The Miami Student Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826
VOLUME 138 NO. 39
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO
In 1983, The Miami Student reported room and board would increase 6.5 percent from the previous semester, for a grand total of $1,060 during the fall. Sorority suite rental fees also increased 33 percent.
Library schedule returns to 24 hours By Erin Fischesser and Andrew Grant For The Miami Student
Miami University is in the process of restoring the hours of operation of King Library back to the 24-hour format instead of closing early on the weekend. Currently, the library closes at 10 p.m. on Friday until 9 a.m. on Saturday. It also closes at 10 p.m. on Saturday until 11 a.m. on Sunday. In spring 2010, the library needed to save money and chose to cut hours. The decision was made because staff did not feel the services were used enough by the students on the weekends. According to Belinda Barr, assistant dean for access services and assessment, students’ complaints were the main reason for reintroducing the 24-hour library services.
“We received many written complaints and e-mails from students about the new hours,” Barr said. “The Associated Student Government made this one of their causes to change for the students.” Dean of the University Libraries Judith Sessions said the student concerns were directed to her, Miami President David Hodge and Interim Provost John Skillings among others. “I was really delighted that students really wanted the library to be open,” Sessions said. She said the 24-hour schedule is expected to resume in time for midterms. The reduction in hours also caused a slash in the staff at the library. “The library plans on using additional students as part-time workers during the school year,” Barr said.
Sesssions said the decision to re-open King for 24 hours was partially dependent on a grant for one 20-hour per week, nine-month position to aid in staffing. The grant was approved by the provost. Sessions said this staff member will work Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights as well as overlap hours with current Sunday morning staff members to compensate for the reduced staffing. She said this one position is still much less than what was initially cut in the spring because 20 positions were cut at that time. “We’re going to repurpose our staff to address what we thought was a major concern for students,” Sessions said. This will allow students the opportunity to work at a place on campus while keeping King Library running at the hours students want. With
the switch, students and faculty will have the ability to use the full-time capabilities of King Library once again. Sessions said the initial decision was made in an effort to eliminate what was viewed as convenience rather than necessity while having the smallest impact on students. “When you’re losing $1.2 million per year, you have to look at everything,” Sessions said. Sessions is excited about the ability to offer these services to students. “I’m delighted we can do this,” she said. At least one student is very pleased with the shift back to familiarity. “I think it’s the best thing to do for the students and the university,” sophomore Matthew Seikel said. “It’s a good thing to know that the library will always be open in case we need it at night on the weekends.”
‘Scalp Song’ replacement remains in limbo, whooping continues Shane Corcoran For The Miami Student
As Miami University continues with the standardization of the RedHawk mascot, the last reminders of Miami’s Redskin heritage
continue to disappear. One of the most notable is the attempt to replace the “Scalp Song” once chanted at hockey games. Although the Miami hockey pep band, now named The Band of Brotherhood, was forbidden to play
the “Scalp Song” during fall semester, there has not been a definitive replacement, said Stephen Lytle, director of the marching and pep bands at Miami. “We’ve looked at a couple different things and we haven’t settled on
one for this semester,” Lytle said. “We tried Ceilo Green’s ‘Forget You,’ but we had to abandon that because obviously it wasn’t appropriate.” According to Lytle, “Bad Boys” was played instead of the “Scalp Song” as a generic placeholder. According to Lytle, the “Scalp Song” had been a Miami tradition since its creation in the 1920s. Originally written by President Alfred Upham as a school fight song, the “Scalp Song” was first sung by the glee club during halftime of the football games, Lytle said. The song has evolved into the war cry of Miami hockey fans. It was played when a player from the opposing team was sent to the penalty box. Currently, when an opposing
player is sent to the penalty box, “Bad Boys” is played. Students still chant the “Scalp Song,” said first-year Sarah Soltan. Soltan said fans are widely opposed to cooperating with the ban. “Students are definitely doing the exact opposite of what the administration wants,” she said. “Students don’t want to replace the song.” Ultimately, the “Scalp Song’s” replacement will be up to the students, Lytle said. “We (will) allow for nominations and then voting to determine the new song,” Lytle said. “Though the hockey season is over, there’s the rest of this year and a few months of next fall’s semester to come up with a replacement.
Virtual learning makes snow days obsolete SCOTT ALLISON The Miami Student
Students cover their mouths as they “whoop” during the Miami hockey game Friday night at Goggin Ice Center.
Athletic internships prepare students By Kaler Hazen
For The Miami Student
The Miami University athletic department is opening its doors for students who choose to participate in its internship program. The work involved in the program varies widely depending on which avenue of sports interns wish to pursue, according to Brad Bates, director of intercollegiate athletics. Bates said the internships range from marketing to game operations. “We have alums who are leaders in athletic training, game operations and in the media,” he said. “Miami alums that are out there want to connect with Miami students.” While only a select few of the internships are paid, many of the program’s participants consider the personal networking gained through the experience invaluable. Game operations intern senior Ryan Mortensen has seen a blossoming of opportunity not only for himself, but also for his fellow interns.
“I know we have had people go to the Atlanta Falcons, the Cincinnati Reds and the L.A. Dodgers,” Mortensen said. “Last year, I also had the opportunity to work with the Boston Bruins. The connections you make in an environment like that are fantastic.” Students are not guaranteed
an internship. According to Bates, each area of the department has different procedures, but as many as 50 applicants per year are reviewed in each department. The athletic department receives calls from high school students each year
wSee INTERNSHIPS, page 9
SCOTT ALLISON The Miami Student
Senior Ryan Mortensen, an athletic intern, works with Miami hockey.
By Mandi Cardosi Staff Writer
Miami University students will most likely be seeing a rise in online learning. Classes are slowly integrating face-to-face learning tools with those found online, virtually eliminating snow days. With the advent of Niihka, the system to replace Blackboard, faculty and staff will be able to offer even more online student interface data without the hassle. According to Carine Feyten, dean of the School of Education, Health and Society, offering the options of online and e-learning makes it easier for professors to cope with things like snow days or virus threats. “This is something we are pursuing because it allows people from anywhere to access courses,” Feyten said. Feyten said this type of learning has been in the works over the last few years, and the university, especially the school of education, has spent a lot of time working on state-of-the-art technology for upcoming teachers. According to Feyten, offering teacher preparation as an online learning option for those students who are already in a career has proved to be a valuable tool as well.
Jason Abbitt, assistant professor of educational psychology, said he has already used many online components in his classrooms. Abbitt said there are a large number of programs geared toward practicing teachers and offering an online component helps those students get all aspects of their career covered. According to Abbitt, technology is making it so courses are not as heavily reliant on being in the same place at the same time. Senior Brad Brown said two of his classes were held online when his professors were unable to make it to campus. “One of my professors sent an e-mail the night before class saying to check our e-mails in the morning before class,” Brown said. “The next morning, he said his child’s daycare was closed so instead of canceling class he was still able to have it online.” Brown said both canceled classes were held via the discussion board on the Blackboard site. Students were supposed to respond to questions posted by the professors and refresh every few minutes to offer more insight in the discussion. According to Brown, the discussion board classes were not held on days the university decided to cancel classes.