The Miami Student | October 2, 2018

ESTABLISH 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES

Miami University — Oxford, Ohio

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2018

Volume 146 No. 5

MU EMPLOYEE FACES RAPE CHARGES; VICTIM IS FEMALE STUDENT AUDREY DAVIS MANAGING EDITOR

ILLUSTRATION BY ARTHUR NEWBERRY

Fifteen years without closure

The OEEO concluded the investigation, but a former student’s repeated claims of sexual harassment led to years of doubt and distress KIRBY DAVIS

MANAGING EDITOR

On Dec. 11, 2002, Jennifer Donnelly, a junior in Miami’s Department of Architecture and Interior Design, was getting ready to go home for winter break. She was moving her things from her desk to her car, parked at the loading dock of Alumni Hall, when a professor she knew followed her outside.

As Gerardo Brown-Manrique approached Donnelly, she stepped into what she thought would be a hug goodbye.

Instead, he kissed her on the cheek, then on the mouth.

“He was a professor, and I was an undergraduate,” Donnelly said. “I was approached while I was alone on a dark loading dock, and I was kissed on the lips without my consent.

I did not want that. I was 20 years old, and I trusted him.”

The incident has been a recurring source of frustration and anguish for Donnelly ever

since.

Her attempts to resolve the matter — first in the immediate aftermath, then over the last two years as she applied for an academic position at Miami and considered applying for another — failed to provide her with any sort of validation or closure.

Ultimately, she said, she forgave Brown-Manrique. But she has not forgiven Miami for how it handled her case.

She believes the university’s Office of Equity and Equal Opportunity (OEEO), which handles complaints of sexual harassment against faculty and staff, protected a tenured faculty member at the expense of a powerless female undergraduate.

“I believe the only way out for [the OEEO] was to blame me for my own assault,” she said. “I don’t want another student to go through that with the OEEO. If that’s their policy, that’s wrong.”

Donnelly was devastated after the incident in 2002. She wondered whether she had

led Brown-Manrique on or done something wrong. But, not wanting to tarnish his professional reputation, she decided to let it go. She didn’t think the incident would come back.

But it came back the following spring, when other female students told Donnelly Brown-Manrique’s behavior had made them uncomfortable.

It came back in 2010 when her colleagues wanted to know why, since Brown-Manrique’s field of study aligned with hers, she’d never taken his classes.

And it came back in 2016, when Donnelly applied for a professorship at Miami.

She tried, again and again, to put it behind her. But like many victims of sexual misconduct, she couldn’t.

Donnelly doesn’t want it to come back again. * * * Donnelly attended Miami from 2000 to CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

Steve Large hopes to be an ally to students DAN WOZNIAK

THE MIAMI STUDENT

In Warfield 103, Steve Large sits in his office surrounded by decorative modern art paintings and the scent of citrus, coming from an essential oil diffuser. Shades of orange – his favorite color – fill the room and provide a warm atmosphere for all who enter.

Large was hired as the assistant vice president of health and wellness for student affairs at Miami University on June 11, 2018.

In this new position, Large will oversee the departments of student counseling services, student health services and the office of student wellness.

“Miami University aspires to be one of the healthiest campuses in the nation and recognizes the need for someone to lead that work,” said Large. “More generally, my day-to-day work entails a lot of connecting, listening and learning from our campus LARGE ‘S PERSONALITY SHINES THROUGH HIS METICULOUSLY DECORATED OFFICE PHOTO BY JUGAL JAIN

CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

This Issue Assault reports increased

Coming at you fast

Reports of sexual assault have increased in comparison to last year.

Blasey is building the hockey team around a high-energy brotherhood

page 4

page 11

E-scooters fly into Oxford

Striking the right chord

University moves to adapt, and the community is onboard.

Symphony orchestra supports diversity and inclusion through music.

page 5

page 6

Early Saturday, Oxford police chased down and arrested a 21-yearold Miami employee for raping a 21-year-old female student in the backyard of an off-campus house one block west of the university’s Heritage Commons apartment complex.

Brandon Levi Gilbert, a Miami building and grounds assistant, is in Butler County Jail facing first-degree rape felony charges, among other lesser charges, for the alleged attack — the seventh sexual assault reported in the city of Oxford since the fall semester began.

The university suspended Gilbert without pay while the Oxford Police Department (OPD) investigates.

Just after 2:30 a.m. Saturday, it was by chance that Officer Mark Ledermeier was on a routine traffic stop at the intersection of Poplar and Ardmore when he heard a woman’s screams nearby.

“The screams grew louder and could only be described as blood-curdling screams coming from a nearby unknown area,” Ledermeier wrote in the report.

When he stepped out of his patrol car to investigate, he saw a young woman covered in dead grass and leaves, running in his direction.

The woman, whose name was not released, was wearing only one shoe and her belt was undone. Distraught to the point of hysteria, she told Ledermeier she had been attacked.

Alerted by Ledermeier, more police came to the scene, then tracked Gilbert down on East Central Avenue, not far from the scene of the attack. At the OPD, the woman identified Gilbert as her attacker.

The woman told detectives that she had met Gilbert earlier that night at a bar Uptown and asked him to walk her home.

When they arrived at 106 Ardmore, she said, Gilbert threw her to the ground and punched her in the right ear repeatedly, causing her to lose her hearing.

She fought back, punching Gilbert several times. “[She] stated that she saw my overhead lights nearby while she was being attacked,” Ledermeier said in the report. “She stated that the male held her down and told her to ‘shut up,’ likely because he witnessed my overhead lights as well.”

Emily Bailer, who graduated from Miami in 2017, worked with Gilbert at Miami Catering in the summers of 2017 and 2018 and was shocked when she heard of his arrest.

“He was hard-working and polite,” Bailer told The Miami Student in a Facebook message. “He’d ask me to hang out with him a few times, and I politely declined since I wasn’t interested … Another co-worker told me to never hang out with him one-on-one — something just didn’t feel right.”

She said he never made her feel uncomfortable — she thought he just CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

Reviews

movies, music on page 8 &9

2

This Week TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2018

Things to do

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Wed.-Friday

The Clothesline Project, The Seal, 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. The Clothesline Project is a visual display dedicated to raising awareness about the reality of violence in our society. Head to the Women*s and LGBTQ+ Center, the Cultural Center or the Diversity Suite in Armstrong to design a t-shirt and see them on display around the Seal.

Thursday

Rudy Currence, Armstrong Shade Stage, 8 p.m. Grab your homework and a few friends and enjoy the chill music through MAP’s Thursday night coffee house. Grammy award winning artist Rudy Currence will provide some peaceful vibes while you sip on coffee.

The best part? It’s free!

Friday Tea Tasting, Armstrong Pavilion A/B, 5-7 p.m. Taste teas from around the world without leaving Oxford.

The free event will give you a taste of various styles of teas such as Chinese Pu’er, Indian Chai Latte, Iraqi Kojarat tea, Japanese Sencha, Malawian tea, Thai tea, Turkish tea and Vietnamese Oolong tea.

Skate-In Movie, Goggin Ice Center, 9:15-11:30 p.m. Get your skate on at the first skate-in movie of the year, featuring “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.” The free event includes snacks and skates. Try not to fall!

Matthew Heckert Ruisi Luo Genevieve Dietz Zach Reichman Zaim Haq Tyler Galyon Videography Staff Jack Barteck Rick Das

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3

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2018

Fifteen years without closure FROM FRONT

2007. She was an undergraduate until 2004, took a year off to work at an architecture firm, then returned to earn her master’s degree in architecture.

Donnelly was “an exceptionally fine student,” according to her former professor and longtime friend and mentor Sergio Sanabria.

Like many architecture majors, Donnelly spent most of her time working in Alumni Hall.

Her desk was situated in front of Brown-Manrique’s office.

Donnelly met Brown-Manrique in the fall semester of her junior year. She never took his classes, but the department’s amiable, tight-knit atmosphere ensured they ran into one another often. They began quipping that they were “stalking” one another.

“I thought it was all a joke,” Donnelly wrote in the report she submitted to the OEEO. “I viewed Mr. Brown-Manrique as a friendly professor who had taken an interest in my future.”

When Donnelly moved to leave for the night on Dec. 11, 2002, Brown-Manrique initiated what she assumed would be a brief goodbye hug.

But Brown-Manrique continued the hug, and kissed her on the cheek. Then he locked his arms around Donnelly and asked how she liked it.

“It’s not a big deal, that’s how my grandma kisses me goodbye,” Donnelly told Brown-Manrique, in what she felt was an attempt to diffuse the situation so she could leave.

Both Donnelly and Brown-Manrique agree that, after she made the grandma comment, he kissed her on the lips. Brown-Manrique told Donnelly, other architecture professors and the OEEO that it was a “peck,” that Donnelly had led him on and that “it wasn’t a big deal.”

Donnelly remembers it differently.

In the OEEO report, she wrote that she had to “forcibly close her mouth” and, afterwards, “clean his saliva from [her] face.”

Donnelly felt the incident “checked all the boxes” indicating that she was sexually harassed. She was standing outside an academic building, she was wearing a winter coat and she was in a committed relationship with her high school boyfriend (who would later become her husband). Neither she nor Brown-Manrique were drunk.

Most importantly, Donnelly had not wanted him to kiss her. * * * The day classes resumed in spring 2003, Brown-Manrique put his arm around Donnelly and asked how her break was.

Donnelly treated the professor “curtly but with courtesy” for the rest of the semester, she wrote in one of the documents she submitted to the OEEO. She intended to let the incident go.

But midway through the semester, Donnelly heard other female architecture students discussing behavior from Brown-Manrique that had made them uncomfortable — joking about wanting to date students, kissing one on the cheek and calling one of them around midnight, asking her to join him Uptown for drinks.

In April 2003, as Donnelly began confiding in close friends about the incident, Brown-Manrique passed Donnelly between Alumni and Irvin Halls and started barking “like a dog” at her. That “bizarre” behavior, Donnelly said, led her to formally report the professor to the OEEO. Donnelly met with former OEEO director Raquel Dowdy-Cornute, who told her that Brown-Manrique’s behavior did not violate Title IX guidelines or Miami policy. According to the OEEO, to qualify as sexual harassment, Donnelly

needed to experience more than one incident.

At the time, the OEEO defined sexual harassment as “Unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature,” provided that, among other conditions, the behavior “has the purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with an individual’s employment or educational performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, offensive or abusive environment for that

selves.”

Along with the female student who Brown-Manrique had called at midnight and asked her to come Uptown with him the previous January, Donnelly returned to the OEEO in early 2004. The office told Donnelly and the other student that it had already investigated Brown-Manrique’s behavior to the extent of its power.

Donnelly then went to Robert Benson, the architecture department chair at the time, with her concerns. Benson told Donnelly

ILUSTRATION: ARUTHUR NEWBERRY

individual’s employment, education, living environment or participation in a university activity.”

In the early 2000s, the OEEO distributed pamphlets about sexual harassment that listed the office’s definition of misconduct, a statement from the university president and steps to take for people who had experienced misconduct. It did not mention that, to qualify as sexual harassment, someone had to experience more than one incident.

As Donnelly wrote in a document submitted to the OEEO, “The option of defining non-consensual kissing as sexual misconduct did not come up at all” in her first conversation with them.

The office encouraged Donnelly to voice her concerns to Brown-Manrique herself, so she emailed him at the end of the semester.

“Kissing a student is a completely inappropriate action for someone in your position, and barking at a woman is juvenile and degrading,” Donnelly wrote.

“Your actions left me ashamed, angry and confused.”

Ten days later, Brown-Manrique responded in an email that he was “baffled” by her message.

“I cannot believe that what was strictly a seasonal expression of best wishes should be so interpreted. If you took such, though unintended, as disturbing, I apologize,” Brown-Manrique wrote. He wished her a pleasant summer. * * * The next semester, in the fall of Donnelly’s senior year, she felt driven to report Brown-Manrique to the OEEO again.

She told the OEEO he became generally unpleasant and sometimes downright “hostile” toward her. Donnelly said he regularly slammed his office door when she was within earshot.

Then, in December 2003, Brown-Manrique reviewed Donnelly’s final studio project.

She wrote in a document submitted to the OEEO that she felt “cheated” by the review, because Brown-Manrique’s comments were “bordering on petty, to the point that other critiquers were defending [her] project them-

that he had already spoken with Brown-Manrique, who did not feel that he had done anything wrong. Like the OEEO, Benson said, the department had investigated the professor’s behavior to the extent of its power.

In February 2004, tired of the lack of administrative response to the situation, Donnelly (and a female friend she brought for moral support) marched into Brown-Manrique’s office. She asked why he had kissed her the previous year.

Donnelly wrote that Brown-Manrique acknowledged the power dynamic between them, and that he said her accusations had led him to “shrink from the role of the available and involved professor.”

But, Donnelly wrote in the document she submitted to the OEEO, he also told her she needed to be culturally educated and asserted that “It is his right to kiss a student, and he has every intention of doing it again.” * * * Twelve years later, in fall 2016, Miami’s architecture department announced it was hiring a tenure-track professor of interior design. By that point, Donnelly had worked as a professional architect and earned master’s degrees from Miami and a university in Pittsburgh, where she was a Ph.D candidate.

A Miami professor encouraged her to apply for the job.

Donnelly, along with two other candidates, made it to the final round of the hiring process, and she returned to Oxford in April 2017 to be interviewed.

She had not spoken to Brown-Manrique since confronting him in his office in 2004 and wrote in a document submitted to the OEEO that she had “forgiven” him by that point. Donnelly knew he would be a voting faculty member in the hiring process, but did not feel it appropriate to bring up.

“The last thing I wanted was to be the job candidate who was troubled or traumatized by abuse,” Donnelly wrote in the document she submitted to the OEEO. Donnelly realized early on in the interviewing process Brown-Manrique was not present at any of her required events.

The department chair at the

time, Mary Rogero, had told her that each faculty member was supposed to have equal facetime with each potential hiree.

Concerned that Brown-Manrique’s absence would affect her candidacy, Donnelly reached out to her former professor Sergio Sanabria (who was also a voting faculty member) after returning home from the interview. She asked if there was any reason that he knew of why she had not seen Brown-Manrique over the last three days.

Sanabria spoke with Rogero and reported back to Donnelly that Brown-Manrique had been removed from the search, but said she was not allowed to know why until it was over.

After Donnelly learned she was not chosen for the position, Sanabria told her that it was his understanding Brown-Manrique had had a conversation with architecture professor Gulen Cevik about Donnelly in February 2017.

The OEEO spoke with Cevik last spring; she said Brown-Manrique told her about the kiss between him and Donnelly that occurred on Dec. 11, 2002. He told Cevik that “he would not vote for Donnelly even if she was the best candidate,” according to an OEEO report, and Cevik reported this conversation to the OEEO. Brown-Manrique was removed from the search. * * * When another spot in Miami’s architecture department opened up in 2017 — an architectural historian position — Donnelly felt she was “expected” to apply, by Miami and by the Pennsylvania university where she now teaches. She said she had not told anyone there about Brown-Manrique.

Wanting clarification about what constituted sexual harassment and retaliation in 2017 before she applied for the new position, Donnelly called the OEEO. She inadvertently opened a Title IX investigation about her situation and, while she said she would have “chosen a different timing” for herself, she was glad it was happening.

Donnelly said that, while the OEEO was initially “diplomatic” in speaking about the 2002 incident, she felt the office became defensive regarding the job search. They told her that they had prevented retaliation by removing Brown-Manrique from the search committee, but Donnelly said they did not seem to consider whether the professor could have affected the process before then.

She submitted a 35-page report to the OEEO in February 2018, documenting her concerns. Donnelly wanted the OEEO to investigate whether Brown-Manrique had retaliated against her during her 2004 studio critique, or during or outside of the 2016 conversation with Cevik and whether, under new Title IX rules, the 2002 incident could be considered sexual harassment.

When the OEEO interviewed Sanabria last spring, he told them Donnelly could be flirtatious and that, on Dec. 11, 2002, Brown-Manrique could have “misinterpreted her flirtiness.”

But in a letter to the Miami Student on Aug. 20 of this year, Sanabria wrote that the office’s failure to include more of his hour-long interview in the report was “tendentious, probably sexist and does not reflect” what he told them.

In their letter of finding, regarding Donnelly’s complaint of sexual harassment in 2002, the OEEO cited Sanabria’s comment about her “flirtiness.”

But the letter, Sanabria said, omits other information he gave them last spring, like the fact that Donnelly was an “exceptionally fine student” and that Brown-Manrique is “exuberantly flirtatious.”

Sanabria said he began and concluded his interview with the OEEO by telling them he felt

they had mishandled Donnelly’s case in 2002, and that he feels the OEEO selectively included pieces of his interview to make him appear on their side rather than Donnelly’s.

“This could have been resolved easily and straightforwardly, had OEEO acted responsibly,” Sanabria said. * * * The week the OEEO released its report to Donnelly, which found Brown-Manrique not responsible for sexual harassment or retaliation (or, to use Title IX terminology, that it was “not more likely than not” those offenses had occurred), coincided with the week Donnelly was set to defend her dissertation.

She was granted a two-day extension and filed appeals with the OEEO. “It didn’t sit right with me that the OEEO was willing to blame me for my own trauma,” Donnelly said.

Chiefly, Donnelly felt, the office misinterpreted her “grandmother” comment the night of Dec. 11, 2o02 and ignored the power dynamic between her and Brown-Manrique at the time.

“It sounds like we had a romantic encounter gone wrong, and that’s absolutely false,” Donnelly said. “I’ve always had the problem of fighting back against that, since the very beginning.”

Ronald Scott, Miami’s Associate Vice President for Institutional Diversity, finished his reviews of the OEEO’s findings on May 23, 2018. The office stood by its earlier decisions. Neither Scott nor any other members of the OEEO, responded to requests for comment for this story, beyond offering a copy of Miami’s current sexual harassment policies.

“The conduct of Mr. Brown-Manrique, under the facts and circumstances found by the investigation, was not so pervasive or severe as to create a hostile living or learning environment,” Scott wrote in his review. “Consequently, the finding of the OEEO in this matter is upheld.” * * * The first time Donnelly felt validated about the 2002 experience with Brown-Manrique was while watching the second 2016 presidential debate. The moderator, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, mentioned Donald Trump’s infamous “Access Hollywood” comments about forcibly kissing women. Cooper referred to Trump’s actions as “assault.”

“I remember feeling a wave of relief, because I had finally heard someone call it that,” Donnelly said. “A very prominent male figure calling it that, in a very public way, and I had been told for years, ‘It’s no big deal.’”

Donnelly attended Miami more than a decade before the #MeToo movement erupted in popular culture. She said the movement is “putting words to things that there weren’t words for before.”

“It was hard to find my own words in 2004 … Now, you can read other people’s experiences, and you can learn how they narrativized their experiences, and you can think about how your experience was similar or different,” Donnelly said. “It creates an ongoing, building narrative, which didn’t exist in 2004 and which matters.”

She said that, while she’s forgiven Brown-Manrique for his behavior toward her, she doesn’t think she’ll ever be able to forgive the OEEO. Donnelly would like the office to recognize what happened on Dec. 11, 2002 as sexual harassment. She also said she would like the OEEO to be investigated for how it handles investigations they themselves could be implicated in, and what the office considers consent. daviskn3@miamioh.edu

4 NEWS

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2018

Oxford Farmers’ Market Tuesday hours approved then postponed RACHEL BERRY STAFF WRITER

The Oxford Farmer’s Market was scheduled to open on Tuesday evenings in addition to their regular Saturday hours beginning Tuesday, Sept. 25 but, due to unpredictable weather, the vendors are not ready for the additional hours.

Two weeks ago, Oxford City Council unanimously approved the market’s request to open from 4-7 p.m. on Tuesdays.

Market Manager Larry Slocum said the additional day was to accommodate the schedules of people who may not be able to attend the market’s usual hours from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. on Saturdays.

While they obtained all the necessary permits and were hoping to open last week in Uptown Park, the farmers in charge of the Tuesday night market said the drastic changes in weather have negatively affected their crops.

“It’s just been really wet here lately, and it’s been hard to get things planted and growing,” local farmer Larry Johnson said.

Slocum said the expansion to Tuesdays was a spur-of-the-moment idea. After getting approved by city council, they began to put a plan in place, but soon realized they need more time.

“Farming is a long-term deal,” Slocum said. “You’ve gotta think

about it two or three months ahead.”

Because the idea for a Tuesday market only came about a few months ago, the farmers were not able to plant enough extra crops for the demand of another market day.

Johnson, who already provided produce to multiple other markets, said he would rather wait to add the extra day until the spring, which would give farmers more time to prepare.

“I don’t know if I’m personally ready to take that challenge right now to supply three markets, and I work a full time job as well, so it’s a lot to prepare in a short amount of time,” Johnson said.

From 2004-2009, the market was open on Tuesdays as well as Saturdays, but the weekday market was closed due to a lack of interest.

Now, the market is reconsidering it because of feedback from students and others whose work schedules do not allow them to attend on Saturdays.

“That makes me excited,” sophomore math and statistics double major Paige Shriver said in response to hearing the market will be open on Tuesdays.

Shriver said she would be able to go more often if it were to be held on Tuesday nights.

“It’s more likely that I’m here on Tuesdays than Saturdays, and sometimes I like to sleep in on Sat-

Flooding in CPA frustrates faculty and students MAIA ANDERSON

ASST. CULTURE EDITOR

A longtime flooding problem in the basement of the Center for Performing Arts is leaving shoes, equipment and performances soggy — with no clear end in sight.

Interim Chair of the music department, Chris Tanner, says flooding has been an issue in the CPA since his time as a graduate student at Miami in 1993.

Music and theatre majors share the CPA and are familiar with the frustration that comes nearly every time there is heavy rain.

The student house manager for the theatre department, Grace Rosus, said flooding has caused numerous issues for their productions.

“When we did ‘Wild Party’ in 2017 there was a huge storm one night and I got texts from people in the pit [orchestra] saying water was dropping on their music,” said Rosus. “I took a bucket to the pit and had to sneak onto stage during the show to give them a bucket. I also had to go up to the booth with an open umbrella over the stage manager so her equipment wouldn’t get wet.”

Senior theatre major Katie Boissoneault says rushing to move equipment out of Studio 88, located in the basement of the CPA, is a common occurrence for theatre majors.

“Literally there will be times in the basement where people will be like ‘Who’s not doing anything? It’s flooding, we need to get everything out of 88.’ It’s a pretty common drill for people in the theatre department,” said Boissoneault.

Some of her fellow theatre majors have had their shoes permanently damaged from the water that accumulates in Studio 88 after a heavy rainfall.

“I talked to my boss about it, he’s been here for longer than I’ve been alive,” said Boissoneault.

“He told me that when he came here 30 some years ago this had been a problem.”

Unfortunately, there usually isn’t one simple fix for flooding said Cody Powell, Miami’s associ-

ate vice president of facility planning and operations.

“The CPA has probably been the most difficult because we go through periods of time when we think we’ve addressed it but then something else happens,” said Powell. “That’s the one that I’m very intent on figuring out how to fix.”

The main culprits behind the flooding, Powell says, are decaying pipes and a flaw in the way the building handles drainage.

Currently, roof drainage is funneled into the building and then pumped back out by sump pumps.

“In this building, the roof drains go underground and back into the building underneath, then to a sump pump and it’ll pump out,” said Powell. “But, if something happens to the sump pump the water goes inside the building.”

The sump pumps have often been the cause of flooding, but even after they were replaced, water would still find its way back into the building.

“We started experiencing problems again and found it wasn’t the sump pumps, it was that piping under the building was starting to decay from the inside out,” said Powell. “We cut up a portion of the floor, replaced the pipe and that solved it for a while.”

Powell said they have set aside funding and initiated a design with an outside engineering firm to solve the issue by designing a way to waterproof the interior of the building.

“We are hopeful it will happen next summer, but it is a pretty disruptive project,” Powell said.

Powell understands the frustration from faculty and students in the CPA and said the department is doing everything they can to solve the problem.

“The department deserves better and we understand that,” said Powell. “It’s not that we’re avoiding it. We’re trying to solve the problem, it’s just unfortunately not a good design.” ander198@miamioh.edu

urdays,” she said.

While there seems to be a demand for a weeknight market, Slocum and Johnson both think it will be better to wait until they can put together the best possible selection.

“We want the market to be there,” Slocum said. “We want it to be vibrant. We want people to be able to go on Tuesday, and if we want all that, we’ve got to plan it a little more.” berryrd@miamioh.edu

MARKET’S INITIAL EXTENDED HOURS TO TUESDAY EVENINGS POSTPONED. TMS FILE PHOTO: JUGAL JAIN

Number of sexual assault reports increased

ILLUSTRATION: ARTHUR NEWBERRY

CÉILÍ DOYLE NEWS EDITOR

Throughout the first month of the semester, from Aug. 27 through Sept. 28, there were six sexual assaults reported to the Miami University Police Department (MUPD) and the Oxford Police Department (OPD). During the same time period in 2017, only four cases were reported to MUPD and OPD. Not only that, but this past weekend, on Saturday, Sept. 29, a female Miami student reported the seventh sexual assault of the fall semester to an OPD officer near the scene.

“We live in a time where you think you can just tell your friend, ‘text me when you get home,’” Associated Student Government (ASG) president Meghan Murtagh said. “We rely on technology too much, we need to make sure we get our friends home. Texting them is not the same thing.”

Murtagh is planning to meet with senior Justin Goshorn from Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault (MARS) and senior Julia Koenig from Feminists Working On Revolutionary Democracy (F-WORD) on Wednesday to discuss the next steps ASG and other student organizations can take to change

Miami’s culture.

“Personally, I’m fed up,” Murtagh said. “We need to be holding each other accountable...what actions are being taken?”

Whether or not ASG passes legislation to increase lighting on campus or address the safety concerns the university’s One Door policy created last February, Murtagh hopes the university will take the initiative to fix these issues.

On an administrative level, Miami is focused on increasing student messaging across all four years and targeting student organizations on campus outside of F-WORD and HAWKS Peer Educators.

“I don’t think it’s a larger number of incidents happening at Miami,” vice president for student affairs, Jayne Brownell said. “I think we’re doing a better job of getting students to know how to report. Our survey numbers aren’t changing, but reports are, and there are less people suffering in silence.”

At Ohio University, students there have reported 15 sexual assault-related incidents to Ohio University Police Department (OUPD) and the Athens Police Department (APD) combined since Thursday, Sept. 27, OU junior Ellen Wagner said.

Wagner has covered the increas-

ing number of reports as the news editor for The Post, OU’s college newspaper, and wrote about the various ways in which students at OU are are trying to change the campus culture.

“Only four of the reports were reported to OUPD, which were sent to [the student body] as crime alerts,” Wagner said. “The other 11 were reported to APD, but I think some of those initial reports have encouraged other people to come forward.”

At OU, fraternities have replaced originally demeaning and/or offensive sheet signs on frat houses with messages of solidarity, like, “Consent is Sexy, Mandatory.”

Additionally, OU’s Greek life and Student Senate held a rally and marched together, advocating for change, Wagner said.

Miami’s Interfraternity Council (IFC) president, Lorenzo Guidi, and Panhellenic Association president, Emily Wolfzorn are focusing on sexual assault prevention, rather than addressing things after the fact.

“We are partnering with the It’s On Us campaign to put on an awareness event, similar to what we have seen at Ohio University and other schools with the banners on the front of fraternity houses,” Guidi and Wolfzorn wrote in an email to The Student. “During It’s On Us week, we will be sponsoring a screening of The Hunting Ground, and a discussion about the prevalence of sexual assault on campus and what steps can be taken to address the issue.”

“I want reports to continue to go up,” Murtagh said. “But I’m tired of the lack of response...it’s not okay for people to assault one another, period.” @cadoyle_18 doyleca3@miamioh.edu

2017 - 2018 assaults *

...

4

2018 - 2019 assaults **

...

7

* Data from Aug 28, 2017 - Sept 28, 2018 ** Data from Aug 28, 2018 - Sept 29, 2018 Note: This data is a combination of incidents reported to MUPD and OPD

NEWS@MIAMISTUDENT.NET

5 NEWS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2018

Bird Scooters arrive in Oxford 150 Lime scooters to arrive this week, Miami amends original e-scooter policy

SAMANTHA BRUNN NEWS EDITOR

One hundred Bird scooters arrived in Oxford on Saturday morning with a kickoff safety event held Uptown. One hundred and fifty Lime scooters are expected to arrive in the coming week, and Miami University has amended its policy on e-scooters in response.

Lime is another bike and scooter share startup company that has applied and been approved for a permit in the City of Oxford.

“Both companies have signed a document which acknowledges Miami University property is currently off-limits,” Alan Kyger, the economic development director for the city, wrote in an email last Friday sent to city councilors, various city officials and administration officials for the university.

However, the university released an announcement on the MyMiami page indicating the new policy in place regarding e-scooter operations on campus.

Students may only ride the scooters in the campus bike lanes,

MU EMPLOYEE FACES RAPE CHARGES, VICTIM FEMALE STUDENT FROM FRONT

ENFORCEMENT OF E-SCOOTER POLICY WILL BE DIFFICULT, CONSIDERING THE NATURE OF THE SCOOTERS. JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

including the bike lane on the sidewalk of Patterson Ave., and the scooters must be walked across campus. Scooters cannot be left in university parking garages or lots.

They must be parked only in campus bicycle racks and nowhere

pound the vehicle and a $35 dollar fee may be issued.

else.

The policy banning scooters in dorms and other university buildings remains in place, with the additional stipulation that, if the scooters are found in these restricted buildings, MUPD will im-

brunnsj@miamioh.edu @samantha_brunn

The victim was taken to McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital for treatment and evaluation by a sexual assault nurse examiner.

At the scene, officers found the woman’s second shoe in the driveway of 106 Ardmore and her phone in the yard at the same address.

Gilbert’s belt was found in the grass near the driveway, and his phone was discovered near the woman’s shoe.

Claire Wagner, university spokeswoman, reiterated in an email to The Miami Student that sexual assault and violence is not tolerated on Miami’s campus.

“We are grateful for the work of the Oxford Police Department and their swift action in making this arrest,” Wagner said.

Check back to miamistudent. net for further updates and information regarding this story.

Additional reporting by Céilí Doyle. davisa10@miamioh.edu

Steve Large hopes to be an ally to students FROM FRONT

and community partners to help in the planning and executing of strategic initiatives related to health and wellness.”

Born and raised in Cincinnati, Large went on to attend college for a year at Miami Hamilton and then finished undergrad at John Carroll University. He then went to Wright State University, where he earned his doctorate in clinical psychology before working as a staff psychologist at the University of Dayton.

For the past nine years, Large worked at Gannon University as the director of the counseling center where he coordinated and managed the advising of students.

Large feels very honored to have received a job at Miami and compares the opportunity to “winning the occupation lottery.”

The history, aesthetics and students of Miami is what makes Large passionate about his job.

“I would describe Miami students as ridiculously bright, passionate, and engaged” Large said. “The depth of Miami students is notable.”

Large regards himself as a student-centered administrator.

“I’ve always prided myself with getting in the trenches with students,” he said.

To improve the counseling service here at Miami, Large does not plan on making any immediate changes but hopes to build upon what the university has already put forth.

Large has expressed the need for more office space for student counseling services due to the increase in demand from students. He believes a building to house all three departments would lead to a more

comprehensive offering of services.

Large says it is his understanding that despite an effort around 20142015 to address the problem with renovation plans, the funding was never secured for such a project.

An Associated Student Government Resolution was passed in the 2016-2017 school year in support of expanding the building capacity of SCS, but little has come of it.

Additionally, Large thinks more work can be done to increase his department’s outreach.

“I think peer-to-peer dialog is so important,” Large said.

Large believes that the more students truthfully and openly talk about their experiences with counseling services, the more students will utilize these services.

In most university communities, Large feels expanding upon diversity and inclusion and communi-

cating what is going well from a student perspective are some of the biggest challenges colleges face.

“There’s lots of focus on high profile negative behaviors, and we might lose sight of the engaged students who aren’t participating in those behaviors,” Large said. “It’s important to celebrate our successes.”

What Large finds unique to Miami is how highly residential the campus and city of Oxford are. By having students live together in similar places and environments, students have shared experiences and connections that end up forming strong solidarities in behavior.

Large said the accessibility of bars and restaurants within walking distance of student dorms, apartments and houses further exacerbates the drinking common denominator for leisure activity Uptown. It is also

unusual, Large said, for 18-yearolds to be allowed into bars. Until he arrived in Oxford, that had never been an occurrence in any of the college towns he has been in over his educational and professional career.

These common behaviors set the standard for what is considered typical and, ultimately, influences the university’s culture.

Large said he and Dean of Students Kimberly Moore are working to develop a student wellness strategy around alcohol, specifically.

“Seek support services if you feel like you’re going to need that,” Large said. “See that decision to seek support as an indicator of courage, strength, and vulnerability, not of weakness.” wozniad2@miamioh.edu

Secure your home for Junior/Senior year!

Schmates Home Rentals has excellent homes convenient to campus and uptown.

NASA Astronaut Fred Gregory Blasts Off At A veteran of three Space Shuttle missions and the first African American to command a space flight, Gregory will share his experiences as an astronaut and a leader at NASA. Join us for a FREE PUBLIC TALK about Gregory’s time with NASA, followed by a presentation of the Astronaut Scholarships to students Bob Krueger and Nathan Rayens.

Wednesday, October 3rd 7:30 - 8:30pm Hall Auditorium For more information 513.529.3399 Sponsored by University Honors Program

A few homes still available for 2019-20.

Renting now for 2020-21.

ATTENTION STUDENTS AT MIAMI UNIVERSITY If you live off campus and want to lower your electric bill and improve the environment, the City of Oxford has negotiated a lower cost electricity supplier.

The City has selected AEP Energy (AEP) as the supplier of “renewable or green energy” to the City residents. The “green” energy with wind as the source is about 13% lower in price than Duke Energy and is available to Miami University students.

To participate in the lower cost aggregation program is easy. Simply do the following: 1. Call Duke Energy to establish service and obtain an account number; if you have service ignore this step and proceed to step “2”; 2. Contact AEP at 1-877-726-0214 and request the “green” power electric rate available to the City of Oxford.

You will continue to receive one bill from Duke that will include all charges.

You may exit the program at any time without any termination fees. If you have any questions regarding this aggregation program, contact Eagle Energy, the City’s consultant, at 1-513-251-7283.

6 CULTURE

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2018

RIGAZIKM@MIAMIOH.EDU

Open hearts, open mics REBECCA WOLFF

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Kofenya still had a steady flow of coffee and caffeine-thirsty customers inside its calmly lit walls as the Walking Theatre Project began setting up for the night.

The organization held its first open mic night of the year on Thursday, Sept. 27.

The bunch laughed as they struggled to set up their mic stand, while students trickled in and quickly snagged tables near the stage. Some were there to participate, others simply to watch. Even those who wandered in not knowing about the event were intrigued and stayed to watch.

“The goal of these open mic nights is to bring the community together through art, friendship and activism,” said the club’s vice president, Marjorie Trimble.

The Walking Theatre Project is a theatre-based social justice group. Their goal is to create a safe space to discuss delicate social issues and then bring them to the forefront through music, theatre and other performing arts. Last year, the group partnered with the Student Veterans Association to listen to stories of combat and PTSD, which they then turned into short plays.

MARJORIE TRIMBLE SHARES A STORY SURROUNDED BY FELLOW MEMBERS OF THE WALKING THEATRE PROJECT. HEATHER MCCOWAN THE MIAMI STUDENT

Sam Adams was the first to step onto the checker-patterned platform serving as the group’s stage. His sticker-plastered guitar case and smooth stride gave the impression that he had done this before.

Symphony orchestra dedicates concert to diversity, inclusion

Sam sat down on a stool and faced his audience, all of whom were sitting front row in support. He threw his pin-covered guitar strap over his shoulder and began to strum and sing.

STAFF WRITER

MICHAEL SMITH

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Since the beginning of September, the Miami University Symphony Orchestra has been preparing for their upcoming fall concert, “Symphony Orchestra: The Daniel Pearl World Music Days.” Under the direction of conductor Ricardo Averbach, the ensemble is comprised of both music majors and non-music majors.

Averbach has conducted the symphony orchestra for 17 years. A native of Brazil, he has done conducting work across the U.S., Europe and Asia.

The theme of the season’s opening concert centers around music from the 1960s and racial tensions during the Civil Rights Movement. The theme relates to “Tigerland” by Miami alum Wil Haygood, the book assigned to incoming students for this year’s summer reading program.

“Tigerland” tells the story of a segregated high school in an impoverished area of Columbus, Ohio during the late 60s. Dr. Averbach faced a similar environment during his teenage years.

“When I was 14 years old, my parents wanted me to learn English so I was sent to the United States as a foreign exchange student, not knowing where I was going until a week before my flight,” Averbach said.

At just 14, Averbach found himself studying in a segregated school in Shaker Heights, Ohio, near Cleveland. He lived with an African-American host family.

“I learned about Martin Luther King Jr. in school in Brazil, and my parents were concerned,” he said. “But the experience was amazing and eye opening, and for that reason I have a deep personal connection with ‘Tigerland’ and the theme of this concert. ‘Tigerland’ takes place in 1968 and 1969, I arrived in Ohio in 1971.”

Opening up the concert is a new composition of a well-known civil rights anthem “We Shall Overcome,” written

by Roger Davis. Following the piece is “Three Black Kings,” one of Duke Ellington’s last major works before passing in the mid 70s. Closing out the concert is “West Side Story” by Leonard Bernstein.

The concert is part of Daniel Pearl World Music Days, in honor of Jewish journalist Daniel Pearl, who was be-

headed while working on an investigative story in Pakistan for The Wall Street Journal. The event is intended to embrace humanity and take a stand against divisive forces.

Students in the orchestra spend an hour and a half, three days a week in rehearsal. Averbach makes an effort to make rehearsals as personal as possible, posting readings and articles on Canvas relevant to the theme of the concert, and opening the floor during rehearsals to discuss the material.

While music majors are required to be in department ensembles, there are also quite a few non-majors involved in the orchestra.

“There are many students in orchestra who aren’t music majors,” said Sebastian Pratt, a first-year music composition and diplomacy & global politics double major. “So it’s a pretty interesting mix, especially being new to the orchestra.”

Preparing for the concert has not been an easy task, though the musicians have had fun preparing for the performance. “‘West Side Story’ is definitely a difficult piece,” said Pratt. “A lot of the music is a series of cacophony and weird tempos, but there are some parts of it that I enjoy. The finale of the piece is mostly strings, and only me and two other violinists have the solo.”

“My favorite piece is ‘Mambo’ from West Side Story. It’s fun, super high energy, and there are multiple points where the entire orchestra screams “Mambo!” It’s technically challenging, but fun and rewarding,” Grace Rosus, orchestra manager, said.

Dr. Averbach hopes to get the chance to do more concerts like this in the future.

“Miami is a school that traditionally does not have the most diverse image, so this is a really important topic to talk about,” he said.“There will always be an audience for orchestra music. It’s not given that Miami students will be able to go to a concert and enjoy the experience, so I always trying to find ways to make the music meaningful for audiences today.”

The concert will be at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 5 in Hall Auditorium. Admission is free. smithd21@miamioh.edu

wolffrg@miamioh.edu

Philosopher dissects fascism in Altman Lecture KEVIN VESTAL

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MEMBERS REHEARSE FOR THE DANIEL PEARL WORLD MUSIC DAYS. COLLEEN GRIMM THE MIAMI STUDENT

His voice was greeted with the cheers of the other club members and the captivated eyes of the rest of the crowd, Madeline Mitchell, the club’s president, hopped onstage and introduced Maia Aoibheil, who read five original poems. The first one titled, “Left Unsaid,” resonated with the audience as their snaps sparked back at her in support.

“The next one is currently untitled,” Maia said. She turned several pages on her heavily marked notebook, and began to read again.

One after another, pianists, storytellers and stand-up comedians took to the stage. If anyone seemed reluctant, the group would encourage them until they gave in with a wide smile on their face.

Every time the stage was empty, Madeline would perform a Taylor Swift song in order to avoid any luls in the night.

The club is hoping to perform with the Women’s Center at the Clothesline Project this week. They will also have a staged reading at the end of this semester, and a cabaret the next.

Philosopher Jason Stanley says when fascist leaders tell lies to convince the public of a false reality, it doesn’t matter whether or not they believe what they assert.

“In the case of fascism, it’s kind of difficult to make a distinction between ideology and tactics,” Stanley said. “It doesn’t really matter whether you believe the things you say because it’s about using the things you say to come to power.”

Stanley spoke on “Propaganda and Anti-Intellectualism” at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 27 in Benton Hall as part of the Humanities Center’s Altman Lecture Series, themed this year around “Truth and Lies.” Stanley’s lecture was co-sponsored by the department of philosophy’s Harris Lecture Fund.

As the Jacob Urowsky Professor of Philosophy at Yale University, Stan-

JASON STANLEY DISSECTS AMERICAN FASCISM. ZACH REICHMAN THE MIAMI STUDENT

ley has published five books, including “How Propaganda Works” and the recently released “How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them.” Additionally, Stanley has written op-eds in The New York Times and Washington Post, and has been published in Germany’s Die Ziet and Italy’s II Manifesto.

Stanley prefaced his lecture by citing philosophers Plato, W.E.B. Du Bois and Hannah Arendt.

“There are many features of fascism that we find all the way back in the history of philosophy,” Stanley said. “Prosimicus declares that it’s all about winning, that the correct view is that power

rules and the strongest person sets the rules and anyone else is a fool.”

Stanley said fascism and communism exist at two ends of a spectrum, each with their own faults. In societies that operate in the middle of the spectrum, leaders are often accused of being extremists.

“Just like it’s wrong to say Elizabeth Warren is a communist because she has some features of a communist, it is completely wrong to say that social conservatives are fascists, or classic conservatives’ positions are fascist,” Stanley said.

Stanley said a healthy democracy requires both social conservatives and liberal democrats, progressives and libertarians.

“It requires all of those things because some solutions require a free-market,” Stanley said. “Other solutions will require state intervention and we won’t know unless we have all of those people arguing.”

Although communist regimes vary widely, Stanley said their leaders all share a common set of tactics to reach and maintain power over the populace.

First, they promote a “mythic past,” when life was simple and the country was great, followed by a call to crack down on corruption. Both the press and universities are then lampooned, while the leader promotes conspiracy theories in their place.

Stanley cited birtherism and pizzagate as examples of conspiracies that the press were accused of covering up, implying that the press was under liberal control. If and when the press relented and reported on these conspiracies, it expanded the reach and purposed legitimacy of these theories’ claims.

Next, Stanley said the fascist leader promotes group hierarchy by pointing out minorities as lazy, stupid and violent, while simultaneously claiming victimhood for the majority group whose dominance is threatened.

Finally, Stanley said that fascism demonizes cities as decadent “dens of iniquity,” home to lazy bankers and homosexuals, and where people of different races and religions intermingle. In contrast, rural people are praised for their purity and work ethic, much like how Adolf Hitler described his hometown in the first chapter of “Mein Kampf.”

Ending the lecture on a more optimistic note, Stanley returned to Plato, who said the fight between fascism and freedom is ongoing.

“It’s a battle to recognize each other as fellow human beings and not just ‘us and them,’ separated by artificial categories,” Stanley said. “It’s a battle that we will continue to fight and continue to win.” vestalkc@miamioh.edu

MITCHE49@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2018

Studying the broad array of global programs Miami has to offer EMILY DATTILO STAFF WRITER

Brightly colored tables accessorized with bouquets of red balloons lined the Armstrong Pavilions. Large posters gleaming with pictures of travel destinations were propped against the walls. Students with red bags dangling from their arms browsed the tables showcasing different study abroad program opportunities.

The Study Abroad Fair on Monday, Sept. 24, advertised programs across disciplines and ranging in locations from Australia to England.

As most current and prospective students know, Miami has placed high priority on study abroad programs for nearly 40 years. According to the 2017 Open Doors Report, Miami ranked 25th in the nation for number of students studying abroad.

Kevin Fitzgerald, lead Mi-

“It’s sad because there’s always a lot of work that goes into organizing things and having the whole itinerary scheduled,” Fitzgerald said.

Typically, he said, a program will be canceled if less than 10 students sign up, but this depends on the program’s distributive costs.

The Luxembourg program, which just celebrated its 50th anniversary, is one of the more popular locations. It’s wellknown among current and potential students, as Miami’s sister campus that offers transfer-credit convenience.

Sophomore business major Kyle McClure is traveling to Luxembourg this spring and is currently taking an offered study abroad class.

“I’ve never been outside the country before, and I figured the class could help me know what to expect and how to approach my experience,” McClure said.

CULTURE 7

Scott Walter: The face of student affairs at Miami HANNAH ANDERSEN THE MIAMI STUDENT

During his own time in college, Scott Walter fell in love with the world of student affairs. Today, he’s the assistant vice president of student affairs at Miami University, and his office oversees everything related to student life at Miami.

From the office of Community Engagement and Service, the Wilks Leadership Institute, Office of Diversity Affairs, Greek Life, Student Activities, Armstrong Student Center and Student Government on campus, Walter’s office does it all.

Originally from Decatur, Illinois, Scott went to college at the University of Southern Mississippi. After changing his major about six times in five years, he graduated with a degree in kinesiology.

It was there, during his senior year of college, that Walter fell in love with the world of student affairs.

“I didn’t even know that student affairs existed before,” Walter said. “I didn’t understand that it was a profession until my junior or senior year.”

Scott was introduced to the world of student affairs during his job as a student worker for the dean of students at Southern

Mississippi.

“After working there for a couple of years I asked him, ‘How do I become you?’” Walter said.

He had originally planned on going to physical therapy school, but changed his mind to pursue a degree in higher education at the University of Arkansas.

“I just really think that the college environment is a great environment,” he said. “It’s challenging. It’s never boring — you never know what is going to

happen when you walk into your office.”

Walter’s passion for university affairs and student life would take him to various universities across the South before arriving at Miami University.

“I went to college 30 years ago and never left.” andersh3@miamioh.edu

SCOTT WALTER, ASSISTANT VICE PRESIDENT OF STUDENT AFFAIRS JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

Finding peace through loss JULIA ARWINE STAFF WRITER

STUDENT INQUIRES ABOUT ABROAD OPPORTUNITIES. JUGAL JAIN PHOTO EDITOR

ami study abroad advisor, describes the program as a stool with three legs: the Luxembourg program, faculty-led trips (which comprise about 75 percent) and transfer credit programs (student exchange/ partner universities). He says in a typical year, about 2,500 students study abroad. Oct. 1 marked the deadline for winter and spring trips.

New programs are introduced all the time. A Disney study abroad program designed for those interested in art, graphic design and marketing took its first trip last summer. The program includes a couple weeks of online work and time spent in the Disney parks. Program leader Dennis Cheatham, assistant professor of communication design, said students spent time learning how the “Imagineers design the magic” and then explore how the Disney parks utilize elements like usability and accessibility for guests. They also explore service design, interaction design and the use of sound and smell to craft realistic experiences.

Cheatham said the best part for him was riding the Haunted Mansion and learning exactly how the ride is designed and operates.

“Miami is always innovating and trying to keep up with both student interest and also topics of the day,” Fitzgerald said.

Over 150 faculty-led programs are available to students, and with such a large amount of options, the numbers of people who participate in them are going down slightly, simply because it’s difficult to fill up every program. Student interest in studying abroad, however, is increasing.

With the continual interest in studying abroad, certain programs have had to heighten selectivity processes — taking things like GPA, seniority or first-come first-serve into account — simply because they can’t take everyone.

Sometimes, however, the opposite occurs and programs have to be canceled.

Classes like these illustrate only one of several different preparation opportunities offered to interested students.

Considering how involved a process planning a study abroad trip is, program leaders and study abroad advisors provide lots of valuable insight and advice throughout the entire process.

For sophomore Russell Hamm, his international studies major requires a semester abroad, so he chose to go to Spain next semester. The idea of learning a language in the actual country is quite appealing to many students, whether it’s required for the major or not.

“I really want to work on my language skills in a more realistic setting than just the classroom,” Hamm said. “I really think that being immersed in Spain will achieve that and really bolster my passion for language studies and international issues.”

Andrea Righi, assistant professor of Italian, leads a program to Italy which provides a full immersion experience of food, culture and language.

Like similar programs, there is no language prerequisite Instead, students take entry-level Italian classes as part of the curriculum.

“We want [Miami students] to come out of here with an intercultural confidence, intercultural skills,” Righi said.

“They have to have a view of other cultures...so that when they come back here they can see things in a different light and maybe advance our society in different ways and think outside the box.”

Students can set up individual appointments through the Study Abroad office in MacMillan Hall to learn more about programs and answer any other questions. datilec@miamioh.edu

The two men sitting side by side looked almost identical — both in black pants, black shoes and light blue button-up shirts. Looking at them, one might never guess they were raised on opposite sides of a bitter political and social divide: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Rami Elhanan and Mazen Faraj, along with Shiri Ourian — the executive director of American Friends of the Parents Circle — gathered in an intimate discussion last Wednesday with about 20 Miami students and faculty,

practice.

Year in and year out, Israelis and Palestinians are stuck in a cycle of violence, hatred and dehumanization that takes victims on both sides.

“There is a sea of blood between these two nations, the deepest hatred possible,” Elhanan said.

Elhanan and Faraj are members and co-general managers of the Parents Circle — Families Forum (PCFF), also known as the Palestinian Israeli Bereaved Families for Reconciliation and Peace, an organization founded to bring together Israeli and Palestinian families who have lost immediate

were usually far less receptive, having been personally affected by the conflict. It has proven difficult for people of both sides to overcome the wrongs done to them. But for Elhanan, Faraj and other members of PCFF, it is not impossible.

Before Faraj met Elhanan, he thought of him as his enemy.

Now, 13 years later, he sees the world differently.

“I have a million reasons to hate the Israelis, but I have one reason to do what I’m doing,” Faraj said.

“Together with Rami and other members of the Parent’s Circle [I’ve learned] how much we can

UNLIKELY FRIENDS RAMI ELHANAN AND MAZEN FARAJ TEACH MIAMI STUDENTS ABOUT PEACEMAKING IN THE MIDDLE EAST. GENEVIEVE DIETZ THE MIAMI STUDENT

many of them Jewish, to talk about their experiences.

The men were united by grief.

Elhanan, an Israeli Jew, lost his 14-year-old daughter to a Palestinian suicide bomber. Faraj, a Palestinian Muslim, lost his father to a random shooting by an Israeli soldier. Many in their position would take these losses as all the more reason to hate the opposite side. But Elhanan and Faraj consider each other brothers.

The conflict behind it all has been raging in the Middle East for decades. It began when Jews, fleeing persecution in Europe, immigrated en masse to Israel, seeking to establish a national homeland.

The native Palestinians objected and resisted their efforts.

Over the years this has resulted in war and constant violence. Today the main issues pertain to the Israeli and Palestinian occupied territories of Gaza and the West Bank, and the question of whether each group should have their own official state or states — a feat that would be difficult to put into

family members to the ongoing conflict. They believe that before there can be peace, there must be reconciliation between the people of both sides.

“It’s a conflict about life, it’s a conflict about dreams, a conflict about who exists, about, ‘Does no one care about the human side of these two societies?’” Faraj said.

The group also discussed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement — a Palestinian activist group that boycotts against Israel — and the core problems of hatred and prejudice that prevent a peaceful solution.

At times, the atmosphere in the room grew tense, but Elhanan and Faraj always brought the discussion back to their message of forgiveness and reconciliation.

“They say in Arabic, ‘You cannot clap your hands with one hand,’” Elhanan said.

Elhanan and Faraj have traveled to hundreds of schools to spread this message, including both Israeli and Palestinian high schools.

There, they said, many students

trust each other and how much we can respect each other. I really devote my life to this mission.”

Elhanan underwent a similar transformation.

“It was the first time I met Palestinians as human beings,” he said. “[Now] this man beside me is my brother, probably the closest person to me on Earth.”

After Oxford, the two men plan to travel next to Boston and then New York City to continue the conversation. As their time in Oxford came to a close, they left the community with a final message.

Elhanan’s father was a survivor of Auschwitz. His father always remembered the apathy of European citizens who did nothing to stop what was happening there.

He urged those gathered before him to not make the same mistake.

“We don’t want you to be pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli,” he said. “We demand of you to be pro-peace.” arwinejk@miamioh.edu

Entertainment

8

KEELINST@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2018

Movies that are unintentionally terrifying SAM KEELING

“Batman & Robin” (1997) The second Joel Schumacher Batman film tries to ruin everyone’s favorite Hot Dad George Clooney.

His take on the iconic hero has Bat-Nipples so protrusive that you have to move out of their way when he walks past. The Caped Crusader, once a shining symbol of justice in the face of adversity, has now sold his soul to American Express in exchange for a Bat-Credit Card.

Not everything has be Bat-branded, Joel. This movie was released a month before I was born, bringing me to the conclusion that it is the Antichrist and I was sent to destroy it. But alas, its awfulness is too powerful, and I too weak.

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

Some films use jump scares, grotesque monsters, buckets of blood and chilling music to spook audiences. We actively seek out this type of self-torture, and will gladly pay to try and get nightmares.

However, sometimes movies disguise their horrors behind false genre tags. The unsuspecting viewer goes in hoping for a good laugh or emotional journey, and instead is subjected to extreme terrors. Here are some movies made by big fat liars with subtexts that may very well haunt your dreams.

“Sixteen Candles” (1984) Don’t let anyone tell you this is a wholesome teen rom-com. If they do, they might be ignoring the part where the heartthrob love interest casually says, “I can get a piece of ass anytime I want. Shit, I got Caroline in the bedroom right now, passed out cold. I could violate her 10 different ways if I wanted to,” to which his geeky friend says, “What are you waiting for?” Very cool, guys. I guess rape culture was just as casual as racism in the 1980s (I’m sorry they did you like that, Long Duk Dong). Then, the Geek takes advantage of a drunk Caroline, who clearly mistakes him for Mr. Heartthrob. These two are some grade-A horror movie psychopaths.

ILLUSTRATION: CONNOR WELLS

“Back to the Future” (1985) A perfectly nice teen boy is somehow indoctrinated by an elderly mad scientist, shot at by terrorists and sent back in time, where the adventure begins — if you consider discovering that your father was an antisocial predator, your mom has the reverse-Oedipal hots for you and that you are slowly fading from existence an “adventure.”

On top of that, the nice teen has to hope that his passive father will stop a bully from raping his mom.

To wrap it up, he helps white people appropriate rock ‘n’ roll. Great fun to be had all around.

“Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” (1985) It is already scary enough that children are meant to watch this

dude, aged anywhere from 30 to 50, act like an insufferable manchild. This film also enacted a generations-long fear of truck drivers with Large Marge, a demonic and petrifying system-shock in what is otherwise a dumb kiddie comedy.

Tim Burton made a name traumatizing kids anyway. But I dare say you went too far with that one, Timmy B.

“Face/Off” (1997) Talk about body horror. In order to stop a bioweapon attack in LA, FBI agent John Travolta must get high-tech surgery and physically transform into super-terrorist Nicolas Cage. When Cage wakes up without his face, he enacts revenge by transforming into Travolta. I imagine myself in their position, forced to be either of these two men; honestly, each scenario is more terrifying than the last.

To make matters worse, the FBI agent’s wife unwittingly makes love to Cage’s personality in Travolta’s body. I just threw up in my mouth a little. keelinst@miamioh.edu

‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ is the show America needs now more than ever ROSS TAGUE

THE MIAMI STUDENT

“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” has never been afraid to get controversial. Now in its 13th season, it is as popular and as absurd as ever.

The show follows a gang of five narcissists with little regard for others, each nursing a deep love for beer and a tendency to get themselves in peculiar situations.

They consistently drink the days away in Paddy’s Pub, the bar they all own together and headquarters for many of their antics. We love to hate the dysfunctional gang, no matter how egotistic or destructive they can be.

Many of the show’s episodes are centered on social issues, from gender politics to racial profiling. Given the cast of characters, it can be a bit alarming to see how closely the gang balances on the line between comedic and offensive. They manage to stretch the line as far as it can

go, delving at times into blackface, heavy drug use and predatory rock operas. Once you get past the initial shock, however, you’ll find an entertaining multi-layered comedy with lots to offer.

With its underlying political commentary, “It’s Always Sunny” has crept into the mainstream as a progressive and socially relevant show. It’s difficult to grasp at first: Dennis is a sex-crazed psychopath; Frank enjoys a fortune brought about by spitting in the face of ethics; Mac masks his insecurities with toxic masculinity; Charlie spends his time stalking a woman who hates him; and Dee, the sole woman in the group, channels the constant barrage of sexist remarks sent her way into bitterness and cruelty.

By their nature, the gang becomes the perfect outlet to make a point. As the show brings social and political issues to the forefront amidst the erratic tendencies of the gang, audiences are able to think through the issues in a way that the

gang is simply unable to. Their immoral actions bring up topics like prejudice and privilege, and we are left to watch the gang hilariously stumble through social issues so that we can take something from it, even though we know the gang won’t learn a thing. That’s what makes it so continually entertaining.

While the entire series remains entertaining today, a show as long-lasting as “It’s Always Sunny” is bound to have its early episodes received differently in today’s society than when they first aired.

For example, look at the series pilot, 2005’s “The Gang Gets Racist.” In the episode, the gang tries to prove they aren’t racist after being surprised by Dee bringing a black man to Paddy’s. In their frenzied attempt to dispel the claim, they end up coming across as more racist without realizing it.

The episode remains funny and relevant today, but there are a few moments that wouldn’t sit well if

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it were to air in 2018, particularly when Charlie drops the n-word.

He doesn’t mean anything by it, unaware that it’s not an acceptable word to say, and the rest of the gang doesn’t seem phased by it.

Fast forward twelve seasons to “Hero or Hate Crime?” when Charlie says the word again. This time around, the gang goes into an uproar and calls him out for saying it. The same joke is treated very differently, and the gang, while still terrible people at heart, have learned the errors of their ways.

The show’s writers (who also happen to be the stars) acknowledge the show’s roots in the attempt to bring attention to its past wrongdoings and correct them in the context of today’s political climate.

The show’s most recent episodes do not stray from touchy topics. Mac came out as gay in the 12th season of “It’s Always Sunny,” despite being a devout Catholic

who spent all 12 previous seasons speaking out against homosexuality. The most recent episode, “Time’s Up For the Gang,” saw the group attending a sexual harassment seminar after their bar is labeled as sexually hostile to women.

The charm of “It’s Always Sunny” is its willingness to take on hot political and social topics and to adapt with the times. The gang remains their old, impulsive selves, but they are able to channel that into a more relevant manner that is consistently able to say something about the society we live in. “It’s Always Sunny” presents a different, funnier way of encountering social issues, which is exactly why everybody should be watching it.

Season 13 of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” airs Wednesday nights at 10 p.m. on FXX. taguera@miamioh.edu

KEELINST@MIAMIOH.EDU

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2018

9

BROCKHAMPTON’s iridescence: exploring fame and mental health SAM KEELING

ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR

“Best boy band since One Direction.”

“The world’s best boy band.”

Thus describes BROCKHAMPTON, a massive collective of young men whose ragtag chemistry and energetic hip-hop garnered early acclaim and a dedicated fan base. Musically, they reside in a modernized hybrid of decades of rap tradition. On their social media feeds, they feed the flames of stans so interactive and cliquey that it rivals the rabid tweens normally associated with traditional “boy bands.”

After last year’s creative explosion that resulted in the fantastic “SATURATION” trilogy and a multi-million dollar cosign with RCA, BROCKHAMPTON seemed poised to take over the world. But their momentum slowed to a crawl with sexual and emotional abuse allegations against member Ameer Vann. After a painfully long silence, the group removed Ameer from the group, and plans for an early-summer album collapsed.

This journey led us to “iridescence,” a major-label debut that is their most difficult and insular release yet.

Group dynamics have shifted since “SATURATION,” for better and worse. Kevin

Abstract once supplied the catchiest hooks, and thus seemed to be the group’s most recognizable member. On “iridescence,” the hooks are more subdued and split among the group, so Kevin often feels like this album’s wallflower.

On the other hand, Joba, whose manic combination of rapping and singing made him an interesting but gimmicky wild card, takes a lead role on “iridescence.” His rageful verse on lead single “J’OUVERT” and emotional turns on “TONYA” and “TAPE” are album highlights.

Matt Champion neither impresses nor disappoints. Dom McLennon cements his status as the group’s most verbose lyricist.

Merlyn’s idiosyncratic presence feels more impactful, and Bearface doesn’t continue his tradition of closing the album with his own sweet guitar R&B track, instead being relegated to sharing hooks with Kevin and unexciting raps sprinkled throughout.

Once BROCKHAMPTON perfects their group dynamic, they will unlock their full potential. But even when some members outshine others, the music remains consistently intriguing.

The “SATURATION” trilogy was filled with smooth beats and bars exuding effortless cool. “iridescence” lacks the relaxed feel

of hits “GOLD” and “SWEET” or the rambunctious quality of tracks like “BOOGIE.” The bass is heavier and often distorted, overlaid with wailing synths and chopped instrumentals and vocals. Even the songs with the most banger potential, like “J’OUVERT” or “WHERE THE CASH AT,” are undercut with a sinister energy. There’s little cheer to be found across the album.

The darker cuts and ballads support the album’s running theme of fame’s pitfalls, and mental and emotional hardship. Songs about fame aren’t a rarity, especially in the rap community, but BROCKHAMPTON’s sincerity makes up for it: “I hated songs about fame ‘cause that stuff meant nothin’ / Until them headlines came in,” Kevin raps on “TONYA.” The interlude “LOOPHOLE” discusses scams in the recording industry and betrayal by friends. On opener “NEW ORLEANS,” Matt seems to reference the Ameer controversy when he says “Who you keep around now? That’s a big reflection.”

Elsewhere, each member deals with their personal issues. Merlyn, a Ghana native, tackles the loss of his traditions to Christianity and America in the opener. On standout track “WEIGHT,” Kevin, Joba and Dom divulge the titular weight mounted on their shoulders, whether it be insecurities or ex-

pectations placed by the public, and the group itself.

It’s very telling that “iridescence” was recorded in just 10 days at Abbey Road Studio.

The lyrics feel like they were written in such a short time. The lyricism isn’t bad; it simply shows that there were certain topics on their mind in this short period, and not much else.

The hooks could’ve used more fine-tuning, the excessive vocal pitching gets tiresome and the strange, choppy production tinkering sometimes sounds more messy than interesting.

BROCKHAMPTON is reportedly planning yet another trilogy of records. Ambition is a welcome trait, especially in a collective with so much talent. The “SATURATION” trilogy succeeded because it got the group from the underground to a major label. But the best tracks from these three mixtapes could have made one truly special record. “iridescence” doesn’t lack great moments, but they are spread amongst otherwise passable tracks. The fantastic debut from America’s favorite boy band might arrive soon. You might just have to dig through three pretty good albums to find it. keelinst@miamioh.edu

Sierra Burgess is a Loser:

recalling classic 1980s flicks, but not in a good way KIRBY DAVIS

MANAGING EDITOR

“Sierra Burgess is a Loser,” the latest entry in the Netflix Teen Movie Cinematic Universe, is the broody older sister of “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.”

If “To All the Boys” is the girl who listens to Taylor Swift after she wakes up early to curl her hair in the morning, then “Sierra Burgess” is the chick in the back of your English class who reads Sylvia Plath poetry and hates Taylor Swift for no reason.

The movie is not as edgy as it wants to be, but there is still something endearing about “Sierra Burgess.” Its characters text, FaceTime and catfish one another, but it has a hazy, synth pop-punctuated, “Heathers” vibe. “Sierra Burgess” is a thoroughly modern film, but it doesn’t feel like one.

The titular “Loser” (played with subtle but knowing charm by “Stranger Things” alum Shannon Purser) is having a shitty time in high school. Her famous writer father makes her an instant teacher’s pet, but it doesn’t make her any friends, and she’s pushed around by Nike-clad blonde witch Veronica

(Kristine Froseth).

Then, of course, she meets a boy — kind of — and her life is turned upside down.

“Sierra Burgess” is loosely based on the 19th-century play “Cyrano de Bergerac,” in which a big-nosed, homely guy feeds a smaller-nosed but unintelligent guy lines to win over a woman named Roxane. A curlyhaired, dopey-grinned guy named Jamey (Noah Centineo) is Roxane in this iteration, after he asks for Veronica’s number and she gives him Sierra’s instead.

Sierra strikes a deal with Veronica to help her woo the college guy she’s lusting after, Cyrano-style, because filmdom dictates that the well-dressed cheerleader must be dumb.

Veronica hops aboard the catfishing train, in exchange for tutoring sessions. No spoilers, but if you had to read “Cyrano de Bergerac” in AP Lit — or have ever seen a high school movie before — you know how it ends.

“Sierra Burgess” does some things right.

Its cast is not a horde of polished 30-yearolds masquerading as high-schoolers (here’s looking at you, ABC Family and The CW).

And its cast is excellent; Purser and Froseth both make their monstrous characters deep-

ly empathetic, and Centineo is more charming than he has any right to be. Appearances

by Sierra’s parents, played by Alan Ruck and Lea Thompson, are welcome nostalgic snapshots.

It is Sierra and Veronica’s developing friendship that tethers “Sierra Burgess,” not their respective pursuits of Jamey and some floppy-haired, pseudo-intellectual college guy. Female friendship is almost always overshadowed by romance in film (2007’s “Juno” is the only exception that comes to mind).

But there is also a lot wrong with “Sierra Burgess.” It’s reminiscent of 1980s movies like “Sixteen Candles,” but not just in a nostalgic, aesthetically pleasing way. John Hughes got away with cheap discriminatory gags and sex jokes with troubling implications, but 2018 Netflix — which paints itself as the pinnacle of modern progressive entertainment — should know better.

“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” this film’s predecessor in the Netflix teen movie canon (or, officially, the streaming service’s “Summer of Love”) was released in August.

It also revolves around a twisted dating

scheme, but it’s proof that you can have an unproblematic movie without sacrificing wit or quality.

The best thing “To All the Boys” accomplished, I think, was presenting us with a female protagonist who is both intelligent and girly, who is considered a nerd by her friends but who unabashedly reads Harlequin romance novels and regularly dreams up elaborate love-oriented fantasies.

The most egregious thing “Sierra Burgess” does is romanticize the art of catfishing, but what is most frustrating about the film, to me, is that it perpetuates the idea that a woman can be smart or girly, but not both.

Sure, Sierra and Veronica really embody the ancient proverb “grow through what you go through,” but the movie is built on that misogynistic stereotype.

Also, just to reiterate: it definitely condones catfishing. Nev and Max would be appalled. daviskn3@miamioh.edu

Life Itself:

tackling the messy beauty of life, itself ALISON PERELMAN MANAGING EDITOR

Upon seeing the teaser trailer for “Life Itself,” I knew immediately it would break my heart in all the best ways. After seeing it twice in less than 24 hours during its opening weekend, the film did just that.

Written and directed by Dan Fogelman (best known for creating NBC’s “This Is Us”), “Life Itself” is a multi-generational, cross-continental story of how a handful of individuals are connected through tragedy and love.

There is so much power in the ability to make people smile while tears are still running down their cheeks, though professional critics of the film don’t agree and haven’t been too kind.

Fogelman’s deeply personal, masterfully witty writing is what drives the film. The slightly inappropriate jokes and gut-wrenching realizations are balanced and well-timed throughout.

The film is dialogue-heavy, sure. But have we really become so accustomed to 280 characters or less and superhero fights for a lot of conversation to equal a negative movie-going

experience? I hope not.

“He believed in the power of the written word,” the narrator tells us about Antonio Banderas’s character, Mr. Saccione. And it’s clear that Fogelman does too.

There’s power in the words Fogelman wrote; his story is raw and compelling.

There’s also power in what the actors did with them, and in what was done with the silence in between those words.

A seasoned ensemble cast brings the individual characters, and their relationships to each other, to life. Oscar Isaac plays Will’s intensity with ease, Sergio Peris-Mencheta and Laia Costa have appropriately reserved chemistry and Mandy Patinkin is the epitome of laugh lines and wisdom.

The cinematography and editing reflect how people actually react to life, how they see and experience the world. The camera mirrors Will’s tortured mind and mimics the erratic way he takes in everything around him as he walks the streets of New York City.

When Rodrigo receives devastating news from home, we see the sun-drenched memory that immediately appears in his mind.

The film can be blunt, yes — it makes jokes in the wake of trauma and depression.

But anyone who has been through even a fraction of such pain knows that humor is how people cope. That’s real.

Fogelman is not subtle in what he’s trying to say — just look at the movie’s title. But that doesn’t make the message any less brilliant and true and profound.

Near the end of the film, Isabel tells Rodrigo: “Life brings you to your knees. It brings you lower than you think you can go.

But if you stand back up and move forward, if you go just a little further, you will always find love.”

No sifting required. Call it cliched, but cliches are what they are for a reason — sometimes they’re just the best expression of a feeling. Life is hard. Sometimes it’s nice to be given plain and simple advice from a filmmaker who understands emotion.

The straightforwardness of the message doesn’t mean there isn’t still beauty to be found in the details — like recurring pb&j sandwiches and white flowers.

The critics may not have appreciated these details, or the larger message, the way I did. I was taken aback until I remembered what the narrator told us about critics: “When critics reviewed Abby Dempsey’s

favorite album, Bob Dylan’s 1997-released ‘Time Out of Mind,’ the song ‘Make You Feel My Love’ was a source of much criticism.

Every track on the album brimmed with unrelenting melancholy and sadness. But there, smack in the middle of it all sat an unabashedly populist hit song… Critics argued that putting an on-the-nose love song in the middle of an album about despair and tragedy was Dylan’s only misstep – others argued that it was his point.”

This. This quote, this nut paragraph, this message was Fogelman’s point. To shamelessly mirror the sentiment of Bob Dylan’s album and create a film about life; to remind us that even in the middle of overwhelming sadness, good things can be found.

So don’t listen to the critics. (They must not have heard the narrator’s musing about Bob Dylan’s album.) You have to find the moments of love and hope and happiness among the sadness in “Life Itself” — and life, itself. They’re there, and I promise the experience is worth it. perelmak@miamioh.edu

10 SPORTS

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2018

SIMANSEC@MIAMIOH.EDU

FOOTBALL LANDS ANOTHER ONE-SCORE LOSS BRADY PFISTER STAFF WRITER

The Miami RedHawks lost a football game they had every chance to win because of lack of execution down the stretch.

Sound familiar?

For the past two seasons, Chuck Martin’s Miami football program has made a habit of choking away winnable football games. Since the beginning of the 2017 season, the RedHawks have played in seven one-possession games. They have lost all of them.

That includes Saturday’s 40-39 loss to the Western Michigan Broncos in which the RedHawks made nearly all the right plays to start the MAC season 2-0, but also surrendered 439 yards through the air and missed a field goal with under a minute to play in the game.

“We tried to stay cool, calm and collected,” senior defensive back Joshua Allen said. “We obviously didn’t do that.”

While the Broncos’ aerial attack gave the RedHawks fits for the majority of the afternoon, Miami made some plays to stay in the football game, especially in the first half.

To start the game, redshirt junior running back Maurice Thomas took the opening kickoff 99 yards, accounting for a portion of his 269 total yards on the day.

“We knew if we got the blocks, we’d be able to get the hole,” Thomas said. “I hit it and tried to run full speed.”

As the game progressed, the Miami passing attack came alive — redshirt senior quarterback Gus Ragland completed 22 of 32 passes for 294 yards and 3 touchdowns, while sophomore receiver Dom Robinson reeled in his first two career touchdown receptions.

As the offense gelled, the defense put the RedHawks in positions to separate as the first half came to a close.

With 1:45 to go until half, senior lineback-

REDSHIRT SOPHOMORE TIGHT END ANDREW HOMER SCORES TO GIVE THE REDHAWKS THE LEAD THEY WOULD LATER GIVE UP. MATT HECKERT THE MIAMI STUDENT

er Brad Koenig stripped the football from the hands of Bronco junior quarterback Jon Wassink. Following a RedHawk field goal, junior cornerback Zedrick Raymond forced another fumble with just over a minute to play in the first half.

Four plays later, Ragland found redshirt sophomore tight end Andrew Homer in the end zone to put Miami up 27-14 at half.

Following a ten-point swing in favor of the

Volleyball sweeps Northern Illinois CHRIS VINEL

SSTAFF WRITER

With the RedHawks down 24-23 to Northern Illinois University in the second set on Sunday, junior libero Emma Leahy reassured her teammates from the sideline, yelling, “Hey, you’re good!”

It turns out they were great.

The ’Hawks knotted the set at 24 before winning it, 28-26. They captured the third set in dominating fashion, 25-18, to grab a Mid-American-Conference victory in three straight sets at Millett Hall.

Coming into the match, Miami (11-5, 3-1 MAC) looked to restore its winning ways following a Thursday loss at Bowling Green. Head coach Carolyn Condit instituted lineups changes, specifically for the contest against the Huskies (5-14, 3-1 MAC).

“We came into the game trying a few new things,” Condit said. “I knew it would take a little time to feel good. I thought, with each set, they played better.”

Despite the changes around her, junior middle hitter Margaret Payne was her usual self, tallying 13 kills and 5 block assists — both game-highs — to earn Player of the Match. She leads Miami with 144 kills this season.

Payne’s big game came in front of a friendly crowd. Her parents made the drive from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, to watch her on Family Weekend.

“It was really good [playing in front of them],” Payne said with a smile. “It’s al-

ways great to have them support me.”

The RedHawks started the first set with a 6-2 run and held the lead until Northern Illinois tied it at 16. A kill by freshman middle hitter Corrine Jemison gave Miami a 17-16 lead and commenced a 9-2 run to claim the first set, 25-18.

NIU battled with Miami through the early going of the second set, and the teams tied at 10-10. From there, solid Husky defense sparked an 11-6 run, allowing Northern Illinois to take a 21-16 lead.

“I thought my setters could’ve made a couple better decisions in that set,” Condit said. “But it’s OK because they’re young and they’ve got to go with the flow.

We’re giving them feedback, and it’s just a lot to throw at them. They’re gaining ground every time we play.”

A kill by senior outside hitter Stela Kukoc gave Miami some momentum – something it capitalized on, as the RedHawks fought back to balance the set at 23-23. After trading points to 26, Miami won the set with back-to-back kills by Kukoc and Jemison, respectively.

Demoralized after blowing the last set, Northern Illinois slumped to start the third set. Miami started with a 9-3 run, from which the Huskies never recovered.

The RedHawks went on to claim a 25-18 set win and, with it, a 3-0 match victory.

MU’s win snapped Northern Illinois’ three-game winning streak.

Miami finished with a .224 attack percentage, including a scorching .364 percentage in the third set, while holding Northern Illinois to a meager .104 attack percentage.

Freshman setter Louise Comerford paced the ’Hawks with 22 assists, and freshman outside hitter Gaby Harper had a team-high 23 digs.

Senior middle back Meg Wolowicz led the Huskies with 11 kills, while sophomore libero Miranda Karlen registered a game-high 29 digs.

Implemented only two days before the game, Condit’s lineup changes worked well.

“I think they were gelling really well,” Payne said. “We were out of rotation like two times, but it was something we kind of expected and we knew might happen.”

The RedHawks remain in Oxford Friday, when they host the Ohio Bobcats (89, 3-1 MAC) at Millett Hall. The Battle of the Bricks is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. and can be watched on ESPN+. vinelca@miamioh.edu

JUNIOR MIDDLE HITTER MARGARET PAYNE GOES FOR THE BLOCK. MACY WHITAKER THE MIAMI STUDENT

RedHawks, momentum moved in the direction of the Broncos as Wassink threw for 271 of his 439 yards in the second half.

“We couldn’t cover them one-on-one,” RedHawks head coach Chuck Martin said.

“Two of our five DB’s played aggressive.”

Specifically deadly for the Broncos was the receiving duo of freshman Jayden Reed and junior D’Wayn Eskridge. The pair combined for 237 receiving yards while Reed torched a

young defensive backfield with four touchdowns on the day.

For Martin, a timid mindset among young players led to a poor defensive outing, especially after the ejection of Deandre Montgomery following a targeting call.

“They played back on their heels not to lose,” Martin said. “If we played 35 guys today, 30 competed and played to win.”

Entering the final quarter up 33-27,the RedHawk defense proved unable to prevent the Broncos from sticking the ball in the end zone. Twice in the fourth quarter, Miami found itself in the lead, in need of a stop to put the game away. That stop never came.

With 6:26 to go in the 4th, Western Michigan started with the ball down 39-34 at its own 27. After moving the sticks three times, the Broncos faced 4th and 10 at the Miami 16. In need of a single defensive stand to seal the victory, the RedHawk defense allowed Wassink to scramble his way to a first down.

Wassink rushed it in the end zone the very next play to give the Broncos the lead.

Down one with 2:53 to play, the RedHawks started their drive on their own 25, yet only managed to move the ball to the Western Michigan 32 where they were forced to try a 50-yard field goal to win the game.

If you follow Miami football, you can predict what happens next, but in case you don’t: it missed wide right.

As a result, the RedHawks move to just 1-4 on the season and are set to face the reigning MAC East Champions in Akron on Saturday.

Martin expects no sympathy from the Zips.

“They don’t give a crap that we lost 40-39,” Martin said.

Kick-off is at 3:30 p.m. The game can be watched on ESPN+. pfistejb@miamioh.edu

Rymsha and Uhleski flip the calendar, turn the page

GRADUATE STUDENT RIVER RYMSHA (LEFT) DEFENDS DURING A DRILL AT PRACTICE. EMILY BRUSTOSKI VIDEO EDITOR

EMILY SIMANSKIS SPORTS EDITOR

For Miami defenseman River Rymsha and goaltender Jordan Uhelski, the calendar flipping to October brings unprecedented excitement.

“How can you not get excited to come to the rink here and wear the ‘M’ and what it stands for and the tradition around it?”

Rymsha said. “It gives you something to play for.”

Last October, Rymsha took the ice for Dartmouth College. Uhelski suited up for the University of Alabama-Huntsville.

In March, their seasons ended, and their phones rang. Miami hockey’s head coach Enrico Blasi was calling, asking if they’d consider playing their final year of eligibility as RedHawks.

“I don’t think he was finished his sentence when he was asking if I wanted to come here,” Uhelski said. “I jumped on it and interrupted him, saying, ‘Yeah, I’m coming.’”

They came as only the second and third graduate players in Miami hockey history. Uhelski is studying to get his masters in sports leadership and management.

Rymsha is working towards his masters in political science and is a teacher’s assistant in two entry-level classes.

“I love it,” Rymsha said. “It’s fun. It’s kind of different grading papers and quizzes and everything, but it’s pretty funny.”

Uhelski and Rymsha both grew up in Michigan, where they started skating at two and three years old. They each played junior hockey for two years before starting college. Uhelski redshirted his freshman year, Rymsha medically redshirted his junior year for a shoulder injury and both graduated with one more year to win a championship.

After four years on a Division I roster and three years on collegiate ice, Rymsha’s and

Uhelski’s excitement to play hockey hasn’t waned. If anything, it’s reinvigorated after arriving at Miami.

Even as the oldest guy on the team at 25 years old, Uhelski smiles a lot and makes jokes as often as he makes saves.

“Every single day I come in here wanting to get better, wanting to win, wanting to do the right things,” Uhelski said.

Rymsha, 22, skates purposefully, propelled by his admiration for Miami’s facilities and appreciation for another opportunity.

“I want to go out there and play the best I can,” Rymsha said.

It’s this enthusiastic energy that Coach Blasi hopes will push the defensive core to a higher level and challenge long-time starting goaltender Ryan Larkin – Miami allowed an average of 3.28 goals per game last season, with Larkin starting 36 of the RedHawks’ 39 games.

And collegiate experience doesn’t hurt on a roster with 15 underclassmen.

“Right away, they have some respect because they’ve been through it,” Blasi said.

“I think our culture kind of gives them an opportunity to be who they are without any judgment and, from day one, they’ve fit in real nice and been able to relate their experience to our younger guys in a good way, without stepping on other seniors and our captains.”

Rymsha has taken over the locker room and weight room’s music. Uhelski chirps Blasi and the rest of the bench, and Blasi laughs about “U-Haul” poking fun at him.

Both thrive on the refreshing energy a new hockey season brings.

“Everybody here has been so amazing,” Uhelski said. “The Brotherhood isn’t just a sign on the wall, it really means something. I couldn’t be happier to be a part of that.” simansec@miamioh.edu

SIMANSEC@MIAMIOH.EDU

SPORTS 11

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2018

Energized:

Miami hockey ready for the season EMILY SIMANSKIS SPORTS EDITOR

Before Miami hockey practice, unintelligible chirps fill the air at Goggin Ice Center. During practice, senior forward Josh Melnick grins when he scores and someone cheers from the blue line. Between drills, senior goaltender Jordan Uhelski throws his head back, laughing.

After practice, head coach Enrico Blasi jokes before his first press conference of the 2018-19 hockey season.

Co-captains Melnick and senior defenseman Grant Hutton play with a soccer ball outside the media room as Blasi states the obvious: “I sense a very enthusiastic, energetic group that likes coming to the rink every day and that makes it fun for all of us.

The passion and the love for the game starts to kind of come out a little bit. Then the execution and all those things start to come into play. It’s been a lot of good days.”

Good days are long overdue after a 14-win 2017-18 season marred by a 6-14-4 National Collegiate Hockey Conference record.

But Miami hockey is looking forward to this season.

“I mean, first thing I do is smile thinking about it,” Melnick said, indeed, smiling.

Melnick and his teammates next door in the weight room wear shirts bearing the motto, “Earn the ‘B.’” Earn the Brotherhood.

“I mean, obviously, we haven’t been where we want to be the past few years,” Melnick said.

“I think guys know it’s time to get the program back where it needs to be. It’s not necessarily a rebuilding, but just reshaping what the Brotherhood means and making sure we do the right things everyday.”

Melnick, Hutton and the two other seniors welcomed 15 freshmen who now share the responsibility of reshaping Mi-

ami hockey. And, for only the second and third time at Miami, the RedHawks added two graduate students: defenseman River Rymsha and goaltender Uhelski.

The former Dartmouth College and University of Alabama-Huntsville players bring an appreciation for the Brotherhood and Miami’s facilities – something the team forgets in the heat of defeat.

Rymsha and Uhelski have already matched the energy of this year’s team.

“I think [Rymsha] fits in nicely with the type of characters that we have in our locker room,” Blasi said.

As for Uhelski: “He’s chirping all the time,” Blasi said, smiling. “He’s chirping me on the ice the other day.

I’ve got no idea what he was saying, but I’m like, ‘Are you talking to me?’ And he’s like, “Yeah, you gotta play better defense.’”

Blasi’s laughing now.

“I’m like, ‘I don’t even know what you’re talking about.’ But he’s always involved and he’s

getting the guys going.”

First-year associate head coach Peter Mannino and assistant coach Joel Beal are tasked with helping Blasi turn the RedHawks’ energy into productivity. After they finished recruiting for the summer, the coaching staff refocused to avoid a fifth consecutive under .500 season.

“Personally, I had to do a lot of reevaluating this summer and maybe take a step back and just get back to what I believe in as a coach and what I believe in is as a teacher of these young men,” Blasi said. “Just going back to some of those things has been very important to me. Just making sure that we’re inspiring them and developing them.”

There’s still three more days left until Miami open its season and tries to translate its off-ice cohesion into goals and wins.

There isn’t a hint of nervousness on and off the ice.

The RedHawks have taken to lingering on the ice after every practice – some take trick shots, some talk with coaches and others tear off helmets and sit on

the bench, just talking. The players stay out consistently longer than last season, energized just thinking about this one.

“It’s an opportunity for a fresh start and that’s the most important thing,” Hutton said.

“I’ve said it a couple times: it’s

exciting. Guys are just excited and we’re ready to get out there and play.”

Ready for a better season and a reason to keep chirping, smiling and laughing. simansec@miamioh.edu

JUNIOR GOALTENDER RYAN LARKIN (TOP), SENIOR CO-CAPTAINS GRANT HUTTON (MIDDLE) AND JOSH MELNICK (LEFT), AND HEAD COACH ENRICO BLASI (RIGHT) ARE READY FOR HOCKEY SEASON. EMILY BRUSTOSKI VIDEO EDITOR

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12 OPINION

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2018

BURNSKL2@MIAMIOH.EDU

The conversation about sexual assault has started, and it’s time to join in The following reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.

August 30. September 6. September 17. September 21.

September 23. September 23. September 29.

Seven reports of sexual assault. Seven reminders that our campus isn’t as safe as we thought.

Are we doing enough to address the problem on our campus?

Two of these assaults were reported to Miami University Police Department (MUPD). Five cases were reported to Oxford Police Department OPD).

All of them need to be taken seriously.

Sexual assault on campus is nothing new. What’s new is that people are becoming more comfortable in coming forward and the national dialogue around the issue has changed. In the midst of the #MeToo movement, the conviction of Bill Cosby and the Kavanaugh hearings, sexual assault has become a part of the national conversation.

Yet we have not heard from the university what actionable steps Miami is taking to address sexual assault.

It has not issued any plans to change the situation, denouncements of the assaults or promises to improve.

This is not normal.

Schools like Ohio University and the University of Cincinnati have seen students taking a stand against sexual assault. Greek life students are waving signs that

read “Consent is Sexy Mandatory.”

A female student at Ohio University created a GroupMe as a dedicated safe space for survivors — it quickly exceeded the 500-person limit for group chats.

Beyond the incident reports and safety bulletins, OPD Facebook posts and personal experience, people talk.

A lot of us come from the same Midwest communities — Cincinnati, Columbus, Cleveland, Chicago — and we know people back home who are considering attending Miami. When prospective students ask about the situation on campus and we tell them honestly what we’ve seen, it’s not the most flattering picture.

We understand that talking about how sexual assault is a problem on campus isn’t the best marketing strategy for Miami.

But remaining silent and sweeping these accusations under the rug is even worse. In our eyes, a university that is actively and publicly working to prevent sexual assault and protect assault survivors is more appealing.

Miami is too concerned with appearing polished and unproblematic to address what everyone already knows is happening on campus.

However, the university can only do so much. If students don’t listen, take this matter to heart, and commit to taking a stand, nothing is going to change.

This entire movement has grown from the bottom up.

It starts with us.

In our opinion, the way to prevent sexual assault

Let’s make ‘stranger danger’ a little more realistic ANNA MINTON

THE MIAMI STUDENT

When I was in sixth grade, our local “Officer Smiley,” the name he gave to kids, visited classrooms once a month to talk about “Stranger Danger.”

I feel like this is a common occurrence for most schools — they wait until kids were old enough to handle some of the smaller dangers and inconveniences of the world and then help them prepare for the bigger ones with some self-defense education.

I’ll admit, this sounds great in theory.

I’m sure there was a local, kid-friendly police officer equivalent of “Officer Smiley” in other Midwestern schools, and I’m sure they were all great at their jobs.

Except for my Officer Smiley. This guy was a bit intense.

The only way I can describe his demeanor is the slightly popular “Living in a Van Down by the River” skit from Saturday Night Live.

For some reason, Officer Smiley was always chewing on cinnamon gum, and his bloodshot eyes rivaled those of a crack addict. His pants were perpetually falling down, and he was convinced that we were all going to get drugged, kidnapped and murdered on the mean streets of Bloomington, Indiana.

He taught us what he called “essential and basic self defense,” and what I called “deleted scenes from Taken 2.”

He taught us not to try and run away if we were grabbed by a stranger, but rather to try and gouge their eyes out with our thumbs.

He taught us to be wary of any car with more than five seats and less than four windows, how to break out of duct-tape handcuffs and how to kick through the taillight of a moving vehicle if we were ever locked in a trunk. Which is exactly what you should teach a group of 12-year-old children in order to make them feel safe in their neighborhoods.

In my 19 years of life, I have never had any of these experiences happen. I am, however, still terrified of suspicious-looking cars.

I’m not saying that I’m not grateful for Officer Smiley’s lessons. His vibrancy and inability to talk without spitting on you contributed greatly to his scarring lessons. Re-

gardless, I feel like a more realistic self-defense lesson would’ve been more beneficial.

According to the Polly Klaas Foundation, I am more likely to be struck by lightning twice than be kidnapped as a child.

However, just because I am a college student, I’m 20 percent more likely to be assaulted than another woman my age who isn’t a student.

While I feel completely prepared to create a full-on “Home Alone” security system in my dorm to deter potential criminals, I would love to learn some new ways to to get rid of drunk boys who no longer understand what no means.

The narrative of sexuality is ever-changing, so many of the things that have worked in the past for getting rid of creepy guys at bars are no longer effective.

Saying that you have a boyfriend only gets rid of the honest creepy guys. The rest of the sleazebags will just “promise not to tell him.” Lying and saying that your best friend is your girlfriend gets rid of the insecure homophobes, but leaves you with overconfident douchebags who can “turn you bi.” And yes, that did actually happen to me.

The species of overcompensating man-children has evolved with our ability to dodge their efforts, and what worked in the past is no longer effective. As women, we need to evolve and come up with new ways to combat potential assault situations.

We are currently facing an antibiotic-resistant plague of unwanted penises, and we need to learn how to develop a cure before it tries to wipe us out.

Again, I’m not saying Officer Smiley’s lessons were pointless. All I’m saying is that they prepared me for the least likely scenario. There needs to be some sort of education, whether it starts in grade school or college, that can teach people how to deal with these less threatening, but more common uncomfortable situations.

Because despite how fun it might be, if we tried to gouge out the eyes of every man who grabbed us at a bar, we would have a slightly different problem on our hands. mintona2@miamioh.edu

is through empathy to survivors and through holding people accountable for their actions. Progress can be made by understanding the trauma that these survivors go through and the fact that they have to live with that every day.

The conversation around sexual assault is changing, and that’s a good thing.

Survivors all over the country are coming forward and speaking out about what has happened to them. The increased number of reports reflects this. It’s people being brave enough and aware enough to report what has happened instead of pushing it off because they don’t think anyone will take them seriously or do anything about it.

People are realizing that those things they used to write off as “that one weird hookup” are actually assault.

People, men specifically, are becoming more aware of how their actions affect others.

So we need to take advantage of this moment we find ourselves in.

It’s on all of us to keep the conversation going. We can’t wait for university administrators to speak out, though we hope they do.

Why wait for spring to have a Take Back the Night march? Why not make this conversation louder?

It doesn’t have to be something drastic. Walk your friends home, even if it means missing the next round of beer pong. Ask for consent and think about your actions.

Take care of each other and continue to speak out.

A call to action after Kavanaugh hearing BEN FINFROCK

ASST. OPINION EDITOR

Last Thursday, I was left speechless by the hearings of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Brett Kavanaugh. I went through a range of emotions watching the hearings, from shock and horror during Blasey’s testimony to outright anger during Kavanaugh’s testimony.

Thursday’s hearings were outright shameful.

Here we are, 27 years after Anita Hill came forward with allegations against Clarence Thomas, and we still have a Supreme Court nominee (and likely future Justice) who has been accused of sexually assaulting women.

Here we have another survivor who is credible and passionate, who has told her story in front of the nation, was believed by the American people and still told by the Senate, “We don’t care.”

I have not been this angry with American politics since the last presidential election.

This is not about a conservative majority on the Supreme Court, or even Roe v.

Wade. The case against Kavanagh is about whether a man who has done horrible things to women gets to serve on the highest court in the land, where he will likely make decisions about women’s rights.

If it confirms Kavanaugh, the Senate will legitimize the idea that offenders will not be held accountable for their assault.

This arrogant, entitled man, who banged his fists on the table and screamed at the Senate Judiciary Committee during his hearing, does not have the temperament to serve on the highest court in the nation.

If he can be this angry in front of the Senate, I cannot imagine how he will act on the bench of the Supreme Court.

In contrast, there was Blasey.

She was strong, credible, compelling and emotional. She did not walk into the hearing room seeking vengeance. Rather, she came to tell her story to the Senate, and let everyone know what happened to her one night during the summer of 1982 — a summer that changed her life, a summer Kavanaugh seems to forget.

I was emotional during Blasey’s testimony.

She described every detail of the event and relieved the trauma of that assault before the entire country. She did not ask for this to happen to her and she did not want to be in that position. She was strong and compelling, and the Senate did not care.

I went to bed Thursday night feeling help-

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less. Our senators, in particular our Republican senators, were already planning on backing Kavanaugh before they even heard Blasey’s story. They hid behind an established prosecutor so their optics would not look bad.

They had no intention of subpoenaing Kavanaugh’s friend and the second witness to the assault, Mark Judge, Kavanaugh’s second accuser Deborah Ramirez or anyone else who might provide significant evidence into Kavanaugh’s past behavior.

They just wanted to push him through.

At least that is what I thought.

On Friday, after it was announced that he would vote yes on Kavanaugh’s confirmation, Senator Jeff Flake was approached by two women while getting in an elevator to go to the Judiciary Committee hearing. The two women’s names are Ana Maria Archila and Maria Gallagher, and they are survivors of sexual assault. They told the senator their stories of assault and begged him to vote against Kavanaugh.

Their stories struck him and, in a moment of action, Flake pressured the GOP and threatened to vote against Kavanaugh if an FBI investigation was not conducted prior to the vote. He was effective, and Friday an FBI investigation was ordered by the White House.

What last week proved was that it will be the survivors who will change the way sexual assault is viewed in America. That is what the #MeToo movement has been about all along.

By hearing the stories of two survivors, Senator Flake changed his mind about pushing Kavanaugh through to the Senate.

If other senators hear stories from survivors, then maybe they will change their minds.

For this reason, I am calling on everyone, especially survivors and their loved ones, to call their senators and share their stories (only if, of course, they are comfortable discussing this information). The people in power need to put a voice and an identity to the people who will be affected by a Kavanaugh confirmation.

Blasey’s testimony changed the hearts and minds of the nation, but sadly it was not enough for the Senate. Ahead of this week’s vote, we as a nation need to give this issue faces and voices for our senators so they will be able to understand the impacts that Kavanaugh’s potential confirmation and judgeship will have on the United States. finfrobd@miamioh.edu