Nov. 16, 2010 | The Miami Student

The Miami Student Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826

VOLUME 138 NO. 23

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO

In 1956, The Miami Student reported the Miami University and University of Cincinnati student councils met to discuss pre-game and post-game conduct. The meeting resulted in a letter that called on students of both schools to maintain friendly competition in the meeting of the oldest football rivalry west of the Allegheny Mountains.

State changes assist students

Experiencing culture

Ohio revises university system, aids transfers

By Katie Spriggs For The Miami Student

The Ohio Board of Regents released a report Wednesday indicating Ohio credit transfer rates have increased by 21 percent since 2001.

The Board of Regents decided it was critical to build a strong universal transfer system to give students the ability to easily move around the Ohio educational system, said Rob Evans, press secretary for the Ohio Board of Regents.

Although the ability to transfer course credits has been an option for students since the early 1990s, the board decided to improve the system in 2005 to ensure a more flexible and effective system for students, according to the Ohio Board of Regents Policymakers Guide.

The report said students have benefited greatly from the recently

refined transfer system.

Students have saved an estimated $20.1 million annually by transferring community college credits to four-year universities, according to the report.

The report also showed an increase in graduation rates and course completion rates for students who transfer from community colleges.

Eric Fingerhut, chancellor for the Ohio Board of Regents, said students want assurance when it comes to college credit.

“Students want a guarantee that when they take a course at a public college or university it will count no matter where their educational path leads,” Fingerhut said.

In 2009, more than 36,000 undergraduates transferred within the University System of Ohio, according to the report.

wSee TRANSFER, page 9

ALLISON BACKOVSKI The Miami Student

Students from the Taiwan National College of the Performing Arts perform at the Miami University Art Museum.

Fatal crash highlights train safety COMMUNITY

By Anna Hartman For The Miami Student

The train tracks at Taylor Road, just south of U.S. Route 27, were the site of a fatal accident Sept. 8 when 83-year-old Peter Klaus proceeded across the tracks in his vehicle in front of an approaching train.

According to witness accounts relayed to Oxford Township Police Chief Michael Goins, Klaus pulled up to the track, briefly stopped and then pulled out in front of a CSX freight train

despite the sounding of the horn by the train engineer.

The engineer reportedly attempted emergency stop procedures, but hit the side of Klaus’s vehicle.

“We don’t know if he just didn’t see it or didn’t hear it,” Goins said.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

This incident is one of two fatal train track accidents in Oxford Township since 2008.

wSee TRAIN, page 9

SCOTT ALLISON The Miami Student

CAMPUS

Miami Plan goes global as part of national project

By Angi Manning For The Miami Student

The 2014 graduating class at Miami University will be the first class required to participate in the Global Miami Plan (GMP), a project designed to broaden the horizons of college students in place of the current Miami Plan.

Miami is one of 32 universities selected from a nationwide pool of applicants to participate in General Education for a Global Century, according to John Tassoni, director of liberal education and Miami’s correspondent for the project.

THE

INSIDESCOOP

CHATTY FRATTY

FratmoreSB.com is Miami’s newest online social outlet.

CAMPUS, page 2

PARK POWER

A Miami dean helps create a new national park.

CAMPUS, page 3

SAY NO TO SCAMS

Oxford is being hit by sneaky swindlers.

COMMUNITY, page 4

BRICK BY BRICK

Oxford uses state and federal funds for construction projects.

COMMUNITY, page 4

He said Miami was selected from more than 140 schools that applied. Each school was assessed for its readiness for change.

Schools that were chosen were open to re-thinking general education by looking to modify their curricula to incorporate complex global issues, according to Kevin Hovland, director of global learning and curricular change for the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U).

The Henry Luce Foundation awarded a two-year $400,000 grant to the AAC&U to support the national project.

JUST KEEP WRITING

Miami’s NaNoWriMo members pledge to write a novel in a month.

FEATURES, page 5

BUCKET LIST

Columnist Jensen Henry reveals her love and honor tips before graduation.

EDITORIAL, page 7

SKATING TO A WIN

The RedHawks win Friday’s game against Alaska Fairbanks University.

SPORTS, page 10

The universities are expected to “develop the national agenda and set the contours of the next generation of global learning, scientific literacy and general education,” according to the AAC&U’s website.

The goal of the project is for the league of schools to display exemplary academics through revised curricular designs so students will be prepared for “real world” situations.

The 32 institutes will serve as examples for outside schools and for

wSee PLAN, page 9

ONLY

u

WWW.MIAMISTUDENT.NET SPORTS: REDHAWK ROUNDUP Check out the weekend scores and highlights.

ENTERTAINMENT: LAW AND ORDER We review Wednesday’s upcoming episode on campus crime.

SLIDESHOW: WEEKEND IN REVIEW See what Miami University students have been up to.

2

Campus

Tuesday

November 16, 2010

Editors Stephen Bell Amelia Carpenter Amanda Seitz campus@miamistudent.net

NEWS FSB goes social with website BRIEFS

By Amelia Carpenter Campus Editor

FYI MU students set study abroad record Students at Miami University had the highest rate of undergraduate student participation in study abroad programs among public doctoral institutions nationwide. More than 42 percent of Miami students study abroad before graduation, according to an Open Doors report by the Institute of International Education.

Those numbers reflect the 2008-09 academic year, where study abroad increased 16 percent from the previous academic year. According to the report, the total number of U.S. study abroad students did not increase that same year.

Miami is the only doctoral institution in the state of Ohio in the top 40 for undergraduate study abroad participation. It has been among the top 30 for the past 15 years.

EVENTS Steel band concert includes diverse genres Miami University Department of Music and School of Fine Arts will host a Steel Band Concert at 8 p.m.

Nov. 16 at Hall Auditorium.

Chris Tanner will direct the concert titled Blow dem Horns! as the steel band partners with the professional musicians in the horn sections from the Cincinnati and Dayton areas. Music genres will include funk, ska, pop and the blues. Several solos will be performed throughout the night.

Tickets are available at the Miami box office and cost $5 for students and seniors and $7 for the public.

For more information, contact the Department of Music at (513) 529-3014.

MU faculty member to present violin recital One of Miami University’s own will take the stage at 8 p.m. Nov. 19 for a violin recital in Souers Recital Hall.

Harvey Thurmer, associate professor of violin at Miami and current concertmaster for the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, will take the stage for the program, Almost No Dead White Guys, which offers a retrospective view of musical eras through the 20th century.

Thurmer will be joined by Tedrin Blair Lindsey on the piano, Francis Cobb on the harp and Mary E.M. Harris on the viola.

Cobb is a member of the harp studio of Gillian Benet-Sella at the University of Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music. Lindsey is a pianist with the American Spiritual Ensemble and a member of the opera faculty at University of Kentucky where he works as a vocal coach and music director. The recital is free and open to the public.

CORRECTIONS It is the policy of The Miami Student to publish corrections for factual errors found in the newspaper. ➤ In the Nov. 12 issue, Bowling Green State University was misidentified in “RedHawks become bowl eligible.” The school is located in Ohio, not Kentucky. ➤ In “Students hold protest vigil,” the Office of Community Engagement and Service, not the Hanna House as a whole, provided financial support for the trip.

The next Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook cofounder, might be a current Miami University student. At least Miami sophomore Reilly Bates, creator of FratmoreSB.com, hopes so.

Bates created The Fratmore School of Business website Nov. 3 from his residence hall and launched the site to the public Nov. 8. The site is an online forum based on the Farmer School of Business where people can post anonymous commentary similar to totalfratmove. com or fmylife.com. Users anonymously submit stories or sayings using an alias and are able to comment on the posts.

For example, FSBro posted “Business casual isn’t a dress code, it’s a lifestyle. FSB.” Bates said the site had 1,500 hits the first day due to advertising. Bates and his friends wrote the URL in chalk on sidewalks around campus. Within four days, FratmoreSB.com had 5,600 hits.

Bates said he loved The Social Network and owes Mark Zuckerberg a shout-out for the inspiration.

“I was just kind of brainstorming on things that I could do in the little bit of free time I had,”

Bates said, adding that he’s taking 20 credit hours this semester. “I know that websites like TotalFratMove and FML are pretty popular, so I kind of thought of a way to make that Miami specific.”

Bates thought FSB would be a good threeletter tagline students could easily identify.

“I thought that (business students) would be much more accessible than any other group of students other than (Greek),” Bates said.

Bates is affiliated with Greek life and named the website to mock the stereotypes that surround Miami.

“I would talk about being fratty, but I’m not very fratty,” Bates said. “In a way I’m making fun of the whole Greek system as well as myself. It’s really just a joke on the whole school.”

Junior Kelsey Laliberte saw the site URL written in chalk under the Benton Hall arch, and checked out the site when she got home.

“It’s kind of funny because everyone knows the stereotypes and everything,” Laliberte said.

Laliberte said she saw multiple tweets about FratmoreSB.com after she saw the chalk.

One tweet from Nov. 9 was “Looks like a GDI tried to make a @totalfratmove for FSB. Except it’s not funny.” Another tweet Nov. 10 said,

“there is a ‘fml’ type site for FSB … what?”

Bates is a mechanical and manufacturing engineering major and was new to building a website and computer coding, but said he picked it up quickly. Aside from brainstorming possible names for the site with his brother, Bates did all of the work for FratmoreSB.com.

Hosting FratmoreSB.com costs Bates $80 for a year.

Bates would like to see the website grow, and has seen posts by University of Illinois and The Ohio State University students since the launch.

“Somehow it’s getting out there,” Bates said. “(I’m going to) ride it out and see where it goes.”

Bates monitors all posts to the site and was taken aback by one post from the second day the website was up that said, “This site sucks” and “Shut this shit down.”

Bates used that post for motivation.

“I won’t give up,” he said. “I’ve never really cared what critics think. You know what? This is just more motivation to put the time in and make this thing good.”

Bates wants to see more students submit “FSBs” and is looking into monetizing the site through “classier” advertising.

Student fees for ASC await board approval

By Abigail Diss For The Miami Student

Kent State University was recently denied the usage of student fees to help pay for construction on its campus by the Ohio Board of Regents, which has some Miami University community members worried about approval of student fees for the Armstrong Student Center (ASC).

Although Miami’s proposal for the usage of student fees for building the ASC has not yet been approved, David Creamer, vice president of business and finance services, doesn’t think Miami has anything to worry about.

“The nature of (Kent and Miami’s) projects is different,” Creamer said.

Kent State planned to use student

fees to help cover costs of academic buildings, according to Emily Vincent, director of media relations at Kent State.

“I want to emphasize the student fee would be for renovating existing academic buildings, not a new student center or athletic facility,” Vincent said.

Some students were confused by this decision.

“I would rather my money be going towards the academic buildings than building a student center I’d never use,” Miami junior Eva Stamm said.

The Ohio Board of Regents decides where the money for building projects on Ohio university campuses comes from.

Creamer said the state appropri-

ates money and allows colleges to use some tuition for renovation projects.

Students at Kent State would have been paying $7 per credit hour, a fee that would increase incrementally for seven years. The highest rate students would have had to pay was $24 per credit hour, Vincent said.

Although this doesn’t seem like much, the minimum credit hours for a full-time student at Kent State is 12 hours per semester. In this case, the very least students could have been paying is $84 in student fees for the renvoations per semester. At the end of the seven years, the minimum they could have to pay is $288 per semester, according to Vincent.

If Miami’s proposal is approved, students will pay a maximum of

$125 per semester for the ASC construction.

Getting the proposal approved should be easy, considering precedents the state has set by approving facilities at The Ohio State University and Miami, according to both Vincent and Creamer.

Creamer said he believes the ASC fees will be approved based on the student support. Before approving any fees, the Board of Regents considers student support and must get the approval of the university board of trustees before looking at the proposal, Creamer said.

“It was actually endorsed by a resolution of student government,” Creamer said.

Miami mourns the loss of two students Eben Paxton Wildman

By Noëlle Bernard Senior Staff Writer

Family and friends will miss the smiles and positive energy of sophomore Eben Paxton Wildman, who died Oct. 16.

According to Springfield News Sun, Eben was traveling west on State Route 343 just east of Ohio 370 in Miami Township when his car veered off the road after he over-corrected, lost control of the vehicle and eventually hit a tree. The accident remains under investigation.

Eben was an accomplished Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) midshipman pursing his goal of becoming a U.S. Navy SEAL. He was also pursuing a business major.

According to Commanding Officer Colonel Andrew Solgere, Eben exuded positivity and determination in his efforts with NROTC. “He was a very positive guy,” Solgere said. “You could not find him without a smile plastered on his face regardless of whatever circumstances he was undergoing.”

He said Eben’s enthusiasm was contagious and everyone wanted to be around him.

“You wouldn’t know by looking at him whether he had just crashed on a paper all night or whether he was getting ready to take a test he wasn’t prepared for because he was a very enthusiastic, full of life kind of guy,” Solgere said. “If I said a French phrase, ‘joie de vivre (joy of living),’ that would be him.

Certainly the type of person you’d like to be around because of that positive energy.”

While Eben had several years left before the Navy would determine his position, he worked hard to ready himself to compete for the limited spots.

“Midshipman Wildman spent a significant amount of time with (his fellow NROTC members) to try and become as physically fit as he possibly could,” Solgere said.

For instance, there is a practice course outside by the NROTC headquarters on campus. At this course there are some giant tractor-trailer tires that every member has to practice flipping as a physical fitness exercise.

“I don’t know how much those things weigh, but I can’t flip them,” Solgere said. “It was difficult for four adults to flip those tires, but Wildman could flip those things on his own, which is a pretty significant accomplishment.”

Eben was committed to serving his country in the Navy, and Solgere said his dedication and positivity will be missed.

“I think it goes to the level of effort that he was willing to commit to make himself as prepared as could be to compete for the slot and then get chosen to do that,” Solgere said. “Certainly we will miss him and the world will be a slightly more sad place without his vivacious smile and his positive energy.”

The Miami Student contacted friends and family of Eben for this story, but they chose not to comment.

Stephen Scott Fenstemaker II

By Noëlle Bernard Senior Staff Writer

The smiles and laughter of Stephen Scott Fenstemaker II will never fade from the memories of family and friends.

Stephen was a first-year at Miami University and a Jackson High School graduate who died Oct. 29 in a single-car accident.

According to the Dayton Daily News, the accident occurred on the “very small, windy and dark” Shadowy Hills Road bordering the Miami campus.

Gregory Marchand, a friend and fellow Jackson High School graduate who is a first-year at Wright State University, was injured in the crash.

Marilyn Fenstemaker, Stephen’s mother, said she was very close to her son and everyone loved him.

“He touched a lot of people,” Marilyn said. “Him and I were so close. We just talked all the time on the phone, three or four times a day. He was a good kid. He would always make you laugh, he was funny. He had a lot of friends because he was nice to everybody.”

According to Marilyn, Stephen’s blood toxicology test came back negative for alcohol. She said speeding caused the accident.

Stephen was a natural athlete.

His favorite sport was soccer. He played year-round for more than 11 years with his close friends and neighbors Jimmy Costin and Chris Angelo.

Angelo, a Miami first-year, grew up playing soccer with

Stephen and will never forget the times spent with his friend.

“We grew up together (and) we played soccer all our lives,” Angelo said. “We’d just hang out all the time. He was always the kid you’d go to if you wanted to laugh or smile. He was one of the funniest kids I knew.”

Jimmy Costin, a first-year at Otterbein University, said Stephen was as close as a brother and he was unlike any person he has known, always making people laugh.

“Our social security numbers were 28 numbers apart, our birthdays were three days apart and our houses were 10 houses apart,” Costin said. “He made everyone laugh around him. He always loved seeing people laugh and be around people having a good time. There’s never a dull moment when you’re around him.”

Costin wrote a eulogy about his close friend’s best characteristic, his refrain from judging people.

He lived under the motto of “Only God will judge me.”

“He treated everyone with the same respect and courtesy that he expected in return,” Costin wrote.

“He was a gentleman, but defiantly a comedian at heart. Steve always loved making people laugh.”

Stephen knew how to leave a lasting impression with everyone through jokes and his friendship.

He was studying to become an actuary and enjoyed mathematics.

“He was loved by everyone that knew him,” Costin said.

“Some of his closest friends are getting tattoos in his memory, including me.”

Campus

THE MIAMI STUDENT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2010 ♦ 3

Dean helps create newest national park Lithuanian Club brings cultural diversity

By Matt Fitzgerald For The Miami Student

The River Raisin Battlefield in Monroe, Mich. was declared the newest U.S. national park Oct. 23, and one of Miami University’s own had a stake in creating it.

G. Michael Pratt, associate provost and the dean of Miami’s regional campuses, played a vital role in creating the River Raisin National Battlefield Park, the National Park System’s 393rd unit.

“The state of Michigan undertook a significant cleanup,” Pratt said. “What you will eventually see out there as a national park was once … a brown field.”

The scene of the Battle of River Raisin during the War of 1812, the park will serve as reminder of the lives lost there, Pratt said.

“Because of the damage that the United States took there, ‘Remember the River Raisin!’became the battle cry for the American forces who wound up victorious,” Pratt said.

Pratt has been conducting research at the site since 1998, when he was a professor of anthropology at Heidelberg University. He has

been working with historical preservation researchers from Eastern Michigan University along with the local historical society. Pratt said his interest in archaeology began as an undergraduate student at Miami when he began doing work on prehistoric Native American cultures.

Archaeological studies proved very difficult, Pratt said, as backhoes and other power equipment were used to excavate through parking lots and take the fill and industrial waste off to look for structural remains from the battle.

After much persistence and years of continual visitation, the American Battlefield Protection Program gave Pratt funding in 2007 for additional historical and archaeological research. This included looking at old maps of the area and damage claims submitted by former residents near the site.

“Dr. Pratt uncovered the traces the wooden fence line that American forces were taking cover behind during the battle (that) had been turned into a paper mill site,” said Charles Slat, a staff writer for

The Monroe Evening News.

The history of the River Raisin site was not as much of a question of what happened, but where the fighting specifically occurred.

“While historical events were well-known, nobody knew exactly where the events happened on the ground,” Pratt said.

In addition to River Raisin Battlefield, Pratt also led the effort to make Fort Miamis, the site of the 1794 Battle of Fallen Timbers, a national park.

This spurred his involvement in River Raisin Battlefield and other sites aiming to be national parks, as Pratt and his team used new archaeological research methods at Fort Miamis that were highly effective. They were so effective that Pratt has been requested to research other battle sites from the Civil War, Revolutionary War and another from the War of 1812 after his team’s success at River Raisin.

Miami sophomore Kelly Blake said the park is a great accomplishment for Miami.

“A national park is definitely a big deal and everyone loves an intense war story,” Blake said.

Creative Conscience

Allison Backovski The Miami Student

Sophomore Jordan Frazin helps his team set up their newspaper window treatment Saturday for Alpha Rho Chi’s design charrette competition in Alumni Hall.

Great American Smokeout: November 18th

light up your future, not that cigarette! ~Nicotine acts as a messenger in the brain and over time more receptors are created to receive those messages. ~When there is no nicotine present, the body goes through withdrawal, so you crave another cigarette. ~Nicotine is as highly addictive as heroin and cocaine! ~Only 2.5 percent of smokers successfully quit each year

invest in tomorrow, not a habit!

Student Wellness Programs 102 Health Services Center 513-529-8544 peerhealthed@muohio.edu Visit www.muohio.edu/health for more information Information at: http://www.ehealthmd.com/library/smoking/smo_whatis.html

Miami

By Natalie McKerjee Senior Staff Writer

Students at Miami University are looking to advance the presence of different cultures on campus with the newly formed Miami Lithuanian Club.

According to first-year Chris Comer, one of the founding members, the club is more of a social club that celebrates connections in the Lithuanian community.

“We are a club with the intentions of promoting Lithuanian culture, history and its people, but primarily we are a social club,” Comer said.

Miami senior Vitus Pelsey said the Lithuanian Club, and others like it, could thrive and benefit Miami students.

“The beginning of a new Lithuanian student organization could fare very well in the same ways, provided that it keeps a very open community focus instead of becoming too secular,” Pelsey said.

According to Comer, the club currently has five members and a club adviser, Neringa Klumbyte, an anthropology professor who focuses on Eurasia, the European Union and Lithuania.

The four founding members did not know each other before attending Miami, but are focused on increasing membership and providing a comfortable atmosphere for Lithuanian students at Miami, Comer said.

Junior Ramune Bartuškaitė said the club has allowed her to maintain the connection she has with her cultural heritage while living at Miami.

“I joined the Lithuanian Club because I was really involved in the Lithuanian community back in Cleveland and I needed to be part of something that would help me keep my heritage alive,” Bartuškaitė said.

Comer said meetings for the club consist of social activities that allow members to embrace their Lithuanian heritage.

“Since we only have five members, our ‘meetings’ are usually dinner where Silvija and Ramune gossip in fluent Lithuanian while Danas and I stare blankly at each other,” he said.

One event the group is looking forward to is the Lithuanian Culture Festival July 4, 2012.

According to Comer, the event is

a song, dance and drinking festival that happens every four years in various locations. The 2012 Festival will take place in Boston, Mass.

According to Pelsey, groups similar to the Lithuanian Club are most effective when they allow a variety of students to become familiar with the culture.

“I think the success in the groups that have been more successful in raising cultural awareness has effectively used performance as

“I think the success in the groups that have been more successful in raising cultural awareness has effectively used performance as an entry point to their customs” Vitus Pelsey

Miami University Senior

an entry point to their customs,” Pelsey said. “By the performance aspect of these cultures becoming a sort of tradition of our own Miami population, students who otherwise might have not had the exposure are provided with a venue to familiarize and identify with these traditions.”

Pelsey also said the club hopes to develop and build upon the strong foundation that has already been established by the current members.

“Right now we are really looking to expand the club, meet and reach out to new Lithuanians,” Comer said.

According to Bartuškaitė, the club serves as a resource for Lithuanian students to celebrate their heritage while informing other students.

“There are not many of us out there and I feel a certain commitment to my Lithuanian friends and to my culture,” she said. “We can help each other learn more about our nationality by sharing experiences and helping others be aware of our heritage and all that it has to offer.”

Lithuanian students who are interested in joining the club or would like any information are encouraged to contact Comer at comercj@muohio.edu.

4

Tuesday

November 16, 2010

Community

Editor Bethany Bruner community@miamistudent.net

Police warn about scams

By Leslie Scott Senior Staff Writer

Two assault calls lead to multiple citations At around 2:50 a.m. Sunday, Oxford Police Department officers were dispatched to Hawks Landing Apartments regarding an assault in progress.

Upon arrival, officers reportedly found two males in the breezeway of the complex. Both males reportedly had blood on them. One of the males, later identified as Miami University first-year Joseph S. Pfeifer, also reportedly had the odor of alcohol on his breath.

Pfeifer was reportedly placed in custody for underage intoxication.

While officers were explaining the charges, Pfeifer reportedly refused to sign the citation and said “I ain’t admitting to sh*t.” Pfeifer also reportedly told officers he would see them in court because they were a “joke.”

At 5:38 a.m., officers were again dispatched to Hawks Landing regarding a second assault.

According to police reports, Pfeifer was leaving apartment 106 when police arrived, but went back inside when he noticed the officers.

The victim of the assault was reportedly reluctant to talk at first, but later told officers he was tired of protecting Pfeifer and would like to press charges.

According to police reports, the victim told officers Pfeifer and another male had punched him in the face earlier in the evening.

The victim reported that after walking home from McCulloughHyde Memorial Hospital, where he received stitches, Pfeifer confronted him again while he was standing outside his apartment.

The victim reportedly tried to retreat to his apartment, but Pfeifer pushed the door open before shoving the victim to the floor. The victim reportedly told Pfeifer to leave, but he did not comply. The victim reportedly told officers Pfeifer had struck him in the temple, and officers noticed redness in the area.

Pfeifer was cited for underage intoxication, aggravated burglary and assault. He was arrested and taken to Butler County Jail.

Sophomore attempts to escape officers At around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, Oxford Police Department officers were reportedly on patrol at The Wood’s Bar when they observed a male without a wristband or stamps on his hands holding a pitcher of beer.

The male, later identified as Miami University sophomore Jereme Neujahr, 19, reportedly had X’s on his hands that had been partially washed off.

Officers reportedly asked Neujahr for identification, but he told them he did not have it with him.

Neujahr reportedly told officers he was 21. When officers asked why he had “X” markings on his hands, Neujahr reportedly said he could not hear the question.

Neujahr was reportedly escorted to the back of the bar so he could hear, and tried to pull away several times.

Once in the back of the bar, Neujahr reportedly told officers that he was 20 years old.

Officers reportedly told Neujahr to put his hands behind his back, but Neujahr refused and asked, “Are you serious7?”

Neujahr was reportedly taken outside where he again tried to pull away from officers and resisted being handcuffed. Neujahr also reportedly screamed at the officers, telling them not to touch him.

Neujahr was reportedly placed on the ground and he began rolling around while yelling.

The life squad was reportedly called when Neujahr began to hyperventilate. Neujahr’s friends reportedly told officers he had consumed four 4Lokos earlier in the night.

Neujahr was cited for underage intoxication and released to his friends.

Scammers are in Oxford and they may be trying to trick you into giving them money.

Recently, an elderly Oxford woman reported an incident in which two men scammed her out of $1,600. Oxford Police Department (OPD) is looking into the matter.

According to OPD Sgt. Jim Squance, two men knocked on the 96-year-old woman’s door and told her she had several dangerously hanging tree branches.

“The men said they would cut the trees, clean her gutters and rake,” Squance said. “They did the work, but not to the extent that they promised the woman.”

Miami University senior Erika Burke sympathizes with the woman who was scammed.

“It is so unfortunate that an elderly woman was taken advantage of,” Burke said. “She has

most likely lived in Oxford for a long time, so that she feels safe in this small town. It is sad that these men have no shame in taking advantage of her.”

According to Squance, scams like this one have happened before. He said these types of people come into town every once in a while looking to scam people.

Squance said people need to be careful when it comes to doing business with others.

“Don’t do business with people on the spot,” Squance said. “People need to make sure to get a name and their information in order to check them out through other resources such as the Better Business Bureau, the Internet and the phonebook.”

Miami junior Katie Greek has been a scam victim when trying to sell books on the Internet.

“I’ve been scammed myself, so I’m not as naïve,” Greek said. “I definitely have my guard

up more because of it. People should definitely not be as trusting as they are and make sure they are double-checking the people they plan to do business with.”

Because of an article in a local newspaper, another woman has come forward with information about a scam similar to the one that was reported, Squance said.

“Apparently this incident happened in August, but she is just now reporting it because of the article she saw,” Squance said.

Greek agrees with Squance that people need to keep up their guard.

“People who have never realized scammers are out there are more vulnerable,” Greek said.

According to Squance, the most important thing people need to know is that they should not make compulsive purchases on the spot.

He said people should make sure they are dealing with a reputable company in order to avoid scams like this one.

Government-funded projects spring up around Oxford

By Erin Fischesser Editor in Chief

As construction barrels continue to sprout up in and around Oxford, city officials are continuing plans for more uses of federal and state funds in the near future.

City Manager Doug Elliott said while the construction on U.S. 27 North is in its third and final phase, the $6 million project will not be completed until next spring. The widening of the turn lane, installation of sidewalks on both sides of the road, new traffic signals and storm water management improvements were funded by the state of Ohio along with a partial match made by the city itself.

Similarly, the restoration of bricks on High Street that has been ongoing since 2008 has been funded mainly through state organizations. According to Elliott, the project cost approximately $500,000 per city block.

The city was recently approved to do the next phase of the brick restoration, according to Oxford Service Director Mike Dreisbach.

Dreisbach said the $400,000 grant from the Ohio Public Works Commission will be used to rebuild the bricks between Main and Poplar streets, the third block to be done in the ongoing project.

As the bricks are removed, Dreisbach said the water main will also be reconstructed.

While construction is not expected to start until after Mother’s Day in 2012, Dreisbach said the city is planning to spend $170,000 of its own funds on the project in the worst-case scenario.

Dreisbach said the city plans to continue the work on High Street after this grant money is used.

“It’s our hope to do between

CAROLINE BUCK The Miami Student

Construction on State Route 27 near Walmart in Oxford is one of many projects funded with grant money. The project costs $6 million and will not be complete until spring 2011.

Poplar street and Campus Avenue at some point, but we’re not sure when that will happen,” he said.

In 2011, the city plans to begin resurfacing Main Street between Chestnut and Sycamore streets.

The project will be funded by the state along with a 25 percent match from Oxford.

Three upcoming projects surrounding the city will be funded by federal earmarks obtained

by Oxford and Miami University through the Northwest Butler Transportation Study, Elliott said.

“The city and Miami received three federal earmarks totaling about $22 million,” Elliott said.

The first project, which will be bid out in April 2011, will be an

upgrade to the intersection of U.S. 73 and State Route 177.

“We will upgrade the existing intersection to preferred design standards,” Elliott said.

Another intersection, that of State Route 127 and U.S. 73, will undergo similar renovations in October 2011. The projects are expected to cost $4.3 million and $3.8 million respectively.

The final project funded by the study will be widening and improvements to U.S. 27 South from Chestnut Street to Stillwell-Beckett Road. Elliott expects this project to cost approximately $18 million and begin in October 2013.

Elliott said the long-anticipated Oxford Connector is also still in

planning stages. Discussion about the possibility of constructing the route to connect U.S. 27 and U.S. 73 began in 2007. Because there is no more earmark money left, Elliott said the city is still studying the benefits and funding of the project.

Overall, Elliott said Oxford is typically successful in receiving state and federal funding for various projects throughout the city, including money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve a path in the Oxford Community Park.

“We don’t always get what we apply for, but we’re grateful for the projects that we do get funding for,” Elliott said.

Sculpting a friendship

SAMANTHA LUDINGTON The Miami Student

Annika Balish and Kate McCarthy wait for their rides after making sculptures in an art class Monday outside the Oxford Community Arts Center.

Editor Hunter Stenback features@miamistudent.net

NaNo WriMo 50,000

Features

days

November 16, 2010

5

By Kaitlin Schroeder For The Miami Student

Late in the night Oct. 31, a handful of Miami University students stared at blank Microsoft Word documents and counted down the minutes to midnight.

For a while they had been talking about fantasy characters and plot ideas, but the room grew quiet as the last few seconds ticked off the clock. Phones were turned on silent to prevent interruption.

They had already typed their goodbye Facebook status, warning their friends that once Nov. 1 came they would be essentially hibernating for a month.

The digital clocks on their laptops “struck” midnight. Instantly, the students were furiously typing, determined to get at least 1,667 words typed by the end of the day. And another 1,667 by the end of Nov. 2. And another 1,667 done by the end of Nov. 3.

For the entire month of November, these students plan to type an average of 1,667 words a day, eventually crafting a 50,000-word novel.

This is not an assignment. These students are not being forced to write by a professor.

This is National Novel Writing Month. During this event, also known as NaNoWriMo, amateur and professional writers from across the country will crank out a 50,000-word story in just 30 days.

Over the course of November, the writers submit their daily word count to the official website. According to NaNoWriMo.org, the nationwide total for 2010 is more than one billion words and growing.

word novel

30

Tuesday

The quota According to current NaNoWriMo participants at Miami, 1,667 words per day is more than a challenging daily word quota, and it quickly grows more difficult because almost everyone falls behind.

At one meeting between the writers, many swapped glory stories of how many words they had written in a day.

Sophomore Liz Henderson has won the challenge twice and said she estimates on one make up day she typed approximately 20,000 words.

Sophomore Chelsea Fought, who hopes to go into publishing, said she typed more than 15,000 words on the last day of NaNoWriMo last year.

While they winced when remembering that sleepless day of catch up, most writers considered their respective cram session to be the most exciting moment of the month.

“I think more people should do NaNo, and I think more people doing NaNo should do it in less than 20 days,” sophomore Stephen Caruso-Taylor said. “Sleep is for wimps.”

Caruso-Taylor proudly claims to have written his last NaNoWriMo novel in less than four days toward the end of November 2009 and admits he has once again found himself drastically behind on his novel this year.

“I did it last year, I’m sure I can do it again,” CarusoTaylor said.

Henderson said after winning NaNoWriMo two times this year’s goal had been to finish her NaNoWriMo in 10 days. By Nov. 7, she had already typed 18,000 words.

“I’m not going to make that anymore, but I can definitely get it done by the 20th,” Henderson said.

All in the name of the novel These Miami writers have admitted to losing sleep, struggling to keep up on schoolwork and staying in on Friday nights in order to keep up with the quota.

For Henderson, NaNoWriMo is something she looks forward to months in advance, and the time spent is well worth the results.

Before November, she creates storyboards and outlines. As a fantasy writer, she carefully creates an entirely fictional world and spends a great deal of time

inventing animals, customs, races and landscapes for her imagined universe.

Henderson also noted she has been having wrist pain, which she thinks stems from all the typing.

Fought said she has taken her laptop to a creative writing class along with a few other classes and typed her novel during class time.

“I usually multi-task and type the NaNo while taking notes,” Fought said. “Usually the NaNo gets a little more attention.”

Fought does not think her schoolwork has suffered from NaNoWriMo.

The light at the end of the tunnel For many it’s hard to understand why these writers, self-described as procrastinators or lazy, find such a time-consuming challenge to be appealing.

Caruso-Taylor said he does NaNoWriMo because he enjoys the sense of accomplishment. He also thinks NaNoWriMo winners tend to be avid readers and really enjoy the idea of being published.

“Now, when you write for NaNoWriMo you’re not going to write the next Oliver Twist, but you’re still creating something to read and I think that people that write in it like that,” Caruso-Taylor said.

Fought said she thinks NaNoWriMo is appealing as a motivator.

“I think the reason people do it is because they’ve had these ideas for such a long time and I think NaNo is a catalyst that gets you to get words down on paper,” Fought said. “Even if it’s a terrible first draft, at least you have a first draft.”

Those that finish NaNoWriMo can order a free proof copy of their novel and receive a free winner T-shirt.

The rookie But what about students with non-writing majors? The NaNoWriMo organization at Miami attracts more than just English education or creative writing majors.

First-year Emily Levin is an undecided major and describes herself as a follower who needs some sort of push to get her started on a project. She feels NaNoWriMo is a good push to get somewhere on the seemingly monumental task of writing a novel.

“As a kid I always used to think of story ideas and character ideas, but never really put anything together,” Levin said. “It forces me to put all my thoughts together.”

The NaNoWriMo also serves as a resource for amateur writers with little background in the field. One book for sale is titled No Plot? No Problem!

Quantity, but is there quality?

The seasoned writers have proven that achieving the seemingly high goal of 50,000 words in just 30 days is possible. But are they just shooting for quota?

The writers may write at unnatural speeds, but junior Douglas Miller says most writers are still typing more than just rushed, scattered thoughts.

“It’s definitely a draft,” Miller said. “How good of quality it is depends on the writer. I try to make sure everything I’m writing is relevant to the plot. “ The group at Miami is in its second year as an official student organization. This year, the group has approximately 20 regularly attending members in comparison to approximately eight members last year.

The NaNoWriMo organization is also growing exponentially. During its first year in 1999, only six writers finished the challenge. A decade later, 14,000 novelists are estimated to finish the challenge.

Miller said even if a participant does not win, he or she still walks away with a good experience.

“It gets them started on something that maybe they would not have the motivation to work on otherwise,” Miller said.

HANNAH MILLER The Miami Student

6

Opinion

Tuesday November 16, 2010

Editors John Luckoski Jessica Sink editorial@miamistudent.net

➤ EDITORIAL

The following pieces, written by the editorial editors, reflect the majority opinion of the editorial board.

Train crossings require safety precautions W

ith the tragic death of 83-year-old Peter Klaus in a train accident, it is apparent the need to install gates and flashing lights at train crossings is still an immediately pressing issue.

It should not take the death of a community member in order to obligate such safety measures.

The editorial board of The Miami Student believes that in such an unfortunate event, questions of responsibility are important and necessary to ask.

It is clear that as more traffic comes through an area, more steps need to be taken to ensure the safety of drivers who may not be as familiar with where train crossings are. However, a level of responsibility does rest upon drivers to ensure their safety.

It is the responsibility of the railroad companies to make the intersections as apparent and noticeable as possible. While it is perhaps too costly

and wouldn’t be beneficial enough to implement flashing lights and drop gates at every single train crossing in the area, the board believes this event is a strong enough call to mandate more of a focus on train safety.

For drivers, this would mean paying attention to signs that may often go otherwise ignored, such as yield signs, in order to fully ensure safety. As it is the unfortunate custom for drivers to sometimes ignore the idea of looking both ways when at crossings or texting and talking on phones while driving, it is clear drivers have to reconsider their priorities in order to ensure their own safety when driving.

While it is indeed the responsibility of the railway to make crossings as conspicuous as possible, it is a driver’s responsibility to take note of the warnings put forth and to take care in observing those safeguards.

Board of Regents standards improve Ohio education W

ith the mandate of the Ohio Board of Regents, Ohio’s higher education system will become a much more standardized system for all students.

With the increased focus on allowing students to easily transfer their credits from college to college and the statewide transition to a semesterbased school year, Ohio is set to improve the educational system in very meaningful ways.

The editorial board of The Miami Student believes students not only benefit from a more flexible and consistent educational standard, but there are many other positive side effects of this decision.

As the economy slowly recovers, students who might not normally

be able to afford an entire four-year stay at Miami University can now fulfill basic university requirements and transfer those credits, then focus on the specific educational path Miami may offer.

At the same time, with the institution of semesters across all colleges, scheduling conflicts for internships may become a thing of the past.

Often internships can only be offered during certain times, and with all schools operating on the same semester schedule, such positions can be focused on the availability of students statewide.

The intent and action of the Board of Regents is a net benefit for Ohio schools, but also for Ohio students. Students

will no longer feel tied down to a single school if they find it isn’t a good fit, which may have ended up being too much of a hassle due to credits not properly transferring between schools.

A standardized statewide semester schedule also opens up more possibility for colleges and universities to collaborate and share educational resources where school schedules may have made a correspondence too difficult in t he past.

The board is pleased to see Ohio taking positive steps toward bettering the school system on these fronts, and hopes it is indicative of even more similar improvements in uniting the statewide university system in the future

The Miami Student Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826

EDITORIAL BOARD Erin Fischesser Editor in Chief Thomasina Johnson News Editor Erin Maher Managing Editor Scott Allison Online Editor John Luckoski Editorial Editor Jessica Sink Editorial Editor

Amelia Carpenter Campus Editor Amanda Seitz Campus Editor Bethany Bruner Community Editor Michael Solomon Sports Editor Hunter Stenback Features Editor Samantha Ludington Photo Editor

NOAH CARL The Miami Student

➤ LETTER

“Indian Party” elevates racial tension Dear six young men who somehow find it acceptable to host the 68th annual “Indian Party” where participants are invited to “Get dressed up like your favorite Indian and pow wow around the keg” and “get wrecked … you know Squanto would.”

I don’t even know how to begin to express how immature, disrespectful and ridiculous these words are to our campus community and the Miami Tribe. I know you are fond of tradition, and yes, having anything for 68 years straight is an impressive show of dedication, but has it ever occurred to you that just because something goes on for a really long time doesn’t mean that it’s OK? (For instance, slavery?) I know you like to throw parties and have a good time, but do you really have to drag another racial group into it?

I realize that you alone are not at fault. After all, I see that at the writing of this letter, 222 of your friends are RSVPed to attend, another 42 are maybe attending and zero of you have commented that there might possibly be something problematic with this event. And then there are the other incidents — the trashing of the Underground Railroad Freedom Center, Ghettofest, the folks who felt compelled to inform black students uptown that Oxford is a “white person’s town.”

That contributes to Miami University’s general dismal campus racial climate. I realize white people often enjoy being viewed as individuals and not part of a category, but I have to say, your actions are doing nothing to make me want to see you differently.

I find this unfortunate because for the most part I have found you (white students) to be a friendly, kind and intelligent bunch. Sure, I encounter ignorance from members of your community once in a while, but I generally try to give you the benefit of the doubt. After all, we have quite a bit of research on how U.S. neighborhoods, churches and kindergarten through 12th grade schools are highly segregated, so many of you are not quite used to interacting with people like me.

When my colleagues around the country

ask me how I like teaching at a school that is more than 85 percent white, they often express assumptions that white students are an ignorant lot. I tell them that, in general, you’re a good group of folks, but this “Indian Party” makes me wonder if I’ve given you a little too much benefit of the doubt.

You may be resistant to even recognizing that you have a racial identity as a white person, but if you would like to be seen as an individual, I encourage you to act in such a way that would make me want to treat you as such. In the current state, however, your actions reflect poorly on yourselves, on white people in general and Miami as a whole.

You may not realize you are helping devalue your own degree, so let me bring it to your attention.

As I said, you alone are not the source of Miami’s racial tension, but that doesn’t leave you off the hook. You owe it to yourselves to reflect critically on your actions. I encourage you to be a credit to your race and give me a reason to believe in you.

JULIE PARK

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP PARKJJ@MUOHIO.EDU

➤ Write us

All letters must be signed in order to be printed. Please send letters via e-mail to: editorial@miamistudent.net

We reserve the right to edit for length, content and clarity.

➤ ESSAY

From the Earth, to the moon and beyond Space is the last hurdle for mankind. We have explored and experienced nearly every part of our planet through advances in technology and the Discovery Channel. Now, scientists are looking to other planets in a modern day Christopher Columbus type of journey to expand the outreach of our human race and protect our species from apocalyptic disasters that threaten our extinction. We’re talking Mars here. When do we expect to go?

President Barack Obama is thinking around the 2030’s range with round trips. However, two scientists think this mission should happen much sooner as a one-way journey.

This is a great idea. When explorers in the early times set out to conquer new lands or when the early settlers of America set off to explore, they often had to deal with a reality that they may never return. It is a great risk to take, traveling to a new land and not knowing what might lie ahead. I’m betting though that

the people who are probably going to volunteer for this trip are willing to risk not coming home. That is why I think we should try to get this trip in motion.

I don’t want to come off sounding coldhearted, but the reality of the situation is that NASA is currently planning on a sixmonth flight out to Mars that then involves a six-month return flight. That’s a yearlong trip with so many chances for disaster and the need for extra fuel, which means a bigger ship and more chances for things to go wrong. If the trip were to be one way, there would be a better chance for success in the fact that the people landing could explore and transmit more of what needed to be sent for setting up a possible colony on the planet.

Space travel in general includes tremendous risks. It also could be incredibly beneficial to the human race. It offers exciting new possibilities as we continue to explore.

Imagine a colony on another planet regularly communicating with the Earth allowing us to see the wonders of the universe. Putting our foot on the gas pedal to get there even 10 years earlier will bring incredible advances in technology. Innovation for flight and fuel, even medical supplies and food stores, not to mention all of the gadgets that come with the space shuttle that would put people to work and eventually become part of everyday life. It would also give us a great insight into what type of technology is needed for future flights to Mars, which would eventually include return trips. We definitely do not want this flight to be a suicide mission. That is why these technological advances would be so important to life both here and on Mars.

The fact is that a trip to Mars is an exciting and exceedingly dangerous mission.

The people signing up for this trip are more than likely going to be prepared for the huge

number of things that could go right or unfortunately go wrong. However, these modern day pioneers would be able to start the work that would be needed to eventually set up a colony.

Planning return flights does not allow for any work to be done and more years will pass with less progress. I say if there are astronauts willing to go and stay for the rest of their lives, then send them. Let them be known as the people who risked their lives to be the first human beings to settle on the surface of Mars. Let them be known as the men and women who made that land inhabitable.

History will be made with the first journey to Mars. It will set the pace for future exploration and it will spur on the human spirit once again. Let’s hope that it is sooner rather than later.

CHRIS DENICOLA

DENICOCJ@MUOHIO.EDU

Opinion

THE MIAMI STUDENT

➤ ATLANTIS LIFEGUARD

➤ ESSAY

TUESDAY NOVEMBER 16, 2010 ♦ 7

➤ ORIANA’S OBSERVATION

Love and Budget friendly globe trekking Students honor bred for bucket list competition As an underclassman at Miami University, I often felt like time couldn’t move any more slowly. It seemed like I was always looking forward to something in the future: turning 21 (and subsequently being able to order White Russians with my friends at Circle Bar), getting a parking pass that didn’t reJensen quire a trek from DitHenry mer, moving out of the suffocating, small dorms and telling BMZ horror stories to incoming zoology majors.

Once I finally found my footing as a Miamian, everything suddenly shifted into warp speed. Classes, hockey games, nights uptown, caffeine-fueled study marathons at Brill and King, graduate school applications and interviews all came and went in a blur. Now, as I sit down to tap out my last column before I graduate next month, it seems like there is an endless list of things I want to do for the last — or in a couple of cases, the first — time. But rather than rehash my own bucket list, which would probably sound a little too much like a pub crawl for the university administration’s liking, I’m compiling a different one for you.

1) Write something for The Miami Student. Have you ever perused the responses to some of the more politically charged articles that have been published? Many of them are less than heartwarming. But the greatest thing about being pelted by a storm of enraged comments is the knowledge that people are incited enough by your words to reply. My first newspaper teacher used to say journalism is not about telling people what to think, it is telling people what to think about. If your take on an issue can spark others to respond, it means you successfully got them to confront another perspective. Take advantage of the open forum and actually have your opinions heard.

2) Talk to a professor about something other than your homework. Professors are people, not just PowerPoint-clicking drones. They have passions and a sense of humor, families and flaws. When they teach, they do so based upon their own unique histories and experiences.

Many of them are as interested in learning from us as we are from them. Some of the most entertaining discussions I have had at Miami were with professors who digressed from the original subject.

The most important things you learn shouldn’t be found between the covers of your textbook anyway.

3) To the administration: remember what makes Miami special. From its students to its architecture, Miami is definitely a school that takes pride in appearances, but beautiful construction and grandiose endeavors pale in comparison to what takes place inside the classroom. If Miami is truly serious about securing its national reputation as a premier undergraduate institution, it needs to be removing faculty hiring freezes and expanding on the richness of the courses offered, especially in upper levels. Miami graduates should be able to point to their transcripts or résumés and say, “I have experiences that no other universities offer.” New buildings and technology are great, but nothing should compromise the mission of providing an unparalleled undergraduate education.

4) Make the best friends of your life. A quick anecdote: when my father called me last week, he quietly told me his close friend from college had passed away earlier that day. Although they lived in different cities and saw each other only on occasion, I grew up with bedtime stories of their adventures.

As we all know, events in college can quickly unfold into hilarious sagas of Animal House proportions. My dad continued, his voice choked with emotion, “You’re together for four years, but…” He had trailed off, but I completely understood. The relationships we make during this time are unlike any other friendships we will have in our lifetimes. I will never be able to adequately tell my friends here how much I love them, but I do know that in 30 or 40 or even 60 years from now, I will still feel like the luckiest person in the world to have known them.

So, to my friends, and to RedHawks and Redskins, past, present and future, love and honor.

Hillaire Billock once said, “We wander for can select a destination anywhere from The distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.” I Greenbrier, a luxury resort in the West Virginia agree whole-heartedly with this statement and mountains, to a sprawling waterfront property would venture to say that aside from require- in Sri Lanka. “Jetsetter (is) more focused on ment, this is the reason many students choose discovery and experience,” CEO David Patterto study abroad during their time in college. At son said. “We’re looking for something distincfirst, it’s all a whirlwind of excitement, choos- tive and memorable.” ing where to go, which courses to take, meeting The site also caters to those with a comother people who are going with you, but then petitive side due to the time constraints on the reality of shelling out the big bucks for air- offers for seeming once-in-a-lifetime travel fare hits you. Then, all of those places you want opportunities. The sales typically last for five to visit over there via train. More money. The to seven days, and customers can hold a trip hostels you’ll stay in while visiting said places. for 10 percent of the cost for 72 hours. The Even more money. Paying for coffee, meals deposit can be used for that trip or saved for and any other miscellaneous things. Forget it. a different getaway later in the year. For any Fortunately, there is a way to keep costs down. given on-sale destination, Jetsetter provides Since beginning college four years ago, I several photographs and descriptions of rooms have been turned on to several available along with a calenstudent-friendly travel outlets. dar of available dates, often for Studentuniverse.com is perhaps several months out.

To those who do the most well-known. The comWhen Jetsetter first launched, not have study pany has been in operation for many were skeptical the attracabroad plans on nearly 10 years, providing stutiveness of 30 to 40 percent off the horizon, but dent discounts on airfares (with a trip to a luxury destination greater discounts for groups of have travel dreams would cloud customers’ judg12 or more), hotels and hostels, bigger than their ment. They could be fooled rail passes, rental cars and travinto paying a seemingly lower travel budget, el insurance. The company reprice when another discount Jetsetter.com may travel site offered the same trip cently expanded its target market to faculty, recent graduates for an actual lower fee. Howbe the answer. and students age 18 to 25. The ever, this does not seem to be search engine provides travel the case with Jetsetter. The New date flexibility for up to three days. It is also York Times writer Michelle Higgins found that worth checking out the GoingGlobal section in an albeit not-so-scientific check of several of the StudentUniverse website, as it offers ex- private sales, those sites beat prices offered by tremely interesting travel blogs by StudentUni- places Expedia.com or Orbitz.com. One of the verse staff members, hostel guides and helpful caveats of Jetsetter, though, is that it is a comtravel tips related to every aspect of your trip, munity accessible through invitation from a including space-saving while packing, cutting current member or by putting your e-mail on time at the airport and ways to not look like a a membership waiting list. However, a Google tourist when abroad. search for “Jetsetter + private sale + invite” To those who do not have study abroad plans yields a site that provides Jetsetter and Gilt on the horizon, but have travel dreams bigger Groupe invitations. than their travel budget, Jetsetter.com may be Think of the savings to be had when combinthe answer. Jetsetter is a branch of Gilt Groupe, ing a flight purchased from StudentUniverse Inc., the site offering discounts on high-end and a hotel from Jetsetter! I suggest, when fashion. Jetsetter follows a similar blueprint, checking these sites out, to sign up for e-mail offering discounts on luxury hotels, cruises and alerts about the cheapest flight options or uptours, some in popular tourist destinations, but coming destination sales to get a leg up on the many in places one would never think of. “It travel competition. Veni, vidi, servi. tempts you to visit places you never intended MARY L. HALLING to, or were too financially strapped to conHALLINML@MUOHIO.EDU sider,” The Washington Post said. A customer

➤ GUEST ESSAY

Graduation is the “major” goal The Bureau of Labor Statistics released a were supposed to have fun in college. report in September that found baby boomThink about all of those wasted classes you ers (which are most of our parents born in the took after a semester and decided you wanted years 1957 to 1964) held on average 11 jobs to major in finance instead of communication. between the ages of 18 to 44.

If Miami’s business school did not have such So, why is it so important that I carry 18 an intense curriculum as a pre-major, maybe credit hours and force-add that economics students who switched into it would not have class held Monday, Wednesday and Friday to play catch-up. from 12:45 to 1:35 p.m.? In reality, these They would be able to be a well-rounded classes may have nothing to do with my student and build their résumé. career in five years.

With all this in mind, I basically decided Colleges these days encourage prospective against changing my major. first-year students to come as I actually want to get out an undecided major and expeof school at some point and rience a variety of classes their have a job instead of spending first couple of semesters of col$12,198 more on tuition.

If there are large lege. Isn’t that what the Miami There is potential that I groups of students could Plan was designed for? end up like people my who decide to We are supposed to take a parent’s age and change my change their major job 11 times in 26 years. history of western civilization or microbiology class Why is there so much stress in college, Miami to see if we really want to on picking a major so quickneeds to create be in that major. It also proly? Administrators need to programs to cater give a breather to students and vides insight into areas to to those students. possibly use as a minor or let them find their passion. thematic sequence.

I am not suggesting placAccording to Miami Univering less value on majors, but sity’s website, 60 percent of easing up on the deadlines students change their major at least once while and prerequisites for getting into a major they are in college. Judging by the previous might help. statistic, it looks like we will change our caStudents are told it is possible to gradureer path, too. ate in four years, but if they change their If there are large groups of students passion, they could easily struggle to who decide to change their major in col- graduate on time. lege, Miami needs to create programs to Colleges need to make a curriculum that cater to those students. allows first-year students to explore classes The Farmer School of Business is not the without putting them behind if they either pick only school with course schedules planned out a major later or switch it at some point. for their pre-majors and majors.

Who really wants to spend the greatest years Students in zoology, education and engi- of our lives in summer school with a course neering also have the same problem. load of 20 credit hours? I sure don’t, I actually If I decided to switch my major from journal- want to enjoy my time in college. ism and accounting to education, I would have MICHELLE LUDWIN to take approximately 20 credit hours each seLUDWINMA@MUOHIO.EDU mester to graduate in four years. I thought you

The Miami Student

is looking for cartoonists, columnists and essayists.

E-mail editorial@miamistudent.net for more information.

It is assumed attending college means you want the best possible education to help you attain the perfect job, but these days, the competition grows and grows.

Without pushing ourselves to be the best, we just might end up at the bottom of the food chain.

No longer can you simply think, Oriana “I would like to be Pawlyk a lawyer,” go to law school and pass the bar exam. Now, you have to graduate top in your class just to be considered for law school. As college students, have we completely exhausted ourselves by trying to be the best? For many of us, if we think in terms of Darwin’s “survival of the fittest,” just how far will we go to get what we want? If we are taught to be competitive from an early age, does it ever end?

According to The Week Magazine, more than 2.5 million U.S. schoolchildren have lost their summer vacation, as their school districts have opted for a “balanced schedule.” It is estimated 10 percent of public school children will not have a summer vacation by 2012. The so-called American tradition of summer vacation is beginning to dissipate.

Now, as schoolchildren are losing their anticipated summer vacations, you think, “Do college students even have a summer vacation?”

Regardless of pay or not, employers want and need that internship stamp on a resume.

Typically after your sophomore year, the job hunt or pursuit of an internship already begins. Anything that can be a résumé-builder is what becomes the priority for a college student’s summer.

In 2008, the National Association of Colleges and Employers found 50 percent of graduating students had held internships, an increase from the 17 percent shown in a 1992 study by Northwestern University. This statistic has climbed even more since then. This means hundreds of thousands of students hold internships each year. Still, some experts estimate one-fourth to one-half of these internships are unpaid.

Regardless of pay or not, employers want and need that internship stamp on a résumé. In today’s economy especially, internships are ideal for the employer and the student. It’s the quid pro quo mentality that the employer gets the free labor and the student gets the recommendation. But do you need a certain number of internships to go the distance?

There is no limit. Ask any professor or career services manager, and they will most likely tell you more is always better. Right now, I’m applying for my third internship and I’m applying for more than ever before. It feels like college applications all over again with the same stressors added to the process.

There are hundreds of websites you can find that tell you how or where to apply for an internship or part-time job for the summer. If you don’t search on your own, I’m sure e-mails are sent to you regularly about a new job experience from either the Miami University administration, organizations on campus, professors, et cetera. It’s that daily reminder in your head saying, “Here is your chance. Seize the opportunity before someone else does.”

As Darwin once said, “In the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too), those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed.” It was clear to Darwin that competition will never end because it has always been present in human nature. We will always strive to be better than our colleague, partner or friend.

As college students, we understand the saying, “While most are dreaming of success, winners wake up and work hard to achieve it.”

Let’s hope in these four years, that wake up call happens sooner rather than later.

FYI Page

Tuesday

8

November 16, 2010

The Miami Student Oldest university paper in the United States, established in 1826

Erin Fischesser Editor in Chief

Thomasina Johnson News Editor

Katie Neltner Business Manager

Erin Maher Managing Editor Colleen Yates Asst. Managing Editor

Joe Gioffre Asst. Business Manager Advertising Layout Director

Scott Allison Online Editor

Carly Huang Finance Director

Stephen Bell, Amelia Carpenter, Amanda Seitz Campus Editors

Lance Armstrong National Advertising Director Classified Advertising Director

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THE MIAMI STUDENT

TRANSFER continued from page 1

Nearly 23 percent of first-year students enrolled in state institutions have transferred at least once throughout their academic career, according to the report, which looked at transfer volumes between 2002 and 2009.

Miami University junior Sara Keller transferred from Kent State University in spring 2008.

“I had no problem transferring any of my credits to Miami,” Keller said. “It was such a relief that they transferred so easily. It made the transition to Miami that much smoother.”

Many students have utilized cost-saving potentials of attending a community college to increase credit accumulation before transferring to a four-year institution, according to the report.

The Board of Regents recently considered how this will affect

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2010 ♦ 9 four-year institutions throughout with the intention of transferring to a four-year institution, the state, according to Evans.

“The reason that Ohio univer- according to the Ohio Board of sities would do something like Regents website.

Another important element outthis was not because they thought lined in the plan is the statewide they could do it at no cost to their transition to seinstitution,” mesters. By fall Evans said. BY THE NUMBERS 2012, 17 Ohio “They looked universities at it and real- Percent of first-year students enrolled in will convert ized it was a state institutions who have transferred at better deal for least once: from academic them. That’s calendars based the foundation on quarters to of a lot of our semesters, according to the work, making Ohio Board of Regents website. the educational process easier for The conversion process is to enall students.” sure all transfer classes meet conThe Ohio Board of Regents sistent and universal standards, implemented Ohio’s 10-year strategic plan for higher education in in turn making the transfer process more efficient, according to spring 2008.

The plan’s overall goal is to the website.

“We are leveraging the full provide Ohioans access to higher strength of Ohio’s world-class education with low-cost tuition. It higher education infrastrucincludes offering University System of Ohio programs within 30 ture to provide more options miles of any Ohioan and allow- to students, incentivize quality ing “dual admission” to students and drive down student costs,” attending a community college Fingerhut said.

23%

TRAIN

continued from page 1 One of these incidents was a suicide.

According to Oxford Police Department Sgt. Jim Squance, one train track fatality has occurred within the city limits of Oxford in the past two years.

At the Taylor Road crossing, safety precautions include railroad crossing and yield signs.

As a result of increased traffic at this intersection, Oxford Township trustees are working to implement drop gates and flashing lights at the crossing, as well at other railroad crossings in the township.

“It’s a long, drawn-out process because you have to work with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and the railroad,” Goins said. “Everything has been approved. It’s just a matter of the crews getting up there and

putting them in.”

The cost of drop gates and flashing lights is also a concern.

The gates are estimated to cost $100,000 or more, Goins said.

These safety measures had already been started at the Taylor Road crossing, and Goins expects them to be completed in early 2011.

The necessity of presence of drop gates at a crossing is currently decided by the railroad companies, Squance said.

Miami University first-year Cassie Carr thinks safety regulations like drop gates are useful in preventing tragedies.

“Two of my good friends were in a car accident because the driver was texting and driving,” Carr said. “Regulations banning texting while driving were put in place for a reason. Rules and regulations are made for a reason. The same rules should apply for train safety. The idea to enforce gates and warnings would implement a whole new idea to train safety.”

Exploring engineering and computing

SCOTT ALLISON The Miami Student

Professor Osama Ettouney (left) and prospective students participate in Engineering and Computing Day Saturday.

PLAN

continued from page 1 one another to induce learning and academic improvement throughout socially motivating courses.

Hovland said schools should foster well-rounded students.

“You want a good job, to be a good citizen by focusing on a career that may not be there,” he said.

“You need an adaptation to and understanding of the interdependency of the world.”

It is mandatory that students satisfy the GMP in addition to requirements specific to their major, divisional requirements and electives.

The GMP is supported by the AAC&U’s Shared Futures Initiative.

With respect to the original Miami Plan, the GMP differs in that credits are required in the cultural and global perspectives fields, according to Hovland. He said the GMP is a revised version of the Miami Plan that correlates more directly with General Education for a

Global Century.

Graduate student Kayla Jerome said Miami hopes to give students a well-rounded education with the global plan.

“The idea is to have a more holistic education, so students leave the university questioning,” Jerome said. “It’s fantastic to see a public school of this caliber instilling in their students a liberal arts education at its core.”

Some students question the need for a the GMP. “The Global Miami Plan is an unnecessary project that costs students more money by making them pay for classes they will not use or benefit from,” first-year Chelsey Davis said.

Miami is the only Ohio public school in the program, competing with the likes of Carnegie Mellon University, University of South Florida, University of Michigan and St. Lawrence University.

The entire of list of participating universities can be found on the AAC&U website along with a listing of projects.

Similar to the GMP, for instance, Carnegie Mellon has incorporated

a “breadth sequence” and humanistic studies courses into its graduation requirements, according to the school’s academic website.

At Miami, however, the plan is intended to allow students to develop mental agility and take part in multicultural events on campus in preparation to compete and thrive in a perpetually changing world, according to Miami’s description of the GMP on the academic website.

“It’s all about social relevance,” Tassoni said. “It puts us on a trajectory to vitalize many globally oriented activities going on around the university.”

The foundation requirements for the GMP include 36 credit hours within the areas of English composition, fine arts, humanities, social science, natural science, mathematics, formal reasoning and technology, according to The Miami Bulletin.

According to Tassoni, the GMP is still under construction. Designated teams from each institute in the project will begin refining the program on their respective campus in 2011.

THE MIAMI STUDENT

ONLINE www.miamistudent.net

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10

Hall of Famers must be honored JM Rieger

The Rieger Report

N

Sports

Tuesday November 16, 2010

ov. 8, ESPN said that it would not renew the contracts of its Sunday Night Baseball announcers, Jon Miller and Joe Morgan, after 21 seasons of calling games.

Although we do not know the full circumstances under which this switch was made, this change reflects a recent trend of networks trying to attract younger audiences to their broadcasts, but at what price?

Both Miller and Morgan are members of the Hall of Fame and both have an intricate knowledge of the game.

Miller is one of the best playby-play announcers of all time, and despite what some will say about Morgan and the stories that he tells on the air, his knowledge of the game is unparalleled, along with his ability to engage the viewer.

Few announcing duos have had the on-air chemistry these two had on Sunday nights, and it will be difficult to find a replacement tandem that compares.

Some have speculated that ESPN’s Dan Shulman will replace Miller and analysts Orel Hershiser and Bobby Valentine will join him in the booth, but nothing has been announced by ESPN. Although Shulman would be a good addition given his experience in announcing a wide array of sports, including college basketball with ESPN’s Dick Vitale, Hershiser and Valentine are more questionable selections.

Despite Hershiser’s experience in the booth, including working alongside Miller and Morgan this past season, he can be defined by one word: boring.

No one questions his knowledge of the game, but I don’t know if I will be able to sit through his monotone analysis for an entire game on Sunday night.

It is almost as bad as John Madden continuously saying how great Brett Favre is throughout the entire broadcast even when Favre’s team isn’t playing.

On the other hand, while Valentine’s knowledge of the game is unmatched, his color commentary feels forced and almost as if he is trying too hard to be entertaining on the air.

It’s almost as bad as Ron Jaworski’s unnecessary intensity whenever he talks on Monday Night Football. But back to baseball…

I would much rather see ESPN replace Morgan with someone like John Kruk or Chris Singleton, who are both entertaining and knowledgeable and have been two of the best baseball analysts on ESPN since the departure of Harold Reynolds in 2006.

Ultimately, ESPN’s decision to replace one of the best announcing duos in the game is not only a mistake, but a slap in the face to fans.

We don’t see the Los Angeles Dodgers trying to get rid of Vin Scully, ESPN trying to fire Brent Musburger or the Cincinnati Reds trying to replace Marty Brennaman, so why did ESPN chose not to renew the contracts of two Hall of Famers?

Miller will likely continue to announce games for the San Francisco Giants, while Morgan may begin showing up to more Cincinnati Reds games with much less controversy than when Pete Rose sits prominently behind home plate in the first row so we can see him and his posse the entire game.

But then again, that is probably for the best.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Editor Michael Solomon sports@miamistudent.net

NEXT GAME: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Duke University

RedHawks roll past Tigers

By Alex Butler Staff Writer

A back and forth bout between the Miami University RedHawks and the Towson University Tigers opened up the season slate at Millett Hall Nov. 12.

Last season, the RedHawks started the season sour with a loss to the same Tigers prior to a tight test against the University of Kentucky Wildcats. This time, they got revenge with a 60-57 win four days before they head to Durham, NC to battle the Duke University Blue Devils.

Allen Roberts’ 20 points led all scorers, going 3-3 from range and 7-9 from the hardwood.

“I think it was a great way to start the season,” Roberts said.

“Last year they kind of put a pounding on us. I think it was a good way to respond and a good way to start the season.”

With three minutes on the clock, the Red and White held a two-point lead. Forward Julian Mavunga couldn’t find an open man and dribbled to the corner.

With the most important possession of the game in his hands, the junior juked to the baseline, split the defense and hit a reverse layup while getting fouled.

Mavunga then hit the free throw to complete the three-point play and give the RedHawks a 56-51 advantage. Mavunga finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He also managed two swats and five helpers.

Roberts had the eye of intensity from the tipoff on, and scored the first four points of the game.

“Allen was the X-factor,” Mavunga said. “Twenty points in 23 minutes. That’s production to the max.”

The Tigers clawed back to tie the game at 12-12, while the RedHawks went scoreless for

four minutes. A 6-0 Tiger run put the away team up 22-18, but the RedHawks responded with a 9-0 run to take a 27-22 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Both teams shot poorly out of the second stanza gate, enabling the Tigers to take a 39-34 lead at the 10:38 mark. The ’Hawks roared back when the big man Mavunga and freshman Josh Sewell hit back-to-back threes to get the game close at 41-40 Tigers.

“That was a tough game,” Head Coach Charlie Coles said.

“It was nerve-wracking because it was so slow. Their game plan was to make us shoot well to beat them.”

Senior Nick Winbush drilled a deep three, and then Roberts hit twice from downtown to tie it at 51-51. The Red and White smothered the Tigers on defense and Mavunga was fouled going to the hole on the next possession. He then hit two donations at the charity stripe, giving the RedHawks the lead. His acrobatic shot came next, putting the RedHawks up by five.

Two free throws and a Roberts’ layup distanced the gap before the sophomore fouled out with a career high 20-point night. A prayer went unanswered when the Tigers tossed a full court shot at the buzzer that only found air.

Freshman Quinten Rollins started in his first career RedHawk appearance. Rollins played 29 minutes, dishing out four assists and had just one turnover at the point guard position.

“We should have got it inside a little more,” Coles said. “Hopefully we can shoot better and get in a rhythm. We’ve got to get our guards to rebound the ball. Our guards are far too tentative. We need to be more active. I think if we are more active on the

MICHAEL GRIGGS The Miami Student

Sophomore guard Allen Roberts looks to score in the season-opener Nov. 12 against Towson University. defensive end, then our offense will come to get better.”

The Red and White travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium to battle the 2010 national champion

Blue Devils Nov. 16. The No. 1 Durham dwellers can put up the points, as they scored 141 points in a contest against St. Augustine’s College Oct. 23.

Results

hockey

women’s basketball

volleyball

FRIDAY

SUNDAY

FRIDAY

MIAMI Alaska

4 0

SATURDAY

ALASKA Miami

FOOTBALL

3 2

KENTUCKY Miami

84 71

men’s swimming FRIDAY

OHIO STATE Miami

144 94

OHIO Miami

3 0

SATURDAY

KENT STATE Miami

3 1

NEXT GAME: 6 p.m. Wednesday at University of Akron

Red and White suit up for final road test

By JM Rieger

a good team and they are going to come out fighting. We need to play as if they are any other team and keep improving.”

The Miami University football team, the Expect the ’Hawks to once again focus most improved team in college football, on stopping the run and forcing the Zips to will face off against the winless Akron Uni- become a one-dimensional team offensively, versity Zips in its final road game of the but also expect the Red and White to continyear Nov. 17. ue to put pressure on the quarterback, which Coming off of a last-second win against they have done very effectively the last Bowling Green State University (BGSU), few games. the Red and White are looking to carry the Meanwhile, Miami boasts one the nation’s success as they go for a premier passing attacks led by redshirt sophomore quarfourth-straight road win.

BY THE NUMBERS terback Zac Dysert. In his Miami enters Wedneslast four games, Dysert avday’s game tied for eraged 296 yards passing to first place in the Mid- Average yards passed in the last four go with eight touchdowns.

American Conference games by quarterback Zac Dysert Freshman wide receiver (MAC) East Division Nick Harwell has led the at 6-4, including a 5-1 team each of the last four mark in conference play, games with 37 receptions, while Akron is 0-10 on while senior wideout Arthe year, including a 0-6 mand Robinson has 18 record in the MAC. Dereceptions and redshirt sophomore wide respite the fact that the Zips have the worst ofceiver Andy Cruse has 11 receptions in the fense in the nation and the third worst scoring offense, the RedHawks are taking nothing last four games.

Miami’s depth at the wide receiver posifor granted. tion has been one of the strong points for “It is just another game,” redshirt sophothis team. more cornerback D.J. Brown said. “They are Staff Writer

296

“We have so many talented receivers, and I think that is what makes us so good,” Robinson said. “Overall we have a really good receiving core. Stats don’t really matter as long as we get the win.”

The RedHawks once again will try to win the time of possession battle, which has been one of the strengths for this year’s squad.

They are 21 in the nation in time of possession, which has been helped recently by a strong rushing attack.

Senior running back Thomas Merriweather and freshman running back Tracy Woods had 88 and 35 yards rushing respectively against BGSU, and the Red and White will look to establish another balanced attack Wednesday.

One of the common themes this season has been Miami’s struggle to close out games, including giving up 14 points in the fourth quarter against BGSU. The RedHawks have worked on this in practice and will be looking to improve against Akron.

“That is one thing we have tried to stress in practice is not letting up,” Brown said. “We are trying to figure out how to finish games and finish strong. It is a big game and we have to come out and play hard. We can’t overlook anybody.”