ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
Volume 149 No. 9
Miami university — Oxford, Ohio
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020
'I’m at a loss; I’m not quite sure':
Confusion over responsibilities leads to lack of COVID policy enforcement
Less professors, more students: demographics ABBY BAMMERLIN ASST. NEWS EDITOR Once, not too long ago, a walk uptown could mean running into
“[Freshmen] kind of came in unsure,” Gates said. “They looked at the upperclassmen and the upperclassmen were kind of playing it fast and loose with the regulations, and the freshmen said ‘Hey, this is OK.’”
down next to a faculty member at Mac and Joe’s. But the appeal of city life and gainful employment for their spouses has pulled faculty away from living in the college town. As professors move away from Oxford, the community has shifted to a more student-focused economy and culture. According to census data given to The Miami Student by Alan Kyger, retired Oxford economic director, populations for the past 30 years in the age ranges of 30 to 34, 35 to 44 and 45 to 54 have steadily decreased. Kyger attributes this to professors and other Miami employees choosing to live in communities outside of Oxford, like West Chester or Mason. “The 30-50 year olds,” Kyger said, “they’re shrinking.” The adults are not the only age group shrinking. The under 5, 5 to 9 and 10 to 14 ranges have also decreased. Kyger said with less adults in Oxford, the population of children is also going down. David Prytherch, a Miami University professor of geography and Oxford city councilor, settled in Oxford after discovering its small-town appeal. “Oxford is an incredibly vibrant town that had the ingredients to be a really good place to live,” Prytherch said. But he’s noticed the change in the make-up of Oxford residents.
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ABBY BAMMERLIN MADELINE PHABY ASST. NEWS EDITORS Miami University has reported 2,320 cases of COVID-19 since the start of classes on Aug. 17. This is the second-highest case total among universities in Ohio – about 1,500 behind Ohio State University, which enrolls about 45,000 more students. The spread of COVID-19 on Miami’s campus can be attributed to a number of factors, but the city’s lax enforcement of two key ordinances – the mass gathering ban and the mask mandate – has not helped curb the virus’ spread throughout the Oxford community. As of Nov. 17, the Oxford Police Department (OPD) had issued 15 citations for the mass gathering ban. City the mask mandate – largely because of confusion surrounding who should be enforcing it. Mass Gathering Ban First-year Evan Gates was scrolling through Instagram when he
AS THE SEMESTER ENDS, CONFUSION CONTINUES TO MOUNT AMONG CITY OFFICALS ABOUT THE ENFORCEMENT OF COVID-19 GUIDELINES. PHOTO EDITOR BO BRUECK
came across two images that he said the photos, posted Nov. 8, crowds of people were waiting outside Uptown businesses Fiesta Charra and Bagel and Deli. “I’m just really disappointed,” that I’m seeing really strong with the
freshman class as a whole. They just kind of throw their hands up in the air and [don’t] really care what’s going on.” es his class violating restrictions more than others. However, he believes havior of upperclassmen.
A new twist on an old tradition GRACE KILLIAN STAFF WRITER November is a month of giving thanks and being grateful — grateful for fall leaves, grateful that the elecespecially grateful for friends at Miami. Thanksgiving is, of course, the biggest example of being grateful. While spending the holiday with family is traditional, many people also have a small Friendsgiving dinner. With social distancing restrictions, these gatherings may be even smaller this year. On Nov. 13, one group of housemates hosted their own Friendsgiving. Recovery Room, the house that nine of the girls live in, is split into four units. Seniors Emma Baumgartner and Sarah Seatter hosted the Friendsgiving in the living room of their unit. The unit across the hall, where Bivolcic live, was used to lay out the food, which made grabbing seconds even easier. The units upstairs, home and empty for the meal. The girls all sat around three dining room tables pushed together, covered in a white tablecloth. The 13 friends, nine who live together and a few others, have been friends since freshman year when they all joined the same sorority, Gamma Phi Beta. Soft music plays as the girls gather around the table. Most notably, the room is washed in a warm glow
THANKSGIVING ISN'T JUST A TIME TO BE GRATEFUL FOR FAMILY, GIVING THANKS FOR FRIENDS IS IMPORTANT TOO. STAFF WRITER GRACE KILLIAN
from the string lights that decorate the room. At the table, each seat has a place setting with a plate, napkin, utensils, name tag and a candy cane. In the center are candles and empty wine room, all of the food waits to be eaten. An Excel sheet had been sent out, and ent dish. Before starting dinner, they go around and each say what they are
thankful for. Many say they’re thankful for their friends or for overcoming the struggles of a senior year in a pandemic. Each toast is followed by a shout of thanks and a raising of their glasses. One of their roommates, senior biology major Savina Bivolcic, is in Time to share what she is thankful for. “I’m thankful for family that understands the need to be with
friends,” Bivolcic said. “I’m thankful for friends that understand the need to be with family. And I’m especially thankful for you guys.” their plates. With 13 dishes to choose from, including everything from mashed potatoes to pumpkin cookies, most girls acknowledge they will need to go back for seconds. They all as they start eating. The only talking
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is to compliment each other for the dishes that were made. Soon their voices rise again, and they begin catching up and laughing at inside jokes. Although most of the girls live together, they will often go days without seeing one another. This Friendsgiving is only the fourth time they have all been able to sit down and have dinner together this semester. Senior independent studies major Gilly Arnold likes to
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“Once upon a time, a majority of faculty members lived in Oxford,” Prytherch said, “and that was good for Oxford, and that was good for Miami. Over time, for various reasons, the proportion of people living in Oxford has declined.” Howard Kleiman, professor emeritus of media and culture, is also an Oxford resident. He raised his family in Oxford but has steadily noticed the change in Oxford’s population. “It was much more common back 30 years ago for faculty to live in Oxford,” Kleiman said. “That has been an evolutionary thing over that time where more faculty don’t live in Oxford.” Despite retiring from Miami, Kleiman and his wife still remain in Oxford. “One of the reasons that I got into higher education … [is] I like college towns,” Kleiman said. “I thought it’d be kind of weird to have a job in a college town and not take advantage of that town.” Kleiman said professors choosing to live outside of Oxford has changed the culture between faculty and students. It’s less likely students will run into faculty outside of class and around town. “It was easier to interact with students,” Kleiman said. “[Professors] could contribute to the community beyond your teaching.” With students making up almost two-thirds of Oxford’s population, Kleiman said he’s noticed parts of the town disappearing, such as Oxford’s independent newspaper and two radio stations. isn’t just felt by students. It’s something that affects all of Oxford’s businesses. “It is a concern for Oxford because our student population has grown, but our non-student population has remained the same,” Prytherch said. “So, if we want to have a balanced town with a growing economy, we would love to have more [faculty and employees] choose to live in Oxford.” Kleiman said businesses have started to re“The businesses are much more for students, and sadly, there’s less and less for the townies in terms of restaurants, shops and things,” Kleiman said. “And that’s been a real disappointment to see.” This is something Kyger noticed in his role as well. He said he had been asked by many residents why businesses seemingly cater to students rather than full-time residents. “When 74% of your population is college age,” Kyger said, “and you’re going to open a business, are you gonna ignore this? No.” Kleiman said another reason faculty may choose to live elsewhere is that employees coming to live in Oxford are often bringing spouses, who also need jobs. “There’s so little jobs available in Oxford except the university, and it’s often very hard for a person,” Kleiman said. Kimberly Hamlin, an associate professor of history and global and intercultural studies, lives
in Cincinnati with her family. She said during her transition to Miami in 2007, she expected there to be some kind of liaison or department to help her husband, a non-acsaid. “So … there was not much for my non-academic husband to do.” Hamlin said she and her husband prefer city cult. However, she doesn’t believe living away students. “I always would do movie nights and get pizza once a semester in my classroom,” Hamlin said. “I don’t see them, like, at the grocery store or whatever. But I would always try to do things things like that.” Chris Martin, a former journalism professor, worked at Miami from 2005 to 2007. When he and his wife moved to Oxford, they had their sights set on living in the mile square, so they could be within walking distance of the university. “I think we were told, like, maybe 3 to 4% of the housing in the mile square is family housing, that it’s actually owned by families,” Martin said. “Most of them tend to be rental houses.” They ended up buying a house three miles south of Oxford. Ron Becker, a professor of media and culture and strategic communication, moved to Cincinbetter community in the city than in a small town. “Living by myself as a gay guy in Oxford didn’t seem appealing,” Becker said. “My husband … he was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t want to live in that small town.’ The kind of gay community, gay friends more limited.” Prytherch said one of the main reasons he chose to live in Oxford was because of its walkability and the proximity of campus to where he lives. “To be honest, I’m not sure why people choose to live in places where they have to drive everywhere,” Prytherch said. “They have to drive 40 minutes a [day], and then drive everywhere where they live. So to me, I’d rather spend my time walking home and enjoying my house.” Prytherch said he would encourage faculty to reconsider moving away from Oxford. “I would say that people sometimes don’t give Oxford a chance because they think it’s a small town, and they chase after the schools or a Target, or whatever,” Prytherch said. “But … we have phenomenal schools. We have a vibrant business community. And we have a quality of life that’s unparalleled, I think, in the region.” @abby_bammerlin bammeraj@miamioh.edu
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A new twist on an old tradition CONTINUED FROM FRONT take advantage of the time they can all spend
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7:00 p.m.
coronavirus has created. “It’s our senior year, and especially in these ebrate,” Arnold said. “And this is a great reason to celebrate.” Getting everyone together one last time was even more important because the semester ends so early this year. Grace Rothschild, a senior architecture major, wanted a chance to catch up with her friends before the stress of leaving set in. “This semester, we had to get more creative in everything that we did on how to be safe and still have fun,” Rothschild said. “This is a fun, safe way to get everyone together before we all head home.” Oftentimes, Thanksgiving is spent eating the same foods that are traditional for your family. However, Friendsgiving provides the perfect opportunity to get creative and try dishes from other families. “I’m so used to my family’s everything, my that’s all I’ve ever really known,” Arnold said. “This is so cool because you get to have other people’s family recipes brought into it.” Unique recipes are a hallmark of Thanksgivsugar and walnuts is a staple for one family but was a new addition for most of the girls. Some of them eat Brussels sprouts with pancetta while others prefer a more traditional green bean cas-
Senior engineering major Sarah Seatter celeent atmosphere than a typical holiday spent with family. More relaxed and void of any stress from family drama, it’s a great way to unwind before everyone leaves for the semester. “It’s just fun to be with everybody, and it’s just a good environment,” Seatter said. “All eating at the same table, we can all catch up and enjoy a meal together.” Other friend groups are having even smaller Friendsgivings. jor, will celebrate Friendsgiving with her sorority family this year, but she usually has another Friendsgiving at home in Connecticut. “I really enjoy Thanksgiving with my family because all of my cousins come home from school to see my friends from home in awhile, and with my friends here, it’s one last chance to hang out before we leave.” friends and share a meal together is the most important part. Friendsgiving is the perfect opportunity to spend quality time and cherish it with one another. “We all left our phones in the kitchen so that we can actually talk to each other because we all agreed that at actual Thanksgiving we aren’t alnice because we actually got to focus on one another.” killiagc@miamioh.edu
providing a unique blend of family traditions.
NEWS 3
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020
LUMPKIBM@MIAMIOH.EDU
“I’m at a loss; I’m not quite sure”:
Confusion over responsibilities leads to lack of COVID policy enforcement
CONTINUED FROM FRONT Despite the crowds not socially distancing, it did not appear from the photos that there was any police presence. But Gates said he’s not surprised at the lack of enforcement. “When I realized that these big crowds near Skipper’s or Bagel and Deli or just Uptown were right next to Oxford PD, and they weren’t doing anything about it,” Gates said, “I went, ‘This isn’t gonna get enforced.’” OPD Chief John Jones wrote in an email to The Miami Student that he wasn’t immediately aware of these gatherings, and by the time an persed. He also wrote that the city followed up with Fiesta Charra after the incident and told the restaurant to be more mindful of the lines outside the building. well and requested management manage their lines,” Jones wrote. “We are doing our best to During City Council’s Oct. 20 meeting, City Manager Doug Elliott said, according to his reCOVID-19 cases across the country. “I think you can witness that with the large said. Oxford’s mass gathering ban, which was passed in August, mandates no more than 10 congregate at one time. Violators can face a $500 tations.
step. Greene said the city recently edited the form to include OPD’s non-emergency number and urged community members to call that number for “a more immediate response.” Cropenbaker also sends some of the inforonly about a half dozen.
actually going to City Council,” Oxford resident Jenny Witt said. Junior English education major Erin Bingaman found the form through Miami’s Healthy Together page. She used the form three times this semester after seeing multiple large parties near She wasn’t sure who the form was going to or who would see it.
She left her contact information on the form garding her report. Bingaman said that, so far, parties. While there is confusion among community members about where the Google Form responses end up, the process of what happens to the information once it’s reported to the city is also complicated.
thinking about is a mask.” Fening also said OPD always emphasizes the safety and the department’s public image.
Jones wrote that OPD only cites people with the mass gathering ban if it’s clear there are more than 10 non-residents present at the gathering,
go into a public space … it’s important that you wear a mask,” Fening said. “Not just for the sake of wearing one, but for public perception.” Sciales said, when it comes to cracking down
“The mass gathering ordinance is a new, un-
multiple times; these are the people he reports to Miami or OPD. are unsure of where the information submitted to the form ends up.
-
it becomes appropriate, sharing that information with the right players,” Cropenbaker said, “whether that’s folks in the city, folks with the
practice what they preach. guage is not always clear.” In addition to Oxford’s reporting form, Miami has created its own form for students to report
people are getting suspended for it because it’s a simply wearing a mask.” Oxford’s mask mandate, originally passed by City Council in July, mandates that community members must wear a mask in public spaces and where social distancing isn’t possible. Violators
Greene said the city struggled with following cause the form allows for anonymity. ed to address and look into,” Greene said. “Then, if they left their contact information, we would get back to them. But a lot of people who made formation.”
director of community standards, who then re-
spreadsheet containing all the form’s responses submitted between Aug. 5 and Oct. 14. Of the 257 responses to the form made by community mem-
optional, so I just assumed they would be comparing the photos to IDs or something,” Gruber said. “I didn’t know any of the people I was reporting – I would just be passing them on the street or in a building.”
meeting. Community member Jenny Witt spoke during City Council’s Oct. 20 meeting and said
and OPD Lieutenant Lara Fening said the de-
aren’t actionable because they don’t include ing their name.
Oxford’s mask mandate, including OPD. Witt reached out to Seth Cropenbaker, assistant to the city manager, for an explanation.
phone calls. “In general, I just hate to say that, ‘Oh we in-
action.
a response to any of her reports, except one email because Gruber hadn’t included the names of the people she was reporting.
City Manager Doug Elliot asked during the July meeting that OPD enforce the mandate for citizens who refuse to wear a mask inside businage. “Our plan is to only enforce this for the most
said zero, and I was just appalled,” Witt said. don’t know who they are.” Gruber expressed frustration at the response form didn’t make it clear enough what information was needed.
said. James said she understood Gruber’s perspec-
if their name isn’t known. “I mean, I get it – I don’t want to go up to some stranger on the street and be like, ‘Put your mask on,’” James said. “But in order for us to be able to follow up with that person, we just need a name.” has is students who report others may not be willing to be a witness during a disciplinary hearing. “Some students, they’re just not comfortable doing that,” James said. “And so, if they’re not
enforced? The pandemic is getting worse, not better.” Yet, there seems to be confusion between city dates put in place. Fening said OPD is not responsible for the mandate.
citation. lice department has any capacity to write a citation,” Cropenbaker said. the mask mandate. “I’m at a loss; I’m not quite sure,” Fening said. “My last understanding was that the city manenforcement.”
happened, then we can’t proceed with conduct.” ordinance, I actually called OPD,” Witt said. “They told me, ‘We’re not dealing with this. You COVID-19 safety measures. As a result, those
out, they are added to a spreadsheet managed by Seth Cropenbaker, assistant to the city manager. The form also includes Cropenbaker’s email for Cropenbaker said the form was originally intended for community members to report conzens not following COVID-19 procedures but was “There’s already a set standard way to reach the police – either calling 911 or the non-emergency number,” Cropenbaker said. “This is really just a secondary measure.” form that include contact information, he reaches out to the reporter and, if necessary, asks for additional information about the incident. Cropenbaker also has a three-step process he uses to respond to reports made against businesses. and makes sure they fully understand the city’s sends the business a letter and for the third ofAssistant City Manager Jessica Greene said
ing to be circumstances that it just doesn’t make sense,” Fening said. “I’m sure there are circumstances that we wouldn’t, because it just doesn’t make sense to go.” founded. sponse that includes contact information is in-
tations, so she thought she knew what was next.
During council’s Oct. 20 meeting, Elliott said the city is relying more on education than enforcement. tion is the way to go,” Elliott said. Junior English education major Erin Bingaman said she can’t fault Oxford for struggling to contain the pandemic, as it has simply been cials.
porch and into the yard where he was standing. Sciales went into the house to grab a mask before
considering the circumstances,” Bingaman said. “I think my criticism would more fall on the na-
suspension for the remainder of the fall semester. Greene said there are 62 more students still waiting for their disciplinary hearing outcome. Mask Mandate In late October, Miami senior Katie Sciales was enjoying a night with friends on her front -
cially distanced from her, though Sciales rememso the city can keep track of incidents OPD has responded to. call came in, start to enter their data into the form as well, so we had a record of how our police are responding to COVID-related issues,” Greene said. gatherings but didn’t cite residents with the mass gathering ban. -
were both just following the recommendations of the administration that was handling the panon Miami or Oxford for that.”
“We were clearly not six feet apart from him,” Sciales said. “He was standing right next to us.” ing a mask because he was “enforcing public safety.” sponding to issues of public safety. “There’s lots of cases where the circumstances are such that a quick response is necessary,”
city’s response. “I think that if the police started enforcing it and handing out citations and made their presence really known,” Witt said, “people may take notice.” @abby_bammerlin bammeraj@miamioh.edu @madphabes phabymr@miamioh.edu
4 NEWS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020
CARLINTM@MIAMIOH.EDU
Fraternity bar rentals return as semester comes to a close COSETTE GUNTER STAFF WRITER
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COURTESY OF MIAMI UNIVERSITY
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CAROLINE HAUBENSTRICKER
“We’re all very aware that we’re
STAFF WRITER During J-term, Miami UniverVirtual Global Learning. With the
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Virtual global learning is a grow-
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@haubenstrickerc haubence@miamioh.edu
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“The guys have really not been -
larger than that.
masks, but our sober monitors have
DESIGN EDITOR OWEN BERG
LAURA GIAQUINTO
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was intriguing.
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@LauraG290 giaquiln@miamioh.edu
NEWS 5
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020
LUMPKIBM@MIAMIOH.EDU
Future study abroad programs remain unpredictable
Wilks Institute for Leadership and Service holds post-election support groups
HAILEY QUALLS THE MIAMI STUDENT About 2,000 Miami students participate in study abroad programs every year, according to Miami’s Education Abroad website. But, given the current circumstances, traveling to other countries has all but halted. This fall semester, Miami students were only able to travel to Miami’s sister campus in Luxembourg, and in the spring, the university will allow students that opportunity again. But some students, like sopho-
JAKE RUFFER THE MIAMI STUDENT
say they want more options and opportunities to go to other places around the world. “I know we can go to Luxembourg, but I am really interested in want to be able to choose from a long list of options.” Some majors, such as those in the international studies program, require a semester abroad. Other students are betting on their semester overseas to count for language “We are aware of these students’ situations, and we will work with them,” said Annalee Jones, a study abroad advisor. “We would not make students stay an extra semester. There will be some way to replace this requirement.” majors, some students, like sophomore art major Sophia Rosen, say they are concerned about what happens if they decide to study abroad and their program gets canceled. “I am worried I won’t have a place to live in Oxford or I will lose Rosen said. Miami is doing its best to make any possible scenario run smoothly, Jones said. “If a program were to get canceled, we would refund the student,” Jones said. “Miami is not always able to cancel transfer programs, and it is usually left up to the program. As for housing, that’s more work with residence life and help the Jones is optimistic that students
DESIGN EDITOR OWEN BERG
will be able to go abroad in the summer term of 2021, as well as next fall semester. Registration for some of those programs is now open. One option available to students is online programs, where students can take classes and dive into a foreign culture virtually. These prothe students to learn about a country’s culture. Although some virtual options they are eager to travel and fully immerse themselves in a culture. But as much as Miami hopes for programs to take place, the university tries’ border restrictions and regulations on international travel. “I really want to do the Barcelona program, but I know borders are closed,” Rosen said. As of now, students are still able
to apply into programs in countries that are currently not allowing U.S. travelers, such as all of Europe. Miami remains optimistic that circumstances will change but cannot promise that programs will continue as scheduled. “We cannot control the possibility of a program getting canceled, so we suggest registering for classes in Oxford as well,” Jones said. “You can always cancel the classes once gram.” Miami will continue to update students as COVID-19 conditions change, because nothing is set in stone. “I am eager to travel abroad,” ami will make the best decision for our safety.”
In preparation for the aftermath of what many have called a “historic” presidential election, Miami’s Harry T. Wilks Institute for Leadership and Service launched a plan to hold election dialogue and listening sessions. These sessions were held from Nov. 2 to Nov. 13 via Zoom and were intended to give students a place to process whatever emotions they had about who would lead our country for the next four years. Starting in August, the Wilks Institute collaborated with multiple other campus organizations, namely the Division for Student Life, Student Counseling Services (SCS) and the Menard Family Center for Democracy, to work on structuring the program. Kristen Edwards, the Wilks Institute’s assistant director, said the main goal of the sessions was to make safe spaces wherever they might be needed. “Coming into this election … we felt like the right thing to do is to provide space for students to come together and just talk about what was happening nationally, what was happening in the election, what was happening on campus,” Edwards said. In addition to the main group of program architects, several different offices were involved in helping tailor each session to specific groups of students. Edwards said the intent was that students could have familiar faces to turn to if they had previous experiences with one office or another. “Some students might just interact with that office and know those staff really well, so they might feel more comfortable going to a staff that they know and recognize in order to process these things,” Edwards said. To accomplish this, sessions were hosted by the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion, the
quallshn@miamioh.edu
Office of Community Standards, the Office of the Dean of Students, the Miller Center for Student Disability Services and the Rinella Learning Center. Other sessions targeted toward students of different identity groups such as LGBTQ+ students, students in Greek Life or students of color. These were held by facilitators who had expressed comfort in working with those identity groups, and in some cases identified those ways themselves. “This was spearheaded by my office, but it was really, truly a collaborative enterprise,” Edwards said of all those involved. The whole operation was something that hadn’t been done before at Miami. Edwards said the reason they felt holding dialogue sessions specifically to talk about the election was appropriate this year because of what she saw on college campuses after the presidential election in 2016. “We didn’t know who would be the winner, we didn’t know how long it would take, but we did know for sure that it would be contentious, that it was going to be stressful for students to navigate,” Edwards said, “and that’s why we were holding these things: for students to come and just process together if they needed it.” Attendance at the sessions was not as high as what Edwards and her colleagues had expected. By the middle of the second week following the election, all of the sessions were empty. Edwards declined to speculate about possible reasons for the low attendance. “The purpose behind offering these sessions was to just offer space and hold space for students if they needed it,” Edwards said. The last dialogue sessions took place Friday, Nov. 13, but students can still find support in Campus Care appointments with SCS. @jakeruffer rufferjm@miamioh.edu
Students prepare to travel home amid rising COVID-19 numbers ous relatives and friends who have sequences, including the death of his friend’s father, and thus, wants to be as safe as can be. Grayson Biddle, a sophomore marketing major from Illinois, also said their family’s health is their primary concern. “My parents are very concerned with coronavirus,” Biddle said. “My dad is 70, and there’s big concerns for him ... [Their] health is the main issue.” Following frequent emails reminding students to stay safe in the weeks leading up to winter break, the to their departure from Oxford. Miami’s Division of Student Life shared information regarding testing on its social media accounts. On Thursday, Nov. 11, it announced Ox-
DESIGN EDITOR OWEN BERG
HANNAH HORSINGTON MATTHEW RUBENSTEIN THE MIAMI STUDENT As COVID-19 numbers continue to rise across the country and hit new daily highs in Ohio, Miami University students are facing tough decisions when it comes to traveling home. Many students will soon be departing campus to return home after classes end Nov. 20, leaving the campus bubble they’ve been living in for the past 10 weeks to once again be with their families.
This raises multiple concerns for some students: Will they get tested before returning home? How will they get these tests? How will they stay safe while traveling? These questions are proving to be students. Many of them have decided to return home by car, rather than plane, deeming it the safer option. Ian Murphy, a sophomore from Virginia, was able to sum up his plan to stay safe in just a few words. “Stop as little as possible, stay in my car, wear my mask,” he said. While sophomore marketing major Taylor Kamienski is focusing on
staying safe while traveling, she’s also looking ahead at what she’ll need to do once she arrives home. “I’m going to stay safe by making sure not to see my older family members right when I get home [and] quarantining a bit when I get there,” she said. In choosing to avoid the airport, these students avoid the potential risk that can come from closer contact with people traveling across the nation, allowing them to return home in a safer manner. But still, there are potential risks of coming home for winter break. Some students are making sure
they go the extra mile to make sure they’re safe before they leave Oxford. science and statistics major, plans to leave campus Nov. 23, and he needs to take a COVID-19 test two days before he leaves for his home in Dhaka, Bangladesh. tive for COVID-19 back in March. Although he worries about his own safety, his desire to remain safe while traveling home stems mostly from a desire to protect those he lives with. “I don’t want to endanger my family,” he said. -
daily elective COVID-19 testing for students between Nov. 16 and Nov. 21 from 9-10 a.m. No appointment is necessary, and students need only their insurance card and a photo ID. In a university-wide email sent out on Nov. 11, Miami gave students other recommendations for staying safe while traveling, including “carry a small personal sanitizing kit that includes hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and extra masks. Wear your mask at all times, wash your hands frequently, and practice physical distancing.” Students were also advised not to travel if they have any symptoms of COVID-19 or have “tested positive for COVID-19, are waiting for results of a COVID-19 test, or have had close contact in the past 14 days with a person who has tested positive or has symptoms of COVID-19.” Regardless of circumstance, with winter break approaching fast, it is important that out-of-state students protect their health and the health of those close to them while COVID-19 is still in the air. rubensms@miamioh.edu horsinhp@miamioh.edu
6 NEWS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020
CARLINTM@MIAMIOH.EDU
VIVIANA SELVAGGI THE MIAMI STUDENT -
are still apprehensive about next sedence halls have decided to separate First-years who intended to have
beds and students that are returning,
Bell-Robinson
explained
that
either request to be arranged with First-year Ally Hoyas, a resident -
-
ure out what you’re sharing with your
would eventually be separated into cause I was expecting to be living with -
dates put into place restricting resi-
are urged to follow the rules and the These rules are set in place for next
“The other RA that resigned on
-
not quite the experience he anticipat-
Students are allowed to have only RA in McBride Hall, said RAs were to stay indoors but could not force Residential students are also re-
been 10 total resignations across -
organized and controlled, Bell-Robinson said, as residence life is able to
to write up any resident exiting their “I hate writing people up for
whether it be for laundry, showering, -
“There should not be a shortage in RAs, and residence life is well over-
@vivselvaggi selvagvj@miamioh.edu
Two students sue Miami over COVID-19 related suspension
ZACH REICHMAN
TAJ SIMMONS STAFF WRITER
ABBY BAMMERLIN
As COVID-19 cases in Butler County continue to surge, the city of Oxford is partnering with TriHealth
City Manager Doug Elliott said in
The free testing is available now, and Assistant City Manager Jessica Greene said any Oxford resident is
“We’re happy that we’re providing this service, and we have people -
-
“Anyone who lives in Oxford, who does not have insurance, but who’s -
versity students were handling the
really confusing and nobody really
urgent care and have a free test,”
“I see lots of students in Kroger
Long said the students were never
ASST. NEWS EDITOR
“Our neighbor was counted in that total as well, although she had only
over their suspension for hosting a The two students, referred to as Jane Doe and Jane Roe in the lawsuit,
was counted in that total even though
and so we’ve partnered with McCullough-Hyde Hospital and Tri-
-
“Of course, in any society, you have Eric Long, an attorney representplainants have been suspended until
suit in Ohio’s Southern District Court, -
-
university has rights through the 11th -
I saw a lot of people on the street, and -
the university clarifying its expecta-
on, and that was disheartening,” Snarights if it chooses, but Long was people who live here year round and
-
-
for the suspension to be expunged the district court to the Ohio Court of
vis, treasurer and CFO of Talawanda School District, who passed away
goes through to protect citizens, as
not appropriate in the federal court,” “If everybody were to wear lawsuit said the gathering consisted
issues; breach of contract, failure to
al response to that one party where
Since then, 10 other residents within the 45056 zip code, of which
the spread of COVID, and then pretty “This is not a political decision,”
ing, nor even being outside when the
Snavely said City Council has support its citizens, and one of those is being represented by Ohio’s attor-
@abby_bammerlin bammeraj@miamioh.edu
“We were the recipients of CARES Act funding, and we were
Interested community members can schedule a COVID test by visiting the City of Oxford website. @simmons_taj simmontp@miamioh.edu
NEWS 7
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020
LUMPKIBM@MIAMIOH.EDU
Western Program continues with community, service learning focus amid pandemic to,” Hill said. Daugherty also noted community is central to the Western program. “The community is so big here,” Daugherty said. “We really like to think about the community connection that we have with each other and our students. It was really smart of Zack to think of doing that 110 class, especially as we’re even pulled more apart with the pandemic.” The Western Program currently enrolls 56 majors and 11 minors. Hill said they hope to raise that number to 70 by May. Connor Moreton, a senior marketing and corporate sustainability major, is both a Western Program major and an employee at the Western Center. Moreton said he was proud of how flexible the Western Program has been this year. “When my classes switched online, my Western professors were the most accommodating and honestly the best professors to have an online teaching world with because they’re so engaging,” Moreton said. Moreton is enrolled in the Western 341 class and said his class reinvented their service learning objective for a food pantry in College Hill, Cincinnati to accommodate coronavirus precautions and restrictions. Moreton is also completing his Western capstone this year and taking one other Western class. Moreton said he would prefer to still be in person for classes and notes the abnormal semester has been tough. “Things are a little bit different,” Moreton said. “It’s [harder] to hold [a] conversation over Zoom (than) it would be in person.” Jannie Kamara, a senior diversity & leadership major, is also completing her Western capstone and service learning course this semester. Kamara said she doesn’t think the classes have changed a lot for the Western Program, but she doesn’t think she’s getting the
same level of education she could. “Part of it is still the same, except for the in-person side, but the professors have been over the moon with how accommodating they’ve been for students,” Kamara said. “My capstone was going to be a study away option, and I didn’t get that opportunity.” Kamara said she has had to find alternative ways to fulfill her senior leader capstone project within the constraints of the pandemic. “With the assistance of [the
“The community is so big here. We really like to think about the community connection that we have with each other and out students.” - Jacqueline Daugherty
THE WESTERN PROGRAM’S INDIVIDUALIZED STUDIES MAJOR HAD TO ADAPT TO COVID-19 GUIDELINES THIS SEMESTER. ASST. NEWS EDITOR ABBY BAMMERLIN
COSETTE GUNTER STAFF WRITER The Western Program’s individualized studies major is normally a hands-on, extra-interactive and personal experience. In a time of hands-off and less interpersonal interactions, the program has had to change gears to continue providing their wellknown community-driven experience. Peabody Hall’s Western Center, which shares staff with the individualized studies major, is also facing changes to their usually full event schedule. Despite changes in events, the Western Center remains open five days a week as an interdisciplinary hub for student engagement. There are still some Western
classes being held in-person, like Western 341, which is a hybrid service learning course called Synthesis and Action. Jacqueline Daugherty, director of the Western Center and Western Program professor, said the course is very much hands-on and meets outside Peabody Hall. “I knew from the start we weren’t going to be able to be in person,” Daugherty said. “A lot of the populations that we serve are high-risk for [COVID-19], so it wouldn’t have made sense for us in terms of service learning to [return to in-person] with the audience we have.” Daugherty said the class was able to continue their service learning with Miami’s Institute for Food but had to redesign the community partnerships to adapt
to distance learning. “I like that class to be a career prep class where you’re thinking about the types of skills that you’re going to need like project management, volunteer coordination and grant writing,” Daugherty said. The Western 341 class is also working on grant writing with a food pantry in Cincinnati. Zackary Hill, coordinator and advisor for the Western Program, created the one-hour credit class Western 110 (Contemporary Topics) to serve as a Western community hub. “I engineered it to invite all the [Western] majors, and most of the time, we’re just trying to have as much community as we can virtually, but it’s definitely a different situation than we’re used
Mental health services restricted by remote delivery CLAIRE LORDAN THE MIAMI STUDENT For many college students across the country, COVID-19 has meant a drastic decline in mental health. The uncertainty of the future, coupled with restrictions on social gatherings, have left many students feeling more isolated than ever. At Miami University, students are able to utilize Student Counseling Services (SCS), where they can speak with a counselor or a mental health profession-
while all sessions are completely remote, the service is available only to students currently located within Ohio. The service is not available to out-of-state or international students who chose to remain remote for the fall semester. “Students are only eligible to be seen if they are in the state of Ohio because that is a requirement of our licenses,” said Laura Wonsik, a Clinical Counselor within SCS. “Since there is no national license standard for mental health providers, clinicians are li-
“We understand that this than being with a clinician in person. We want to replicate the experience as much as possible. in order to do that, we require students to behave as though they are physically with a therapist.” - Student Counseling Services
al. There, students can discuss any concerns they may be having regarding their mental health, whether due to COVID-19 or other circumstances. In the past, students were able to approach counselors directly and in person. Following the decision to go remote, SCS has begun utilizing a form of therapy called teletherapy, or telebehavioral health services. Per the SCS Q&A webpage,
censed within certain states.” While SCS is unable to work around this rule for students not present within Ohio, Wonsik hopes that should the need for teletherapy be long term, an exception will be made. “This was never an issue for clinicians prior to the standard use of teletherapy,” Wonsik said. “Hopefully in the future, as we adapt to this new normal, a national license will emerge.”
Students are also expected to be in the same location for each teletherapy session. In addition to verifying physical location and address at the beginning of each appointment, therapists are allowed to request to see a student’s space. “Students are required to verify their physical location because it’s essential that we be able to dispatch support or help if a crisis were to emerge during a session,” Wonsik said. “We understand that this method is going to feel different than being with a clinician in person,” SCS wrote. “We want to replicate the experience as much as possible. In order to do that, we require students to behave as though they are physically with a therapist.” In addition to the restrictions on who can and cannot utilize teletherapy sessions, some students feel information on how to contact mental health services on campus is limited. “I’ve been here almost two months, and I haven’t heard about how to get in contact with anyone,” said first-year computer science major Conor O’Loughlin. “I mean, I knew there was a number you could call, but besides that, I haven’t gotten any information.” For first-year students especially, the transition to college has been marked by stress and uncertainty. For a group that has the most to gain from talking with a counselor, O’Loughlin feels they’ve been kept the most in the dark. “You’d think that we’d be a priority,” O’Loughlin said. “That they would want to help us if we’re struggling. So I don’t know why they haven’t given us any access to these resources.” lordance@miamioh.edu
Western] advisors like [Daugherty who] is my advisor, she has helped a lot in the process of trying to ensure that my capstone thesis is just as effective while we’re in a pandemic world as it would have been were we not,” Kamara said. Kamara encouraged any Miami student who doesn’t know what they want to major in to look into the Western program. “I wish [Miami] could just see [that the Western Program] is an example of how we want education to be and how it should be,” Kamara said. @cosettegunter guntercr@miamioh.edu
Are you a: • writer • photographer • designer • or illustrator?
Join the TMS Team!
8 CULTURE
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020
HEADLEDD@MIAMIOH.EDU
SEAN SCOTT THE MIAMI STUDENT
scottsr2@miamioh.edu
Party with who? Awareness campaign shows students how to have fun safely THE MIAMI STUDENT
@hua_shr moorese6@miamioh.edu
Are you a: • writer • photographer • designer • or illustrator?
Join the TMS Team!
KWIATKDM@MIAMIOH.EDU
CULTURE 9
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020
Introducing High Street Records,
‘It’s like doing the bare minimum
unusual fall semester STAFF WRITER
that
MIHAELA MANOVA DAVID KWIATKOWSKI THE MIAMI STUDENT Attention student musicians! Introducing
“Miami has a great tradition
For any artists who wish to join High Street Records, you can contact the label through smithd21@miamioh.edu or their Instagram @ highstreetrecords. manovamd@miamioh.edu kwiatkdm@miamioh.edu
THE MIAMI STUDENT
@meggy_nicole mcconnmn@miamioh.edu
@cosettegunter guntercr@miamioh.edu
10
What we still face: BRIAH LUMPKINS
walk could turn into him not coming home until I watched Arbery fall to the ground in that video. That could’ve been Kalen, I thought to myself. My phone was covered in warm
NEWS EDITOR News of Ahmaud Arbery’s death had overwhelmed me from my dining room table on May 7. He had died months earlier in February. But his name, the number one trending hashtag on Twitter that day, circulated alongside portraits of the 25 year old from an earlier date — his deep, dark skin shining in all of them, coupled with a bright, white grin — and the video of the same man falling to his death at the hands of white vigilantes. His photo haunted me. Every time I looked at his portraits, I saw my brother Kalen, 19, who was still sleeping soundly upstairs. They had a similar smile. One that I saw on my brother Kalen’s face more times than I could count after cracking a joke or watching an episode of “Martin” with him. And their skin complexion, though not exactly the same, shined in a similar way. I never knew Ahmaud, but he felt so familiar to me. The streets Ahmaud died on were his own. He was only a short jog from his home when he was shot dead in the street. Hunted for sport like an animal. I thought about all the times my brother would leave home for a short walk around the neighborhood. Never once did I think that the possibility of him going on a
completely. I stared out the window directly across from me and watched people walk by through the sheer curtains. Do they carry the same worries that I do? Do they live in fear knowing that someone could shoot them dead in the street for no reason other than a mere assumption? I rose from the wooden chair. I felt physically heavy, like something was laying on my shoulders. I made my way up the stairs to Kalen’s room. He was still asleep after working a double at his job the night before. I sat on the side of his bed and leaned down to hold him. He awoke almost immediately after I touched him. He was groggy and clearly annoyed that I was in his room. “What’s wrong?” he said. Silent tears rolled down my cheeks. I didn’t answer him. But I didn’t let go, either. 18 days later, the world woke up with George Floyd’s death. YOU’RE NOT FINISHED. READ THE REST at https://mi-
MAGAZINE ART DIRECTOR MASON THOMPSON
LEXI WHITEHEAD HENRI ROBBINS THE MIAMI STUDENT At the intersection of West Chestnut and Locust Street, a car drove past and honked once. Another honked twice, not at a bad driver, but in response to a sign posted on the corner. The sign said “How is Oxford voting?” and encouraged drivers to honk once for Joe Biden and twice for Donald Trump. Oxford resident and Miami University administrator Katie Pirigyi put the sign out in front of her house the weekend before Election Day as a way for people to show support for candidates. To create the sign, she borrowed Biden and Trump campaign signs from her neighbors, as she didn’t have any. She said her neighbors were happy to help. “I thought it would be a good way to get people excited about voting and the election in a nonpartisan way,” she said. “It’s really important that everyone who wants to vote should because the governserves.” Pirigyi voted early at the Butler County Board of Elections (BOE)
MAGAZINE ART DIRECTOR MASON THOMPSON
early, which she did since she was already in the Hamilton area. An added bonus was being able to get it done as soon as possible.
“You never know with COVID,” Pirigyi said. “I didn’t know what [the week of November 3] would look like.” Pirigyi arrived at the BOE at 10 a.m. and she was done within 15 minutes. She found the process similar to what it would be like on Election Day. Pirigyi went into the polling place, checked in with a worker and cast her vote on an electronic voting machine. Pirigyi has voted in every presidential election since she turned 18, six presidential elections in total. But after she cast her ballot and received her “I voted” sticker, what actually happened to her ballot? She performed her civic duty, but how did it contribute to the overall results? Most voters, including Pirigyi, have a limited understanding of the voting process beyond casting their own ballot. This includes President Donald Trump, who alleged multiple claims of voter fraud before and after Election Day. Outside the capital city election centers of Michigan and Arizona, Trump’s supporters gathered chanting “Stop the vote!” It’s normal and necessary to count votes after Election Day. Absentee ballots in Ohio are counted as long as they are postmarked by Election Day and received by November 13. It’s also normal for results to change after Election Day as more votes are counted. “It’s really important to understand that and to know that
we’re expecting change,” said Eric Corbin, Deputy Director of the Butler County BOE. “There’s always been change. It’s not going to change a lot, but occasionally, we have results on election night that are really close.” When elections like this one are so polarizing, it’s hard to have faith in the results and it’s easy to fear that something will go wrong. But the one thing in an election that can be trusted is arguably the most important: the counting of the ballots, which is done by members of both parties working together. In order for the voting process to be fair, every job from beginning to end has to be done by two poll opposing parties. This includes mailing out absentee ballots, checking in voters on Election Day and counting votes. The exception to this required pairing is if a poll worker is not registered with a party and did not vote in the primary election. Election members of a political party for there to be a balance. “There’s a Democrat and a Republican in all stages, and that usually helps a lot of people who call in that have distrust [in the voting process],” Corbin said. YOU’RE NOT FINISHED. READ THE REST at https://mi-
A Hypochondriac in a pandemic JENNA CALDERÓN ASST. CULTURE EDITOR “My fallopian tube hurts,” I grumbled. “I think I twisted my fallopian tube.” I was nine, sitting at the dining room table with my family. My abdomen cramped up and my eyes grew wide with fear of the unknown. I looked down at my plate — the food perfectly divided and counted out into sections — and pushed it away. In a matter of seconds, I’d determined I was dying. ing dinner? My parents laughed and laughed. They knew I’d just swallowed some food the wrong way or something.
grinned. “Do you even know what a fallopian tube is?” My parents still tell this story at parties and family gatherings over a decade later, and I don’t blame them. Out of context, it’s funny: A little girl cries out that she’s injured a reproductive organ by eating? What nonsense! But days, months and years infamous Night of the Fallopian Tube became more frequent. I went from cute, to drama queen, me. I was like a worn out comedian, and my audience was growing less amused and more exhausted and annoyed of my ridiculous health obsessions. Only, I was never trying to be funny.
Of all the diagnoses I’ve attempted to give myself over the years, Hypochondria (Illness Anxiety) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder are some of the only ones that have been accurate. From what I can remember, I’ve grappled with them since that day at the dinner table, and even a little before. under control last year, though. Then a pandemic hit and gave me a whole new set of anxieties to add to my list. You actually can twist your fallopian tubes, by the way. It’s called adnexal torsion. You didn’t think I’d just make something up, did you? YOU’RE NOT FINISHED. READ THE REST at https://mi-
THE MIAMI STUDENT MAGAZINE ANNIE JACQUEMIN
Sports
11
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020
NELSO156@MIAMIOH.EDU
RedHawks look to start 2020-21 strong following March momentum JACK MUELLER THE MIAMI STUDENT The end of the 2019-20 men’s basketball season was a rollercoaster for the Miami RedHawks. After a dismal start to the new year in which the team went 3-14 before netting back-to-back conference wins, there was little optimism or expectation heading into the Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament. Yet despite entering the tournament as the 12th seed and having all of the odds stacked against them, Miami prevailed behind a career-high 31 points from guard Nike
BAILEY ALTHAUSER THE MIAMI STUDENT Miami’s men’s and women’s cross country teams have had a promising start to their shortened season. place at a meet against Ball State and were runners-up at Bowling Green last weekend. The MAC Championship will be held at Bowling Green on Nov. 21. Last year, both RedHawk teams re-
Suddenly, the momentum was playing into the RedHawks’ favor, and there was a sense of optimism heading into a second-round matchup against Northern Illinois.
year, they are hoping to come home Head coach Tom Chorney says training this year has been very dif-
we were playing our best basketball,” head coach Jack Owens said. “The things we were doing to help us win those games are what we want to carry over to this year.” The rollercoaster came to a screeching halt soon after. On March 12, the same day Miami was scheduled to face the NIU Huskies, the NCAA dropped a bombshell announcement that its championship tournament had been in America, including the MAC, followed suit by ending their conference tournaments and, in turn, the RedHawks’ season. Sure, it’s unlikely that Miami would continue to upset every conference opponent and enter the NCAA Tournament, but who knows? Stranger things have happened. This would not be the last bad news Miami would receive during the sports hiatus, as its star player announced he would not be returning to the RedHawks for the 2020 season. Sibande, who had averaged option, decided to transfer to the University of Pittsburgh to further his basketball career, leaving a gaping hole in Owens’ rotation. So how will this team, already down a key player, respond this year down to how the former understudies to Sibande handle their new roles, as well as relying on several key upperclassmen and a talented crop of freshmen. Owens remains optimistic. “With the guys on the roster, I feel good about the direction this team is going,” he said. This is a critical year for Owens and his players. In his three years as head coach in Oxford, the RedHawks
to complete on their own and couldn’t monitor if their runners were actually doing them. “Half of the team did really well with that,” Chorney said. “And some of them really lost motivation when the virus was causing such ting back into shape from that.” Chorney said the team used the themselves into shape” because most of the athletes are still gainOne of the team’s biggest advantages is its strong front pack. Chorwomen who could interchangeably be No. 1 on any given day. Junior Katie Vitiou took the individual title for the women at Ball State with her personal best time of 21:41.3. Chorney said she will be very valuable if she can run like WITHOUT NIKE SIBANDE, DALONTE BROWN (PICTURED) WILL BE COUNTED ON AS A SENIOR LEADER THIS SEASON. THE MIAMI STUDENT MACY WHITAKER
higher than third in the MAC East, season left on his contract. The RedHawks do have some experienced talent at their disposal this year, as their returning core is highlighted by senior forward Dalonte guard Isaiah Coleman-Lands and was named the TMS Most Improved Player last season). These three, along with role players such as guard Mekhi Lairy and forward Precious Ayah must all grow into their roles in order for the RedHawks to play at their highest level. “We’re older, we have guys going into their third and fourth years, so we’re aiming to be a more consistent
team this year,” Owens said. “This is a team that is going to play the brand of basketball that we want — in regards to playing hard, playing together and playing smart.” The depth behind these players is incredibly young but carries heaps of potential. The underclassmen are highlighted by guard Dae Dae Grant, who made the All-MAC freshman team with nine points per game on 36% shooting, and Javin Etzler, the best shooter on the team, says Owens. The underclassmen have the pofor Owens this season. The incoming freshman core features a 2,000+ point high school scorer (forward Luka Eller) and a member of the Ohio All-State First Team (guard
Battle of the Bricks football game canceled Tuesday due to COVID
Bryson Tatum). Owens also added 6-foot-11 center Jackson Ames to give his team some height and presence in the paint. Make no mistake, the MAC is no cakewalk of a conference, especially in Miami’s division. Akron, Bowling win seasons and defeated Miami in (Bowling Green fell to the RedHawks on Feb. 29.) The task looms large for the RedHawks in this extraordinary the late burst of success from last season and add some consistency, a special season may be in the cards at Millett Hall.
as long as they can make it through the next 10 days without any COVID issues. “I’ve learned the hard way that when I think we have a really good shot to win, we can still lose,” Chordent. We still have to show up and perform on the day.” @baileyalthauser althaube@miamioh.edu
@jack_mueller15 muelle31@miamioh.edu
MICHAEL VESTEY STAFF WRITER The Mid-American Conference (MAC) announced on Sunday that the Ohio University at Miami University football game, originally scheduled to be played Tuesday, has been canceled and will be declared a “no contest.” It will not be rescheduled or otherwise While neither Miami nor the MAC have released additional information along with the statement of cancellation, Ohio included comments from both Director of Athletics Julie Cromer and head football coach Frank Solich. “The ‘Battle of the Bricks’ is a rivalry game we look forward to every season,” Solich’s statement reads. “The decision to cancel the game was based on roster issues due to test results and contact tracing. Out of caution, we’ve made the proactive decision to limit our team activities for now. We look
AFTER OHIO WON FIVE STRAIGHT AGAINST MIAMI, THE REDHAWKS ARE ON A WINNING STREAK OF THEIR OWN, CLAIMING THE LAST TWO BATTLES OF THE BRICKS. THE MIAMI STUDENT JUGAL JAIN
Emily Akin to have a breakthrough race and be a strong competitor. On the men’s team, senior Sean ieri will be some of the strongest runners. Chorney believes both teams have potential to step it up and
soon and competing.” The cancellation comes at a time when COVID-19 cases are rising at
a record rate across the state, with While Athens County, home of Ohio University, is currently under only a Level 2 Public Emergency in the Ohio Public Health Advisory Sysrently under a Level 3 Public Emergency, denoting “very high exposure and spread.” Ohio University is also seeing a general rise in cases, with two residence halls under the university’s Red dents testing positive in the last week. the MAC to be canceled, although it FBS games across the country were postponed, rescheduled or canceled. Miami remains 1-1 in conference will see an extended break due to the conference’s return to Saturday play. The RedHawks’ next scheduled game @VesteyTMS vesteymj@miamioh.edu
‘Hawks Talk “It’s devastating, it’s gut-wrenching, it’s frustrating. You wanna slam your helmet, you wanna yell and scream … It’s too late for that. Yelling and screaming doesn’t change 42-10.”
Opinion
12
WOLFFRG@MIAMIOH.EDU
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2020
STAFF EDITORIAL
We want our law enforcement to, well, enforce the law It’s easy to see the many ways in which Oxford has changed since the pandemic began in March. What’s also easy to see is how much it hasn’t. Numerous photos of people spilling out of Fiesta Charra, Skipper’s and Bagel & Deli have spread around town. Videos of students throwing parties with no masks have ended up on phones across campus and the entire country thanks to TMZ and other national news outlets. We can see why you’d immediately look toward the students when determining who to blame. But Oxford’s mishandling of safety measure enforcement during this pan-
we know they are lenient with mass gatherings in part because, as Chief John Jones said back in August, they believe it impedes on our First Amendment rights and we know they don’t even wear masks every time they come in contact with people. None of this makes any sense.
board with their guidelines for public safety and getting
it. There is distinct irony in the fact that they don’t need to wear masks when responding to “public safety threats.” You would think that the city would be holding this department accountable for their lack of enforcement, but communication is lacking between the two. And that begs another question — why? Our thought is that if the city really wanted to do something about it, it would. Instead, confusion persists, with OPD and the city believing it’s up to the other to enforce the mask mandate. The bottom line is this — OPD needs to step up, do its
continue to put the very community it’s meant to serve at risk. We know they don’t investigate most of the COVID violations that students and community members report,
So much of the reason these parties continue to go on and the mask-less crowds on High Street continue to gather is because everyone knows they won’t face any consequences for their actions. The police have allowed students
communication between City Council and other administrators and the Oxford Police Department (OPD).
to carry on like normal and not much has been done to stop them. own, there’s not much Miami can do to help as far as masks and social distancing goes. Unlike the literal school itself, the city seems to think education is the best form of enforcement. But here’s the thing — we’re nearly a year into this pandemic, we’re all adults who are fully aware of what’s going on, and if you’re not educated at this point, then you’re living under a rock. the rules. We want it for OPD, too. It’s called law enforcement, not law education. It’s not ly when those people are more than well-educated on the enforce the law put in place by those above them and the people in their own community. They’re meant to be keeping us safe. We don’t think that’s asking too much.
All I want for Christmas I’ll take ‘Anything to have you back’ for $1,000, Alex is ... nothing JENNA CALDERÓN
ASST. CULTURE EDITOR I walked out of the grocery store $15 poorer than I was earlier that day. Jogging through the parking lot to my car, I slid into the driver’s seat and peered into my plastic bag. I discarded the receipt into the graveyard where its brothers and sisters lie: the pocket of my car door. Inside the bag? Two bottles of kombucha. For my friends who are bad at math, that is $7.50 for each, and payday wasn’t for another couple days. I won’t disclose the exact amount left in my bank account because I have a little bit of pride mated text messaging system was not happy with me. Before my pitstop for overpriced fermented trying to pull together, picking up various, unnecessary items along the way.
I hopped back in my car for the upteempth time that day to go get the dinner of champions: two medium pizzas and an order of garlic bread. doing homework and getting frequently distracted by YouTube and Pinterest, both of which encouraged my most favorite pastime: online shopping. UNiDAYS apps on my phone and began my routine of scrolling without the intent of buy-
something that catches my eye. My scrolling was interrupted by a follow-up message from Huntington, reminding me yet again that I’d been an irresponsible, consistent consumer of almost anything that was put in front of me. I suddenly felt really bad about my spending habits. The truth is, it’s easy to be a consumer. You buy a little something here, a little something there, and you can ignore, temporarily, the fact that all of those little things will eventually add up. Looking through my spending history, I added
“The truth is, it’s easy to be a consumer. You buy a little something here, a little something there, and you can ignore, temporarily, the fact that all of those little things will eventually add up.”
A stationary set from TJ Maxx. A bag of Lay’s potato chips from the gas station. Some chapstick from Walmart. in my phone. “Vroom Vroom” by Charli XCX pumped through my speakers as I drove home, and I contemplated what I wanted to make for dinner. My car screeched into the driveway, and I walked into the kitchen, making a beeline for the fridge to scavenge. It was evident days prior that we needed to go grocery shopping and still had yet to do so. Of all the things on my mind and even given my love for spending money, going to Kroger is never at the top of my priority list. On the other side of the kitchen sat a pile of mail. On top, an ad for Papa John’s. “Pizza for dinner?” I texted my housemates.
runs, late night milkshakes from UDF, a cute pair of shoes and a bottle of nail polish, to name a few. I stopped adding once I got to a number that was
of my utility bills. The worst part — aside from realizing how much money I’d thrown down the drain — was that I couldn’t es. They didn’t enhance my life or make me happier. They weren’t necessary. As the holiday season approaches, I’m reminded of all the things I’ve “wanted” in past years simply because I am the color scheme to an advertisement and I’m sold. But what happened to all the things I so desperately wanted? They ended up under my bed or hidden away in my closet. Granted, I’m not getting toys anymore so much as things like clothes, technology and some fancy writing utensils, but my point still So this year, when I’m writing my letter to Santa, I’ll be sure to ask for the one thing that I know I’ll use. The one thing I know won’t go to waste. one pair of matching socks.
DAVID KWIATKOWSKI CULTURE & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Alex Trebek died, you guys. WTF? This is the absolute last thing I needed to happen in addition to everything that has already happened this year. I grew up watching “Jeopardy!” and my dad and I always made it a point to watch it when it came on at 5 p.m. every day after we were done with school and work. When I was younger, I obviously knew less and would grow frustrated with not knowing any of the answers (or questions) unless it had anything to do with pop music or verb tenses. But I remember watching Trebek never once make fun of or chastise a contestant too harshly if they didn’t know the answer. Sure, the man could be a savage sometimes. But my understanding and interpretation of Trebek was that everyone that comes on “Jeopardy!” was there for a reason and this was reflected in his cheerleader-like demeanor as host. I can distinctly remember where I was the exact moment when my AP World History class paid off and I knew that the Ottoman Empire was fall. It was a Daily Double.
kindness and genuine interest in the contestants’ lives always brought a smile to my face and made my heart warm. Recently, my friend group & I bingewatched the entirety of the College Championship and cheered each other on when we got the correct answers. We also competed to impress Trebek, because I think he represents a reflection of anyone being able to learn more. I bet you Trebek was a very smart man, but I doubt he knew every single thing the contestants were tested on. Whether he knew it or not, Trebek was an honorary educator because I have learned so much from “Jeopardy!” Like, can Harvard give him a posthumous honorary degree, please and thank you?
“[Alex] provided me with a sense of normalcy amongst a time where it’s hard to even remember what that feels like.”
screaming as if I had cord-breaking champion. I made myself proud, but in a way, I swer to Trebek. I went to my AP World History teacher the next day and excitedly recounted my tale of “Jeopardy!” genius. Not sure if she was too pleased with the fact that I ended up not taking the AP test, but I wagered my self-confidence and won it in a Daily Double and that was enough for me. During early quarantine, my dad’s and my daily event was watching the back-toback episodes of “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune.” Even if we didn’t particularly like the contestants or the categories, we watched for Trebek. He provided me with a sense of normalcy amongst a time where it’s hard to even remember what that feels like. His
His perseverance in the face of his Stage IV pancreatic cancer was beyond admirable. He cemented himself in his legend status. And yes, if you’re wondering how many times I have seen the video of Trebek getting emotional after a contestant wished him luck on his recovery — too many to count. He published his memoir a couple months before his passing last week, and I haven’t read it, but I am adding it to my Wishlist on Amazon as we speak. I do not know what the future of “Jeopbringing the same elegance and grace that Trebek brought to the role. Thank you, Mr. Trebek. It was an honor learning from you.