the quesadilla was also stufed with lettuce, tomatoes and pickled jalapenos and of course, cheese.

The heat and smokiness of the chorizo paired well with the fresh and subtle sweetness of the lettuce and tomato, but I didn’t taste much cheese. Whether or not this was intentional, it also meant there wasn’t much holding the quesadilla together, so by the time I was fnished, my hands and tray were covered in chorizo. Overall, it would’ve been a lot better with more cheese.

Next, I moved onto my tacos. Al pastor is traditionally made with marinated pork shoulder and is commonly prepared with pineapple. El Cardenal’s iteration featured what tastes like grilled pork accompanied by a subtle pineapple favor, which is diferent from most tacos al pastor that I’ve had, which have primarily featured smoked pork with grilled pineapple.

The taco had a smoky and slightly

can be exchanged for a meal swipe.

Katie Brand, a sophomore majoring in healthcare sales and public health, said she’s worried about what this may mean moving forward.

“I was surprised to hear the news about Aramark and I think it is good and bad,” Brand said. “I’m scared the food will get worse.”

Brand began to attend Miami University the same semester that Aramark joined, fall 2022, so she hasn’t seen what Miami has ofered in past years. Last year, she ate at Martin Dining Commons, and she said Maplestreet Commons’ food quality this year is much better.

“I really like the soups this year.

They’re fre, but I think the dining hall fries got saltier,” Brand said.

For Mia Wazgar, a junior primary education major and Aramark employee, a return to pre-Aramark days

sweet favor, and it paired well with the truck’s mild green salsa which added a subtle but satisfying herbal bitterness. The carne asada took on a familiar taste with its deep, beefy favor and worked well with the hotter salsa option, which was much smokier than its mild green counterpart. From there however, things only got better.

I continued over to a stand selling street corn and tamales, where I tried a cob of authentic Mexican maize and a pork tamale, as was recommended. The street corn was a highlight of the night for sure. It was perfectly cooked, providing a satisfying balance of crunch and tenderness. The seasoning and cotija cheese on top made this a crunchy, smoky and tangy recipe for success that I couldn’t be pulled away from.

The tamale was wrapped in a tender and favorful “masa” that reminded me of a cornbread casserole that contained tender and favorful smoked pork. Topped of with hot sauce and sour cream, this tamale did not disappoint.

Lastly, I enjoyed my favorites of the night, courtesy of the Arepa Place. I ordered one cheese Arepa, not fully sure what to expect, as well as a chicken empanada. As I waited for my empanada to cool, I dug into the starchy, cheese arepa.

As the night went on, the line for

may not be a bad thing.

“There was more variety and healthy options,” Wazgar said. “It was diferent every day at the dining halls.”

In the spring of 2022 and this fall, Aramark has made notable diferences in the dining halls. In Western Dining commons what used to be a “Global Kitchen” station was turned into solely Greek food. In addition, an Indian, Mexican and Asian station were added to Maple dining commons. These options do seem exciting at frst, but there is not much day-today variety between the options being served.

“I never have hopes for the Miami food to improve,” Russell said in terms of his hopes for a new food provider in the coming semesters. mcdowekr@miamioh.edu

this place continued to grow. The favor of this Colombian staple reminded me of a polish pierogi pastry containing potato and cheese. Arepa is typically made with cornmeal. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if the one I had was made with potato due to its fufy and starchy consistency that coexisted among gooey, melted cheese. The herbal green salsa paired very well, but these arepas are in a league of their own and can be easily enjoyed solo.

I then moved on to my chicken empanada. The shell was much crunchier than I’m used to, but it provided a lovely contrast to the soft, tender chicken.

Overall, I had a great evening of being immersed into Latin and Caribbean culture through its people, music and of course, food.

hatchjb@miamioh.edu

JOHN HATCH THE MIAMI STUDENT

JULIAN BIALOUS THE MIAMI STUDENT

If I was a University of Cincinnati Bearcats fan right now, I’d probably hide in a closet in my room and cry until there were no more tears left to cry, playing demo bell sounds of my phone because …

DING! DING! DING!

Miami brought the Victory Bell home!

Remember the date — Saturday, Sept. 16, 2023. The day a RedHawk murdered a Bearcat in front of millions on national television. It feels good being a Miami RedHawk fan because we are so back, baby!

Miami is ofcially a football school again.

Haters (from UC most likely) will say, “You got lucky. You won in overtime by only a touchdown. We lost the game, you didn’t win it. It was a charity win. A Bearcat is so much cooler than a RedHawk.”

But all I hear are WWWWWWs.

Now in the spirit of winning with grace, I’ve compiled a complete list of why UC is inferior … First, their mascot is a Bearcat. What even is a Bearcat?

Now for the other reasons:

• We are a school of winners, they are not.

We can defnitely drink way more beer than them.

Oxford is way prettier and safer (straight facts).

• We have President Crawford.

We have the highest receiving yards wideout in college football (S.O. Gage Larvadain).

• We have GrubHub robots everywhere

(that actually might be their only win).

Did the CEO of Chipotle go to UC? Oh, that’s what I thought.

Do they have a Julian Bialous attending their school? Psssh, they wish.

Miami is everything UC wishes they could be but never will.

In a way, I feel sorry for them. The bell was everything to them, and we just took that away. So, if you have a friend at UC (lame), then call them up, tell them to wipe their tears and crawl out of their closets and let them know everything is going to be OK.

Then, once you feel like you’ve repaired some wounds, throw salt into it by texting them a link to highlights of the game.

I have already watched the video 40 times. I’ve done no homework.

Whenever I’m feeling sad, happy, angry, frustrated or any other emotion, this video is always here to remind me I’m a straight alpha because I am a RedHawk.

Just remember, if you are ever feeling lost or down, at least you don’t go to UC. bialouj2@miamioh.edu

TEDDY JOHNSON CO-HUMOR EDITOR

Last September, I wrote an article about student organizations to join. But a new year means a new chance to choose student organizations. Here are the ones to join.

Break out of Miami

Ever wondered why you always see the same person walking to class every day? This is because they have nowhere to go.

We are all trapped inside a mega-prison disguised as Miami University in which we can only leave during holidays. All those deer you see are robots planted by the prison guards or “grounds carepeople” to hypnotize you into not trying to escape. If you see a deer, stay away!

All that propaganda “teachers” (also prison guards) are “teaching you” actually serves as the prison’s brainwashing technique, tricking you into thinking you aren’t imprisoned.

Join this club to help break out of Miami.

Bridges International

This organization aims to build a land

bridge between Southeast Asia and the western United States. So far, every prototype has been destroyed by wild ferrets, but this won’t stop this tenacious group! Open to all majors except computer science.

Department of Magical Appreciation

No, this is not a Harry Potter club. Wanna see a magic trick? In case you didn’t know, magic tricks are the ultimate way to fnd your new partner. After one meeting with this organization, you will be an absolute “rizz”-ard. Try out your newfound tricks Uptown at your own risk.

Green Oxford

Oxford has a building problem. All the buildings need to be painted green. Brick Street? Would be way better green. Roads? Green like grass. This way, deer will hop on the road, and the cars can fx the deer problem.

IGNITE Women in Politics

While this organization promotes women in politics, it also advocates for female politicians to IGNITE (wink, wink) all opposition. Ladies, it’s time to take drastic action. Experience in second and third-degree arson preferred.

CONNOR OVIATT STAFF WRITER

As everyone who has read my articles knows, I am not a journalism major. Far from it, actually. But sometimes I get the itch to do “journalisming” — particularly absurd journalisming.

This week, to get rid of that itch once and for all, I set out to fnd some of the most interesting and entertaining Miami students, and ask them some very important questions that are on my mind.

Disclaimer: These interviews were solely conducted in imagination land. No Miami students were harmed, embarrassed or confused in the production of this article. So, let’s go over the results of my imaginary foray into reporting. I frst want to introduce my participants. We were lucky to have Crystal, a junior majoring in fashion design; Josh, a sophomore fnance major; Anna, a senior philosophy major with a minor in creative writing; and Chris, a frstyear majoring in sports communication and management (SCAM).

I thought that each individual would bring a unique perspective to the table. This was a panel interview. So, I will display my question, and then each person’s corresponding response. Connor Oviatt, The Miami Student’s greatest journalist: If you were a building on campus, which would you be and why?

Crystal: I would be Kumler Chapel. It is the most gorgeous and peaceful building on campus. It reminds me of myself.

Josh: I would be Brick Street. I try to spend at least three nights a week Uptown, so … yeah, I would defnitely be Brick.

Anna: What does it even mean to be a building? I think that we can learn a lot from buildings. Buildings represent life. I actually think I would be the woods behind Peabody. That’s where I do my best soul searching.

Chris: I would be Millett Hall … because yeah, I’m a SCAM major. I like sports.

Oviatt, after hyping himself up for fve minutes: How often do you think about the Roman Empire?

Crystal: Oh my gosh. I don’t understand why STUPID MEN think about the Roman Empire so much. Such a red fag. I know my boyfriend would never think about the Roman Empire.

Josh: I think about the Roman Empire every day. I think the history is so fascinating. I also think we have a lot to learn from alpha males like Julius Caesar.

Anna: I prefer to think about Greek society. Aristotle, Plato, Socrates, basically my whole major started in Greece. The Romans are nowhere near as cool. Plus gross men talk about the Roman Empire.

Just Duet

This acapella group is dedicated to singing the Shia LaBeouf “Just do it!” speech in various tones and languages, all while performing an interpretive dance routine.

Miami Marauders

Ever seen a dorm room trashed? Belongings ever missing? Look no further. That was the Miami Marauders. This organization focuses on pillaging and raiding buildings across campus, from dorm rooms to dining halls to academic buildings.

Unfortunately, Miami University installed extra security cameras everywhere thanks to the Marauders’ eforts, but that doesn’t stop members. Pirating experience helps the cause. Please join!

Alpha Sigma Fraternity

BROS BROS BROS!

Any Business Fraternity

These are just like social fraternities, but with girls! And resumes.

john1595@miamioh.edu

Chris: What’s a Roman Empire?

Oviatt (visibly shaking at this point): This is a two-parter: Would you rather watch grass grow or paint dry? Also, what are your thoughts on lead paint?

Crystal: I would love to watch a well-painted room dry. Particularly one that I painted. If I can design gorgeous clothes, I can defnitely paint a nice room.

Josh: I would love to watch grass grow. I am proud of the fact that our frat has the cleanest front yard of all the frats, because I’m a pro at cutting lines.

Anna: Every day I sit outside and contemplate the meaning of life. Why am I here? Do I matter? Will Will Weisman make me pay cover in heaven? How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?

Chris: I want to make a cool shape in the grass of the soccer feld. Oviatt, while throwing his paint brush across the room: Who do you think would win in a fght outside Armstrong: the fat earth guy or the ‘HELL IS REAL‘ guy?

Crystal: I don’t think either has spent a night with a woman ever. So will there truly be a winner?

Josh: At least the “Hell is Real” guy isn’t a million years old.

Anna: We can’t confrm whether hell is real or not. I don’t think it’s fair to lump him in with the fat earth guy.

Chris: The fat earth guy was pretty chill. He gave me a model of the earth. Looked like a ball. Oviatt, the most responsible member of the Miami community: You are stopped Uptown by the OPD. In order to get out of trouble, you have to beat the ofcer in a spelling bee. What word are you using to stump them?

Crystal: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

Josh: Bankruptcy.

Anna: Agnosticism.

Chris: Puka Nacua, LA Rams receiver. The honorable Connor Oviatt, our humble and inspiring leader: Last question: Would you rather fght 15 5-year-olds or fve 10-year-olds?

Crystal: Oh my gosh I could never fght a 5-year-old! They are way too cute! Give me the stupid 10-year-olds.

Josh: I could take on at least three dozen 10-year-olds.

Anna: Violence is never the answer. We are endowed with unalienable rights to life, which means not having to be sucker punched at age fve for a stupid joke.

Chris: I beat up fve 10-year-olds when I was three. Light work.

oviattcc@miamioh.edu

Salon Signature hair and day spa o

signature style and service

preference, providing a tailored and comfortable salon experience for anyone who walks through the door.

Notably, Salon Signature welcomes walk-ins, as advertised on the carefully decorated chalkboard sign that sits on the sidewalk outside the studio. Online booking is also available for this salon, which appeals to a younger demographic.

This quick access to a quality haircut is a popular sell for many college students. Some of Salon Signature’s most loyal customers are fraternity brothers, especially members of Phi Gamma Delta and Beta Theta Pi who live close to the salon.

“I love the energy that young people bring to town,” Lamb said.

The life cycle of laundry

ALLISON LEE STAFF WRITER

AVA SHAFFER THE MIAMI STUDENT

Situated invitingly on High Street is a red brick staircase that leads to a chic hairstyling studio: Salon Signature. This is the closest salon to Miami University’s campus, and it’s an easy fnd next to the police station and directly across from Brick Street.

Salon Signature sets itself apart from other Oxford salons through its aesthetic. The chic salon is decorated with a calming and modern design, such as abstract art, hexagonal mirrors and three hairstyling stations. On the back wall are two stations for washing, a pedicure chair and a manicure station.

Not only does Salon Signature provide extensive hairstyling services such as men’s and women’s haircuts, hairstyles, blowouts, perms, permanent and semi-permanent color, foil and highlights, it also ofers non-hair related services as well. The business

also specializes in manicures, pedicures, waxing and facials.

For many Miami students and Oxford residents, the adjective “signature” in the salon’s name certainly fts, as this business is a staple for its loyal clientele.

“If you give a consistent haircut time after time, people come back,” said Michael Lamb, co-owner of Salon Signature and hairstylist for more than 40 years. His partner, co-owner Lee Garland, is a hairstylist with 38 years of experience.

Salon Signature has been in the same location, 41 E. High St., for 27 years. The ease of fnding the salon, as well as its consistency, is a major factor in the salon’s continued success.

“We strive to make everyone happy,” Lamb said.

Lamb also mentioned the salon’s appeal to many diferent kinds of customers. Salon Signature’s clientele ranges in age, gender and style

He also said that the salon frequently hires sorority girls with hairstyling experience since they have direct relationships with the clientele at Miami. Other regular customers include university professors and Oxford residents.

“Well it [the clientele] is very diverse in that sense, we have younger and older clients. Obviously, when students are out, we get more professors and townspeople in.” Lamb said.

Salon Signature had undergone an aesthetic remodel to appeal to the greater Oxford community. Prior to the pandemic, the salon used to be decorated inside with Miami gear and sports memorabilia. It has since been remodeled into the stylish and calming atmosphere that it boasts today to bring back loyal customers.

For Lamb, keeping the customers happy makes his work worth it.

“I love what I do,” Lamb said. “If you have a passion, it shows in your work and in the clientele you have.” shafea8@miamioh.edu

Laundry. Whether you see it as a cleaning ritual or a boring chore, you have to do it.

Most people are introduced to laundry through parents nagging them to put their load in for a spin, but many frst encounter the act by beginning their frst year of college, when they’re fnally out of the coop.

There are plenty of options for doing laundry around Miami University’s campus — in the dorms, at a laundromat or even in your house. But even with the options available, many people still end up with pilling, sticky residue and damp clothes. By doing your laundry incorrectly, you’re wearing down your clothes quicker, thus shortening their lifespans. It’s important for students to know how to properly do their laundry.

“I do my own laundry at home, but my washing machine doesn’t have the same settings as the ones here in the dorms,” said Julia Keto, a sophomore organizational leadership major. “Whenever I do my laundry, I just pray.” According to Wash, water temperature makes all the diference when it comes to diferent types of garments.

“I normally wash all my clothes in the cold water setting. It’s what I’ve always known,” Keto said.

Cold water is perfect for fabrics that bleed (think dark and bright colors), as well as delicates which are prone to wrinkles. Many fbers in clothing are actually susceptible to damage from hot water and hot water can even dull bright colors in your clothing.

Hot water is recommended for heavy soiling of the fabric, as it removes stains efectively. Just make sure you look at the labels on your clothing, since diferent garments may require diferent temperatures.

You should also only use the directed amount of laundry detergent as the bottle calls for. Too much detergent, and you’ll be left with sticky clothes, as the detergent might not have washed all the way out.

College students may struggle with damp clothes even after a dry-

ing cycle. The biggest culprit for that is over-flling your dryer or forgetting to clean the lint catcher. This is extremely prevalent because, when doing laundry in the dorms, the machines take your MUlaa as payment.

Another issue many people come across is the amount of times they are actually doing their laundry. A Vogue article on the topic titled “How Often Should We Wash Your Clothes, Exactly?” reveals that some garments like denim and wool typically get over-washed.

If you want your clothes to truly last, denims should be washed every three to 10 wears, whereas wool should be washed every fve wears or even at the end of every season. Frequent washing and drying of these articles can wear them down, meaning you’ll have to buy staple items more often.

“Typically, I do my laundry once or twice a week, but for certain things like jeans, I only wash them after I wear them out and they get dirty, or after a few wears if I’m in,” Keto said.

Separating lights and darks protects your lights from the dark clothes bleeding onto them. Keto doesn’t normally separate her lights and darks, a habit she said likely isn’t good.

However, there is an option to protect your clothes without doing the extra work. Shout’s “Color Catchers” are a great way to protect your lights in the wash. These dryer sheet-esque sheets are ones you just throw in the wash without having to separate your load. They catch runof from dark clothes, hence the name, and prevent your lights from soiling.

But, if you are passionate about your clothes and are skeptical about these sheets, separating lights and darks will ensure that your light clothes do not get stained from excess dye in your brightly colored clothes.

Laundry can be quite the hassle, but it is worth it to do it correctly. Not only will your clothes last longer, but learning how to properly take care of your clothes can take your task from being mundane and stressful to simple and efcient.

leeam8@miamioh.edu

ble on a napkin after he returned from backpacking across Europe.

At Miami, he majored in zoology, minored in entrepreneurship and researched cellular, structural and molecular biology before earning his degree in 2015.

Soon enough, Markesbery got lucky when his then professor and current chair of the biology department, Paul Harding, extended a scholarship opportunity to him. He went through with it and learned about Aerogel, the lowest conductive thermal solid on the planet.

rate Solarcore. Another client, Merrell’s MTL Thermo Rogue 4 Boot, included him in the ISPO award it won in 2022.

Markesbery has gained national recognition by speaking at the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2018 and lending his creation to the U.S. Department of Defense. In 2019, he launched a unisex line for NASA shirts. During the pandemic, he collaborated with astronauts by selling autographed jackets.

In 2017, Miami named Markesbery an 18 of the Last 9 honoree, and Forbes profled him in 2018 for 30 Under 30: Retail & E-commerce. Before fnding this success though, Markesbery experimented all he could.

“My frst jacket was ugly,” Markesbery said. “I’m not a fashion dude. I just wanted to validate a platform for this technology.”

He spent his frst year and a half as a graduate securing a facility warehouse for OROS. Ever-expanding, his entire team relocated to Portland, Oregon, over the summer of 2019.

Markesbery always expresses his gratitude for Miami’s alumni network, which includes a former North Face CMO who believed in him throughout this process.

“[The alumni network] is everything for me,” Markesbery said.

“They’re instrumental.”

With the experience and knowl-

edge Miami continues to give him, Markesbery will never stop searching for new peaks and a cooler and warmer look.

stefanec@miamioh.edu

EVAN STEFANIK STYLE EDITOR

When Michael Markesbery posed for his picture atop the Alps, his bulky, boring snowsuit drowned him out. So, he imagined himself in something sleeker but even warmer.

Today, Markesbery executes professional photoshoots in the frigid mountains wearing his apparel brand, OROS. He built the clothes with the patented insulation technology he invented after graduating from Miami University – Solarcore, the most scientifcally innovative material of its kind.

The CEO’s idea began as a scrib-

NASA developed Aerogel to insulate its spacecraft at -450°F. Markesbery used it to kickstart Solarcore.

“No two days are the same,” Markesbery said. “I feel incredibly fortunate that it all worked out. College me never could’ve dreamed of this.”

Markesbery curated his apparel to stretch four ways and be vegan-friendly and cruelty-free. It also heats up in certain thermal zones if the customer applies pressure. This

GreenHawks

‘Chasing Coral’ screening calls attention to overlooked and endangered ecosystems

SARAH KENNEL THE MIAMI STUDENT

When thinking about essential life on Earth, coral may not come to mind. However, the Tuesday Sept. 27 screening of the flm “Chasing Coral” called attention to what is often out of sight and out of mind, while preparing viewers for the upcoming Hefner Lecture series.

“There’s some things that are so epic that you have to sit up and listen when they’re threatened, and our coral ecosystems have got to be one of those things,” said Carla Blackmar, curatorial assistant at the Hefner Museum of Natural History.

The flm, which is available on YouTube and Netfix, shares the story of scientists creating a time-lapse of coral bleaching and death, but also gives insight into why this matters. According to the flm, coral reefs act as cities for biodiversity, sheltering fsh, crabs, shrimp and more. Up to 25% of marine life relies on coral and so do roughly 1 billion people.

The marine life supported by coral reefs is important to many cultures, food sources and therefore economies. Additionally, coral reefs protect against powerful waves and tropical cyclones. The flm even showed how some cancer medications are derived from corals.

Ocean warming due to greenhouse gas emissions threatens these reefs and the life they support. Even a 2-degree Celsius increase begins to interfere with coral’s ability to function and feed normally.

The flm compares temperatures to an increasing fever within the human body. If left untreated, it will most likely result in death. This process of coral degradation, known as bleaching, turns vibrant reefs into dull graveyards. The flm focuses heavily on contrasting visuals be-

Can local food win over Miami shoppers?

tween the before and after to drive home its message.

Despite challenges in recording and constructing underwater, the scientists were eventually successful in capturing the bleaching. Although displaying a heavy reality, the flm leaves of on a hopeful note for the future. Richard Vevers, a leader of the project, states that a great movement is inevitable, and we just have to “give it a bit of a shove.”

This ending resonated with Isabelle Turner, a second-year master’s student of biology who was part of the small crowd that came to see the movie.

“It’s nice that they have a call to action at the end so that viewers are not just left sitting in their own like ‘oh my god, there’s no point in trying to do anything because we’re all helpless,’” Turner said.

On Nov. 9, the Hefner Museum will host James Porter, a celebrated marine ecologist who served as the science advisor for the flm, for a talk on the medicinal and conservational need to save coral reefs. Porter will hold a re-enactment of his testimony before Congress at 4:15 in Shideler 152, which many witnesses say infuenced the United States to sign the United Nation’s Ocean Biodiversity Treaty.

Blackmar says this is an opportunity for students who want to experience what it may be like to “defend your research, defend the things that you study, in that kind of really intense international law environment.” Later that evening on Nov. 9, Porter will give a lecture on saving coral reefs at 7:30 in Laws Hall 100.

Together, “Chasing Coral” and this year’s Hefner Lecture strive to bring the seemingly distant issue of coral reefs a little closer to home. kennelse@miamioh.edu

KENNEL THE MIAMI STUDENT

Whether it’s ditching plastic silverware or choosing public transport, it’s easy to feel pressured to make some lifestyle changes in the face of the climate crisis. While some of these can be fairly easy to implement, others are more difcult — especially for college students.

Buying local food can reduce carbon emissions, plastic use and food waste, all while benefting the local economy and one’s health. Moon CoOp, a cooperatively owned grocery store in Oxford, refects these benefts. James Rubenstein, professor emeritus of geography and treasurer of Moon Co-Op, says the store’s “zero waste ecosystem” ensures unsold food goes to their deli or local charities. The store is also an incubator for aspiring entrepreneurs.

“We are the frst place that somebody who wants to become a professional can sell her products,” Rubenstein said.

The Oxford farmers market operates in a similar way, allowing individuals the opportunity to buy or sell locally sourced and fresh food. With these options, making the change to local may seem like a no-brainer, yet some Miami shoppers still decide against it.

In some aspects, large corporations remain more accessible for Miami students. They tend to be open longer and ofer a bigger selection.

“The hours aren’t good for me,” said Brooklyn Vauthier, a frst-year architecture student and Kroger shopper.

“I like the [Kroger] selection.” Shoppers who prefer local food often have to turn to larger supermarkets as well, despite their ideal preference.

Victoria Simich, a sophomore studio art major, shops at the farmers market on Saturdays, but it can’t meet all of her grocery needs.

“I also don’t like that, you know, I can’t get everything here and then I do, unfortunately, have to shop from a bigger brand,” Simich said.

Additionally, prices at Kroger remain lower. While apples are sold for as low as $4.49 for three pounds at Kroger, Moon Co-op’s apples are

$4.49 per pound.

Although the products may seem identical, local and commercial foods provide diferent sets of needs and values to shoppers rather than creating traditional competition. Rubenstein said Moon Co-Op operates in a symbiotic relationship with Kroger, not a direct rivalry.

However, local food and its values may be appealing to an increasing number of students according to Rubenstein. He estimates that Moon Co-Op has gone from 25% to 40% student shoppers in terms of sales. These shoppers include members of environmental clubs, sports teams, and both on and of-campus residents. They even experience a summer dip in sales when students leave Oxford.

Despite difculties, local food sellers are working hard to build a community and make their products more accessible. Moon Co-Op’s mission is not just to sell and proft on food, but to be “a local service” as

well.

“But we lose money, and you know, a signifcant amount of money because Americans are used to paying low prices for dairy and produce even though from our point of view, it’s nutritionally empty,” Rubenstein said.

The farmers market attempts to build its community in a similar way, by giving out a free apple and market dollar (paper credit equivalent to one dollar) to any frst-time visitors, and those who bring a new customer. Additionally, customers can fnd booths handing out free gifts such as mini paintings.

Although local food has its drawbacks for some students, sellers are working to bring both accessibility and community to them–and students are noticing.“I like the community, for sure,” Simich said. “But also I feel more connected with my food knowing that somebody took their time to grow it.”

kennelse@miamioh.edu

OPINION: It matters where your waste goes, composting is worth it

AVA KALINA COLUMNIST

As I get of I-275 to make my way back to Oxford the light turns green, and with the curve of the road, a giant hill ominously approaches on my right. Birds circle overhead, and a repugnant odor covers the area, causing me to jab the recirculation button on my dashboard.

It’s a trash hill producing an odor stemming from all of the trash that I have produced at Miami, along with 6,000 other tons of material that enters the landfll every year.

This year, I started collect-

ing organic waste at my college house of six girls. As I dealt with our heap of avocado skins, soggy lettuce and leftover rice every week, I began to question, why am I actually doing this? Composting eforts seem to be an upward trend at Miami and in cities across the US, but why does it matter? Wouldn’t organic waste just decompose in a landfll anyways?

With these questions in mind, I spoke with Dave Treleaven, the environmental specialist for the City of Oxford, who enlightened me on organic waste, Oxford’s new eforts to deal with it, and why they matter.

“Rumpke takes in over 6,000 tons [of waste] per day. Just to give you a point of reference, Oxford’s total solid waste and recycling is about 6,000 tons per year,” Treleaven explained. According to Oxford’s website, one-third of the material in these landflls is compostable.

In 2019, Oxford City Council initiated a food scrap drop-of program consisting of six containers on South Main Street provided by a non-proft called Go-Zero. Available 24/7 and only a couple blocks away from Uptown, the containers are an accessible and free way to dispose of organic waste. Still, it can feel like a chore going through the trouble for some banana peels and egg shells.

“Once the oxygen around the organic trash has been depleted, the decomposition goes to the anaerobic decomposition, which creates the methane,” Treleaven said. “And with methane being 25 times more warming than carbon dioxide, the reduction of methane is a good thing.”

In lay terms, when organic material is buried in a landfll, it quickly loses access to oxygen and resorts to a new process of breaking down matter which produces methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. Composting, however, uses the help of microorganisms supported by oxygen to break down the organic matter and

signifcantly reduces methane emissions.

A more intuitive reason for composting is that it adds years to the lifespan of a landfll.

“The longer we can keep the sanitary landfll in operation without being flled up, is that much longer before another landfll has to be created,” Treleaven said. Recycling your food scraps could prevent another landfll from being built down the road, a plan which is in the works. Rumpke received permission from the Ohio EPA to expand on the north side of the I-275 outer belt.

In addition to concern over local aesthetics, fundamentally, we should dispose of our food in a way which protects the very earth that is producing it for us.

Taking responsibility for your organic waste through composting can directly reduce emissions, and is relatively easy, yet it often gets dismissed for the odor, hassle, and unwillingness to make a lifestyle change. If the proper steps are taken, it is easy to combat sanitary concerns and compost efectively.

Next time, I’ll discuss how I collect food waste in a college house and how it can be integrated into your lifestyle. Have tips, questions or comments? Send me an email to engage in Oxford’s composting journey.

SARAH

Crash landing

LOGAN MURRAY THE MIAMI STUDENT

Frat guys are great. They have unmatched positive energy. They smile, they laugh, they always have fun.

Frat guys are also destructive creatures. During my second weekend at Miami University, I experienced this frsthand.

I’ve been doing professional videography for years. I spend a lot of my free time flming and editing content for weddings, businesses, concerts, sports games and more. It’s a creative outlet for me, and I’m lucky enough to make money from it.

As I’ve built my business over the last few years, I have reinvested money into equipment. This includes multiple cameras, stabilizers, tripods, audio equipment and more. One of my most important purchases was my drone. Without it, I’d lose a critical aspect of my flmmaking ability.

During my second weekend at college, I was hired to do aerial videography for a frat party. They already had videography covered from the ground, but they thought adding drone footage would make the video more

interesting. I showed up, set my gear up and got started.

After flming almost every conceivable angle of this outdoor party, I let my drone sit still and hover over the crowd to turn it to face a waterslide they had set up. The goal was for one of my last shots of the day to be people’s reactions to the fun the waterslide brought. From the air, this looked even better.

After hovering for almost a minute, I looked up at the drone to eventually reposition it. It was then that I watched a half-full beer can be rifed at my drone from directly below it. Not tossed, not thrown, but rifed.

It was a direct impact — and an amazing throw, I must admit. The drone was no match for the heavy can, and it spiraled out of control, landing right next to the waterslide. There, the water had been splashed all day onto the sand that surrounded it, and my drone was now the product of wet sand and power electronics mixing together.

My drone did not survive the impact and the wet sand.

First full week of college. One drone down. murrayl9@miamioh.edu

Climbing

BENNY FARBSTEIN THE MIAMI STUDENT

As a child, I loved to climb. We had a creek in my neighborhood, as many Midwest neighborhoods do, and one of my favorite pastimes was taking my bike down to the creek and climbing the surrounding trees.

As I got older and gained the burden of self-consciousness, I started to climb less and less. It didn’t help that back when I started climbing, my parents were quick to stop me from “being a public nuisance.”

Eventually, I stopped climbing things altogether. But there’s always a little part in the back of my head when I see a good tree, a wall with pieces chipped out for me to use as footholds or even a particularly fun-looking chair that says to me, “What if…?”

One thing I forgot about Miami University is how natural its campus is. Everywhere you go there are huge trees. On the third night of Welcome Weekend, my friends and I went to movie night in the central quad. I don’t know what was happening in my mind but for some reason, that voice was louder than usual. For some reason, I listened.

I was in a tree before my friends even realized I was gone. It was freeing, in a way. There was no one to stop me from doing it. My parents weren’t there to scold me. No one was there to make fun of me. The people in charge of the event didn’t even care. I’m used to people laughing at my tendencies to climb, and my friends were laughing … but it wasn’t at me, it was with me.

Since that moment, I have gotten all too comfortable, once again, climbing things. If I see something slightly elevated at all, I am on top of it. And there is nothing to stop me anymore.

farbstbw@miamioh.edu

Homesick

JOSETTE LAFRAMBOISE

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Aug. 24 had been sitting on my calendar for months. It was the day I would move fve hours away from the life I had painstakingly crafted for the last 18 years.

I had done countless hours of research on how to be a college frst-year and condensed my entire livelihood into shopping lists. If I wasn’t planning out the next 114 days of the fall semester, I was sitting in my mom’s bed crying my eyes out, and I was too dehydrated to make that a pattern.

The transition to college is hard — this is well-known — and homesickness happens to everyone. Not a single person, including myself, could predict how terribly I would react.

This would be my frst time away from home for more than three days. I never went to sleepaway camp or on a summer vacation without my family by my side.

It was my third day in my dorm, and my parents had left less than 24 hours ago. I woke up, and it felt like I had fought a grizzly bear and lost. Everything hurt. I couldn’t move.

Immediately, I burst into tears. I texted my parents begging them to come get me and take me home. Trying to get out of bed was the equivalent of running a marathon that I had not trained for.

As the day droned on, I stayed in bed

sending countless texts to my parents and calling them numerous times repeating the only words I could muster without crying: “Please take me home, I can’t do this.” It got to the point where my parents had to ignore my calls because I couldn’t stop.

I knew what I was doing wasn’t healthy. I couldn’t sit up, eat or drink as I sat there sobbing non-stop. My roommate, God bless her, stayed out all day and avoided my depression cave as I attempted to adjust.

Sixteen hours later, I had left my bed a grand total of once, but still hadn’t stopped crying. I laid in bed staring at the ceiling, hating how I wasted the day. How am I supposed to grow up when the thought of self-care seems impossible?

Now, I’m on my eleventh day and haven’t cried since. I can leave my room without feeling like the world is ending and I have even made a few friends. My parents get a playby-play each day. I call them when I wake up, walk to class, walk home and before I go to bed. If I can’t call them, I text them or call one of my siblings.

It’s a big adjustment that no one could have prepared me for, no matter how many lists I made or YouTube videos I watched. But I am here, and I got through the worst of it. Now the countdown to Christmas break begins: 102 days.

laframjm@miamioh.edu

First class

DREW VARNEY THE MIAMI STUDENT

It’s a beautiful morning for a walk to the Farmer School of Business. I leave my hall at 7:40 a.m., perfectly on schedule. As every frst-year who does not know where they’re going does, I throw the directions into Apple Maps. I put on my headphones, put on some music and start on my journey.

This is where I encounter my frst problem. I can’t look like I have no idea where I’m going by staring at the directions on my phone, but I truly do have no idea where I’m going. I can’t look like the average frst-year staring at his phone for directions.

Instead, I open my phone and pretend to change the song while actually glancing at the fastest possible route. After about 15 minutes, I’ve “changed the song” at least four times.

I see Farmer in the distance and change the song one last time, turning of my directions. I enter Farmer and dodge a couple of fellow unfortunate 8 a.m. class-takers en route. I glance at the map plaques and start down the hallway that looks like it would house room 1023.

I quickly realized I’d made a mistake; the rooms were going up in number and started at 1030.

I’ve gone down the wrong hallway.

I look around to see if anyone will see this

horrifcally embarrassing blunder. Two other people are there.

I would rather be dead right now.

I start the walk to the other hallway, the one that should have 1023, and continue down until I realize yet another mistake: The room doesn’t exist. Where I thought room 1023 would be is actually the janitor’s ofce.

I look around to see if anyone is witnessing my confusion. Staring back at me are the same two people I had just seen in the previous hallway.

I would very much rather be dead right now.

In a desperate hope to salvage the moment, I ask, “What class are you guys going to?”

“Business 102, man!” One of them replies. “You’re going there too, right?”

Thank God.

“Yeah! Do you guys know where 1023 is?”

“Nah, man, we were just following you,” he said. “It looked like you knew where you were going.”

laframjm@miamioh.edu

Changes to Ohio’s voter ID laws impact students

an Ohio driver’s license or Ohio BMV-issued ID and are registered to vote in Ohio: Do you plan to vote in person or via mail? If voting in person, make sure you report to the correct polling location and bring your Ohio-issued driver’s license or ID; your polling location can be found by visiting VoteOhio.gov. The address in the voter registration system does not need to match the address on the ID. Check the expiration date on your Ohio driver’s license; you can’t vote with an expired ID. To vote by mail, you may request that the ballot be delivered to your college residence when you apply for a mail-in ballot (more on that below).

WE DO NOT KNOW what impact this may have on your fnancial aid or family auto insurance policy. Consider all the factors and make the choice that’s right for you.

To get a mail-in ballot, you must request one

JENNIFER FISHER CO-PRESIDENT, ORGANIZATION FOR THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF OXFORD

In January, the state of Ohio adopted more stringent voter identifcation laws, and the League of Women Voters of Oxford is worried about the impact these changes will have on the ability of Miami University students to vote in the Nov. 7 election. Within Butler County, only nine provisional ballots were rejected due to the lack of a valid ID in November 2022, but after changes to the voter ID laws went into efect, 124 were rejected in the August special election.

We are expecting many more voters to be turned away in the upcoming November election unless there is a concerted efort to educate

students about the changes.

Here is what you need to know and what you can do right now to ensure your vote is counted.

All Miami students wishing to vote in the Nov. 7 election should verify or update their voter registration information before the Oct. 10 deadline. Visit VoteOhio.gov to verify your voter registration, update your address or to register to vote. To register to vote using the online form, you need to provide your Ohio-issued driver’s license/ ID number AND the last four digits of your social security number.

You can also use Ohio’s Voter Registration and Information Update form, which uses only the last four digits of your social security number to verify your identity; it must be printed and mailed to the Board of Elections ofce.

Miami students who have

Miami students who are from out-of-state and are registered to vote in Ohio:

It is important for you to know that the only IDs now acceptable for in-person voting are an unexpired Ohio driver’s license/Ohio ID, a U.S. military, veteran’s or National Guard ID, or a U.S. passport. If you originally came from out-ofstate and still have your out-of-state driver’s license but consider Ohio to be your home, you can still vote in Ohio. Students with a U.S. passport can vote in person or by mail, and all students can vote by mail using the last four digits of their social security number. Should a student with an outof-state driver’s license get an Ohio driver’s license in order to vote in person? Obtaining an Ohio driver’s license requires giving up your prior driver’s license, as the law prohibits anyone from holding a state-issued license from more than one state.

All Miami students who want to vote by mail need to ACT NOW and request a mail-in ballot. To do so, visit VoteOhio.gov, print out the vote-by-mail application and mail it or physically take it to your Board of Elections. The completed application must be received by Oct. 31. Late applications will not be accepted. As soon as you receive the ballot itself, fll it out and return it by mail to your Board of Elections. Butler County voters can also drop it of in person at the Butler County Board of Elections in Hamilton. You cannot return mail-in ballots to polling locations on Election Day. Be sure to have the right postage on your return envelope;

using one of the following methods: the last 4 digits of your social security number; your Ohio driver’s license number; or by including a photocopy of one of the IDs that are approved for in-person voting. Utility bills, bank statements, paychecks and letters from the university are NO LONGER ACCEPTED for in-person voting in Ohio. Student IDs are NOT ACCEPTED.

JennyFisher156@gmail.com

Jenny Fisher is the co-president of the Organization for the League of Women Voters of Oxford. The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues and infuences public policy through education and advocacy.

Does higher ed know what to do about AI?

MEREDITH PERKINS COLUMNIST

The only question is: What does ethical usage actually mean?

ELIANA RILEY

THE MIAMI STUDENT

If you walked past Armstrong Student Center last week, you likely noticed some unconventional and shocking goings-on. From fake moon landings to condemnations to Hell, the steps outside Armstrong have been the center of political and scientifc debate.

While a white guy yelling about the moon might be hilarious to most students, some protests haven’t been as cheerful. With photos of aborted babies lining the sidewalks to posters listing characteristics of people going to Hell, these images and words are unsettling to say the least.

So, why are these unwanted and ugly protests allowed on campus?

The answer is the same reason we’re allowed to protest the overturning of Roe v. Wade or for LGBTQ+ rights: the First Amendment. That’s the beautiful thing about the United States: We can protest almost anywhere, and this right is enshrined in the Bill of Rights. But there’s one problem; the protesting we’re seeing outside Armstrong doesn’t adhere to Miami University’s values.

If I were to make a racist or homophobic comment in class, or if I were to denounce transgender rights and advocate for inequality outside Armstrong, I certainly wouldn’t be following the Code of Love and Honor. But whether Miami can do anything about it is a diferent question.

Miami’s Campus Free Speech Policy states that undergraduate and graduate students and faculty are protected and allowed to say anything even if considered “ofensive, unwise, immoral, indecent, disagreeable, conservative, liberal, traditional, radical, or wrong-headed” by peers and other staf. Based on this policy, it looks like there’s not much Miami can do to discourage hate speech and protesting, especially as a public university.

However, other institutions have taken a step toward quashing hate speech at the source. The University of Alabama expelled a white student during the 2017-2018 school year for using the n-word on campus and on social media.

Similarly, Miami University has seen various reports of racist speech, use of the n-word and other hate speech but has done little to mitigate it, besides releasing a semi-heartfelt statement.

Why is it that the public University of Alabama can expel a student for using hate speech but Miami cannot?

Alabama’s free speech policy states that “the freedom to debate and discuss the merits of competing ideas does not […] mean that individuals may say whatever they wish, wherever they wish,” a qualifer Miami’s own policy lacks.

It is time for Miami to revise its Campus Free Speech Policy.

Regulating free speech shouldn’t be left up to the university alone, though. As students, we can take several steps toward mitigating hate speech and ofensive protesting on campus.

Don’t engage

Students can choose whether to engage with protestors on campus. In many cases,

these protestors want students to get riled up in defense of their beliefs. While defending one’s identity and beliefs is crucial to progress, sometimes silence speaks louder than words. If students refuse to engage with protestors, the protestors are less likely to come back and provoke students.

Start an anti-hate speech initiative

At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, an anti-hate speech initiative has made waves among students and faculty. The Care, Respect and Expression Standing Committee at UWM educates students about what constitutes free speech, supports students afected by hate speech and guides students on how to report hate speech.

It might be time for Miami to adopt an anti-hate speech initiative, too.

Petition the university

The fnal step that students can take in mitigating hate speech is petitioning the university to change its Campus Free Speech Policy. If enough students desire a signifcant change in how Miami handles hate speech, the university is likely to respond and perhaps amend its current policy.

Even if students take these steps, hate speech won’t disappear forever. As Americans, we have to recognize the importance of free speech by upholding the principle of the First Amendment without abusing it.

When we show our appreciation of free speech by respectfully presenting diferent viewpoints, we can mitigate the intensity of protesting that leads to physical and verbal violence. The steps of Armstrong can be a marketplace of ideas without becoming a warzone where hate and verbal assaults are the most powerful weapons.

rileyej4@miamioh.edu

Six months ago, the release of GPT-4 changed the way students engage with artifcial intelligence. For the frst time, a student could give an essay prompt to a computer and have a 500-word essay in seconds, without needing to pay a dime.

The widespread accessibility of AI writing tools, combined with a lack of research as to what ethical use of these tools looks like, has created panic among some members of the Miami University community and has intrigued others.

I know professors who believe tools like GPT-4 will virtually doom academia and destroy the art of writing. I also know professors who believe students can learn from AI writing tools and are cautiously open to navigating using AI in their classrooms.

Both perspectives have developed valid arguments, but the lack of consensus among faculty about the value and ethics of AI has led to vague messaging from Miami on how AI can and should be used in the classroom.

As we navigate our frst semester with generative AI tools widely available, Miami has briefy revised its academic integrity policy to include “possessing, referring to, or any unauthorized use of” AI tools during an assignment or paper as a possible instance of cheating or academic dishonesty.

This tiny revision prompts important questions. Do spell-check platforms and grammar-aide browser extensions like Grammarly count as AI tools? What does authorized use of AI look like in a classroom? Would merely “possessing” GPT-4 on your computer be considered cheating, even if a student wasn’t using it on an assignment?

These questions could be answered by a clearer AI academic integrity policy.

However, students nationwide are divided on what AI academic integrity policies should look like.

According to a recent Forbes survey, 51% of surveyed students think using AI on an assignment is cheating, while 29% felt neutral and 20% think it isn’t cheating.

I’m in the awkward neutral category. If you have AI write your book report: Yeah, that’s cheating. But what if you just used GPT-4 to ask for a defnition of a word, and you fact-checked it with other sources? What if you had AI proofread your usage of commas?

There are upsides in Miami’s integrity policy. It leaves an opportunity for professors to incorporate authorized AI usage into their classrooms, as half of students Forbes surveyed do believe AI can be used ethically on tests and exams.

Miami’s faculty resources ofer vague answers, with tips like “get to know the tools” and “AI tools may be used in a productive, creative, and educational manner,” without any specifcation of what this “manner” looks like.

As a writing consultant at the Howe Writing Center, I understand the apprehension toward embracing generative AI. Many of my colleagues in the writing center world are quite unsure of how AI will change our industry.

I do not want to see the art of writing transformed into a transactional, thoughtless act.

At the same time, the graphing calculator didn’t kill mathematics. It’s not like every piece of writing we do in our modern age is designed to be art — sometimes writing really is cursory (see: the citation page of every paper I’ve written).

Rather than leaving professors with limited resources on how to incorporate ethical AI usage into classrooms, universities should embrace this unique opportunity to lead the way in teaching students to skillfully and ethically navigate our AI age.

AI writing tools can help creative writers brainstorm place names or plot twists. It can help language learners have more conversations in their target language and programmers locate bugs in their code.

Of course, because this technology is very new, AI writing tools need to be approached with critical thinking. AI writing tools refect the biases of their inputs and are notorious for generating false pieces of information or responses that simply don’t answer the prompt.

The possibilities of AI writing tools, good and bad, are endless — universities just need to steer students in the right direction.

By leading the conversation and education of AI, universities can direct students toward using AI in ethical ways: using AI tools with explicit permission and transparency, fact-checking AI responses with additional sources, educating students about bias and intellectual property concerns with AI and ofering actual examples of how students can use AI as a brainstorming tool.

By assisting in eforts to increase AI education and producing students that can have informed and nuanced conversations around how to efectively use AI, Miami can be a leader in creating a positive future with AI.

AI is only scary if we let it be scary. If we create a generation of students that knows how to use AI in productive, ethical ways, we can create a future where AI makes life easier — and not the dystopian robots versus humans hellscape we often fear.

perkin16@miamioh.edu

Meredith Perkins is a junior from Independence, Kentucky, studying diplomacy and global politics and English: creative writing with minors in French and history. She is also a writing consultant at the Howe Writing Center. She has presented research on writing consulting in virtual spaces at the East Central Writing Centers Association and is currently beginning a research partnership on perceptions of AI among student writers. Her opinion columns have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Cleveland Plain Dealer, Cincinnati Enquirer and more.

GRAPHIC BY MACEY CHAMBERLIN

GRAPHIC BY MACEY CHAMBERLIN

5 ways to find yourself authentically in college life

Reclaiming boyhood as more than a stereotype

KISER YOUNG THE MIAMI STUDENT

ing whether or not you can beat the person you passed in an arm wrestle, or skipping steps when you walk up the stairs.

ANASTASIJA MLADENOVSKA

THE MIAMI STUDENT

I have never felt fuzzy about myself. Coming to college, I had all the self-confdence needed to uncover my veils of ignorance and to discover new truths. Almost a year and a half later, I am convinced I knew more about myself and the world when I was 14 than I do now at 20.

Friends, peers, family, professors, acquaintances — everybody told me that my 20s will be golden apples in the bushel of youth. I heard so much about this idea of “folle jeunesse,” a French term for the so-called wild youth, that at some point I felt my blood boiling in anticipation for it to come so I could thrive in my own skin.

The surprise came when I spent my 20th birthday having a sort of life crisis, crying in the bathroom of a dormitory in Estonia at 2 a.m. while on a study abroad trip. I called my mom in panic and told her that destruction is upon us and that turning 20 is the biggest curse life can throw at a teenager.

At that moment, I felt as if everything I knew about myself had suddenly vanished, and I realized that no tattoo, no vacation, no concert ticket, no friend or partner will ever save me from the responsibility of having to completely reconstruct and build myself from the ground up every few years.

So, here I am embarking on the journey of self-discovery and exploration. I’m hearing the same people who once claimed that my youthful 20s will be majestic tell me that in fact I was always there, and that I don’t really need to fnd myself. They’ll tell me that I just need to dig deeper into my being.

It is a powerful claim to make and I salute them for it, but sometimes when I am listening to “Pluto Projector” by Rex Orange County at night, I wonder if it is actually possible to ever know anything about ourselves.

So here is my brief guide on fnding yourself. Even if it’s impossible to ever fully fnd what you are, you

and I should keep searching for the answers.

Remember that you are the owner of your house

When I look at myself in the mirror in the morning, I sometimes call myself “queen of imposter syndrome” because I simply excel at it. A seemingly very outgoing and confdent person, I — like everyone else — have my days where belonging feels like an outdated aspect of my college life.

The truth is, sometimes I realize that my imposter syndrome is an ego dispute. Belonging is not something that is given to us — we build it ourselves, we choose the communities to which we want to belong.

We aren’t capable of predicting situations, people or sometimes even ourselves, and that is why we ought to learn the craft of emotional intelligence and efective communication. Expand yourself horizontally and vertically

A huge part of growth is the art of fexibility and harmony. Sometimes you have to think of yourself as a water-flled balloon. To expand yourself horizontally and vertically means to fgure out what adds value to your life. That is how much water flls you up, what makes you seek work-life harmony rather than balance and what makes you burst. The craft lies in experimenting with all the axes and thinking about what makes you truly yourself both in peaceful times and under pressure.

Create permanence and consistency within and out

Pop culture will tell you that consistency in your 20s is boring and in-

efcient. Who needs that stuf now, when you can have enriching permanence when you are 40? This idea that we have instilled in our minds doesn’t capture that life is like building blocks. You walk around trying to make the connections and, the truth is, we attract what we project.

Our deepest senses of who we are sometimes reveal themselves right in front of our eyes in the daily interactions with people and the way we talk to ourselves. Without nourishing a consistent attitude toward ourselves, we create anarchy in our own bodies. Forgive, but don’t over-contemplate

One of my favorite political philosophers, Hannah Arendt, said, “Forgiveness is the only way to reverse the irreversible fow of history.”

Although she looks at it from a political standpoint in our relationship to others, forgiveness is indeed the only act that does not reenact something else, but acts anew and unexpectedly.

You have to forgive yourself every day for things you didn’t even know you need to forgive. Guilt can crawl and fll us with inexplicable shame for things we do not need to apologize for. Forgive and don’t overthink your forgiveness. It is the only way to be okay with who you are.

And fnally, accept that you will be fnding yourself over and over…

For there is only one sun, but a million stars. mladena@miamioh.edu

Anastasija Mladenovska is a second-year political science, fnance and Russian, East European & Eurasian studies triple major from Macedonia. She is involved with the Honors College and Scholar Leaders. She also volunteers for the League of Women Voters of Oxford.

Girlhood is converting the price of goods into a number of ice cofees. It’s complimenting a simple shade of lipstick and reciprocally being added to the “Girlies” Snapchat story. It’s much more than simply being a woman. Girlhood is a term that was solidifed by the “Barbie” movie and is about experiencing the gift of femininity from a lens much bigger than the individual girl. It’s the justifcation of a $70 water bottle, or the signifcance of the frst big haircut. The experience is innately innocent and unique, symbolizing only the best aspects of the female experience.

So what about boyhood?

Why is it so strange to see young male youths relish in an experience as equally extraordinary and guiltless? While it’s mundane to witness women or feminine identities operate in the somewhat universal ideology that “girls support girls,” it is a wild double standard for men to view masculinity in the same way.

From an early age, boys are coddled into believing the signifcance of becoming self-sufcient, they are breast-fed the “alpha” mindset, and thrust into the daunting reality of “manhood,” without ever experiencing the luxury of being young, of experiencing boyhood.

The idea itself is somewhat fctitious and taboo. Boys are taught to forgo aspects of childhood the moment they are deemed capable. They learn that “real men” know how to change a tire, navigate the fscal return and investments of the stock market and all manner other traditionally masculine tasks.

When we think about the virtues and core principles of being a boy, society often condenses male adolescence into the parasitic relationship of Monster Energy drinks, Saturdays Are For The Boys fags, covering holes in the drywall from lost NBA 2K matches and the forever insistent “incel” ideology.

However, being a boy is much more expansive than these ideas. The negative connotation that “boys will be boys’’ strips the average boy of his individual experience with masculinity. When this hypercritical lens is put on boys, it often condemns more than just harmful actions.

It takes the fun out of being a boy.

The expression of masculinity through boyhood cannot simply be condensed into physiological factors. It’s a more special, individual experience.

Boyhood is the urge to collect unremarkable objects like rocks, Pokémon cards or bottle caps. It’s walking down the street and gaug-

Boyhood is the 1.5 seconds of uncertainty when going to dap someone up. It’s being ridiculed into shaving of the nine weeks of facial hair depicted through a few wisps under your nose. These nuances of being a boy cannot be forgotten when understanding the experience of masculine youths because they too are fundamentally experienced by boys everywhere.

Boyhood is an idea that is often overlooked and deemed irrelevant to the majority of people, but it is time for the paradigm to shift and fnally have boyhood viewed as an equally special experience as its feminine counterpart.

When boyhood is truly separated from the human experience or, more importantly, the negative traits of being human, it gives new meaning to living the day to day in masculinity. It fnally bridges the gap between the individual boy and creates a community in which masculinity can be expressed in an open and casual way — beyond the typical competitive environment seen between boys.

While boyhood may be the urge to build a 1,000-piece lego set or fnish a fve-course meal in record time, it is simply expressing masculinity in whatever avenue you see ft.

The next time you see a guy out enjoying himself, compliment his pair of 504s or his brand new baseball cap. Reclaim your expression of masculinity while empowering the bros around you, and always remember that you’re never alone in boyhood.

Youngk20@miamioh.edu

Kiser Young is a frst-year strategic communication major from Beavercreek, Ohio. He is a contributor for both the opinion and entertainment sections at The Student and is a district 8 senator for Associated Student Government.

The Sunday reset: Your key to well-being and academic success

room with dirty laundry and dishes everywhere can be a constant distraction, so investing a little time in cleaning up and organizing pays of.

Prioritize mental health

Your mental health should always be a top priority. After you’ve organized your space, take a moment to decompress and do some self-care. I usually take this time to incorporate some journaling that refects on my week, and sometimes I’ll read a selfhelp book.

Remember that it is always okay to take a break and breathe for a second. Schoolwork and anything else in the outside world can wait.

Move your body

fgure out what you need to do. It’s essential to separate your to-do lists between your personal and academic tasks.

While you should take time to go through your Canvas calendar and write down what is due for the week, it is also important to note things that you need to do for yourself such as grocery shopping or even scheduling overdue doctors appointments.

Disconnect and reconnect

It’s hard to put your phone down, or even put it on do not disturb, but unplugging from social media and recharging your batteries is a crucial part of a reset routine.

on end, but this only drains your social battery more and distracts you from your weekly goals.

Incorporating a Sunday reset routine into college life can be a game-changer toward maintaining your mental and physical health, while simultaneously keeping academic burnout at bay. Remember, it’s OK to pause, prioritize personal life and temporarily set aside assignments and exam stress.

HALLE GRANT THE MIAMI STUDENT

We all know that familiar Sunday evening feeling; the dread that creeps in as we realize another week of classes, assignments and responsibilities is about to begin. Often, after a long weekend of fun with friends, the reality of looming deadlines hits hard and can be overwhelming.

Having spent two years here, I’ve learned the hard way that Sundays set the tone for the week ahead.

You can set yourself up for success

by starting a Sunday reset routine. It’s a basic yet efective strategy to take a step back and recharge your batteries, improve your overall well-being and fend of academic burnout — even if that means putting some assignments on the back burner for a little bit.

Tidy up

One of the frst things I do on Sundays is clean my environment. Whatever that means for you — it could be a dorm room, apartment or house — having a clean space to work with will help clear your headspace. A messy

Taking care of my physical health is a huge part of being able to be productive during the week. Some days, this means taking an hour and a half in the gym. Other days it means taking a quick walk around the block.

Not only does having a healthy body go hand-in-hand with a healthy mind, but exercise helps to produce endorphins that can help combat stress and even boost your mood. Even if you just take a quick walk around campus and listen to your favorite music or a podcast, it’ll do wonders for your energy and productivity for the rest of the day. Separate to-do lists One of the primary goals of a reset is to get organized for the week and

For some people, recharging might look like spending time alone, while for others that means sitting around with friends and spending quality time. It’s so easy to sit and scroll through social media for hours

The routine is about fnding balance, setting achievable goals and taking care of yourself. As this Sunday approaches, make a commitment to yourself to reset, recharge and prepare for the week ahead.

Your well-being and academic success will thank you later.

granthn@miamioh.edu

Halle Grant is a junior majoring in strategic communication with minors in marketing and journalism. She has been writing columns for The Student for two years and also teaches spinning classes at the recreation center.

GRAPHIC BY OLIVIA MICHELSEN.

GRAPHIC BY ANASTASIJA MLADENOVSKA

It’s beginning to look a lot like fall at Butterfields Farm Market

RYANN BEASCHLER VIDEO EDITOR

Branden and Bryan Butterfeld wore almost the same outft: a short-sleeved shirt, boot cut pants and well-worn work boots.

They carried straw bales from the trailer outside and methodically placed them in the middle of the foor of their farm market, Butterfelds Farm.

The pair has been working together on the farm since Bryan built the market’s large metal barn building in 2004, when Branden was a toddler.

Before that, Bryan’s father, beginning in 1975, ran a small farm stand at the same spot on Trenton Oxford Road, less than a mile from Miami University’s campus.

“We’d drag it out in July and we drag it back in September,” Bryan said while he kept an eye on Branden and employees who carried more straw bales inside.

“No, go further down. No, further, because we got to take them up here,” Bryan said.

Once they had one side of bales arranged, they carried over the centerpiece: two corn stalk horses, as tall as them, named “Pop” and “Hooter.”

“We could probably go a little bit to the left. Your right,” Branden said while directing his father who was positioning the massive horses.

Bryan and Branden set up their fall display every year. They top the straw bail base with their wide variety of pumpkins and gourds, an at least 2000-pound pumpkin, the 16-year-old corn stalk horses and their wagon.

With just days until they’d planned to open their corn maze and hayrides for the season on Sept. 30, they were getting their fall decor prepared for the infux of fall-eager customers.

Within the next few days, they’d be doing the fnal trimming of the maze, setting up and testing their new corn cannon, creating their duck racing tracks and staking signs for their new interactive games. One change of weather could curb their plans, but Branden and Bryan say they’re ready.

“If you have that attitude that ‘whatever happens next happens and we’ll deal with it,’ we’ll get through it and we’ll go on,” Bryan said. “Once you get farming in your blood, you’re going to do it.” beaschrs@miamioh.edu