Mar. 23, 2010 | The Miami Student

The Miami Student Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826

VOLUME 137 NO. 46

MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIO

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

In 1948, The Miami Student reported nine representatives from Miami University would be attending the National Intercollegiate Assembly of the United Nations. The event was held at the University of Chicago and each university represented a different country.

Rating sites prove influential

CAMPUS

Debates begin for student body elections

Survey reflects on factors in choosing classes, professors

By Hannah Poturalski News Editor

As class registration looms around the corner, many students rely on Web sites such as RateMyProfessors.com (RMP) to determine the classes and teachers they sign up for.

A recent survey done by Kaplan Test Prep tackles this growing trend.

Jeff Olson, vice president of research at Kaplan Test Prep (KTP), said they do research about issues and trends affecting the college experience.

From December 2009 to January, KTP surveyed around 1,200 pre-law and pre-medicine students from the professor-rating Web site era.

Numerous questions were asked about awareness and use of these Web sites.

Olson said a noteworthy 73 percent had used professor-rating Web sites. This stands out because 86 percent of four-year college students use Facebook.com.

“Little old Rate My Professors has nearly as many users as Facebook,” Olson said.

“We’re living in an age when Internet makes information transparent.”

Olson emphasized “shopping for an easy grader” is not the main reason students use RMP. According to a KTP press release, 77 percent of students said prior student comments was the biggest factor in choosing classes. The second and third most influential factors were overall quality of professor and engaging teaching style. Easy grading reputation was the fourth most considered factor.

First-year Kevin Irizarry, a journalism and international studies double major, said he only uses RMP once a semester around registration time and looks for the fairest teacher.

“Rate My Professors is good at giving a teacher’s attitude toward the generation of students we are,” Irizarry said. “We expect

By Catherine Couretas Editor in Chief

Who are Miami’s top-rated professors?

w

’Hawks head to NCAA hockey tourney

At 6:20 a.m. Sunday, officers met with a 19-yearold female from Chicago who was visiting a friend at Miami University regarding a possible rape.

By Erika Hadley Senior Staff Writer

The female reportedly told police she and her friend were at Stadium Sports Bar & Grille during the night until close. She told police she then left with three males she did not know.

Last weekend was huge for the Miami University men’s hockey team, and though the RedHawks didn’t come away with the CCHA title, they still have a lot to smile about.

Miami Head Coach Enrico Blasi always prides himself on his program’s family-oriented team focus, but the spotlight shone brighter on a few outstanding faces as the Red and White dominated the CCHA Awards at Thursday night’s honorary banquet.

Friday’s semifinal contest v. the University of Michigan (UM) saw the RedHawks flounder their way to a 5-2 loss, but an unforeseen roster shakeup on Saturday brought fresh energy to the ice that propelled the Brotherhood to a 2-1 win over Ferris State University (FSU) in the third place game.

Along the way, Miami secured the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament bracket.

“If this team ends up being the No. 1 seed overall,

According to police reports, the males took her to a location she did not know or remember, but officers later determined it was outside the City of Oxford.

The victim reportedly has limited memory of what happened.

The friend she was visiting reportedly told police they were at the bar together, she turned around and her friend was gone.

The case is now being handled by Oxford Township Police because the alleged rape occurred outside the city limits. The investigation is continuing.

THE

INSIDESCOOP

MAGAZINE MAYHEM

ED2010, an online magazine community, launches at Miami.

CAMPUS, page 3

that’s a pretty good season,” Blasi said after his team’s victory over FSU. “You want to go into the tournament on a winning note and I’m just really proud of our guys.

I know yesterday was disappointing but today was a good day, and right now we start our quest to get back here to Detroit (for the Frozen Four).”

Before a single puck dropped at Joe Louis Arena, Thursday evening featured a night of camaraderie and congratulations at the CCHA Awards at Fox Theatre in Detroit. The suits and tuxedos worn by the Brotherhood juxtaposed comically with the mullet-style playoff haircuts each member of the team was sporting.

The RedHawks collected on all four of the specialty awards they were nominated for, and the ceremony took a serious turn when Blasi stepped up to accept Coach of the Year. The Brotherhood’s normally tight-lipped leader delivered a heartfelt speech detailing the hardships he and the team have endured in the past year and giving thanks to his many families, from his daughters

ONLY

WWW.MIAMISTUDENT.NET

Delta Airlines decrease their services at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport.

Students have access to a new range of military-themed courses.

COMMUNITY, page 4

CAMPUS, page 7

FULL STEAM AHEAD

wSee HOCKEY, page 10 u

TAKE A NOSEDIVE

THREE SQUARE MEALS, LEFT, RIGHT, PLEASE! LEFT CAMPUS, page 2

wSee DEBATE, page 11

SPORTS

19-year-old female reports rape

Fraternity members requesting meal plans for sophomores off campus.

Tuesday night will be a landmark in election history, as the first debate for student body elections will take place in Hall Auditorium in order to have more space for students to get up close with the candidates.

Jonathan McNabb, student body president, said this debate would be a good opening for candidates to start discussing their platforms.

“You’re able to see from their answers how engaged they’ve been and how passionate they are about the positions they’re running for,” McNabb said.

Ryan Horvath, candidate for student body president, agreed.

“It’s a great way for each candidate to be given the time and fully explain what they’re thinking for the future,” Horvath said.

Horvath said it was key for students to attend.

“It involves them (students) as

more compromise.” grade inflation will have on college GPAs. Irizarry said everyone’s mentality when they “GPA will lose relevance as a measure of log onto RMP is “whatever it takes to raise my academic performance and standardized tests grade point average (GPA).” will be the only available objective yardstick Olson said they chose pre-law and pre- left,” Olson said. medicine students because those populations William Hardesty, English professor, said are especially concerned about GPA. Olson with grade inflation, all students become said the majority of students only use RMP to above average. read reviews and a smaller number actually “You can’t tell whether the person is a solid write reviews. student, or if when the grades were stretched out Senior Jonathan Chananie, sports studies ma- they would really deserve a C,” Hardesty said. jor, said he also looks at RMP every semester.

Hardesty has been teaching at Miami 41 years “I never and said he’s look speseen an atticifically tude change for an easy in students teacher,” over time.

“Students Chananie have besaid. “I see Check it out at www.miamistudent.net. come a lot who’s nice less courteand cool because if I can have a conversation that will ous,” Hardesty said. “It’s hard to say if Rate help my grade. People are always going to look My Professors has had a good or bad affect. It’s essentially harmless.” for a leg up.”

Irizarry said with Web sites like RMP According to the press release, the KTP rethis generation of college students is search supports previous research at Cornell less motivated.

University, which found that students shop for “The amount of information we can process classes where the median grade is higher. Also is a huge threshold,” Irizarry said. “We are intelin 2009 a retired Duke University professor ligent but reluctant to accomplish tasks.” found the average college GPA rose from 2.93 in 1991 to 3.11 in 2006.

Olson was concerned about the effect this See RATING, page 11

FUNNY PET PICTURES View a slideshow of pets belonging to Miami University students.

ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE Get an inside look at Miami’s ‘Best Couple.’

FEATURES, page 6

Try your hand building a kinetic sculpture race as part of Oxford’s bicentennial.

COMMUNITY, page 4

KEEP ON RUNNIN’ Read about the Greater Cincinnati Athletic Trainers Association’s annual 5K in Winton Woods Park.

WRITE RIGHT RITE

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Check out a feature about what students and professors think of writing on college campuses.

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Campus

Tuesday

March 23, 2010

Editors Courtney Day dayce2@muohio.edu Hope Holmberg holmbehh@muohio.edu Amanda Seitz seitzam2@muohio.edu

News Lux campus lease to expire BRIEFS

By Ben Swofford The Miami Student

fyi Contest to fund research for foundation The spinal chord injury (SCI) research advancement is now ready for human clinical trials with nonembryonic stem cell material to cure spinal cord injury. Currently, it is the only foundation of its kind that is ready for such trials.

In response to this, the foundation is offering a free trip to Hollywood, Calif. in the form of a contest for $1 per chance in order to achieve the needed funding. With each donation, participants will receive one entry into a drawing for a trip worth $4,000 to visit the set and watch a taping of NBC’s “The Office.”

The money will go toward helping cure paralysis.

Additional information about the contest, which is open to the public, can be found by going to http://www.SCICure.org and then selecting “Win a Trip to Hollywood.” Over a million paralyzed Americans and millions more worldwide will be helped in this effort. Contestants must be 18 years in age or older.

Students studying abroad at the Miami University Dolibois European Center (MUDEC) in the coming years will likely be taking classes with the local students of Luxembourg.

The lease on the 15th century château that has housed the Luxembourg program for its 41 years expires in 2012. Months in the works, the plan for Miami’s “fourth campus” in Differdange to integrate with the new University of Luxembourg site in Belval has been hoped to be the solution for the program’s future.

One problem is that the new campus in Belval won’t be ready until 2014, two years after the Differdange castle’s lease will expire.

Thierry Leterre, dean of the European Center, said the university should have been built by 2012 but constructing the campus has taken longer than hoped for. The current issue has been to find a location for the interim two years, though the likely choice is to just extend the lease on the castle.

Even after 2014 it is possible that MUDEC will retain the beloved château.

“A good medium solution is to have classrooms in both the château and University of Luxembourg,” Leterre said.

He said that a distance between the two programs, just a 10 minute train ride between stops close to both locations, would not hamper academic ties.

Sophomore Lauren Brill plans to attend MUDEC this summer. She said the castle defines the character of the program. As it was a big part of her study abroad decision, she would be sorry to see it go.

“There’s so much history in that castle,” Brill said. “Not many people get that experience.”

Leterre said he would like to keep the château as well as have a presence in Differdange — a city he calls very welcoming — at least in some capacity. But problems with the château, such as small classrooms and the lack of spaces for teachers, create a need for different or additional space.

“We definitely cannot stay in the current state without new facilities,” he said.

Mary Woodworth, senior associate provost and the associate vice president for academic affairs, said the government in Differdange would like Miami’s presence in the

city to continue.

“Indications are that they’ll work out a solution to let us stay,” she said.

The Luxembourg government has a very strong relationship with Miami according to Leterre, and both the local and national ties in Luxembourg are an important factor in MUDEC’s future. Government support will play a part in deciding how to handle both the program’s future and the void between 2012 and 2014.

The Differdange City Hall, for

instance, is developing projects currently that Miami may be able to work into the European Center’s housing equation which is good news since the University of Luxembourg will not be constructing residence halls in Belval as previously hoped for.

One sure thing is that the Dolibois Center will not close down, even temporarily.

“Whatever will happen, we will be there,” Leterre said. “It’s been 41 years, we are not going to interrupt that.”

‘The rainbow connection’

SAMANTHA LUDINGTON The Miami Student

GLBTQ community members and allies gather Monday at the Shriver Center for the annual pride parade.

events Banquet raises breast cancer awareness Zeta Tau Alpha and Program Board will host the 11th Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Banquet. The banquet will be at 5 p.m.

Wednesday, March 24 in the Shriver Center multipurpose room. The awareness event will also provide a three-course dinner, showcase speakers and hold a silent auction.

Money raised for the event will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The event will raise money for breast cancer research and celebrate hope for survivors and their friends.

Tickets are on sale currently for $13 per person. The event is open to the public and tickets are on sale at the Shriver Box Office and at http:// www.hdg.muohioedu/boxoffice.

Coal week informs, promotes sustainability Green Oxford is sponsoring a series of events for “Coal Week” March 29 through April 2.

Coal Week aims to bring attention to Miami University’s connection to issues surrounding the use of coal and to promote sustainability.

The events will kick off with a speech by and discussion with Anti-Coal Activist Elisa Young at 7 p.m. March 29 at the Social Action Center (Hanna House).

A “Green Economy” panel, cosponsored by Fair Labor Action Coalition, will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 30 in 115 Shideler Hall. Demonstrations will take place at the hub March 31 in the afternoon. Thursday, April 1, Green Oxford will show the film Coal Country in 209 Upham Hall. On April 2, the Beehive Design Collective Art Activism Presentation “The True Cost of Coal” will be presented at 2 p.m. at the Shriver Center patio and at 7 p.m. in the Shriver Center Heritage Room.

Ownership of student work in question

Intellectual property in debate Report on academic integrity

By Jessica Sink Senior Staff Writer

On Monday, senate officials were given a presentation regarding student intellectual property from Chris Wilson, associate general counsel.

According to Wilson, there has recently been concern over the policies regarding student and corporation collaborations.

Highwire Brand Studio is one program of many that gives students the ability to get real-world work experience through a corporation or firm like GM Goodwrench, DHR, Tesco supermarkets and Total Quality Logistics.

The issue is that currently there is no specific way of handling copyright material from students working for a third party. Miami University policy allows students to own the copyright to their work, but when working for a company, clients require the possession of material produced by students.

Therefore, a change in Miami’s procedure on dealing with class/

corporation collaborations may need to be implemented as the demand from firms for student interns increases.

Wilson presented to the senate one proposed solution: teachers would provide copyright forms to students at the commencement of a class, requiring students to forfeit the rights of their work to the university during the time spent with a firm. The university would then be able to adequately provide the contracting company with legal rights to work completed by students.

“Each student would need to sign that contract in order to participate in the program,” Wilson said. “The only caveat is that we can’t force students to sign the contract. Therefore, students should be given information regarding their obligations upfront. I think it is a pretty simple and straightforward way to handle it.”

Although relatively new, the proposal was met with general enthusiasm by senate members.

By Jessica Sink Senior Staff Writer

At the senate meeting Monday, university officials were presented with a special report of recent data concerning student academic dishonesty.

Judith Sessions, dean of university libraries, offered statistics regarding reported cases of possible academic dishonesty, the distribution of academic integrity cases and the sanctions for responsible students in the 2009-10 academic year.

According to the report, thus far in the 2009-10 academic year, there were 115 reported cases of student academic dishonesty, 75 students who received failing grades on specific assignments, two students who received a failing grade in the respective course and 71 students who were required to participate in an ethics seminar.

The report also highlighted

the distribution of academic integrity cases among departments. This included 38 departments reporting cases of dishonesty, 28 of which came from English and history.

Sessions then introduced guest speaker Gary Pavela, director of academic integrity at Syracuse University and a consultant on law and policy issues at many leading universities, who discussed the vital importance of the teacher and student relationship in relaying the magnitude of academic integrity.

“The area of academic integrity must be experienced, learned, and highly relatable, in order for students to grasp its significance,” Pavela said.

“Students sometimes don’t realize that trust in the classroom is reciprocal. Teachers are ethics instructors every moment in how they conduct themselves and treat their students. And in return, students should present honest work.”

Off-campus sophomores request diplomat plan

By Mary Kate Linehan Senior Staff Writer

Fraternity members have recently requested the ability to get a diplomat meal plan for second-year students living off campus.

According to April Robles, director and adviser to the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the IFC has been in communication with Miami University’s Housing and Dining

SAMANTHA LUDIINGTON The Miami Student

Students use meal plans at Haines Food Court Monday evening in the Shriver Center.

Services in order to look over and consider these requests.

The second year on-campus living requirement was implemented this year on Miami’s Oxford campus leaving the choice up to sophomore fraternity members between living arrangements and having a meal plan.

If they choose to live off campus in their fraternity house, they will not have a meal plan, but if they remain on campus, they are offered the same meal plans as all on-campus students.

With the diplomat meal plan request from various fraternities, the Housing, Dining, and Guest Services (HDGS) administration have been in discussion with the IFC, fraternities at Miami and senior administrators to talk about the possibility of offering the plan to all off-campus students or to keep the options as is.

However, Joshua Oberndorf, master of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi), said because of this requirement it has made living arrangements difficult to organize financially.

“The requirement really discriminates against the smaller fraternities on campus because if sophomores are not allowed to

live off campus, we cannot fill the housing requirements with our landlord and financially, it is very difficult.” Oberndorf said.

Oberndorf said their national chapter does not own the AEPi house. Of his housemates, 10 are actual Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity members and the remaining five housemates are regular students, all of which are members of Miami’s Glee Club.

“Since our house is not owned by our nationals, we don’t have a house meal plan and so we usually just buy our food at the grocery store and all share,” Oberndorf said. “We don’t have a chef in the house. It’s really just a regular house we all pay rent for but our whole fraternity lives in it, and the glee clubbers too.”

Robles said she has been discussing matters on the request with Lucinda Coveney, director of housing contracts and meal plans, and Brian Woodruff, assistant director of housing and meal plans, of how to go about offering the meal plan to off-campus residents.

wSee GREEK, page 11

Campus

THE MIAMI STUDENT

TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010 ♦ 3

Students network in new organization

By Kristen Grace Senior Staff Writer

While Miami University offers a number of great resources to help students find jobs and internships, there has never been a resource aimed directly at the magazine industry.

However, junior Christiana Kazanjian and senior Margaret Watters are now changing this by starting up a Miami chapter of ED2010 (www.ed2010.com), a Web site-based community aimed at connecting people within the industry with those looking to break into it.

“This is a new choice and I know we have a number of students who are interested in magazines,” Patricia Newberry, lecturer for the journalism program, said.

ED2010 was originally founded by a group of midlevel magazine editors who wanted to become senior editors by 2010. Watters said those editors would get together for cocktails and talk about their experiences in the industry. In doing so, they realized they were learning more about the industry from each other than they were from their superiors. Watters said this is exactly what the campus division of ED2010 hopes to offer students.

“By connecting with other students, mentors and editors, we want to create a culture of trading stories, trading techniques and help each other meet our goals,” Watters said.

Kazanjian said the Web site offers a number of internship and job postings, as well as a forum for interested people to ask questions. People who are already in the industry can share their stories as well.

With the magazine industry being so exclusive,

‘Livin’ on a prayer’

just knowing something as simple as how to format a resume can make the difference between being considered or tossed in the trash.

“Any reason they have to put you in the trash, they will put you in the trash,” Watters said.

The reason this is so important for helping interested students is because job-searching students do not know many of the industry secrets. “‘You’re not born learning this,’” quoted Watters, after a mentor she had while interning in New York. “Until someone tells you how to do these things, you’re just another resume and there are a million resumes.”

According to Kazanjian, the student connection is just as important as the Web site itself.

“By providing a chapter, it’s a great place for students to come together, share their interests, instead of being one on one with the Web site,” Kazanjian said. “It provides a more personal forum to try and get into the magazine industry.”

The group is open to anyone with an interest in magazine work, but not limited to those who are interested in writing. According to Newberry, this is also an opportunity for students interested in photography, business, publishing and marketing to explore other possible job options.

“I hope anyone who has the slightest interest in the magazine industry will reach out and get involved,” Kazanjian said.

The group recently held their first meeting and will be holding a second meeting Tuesday, April 6. Both Watters (wattermg@muohio.edu) and Kazanjian (kazanjca@muohio.edu) encourage those who have any questions to e-mail them for more information.

SAMANTHA LUDINGTON The Miami Student

Geshe Kalsaug Damdul leads a prayer flag ceremony Monday afternoon near Upham Hall.

Seeking immediate help is vital for sexual assault victims

By Amanda Seitz Campus Editor

Victims of sexual assault often feel confused, guilty and depressed after, according to Nicole Hall, coordinator of sexual assault prevention.

Immediately after a sexual assault, victims of the crime must be proactive in their endeavors to report and criminally prosecute the crime and it’s offender.

According to Hall, the first thing victims must do is go to the hospital to obtain a Sexual Assault Nurse Exam (SANE).

“It’s a free and confidential kit exam at McCullough-Hyde,” Hall said.

“It’s performed and done by a professional nurse who is specifically trained to a SANE.” Hall said the kit gathers information on the crime and the state of the victim.

“The reasons victims go to this SANE Kit done is to gather any forensic evidence,” Hall said.

“Anything to gather evidence then is stored and protected. The other reason is to make sure (the victim) is okay and get any medical assistance she needs to get.”

Hall advised victims to go to the hospital within three days of an assault.

“We tell victims not to bathe, not shower, bring or wear the clothes she or he wore when they were sexually assaulted,” Hall said. “So

many victims are confused or embarrassed or much as it is with rape. The condition of the blame themselves so in those first three cru- victim has litigated responsibility and allowed cial days they’re not even thinking to go to assailants to escape justice.”

Frank suggested federal law oversee college the hospital.”

Hall said the work to report, charge and work campuses that receive funds for sexual assaults to enforce certain behaviors. through the emotional aspects of being “At some point, lawmakers are a sexual assault victim does not end going to have to require recipiafter the hospital visit, which is ents of federal funds to initiate difficult for those dealing with spelling out consequences, stress of a personal crime. spelling out risk factors,” According to Hall, victims Frank said. often find it difficult to report Hall said Miami Univercrimes, especially acquainPart 4 of 4 sity is prepared to help treat tance rapes, because they bevictims of sexual assault. gin to blame themselves for the “Miami is very equipped to deal assault committed against them. with this,” Hall said. “Miami cares “Often times, the assailant is in the same social circle,” Hall said. “The vic- about this, there are resources there to help.”

However, Hall said it is still difficult for stutim is really afraid friends will start blaming her. They really fear that nobody will dents of sexual crimes at Miami to report the believe them.” crime because of the feelings associated with The Center or Public Integrity held a press sexual assault.

“It takes a strong woman to come forward,” conference Feb. 24, to discuss the sexual assault culture on college campuses. The center Hall said. “It’s intimidating, it’s long, it’s found that often colleges are lenient on the drawn out and it takes a lot of time. The last crime and the college atmosphere places pres- thing victims want to do is retell the story of the worst sexual experience of their life over sure on the victim for the assault.

“Victim blaming is alive and well,” Laura and over again.”

Knowing that every victim is different, Hall Frank, co-founder of Rocky Mountain investigative News Network, said. “No other violent lets every victim know his or her choices at assault on your is your condition factored in as Miami’s campus.

“I lay out all of her options,” Hall said.

“Everything from classroom changes to dorm changes. I give her all of the options possible and sometimes they’re just not read to do that (report the crime, press charges).”

Hall said the college lifestyle promotes victim blaming in sexual assaults.

“I think the college culture has something to do with that,” Hall said. “There’s a large idea out there that ‘this is college, that’s we do, we get drunk and we have sex and that makes it okay’.”

Frank said to prevent victim blaming, colleges have started to explain to students how they can prevent rape.

“There’s a new movement to change the focus on rape prevention,” Frank said.

Hall’s program at Miami, which started in 2007, focuses on just that.

“My program focuses highly on prevention efforts,” Hall said. “My program really focuses on the prevention and response aspect too.”

Hall also directs victims to therapy, if she feels it is necessary. She also educates the general public at Miami to understand how to support a victim of sexual assault.

“We teach three messages that friends of victims should know and should communicate to the victim,” Hall said. “Those messages are: I believe you, it’s not your fault and there is hope.”

University looks for new Web site to replace Blackboard 8.0 Taylor Frank For The Miami Student

The familiar Web site that Miami University students, faculty and staff use to navigate through e-mail, course schedules, institution announcements and even dining hall food calorie count will soon

be unavailable.

The university will not support Blackboard 8.0 after June 2011.

“I’ve been using this type of Blackboard since high school,” junior Quincy Landingham said. “I’m not too excited about a change.”

Miami University is working to find the best suited Web site for

faculty and students. Blackboard 9.0, Sakai, Moodle and Cascade are the Web sites the university is looking into for use after Blackboard 8.0 expires.

Electronic Services Librarian Jenchien Yu said she finds grades to be a major issue with Blackboard 8.0.

“It’s difficult to post grades,” Yu

www.muohio.edu

said. “Blackboard factors in zeros when there are not yet grades for assignments. It’s not a spreadsheet; everything is factored in one at a time.”

The current site has posed a few issues expressed by faculty and students.

“I don’t like how the grades take forever to update,” Landingham said. Gail Campbell, manager of the teaching technology center, said the upgraded Blackboard might pose fewer problems.

“Blackboard 9.0 is significantly different than the current version,” Campbell said. “Blackboard 9.0 has more drag and drop features.”

Training will be necessary in order to fully understand Blackboard 9.0, according to Campbell. These new programs will have information sessions and online demos.

Professor and Information Services Librarian Andrew Revelle has used Sakai, the other Web site program up for signing with the university.

“It’s an open platform; we can manipulate Sakai to tweak our needs,” Revelle said.

“As an institution we can make it do what we want it to do.”

According to Revelle, Blackboard comes straight off the shelf from the company and it is difficult for the university to manipulate the program for specific needs.

With Blackboard, certain functions cannot be added without the company’s permission.

Sakai allows the school to be in much more control of how their program functions and students will be able to be more interactive within the site. One of the features Saki allows is classroom chat rooms, Revelle said.

Though Miami is waiting to decide what will work best for the institution it is important to find out what works best for students and faculty.

Campbell said it is important to receive student input because Miami is in the process of preparing for the Web site changeover that will occur in June 2011.

“We need more student input on lab day,” Campbell said. “Each application is available for students to try out. We want to know what would be most important and nice to have.”

Focus groups and Learning Management System (LMS) labs are set up this week for students and faculty to come in and try out the new programs.

The student LMS will be held from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, March 23, and from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 25 in 362 Gaskill Hall.

“If students cannot make a session they can also check out the new sites from the comfort of their rooms.”

Campbell said.

“Our goal is to provide as much variety to people and features as we can.” For more information students can visit http://www.muohio.edu/lms.

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Tuesday

March 23, 2010

Community

Editors Kelsey Bishop bishopka@muohio.edu Erin Fischesser fischeee@muohio.edu

Delta to downsize at CVG Sophomore runs from police, goes to jail At 2 a.m. Saturday, officers on foot patrol were arresting a female for underage consumption of alcohol at Skipper’s Pub when they observed a male leaving the area with a pitcher of beer in his hand.

One of the officers reportedly stopped the male in front of 117 E. High St. and identified him as Miami University sophomore Shawn Dienger, 20.

Dienger was reportedly handcuffed behind his back and escorted along with the female down the alley near St. Mary’s Church toward OPD. As they were walking through the dark alley, officers reportedly observed two bodies lying on the ground. The officer escorting Dienger reportedly let go of him momentarily to get a flashlight and observed a male on top of a female kissing her. The pair reportedly told the officer it was consensual. The officer reportedly told the couple to move along as Dienger said, “See ya later,” and ran south toward Walnut Street with his hands still cuffed.

One of the officers reportedly caught up with Dienger near 22 S. Campus Ave. after he ran into a parked car. When he hit the vehicle, Dienger reportedly damaged it and lacerated his ear. According to police reports, the officer was also injured, receiving abrasions when taking Dienger to the ground. The life squad was called to treat both parties.

Dienger was later taken to OPD. At the station, the officer reportedly told him he had done some stupid things and he didn’t understand his actions.

Dienger reportedly said, “Do you know how drunk I am?”

Dienger was charged with escape, obstructing official business, underage intoxication and open container. Because an officer was injured, the escape charge was raised to a felony and Dienger was taken to Butler County Jail.

Senior reports roommate harrassment At 1:45 a.m. Friday, officers met with a Miami University senior regarding a criminal mischief allegation.

The female reportedly told police she has been having issues with her roommate harassing her.

She told police she was in her room at 1 a.m. when she heard her roommate and her boyfriend return. The victim reportedly heard her roommate say, “I’ll give you blow jobs for life if you do it.”

Shortly after, she reportedly heard the sound of liquid hitting the floor outside her bedroom door and noticed what she believed was water seeping underneath it.

When she opened the door, she reportedly found her roommate’s boyfriend urinating on it and discovered the liquid around her door was urine.

Charges have not been filed, but the property owner reportedly wants to charge fees for cleaning up the incident.

By Ty Gilligan Staff Writer

After May 1, students flying out of Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport (CVG) may see changes in flight schedules and ticket prices, as Delta Airlines will close all of its gates in Concourse A of the airport.

In a March 16 memo, Delta said it would be reducing its service at the airport and would “consolidate all flight operations to a single concourse, moving all Delta and Delta Connection flights to Concourse B.” This came as bad news to airport and Delta employees working in Concourse A of Terminal 3. Currently, Delta occupies both the A and B Concourses of Terminal 3.

In a press release Feb. 22, John Mok, chief executive officer of CVG, said if the concourse is left empty and existing jobs are not transferred from Concourse A to B, “up to 120 concessionaire employees will be impacted.”

However, jobs will not only be affected within the concourse itself. Delta also announced once all operations were consolidated into Concourse B, Delta’s ground operations staff would take over operations.

Delta uses a subsidiary, Regional Elite Airline Services, to operate ground services, such as ticket counters and gate and ramp duties at Concourse A. In their memo to Cincinnati-based employees, Gil West, senior vice president of airport customer service for Delta, said Delta “can

no longer support two separate work groups performing the same function,” and that the 840 Regional Elite Airline Services employees would be laid off. West said that all the changes are being made to “return the CVG hub to profitability.”

In response to Delta’s announcement of layoffs of Regional Elite Airline Services employees, Mok said “the announcement released today is very disheartening to the Airport and the Tri-State community.”

http://www.visitingdc.com

However, West assured passengers the consolidations would not result in fewer flights, stating “this announcement does not change our previously announced plans to operate between 160 and 170 flights each day from Cincinnati this summer, including reinstated service to a number of cities.”

Barb Schempf, manager of government affairs and public relations for the Kenton County Airport Board at CVG, said the airport’s concern is that it is under capacity for the Cincinnati area.

“Looking at the community, we feel we don’t have enough capacity to meet

demands,” Schempf said. “We are aggressively pursuing what other options are available to increase service at the airport.”

Schempf said passengers at CVG “should still expect the high level of service they’ve been receiving.”

According to Schempf, airfares at CVG had the largest decrease in airfare at any U.S. airport, which was more than 39 percent, and passengers should continue to see low fares at the airport after the schedule changes.

Schempf said the airport “will be working with Delta to look at what opportunities are available for that concourse moving forward.”

Many Miami University students fly out of the Cincinnati airport when going home on break or going on vacations. Junior Larpamon Chatphaisal often flies with Delta Airlines out of Cincinnati and said he is typically happy with the service.

“I’ve flown out of Cincinnati five times and I’ve never had a delay,” Chatphaisal said. “I would pick Delta over United or another airline.”

Oxford bicentennial to include sculpture race

By Erin Fischesser Community Editor

To celebrate Oxford’s bicentennial, organizers wanted to create something unique and fun for students and residents to unite around.

Talawanda High School art teacher Jim McWilliams had the perfect idea: a kinetic sculpture race.

The race, which involves mobile works of art, will take place at 11 a.m. April 24.

It will begin at Slant Walk and end near the Oxford Community Arts Center.

“A kinetic sculpture race is a contest involving human-powered works of art or engineering,” organizer and city council member Kate Currie said via e-mail. “Many times people choose to construct racers around the frame of a bicycle but they are in no way limited to that choice.”

McWilliams said he came up with the

idea based upon a television show, “Real small size makes it different from other colPeople,” he watched as a kid. On the show, lege towns. He believes the city is in need of more events like this one. he saw a small comMcWilliams and Currie said munity that had a conentries do not have to be too test to make boats from “It’s just a silly thing. serious or extensive art projects. paper milk cartons that I think we need “The entries can be as simple would go across a body or complicated as people wish,” of water. The event was more of that in Currie said. more of a parade, but the world.”

McWilliams said entries can McWilliams decided to be as simple as painting yourself make it a race.

JIM McWILLIAMS red and wearing a skirt to walk “A race is more TALAWANDA HIGH SCHOOL the course. of an invitation to ART TEACHER be stupid and silly,” “It doesn’t have to be a rideRACE ORGANIZER McWilliams said. able sculpture,” McWilliams said. “You don’t have to create When he looked a bicycle.” into the idea, he found According to McWilliams and Currie, out about an annual kinetic sculpture race there are not any registered participants across the harbor in Baltimore.

“I just wanted to try to promote fun in yet, but students from the high school and Oxford,” McWilliams said.

See KINETIC, page 5 According to McWilliams, Oxford’s

w

Can’t rain on this parade

Student drives erratically, receives OVI At 12:40 a.m. Sunday, officers at Skyline Chili reportedly spoke with an employee who expressed concern about an erratic driver in the private drive behind the business.

The employee reportedly told police the driver was backing up and pulling forward while turning the windshield wipers on and off and at times moving the wheel and looking back as if backing up when the car was not moving. The employee was reportedly concerned for pedestrian safety.

Officers reportedly identified the driver as Miami University senior Gregory Hurley, 21.

According to police reports, Hurley appeared confused, had slurred speech and glassy eyes. He reportedly told police he had not been drinking but was wearing a wristband from an uptown bar and had an odor of alcohol on his breath.

Hurley reportedly performed poorly on field sobriety tests and was taken to OPD where he refused to take a Breathalyzer test.

Hurley was charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

SAMANTHA LUDINGTON The Miami Student

Students and residents gather Monday afternoon uptown for the annual Pride Parade. The event was a part of LGBT Awareness Week (left).

Parade grand marshall Susan Stryker kicked off the parade in Uptown Park (right).

Community

THE MIAMI STUDENT

TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010 ♦ 5

Library proposes levy to compensate loss of state funding

By Kelsey Bishop Community Editor

SCOTT ALLISON The Miami Student

Mary Pat Essman (left), director of Lane Libraries, and Ann Berg (right), president of Friends of Hamilton-Fairfield Lane Libraries, speak Saturday afternoon at the Hamilton branch to inform and encourage Butler County residents to support the upcoming levy.

KINETIC

continued from page 4 Miami University have been working on class projects to enter.

“We scheduled it in April in the hopes of involving lots of Miami students,” Currie said. “One of the goals of the bicentennial

planning committee was to plan events that could bring together as many of the disparate groups that make up the Oxford community as possible, I am really hoping for good participation from students.”

Currie said entries can be individual or teams and there’s no limit to the number of team members. Applications need filled out and returned to the municipal building. After that, all participants

The Lane Libraries of Butler County have proposed a 0.75-mill property tax levy, which will appear on the May 4 ballot, in order to compensate for the significant loss in funding from the state of Ohio.

Mary Pat Essman, director of Lane Libraries, said library funding from the state decreased by $1.1 million dollars from 2008 to 2009.

“At the beginning of the year, we thought they (the cuts) were going to be small,” Essman said. “People kept watching it, and we realized they were getting larger and larger. Cuts ended up being just a little under 18 percent.”

If passed, the levy is projected to generate about $2.58 million per year over a five-year period. Essman said every homeowner of a $100,000 home would pay just under $2 per month or $22.97 per year.

“We like to say that it (the tax) would be the equivalent of you sharing a book with your entire community for an entire year,” Essman said.

According to Essman, the first thing on the agenda if the levy passes is to protect and maintain the services that Lane Libraries offer.

“We’re looking for a stable piece of income and that’s what the levy would give us,” she said. “Because of the volatility of the state economy, we aren’t quite sure what money we would be getting from the state to make up our total budget.”

Carrie Mancuso, public relations manager for Lane Libraries, said public libraries receive

need to do is construct a racer and be early on race day.

Miami junior Andrew Bray said the event sounds like a great idea, especially in a place that is stereotypically known for drinking.

“It sounds like a family fun activity I can see a lot of people enjoying,” Bray said. “It sounds really, really fun.”

Bray said he would be interested in participating in the event,

funding on a monthly basis from the state.

“We don’t know what we’re getting for each month until the check comes in,” Mancuso said. “So there are always projections (of how much money we’ll receive), but the problem with projecting is that they (the state) get the income tax from what polls in the state say.

That’s why it’s hard to project because every month is different.”

Essman said Ohio’s public libraries’ incomes are completely dependent on the state’s income.

“If the levy is passed, we hope we will be able to add some service hours because we know that is the most difficult thing for people,” Essman said. “We will also be adding more materials and certainly addressing some technology needs.”

According to Essman, hours of operation decreased from 69 to 44 hours per week after budget cuts.

“With those fewer operating hours, we had to do a reduction-in-force with our staff,” Essman said. “We lost some really valuable, great people.”

If the levy passes, Essman hopes Lane Libraries will be able to expand hours of operation.

“I think public libraries are a valuable resource for everyone,” said Miami University sophomore Kory Lenz. “I hope that levy passes so they can keep updating their facilities.”

Voters who live in the districts of Fairfield City Schools, Hamilton City Schools, New Miami Local Schools, Ross Local Schools, Talawanda City Schools and portions of Edgewood City Schools will see Lane Libraries’ levy on their ballot this May.

but believes more advertising for student involvement would be helpful because he was unaware of the race.

According to McWilliams, the event is mostly about having fun and the awards will reflect this motivation. Trophies will be awarded in various categories, including slowest and crowd favorite.

“It’s just a silly thing,” McWilliams said. “I think we need more

of that in the world.”

Students and residents can enter the contest using an application on the city’s Web site.

Enter the contest: http://www.cityofoxford. org/Files/Kinetic%20Sculpture%20Race%20Applicaton.pdf

HPV Fact #11: You don’t have to actually have sex to get HPV—the virus that can cause cervical cancer.

HPV Fact #9: HPV often has no signs or symptoms.

Why risk it Visit your campus health center. hpv.com Copyright © 2010 Merck & Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in USA.

21050004(37)-01/10-GRD

6

Tuesday

March 23, 2010

Features

Editor Amelia Carpenter carpenab@muohio.edu

By Lauren Kelly For The Miami Student

Out of 16 total couples that applied, only six are selected from a red cup. An announcer calls the names of five girls, who climb the stage with their boyfriends in tow. Then the announcer calls the sixth and final name: Tim Lu, of Dayton. He and his girlfriend of a year, Christine Hartz of Newark, Ohio, bound toward the stage, smiling hugely. They wear matching purple sweatshirts that have a Chinese takeout container and Chinese writing on them. This is RedHawk Romance, an event styled off the classic Newlyweds game, in which Miami University student couples compete for prizes. Every couple holds hands and stammers through their answers to questions such as, “What is your partner’s mom’s name?” and “Which of your friends would your partner be dating if he or she weren’t dating you?”

Hartz and Lu address one another, not the crowd, when answering such questions. Hartz repeatedly calls Lu “baby.” Someone in the crowd calls them adorable. They are in every sudden death round. And then, they win. Excited and a little stunned, the two receive a $50 gift certificate to Stella and an enormous brown teddy bear. They pose for a photo. It is official. They are Miami’s best couple.

“At what age did your partner have his or her first kiss?”

In their time together, Hartz and Lu have been summer orientation leaders, called SOULs, and spent time with their many mutual friends. They play guitar and sing together – Hartz, a member of the Miami Mergers singing group, has a beautiful, high voice – and play Wii often. They have navigated the murky waters of distance, when Hartz spent last semester in Alicante, Spain while Lu studied in China. They are easy to be around, tender with each other and enjoy being silly.

“They have a foundation of a friendship and are on the same page morally, physically and emotionally and it shouldn’t be any other way,” junior Olivia Krawczyk, a mutual friend of the couple, said.

What Hartz and Lu have never done in their time together is fought. Seriously. They don’t fight. If they were going to fight, though, it would be about Lu’s forgetfulness, or about their first kiss.

“Let’s just say the first kiss was all his fault,” Hartz said.

She is pretty and sweet, with glasses she almost never takes off.

“He kissed me, I am 100 percent sure of it,” Hartz said.

She finishes her sentence and begins to laugh as she sees the look of protest on Lu’s face.

“So what happened was, we were both (resident assistants) RAs and so we didn’t have roommates, so we would spend late nights in each other’s rooms,” Lu said. “I was taking accounting and I would have to use her computer for this program. She would come over, she would let me use her computer, and she would fall asleep on my bed.

And so – ” “ – Like every night, I fall asleep instantly,” Hartz said.

“She has what she calls the horizontal disease,” Lu said.

“If I lay down, I pass out,” Hartz said.

“So I finish my homework late that night. She was already asleep and so I thought okay, I’ll hop in bed and we’ll just sleep together and it would be nothing major. And then like, I know I have feelings for her and I think she might have feelings for me – “ “Which I did,” Hartz interrupts. “I did.”

“So I’m just kind of like inching closer as we’re sleeping, it’s late at night, and I’m just inching closer and then I think I fell asleep,” Lu said.

“No,” Hartz said, an amused look on her face. “ – And this is where the conflict happens, ‘cause somehow our lips touched that night. And that was our first kiss,” Lu continues, his voice growing more and more animated, “But the next morning we start accusing each other, ‘It wasn’t me, it was you!’”

“It was totally him,” Hartz said emphatically, laughing. “I woke up and he was kissing me and that’s all there is to it. To this day we won’t agree.”

There is a pattern. When Lu speaks, he builds suspense, he changes tempo, and he’ll even mimic the pitch of a female’s voice.

He entertains. Hartz isn’t as animated, but she is engaging, and when she speaks, Lu looks at her like she is the only person there.

He is immersed in each lilting, articulate word.

“What song exemplifies you and your partner’s relationship?”

Hartz’s voice is one thing Lu remembers most about meeting Hartz for the first time at the Shriver Center in fall 2007, when they were first-years.

“At our first initial meeting I just thought, I’ve never met a girl like this before,” Lu said. “Just the way she talks, I knew I was feeling engaged, and that was a connection I could distinguish between any other person I had met.”

Hartz and Lu were dating other people at that time, but continued to stay in touch through mutual friends and various run-ins.

During the fall of their sophomore year, Hartz and Lu were RAs in neighboring residence halls, and so they began to spend a lot of time together. They became best friends and had what they think was their first date.

“It was so gradual,” Hartz explained. “I don’t know that there was any one point of like, ‘Okay, now I have feelings for him’.”

If there were a point, however, it would be the night they went to a university-sponsored party for a friend’s social dance class. Lu paid for Hartz’s dinner, held the car door for her and they danced.

Later, he held her hand.

“What bothers you most about your partner?”

The evening following their RedHawk Romance win, the couple is at Starbucks. Lu knows what kind of coffee to get his girlfriend – a caramel frappaccino, no whipped cream, even in the winter.

Hartz sits with one foot propped up on her chair. Lu casually leans his elbow on her knee. Lu spills his coffee.

“Typical,” Hartz said, laughing.

Neither Hartz nor Lu can think of anything they dislike about the other person.

“They really accept each others talents and flaws, and realize that when in a relationship you have to accept everything, and they do with open arms,” junior Aman Goyal, the couple’s friend, said.

“Literally. They hug all the time.”

The couple that doesn’t fight does have conflict, but they don’t argue and they don’t raise their voices. They recently dealt with Lu’s last minute decision to return to China to study abroad for a second semester.

“It’s nothing that we argued about or even disagreed on,” Hartz said. “From the start it was just like we’re in this together. We’re going to talk about this and we’re going to get through it together.”

Lu returned to China in February. Lu’s feelings about Hartz suggest their love can withstand the finicky Internet connection and 13-hour time difference the couple now faces.

“Christine,” Lu told her, “finding true love makes me feel like I can achieve anything.”

Long-distance or together in Oxford, the couple that doesn’t fight definitely has more than a fighting chance.

HANNAH MILLER The Miami Student

THE MIAMI STUDENT

TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010 ♦ 7

Military naval science courses to be offered fall ‘10

By Courtney Boeckman For the Miami Student As registration for the fall 2010 semester approaches, Miami University students will be able to consider courses with a military twist.

Miami’s College of Arts and Science (CAS) Curriculum Committee has approved the addition of military naval science courses to the 2010-11 curriculum.

The four new military naval science courses to be offered are NSC 121: Foundations of Officership, NSC 121L: Leadership Lab, NSC 122: Introduction to Tactical Leadership and NSC 122L: Leadership Lab, according to the CAS Curriculum Report.Major Steve Harmon is a prospective instructor for the courses.

“The courses are a roadmap, a path to become an army officer,” Harmon said. Although the military naval science courses will be composed of a part of the Army ROTC curriculum, the instructors will also teach life skills, such as leadership training, planning, time management and goal-setting, according to Harmon.

“The courses will offer hands-on, practical leadership,” Harmon said. The courses will be a way of understanding the United States military, according to Cheryl Heckler, current instructor of Military in the Media.

“Taking courses in its history, its structure, its standards, its goals and its objectives makes you a better citizen,” Heckler said.

“It certainly makes you a more informed citizen.”

The courses will develop a variety of skills sets, from physical fitness to land navigation, according to Heckler.

“You are a leader,” Heckler said as she referred to students who may complete the courses.

Miami’s Army ROTC program is an affiliate program of its host school, Xavier University, according to Harmon.

Currently, if a Miami student wishes to participate in a military naval science course, he or she must commute to Xavier to do so due to the lack of a department head at Miami.

The Navy has agreed to sponsor Xavier to help administer these courses at Miami. Harmon is excited to make such courses easier and more accessible to Miami students.

“If a student wants to come in and just take it for the leadership training, that’s fine,” Harmon said.

These courses will be open to all Miami students whether or not they will pursue the military. There is no obligation.

Harmon said the courses will teach students to overcome their fears and build confidence by placing them up in front of people in leadership positions.

Heckler encourages the courses to students with no military obligation.

“The skills don’t end with your military service,” Heckler said. “They carry forth.”

Heckler said the military teaches values such as honesty, duty, honor and accountability.

First-year Alli Tevyaw said the courses would be a great addition to the university.

“I think these classes would provide a great opportunity for students and would add real world curriculum to the course list at Miami,” Tevyaw said.

Interested students seeking further information are welcome to visit Harmon in his office at 62 Millett Hall on Wednesdays.

Performances celebrate, bring visibility to gender concerns Comedic group raises awareness about feminist issues

By Dylan Tussel Senior Staff Writer

Conversations involving feminism, sexuality, gender and politics are necessary for college students to engage in, but can be considered too serious and uncomfortable by many.

For this reason, Aimee Maple, co-president of Pro-Choice Miami (PCM) and vice president of the Association for Women Students (AWS), invited Broad Comedy, a group that performs songs and sketches to put a comedic spin on these types of topics, to perform during Miami University’s Fweek, devoted to feminism.

“We do a lot of programming about sexual assault, which is a super important topic,” Maple said. “I thought it would be useful to have a performance that’s funny and engaging and deals with a lot of other feminist issues.”

Katie Goodman, a University of Pennsylvania alumna living in Los Angeles, founded Broad Comedy 10 years ago.

“We’re trying to really change perceptions of women in this culture,” Goodman said. “In fact, we were just nominated for an award for that, so I guess we’re doing pretty well.”

Goodman said her goal in making people laugh about serious issues is to have everyone be able to step back and put these issues into perspective.

“I hope most of all (that audience members) will be able to laugh at everything that is going

on in the world in a way that helps them get perspective,” Goodman said. “I believe when we’re laughing at something it helps us step back from the issue, so (we) can see it more clearly.”

Goodman described the long history of male dominance in the comedy scene, and how it even continues to exist a little bit today.

“This is actually a really good time for women,” Goodman said.

“I’ve been watching for a long time and it wasn’t always. We’re no longer just trying to fit into the male comedy scene; there’s really a gender-free comedy scene, which is important. But everyone can get it, and that’s important.”

Goodman said although Broad Comedy’s cast is all female, its audience is always made up of about half men. Goodman and her husband, Soren Kisiel, write and direct the group’s performances.

Having her husband’s input probably helps the group appeal to more male audience members, Goodman said.

Broad Comedy’s performances are not meant to offend anyone, but Goodman expressed concern for people who might be offended by raunchiness.

“It will be raunchy, we are rated-R, and it’s gleaming –– it’s definitely liberal,” Goodman said.

“But a lot of republicans have come and enjoyed it.”

Pieces Broad Comedy will perform at Miami are “Saving My Hymen for Jesus,” which discusses premarital sex and “Them Next

Door,” which portrays a lesbian couple in a world in which everyone is gay, so when a straight couple moves in next door, everyone is horrified.

“My goal for this performance is similar to the rest of F-week … to become more familiar with feminist issues and realize that feminism is not ‘the F-word,’” Maple said. “It’s not a bad word, and more people should identify with (it).”

First-year Megan Frognowski, who identifies as a fiscally conservative and socially moderate republican, is excited for Broad Comedy’s performance and thinks everyone, regardless of political party identification, should attend.

“It’s important because they provide a different perspective on feminist issues, but they do it in an entertaining way, so people may be more receptive to their form of communication than just listening to a speaker,” Frognowski said.

“I don’t really think feminist issues should be divided by political parties, so I think anyone with an open mind could learn from it.”

PCM, AWS and Spectrum are sponsoring Broad Comedy’s performance, which will be at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 27 in 102 Benton Hall.

The Miami University Special Events Fund, Bishop Debate Society, Diversity Fund and Women’s Center provided funding for the event. Tickets are required for this event and are available for free at the Shriver Box Office.

REGISTER NOW!

Quartet to sing in drag

By Jessica Mason For The Miami Student

Kinsey Sicks, a traveling comedic a cappella drag queen quartet, is performing at 9 p.m. Friday, March 26 at Miami University’s Shriver Center.

The Kinsey Sicks is a drag troupe does performance art as well as a capella performances in drag.

“On Miami’s campus there is a lack of diversity — specifically visual representation — and this group would provide the visual representation for groups typically marginalized,” said junior Tommy Marzella, a member of Spectrum.

Program Board and AfterDark recruited the performers to Miami because they felt it would be a unique and special opportunity, one they expect students here to really enjoy. J.S. Bragg, adviser for Program Board, is especially excited about the show because it is not something anyone will be expecting.

One distinctive characteristic the group possesses, and one that really impressed the members of Program Board and AfterDark, is that most songs they perform are written by the four performers themselves.

Some of the original scores include “Sicks in the City,” “Boyz 2 Girlz” and “I Wanna Be a Republican.” The singers also perform renditions of popular songs.

Program Board members and AfterDark had a chance to see them sing at the National Association Campus Activities convention in Kentucky, and pushed to get them to come to Miami.

“The group is fun and energetic,” first-year Devin Bachman, a member of Program Board, said.

The Kinsey Sicks performance will be the last event for Miami’s Awareness Week, a week designed to celebrate and bring greater visibility to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer (GLBTQ) and allied community. There are several other events scheduled on campus earlier in the week dedicated to this cause.

This is a collaborative event with Program Board, AfterDark, the Cheezies and Spectrum, and will take place in the Shriver multi-purpose rooms.

Bragg predicts this event will be very popular. Tickets are free and can be obtained at the Shriver Box Office or at the door.

When you’re finished reading

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8

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Opinion

➤ EDITORIALS

The following pieces, written by the editorial editors, reflect the majority opinion of the editorial board.

Alternatives may improve Miami courses

A

ccording to a recent survey valid numbers and often reflect the

by Kaplan Test Prep, student success or failure of students in the grade point average may be class. Students looking for more balon the rise because they are using anced class may want to sign up for Web sites like RateMyProfessors. classes with the majority of students com (RMP) to choose easier classes in the middle of the grading scale. or to determine which professor’s Grade distribution may keep teachteaching style would help the student ers accountable for a disproportion be the most successful. Although of low or high grades. the survey found 73 percent of stuTo encourage more student input dents use professor-rating Web sites, and possible improve courses, the some experts argue board suggests professor-rating Web teacher The board believes putting sites may not paint evaluations that combination of online. The an accurate picture students completing board believes of the professor being rated. placing evalusurveys more The editorial board results accurately and easy ation of The Miami Student and comments access to teacher supports the use of online would evaluations may professor-rating sites encourage stulike RMP because dents to take improve future they Web sites are the evaluaMiami courses. generally accurate tion more seabout the professor riously. The and the courses they teach. The board board believes the timing of evalurealizes some students may only ations is just as important as the comment about a professor if they evaluations themselves. have had a negative incident, but in The board suggests course evaluthe experience of the board, one or ations should be on the last day of two reviews are an indication of an classes, without the interference of unreliable professor evaluation. pending exams in the course. The The board recommends students board believes a combination of stucheck grade distribution as an alter- dents completing surveys more acnative to sites like RMP. Grade dis- curately and easy access to teacher tribution is often more accurate than evaluations may improve future comments because the grades are Miami courses.

Fans must support hockey at key games

T

he number one seeded Miami editorial board of The Miami Student University RedHawk men’s calls on all students to do what they ice hockey team is again car- can to support the team this weekrying our university’s name to na- end. Fort Wayne is only slightly over tional prominence. Only four games two and a half hours away. Our supstand between the RedHawks and port is more needed and important becoming the national champions, now than it has been all season. We but losing any of them would end should support a team that is putting the season. A crowd can turn the bal- Miami on the map. ance of a game. In a March 3 letter to The university and athletic destudents, Head Coach Enrico Blasi partment should also step up their wrote, “our contingame.

Miami ued success on the provided bus serGrab a friend. Get in vice for students ice is in large part a car. Drive to due to the atmoto see the footIndiana. Wear sphere you create ball team lose to through your unrisomething red. We’ll the University of valed enthusiasm Kentucky at the see you there. during games.”

“Rumble at the This Saturday, River.” Although the RedHawks will face the first of Fort Wayne is a more distant four hurdles on the way to becoming destination, the importance of national champions. They will face this game and the success of the the University of Alabama - Hunts- team seem to merit some kind of ville Chargers in the regional semi- university-organized transportation. final at 4 p.m. Saturday at the Allen Ultimately, the team is playing County War Memorial Coliseum in the game and the outcome will be Fort Wayne, Ind. If victorious, they a result of their actions. However, will face either Bemidji State Uni- we can give our team an edge or we versity or the University of Michigan can let opposing fans dominate the 8 p.m. Sunday. In post-season play, arena. No matter the outcome of this there is little margin for error and weekend’s play, the team would apsmall things can make a big differ- preciate our support, and those who ence. As Rico’s words demonstrate, attend will be rewarded with lifelong the impact of the audience is no memories. Grab a friend. Get in a small thing. The Red and White has car. Drive to Indiana. Wear somemade our university proud, and the thing red. We’ll see you there.

The Miami Student Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826

EDITORIAL BOARD Catherine Couretas Editor in Chief Hannah Poturalski News Editor Erin Maher Managing Editor Scott Allison Online Editor Thomasina Johnson Editorial Editor Sam Kay Editorial Editor Courtney Day Campus Editor Hope Holmberg Campus Editor

Amanda Seitz Campus Editor Kelsey Bishop Community Editor Erin Fischesser Community Editor Katie Giovinale Sports Editor Amelia Carpenter Features Editor Anna Turner Amusement Editor Samantha Ludington Photo Editor Hannah Miller Art Director

Editors Thomasina Johnson johnsota@muohio.edu Sam Kay kaysj@muohio.edu

➤ LETTERS

Article misrepresented conceal carry license process As a Concealed Carry License holder, I am appalled at the one-sidedness of the article “Ohio grants record number of concealed carry permits,” written by senior staff writer Tom Segell in the Tuesday, March 16 issue of The Miami Student.

Segell starts by stating more people in Ohio have been applying for Concealed Carry permits and interviews an Oxford Police Department (OPD) Sergeant looking for an answer as to why this is so. OPD Sgt. Jim Squance relates this to the political situation in Washington D.C. After this, the article becomes extremely biased.

For some reason, Segell only uses quotes that depict fear and confusion regarding citizens exercising the second amendment. Nowhere in the article does Segell mention the process required to obtain a Concealed Carry License in the state of Ohio. Since he failed to, allow me to.

One must first attend and pass a certified firearm safety course. During this course, participants learn how to handle firearms safely, plans of action to not use the firearm and how to fire the firearm properly. During this course, the participant is taught the use of the firearm is the last line of defense. It cannot be used to threaten someone, for protection of property or for protection in a non-life threatening physical altercation. The participant understands the firearm is only to be used if a lifethreatening situation is present.

After the participant successfully completes the course, he or she must apply in person at the county Sheriff’s office and fill out a lengthy application, submit to a background check and fingerprinting and finally pay a fee. The Sheriff’s office then has 45 days to process the application.

In general, many people have a wrong impression of the purpose and process of Concealed Carry Licenses (CCLs), the people who obtain them and the firearms themselves. As proven by the background check, the only people obtaining CCLs are law-abiding citizens, not “gang (members) or drug sales (people)” as suggested by one of Segell’s ignorant interviewees. The interviewee’s reasoning is illogical; would a person whose daily motive consists of committing crimes be interested in taking legal steps to carry a firearm? I highly doubt it.

This article becomes even more one sided as the next person he interviews states how “(he doesn’t) feel comfortable in a place where more people are carrying concealed weapons.” I fail to see why he is uncomfortable.

He might not know that according to a May 10, 2004 article in The Washington Times, the average response time for Priority 1 calls by Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police is 8 minutes and 25 seconds. A Priority 1 call is defined as a life-threatening situation such as an armed robbery or assaults and shootings in progress. By the time the police arrive, the life-threatening situation may be over and instead of the police being needed a coroner is needed. Any reasonable person should be more uncomfortable with the snail pace response time by the boys in blue than the law abiding citizen trained and prepared to protect himself and those around him.

Firearms themselves have a bad reputation.

Let me remind everyone that in order for a gun to fire, the trigger must be pulled. They do not randomly fire as seen in True Lies when Jamie Lee Curtis’ character drops a machine gun down a flight of stairs, causing the firearm to fire with each step it falls down. My point is guns do not fire themselves. Guns do not kill people, people kill people. I can think of a few short sayings that help illustrate my point. “If guns cause crimes, then pencils cause misspelled words.” Another one is “assault is a behavior, not a device.” And finally, “if guns cause crime, then matches cause arson.”

Segell could have made his article fairer by researching the process of obtaining a CCL, finding a variety of views on CCLs and showing statistics of crime rates. There are also many examples of where CCLs have come in handy. I recommend he read a book entitled Guns Save Lives by Robert A. Waters.

I leave you with this last thought — people do not obtain CCLs in order to commit crimes.

They do not obtain them looking for an opportunity to exercise their right or to become the next John Rambo or John McClane. They obtain them hoping to never be put in the situation where they must protect themselves and their loved ones, and occasionally the person in line behind them at Starbucks Coffee, from a criminal looking to take someone’s life. rob fausz

fauszra@muohio.edu

Experience, commitment qualify Foster for student organizations VP post We, as members of the Associated Student Government (ASG) funding committee, wish to express our support for Thomas Foster’s candidacy for the position of vice president of student organizations. We believe he is by far the most qualified and experienced candidate for the position.

His qualifications include a finance and accountancy double major, a detailed knowledge of the inner workings of the ASG funding process and of Miami University general accounting and a firsthand understanding of the challenges faced by student organizations. Moreover, what makes Tom unique is the wealth of experience he has gained throughout his time at Miami as a student organization treasurer and as ASG treasurer.

We, through our service on the funding committee, have had a close-up view of the impressive work Tom has completed over the last eight months. He is the first treasurer to take seriously the responsibility of regularly auditing student organizations. Through his close examination of student organization spending, as well as his careful management of ASG spending, he has done much to ensure that student fee money is not misused or wasted.

Tom has also been actively involved in the ASG funding process. He spent more hours in funding meetings than any individual member of funding committee, assisted the current VP of student organizations with editing and entering of approved requests, and even chaired a number of funding meetings. We want to particularly emphasize his experience in this area, because managing the funding process is one of the most important jobs of the VP of student organizations. Clearly, Tom has the experience necessary to do an outstanding job as VP of student organizations.

The VP of student organizations is a position that requires an understanding of numerous complex procedures. He already has a clear grasp of these procedures and will therefore have a smoother and faster transition into the position than would a candidate who had to learn all these procedures after taking office.

Beyond all his skills and experience, we’ve also learned over the last seven months that Tom is a great individual with whom to work. Through his honest seeking out of the ideas of others when leading meetings, he has shown us that he truly values our ideas and opinions. And even when meetings started early or ended very late, he showed an amazing ability to maintain a positive attitude. For all these reasons, we are confident that he is the candidate who will best serve our student body as the next VP of student organizations. We strongly encourage all students to join us Thursday April 8 in voting for our good friend and respected colleague, Thomas Foster.

Signed, The following members of the funding committee: Jay Harmon

harmonjv@muohio.edu

Matthew Herbst

herbstmb@muohio.edu

Sean Jacobson

jacobssm@muohio.edu

Kurt Kadon

kadonks@muohio.edu

Kevin Koval

kovalkm@muohio.edu

Cindy Moore

moorecj3@muohio.edu

Ben Rees

reesba2@muohio.edu

Tyler Sinclair

sinclatg@muohio.edu

Michael Sinko

sinkomr@muohio.edu

Write TMS Letters must be signed with first and last names to be printed. Please send letters via e-mail to: miamistudent@muohio.edu

OpEd Page

THE MIAMI STUDENT

➤ ESSAY

Alcohol abuse has grave effects A 12-pack of Bud Light costs approximately $10 in an Oxford establishment; Natural Light (a.k.a “Natty”) is about $6 to $7 for a 12-pack. Annually, college students spend approximately $5.5 billion a year on alcohol, or approximately $446 per student per year. To put that into some context, college students annually spend approximately $3 billion every year on movies, music and other entertainment needs. Other than living costs, alcohol is the costliest expense for students outside education. Coming from someone who works three separate jobs making minimum wage, not to mention a total and complete cheapskate, this was a huge realization for me. Although, I did think I would be generous and not count the Green Beer Day shirts as an alcohol expense!

Some of the really high costs come from what happens if you should get caught consuming alcohol underage or get belligerently drunk. Approximately 72 percent of college students admit to either consume alcohol underage or have consumed alcohol while under the legal age. Now, you are an adult and it is your choice to do whatever you desire but make no mistake, you will be held accountable for those actions. I write this not to lecture but to inform you about what could happen and give you a financial analysis of the cost of alcohol in your life.

As an employee of the Office of Ethics and Student Conflict Resolution I am the one that picks up your phone and answer the basic questions about process about what happens when you’re caught and other simple issues. What strikes me the most is the things that people typically do not know, like the fact that once you get busted it costs you some serious dough to get back on the straight and narrow. The most common offense by far is alcohol. The use of alcoholic beverage is classified as a code 105. Within that are two separate categories, 105A and 105B. Code 105A is public intoxication, which is typically what happens when you are over the age of 21 and are belligerently drunk and causing a potential harm to yourself or others. A 105B is dealing with the prohibited use of alcohol, which is mainly the underage consumption of any alcohol.

If a student is found responsible for either of these there will be sanctions imposed and fees. If a student is found responsible for any action that is against the Code of Conduct he or she is required to pay a $50 administrative fee. If he or she is responsible for a first 105A three things are required. The first, a Chemical Abuse Education Program (CAEP), this is a class that will cost $250. A one-on-one assessment must be completed with a trained counselor which will cost another $200. Finally, the student must write a two-page paper on the alcohol policy of Miami University and how suspension would be a future detriment. The second time, the student would be found responsible for a 105A you would be facing suspension from Miami for no less than a semester. Looking at the prohibited use charge it is a little less severe but still rather intense. For a first time offense requires a student to take an alternatives class which costs $150. In the second offense requires participation in an assessment program and then the two-page paper. A third offense will result in suspension.

When the city gets involved court costs and fees are added to the bill. I am told that it isn’t rare for them to charge something close to $500, meaning getting a 105A by the university, equals a debt of about $1,000. Unlike the Visa commercials, not every great night we spend drinking with our friends is priceless.

Matthew Chacey

chaceyme@muohio.edu

TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010 ♦ 9

A look at liberal education: Part 3

Values are shown in diversity John Luckoski CLASS OF 2012

luckosjl@muohio.edu

Liberal education means a lot of things to a lot of people. To some, the Miami Plan is a burden – to others, it is the embodiment of a good education. In an exploration of what liberal education means to those who teach and learn by its precepts, The Miami Student will be printing a series of essays on the subject by students, staff and faculty culminating in an open forum at 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 6 in Pearson 218. Liberal Education Council members will be on hand to consider ways the university can improve the substance and implementation of the Miami Plan. We encourage our readers to join in the discourse by sending letters to the editor and attending the forum.

This weekend was the Intercollegiate Men’s Chorus (IMC) conference, in which nearly 20 men’s choirs came to Miami University from around the country in an all-out sing off. Earlier in the week, the Secular Students of Miami hosted author Christopher Hitchens. I am sure that at first glance, it may seem like a bit of a stretch to relate these things in any meaningful way, and certainly as the week progressed, I didn’t make any immediate connection either.

But as the week came to a close, I soon realized my personal experience at both events gave me a valuable insight to the goals of our university.

For those who had gone to the IMC concerts, you would know how amazing it was.

For those of you who didn’t go, but have been to Glee Club events, I would ask you to imagine several concerts held in a row, for three days straight, and you just might start to understand the immense amount of work that had gone into the conference. (For those who have never been to a Glee Club concert, do yourself a favor and get a spring concert ticket now). Not only from a planning, logistics and organizational standpoint, but simply from the standpoint of so many people practicing their repertoire week after week to perform at the final event. It was a truly wonderful and a once in a lifetime experience.

Hitchens’ talk, which easily filled all of the Farmer School of Business’ main lecture room, proved to be provoking in every sense of the word. At the same time, I was struck by the noticeable presence of Campus Crusade members in attendance at the event, listening intently, regardless of the inherent tensions in ideologies. But even with such ideas held in such stark contrast, the tone of the event was very respectful. Hitchens himself commented

near the end of the Q&A section of his surprise that he had not been personally admonished by a religious contrarian, as he claimed he was used to.

Now, as I said, men’s choruses and an atheistic polemicist seem to have no real connection to one another. Where does the connection lie?

The answer is simple: they were both hosted at Miami. They both represent our school as what we value. On one hand, the expression and emotion of music in the voices of the singers; in the other, the skeptical and secular expressions of an author, as well as the presence of those who respectfully oppose his ideology. Being able to take part in such a wide range of events is I realized what defines an education. Being educated isn’t about agreement or disagreement with Hitchens. Being educated isn’t about enjoying or being bored listening the songs sung by men’s choirs. It is about new experiences, it is about finding what drives you and what motivates you to be a more complete individual. That is the role of this university, to provide an education of experiences.

This previous week’s events proved to be a challenge to me, and I suspect to many others as well. But I think it is when we are challenged that we are at our best. All of us have a responsibility to seek out the challenges our campus has to offer, whether that is at a lecture or a concert, a theater production, a service opportunity or the hundreds of other opportunities here. They all hold challenges for us in different ways. We chose Miami as our school to face those challenges head on. I can only hope your future challenges at Miami are as memorable and influential as this last week was for me.

➤ GUEST ESSAY

Dems must embrace gay rights The United States’ lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights supporters need to rethink their strategies, demand action from the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), hold the Democratic Party accountable to their promises and (gasp) include the Republican Party.

The current demographics of our federal government seem like they would be promising for gay rights; there is a Democratic majority in both the House and Senate and we have a Democratic president. In other words, the Democrats have the votes to pass gay-rights legislation. Therefore, there is no excuse why vehemently anti-gay legislation, such as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and The Defense of Marriage Act, shouldn’t be revoked. The Democrats have spent the last 14 years of Republican-controlled Congresses blocking anti-gay legislation, which I thank them for, but now that they are in control they aren’t pushing any pro-gay legislation. Democrats should be on the offensive, not the defensive on gay rights, like they are accustomed to. The clock is ticking; since Obama took office, 500 service members in the Armed Forces have been discharged for their sexuality.

There is no excuse now.

Why are the Democrats failing in their supports of LGBT rights? One word: elections.

The Democrats are losing ground in many states and are facing midterm elections in some hotly contested congressional districts. Many Democrats are remaining silent on gay rights in order to attract moderate, socially conservative voters who would otherwise vote Republican. The Democratic Party is a very diverse one and many groups within

the party, such as Latinos and African Americans, are socially conservative and are not often supportive of LGBT issues.

As a rule, Congressmen don’t take polarizing political stances around election time, and as a result gay rights in America are at a standstill. The party that has allegedly “had the back” of LGBT Americans has seemingly deserted them in order to win more seats.

So what have American LGBT rights organizations been doing since the 2008 election of Barack Obama? Not much. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC), America’s largest LGBT rights organization, has

The current political climate is perfect to encourage a gay rights movement. come under criticism lately for its lack of action in forcing the Obama administration to fulfill its campaign promises to the LGBT community. HRC has come under fire for people within the organization itself, as well as the Democratic Party for being too cozy with Obama, who the HRC supported during the 2008 election. It seems that ever since Obama’s victory, the HRC has been far too trusting.

They need to get out of bed with the Obama administration and hold them accountable. The HRC shouldn’t care if they get invited to Obama’s annual state dinner; they should care that the millions of LGBT Americans they represent are ensured equal rights.

So what are other possible outlets for ensuring equal rights for gay Americans? Lately, the Republican Party has become a more and more attractive possibility for gay rights. The Party is aging and Republicans know being anti-gay will scare away younger voters, who are more socially liberal. Many Republicans have therefore stepped away from the religious-right fanatics that unfortunately plague the party, and more to the center in regards to gay equality. The Gay Rights movement has fundamentally failed to realize there are plenty of gay allies in the Republican Party. The movement is currently completely relying on the Democratic Party to push its agenda, and it’s not working; the movement needs to diversify. Many Democrats failed to recognize the recent Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Convention that was held by the American Conservative Union, was cosponsored by GOProud — a newly formed Republican gayrights group. Why are the HRC and other groups turning a blind eye to this? They need to utilize any resources they can.

The current political climate is perfect to encourage a gayrights movement. I want the Democrats, President Obama and the HRC to prove they have the courage to actually push the legislation they have garnered LGBT support for. Please remember the broken promises of the Democratic Party and President Obama at the next election when they once again start waving the rainbow flag and trying to win gay votes (and donations).

Ty Gilligan

gilligts@muohio.edu

➤ LIVING IN A VAN DOWN

BY THE RIVER

Technology has changed interactions I think the universe is trying to tell me I was supposed to be born Amish. After contracting its second virus, my computer’s hard drive completely crashed. I joined the blue screen of death club — something only a privileged few can experiAmy ence. Granted, Biolchini my laptop was born in 2005, and uses software that’s been completely revamped twice by the manufacturer.

Come on: five years? Is that really all it takes for technology to become virtually obsolete? My “new” phone, which I got in October 2009, also decided to stop working last week. It only took five months for it to become overwhelmed by the frequency of daily use.

Without my laptop, my life took an unexpected turn. Sans computer, I had the perfect excuse to not do homework, lose assignments and get extensions on long-term projects. I could ignore all the e-mails and messages people had sent me simply because I was unable to easily access them any time I wanted.

The metaphorical and physical ball-and-chain that was my laptop had suddenly disappeared. Internet access became a coveted commodity. I couldn’t sit in the same room as my housemates without becoming jealous of their nonchalant Web browsing and computing power.

I realized through losing both my phone and computer that I truly depend on both for daily activities, which is something the nonconformist in me utterly despises. However, when everyone around you is using phones and computers to communicate and work, it’s impossible to keep up if you don’t have the same access.

Technology is a privilege I’ve come to take for granted.

Whatever happened to knocking on your neighbor’s door to see what’s up, or sitting down with your friends to share a photo album from your spring break trip?

Everything about our lives has become managed and facilitated by the wondrous technology of cell phones and the Internet. Relationships that would have faded or would not have existed 50 years ago are easily initiated and rekindled. We’ve attached meaning and value to the errant text message, wall post and e-mail.

It’s difficult to see what’s happening around you when part of you is attached to what someone is doing somewhere else. How often do we sit in a silent room full of people where everyone is on their computer? More often than not, there’s also a TV present as well. And everyone has his or her cell phones out and at the ready.

All of these things are not necessarily bad, but they do make the way we interact with the people and places around us completely different than the way our parents did. This explains my parent’s disgust for the amount of time I spend with technology.

Technology is a privilege I’ve come to take for granted. It seems selfish to throw a fit and whine about my laptop not working or being without a phone for a week, especially when there are computers in every academic building on campus and a multitude available for use in King Library. But my situation does put everything into harsh personal perspective: if you couldn’t afford to have your own phone or computer, how much time would you waste trying to make up for it?

10 ♦ TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010

THE MIAMI STUDENT

HOCKEY

“We kind of lost our focus there for a Casey Haines was able to skate in unhinlittle bit and they executed,” Blasi said. dered and hand deliver the puck to make “You do that against a big team – any big it 1-1, despite only posting four SOG in team, especially Michigan – and they make the period.

After losing his you pay.” blocker amidst a The RedHawks “Everything happens for a melee around the still had one more in them and made reason. This will refocus us, goal, Knapp made it 5-2 when sophomaybe get us focused on the an impressive series of saves sans stick more Trent Vogelhunational tourney now.” to kick off the final ber redirected sophomore Chris 20 minutes of reguTOMMY WINGELS Wideman’s shot lation. Miami domiJUNIOR backhanded into the nated the remainder net on the power of the game, limitplay at 17:37. ing the Crimson and Gold to just two shots At the final buzzer, the sea of Maize and on net in the closing period.

Blue that filled Joe Louis Arena erupted in “In the third period our issues were the celebration as Michigan earned the right to number of penalties we took,” FSU Head continue its quest to capture the CCHA’s Coach Bob Daniels said. “Give our team a auto bid and make a record 20th consecu- lot of credit for the kills but … the penalties tive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. in the third period were, I thought, what re“The game was very important to us,” ally hurt us.”

Berenson said. “(Miami) is a great team, With 4:04 left on the clock, Palmer got obviously – they’ve had a terrific season, the go ahead goal, keeping the Red and and if they get going I don’t think anybody White out of overtime. in our league can skate with them.”

“It was a great faceoff win by Andy Meanwhile, the RedHawks had to put the Miele,” Palmer said of the goal. “It was loss behind them and look to the following kind of a jumbled play and Wideman made afternoon’s still critical consolation game. a nice pass to me at the point and I just kind “You’ve got to regroup,” Wingels said. of pushed it to the middle and got lucky, I “Everything happens for a reason. This think. It felt great.” will refocus us, maybe get us focused on The RedHawks managed to hold the the national tourney now.”

Bulldogs at bay for the remainder of the Saturday’s revised line chart caused period, even after Daniels pulled junior net more than a few double takes as Blasi did minder Pat Nagle in favor of the extra atsome serious reshuffling in an attempt to tacker as the clock wound down. bring new energy to the ice.

“It’s a huge thing to finish strong and “We knew we were going to be hurting have that confidence going into the tournafor a little bit of energy today (after) playing ment,” Knapp said. the late game last night, so we tried to get With the victory, the Brotherhood some guys that didn’t play (into the lineup) clinched the No. 1 overall seed in the to at least give us a little bit of a boost and NCAA tournament. Miami is tied with sometimes it works out,” Blasi said.

Denver for the most wins in the country, The changes paid off as, after a scoreless but the RedHawks have two fewer losses opening period, freshman Steve Mason net- than the Pioneers, giving them the edge. ted his first career coal at 4:44 in the middle Next weekend, the Red and White will stanza. Mason, who sat out the previous travel to Fort Wayne, Ind. to compete in night’s contest, tipped in Wideman’s blast the NCAA Midwest Regional. Miami through traffic to give Miami a 1-0 lead. will face off against the University of The sin bin became something akin to Alabama in Huntsville in the semifinal at a rotating door as the second period saw a 4 p.m. Saturday. With a victory, the Brothcombined 26 penalty minutes accrued. erhood could play either Michigan or BemAt 14:49, the Bulldogs broke through idji State University during the 8 p.m. final and knotted the score with a power Sunday, as the Wolverines did manage to play tally. keep their season alive with a 2-1 defeat of With sophomore goaltender Connor Northern Michigan University in last SatKnapp out of position to the right, senior urday’s CCHA title game.

wore on I thought we got the breaks after that,” UM Head Coach Red Berenson said. “(Miami is) a good team – I thought Shawn (Hunwick) had to make some big saves and continued from page 1 we made our chances count.”

At 16:55, Wingels finally broke through coaching staff to his “boys.” and cut the Wolverines’ lead in half with In addition to Blasi’s accolades, sopho- a four-on-four goal from the right circle. more goalie Cody Reichard was named The Wilmette, Ill. native streaked down RBC Financial Group’s CCHA Player the right side of the ice, decked a defender of the Year and one of the Hobey Baker and fired it in top shelf on an outstanding Award’s top 10 finalists. Also, junior cap- individual effort. tain Tommy Wingels won Best Defensive The RedHawks’ rally effort was stifled Forward and sophomore Will Weber earned when the Maize and Blue reclaimed its a nod for Best Defensive Defenseman. two-goal lead with a power play tally early After the celebration concluded, Miami in the final frame. Sophomore Cameron entered Friday’s contest v. the Wolverines Schilling was whistled for hooking just 51 with confidence and determination, hopes seconds into the stanza, and a defensive hung on advancing to play for and clinch breakdown by Miami gave UM just the the program’s first ever CCHA Tourna- opening it was looking for. ment championship. From the first faceoff, Junior assistant captain Carl Hagelin however, the RedHawks found themselves took the puck around the back of the net outmuscled, outskated and outplayed, until and fed it to freshman Kevin Lynch, who they were just that – out. went back door and buried it at 2:49.

The Maize and Blue opened up the game Miami continued to play Michigan’s with a dangerous first goal 8:05 into regu- game and seemed to lose its signature lation. UM junior Tristin Llewellyn sent a puck possession style completely as the blast from the blue line that found its way Wolverines added another to their tab less through traffic and into the back of the net, than three minutes later. Junior Matt Rust barely slipping by the outstretched glove streaked up ice and sent a shot in from of Reichard. Entering the weekend, the the blue line that was tipped in by senior Wolverines were 20-4-0 when netting the Brian Lebler at 5:34 to blow the game first goal. wide open.

The Red and White managed to keep the “You’ve got to give Michigan credit,” game close and shots Blasi said. “One or the on goal (SOG) held other was going to hapeven at eight through pen tonight – we were “It’s a huge thing to the end of the stanza. either going to play finish strong and have Early in the second, our game and dictate that confidence going Reichard made a gutsy the way it was going to clear when he hustled be played or Michigan into the tournament.” out of net to knock was going to dictate the puck away from a the way it was going to CONNOR KNAPP streaking Wolverine, be played … They’re SOPHOMORE stopping the breakaway playing real well right effort cold. now and clicking on The net minder couldn’t go at it all alone, all cylinders.” though, and when UM gained a four-onLess than two minutes later, the Maize one advantage five minutes into the frame, and Blue added another and boom went the Reichard was left without the aid of the dynamite. Hagelin’s rebound goal at 7:17 nation’s No. 1 defense. All it took was a chased Reichard from goal and posted an few well placed one time passes on the tape insurmountable four-goal lead over the for freshmen Lee Moffie and A.J. Treais Red and White – both firsts for this season. and senior Steve Kampfer to put together Entering the contest, Michigan had scored a pretty tic-tac-toe goal that lit the lamp no less than five goals in each of its CCHA at 5:13.

Tournament games and owned a 13-0-0 re“Getting a lead on them and getting in cord when finding the net five plus times in the second goal was huge, and as the game any given contest.

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THE MIAMI STUDENT

TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010 ♦ 11

Greek

continued from page 2 “The sophomore fraternity members are considered off campus student so therefore, we must then offer the diplomat to all off campus students too,” Robles said.

She said the decision was still in discussion with the HDGS administration.

Coveney said HDGS held a meeting to talk about off-campus meal plans.

“What we found that what students are looking for more attractive options, more incentives and discounts and deals,” Coveney said of the meeting.

As for fraternity members specifically, there was a request for the offering of the diplomat meal plan.

Coveney said now there are several different meal plan options for off-campus students because of their access to full kitchens and off campus eating options.

“We have a variety of different plans

DEBATE

continued from page 1 much as it involves the people that are running,” Horvath said.

“Each one of these positions will be representing students.”

Heath Ingram, candidate for student body president, agreed.

“It’s very important for students to voice their concerns to candidates,” Ingram said.

“It’s important for them to

students can choose that are meal-per-week plans, but what they were specifically requesting was the diplomat plan,” Coveney said.

Coveney described the popular off-campus meal plan option called attaché, which Miami students have titled “snack.”

“If off-campus students choose a meal plan, they usually choose the attaché meal plan,” Coveney said.

However, the meal plan is optional for any off-campus student, including fraternity members.

“We also have done some research with the various patterns of eating of different groups of students while we were talking and thinking about this but as a result of our discussions and research we are still maintaining the position that on the diplomat plan is not very beneficial for students that don’t need a very high proportion of their meals at our operations,” Coveney said.

The abuse of discounting is also in question if the diplomat meal plan is offered to off-campus students.

“If you live in a fraternity house and there are some fraternity men who have the

assess who they think is the most qualified individual for the position.”

McNabb said the venue change was important. Previously, the first debate was held in a Williams Hall studio where only 30 or 40 students could attend in addition to the production crew recording the debate.

“We wanted to really open it up and have people see the candidates one on one,” McNabb said.

Ingram thought Hall Auditorium was a better venue

discounting, they can buy food for those who do not have the plans with the discounting,” Coveney said.

Coveney said all off-campus students have the ability to swipe for students without a meal plan.

After reviewing their research and discussion on the matter, Coveney believes that they will not be offering the diplomat meal plan or any other on campus meal plans to any students not living in residence halls.

“We have been talking about it and considering it and doing research about it but at this point, I don’t think we are prepared to make any changes as far as offering the diplomat plan to students we consider ‘off campus’,” Coveney said.

Coveney pointed out that even though the decision is still in discussion, that the request has triggered more discussions for improval of the meal plan options offered to students both on and off campus.

“I think it is really good that this request has come up because it has opened up more discussion on how to improve our offerings to the students,” Coveney explained.

for the debate as well.

“It provides more accessibility for more students,” Ingram said.

McNabb said last year there was also much less advertising and this year a Facebook.com event has been created for the debate and students have been handing out flyers as well.

“People are just getting understanding that a race is going on,” McNabb said.

The debate will take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 23 in Hall Auditorium. It will include

Check out our NEW Web site! www.miamistudent.net

candidates for vice president of campus activities, vice president of student organizations, student body vice president and student body president.

Associated Student Government, The Miami Student, the Miami Television Network and WMSR are sponsoring the event.

A second debate will be held in a Town Hall format in Williams Hall on March 31, time TBA. Student body elections will take place April 8.

RATING

continued from page 1 Chananie agreed.

“I take classes to enjoy them,” Chananie said. “It’s about what you get out of it.”

As for the large jump in the average GPA, Chananie said it’s most likely a combination of the education system improving and people getting easy As. President David Hodge had a differing viewpoint. In his time at Miami University, Hodge said he’s seen ambitious and competitive students.

“It’s not going to make you competitive if you take easy courses,” Hodge said. “It’s not in the DNA of this place.”

Hodge said you have to be careful when applying national statistics to a specific place. He can easily see the statistics reflected nationally but said Miami students want to be challenged.

Hodge said RMP could be a good resource for students to get a sense of the class because a good review by students is useful.

“But it becomes a way for students to vent because they got a bad grade,” Hodge said. “It can be of value but on average it’s not providing an accurate view.”

Irizarry said so far in his time at Miami none of his teachers have acknowledged RMP. “Either they are ignorant to the tool or think it’s a useful resource and aren’t bitter,” Irizarry said.

Olson said they plan on tracking this RMP trend in the future.

“Professor ratings are certainly not a simple issue,” Olson said.

“They offer positives to students and are probably here to stay.”

FYI Page

Tuesday

12

March 23, 2010

The Miami Student Oldest university paper in the United States, established in 1826 News 513-529-2257 Editorial 513-529-2259 Business 513-529-2210 Fax 513-529-1893

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Notice

For Rent

For Rent

Oxford Presbyterian Church Monday Thursday Agape Meal- April 1, 6-7:15 at our Seminary building (white brick church on the corner of Church and Poplar Streets) Following early church practice, we will share communion together at our tables after sharing a meal (catered).

Meal: 6-6:45; Communion Service: 6:45-7:15. Suggested adult donation for meal: $3.50. Make reservation by phoning the church or by email: office@oxfordpresbychurch.or 513-523-6364

HOUSE FOR RENT 4 Bedroom House, 2 full Baths, 2 car garage, washer/dryer, full kitchen, cable and hi speed internet in every room, large closets, all electric utilities, landlord pays water, sewer, and trash. Less than 4 years old.

Call Lou @ (513) 658-2590

Available Uptown Apartment 2010-2011 School Year, 2 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom, all utilities paid. 22-A South Beech St., Next to Stella’s, Very Clean. 513-523-3735

Summer Internships - Oxford Museum Association Weekend hosting historical sites, Memorial Day through Labor Day. $8.50 per hour.

Transportation required. Appreciation for history and communication skills necessary. Letter of interest / resume’ / two references by April 5.

Oxford Museum Association 6324 Timothy Lane Oxford, OH 45056 523-2546 www.orgs.muohio.edu/ oxfordmuseumassociation ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS on campus. Meetings every Monday 8 9 p.m. at Campus Ministry Center, 16 S. Campus Ave. For more information call 529-4634

Help Wanted !!! BARTENDERS WANTED !!! $300/Day Potential. No experience necessary. Training provided.

Call 800-965-6520 ext. 292 Earn Extra Money Students needed ASAP. Earn up to $150 per day being a Mystery Shopper. No Experience Required.

Call 1-800-722-4791 survey takers needed: Make $5-$25 per survey.

GetPaidToThink.com FUN and REWARDING Summer Job OPPORTUNITIES in CINCINNATI! Enjoy the out-doors while leading and teaching children recreational activities as a summer day camp counselor. Weekdays 9:30 AM ñ 3:30 PM. Positions include: archery, arts & crafts, basketball, drama & singing, gymnastics, maintenance, male group counselors, rifle, swimming instructors (current life guarding required, WSI preferred), team sports and other activity leaders. Camp Session: June 21 ñ July 30. Pre-camp work available in May; staff training held 5/22 & 5/29 & evening 5/28. Cincinnati location near Winton Woods.

Call Camp Wildbrook 513-931-2196 or email Campwildbrook@cinci.rr.com Earn $1000-$3200 a month to drive our brand new cars with ads placed on them. www.YouDriveAds.com

Fitness Models Needed Male and Fem. models needed for a locally shot exercise vid. No exp. necessary. Great resume/portfolio builder & fun exp. Will be given a copy of the dvd and still shots. Contact: Matt@ NewYouIn90.com 513-265-4475

Computers Virus Removal / os reinstall Microsoft Virus Removal & Re-Install of your current Microsoft O/S. We also offer Ubuntu (Linux) installed and custom configured for your machine. Linux comes with 20,000+ free software programs and is COMPLETELY compatible with ALL Microsoft software data formats. Linux has no DRM, never gets VIRUSES, MALWARE or SPYWARE. Linux is MUCH faster than Microsoft or MAC O/S. $50 Per Install; ubuntu.installz@gmail.com

HARD #19

For Rent 2 BR TOWNHOUSE 2 BR TOWNHOUSE FOR RENT NOW RENTING for fall ’10-’11. Great Location one block from campus: 22 E Central.

Well maintained. Large spacious rooms. Off-street parking. Call First Financial Bank (513) 867-5576

LIVE ABOVE CHIPOTLE!

MEDIUM #18

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The Lofts at 1 W High have a recent opening for next year. 4 person unit.

Be a part of Oxford’s most desirable building. Contact our office today for a tour 513-524-9340. www.redbrickoxford.com

Condos for Rent 2010/11 Two bedroom townhouse permit for 4, $1,125 per stu. per sem. & One bedroom flat permit for 2, $1,500 per stu. per sem. Fully Furnished, includes washer & dryer, Private bus service to Shriver Center. www.odcproperties.com 513-255-4100

FULLY FURNISHED CONDOMINIUMS *Off-street Parking *Washer/Dryer in each unit *Private Bus Service *24-Hour On-Site Mgmt. *Community Clubhouse Excellent Rates for 2010-2011 CALL TODAY! 513-523-7571

Apartments apartments available FOR 2010-2011. 108 South Main St. (behind “Pour House”). Permit for 3. $2000/person/semester. Large kitchen & living room. Really close to Uptown & Campus. Off-street Parking. Call Daniel 513-543-4470 www.miamiuniversityrentals.com CAMPUS COMMONS COMING THIS FALL - LOCATED ACROSS FROM THE REC CENTER. EXPERIENCE MODERN LIVING IN SOUTH CAMPUS QUARTER. FOR MORE INFO CALL (513) 523-1647 OR (513) 867-5522.

Roberts Apartments

HOUSE FOR RENT - 111 BERN ST 3 Bedroom Available June 1, 2010. Located across from campus.

Kitchen, dining room living room and full basement with washer and dryer.

513-867-4747

2010/11. Great Location! Close to Uptown/Campus. Laundry Facilities.

Off-Street Parking. Well-Maintained.

Pet Friendly Units! www.roberts-apts. com 513-839-1426 or 513-839-0400

SINGLES AVAILABLE FOR RENT NEXT YEAR Contact Red Brick at 513.524.9340 for more information. www.redbrickoxford.com

Village Green Apartments 2 bedroom Apartments with 2 baths, & dishwasher. Rent includes Heat, water, sewer and trash. 513-523-4532

HOUSE FOR RENT 3 Bedroom House, 2 full Baths, 2 car garage, washer/dryer, full kitchen, cable and hi speed internet in every room, large closets, all electric utilities, landlord pays water, sewer, and trash. Less than 5 years old.

Call Lou @ (513) 658-2590 Hurry! One Room Left! 1 W High Three female students looking for a fourth. Only one more roommate opening for Fall 2010/Spring 2011 at the new 1 West High Street Apartments. The best location Uptown.

Call Mary for a tour! 815-274-0059

House for Rent 2010-11 114 E. Chestnut; 3 bedrooms; washer & dryer; central air; nice yard; great location near Rec.; rent is negotiable 937-548-0249 after 5:00

Available 2010-11 Two Northridge condos. Two and 3 bedroom w/2 full baths each. Large living room, fully equipped kitchen, and laundry w/washer/dryer. Clean and nice! $2200. per student per semester or $800. month total. Call Ginny 513-255-0433 or 513-523-1167

for rent 2010-2011 Great Properties available for the 2010-2011 school year. Contact OXRE at 513-523-4532

Great 4-Bedroom Includes all appliances including Washer/Dryer. 2 Full Baths Off Street Parking for 4 vehicles. Priced right!

513-756-0780 www.mustudentrentals.com Furnished Rooms!!! Rooms for rent $675, $750 and $900 for the summer. occ. Groups of 1 to 5.

May to Aug 2010, 1027 Arrowhead.

Like New, remodeled, 5 bedrooms.

2 baths, Washer/dryer, dish washer, central air, on-site parking. COMPLETELY FURNISHED WITH 40” LCD TV, Free hi speed internet and hi def.cable TV; very low utility cost, wooded yard with access to hiking trails, and lots more. Contact me and I will send pictures.

Call 740-862-2043, 740-407-4114 cell, 614-692-0510 work.

Email Alan.barone@dla.mil

Storage Mile Square Large storage units located in Mile Square. Room to fit a full size SUV and boxes. Cheapest rate in Oxford, $65/mo. w/ 24/7 access!

CardinalProps.com Great Place to Live! ’10-’11, 134 Northridge (near Post Office) Pick your paint colors! Large extra clean 2 BR, 2 bath, first floor condo, fully equipped kitchen, security/ sprinkler systems, private parking, private patio, on bus stop, pay ONLY electric utility, $2,300 2PP/PS Summer FREE, or $750/mos, non-students welcome 513/515-6987

Newer Condo For Rent 4 Bedroom 2 Full Bath Extremely clean Laundry~Garage Security Door Vaulted Ceilings Water, Sewer, Trash paid.

Call Mike 513 266-1685.

THE COURTYARDS OF MIAMI RENOVATED 1bedroom with study $3300. per seme, 2 bedrooms (2 students) $2300. per semester Located on Central Ave, between S. Main and E. Campus Ave., across from the REC Center., group rates, one pet friendly building, off street parking, bus stops, and laundry. Stop by and look around, or Call Carolyn at 513-659-5671. also thecourtyardsofmiami@yahoo.com

Houses Mile Square Upstairs of Duplex School year ’10-’11. Great location! Bishop and Withrow, 2 large bedrooms, 1 bath, open living and kitchen area, front porch, off street parking, permit for 4, $2995 per person per semester plus deposit and utilities. 812-350-4357

Personals ATTN: MIAMI STUDENTS Is your mother widowed or divorced? Would she enjoy living in Oxford? If so, very active 60-year-old Miami alumnus is interested in possible LTR. Leave message for Gene at 513-543-6841.

Serious inquiries only.

Roommate Needed Roommates Needed: 125 Spring Street; Loft # 119, Stewart Square: Looking For 2 Male Roommates - Entire Year 2010/11. Fully Furnished 4 Bedroom/ 4 Bathroom, Parking Included. Rent: $3750/Semester. Call For Details.

847-507-8201 Roomate Needed 2010-11 339 W. College (Above CVS) 3 Female students looking for a fourth. $3300/ semester. Fully furnished. For more information contact Shaina at lutzsm@muohio.edu or 330-232-2884

Sports

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Results

hockey - CCHA Championship

softball

FRIDAY

SUNDAY

SATURDAY

MICHIGAN Miami

HITCHCOCK continued from page 14

were physical, high-intensity affairs that will only gain in intensity should they meet in the finals.

One of the most intriguing things about this matchup is how much depth each squad possesses. The Lakers boast an extremely well rounded, wellcoached team with loads of experience and explosive offensive capabilities.

Nevertheless, the big difference between their two meetings thus far, from which the Cavaliers emerged victorious, and the potential matchup looming in the future is the absence of Ilgauskas and the possibly compromised Shaq should he return in the postseason.

The size and tenacity of the threeheaded monster (Ilgauskas, Shaq and Varejao) was a key factor in stopping Andrew Bynum and Gasol, but with Z no longer on the team, will Shaq be healthy enough in the playoffs to support Varejao when Coach Phil Jackson puts out a bigger Laker lineup? Can Jamison contribute to this mix effectively, and if so, what factors will that have on his offensive production?

What about the Lakers’ Ron Artest and Lamar Odom? Artest still holds the versatility and offensive prowess to capitalize on defensive lapses and Odom can be absolutely scintillating at times. Both teams have a very structured hierarchy, with each player fully understanding his

Schedule men’s basketball

5 MIAMI 2 Ferris State

2 1

MIAMI Toledo

role, which would make their contest even more captivating to watch.

As much as this kills me to say, the Cavaliers have the best player on the planet, as well as a spirited team dynamic that LeBron fuels through his playful attitude and joking demeanor.

Although they are building new chemistry since the trade deadline’s major shakeup, the Cavs only seem to be gaining steam as they roll through the Eastern Conference.

Hypothetically, if things go south for the Lakers from the start — the Cavaliers winning Game 1 in Los Angeles or both Games 1 and 2 in Cleveland — Los Angeles could self destruct due to the fact that everyone on the Lakers is terrified of Kobe and jitters could arise.

Kobe is also a different player than he was three years ago, with those acrobatic layups and mesmerizing dunks becoming more and more of a rarity due to so much mileage on his legs. Although Kobe is a deadly sharpshooter who can always create his own shot due to an extraordinary skill set, LeBron is at a level I have not witnessed anyone reach in my lifetime since I missed Jordan in his prime.

Ultimately, he will refuse to let the Cavaliers lose, as it is hard to imagine his talented supporting cast choking two years in a row, especially with the 2010 free agency coming up. Kobe hates losing just as much as LeBron, but when repeating it is hard to retain the same hunger as when you have never won before. This is why the Cavaliers will emerge as champions.

TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2010 ♦ 13

baseball 8 0

SATURDAY

MIAMI 7 Jacksonville St. 6

track

RedHawk decathletes use performances to set tone

By William B. Morin Staff Writer

On March 18 and 19 four Miami University decathletes headed to the Univeristy of North Carolina (UNC) at Charlotte to compete in 10 events in two days. After some strong finishes and a personal record, the team headed back to Oxford with high hopes for the rest of the season.

At the 49er Classic, Head Coach Ceith Creekmur’s hopes for his decathletes were realized.

“Everyone stepped up in at least one event for us,” Creekmur said, indicating that the team this year will have a lot of depth and balance, hoping to carry them far — even to the NCAA National Meet and the U.S. Junior Meet.

Everyone who competed had great performances, namely freshman Reggie Mitchell, who won long jump and finished third in the 110-meter hurdles, helping propel him to his fourth place finish overall in the competition with 6,064 points. Sophomore Matt Rudin also performed very well before withdrawing midway through Friday.

“Even though he is new to the decathlon, he did great with his javelin and pole vaulting,” Creekmur said about Rudin.

Not to be outdone, junior Michael

McCarty ran the 100-meter dash and got a personal record by two-tenths of a second, further emphasizing the future of these athletes with the team for the rest of the season. After starting strong, McCarty withdrew from his events midway through Friday’s action.

“With the team being half freshman, it’s very different, but we are all learning together, which helps,” Mitchell said.

Though McCarty and redshirt freshman Sam Wildeman withdrew from their events, there were no serious injuries and their withdrawals were precautionary, in an effort to have them fresh for the start of the regular season. The coaches had seen enough from the successes in their completed events to be able to sit them.

“With the start we had in Charlotte, it shows we are all working hard and not slacking off,” Mitchell said. “We are starting the season out well and are going to end it better.”

With strong performances by all the decathletes, there is a lot of hope for the 2010 men’s track season.

“Reggie’s jumping shows he’s willing to step up,” Creekmur said, which will set the tone for the rest of the young team in the season ahead.

The track season kicks of March 27 at Vanderbilt University.

baseball

softball

men’s swimming and diving

WEDNESDAY - HOME

WEDNESDAY - AWAY

THURSDAY - COLUMBUS

Eastern Kentucky 6 p.m.

Purdue 3 p.m.

NCAA Championships noon and 7 p.m.

MIDWEST REGIONAL

March 27-28 Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

DIVISION I • Fort Wayne, Indiana

ROAD TRIP? It’s only 123 miles from downtown Oxford to the Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne!

Follow the RedHawks to the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four!

Get your tickets now!

NCAA.com/frozenfour NCAA is a trademark of the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

14

Sports

Tuesday

March 23, 2010

Results and schedule, page 13 Editor Katie Giovinale giovinkl@muohio.edu

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Junior Kelsey Vehr poses with her trophy Monday at the Corwin M. Nixon Aquatic Center.

swimming

Vehr garners All-American honors

By Michael Solomon Staff Writer

Miami University junior swimmer Kelsey Vehr, who won three individual championships at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) meet, came to the NCAA meet at Purdue University on Wednesday looking to improve on her NCAA times from last year’s meet. And she did just that.

“I am writing this blog as the happiest AllAmerican Miami girl alive,” Vehr said in her postcard blog from the NCAA Championship Meet Saturday.

After qualifying for the 100-yard breaststroke finals Friday morning, Vehr became Miami’s first All-American women’s swimmer. She clocked in the fifth fastest preliminary time in the event, and went on to finish seventh in the finals later that night.

“The race was somewhat intimidating, but I had nothing to lose,” Vehr said. “I already accomplished more than I ever would. I took a deep breath and dove in. I felt great once again in the water and finished at seventh with a 1:00.66, which was faster than my time at the MAC’s, but didn’t beat my morning time. I was so happy to finish in the top eight.”

Teammate Megan Brunn made the trip to West Lafayette to cheer on her classmate.

“I can’t say enough about Kelsey Vehr and how great her accomplishments have been thus far in her swimming career,” Brunn said. “Being the first ever All-American from the Miami women’s swimming and diving program is remarkable, and I’m honored to say that I know her and train with her.”

On Saturday, Vehr barely missed becoming an All-American in her second event in the NCAA’s, placing 18 in the 200-yard breaststroke. Her time of 2:11.84 was just 21 one-hundredths of a second behind the 16

place finisher. While the top eight times swim in the event finals and win All-America honors, placers nine to 16 earn berths in the consolation finals and for honorable All-America acclaim.

“I went a 2:11.84, my second best time ever,” Vehr said. “I felt awesome in the water, I would have loved to have another swim but I am so happy to end on that. I hoped out of the pool and watched the remaining two heats of the 200-yard breaststroke to see if could make it back at night, but unfortunately my time wasn’t fast enough. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

When LeBron faces Kobe, Cavs victorious Sam Hitchcock

That’s Debatable

T

he Cavaliers and Lakers are absolutely rolling. Both teams are on winning streaks and between them have the two best players in the game bar none. So assuming these two titans meet in the finals, which comes out the victor?

LeBron James is playing at a higher caliber than few players of all time have reached in an NBA season. Each night, the Cavaliers have been crushing their opponents into submission with LeBron leading the charge. The pick up of Antawn Jamison at the trade deadline was crucial — since returning from injury, he has been a worthy complement to LeBron, putting up nearly a double-double each night. Mo Williams and Delonte West are contributing in big ways as well, having big point tallies when necessary, but also playing aggressively on defense.

With Ilgauskas no longer on the team and Shaq out for the rest of the regular season due to injury, the obvious fear of how to deal with big men like Dwight Howard arose. But Anderson Varejao has stepped up in a big way, chasing after loose balls, irritating opponents and getting rebounds — doing his usual antics, but on a much more impressive and effective scale. Credit also should be given to J.J. Hickson, who has excelled as a sub when Jamison needs a breath.

With the Cavaliers firing on all cylinders, the compelling question is how will they respond in the postseason when they face the most clutch player in the game (Kobe Bryant) as well as one of the best big men in the league (Pau Gasol). Both regular season meetings between the Lakers and Cavs

wSee HITCHCOCK, page 13

SCOTT ALLISON The Miami Student

Junior infielder Kyle Weldon mitts a ball for the out against Northern Kentucky on March 17.

baseball

’Hawks halted by mother nature

By Alex Butler Senior Staff Writer

Riding an emotional, come-from-behind victory against the Jacksonville State University Gamecocks (9-10) Saturday in the bridge game of the series, the Miami University RedHawk baseball team (8-9) was determined to take the last game Sunday and come back to Oxford with a winning record and a bright outlook on the young season.

Mother nature had other ideas.

After four and half innings of tight baseball, rain descended on the Rudy Abbott Field’s Alabama soil and sent the squads into the dugout for a long delay until the umpires ruled to call the game and hand the Gamecocks a 2-0 victory and the weekend series.

“We had a couple opportunities we just didn’t capitalize on,” Head Coach Dan Simonds said. “We just couldn’t get a big hit when we needed it and we really didn’t threat in the other innings. We didn’t put any pressure on in the five innings that we played. We really only had one bad inning where we gave up some runs. If we would

have been more solid defensively we might have avoided those.”

The Red and White sent freshman Mac Thoreson (1-1) to the hill with the task of silencing Gamecock bats and earning a spot in Simonds’ rotation. Thoreson faced some tough spots in the contest but finagled his way out of trouble with the bases loaded and both runs to cross home plate were unearned.

“It was pretty good today,” Thoreson said. “I was excited to get out there. It was good to get my feet wet earlier this week. They proved to be a pretty good hitting team. Unfortunately we didn’t get to play all nine but it was good. It’s been a little bit different for me. I started out in a closing role so and now they shoved me into a starting role. The mindset has changed a little bit.”

It was a defensive lapse via a misfired throw that allowed the first runner to score and from there “good things” happened for the Gamecocks.

“It was pretty rough weather conditions to play in today,” senior Zak Hatfield said.

“The past couple games our offense has started off slow. We need to work on getting

our offense going earlier in the game as opposed to waiting until the end of the game to finally start putting up some runs.”

RedHawk bats were anything but red hot as sophomore Jordan Jankowski collected the team’s only hit with a single in the second inning.

The Red and White will try to stay away from the dark clouds at 3 p.m. Tuesday when they travel to Eastern Kentucky University. They face that same team at 6 p.m. Wednesday at McKie Field at Hayden Park.

“We played a good team from a good conference and a well coached team,” Simonds said. “The one thing we learned is that we have to be ready to play since the first pitch is thrown. We only scored in two innings the whole weekend of 23 innings. We have to do a better job of putting pressure on and not just doing it in one inning.”

Simonds said when competing against a good team the RedHawks can’t afford to give extra outs.

The Red and White are now 1-1 in 2010 in rain shortened contests, with the lone victory coming against the University of Rhode Island March 11.