MQ Issue 3 March 2020

ISSUE 3

SPRI N G 2 0 2 0

M I A M I Q UA RTE R LY Reaching New Heights

Senior Mitch Singstock has embraced rock climbing as both a sport and life philosophy

A Late Night Bus Ride One of Miami’s late-night bus drivers is always looking out for students

Words of Wisdom: Green Beer Day Seniors’ advice to have a safe and successful day

Fencing: A Niche Sport For Miami’s Niche Personalities

The club fencing team rallies around friendship and a love of competition

30

27

18

18 22 24 27

Ride-Along Reflections: A Night in the Life of an Uptown Bus Driver Career Center Student Media Spotlight

SCENE Photo Story: Letter Press Staff Page: Spring Break Edition Words of Wisdom: Green Beer Day Edition

SPORTS Fencing: A Niche Sport For Miami’s Niche Personalities

CONTENTS

5 9 14 16

Reaching New Heights: Mitch Singstock Embraces The Climb

table of

FEATURE

30

For The Love of Murder: Recommendations for Fans of True Crime

OPINION

32

I Officially Know What the Hardest Class At Miami Is—Ice Skating

Cover photo: Mitch Singstock

A&E

THE BOX Editor-in-Chief Kelly McKewin Business Manager Hannah Meyer Art Director Brittany Meister Photo Editor Jugal Jain Managing Editor Leanne Stahulak Feature Editor Leanne Stahulak Scene Editor Sam Cioffi Writers Jenna Calderon Emily Scott Lexi Whitehead Designers Mia Raleigh Emily Scott Photographers Laura Dudones Emma Roane Faculty Advisor Patricia Gallagher Newberry

Hello again MQ readers, It may not feel like it, since the first months of 2020 have felt like they’ve lasted a decade already, but the end of the semester is quickly approaching—we’re more than halfway there already. This might be a welcome fact for a lot of you, but as a senior who would love nothing more than to spend another four years at Miami, it’s nauseating to think about. At the start of this semester, it felt like someone flipped an hourglass over, and I’ve been watching the sand come down faster and faster as the weeks go by.

I’d like to say that I’m completely happy with the way my last four years have gone, but there’s truthfully a lot I missed out on that I’ve been trying to make up for in these last 15 weeks in Oxford. I went to my very first Miami hockey game on the very last weekend of this hockey season. I only recently made it out to Jungle Jim’s, which has been on my Miami bucket list since before I was a student here, when a relative in Hamilton told me about its existence. I ordered my first Green Beer Day sweater this year, and believe it or not, but I’ve still never been to Brick Street—a fact that flabbergasts my roommates and friends anytime I bring it up.

There’s a lot of catching up to do, and a lot that I have to cram into my last two months at Miami. A lot of our stories this issue remind of that fact. On page 5, we’ve got a profile on a dedicated rock climber who uses the sport as a way to get the most out of life—whether it’s through travel or the friends he makes along the way. On page 27, one reporter looks into the unique sport of fencing, and the friendships our club team has built through the art of sword fighting. And on page 24, we have a #ThrowbackThursday look at the Thursdays of GBD past—as well as senior’s tips for having a safe and successful day.

For any other seniors who fear graduation as much as I do (or any underclassmen who want to get a head start), we break down unique ways to utilize Miami’s career center on page 14. And on page 9, Leanne gets to know a local bus driver who’s looked out for many, many students during her time in Oxford.

Have a safe and relaxing spring break everyone. We’ll tackle the road to the rest of this semester together.

Kelly McKewin

ROCK CLIMBING REACHING NEW HEIGHTS: MITCH SINGSTOCK EMBRACES THE CLIMB story: Jenna Calderรณn photography: Mitch Singstock Feature | 5

Mitch Singstock stands in three feet of snow, the bottoms of his jeans engulfed in white.

In Estes Park, Colorado, Mitch finds himself 10 thousand feet in the air, near the top of a mountain.

They stop to catch their breath and spot a frozen lake just ahead, sitting still and serene.

Mitch and his brother, Nick, have already spent 30 minutes looking for a specific rock Nick saw in pictures of Estes Park. They base their search strictly off of Nick’s memory of where it might be, but Mitch doesn’t mind.

“I personally really enjoy getting lost and having to figure out where I am,” he said.

once before.

--Mitch grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, just a few hours drive from Red River Gorge, Kentucky. When he was in 6th grade, Mitch joined his father, an experienced climber himself, for his first trip to the Gorge.

Red River used to be part of an ancient coral reef, where, over time, animals would chip away at the rock and create complex pockets.

“All of those little imperfections and fractures are things that you can wedge your hands and your feet into,” Mitch says.

To anyone else, the landscape would appear to be an insignificant boulder field; nothing special. But a seasoned rock climber like Mitch is looking for the perfect structure.

The needle in the haystack.

The spot was perfect for climbing, but he didn’t appreciate it at the time.

At long last, they find the one, concealed in a layer of snow.

But that wasn’t until years later, when he and his brother, Nick, went on a trip.

Mitch removes his shoes, his bare feet planted on the frozen ground beneath him. He grabs his rubber climbing slippers and attempts to yank them on with great difficulty; they’re tight, and his frigid feet struggle to cooperate.

This is what Mitch would call type-two fun: it’s not fun in the moment, but fun to reflect on later.

---

In fact, this is his favorite climbing memory.

But rock climbing didn’t always hold such a special place in his heart.

“I didn’t like [climbing] at all,” he laughs.

“Over time, I slowly got back into it.”

When Mitch was a senior in high school, he realized he didn’t need the typical, relaxing summer after graduation. What he was looking for was adventure.

“I graduated high school, and I wanted to do something different,” Mitch says.

He and Nick packed up their car and drove to Wyoming, a trip Nick had already made

The pair spent part of July and August tent-camping in Ten Sleep and Wild Iris, Wyoming, two spots you won’t see on a map—their populations only number around one thousand people. Mitch and Nick limited their indoor interactions to trips to get groceries once a week.

For an entire month, Mitch and Nick explored wild trails and cliffs, searching through desert and shrublands to find their next great climb. After hiking about a mile to the cliff face, the brothers would unsling their backpacks to grab their climbing supplies.

Climbing chalk, check. Medical tape, check.

Helmets, check.

Under the bright blue sky and beating sun, Mitch and Nick climbed for hours, only taking breaks to catch their breath and admire the view.

After taking in what Wyoming had to offer, the pair drove to Colorado for a change of scenery and to experience different climbs.

“As you climb more, you start to develop an appreciation for the rock and what sort of patterns there are,” Mitch says. “Granite feels different than sandstone, and it has very different properties, and so climbing on it is a very different experience.”

Mitch and his brother focus on two types of climbing: sport climbing on cliffs and bouldering without ropes.The latter required

them to lay out thick, heavy pads on the ground below them in case of falls. Mitch stresses the importance of laying out the pads on a flat surface to avoid twisting an ankle or worse.

But the thought of falling never crosses Mitch’s mind.

“I tend to be conservative in my risk tolerance, so I don't really ever get afraid,” Mitch says. “I either won’t do something risky or I will, in which case I’m not afraid because I determined the risk level ahead of time.”

a month was...pretty exciting.”

Every morning, they’d wake up and make breakfast on their portable cook stove, pack their backpacks, and hike about an hour to a climbing spot. There were no expectations, and Mitch loved that.

He has been chasing that “free” feeling ever since.

--At the end of the summer, Mitch realized he had to come back to reality. His first year of college was about to begin.

--The three year age-gap between Nick and Mitch had always created space between them. But during their trip out west, Mitch and Nick bonded like never before.

As an eventual triple major in neuroscience, anthropology, and pre-med studies, Mitch knew college was going to involve a lot of tough academic work. But Mitch’s attitude

towards his demanding majors is as relaxed as his climbing philosophy.

“I think the brain is dope,” Mitch said.

--Classes started, and there was an adjustment period as Mitch came back to civilization, both mentally and physically.

He faced the typical struggles of a student returning to school: fixing your sleep schedule, reteaching yourself everything you’ve forgotten over the months and learning how to hold your pencil again.

But for Mitch, these struggles were a little different.

In Wyoming, he had nobody to impress.

Nobody to judge him. Now, he had to

“We had an older brother-younger brother relationship, up until we started climbing together and we really became equals,” Mitch recalls.

Post-graduation is a time of finding yourself, and, for Mitch, the trip turned out to be exactly what he needed.

“It was kind of just [about] being able to do away with all the things that I don’t care about,” he said, “and really simplify the things I do care about.”

During the interview, he takes a minute to think about what that meant to him.

“Just being able to camp, sleep under the stars and not think about anything,” he says, “and [to] be disconnected from my phone for

Mitch Singstock and his travel companions hike through Joshua Tree, CA on a climbing expedition

about climbing. He uses every platform he can to encourage others to participate in the activity, but understands there may be some hesitance.

“It’s really intimidating starting out, because you have to contend with fear of falling and of getting hurt,” he weighs. “You kind of just have to fall that first time to know that you’ll be okay.”

Everyone has to start somewhere.

do things like smell nice—every boy's nightmare.

“I had a girlfriend my freshman year, and she’d be like, ‘...how many days have you worn your underwear this week?’” he says.

Some weeks, he’d go three days and then maybe consider changing them the next day.

frequently.

“For some people, like myself, climbing is their primary form of exercise,” he says, “so it’s nice to have new ‘problems.’”

“But I’m a little better now,” he promises.

Along with his job at the Rec, Mitch is the president of the Miami University Climbing Club, and is a teaching instructor for KNH150C, “Beginning Rock Climbing.”

Then, he had to get used to sitting in class for hours on end.

But even in the midst of all these pursuits, he still can’t get enough of climbing.

“I can’t spend more than a couple hours inside,” he says. “Otherwise, I start to get really antsy.”

---

But every time he looks outside, he’s reminded why he decided on Miami.

“I chose Miami because I think it’s really pretty,” Mitch says. When he finally escapes outdoors, he’s surrounded by Oxford’s beauty.

Since the Wyoming trip, Mitch has climbed in 11 states and three countries.

From part of July through August 2019, he was in Bangalore, India for medical research as a premed student. Mitch seized the perfect opportunity to climb in a new place.

“Whenever I travel anywhere, I have my climbing shoes in my bag,” he says.

--Every day, Mitch swings from the rock wall in the middle of Miami’s Rec Center, well after the building has closed.

Mitch works as a route setter, rigging himself up to the wall, then cleaning and changing out the plastic holds once the patrons have left. By switching out the holds, the course remains interesting for those who visit 6 | Feature

He’s been on trips with the Climbing Club, too. This past fall, there were outdoor trips nearly every other week in Kentucky or West Virginia. They camp, climb, stargaze and sit around bonfires. Now, he looks forward to a trip to Nevada planned for this spring break.

--For Mitch, there is nothing unappealing

“The climbing community in general is very non-judgemental,” he says. “No one really cares what you do as long as you don’t put other people in danger.”

According to Mitch, one of the most important factors in finding the perfect climb is the question, “Is it beautiful there?”

--For Mitch, rock climbing is more than just a hobby; it’s how he communicates and bonds with people.

He lives with people from the Climbing Club, has a common interest that strengthens his relationship with his brother, and has a strong community and friends because of the sport.

Mitch met one of his best friends, Victor Pinto, through the Club. Now in medical school, Victor isn’t around much, but the two remain just as close from their time climbing outdoors together.

“You’re hungry together, you’re tired together, you’re cold together,” he says, “the happiness and the suffering bring you together.”

The friendships and community, Mitch says, are just one of the best aspects of climbing.

“For some people, it’s the challenge of it. For other people, it’s the community. And for other people, it’s the places you get to go,” he says. “For me, it’s all three.”

Ride-Along Reflections:

A Night in the Life of an Uptown Bus Driver story and photography: Leanne Stahulak Saturday, February 22, 2:17 a.m.

He smiles sloppily at Brenda Kinder, our sweet- run there in that time?”

Slumped on the black leather seat, residues of natured bus driver. The wasted wanderer takes rum and vodka still sloshing through my veins, a step forward, one foot slipping as he tries to Brenda looks the guy over. “I don’t know. But if you need me to, I can take you down the road. the moment feels like the beginning of a bad prop it up on the first step.

I’m going up that way anyway.” joke as three people step onto the bus: the “Do you know where High Street is?” he slurs. wasted wanderer, the guilty stowaway, and the The wanderer claps his hands into a prayer sleepy drunk.

Brenda, to her credit, doesn’t lash back with pose and bows his head towards Brenda. “You It’s 2:17 a.m., and this is the last time the a pithy comment stating that we are, in fact, are the best. Literally the best.” shuttle will be carting people from the bars currently parked on High Street. She just hides back to Annex Apartments. Annex is a good a smile, the soft Christmas lights dangling Since last semester, Annex started requiring all mile from the southeastern corner of campus, from Uptown Park’s trees casting a faint glow residents to carry a red and white bracelet that and more than two and a half miles from on her face. “Yes, I do know where High Street says “Shuttle Pass 19-20.” I’d seen morning bus drivers turn away residents who didn’t Uptown. For those wanting to avoid Uber fees, is,” she says. have their pass with them, reminding them couch crashing, or stumbling back in the dark The wanderer grins, gesturing wildly up the that if they wanted to get on the bus, they had and cold, the shuttle is the only option. road towards Chipotle and UDF. “I live on to prove they lived at Annex. But here was In this terrible joke, I’m the sleepy drunk. My High Street! But I don’t think I can run home. Brenda, content and smiling at almost 2:30 in temple connects with the icy window pane It’s, like, past that stoplight, and then the next the morning as a random kid wandered onto as soon as I collapse into the seat, my breaths one, and then I live two blocks down. But I her bus. deepening as my spinning head settles against don’t think I can run there.”

The guilty stowaway sticks out a hand to the glass. Across the aisle, the guilty stowaway the dude, introducing himself as Pete. The Brenda glances at the glowing orange clock on bounces his leg incessantly, nervousness wasted wanderer is Garrison. Pete looks at me her dashboard. pouring off him. expectantly, so I shake his hand and tell him my name. Then I turned towards the front “Well, I have to wait here until 2:30.

I gotta Just as my eyelids slip shut, a raucous knock and say, “And this is Brenda. She’s the best bus make sure I pick up everyone who needs sounds on the glass door. picking up because this is my last run. Can you driver out there.”

I wince as the overhead lights flip on, wait that long?”

“Dude, I know!” Pete says. “I literally ride with illuminating a guy in a light green t-shirt and her, like, all the time. Even though I live at The wanderer sucks in a breath, his head gray jacket swaying from side to side outside wavering back and forth between the distant Level and not Annex!” the bus door. The wasted wanderer. street ahead and Brenda. “Do you think I can Feature | 7

I scrutinize Pete. Level 27 people sneaking “Everyone needs a little help sometimes,” she onto Annex buses was the reason for the passes says. “ I just want them to get home safe.” in the first place. I stage-whisper, “You’re not As we leave Garrison and his fat-ass yellow supposed to say that out loud.” house behind us, I mull over Brenda’s words.

Pete nods. “I know. But I can’t help it. And And as my head slowly sinks back towards the cool window, the same question swims lazily Brenda’s super chill about it, right Brenda?” around my brain: How many other times has Brenda helped somebody out?

“That’s right, Pete.”

Brenda pulls away from the curb at 2:30, and Friday, February 28, 11:00 p.m.

Garrison hops up a few rows to sit near her. We A week later, my head still spinning with go through two stoplights and pass house after questions, I ask Brenda if I can tag along with darkened house. her for a night on her Uptown route. She agrees, and at 11 p.m. on a Friday night, I “Okay… okay… I see it! Fat-ass yellow house. settle myself into the seat right behind her as Two houses down. But you can drop me right she pulls away from Annex’s curb. here. I’ll run home from here.”

Ten girls fill the rows of bus seats, chatter and “Are you sure? I can take you closer.” laughter echoing throughout the space. All ten are speech pathology grad students, led Garrison shakes his head. “Nah, nah I got it. by roommates Sarah-Jane Sambor and Katie But you rock, Brenda. You are the best, thank Colton. The girls present Brenda with a gift of you so so much.” homemade cookies the moment they step onto the bus, eliciting a gasp of delighted surprise “It really wasn’t a big deal,” Brenda says. from her. Brenda calls this group her “party crew.”

“You’re a lifesaver,” Garrison says, saluting Brenda as he stumbles down the steps and onto “Round of applause for Brenda!” Sarah-Jane the grass. He takes off running. calls. The bus rings with cheers and whoops.

and beyond,” Sarah-Jane says. She tells me how Brenda got a Valentine’s Day cake and Skyline for the group the week before, just because the bus driver felt like it.

Before getting off the bus Uptown, Sarah-Jane confirms that she’ll text Brenda when they’re getting ready to leave the bars. Sarah-Jane is one of a select group of residents who has Brenda’s number and can text her freely throughout the night whenever they need a ride home.

“Having this shuttle and having that safety is a great thing in and of itself, but having her to drive us home makes me even happier and makes me feel even more safe,” Sarah-Jane says.

As soon as the girls spill out of the bus, Brenda lets out a laugh. “They crack me up, just wait till they get all tanked up!” she says. “Gosh, they’re wonderful.”

Before we pull away from the curb, Brenda offers me one of the chocolate chip cookies Sarah-Jane and the others baked for her. She doesn’t take one for herself.

Saturday, February 29, 12:33 a.m.

Not a single soul has stepped onto the bus since we let the party crew off. But in that time, Brenda has filled the space with stories “You really are,” I say. Brenda meets my eyes in Sarah-Jane leans in close so I can hear her over and conversation, sketching a rich and colorful her rearview mirror. the din of conversation. “[Brenda’s] so caring, illustration of her life over the last fifty-four and she’ll do anything for us. She goes above years.

8 | Feature

Katie Colton (left) and Sarah-Jane Sambor (second to the left) lead a group of their roommates Uptown late on a Friday night. The girls are part of Brenda’s “party crew”—a group of grad students who often ride her bus to and from bars on the weekends.

Brenda grew up in West Alexandria, Ohio, a small farming community north of Oxford and east of Dayton. At 12 years old, she was driving tractors and large farm trucks. At 16, when she got her driver’s license, the tester told her she should go for her chauffeur’s driver license, since she was such a natural behind the wheel. At 18, she was driving high school and elementary school kids all across town.

But the competition for driving buses was fierce, and it only paid part time, so at 22 Brenda quit bus driving to get a full time job.

For the next 28 years, she worked for Morning Pride Manufacturing, making and selling protective gear for firefighters. The job allowed Brenda to travel a little bit and try her hand at different tasks (marketing, customer service, sewing). When another company bought out Morning Pride, Brenda turned back to what she knew best.

Brenda Kinder began driving tractors and farm trucks at the age of 12. Today, at 54, she drives both school buses during the day and the Annex shuttle at night.

encountered helpless students. One night, she’d glimpsed a guy carrying a girl up the hill towards the intersection of Oak and Spring Street. She pulled over to offer them a ride, taking them back to the dorms because the “I like kids, I like to take care of the kids and girl was too drunk to walk. Her sober friend make sure they’re safe, and [bus driving] was thanked Brenda over and over again for the relaxing to me,” Brenda says. “It doesn’t feel ride. like it’s a job.”

A few weekends ago, in the bitter cold of early Even if it doesn’t feel like a job, Brenda still February, two girls stood waiting at the bus works day in and day out driving buses. From stop. When Brenda pulled up, they asked if 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., she drives elementary and she was with Safe Ride. One of the girls had high school kids to the local schools in West lost her coat, and tears coated her cheeks as she stood shivering on the snow-dusted pavement.

Alexandria, before driving for Annex.

Brenda invited them onto the bus to warm “People say I work a lot, but I don’t really feel up, promising to wait until the Safe Ride bus like I do,” Brenda says, “because I like what I showed up to take them back to do. If you like what you do, it just doesn’t feel their dorms. Safe Ride never came. like you’re working a lot. I get to talk to the So Brenda drove the girls back to the dorm kids and see what’s going on in their lives.” herself, and during the ride the girl who’d lost Brenda’s formed bonds with several Annex her coat told Brenda how tonight had been the residents that she drives, but they’re not the worst night of her life. She cried harder, and Brenda’s heart hurt for the girl. only ones that she cares about.

“I just want everybody to be safe. And if I pass somebody up, and I heard a story where they were injured or something, that would just kill me,” Brenda says. “So I don’t pass people up. And if I see that they’ve had a little bit too much to drink, and they ask me if I can take them places that I’m going to be passing by or close to, I’m not gonna turn them away.”

“I said, ‘It’s gonna get better tomorrow, just don’t even think about this night tomorrow morning. Just wake up and just forget about it,’” Brenda says. She goes quiet for a moment.

“I felt so sorry for her. I think about her every now and then.”

But the one night Brenda will never forget was a nearly fatal accident she witnessed at the Just like she wouldn’t turn away Garrison, the corner of Campus Avenue and Spring Street.

As she was turning into the intersection, a car wasted wanderer. slammed into a stopped car from behind.

Brenda drove me past several spots where she’d

Brenda was on the phone with 911 immediately.

“I heard it more than I saw it. I looked up, and I saw the hit, and the car he hit went flying into the intersection,” Brenda says. “It was just a horrible hit. I knew there was gonna be injuries so I called that in right away.Brenda watched as the driver assisted his passenger and checked on the other driver. As sirens sounded in the distance, the passenger collapsed to the ground, eventually being taken away by the ambulance.

After we creep through the junction, Brenda goes, “I hate going down the street at that four way stop now. I just hate to see the accidents.”

Saturday, February 29, 12:53 a.m.

For the 12 hours that Brenda drives the bus on Friday evenings, she risks coming face to face with her constant, monotonous enemy: Boredom.

After her morning route in West Alexandria, Brenda drives Annex’s buses from 2:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and on Fridays she drives from 2:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.

Her hours on Saturday are 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. The late hours of the night are always the quietest, and the time when she most needs to keep her mind occupied.

She’s found a few ways to stave off the boredom. Listening to 103.5, a classic rock station, on the radio. Cleaning the bus when she’s stopped at one of the stations and no kids are getting on and off. She even keeps an eye out for suspicious activity, part of her training as a bus Feature | 9

driver requiring her to learn about surveillance Brenda doesn’t watch them because she wants and certain laws and regulations. to see them hurt. It just brings a smile to her “They tell us that we are the eyes and the ears face, and if anyone really needed help, she’d be of police when they’re not in that area,” Brenda there in a heartbeat. says. “So they tell us to keep our phone—for emergency purposes—in our reach, so we can While we’re pulled up to Brenda’s peoplewatching spot, she gets a text from Matt contact police.”

Burcham, one of her regulars and another But the biggest counter against boredom for member of the party crew. She tells me that Brenda is interacting with the people who ride he’s going to be at “the Brick” (her nickname the bus. She loves listening to students’ stories for Brick Street Bar and Grill) for another bus about their day, and she has an acute memory cycle, but she’ll be ready if he wants to leave for specific instances or situations going on in earlier or stay later. their lives. Her conversations aren’t just limited Brenda pulls a pair of reading glasses down to Annex residents, though. from the top of her curly brown head as she “The people on the street will get messed up texts Matt back. Meanwhile, I watch as a girl and start talking to you,” Brenda says. “Almost in a black leather jacket and black jeans teeters every night that I’m working, people are like, towards the crack on wobbling platform heels.

‘Can I just sit on the bus to get warm?’ And My breath catches in my throat as she raises they’ve done that and then [me and] our Annex her foot over it, not bothering to look down.

The heel comes down straight on the crack, but people start talking to them.” it doesn’t slow her down or trip her. The girl At 12:50 a.m., as we’re headed up Campus keeps going, walking rapidly in the frigid cold.

Avenue towards Uptown, Brenda cracks a She’s conquered the crack unharmed. smile and glances back at me. “I shouldn’t be telling you this,” she says with a laugh. But she Saturday, February 29, 1:12 a.m. wants to take me to one of her favorite spots At 1:12 a.m.,Brenda offers me another one of Uptown where she sits to people watch. the homemade cookies gifted to her, still not having one for herself. I’ve lost count of the Brenda pulls up to the same bus stop on the number of times we’ve circled from Annex to edge of Uptown Park that we’ve been parking Shriver to Uptown, the rolling of the bus under at all night. But she eases forward with me becoming a soothing, comforting lullaby. precision, stopping at a specific spot just past the bus stop sign. In her side mirror, it’s easy to But I’m wide awake as we turn on to High see the hordes of people entering and exiting Street and spot flashing lights in the distance Brick Street, several groups stumbling past us up near Brick. Brenda crawls forward, cautious in the cold. of unaware students darting across the street in front of her bus. Pockets of partiers dot the Right before the stoplight on Main Street, streets, Uptown still fairly populated as people though, a large two-inch crack in the sidewalk stumble from the bars to Skippers and Skyline juts up precariously. Brenda has a clear view of for late night drunchies. it through the front window of the bus, and when she has nothing better to do Uptown, Brenda suddenly lets out a gasp, pointing with she’ll sit at the curb and watch people flirt with her pinkie towards the sidewalk on our right. danger every time they step towards that crack. “Oh, look there!” she says. “That poor girl just fell.”

“When these kids are really tanked up, they come through here, they trip over here and Sure enough, legs splayed out in front of her they stumble. I worry about them falling on and head hanging dejectedly down, a girl sits their face, though I haven’t seen it,” Brenda swaying on the curb, right in front of a parked says, “but I see them trip a lot, and it just kind car. The girl stares forlornly at the curb, like of cracks me up. They don’t do it until they’re she’s thinking about getting her feet under her good and drunk.” but her body refuses to cooperate.

10 | Feature

Without a thought, Brenda pulls the bus over as far as she can, craning her neck to see around the parked car. “I hope she’s alright,” she says.

She’s about two seconds from parking the bus entirely and jumping out to help the girl when the door to the parked car bursts open, almost hitting the side of the bus. A guy jumps out and runs over to the girl, gently putting a hand on her elbow and helping her to her feet.

Brenda sighs in relief as she watches him help her. She pulls back into traffic, her eyes darting towards the sidewalk as we crawl down the road.

We pass two girls crying as they speed walk back towards campus. We inch around the ambulance parked by Brick Street, watching a police officer converse with someone just outside the front door. We see students huddling in shivering groups, desperately trying to conserve warmth.

Brenda shakes her head. “They’re just having a rough night,” she says. I wonder if she’s referring to one of them, or all of them.

Saturday, February 29, 1:27 a.m.

Matt Burcham struts onto the bus with Skyline Chili in hand and a bright grin on his face.

The junior pre-law and political science major knows Brenda not only from his frequent bus rides with the party crew, but also from working at the Annex office.

“Ms. Brenda, I hate to tell you this, but we’re gonna have to make you throw out your cake soon if you didn’t throw it out already,” Matt says. “We have corporate coming this week, and they’re pretentious as HELL, so we have to be really particular about everything.”

Matt and Brenda swap stories about their days.

He tells her about his exams and papers, and she asks him about other members of the party crew who couldn’t make it out tonight.

“I love hearing about Matt’s life,” Brenda says with a smile. Matt quickly cuts in, “You mean my mess of a life.” Brenda tsks and shakes her head in denial.

When I ask Matt if he considers Brenda a

Kinder parks her shuttle at the Uptown Park bus stop. She often waits a few minutes extra at the end of each night, to be sure all stragglers from the bars have a chance to catch a ride and make it home safely.

friend, he says, “Yes. She’s a Kween. K-W-E- I think they’re gonna do a good job because onto Southpointe Road. She helped them get around campus at the beginning of the year E-N. And you can quote me on that.” She they’re really sweet, good-hearted kids.” and couldn’t believe that one had told his laughs in response. parents about her help.

Saturday, February 29, 2:29 a.m.

Brenda doesn’t pull up to Annex’s normal High Street is a ghost town. I expected to see shuttle stop, instead rounding the curve in some stragglers dragging themselves home “I don’t feel like I do go out of my way to help Southpointe Road to drop Matt directly at his from the bars, but the deserted sidewalks reveal others,” she’s saying. I stop her in the middle of house. He teases her when she momentarily only beer stains and discarded plastic cups. her story. “Really? You don’t think you go out forgets which one it is.

Brick’s patio, packed to the brim and thriving of your way?” only half an hour before, stands empty, bright As he hops off the bus, Matt turns back over his neon lights still flashing from the interior over “Really, I don’t, because I feel like I’m going that way anyway,” Brenda says. “And—I don’t shoulder and says, “Thank you Ms. Brenda! We the bare space. know. I really don’t think about it. I guess if I love you, we appreciate you, drive safe always, have a good night!” He kisses his fingertips Brenda still drives slowly up the street, eyes had kids, I would want somebody like that to with an audible “mwah” and raises them to darting from sidewalk to sidewalk. She pauses help my kids out too.”

Brenda as he strides for his front door. slightly at the bus station, but pulls away seconds later, having determined that there’s I sit in stunned silence for a moment as she “Goodnight!” she calls after him. “He is so no one left Uptown to drive home. Except me. pulls up to the corner near my townhouse.

After spending over three hours with Brenda, sweet, all of these kids are so sweet.”

We’d taken Sarah-Jane and her friends home hearing her tales and seeing her kindness in Brenda doesn’t have kids of her own, though around 2:10 a.m. Brenda told me that 2:30 action, I struggle with the fact that she doesn’t she dotes on her nieces and nephews, is usually the time people will go get food, see her efforts as going above and beyond. That “practically raising them” with her sister. She and she’ll either wait for them or take them she sees them as expected, conventional— thinks of Miami students as kids too, calling somewhere herself. One way or another, she ordinary. them “young” and “innocent.” But in her eyes, waits for everyone to get on the bus—tonight At 2:38 a.m., just before I step off the bus, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. just happened to be an early night.

Brenda offers me one of the homemade “I feel that they’re my future, they’re gonna be Brenda’s telling me about some of the chocolate chip cookies for the third time. I making the decisions in my future, and seeing international students she bonded with last accept, and remind her that she better take one these kids, I have a lot of faith in [them], and semester as we turn from Patterson Street for herself too.

Feature | 11

The Career Center: more than resume help story: Emily Scott | images provided by Miami University’s Career Center for Exploration and Success

T

wo years ago, Miami University’s Career Center for Exploration and Success (CCES) got an update. It added new programs and resources for students, and doubled its staff. Students are now billed $200 per school year for what the CCES provides. The changes occurred because Miami President Gregory P. Crawford saw value in better helping students achieve their post-graduation plans. What do students get for $200?

What $200 Can Do According to the CCES 2018-2019 Annual Report,

with the help of the student fee, the career center was able to: utilize outreach and support to help “high priority students” like students of color, first generation, international, low income and undecided create new programs like Career Grants for faculty, the Presidential Career and Leadership Series and Career Clusters better existing services increase data and assessment efforts upgrade marketing and communication to students, employers, alumni, parents and faculty

Early and Often The CCES encourages students to engage with them early and often. This helps students to be better prepared for employment, by staying on top of preparing their resume, LinkedIn and interview skills. It also helps the CCES get to know students better. This helps them get feedback to better their programs. According to their website, www.miamioh.edu/emss/offices/career-center the CCES recommends first and second year students do the following:

First Year Checklist Complete resume and upload to Handshake

Complete one interviewing activity

Add career clusters, experience, community involvement and skills to Handshake

Add cities of interest to Handshake

Engage with the CCES

Engage with the CCES

Interview Help The CCES website, www.miamioh.edu/emss/offices/career-center

lists many steps to get students ready for interviews, as they can be one of the most stressful parts of finding a job. The center also has tools to help students know what to expect during the interview, including what questions one can expect to be asked.

To help students put this information to use, they hold several interview workshops and mock interview events throughout the year. Before attending a mock interview, students must upload their resume to handshake and complete and interview skills workshop.

“We are organized such that each student has an assigned career advisor (similar to an academic advisor) in that there is one full-time career advisor for every academic division with the College of Arts and Science having 4 assigned career advisors. All graduate students also have an assigned advisor in CCES.”

-Jennifer Benz, Career Center for Exploration and Success vice president

12 | Feature

Second Year Checklist

Resume Help The CCES website, www.miamioh.edu/emss/ offices/career-center has a three-step process for students working on their resume. The first is to follow the steps they have listed to create a resume. The second is to submit the completed resume to VMock, their online resume editor, for feedback. The third and final step is to make an appointment with the student’s advisor to go over their resume and make any final changes. The website also provides samples of resumes by division to help students navigate the process.

LinkedIn Help The CCES recommends students create LinkedIn profiles to connect with employers and other professionals, expand on their resumes, establish their own brand, find internships and job opportunities and research potential employers, among other things. LinkedIn profiles require a professional headshot. To get one, students can go to the CCES on Monday through Thursday from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Appointments can be made on Fridays. The center recommends students wear professional attire from the waist up.

“The Center for Career Exploration and Success strives to be the most comprehensive and immersive career center in the country. We do this by offering large-scale career exploration and networking events annually while also providing customized assistance through one-on-one career advising, industry-specific Career Treks, mock interviews and more.�

-Jennifer Benz, Career Center for Exploration and Success vice president

Career Grants The CCES wants to help the classroom better connect to employment and real-world experience. They do this through career grants. These grants supply money to faculty who apply for career-focused projects or activities .

They can be in-class projects, or out-of-class events such as speakers, conferences or site visits. In the fall semester of 2019, the CCES gave $40,000 to faculty from all five divisions to find 19 projects.

Career Clusters To help students identify with a broad category their future career may fall under, CCES created career clusters. In the 2018-2019 school year,

4,188 students had declared a career cluster, averaging 2.5 declared clusters per student. They want students to understand that major does not always equal career. This is the breakdown last school year:

Management, Sales & Consulting

872

Arts, Communication, Media & Design

752 705

Health & Science Engineering & Technology

530

Accounting & Financial Services

483

Law & Government

472

Economics & Data Analytics

461

Education, Nonprofit, & Human Services Students Exploring

339 262

Feature | 13

STUDENT MEDIA SPOTLIGHT story: Leanne Stahulak | photography: Happy Captive

Miami’s campus contains no shortage senior English lit, professional writing, and of creative producers — writers, artists, economics major, emphasized how the photographers, designers and more — and magazine focuses on relatable, underground thus no shortage of student-produced narratives that merit a chance in the spotlight. creative works. We at MQ decided that this plethora of original content should “Our tagline is no story left untold,” Maltbie be celebrated, so we sat down with the said. “Whenever we get a piece…we’re representatives of a few publications to always looking for the story inside of it.” find out how they contribute to campus life. Each magazine or journal represents an Even if an author submits a beautifully integral part of Miami’s community, sharing written poem or short fiction, if there’s no student work that deserves to be recognized vital story to it, the magazine will pass on and applauded. Read on to see how these publishing it. three publications came to be and how their published pieces represent the bold and Happy Captive also prides itself on its creative minds on campus. blind reading process. All works go through Maltbie first, who checks that submissions Happy Captive Magazine: are free of any identifying information before she passes them onto the readers. Members About eight years ago, Happy Captive was also forgo submitting their own works for nothing more than the pipe dream of a few publication, focusing instead on outside graduating English majors as a potential student submission so that underrepresented senior capstone project. They passed writers have a chance to showcase their work. that dream of creating a tangible literary magazine on, forming an organization that “There's a lot of diversity at Miami University,” met and planned for two to three years. In Maltbie said. “It's not always immediately spring 2015, Issue I of Happy Captive finally visible, but every person has their own story hit the bookstands. about what they're doing, and they have their own ideas on their own lives that they Current editor-in-chief Anna Maltbie, a are living. So we really want to make that 14 | Feature

very visible to everyone.”

And as for the name “Happy Captive,” Maltbie gives credit to that group of brainstorming and dreaming seniors. “[The name] kinda came out of the idea that authors are captivated by their writing, and they're happy prisoners, so it’s kinda got that duality,” Maltbie said.

Have a story you’d like to put out into the world? Shoot Happy Captive an email at happycaptivemagazine@gmail. com. And be sure to visit their website www.happycatpivemagazine.com for more information about the magazine, the team members, and the submission process.

Effusions Student Journal: While other student publications will publish a mix of art and writing, Effusions Student Journal is sponsored and run by the Miami University Art Department and its students. Started under dele jegede, chair of the department from 2005-2010, Effusions focuses on art-related works and writing.

“We’re dedicated to publishing student art and

either historical research or creative writing,” said Diana Karasanow, editor-in-chief of the journal. “And so we target artists on campus, whether that be in the art department or the college of creative arts or outside of that.”

Majoring in art history and arts management, senior Karsanow has worked with Effusions since her freshman year, when her professor encouraged her to attend a meeting. Now, four years later, she’s the one promoting students inside and outside of the art department to submit to the journal.

Artists don't need to adopt a certain style or format to submit — Effusions prefers to publish a motley group of pieces in their annual issue. Karsanow pointed out that the journal doesn’t follow a strict theme with its published works, but goes by the look and feel of the pieces submitted.

“We’re not looking for a specific type [of art], it’s more just things that we feel like express the student and their talent,” Karsanow said.

“Every one who submits has to also include an artist statement explaining what the piece is and what motivated them, and also their history in the arts.”

Named for the famous reading group a classroom.” featuring C.S. Lewis and J.R.R Tolkien, Inklings focuses on experimental and The publication publishes twice a year, once revolutionary pieces that showcase creativity each semester, and the exec team meets and innovation in style. weekly to go over that week’s submissions.

For prose or poetry works, after ensuring “We really aim to uplift experimental work,” there’s no identifying marks on the piece, a said senior creative writing and professional member will read it out loud to the whole writing major Meg Matthias. “We look for group. Members will weigh the pros and things that push boundaries, surprise us and cons of the piece, seeing where it’s successful excite us.” and where it’s lacking. The art submissions are assessed slightly differently.

Matthias, who runs social media and marketing for Inklings, stressed how the “The artwork...we spread them all over the publication focuses on aesthetics in writing floor, and when we’re ready to discuss, we and art as well as content. The members of talk about what [each piece] is doing formally, the exec team consult their own aesthetic what it’s doing narratively, and again there’s abilities when putting together the magazine, pros and cons of the piece,” Matthias said. balancing out different styles and forms to see what creates a cohesive, engaging work.

Feel like you’ve got an aesthetic worth sharing?

Artists, reach out to inklingsart@miamioh.

“Inklings is a really great space for students edu. Writers, contact inklingswritings@ to just learn more about their aesthetic miamioh.edu. And for anyone who has abilities and what they want their art and general questions or comments, check out writing to look like,” Matthias said, “and their website www.inklingsartsandletters.

I think [they’re exposed to] more writing wordpress.com or email them at inklings@ that's different from what they might see in miamioh.edu. Experimentation awaits.

And for the lucky student whose artwork is selected for the cover, Effusions will feature them in an “Artist Spotlight” for that issue.

But Karsanow doesn’t want non-arts majors to worry about their works not being considered — Effusions is meant to highlight all student work, not just art produced by the department.

“We take all majors, all years, all mediums, so it’s very open and every year it's different,” Karsanow said.

Want your art to be featured? Send it over to mueffusions@gmail.com or check out their website at www.effusions.lib.miamioh.edu for more info about the team and previous published works.

Inklings Arts & Letters: As the oldest literary magazine on campus, Inklings has a proud history and legacy of publishing generations of quality work.

Feature | 15

FROM THE PRESS

photography: Jugal Jain

TO THE PAGE

The Letterpress Printing class at Miami isn’t like any other class. The class uses the Curmudgeon Press which was revitalized in 2011 after 25 years of waiting to be used.

The collection was protected by its namesake Tom Effler, Miami University Graphic Design faculty 1978–2012, who instilled in students an appreciation for craft and history.

Assistant Professor Erin Beckloff now links past, present and future for her students by using machines and materials over a century old to create new, tactile and inventive design and print work. This photostory shows a day inside the Letterpress Printing room which is filled with various activities, machines and art supplies.

16 | Feature

Scene | 17

18 | Scene

Alissa Cook double checking the inked up press form before doing the production run on a 1950s Vandercook SP15 proof press.

Scene | 19

FROM THE

STAFF:

Kelly McKewin Editor-in-Chief “Antarctica. I know it’s technically a desert, so I could easily make the mistake of going there, thinking I’m going to Arizona, but it’d all be over for me with that kind of cold."

It’s spring break, but you’ve accidentally gotten on the wrong plane. Instead of ending up on a beach, you’re about to go to the worst spring break destination possible—where is it?

Brittany Meister

Leanne Stahulak

Art Director

Feature Editor

Anywhere cold and windy. We've already had too much of that in Ohio.

“Australia. Granted, there’s a lot of cool things to see and do, but the moment I saw a spider bigger than my pinkie, it’d be all over. I’d be deceased.”

Jugal Jain

Jenna Calderon

Lexi Whitehead

Photo Editor

Staff Writer

Staff Writer

“Wuhan! It’s a warp to the graveyard.”

“My hometown. What am I gonna do, go to Walmart? Sit in a parking lot?

No, thanks.”

20 | Scene

“Instead of getting on my connecting flight, I accidentally got on a plane back to Ohio!”

Scene | 21

ADVICE: “Start early. Eat and hydrate then TAKE A NAP. Go back out later. Don’t try to be a hero and go 24 hours straight.”

ADVICE:

CAPTION:

“If you choose to participate, be safe. Always

“Fedora Man and Green

have a friend around you and drink water,

Beer(d) Day… name a better duo.”

make sure that you are always aware of where you are and what’s going on. And have fun!”

CAPTION: “Feeling lucky on green beer day.”

Scene | 25

ADVICE: “Be really cautious when you’re walking around, and don’t walk around Uptown when you’re underage. It’s also important to pace yourself because it’s such a long day. But mostly have a ton of fun with your friends, because you’re only at Miami for four years, and I can’t believe it’s already my last GBD ever this year.”

CAPTION:

“Happy Holidays.”

ADVICE:

ADVICE:

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

“Pretzel necklaces are never overrated.”

CAPTION:

CAPTION:

“DIY outfits do it better.”

“Capturing GBD like it’s 1999.”

26 | Scene

Fencing: A niche sport for Miami’s niche personalities story: Lexi Whitehead photography: Jugal Jain In a studio at the Clawson Recreation Center, 15 students line up against the wall and get ready to do warmup exercises, including butt kicks, high knees, and lunges.

Then, they gather into a circle to stretch.

It may seem like the beginning of any club sports practice, but it’s actually for a rather unique team: Miami University fencing. Their seemingly normal warmups soon turn into a practice unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.

People in white jackets and face masks spread across the floor in pairs, lunging towards and away from each other. Their metallic fencing blades are long, thin and flat at the tip. Some members of the team, who also serve as its coaches, observe the drills and offer help to their teammates. The sound of chatter and weapons clanging together fills the space.

continued on next page...

Sports | 27

Junior Landon Braemer, who is the president and a coach for the fencing club, is proud that the club’s members are all friendly and comfortable with each other.

When Braemer finished leading the warmups, he jokingly said to his team, “You’re done!

Just kidding, back on the line,” which was met with a collective sarcastic sigh.

During stretches, everyone talks across the circle to each other and laughs so loud that it’s difficult to hear when to switch stretches.

The fencing club simply doesn’t know what a dull moment looks like.

“I love the dynamic that we have when everyone’s doing the workouts, the warmups

and the stretches before we get into actual “Everyone there is very friendly, and so it fencing. Everyone seems to have a nice time, wasn’t difficult to integrate into the club,” said some friendly banter going on,” Braemer freshman Ethan Finke, who started fencing said, “And as president, and as a coach, it’s at the beginning of fall semester. “There’s nice to see that my club has that kind of some people that have been fencing for eight good cohesion with each other.” years and some people have been fencing for like one, so it’s not that intimidating to Competitive and non-competitive members actually get into it, because there’s always alike face off during practices, with fencers someone around your skill [level].” of all skill levels — from eight years to just a few weeks of experience — constantly A mix of experienced and inexperienced fencers also makes for some more fun pushing each other to improve. practices. Finke will never forget his favorite Having a wide spectrum of skill levels moment in the club so far — the first time benefits the club, especially new members. he beat Braemer, who has been fencing for More experienced fencers can teach them eight years. how to fence, and fellow beginners give them “I was just excited because it was like the a challenging but fair match. first time that I had beat someone who was obviously more experienced...It was funny because he doesn’t lose a lot,” he said.

During practice, after everybody warms up, they divide into three groups to practice with their particular weapon. In the sport, fencers have a choice of three weapons, each with its own set of rules.

Sabre fencing involves slashing movements and is targeted at anywhere above the waist.

Foil fencing involves small, stabbing motions and fencers can target any part of the body. Épée fencing is similar to foil in its motions but uses a heavier blade and fencers are supposed to target vital organs, such as the chest, neck, and groin.

With any friendship comes friendly competition, and the fencing club is no exception. In addition to practicing by facing off with each other, a loving rivalry exists between the different weapons.

When the club splits into their groups, members eagerly count to see who has the most people there that day. And when new members join, each group races to get them to choose their weapon.

The club’s newest member, Celine Thormann, started fencing at the beginning of the semester and has not chosen a weapon yet.

“I’m just bouncing back and forth, and they have a fun competition between foil and

28 | Sports

saber trying to get me to, like, choose one,” Fencing is a constant learning process. Even during a tournament, after someone gets a Thormann said. point, the referee will describe how they The sense of community even extends received that point so that their opponent beyond Miami’s fencing club. Often, at understands. The fencing club mimics this in tournaments, other teams will be excited to their practices, so members can get the hang see Miami fencing because they only recently of things as well as feel what it’s like during competition. started attending tournaments consistently.

With fencing, like any other skill, you learn According to Braemer, about ten club the basics, and then you put in the effort to members compete, and they try to go to a get better at it. Since there is a learning curve, tournament every one to two months. They many students don’t stick with fencing long plan to attend The Arnold Fencing Classic enough to try out the three different weapons on Mar. 6-8 in Columbus, which is a large, national tournament. in the three free practices the club offers.

“It’s easy to get discouraged pretty quick. A couple of people have joined and then after two or three practices have just given up, which is unfortunate... because once you get past...getting hit with a metal stick, it’s a lot of fun,” Finke said.

Tournaments are senior Brandon Yang’s favorite part of fencing because he gets to spend the whole day with his team and meet other fencers. His biggest achievement so far was the time he placed 19 out of 70 épée fencers at the 2018 Arnold.

Thormann experienced how difficult it could be to start learning how to fence but she ultimately decided to keep trying.

The fencing club is especially important to Yang due to some doubts he had during his freshman year.

“You pick it up faster than you think. It “I was thinking of transferring to the college feels really awkward at first...Like holding that all my other friends went to. I think the sword, wearing the equipment, it feels fencing club actually got me to stay at Miami weird. It’s not like anything you’re likely to and see it through,” he said. have done before but it feels more natural a lot faster [than you’d think],” she said, “And Since he did stay, he got to see the fencing you just fence the same people over and over even over a couple of practices, I can tell that club grow from a small club with a large gap again, it’s not gonna improve your skill level in skill level to a larger club with a smaller as much as it could if you fence new people,” I have gotten better at it.” gap. Over the years, Yang witnessed major Braemer said.

Thormann first came to a fencing practice developments in the fencing club, such as because her friend Megan Fitzgerald is attending more tournaments, being more Even though each fencer came to their first the épée coach and she suggested it. She involved with the Ohio fencing community, practice for a different reason, most of them stayed for the same one: the casual, friendly, decided to continue fencing for many and recruiting more members. fun dynamic among the members of the club reasons, including how supportive the other The club has also started hosting its own and the willingness of the team to help new members were. tournament in Ludlow, Kentucky, which members out.

The moment that Thromann first felt like will take place later this semester.

The welcoming environment that radiates she was truly welcome in the club was “when in the Clawson basement every Tuesday and In fencing, it’s important to go up against [she] came back to the second practice and new people because after fencing the same Thursday night has resulted in a hodgepodge people remembered [her] name.” people for a while, it gets easier to predict group of people who like to laugh while they She also appreciated the fact that oftentimes what they will do. So, the club, including slash and jab at each other. her opponents would go easy on her and give non-competing members, usually travels to her tips to help her get better. Sometimes, an open fencing night at another gym once “We’ve all gotten used to each other’s weirdnesses,” said Braemer, “And then as the coaches would even pull her aside to do a semester. new people come in, they start getting used drills with her to make sure they were at her to the weirdnesses and they bring their own “We try to do as much exposure to other skill level. fencers because that’s how you get better. If weirdnesses and uniquenesses.”

Sports | 29

FOR THE LOVE OF MURDER:

Recommendations for Fans

of True Crime

story: Kelly McKewin

M

urder is fascinating. For most of us, it’s something that’s so far out of the norm and so unfathomable a concept that you almost can’t help but want to learn more about it. As a genre, true crime satisfies that morbid curiosity—it gives us a taste of real life detective work and the jarring psychology involved in crime.

McNamara

As a self-proclaimed true crime fanatic, I’ve devoured numerous books, podcasts, and TV shows related to the genre. These are some of the best of the best to me.

McNamara’s posthumously published book takes a deep dive into her obsessive search for the Golden State Killer. It’s an incredible piece of investigative journalism, but also a fascinating story about detective work—one of the best parts of this book is reading about the lengths McNamara went to in order to find clues and analyze evidence about the case. For anyone who wants to be taken along on the search for a murderer, this is the true crime book for you.

BOOKS

“In Cold Blood” by Truman Capote

“I’ll Be Gone In The Dark” by Michelle

“In Cold Blood” is actually one of my

30 | A&E

personal least favorite true crime books, but I’ve included it on this list because it’s a classic—it’s regarded as one of the first ever works of true crime and so many elements of the genre can be found in it. Capote transports readers to Kansas in November of 1959, after four members of a prominent local family are found murdered in their home. It’s not so much a whodunnit, as you find out who the murderers are early on, but Capote explores the psychology and the “why” behind the killings throughout the novel.

“Fatal Vision” by Joe McGinniss At 953 pages long, this book might at first glance seem like it would be a slog to read

through—but it’s such a compelling story, the pages fly by. “Fatal Vision” chronicles the murders of army captain Jeffrey MacDonald’s family, and the subsequent trial he faces as the prime suspect in the case. As the story unfolds, questions about MacDonald’s guilt and the potential motive in the case are revealed.

Podcasts “Serial” There’s three seasons of “Serial” out right now, but season one alone is my personal favorite and enough to satisfy any true crime fan. Host Sarah Koenig explores the 1999 murder of a high school student named Hae Min Lee, and tries to figure out whether the man accused of killing her, Adnan Syed, is actually innocent. Each episode runs around 40 minutes and is packed with enough mystery and intrigue that you’ll want to binge the whole series at once.

“Accused” “Accused” follows a similar storytelling format as “Serial,” where host Amber Hunt and producer Amanda Rossman take listeners through the details of one murder case in a series of short episodes. However, “Accused” intrigued me even more than “Serial,” as season one tells the story of the 1978 murder of a recently graduated

Miami student. The Oxford connection, with many references to local places, made it all the more creepy a story for me.

“My Favorite Murder” “My Favorite Murder” is a different kind of true crime podcast, but one of the most popular out there. Hosts Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark choose a different murder, historical event, or general true crime story to discuss each week on the show. For anyone who doesn’t want to get caught up in listening to a series of podcast episodes but still needs their true crime fix, “My Favorite Murder” is a great place to start.

Jonathan Groff stars in this Netflix original series as Holden Ford, an FBI agent working during the early days of criminal psychology and criminal profiling. Though it’s a fictional show, it’s loosely based on the true crime book “Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit” by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker. The show follows Ford and other FBI agents as they interview serial killers in order to understand the minds of criminals better and solve ongoing cases. For anyone into crime psychology, this show is a great choice to get lost in—and with only two seasons, it’s easy to binge-watch in a weekend or two.

“Your Own Backyard”

“Don’t F**k With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer”

Host Chris Lambert looks into the 1996 disappearance of Kristin Smart in another “Serial”-esque podcast. Lambert looks into new evidence in the case and interviews family members in an attempt to make some discoveries in this 24-year-old cold case. “Your Own Backyard” is a newer podcast, having only come out at the end of 2019, and is a great choice for anyone who wants something new after working their way through the more popular podcasts.

This three-part Netflix docuseries is extremely disturbing and tough to bear for anyone who loves cats as much as I do, but it also makes for a fascinating true crime story. The series tells the story of a group of amateur Internet sleuths who helped catch a murderer by connecting previous videos depicting animal abuse that the killer had posted with the eventual human murder he committed. It’s a wild, gruesome story, but an entertaining three-part series.

TV “Mindhunters”

A&E | 31

I Officially Know What the Hardest Class At Miami Is — ICE SKATING story: Kelly McKewin my boyfriend wanted me to give it “a real smoothly glide over in a matter of seconds, had strategically planned to have an chance”). while I’d be slowly clip-clopping along on easy course load this semester. It’s my senior spring. These last few months are Needless to say, showing up to class on the my skates, trudging over the ice like I was supposed to be for slacking off in class so I first day, I barely knew how to lace up my working my way through a pile of quicksanI can simultaneously be incredibly responsible skates, nevermind how to stay upright on the could feel other people in the class staring at by applying for a few hundred jobs during ice. I spent most of the lesson clutching the me pitifully whenever this happened, clearly the week and extremely irresponsible by wall for dear life and somehow still managed wondering why the hell I was still bothering goofing off with friends every weekend. The to fall face first during a demonstration on to show up. goal was to take four, maybe five classes, how to safely stand up if you fall.

By the fourth day, the skating instructor had and tie up the loose ends left on my DAR— nothing too complicated, as the worst classes The second day, it became remarkably clear clearly started to wonder the same thing, that out of the 50 people in my section, I was because he asked me to stay after class to talk are behind me. the worst one. The class had been divided about how I was doing. into four groups based on skill level and That didn’t work out so well for me—I still had a capstone to take, a required programming speed, and I was in group four, the slowest He was really nice about it—I can’t fault him class, and two other classes with extremely and least experienced of the bunch. I had for that—and he gave me a few suggestions dense reading and writing assignments each expected to end up in that group, but I hadn’t on how I could improve, but I was still week. And yet, halfway through this semester, expected for my inexperience to still stand incredibly mortified. Out of everyone there, bogged down with all this work, the hardest out so much there. Yet, I was being lapped I was the worst skater, and everyone knew it. class I’m taking is probably the least expected by the other slow skaters—they’d make it up Not only that, but I had been asked to stay and down the ice twice during a drill, while after class “to talk about how I was doing.” In culprit: ice skating.

I was still stumbling across the halfway point all my years of school, I’d never been asked to stay after class before. Getting asked to stay Ice skating was supposed to be my one true of the rink. after class was what happened to the slackers blow off class of the semester—a two credit hour filler course that I’m just in to pad out The third day, it was clear I might be a lost in high school who didn’t turn in their essays my schedule. It’s taken pass/fail, and graded cause when it came to skating. We had on “To Kill A Mockingbird” or who had almost entirely based on attendance. And started to learn slightly more advanced skills, failed a pre-calc exam for the third time. even the attendance policy is lenient: don’t like snowplow stops and backwards skating, Even in college, I’d only seen it happen when and while some of the class was struggling a professor would pull aside a frat guy who’d miss more than five classes. with those things, I was still struggling with only shown up to class twice to tell them And yet, I’ve found myself stressing about ice everything. How was I supposed to learn they were in danger of failing their midterm. how to stop when I couldn’t figure out how And here I was in ice skating being told that skating more than any other course I’m in. to go? How does backwards skating work I wasn’t very good and should definitely put some time in on the weekends if I wanted when you can’t go forwards?

This is mostly because I am utterly, terribly, to improve. horribly bad at ice skating. Prior to this class, I’d been on ice skates exactly three times: I had by this point learned to do a kind of once on a date in high school (which lasted walk/wobble on my skates, so I could leave This ice skating course has stressed me out about 20 minutes because neither of us the safety of the wall and at least pretend to more than anything else this semester, but could skate), once during Miami Welcome be doing what everyone else was doing. This in a different way than I’m used to. When Week freshman year (which lasted about 10 didn’t work very well for me. It was painfully I stress in other classes, it’s because there’s a minutes because a girl in my dorm broke clear that I had no idea what I was doing consequence for failure. If I don’t code an her finger), and once on a date earlier this when everyone would be instructed to go to app or I don’t design a good logo or I don’t year (which lasted about an hour because one side of the rink and everyone else would do the reading, I’ll get a bad grade on the

I

32 | Opinion

assignment, maybe a bad grade in the class, and it’ll affect my GPA and my future. At the same time, school is the one thing I’ve been good at for most of my life. From elementary school to now, I’ve known how to get good grades—I know how to write papers, I know how to study for tests, I know how to get my homework done on time and earn participation points. There’s certainly subjects I struggle in more than others—I have to put a lot more effort into passing physics or biology than I do into passing an English class—but at the end of the day, passing a class comes down to knowing how to memorize things and demonstrate those things on an exam, in a paper, or in a project.

I don’t have the same kinds of pressures in ice skating that I do in other courses—it’s not going to wreck my GPA or ruin my life if I fail—but I’m also not sure I can “learn” it in the same way I’ve “learned” things in previous classes I’ve struggled in. It’s a physical activity. You can’t bullshit your way through it the way you can a Miami Plan anthropology course, and even if you could, why would you want to?

For once in my life, I’m trying to learn something purely for the fun of it. Ice skating isn’t something that I’ll ever need to know, but I want to figure it out to have a skill in general life. And yet, skating is really, really hard. It can be a struggle to learn. And when you’ve spent your entire life being naturally good at learning things, or at least being able to feign being naturally good at learning things, it can be scary to feel like you’re struggling with picking up a new skill.

I know it’s all about practicing. Skating is one of those things you learn by doing repeatedly, and I know that the more I get on the ice, the better I’ll get at it. I’m still the worst skater in my class, but I already feel better at it than I did day one, and when I recently went skating on a date, I was actually able to semikeep up throughout the night. It’s something I can learn, with a lot of effort and time, and I’m hopeful that I will by the end of the semester. And in the meantime, I’ve learned that it’s not always the senior capstone that teaches you the most or causes you the most stress—sometimes it’s the blow-off filler class that’s the most invaluable.

Opinion | 33

Do you have an amazing secret talent no one knows about?

Maybe you’re shocked no one has written about your (fill in the blank).

Maybe you have an incredible photo essay idea.

Maybe you just want to get published.

Whatever your maybe, let the team of MQ know! We love hearing all the different stories tucked around Miami’s campus.

Email mqmagazine@gmail.com for any inquiries.

MQ