ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
Volume 151 No. 7
Miami University — Oxford, Ohio
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2022
Field Hockey wins fifth straight conference title, advances to NCAA tourney
UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT GREG CRAWFORD AND WIFE RENATE CRAWFORD CONGRAGULATE THE REDHAWKS ON THEIR MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE TITLE. PHOTO BY JAKE RUFFER
JUNIOR MIDFIELDER MARY KATE BARBEE PUSHES THE BALL UP FIELD IN A GAME AGAINST NORTHWESTERN. LAST WEEK PHOTO BY JAKE RUFFER
JACK SCHMELZINGER SPORTS EDITOR
For the 11th straight year, Miami field hockey (13-7, 5-1 Mid-American Conference) has finished the regular season winning either the regular season or tournament championship for the Mid-American Conference (MAC). This year, they won both. As the regular season champs, Miami hosted this year’s MAC tournament. The RedHawks beat Ball State 2-0 on Friday in the semifinal and then Appalachian State 3-1 in the Championship match on Saturday.
In this issue
Junior midfielder Paula Peña Martinez had four goals on the weekend, including a hat trick on Saturday. Field hockey is a lot like soccer, but played with waist-tall sticks and a solid plastic baseball-sized ball. The field is as long as a football field, but 20 yards wider. Each side gets 10 field players and a goalie. The players are only allowed to touch the ball with one side of their stick, the flat one. Interestingly, you aren’t allowed to shoot left-handed due to safety concerns. Friday’s shutout was an insanely dominant defensive performance. Miami finished the game with 14
STAR SENIOR GOALKEEPER ISABELLE PERESE KICKS A BALL AWAY FROM THE NET AGAINST NORTHWESTERN. PHOTO BY JAKE RUFFER
shots on goal, while Ball State didn’t record a single shot attempt. Miami had nine penalty corners to Ball State’s zero. Literally no recorded offense. To take a shot in field hockey, you have to be within the “scoring circle,” a semi-circle with a 16-yard radius that extends from the goal line and surrounds the net. Any time Ball State got even a morsel of forward momentum, Miami would trap them before they got near the circle. A quick pass or two later, the ball would be back on Miami’s offensive side. Paula Peña Martinez and sophomore defender Katherine Groff
‘We have to live with the money we have’: Controversial school district levy fails to pass
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY Oxford Community Band celebrates 35 years - page 5
ENTERTAINMENT The best songs to play for your family at Thanksgiving dinner - page 7
FOOD Calzones and comedy: the unlikeliest of duos - page 8
STYLE It's time to stop buying from SHEIN - page 9
SPORTS Isabelle Prese, the backbone of the championship class - page 10 OPINION Stop cliquing, start forgiving - page 12
HUMOR If a founding father were to visit Oxford… - page 14
contributed the RedHawk goals on Friday. Junior midfielder Claudia Negrete Garcia assisted on both. Saturday’s game wasn’t quite as one-sided (would that even be possible?), but it was never in doubt for the RedHawks. Peña Martinez scored her three goals before Appalachian State scored its one in garbage time. Junior back Jenna Kirby, a defensive stalwart for these RedHawks took home tournament MVP honors. Senior midfielder Luli Rosso, senior back Macy McHale and Peña Martinez were also named to the all-tournament team.
AFTER A TALAWANDA SCHOOL DISTRICT LEVY FAILED TO PASS, THE SCHOOL BOARD WILL HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE UP REVENUE. PHOTO BY JAKE RUFFER
ALICE MOMANY
ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR A levy to support the Talawanda School District (TSD) failed to pass with 66% of votes against it. If passed, the levy would have increased residents’ property taxes annually by $199.50 per $100,000 assessed value. The goal was to generate $4.8 million a year to help dig the school district out of a deficit. Pat Meade, president of the Talawanda School Board, said since the levy did not pass, TSD has to find ways to make up that revenue. “We’re going to have a work session where the board and the administrative leadership talks about reductions that we will have to do,” Meade said. “We will have to cut items, and we will have a discussion about what needs to be cut.” Meade confirmed no cuts have been determined yet. He assured the community that even though TSD is in a deficit, the school district has cash reserves to support the financial needs of running a school until they start seeing revenue generated by cuts. The last time TSD proposed a levy was in 2004. The levy passed and increased income taxes by 1%. Residents like Dawn King, who has lived in Butler County for 43 years, were worried about paying more in taxes if this year's TSD levy passed.
King is a parent with kids in TSD, and as an active member in the community, she attends almost every TSD school board meeting. She voted against the levy because she doesn’t agree with how TSD is spending its budget. “We were told that when we voted for the [2004 levy], we were going to get our new high school, our new elementary school with that money that would circumvent us from having to have another property tax levy,” King said. “And here we are.” Sam Morris has lived in Butler County for 31 years. Morris was one of the co-chairs of Yes for Talawanda, a political action committee (PAC) advocating for the levy. Morris said he is saddened to see the levy not pass, but does not diminish anyone who didn’t vote for it. “I’m obviously disappointed because I supported it, but I don’t begrudge anybody who voted against it,” Morris said. “I’m disappointed, but I’m not mad at anyone personally. I understand it.” Meade said the school district has not seen the impacts of the failed levy yet, but the most affected people will be community members of the school district. “It’s students, parents and staff that will bear the brunt of us trying to live with the money that is provided to us by the community for their children and by the state,” Meade said. “We have to live with the money we have.”
Meade said students and parents in the school district will begin to see most of these cuts at the start of next school year, but some things will be cut in the second half of this school year to start saving money immediately. One of the things the school board is considering this school year is bringing back pay-to-play for spring sports. Pay-to-play is a way for schools to raise money by charging students a fee to play sports. Meade confirmed that the cost of pay-to-play has not yet been determined. Morris, whose children play sports in TSD, is concerned with how much the fee will cost. Although his child is too young for the pay-to-play to affect him right now, he said the cost will likely be expensive. “I will be shocked if it’s less than $900,” Morris said. King said more information about the levy from the school board would have been helpful, but she believes the school board was unprepared to share more information. “Everything that was being said was kind of rumor mill from the [Yes for Talawanda] movement,” King said. “Nothing was set in stone, and as far as I know, the board never even discussed it. There should have been a plan, if it passes, this is what we’re doing. If it fails, here’s what we’re going to do.” Morris disagreed and argued that the school board was transparent with all its data. “I know very well that the school district published all kinds of facts and background and data,” Morris said. “They were very transparent … you’ll never see what you don’t look for.” As Meade and the rest of Talawanda’s school board determines what is next for the district, he assures the community that education will remain a priority in all discussions. “Our core mission is educating students, so we’re going to ask what are the things we spend our money on that are not a part of that mission,” Meade said. “We will stay away from [cutting into] the core mission as much as possible.” @alicemomany momanyaj@miamioh.edu
Miami travels to Evanston, Ill. to play Rider in the opening round of the NCAA tournament at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 9. If they win that, they stay in Evanston to play No. 2 Northwestern two days later at 1 p.m. Miami’s reign of dominance over the MAC is seriously impressive, but it seems they’ve proven all they can at that level. The next step to cementing this as one of the best runs in Miami sports history is success at the national tournament. This could be a legacy-defining week for these ’Hawks. @jackschmelznger schmelj2@miamioh.edu
Crawford’s raise and bonus spark controversy among faculty
MIAMI'S BOARD OF TRUSTEES EXTENDED THE PRESIDENT'S CONTRACT AND ISSUED HIM A 4% RAISE, PLUS A $75,000 ANNUAL BONUS. PHOTO BY BRETT MILAM
REAGAN RUDE
ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR Miami University’s Board of Trustees announced that it has added an additional year to President Greg Crawford’s contract, which now spans five years through 2027. The board also issued Crawford a 4% annual raise as well as a bonus of $75,000 per year. The raise brings his salary to $551,665, while the bonus bumps it to $626,665 per year — a figure drastically higher than what an average faculty member makes. Mary Schell, chair of the Board of Trustees, said in a press release that Crawford’s performance throughout the pandemic played a role in their compensation decision. “His leadership has been innovative and has kept us focused on our mission to deliver an unparalleled academic experience to Miami students,” Schell said. “The board is pleased with Greg’s leadership and the direction the university is going.” The Faculty Alliance of Miami (FAM) was quick to point out that the annual nature of the bonus makes it guaranteed income, so in the long-term, Crawford received an 18% raise, while most faculty received 4%. Cathy Wagner, a professor of English and lead organizer for FAM, said it was disheartening to hear about Crawford’s raise knowing what those at the bottom of the payroll are making. “Our instructors on regional campuses are the lowest paid in the CONTINUED ON PAGE 2