As the fall semester begins, the Miami University football, volleyball, feld hockey and soccer teams open their 2025 seasons looking to capture a Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship. In October, the hockey and men’s and women’s basketball teams will look to succeed in their non-conference slates before beginning MAC and National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) play in December.
Incoming and returning students have many chances to support the Miami sports teams this fall semester. Here are fve must-watch home games for the RedHawks.
Volleyball vs. Ohio State University (Sept. 3)
Dan Gwitt enters his second season as the RedHawks’ head volleyball coach. Early in the season, Miami will face the Ohio State University
PARKER GREEN ASSISTANT CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR COLUMN
As a tour guide, I get asked about Miami University’s on-campus food selection about 2,384,756 times a shift.
While I typically give the general answer (“It’s not Michelin Star dining, but it’s not bad as far as college food goes”), I would be lying if I said I didn’t have a clear ranking system in my head.
For the sake of fairness, I will be ranking places that only use meal swipes, since it’s not really fair to put Panera up against Western Dining Commons (we all know who’s winning). Additionally, new locations added after the ’24 - ’25 school year will not be ranked since I haven’t tried them yet.
So without further ado, here’s all of Miami's dining locations, ranked best to worst.
#1: Bell Tower Bell Tower is the place to be if you have meal swipes burning a hole in
Buckeyes at Millett Hall for a midweek matchup.
The RedHawks open the season with an exhibition game against Cleveland State University on Aug. 23 before heading to Louisville, Kentucky, for the Bellarmine Classic from Aug. 29-30. The match against Ohio State on Sept. 3 will also serve as the home opener for the season.
The meeting between the two Ohio schools will be the frst since 2019, when the Buckeyes took two early sets to fnish with a 3-1 win over the RedHawks. Miami is 4-12 against Ohio State overall.
With one year at Miami under his belt and six new players on the roster, Gwitt and the RedHawks have an opportunity to snap a seven-game losing streak against Ohio State, as well as set the trajectory for the rest of the season going into conference play at the end of September.
Football vs. University of Las Vegas (Sept. 20)
The Miami football team kicks of the 2025 season with two road
matchups against Big Ten opponents. Following their game against Rutgers University, the RedHawks return to Oxford for the 2025 home opener against the University of Las Vegas Rebels, the frst time the two will face.
The RedHawks are looking to replicate their 2024 success that brought them to their second-straight appearance in the MAC championship as well as a win at the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl.
Dequan Finn, Miami’s new quarterback after Brett Gabbert graduated in May, will have his frst chance to show the crowd at Yager Stadium what he can do. Finn joins the roster alongside several wide receivers from the transfer portal, including Deion Colze from Notre Dame University and Keith Reynolds from the University of Washington.
your pocket. The food is consistently better than every other dining hall and well portioned, and the building is centrally located on campus.
While I’m partial to Southwest Express (especially the burrito bowl – I dream of those), you really can’t go wrong with any of the options. Plus, there’s always something for everyone there, since the menu is consistent.
My only complaint is the lack of dessert; as a sweet treat fend, I really wish one of the ghost kitchens ofered something to satisfy my sugar addiction.
#2: McCracken Grill/Scoreboard Market Placed together because they’re functionally the same, these locations ofer made-to-order sandwiches, salads and chicken fngers. They also both ofer breakfast, which includes shockingly delicious bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches. However, the meal-swipe menu isn’t huge, and there aren't places to sit within the locations themselves, which can make dining here a little boring and occasionally precarious. Still, when you’re craving a burger,
there’s only one place to get it … or two.
#3: Garden Dining Commons Garden is hands down the best dining hall, and no, I won’t take any criticism on it. Not only is it clean and well-lit, but the menu is always more well-rounded and better rotated than at any other bufet-style location. Plus, this is the only dining hall with a buildyour-own stir-fry, which is actually pretty fantastic. My roommates and I lived on Western Campus last semester, and we would routinely forgo closer dining halls in favor of Garden.
#4: Western Dining Commons To quote “Dance Moms:” “You didn’t stick out to me.” Western is a beautiful dining hall with the best playlist, but the food is either decently good or shockingly bad. While convenient for Western Campus students, it seems like convenience is the main reason anyone actually likes it.
TAYLOR STUMBAUGH SENIOR CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
Back-to-school season is one of the most fun times of the year. From the fresh faces on campus to the leaves changing, there is no better time to explore Miami University and the surrounding Oxford community.
Both the university and Oxford put on fun events to help students get acclimated on campus. Here are a few to get you started this year: Saturday, Aug. 23
Visit the Oxford Farmers Market for fresh seasonal produce, local artisans, baked goods and more. The market is located in the parking lot north of Memorial Park at the corner of Main and Church Streets and takes place every Saturday, from 9 a.m. to noon.
Map My Classes, put on by the University Libraries from 10 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., gives students the chance to familiarize themselves with the campus map, locate classes, plan routes to get to class on time and make sure they’re in the right place on Monday morning. Additionally, they ofer tours of the library and its resources.
Oxford Community Yoga puts on outdoor classes every Saturday through October from
THE MIAMI STUDENT STAFF
OLIVIA PATEL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
MADELINE BUECKER
ANNA REIER
MANAGING EDITOR
TAYLOR STUMBAUGH
SENIOR CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR
KETHAN BABU
SPORTS EDITOR
TAYLOR POWERS
OPINION EDITOR
STELLA POWERS
CULTURE EDITOR
CONNOR OVIATT
HUMOR EDITOR
SARAH KENNEL
GREENHAWKS EDITOR
OLIVIA MICHELSEN
DESIGN EDITOR
SARAH FROSCH
DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR
KISER YOUNG
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
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SHANNON MAHONEY
PARKER GREEN
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JEFFREY MIDDLETON
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BUSINESS MANAGER
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Welcome to The Miami Student Games section — your weekly brain break! Each issue, you can challenge yourself with our mini crossword, anagrams, sudoku and our ‘In this Issue’ quiz. The mini crossword is a 5x5 square and will be focused on general knowledge, but keep an eye out for special Miami-specifc clues! In the anagram, see how many diferent words you can make from the letters provided. For each sudoku game, the goal is to have every number 1-9 in each row, column and 3x3 box without any repeats. The ‘In this Issue’ quiz is a great way to test your
How to Play:
Unscramble the letters to reveal possible word combinations! The number in the colored circle represents how many words of that length can be made. If a word can be pluralized or contains a sufx like ‘ing’ or ly,’ they will appear on the answer sheet only once as the longer word to avoid redundancy. (For example, if the anagram can spell the word ‘jumping’ the word ‘jump’ will not appear in the four-letter word category or count towards the number in the circle even though it is a correct anagram.)
Get
on a game? We’ll post the answers on our website the next day. We can’t wait to play along with you!
Your Games co-editors, Molly Podest and Shannon Mahoney podestmk@miamioh.edu mahones5@miamioh.edu
Letter from the Editor: Welcome to Miami ... and The Miami Student
OLIVIA PATEL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Readers, Welcome – or welcome back – to Miami University! Many of us have waited months to be back in Oxford. Whether it’s your class schedule you’re most looking forward to (I adore you), or getting Uptown for a beer tower at Skipper’s, Oxford truly is a sacred place to all Miami students. And if you’re a frst-year student, welcome to the best college town in the world. If this is your frst time setting foot on Miami’s charming campus, I absolutely envy you. As I enter my senior year, I would do anything to go back three years and start the clock over again. But, since time travel has yet to grace us, I will instead use this letter to share some guidance to frst-year students on how to make the most of your time as a RedHawk. In this edition, you will fnd all the information you need to successfully start your undergraduate tenure here at Miami, with a ranking of all the dining halls in Culture, the best places to get fresh air in GreenHawks and the hottest takes on record from our Opinion section. You will also fnd a list of fall events from our Campus and Community section that you don’t want to miss. This brings me to my frst piece of advice: Try something new.
I know I just spun of the most cliché advice as my own, but it is so true, especially as you arrive on a new college campus. Go to Mega Fair; try out a bunch of clubs and quit the ones you hate. Go to events with the person who lives next door to you, and meet people who don’t dress like you or are interested in diferent things. Plan to study abroad in a country where you don’t even speak the language or know anything about. Take a class that interests you, even if it has no relevance to your major. Try. Which brings me to my next piece of advice: Show up. Show up for class, even when you had too much fun at the bars the night before. Show up to your club meetings, even when it’s 10 degrees outside and across campus. And, most importantly, show up for your friends. College is a time for fresh starts, and no one is stopping you from becoming the best version of yourself. So leave the excuses at home and show up for the things that are important to you. You can call this a shameless plug, but I see my last piece of advice as genuine guidance: Stay informed. You – no matter how much you stay away from news or turn your head – are living in a world where change is happening on a daily basis, both here in Oxford and around the globe. The best way to get through
college, and come out on top, is to keep educating yourself on what is going on around you. Here at The Miami Student, our award-winning staf is committed to keeping Miami and Oxford residents informed about important changes, including news that is overlooked and, in some cases, buried.
There’s a reason the Society of Professional Journalists have named us the Best College Newspaper not only in Ohio, but the wider region of Michigan, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania, for two years in a row.
So, trust us to keep you informed.
There is a list of all our newsstand locations at the beginning of this issue, as well as our print schedule. For continuous news updates, our newsletter is a great place to quickly see what the top stories of the week are, which you can register to get in your inbox weekly on our website, at www. miamistudent.net.
Finally, we can’t call ourselves a student newspaper if we don’t listen to our most targeted readership: Miami students. So, please utilize the “Story Idea?” tab on our website to let us know what YOU think we should be covering. And, as always, my email box is open.
Love and Honor,
Olivia Patel
Editor-in-Chief
patelou@miamioh.edu
eic@miamistudent.net
Tuesday, Aug. 26
Everyone can “Paint a Rock, Leave a Mark” at The Conservatory’s Formal Gardens from noon-1 p.m. Alternatively, the Oxford Community Arts Center is ofering Shakespeare in the Park: A Midsummer Night’s Dream at 7 p.m. in the Oxford Community Arts Center Pavilion. Chair and blankets not provided; DORA (open container) drinks are permitted. Wednesday, Aug. 27
University Libraries will be providing tours of the best study spots on campus from 11-11:30 a.m., which includes tips and tricks on how to make the most of your study time.
stumbata@miamioh.edu
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
University
SOLOMON BOWSER STAFF WRITER
One of Miami University’s newest majors in the humanities is coming at the cost of six others.
At a University Senate meeting on April 28, Senate passed a proposal for World Languages and Cultures to replace all undergraduate majors across Miami’s Department of French, Italian and Classics (FIC) as well as the Department of German, Russian, Asian and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (GRAMELAC).
Senate did choose to keep seven minors, though. Minors in Classical Studies, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies will continue to be ofered following changes to the majors.
The proposal for World Languages and Cultures still needs to be approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education before any further steps can be taken.
FIC and FRAMELAC developed the program in light of cut-backs made at Miami in 2023, when faculty were notifed that low-enrolled programs would be eliminated.
Mark McKinney, a professor and the acting chair of FIC, said creating this new major was a collaborative
process between the departments aimed at preserving both their respective faculty and the overall course content.
“It really was a joint project for everyone,” he said. “It would be a way for us to do what we care about, to teach [students] about other cultures.”
While McKinney said both departments rejoice in the possibility of having this new major, the program came with its share of compromise. Students can still specialize within the program, but some courses need to be restructured to accommodate a wider range of students. For instance, some upper-level courses, which used to be taught exclusively in a foreign language, will now be taught in English.
The changes coming to foreign languages and cultures at Miami have professors and students concerned about the direction the humanities are taking. Benjamin Sutclife, a professor of Russian literature, said the shrinking departments is a sign of a “natural attrition” of the humanities.
“When I started at Miami, there were fve people teaching Russian language and Russian literature,” he said. “Now we are down to two. I’m the only permanent one.”
Like all of the other students enrolled in FIC and GRAMELAC, senior Charlie Fair has the chance
to fnish his degree without disruption from the merger. However, that hasn’t decreased his concern about the quality of a foreign language and culture education.
“It feels [like] we’re really making Miami that much less of a place by getting rid of this kind of cultural, historical and social enrichment,” he said.
Fair said he understands that lower-enrolled courses aren’t advantageous for universities that don’t want to lose money, but like other humanities professors and students, he also said proft isn’t the point of a liberal arts education.
“Does everything have to be a return on your investment?” he said. “Can we not have a liberal arts education for the sake of broadening the mind … and not learning to make more money or making the university more money?”
Fair also said that despite losing the more specialized majors, new students will always seize the opportunity to pursue their education.
“People who are legitimately interested in Russia or Eastern Europe or Ukraine or Central Asia, they’ll be able to make do with what the language department, history department or political science department ofers them,” Fair said.
bowsers2@miamioh.edu
SYDNEY MULFORD STAFF WRITER
With the addition of Hawks Landing as Miami University housing, students will need about 30 minutes to walk the 1.3 miles to central campus, where Upham Hall is located. In contrast, students in MacCracken Hall, a large sophomore dorm, only need about nine minutes to walk the 0.4 miles to Upham Hall. Each year, Miami’s Campus Services goes through the process of placing all rising frst-year and sophomore students into university housing. However, this does not always go as planned, leaving some students without housing assignments until mid-summer.
In order to hit the “sweet spot” of 8,000-8,200 beds available for the 2025-26 school year, Miami had to adjust its typical housing choices, said Brian Woodruf, director of housing and operational services. Miami ofered the chance for rising sophomores to live in Hawks Landing, which will ofer apartment-style housing at on-campus prices. This will be similar to how Heritage Commons apartments are set up, wherestudents will have the choice of a meal plan and have RAs. This is not the frst time Miami has worked with an of-campus location to add additional housing options for students.
“Over the years, we’ve [had on-campus options] in The Verge and Chestnut Place,” said Rob Abowitz, the director of residence life. “We have used Hawks Landing several times. We have [also] used the Miami Preserve.”
The Verge and Chestnut Place are south of Chestnut street, close to south campus where Heritage Commons apartments and the rec center are. In comparison, Hawks Landing is close to the post ofce, north of town, on Brown Road.
The walk from Hawks Landing to the Phi Delta Theta gates is rough-
ly 0.9 miles. Students without their own transportation can use the Butler County Regional Transit Authority, which will have a stop in the Hawks Landing parking lot as well as a stop at nearby Sycamore Street.
“I knew someone that lived in Hawks Landing last year, and so I talked to her about [transportation options], and she said that the buses are pretty user friendly,” said Ellie Miller, a rising sophomore and psychology major living in Hawks Landing.
However, even with the addition of Hawks Landing, not all students were able to get housing immediately. Media and communication major Caroline Gneuhs and her roommate had issues with the housing portal and were unable to get housing last April. Soon after her room selection time slot, she received an email that her current status was pending and she would hear about housing mid-summer.
At the end of May, sophomore Gneuhs and her roommate received their housing assignment for Tappan Hall.
“It’s just really frustrating, honestly,” Gneuhs said. “I want to pick where I want to live, because I didn’t get to my freshman year.”
This situation isn’t unique. Every year, students run into challenges with the housing process.
“We always have a group that were lowest in the lottery process or who didn’t respond to the lottery process and didn’t even get on and sign up for second year housing, ” Abowitz said. “They’re in a status called ‘Not Yet Assigned.’ Eventually, as the dust settles through the summer, they’ll get an assignment. Everyone’s going to get an assignment.”
Despite these changes, Woodruf said everything would work out.
“For the upcoming year, we’re confdent that we have the right amount of space,” Woodruf wrote in an email to The Miami Student. mulforsj@miamioh.edu
PARKER GREEN ASST. CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
The Farmer School of Business (FSB) is on a roll.
After all, it was named the best business school in Ohio and ranks within the top 20 in the nation, according to college review site Poet & Quants.
Jenny Darroch, dean of the Farmer School of Business, said both its commitment to detail and students are a factor in the high rankings.
“FSB stands out because of the intentional way we blend academic excellence, a supportive community and career readiness,” Darroch wrote in an email to The Miami Student. “We ofer the resources and rigor of a top-tier business school with the personal attention of a smaller college.”
So why aren’t FSB students singing its praises?
Micheal Layton, a junior accounting major, is one of the students un-
sure if they care about the rankings.
Layton is the vice president of new member education at Alpha Kappa Psi, a business fraternity, and the president of his fraternity’s in-house consulting frm, East Bridge Consultancy. He said Farmer ill-prepares its students for the real world’s competitive job market.
“A lot of what we learn might not be the most applicable to careers, and what [students] actually are going to do,” Layton said. “In order to succeed in a lot of the jobs I would consider, that people want to go into, Farmer doesn’t really provide the resources for.”
This is a sentiment echoed by Courson Kaufman, a junior fnance major and vice president of the banking club, commercial banking club and the business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi.
“Candidly, I don’t get a ton out of the classes,” Kaufman said, though he did add that his experience has been “overall positive.”
“I mean, I feel like you can always
pick apart any school, but at the end of the day, it’s hard to compare it to an Ivy – you’re paying a third of the price,” Kaufman said.
Darroch added that FSB students “tend to thrive on [FSB’s] outcomes-based approach that favors professional development and applied learning.”
This includes a “deeply engaged faculty,” access to career coaching and global programs.
Despite all of this, both Kaufman and Layton agreed that their most valuable lessons have come from their extracurriculars.
“It takes clubs and other outside resources to prepare you [for the job market],” Layton said. “The people who really place well are placed out of clubs, because [the club] has people who know how to go through recruitment and provide you with resources needed. It certainly helped me.”
When it comes to how FSB’s rankings help them in the job hunt, Kaufman and Layton have mixed feelings. While both agree FSB is not a “target
school” – an institution that top frms look to recruit undergraduates from – they difer in how that has afected their prospects.
“We’re like the opposite of a target school,” Layton said. “[FSB] is just not on these companies’ radar, and it can be a huge disadvantage.”
He adds that while it’s not impossible to get a good internship, FSB students have to work a lot harder, often “fghting tooth and nail” for the small number of non-target school spots. Kaufman, on the other hand, thinks that ranks matter less than personal eforts.
“[School rankings] are a stereotype that I don’t like,” he said. “We still go to a great institution that gives you great opportunities if you’re willing to go and seek them [out].”
Part of seeking out opportunities is access to professors.
Layton said while some instructors can be detached, most are open to helping their students, such as the time when his marketing professor
connected him to a partner at one of his dream companies.
For new students, these mixed reviews of FSB, combined with a competitive applicant pool and general stress of adjusting to college life, can feel overwhelming.
Layton said the best advice for new FSB students is to try everything, and Kaufman emphasized making personal connections.
“Just go out and talk to people, see what you like or don’t like,” Kaufman said. “That’s the best way to fnd out what you want to do.”
For Darroch, advice looks like reassuring FSB students that they’re here for a reason.
“You belong here, and we’re here to help you succeed,” Darroch said. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions, take risks, or fail forward. Farmer is full of opportunities, but you must take the initiative.”
greenpt@miamioh.edu
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
‘Intense
and serious, but joyful’: Miami’s Center for Civics, Culture and Society arrives on campus
RAQUEL HIRSCH
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Miami University’s new Center for Civics, Culture and Society will be established this fall – two years after the initial passage of Senate Bill 117 that legally required certain public Ohio universities to establish these types of centers.
This legislation allocated funding for Miami, University of Cincinnati, University of Toledo, Cleveland State University and the Ohio State University.
The center will focus on historical texts and ideas that have “shaped the American constitutional order and society” and “educate students by means of free, open and rigorous intellectual inquiry to seek the truth,” according to the bill.
The center will be housed as an “independent academic unit” within the College of Arts and Science and is being led by inaugural director Flagg Taylor, who was appointed by an academic council in March. The council will continue to stay on in an advisory role, overseeing the work Taylor does, Miami has received $2 million in government funding, some of which will go toward 10 tenure-track faculty
hires.
“The immediate task is to get to work on hiring a group of interdisciplinary faculty,” Taylor said. “That could be professors in political science or English or philosophy or classics … I want to hire a broad-based interdisciplinary faculty who are all excited about the prospect of teaching civic education, and so we’re going to get to work on that in the fall.”
The center already has three visiting faculty members who will begin teaching during the next academic year. These positions do not count toward the 10 tenured faculty members, as that hiring process will begin this fall.
In addition to fnancing faculty positions, state funding will also go to programming and events outside the classroom. One event already in consideration is a lecture about the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution in 2026.
“I’m thinking about having a panel on the choice for revolution,” Taylor said. “A panel that will kind of get people to think about what it would have been like to join the rebels’ cause. It sort of seems like an obvious choice now, but it wasn’t to the people who had to live in 1775 and 1776
to make that decision.”
The center will also collaborate alongside the Menard Family Center for Democracy — another civic-programming institution — on events such as Constitution Day this fall. John Forren, director of the Menard Center, has already begun working with Taylor.
“Any opportunity to enhance civics education at Miami and at the college level, I think can be a very positive thing,” Forren said. “The university has always supported diversity of thought and exploration of alternative points of view and intellectual diversity, so the more voices that are heard and are present on campus [the better].”
While the center will hold classes and programming on various socio-political topics, Taylor does not consider the center itself to be political.
“The adjective I would use [to describe the center] would be pre-partisan,” Taylor said. “I want people to kind of think about civic knowledge as something that needs to be gained no matter what your contemporary opinions or political afliations are.”
Taylor also emphasized the interdisciplinary elements of the center
that will incorporate perspectives from diferent felds.
“We’re not thinking about questions from the perspective of a political scientist or a historian or even a journalist,” Taylor said, “but we’re thinking about kind of ordinary political questions that will arise … as a citizen and a human being.”
As another civic education-focused faculty member, Forren echoed this when discussing the role universities play when teaching about these topics.
“It’s the role of colleges and universities to teach students how to think, not what to think,” Forren said. “And so anything we can do to expose people to multiple points of view and encourage critical thinking, I support.”
Student Body President Danny Martin also agreed, emphasizing the importance of civic engagement among Miami students.
“I think it never hurts to be more
‘I have seen nothing like this before’: MiamiTHRIVE’s plan for the future
civically engaged,” Martin said. “[Through centers like this,] we’re having those difcult conversations that we probably should be having more of as educated individuals, as college students and as future leaders going on.”
The center will have a student-frst approach, with Taylor hoping to build a center that can be enjoyed by everyone.
“My goal is pretty simple: it’s just to create a really vibrant center of faculty and students that are all devoted to and passionate about the kind of intense and serious but joyful study of civic life,” Taylor said. “I just think the center, hopefully, is going to be a kind of place that students from lots of different interests and backgrounds can come to pursue these questions in a really serious and exciting way.”
hirschr2@miamioh.edu
VENEZIA MCHENRY STAFF WRITER
In fall 2023, Miami University launched MiamiTHRIVE, a threephase strategic planning initiative focused on what Miami said would be “student-centered transformative ideas, unwavering commitment to excellence and mission-focused operational efciency.”
This past semester, MiamiTHRIVE’s implementation process began to roll out.
Melissa Thomasson, associate vice president of strategic initiatives, and Ande Durojaiye, vice president of strategy and partnerships, said it has brought faculty, staf and students together to transform the university in a changing world of higher education. They both said they believe the mission of MiamiTHRIVE has always been focused on students.
“Our faculty, our staf, the folks who work really diligently on this, our external community members, they’re all thinking about how we enhance the experience for you all as students,” Durojaiye said. “How do we make sure that your Miami experience is what it’s always been, but even better, and how we’re preparing you for what’s next.”
MiamiTHRIVE began by paying an outside consulting frm, Bain and Company Inc., $4 million for its stra-
tegic plans in Phase One and another $3.3 million for Phase Two, according to the Faculty Alliance of Miami.
The engagement from faculty, staf and community members allowed for the identifcation of strengths and weaknesses within the university.
Phase Two rolled out in spring 2024. Nine foundational strengths committees and 10 opportunity area committees made up of faculty, staf and students focused on those strengths and opportunity areas identifed in Phase One.
The committees then brainstormed broad ideas that were eventually narrowed down into initiatives.
There are 20 total approved initiatives, including neighborhood quads, a nursing expansion, experiential learning expansion, student hallmark experience and strengthened alumni engagement.
Jayne Brownell, senior vice president for student life, is the co-chair for the student hallmark experience initiative. Brownell said the goal of the initiative is to help students have a memorable experience they can look back on and contribute to their growth and learning while at Miami.
“We know that there isn’t going to be one thing that is going to ft every student,” Brownell said. “Our students are too diverse for that, but we want to make sure that every student
has a hallmark experience that they could point out.”
Elena Jackson Albarrán, a professor of history and global and intercultural studies and the executive vice president of the Faculty Alliance of Miami, said she hopes MiamiTHRIVE does not venture too far from the university’s liberal arts roots.
“A lot of the language prioritizes capital benefts, industrial partnerships, ROI... it’s the language of capital, and it places all value in those terms,” Albarrán said. “We really strongly believe that Miami’s liberal arts tradition of excellence creates value in ways that are not measured by those metrics exclusively.”
Phase Three of MiamiTHRIVE, which will continue from the 2025 spring semester, is the implementation stage. Initiatives in progress are the polytechnic campus and multipurpose event district and arena, which will replace Millett Hall and be constructed on Cook Field.
According to previous reporting by The Miami Student, students either didn’t know about the sports arena, had little opinion or strongly disapproved of the decision. Many didn’t want to lose the green space and said they didn’t believe it would sway students’ decisions to attend games.
The polytechnic campus builds on the existing partnerships with Butler
Tech in advanced manufacturing. Albarrán said faculty were not surveyed on this shift and are concerned on how they can deliver their skills in an industry they are not familiar with.
She said she’s also concerned with the direction MiamiTHRIVE is moving and the lack of faculty consultation.
“I would really encourage Miami not to squander some of the strengths that it has built over many generations,” Albarrán said. “To build forward, not moving away from, but really building on the real interdisciplinary work that has made it excellent.”
mchenrvg@miamioh.edu
Miami adopts new budget model, targets dean’s performances
as having “low enrollment,” and were thus directed to increase recruitment eforts or face the threat of combining or cutting majors.
Then, in early December of 2024, professors across campus received new workload requirements, which included an increase in classes professors were expected to teach, as well as requirements surrounding their research and out-of-classroom academic activities.
David Creamer, vice president for fnance and business services, introduced the new model to University Senate at the annual budget symposium on April 14, which was enacted in all the colleges in June. However, this model will act more as guidance for the deans, rather than an actual restructuring of fscal allocation.
This fall marks the frst academic year guided by this new budget model.
“[The budget] is part of what is discussed with the deans about where we have low-enrolled areas,” Creamer said. “What is the approach they’re going to take to try to address that … which could result in them making adjustments, reducing some of those opportunities, or it could be more focused on the recruitment for those particular programs.”
Since the model is based on a student’s primary major, additional challenges come from students who have more than one declared major, or departments that often house students with double majors.
Mary Jean Corbett, former interim chair of the Department of English, said this new budget model negatively impacts departments
like English because of the primary major structure, as the four majors in the English department are often doubled up with majors in other departments or colleges across the university. In some ways, Corbett said she also sees this budget model as a disincentive for departments to create new majors.
“It’s not just bad for English,” Corbett said, “it’s bad for the College of Arts and Science, and I would assume it’s bad for some other units as well. It probably just advantages [departments like] business and engineering.”
For students like sophomore Alexis Cupp, their primary major is not always clear or important to them, and they have little say in which of their majors gets the designation as “primary.”
Cupp came to Miami last fall as a declared linguistics major, but soon changed course early in her frst semester to double major in English literature and philosophy, with a minor in classical studies. To Cupp, calling one of her majors “primary” meant less about where her funds were being allocated and more about the major she is more passionate about.
“I think I would probably consider English to be my primary major, at least at this point,” Cupp said. “I feel like if I’m going to tell someone that I’m a major in something, I should have a depth of knowledge about that feld, and I’m still really new to philosophy.”
Cupp is only one of many students balancing two majors at the university, across all departments. In 2023, 60% of Miami students graduated with at least one minor or additional major. Also included in the model, 44% of
instructional revenue will go toward the student’s credit hours, which includes Miami Plan courses, electives and courses required for the major.
“Miami Plan courses will not bring an instructor and the instructor’s department as much money as, say, if that course being taught is in that student’s major,” said Nathan French, chair of University Senate.
Corbett echoed these concerns about the new budget model negatively afecting Miami Plan courses, and she guessed there will be fewer sections ofered for courses housed in “low-enrolled” departments.
To that, Creamer said the budget model has little to no efect on these courses, and he said the new budget model is more about “where the conversations will go with the deans this year regarding their performance under the model.”
Also included in the new model is the incentive pool, receiving 16% of the instructional revenue. This includes areas that are not fnancial in nature, but do receive fnancial resources based upon their performance on a certain set of criteria. The incentive pool includes things like graduation, as well as research and scholarly achievement.
“There’s no fnancial implication from this,” Creamer said. “[RCM 4.0] is being used as a tool to look at the performance of each of the colleges, each of the departments and programs within the college – then that leads to discussion about where we should go in the future.”
patelou@miamioh.edu
RETIRED PROFESSOR ANNIE-LAURIE BLAIR TEACHES A 200-LEVEL JOURNALISM CLASS IN 2023. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH
FLAGG TAYLOR STEPPED INTO HIS POSITION AS DIRECTOR OF THE CIVIC CENTER IN MARCH.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MIAMI UNIVERSITY
SADIE CHILDS STAFF WRITER
The space in the world I inhabited this summer was Massachusetts, Boston, but more realistically, Allston: a fraternal, rat-riddled neighborhood of the larger Boston area.
I was fortunate enough to have a rent-free room my best friend bestowed on me. The caveat was that one of the few souls I knew in Boston was leaving for the summer and interning abroad, giving me the opportunity to try out a city I had been clambering to get to. But I was entirely on my own until my internship started in June.
It was May.
Except I wasn’t truly alone. After copious amounts of solo traveling, I’m more than comfortable with exploring by my lonesome. The prospect of summer felt like it was looming large with possibility. I didn’t want to waste the precious three months I had by rotting in my complimentary residence.
Of course, the rational adult decision was to create a summer bucket list. Armed with glitter glue and a page full of ideas, my summer had fnally taken shape.
I did watercolors in rose gardens, took the ferry to harbor islands and read Walden at the namesake’s pond.
After a while, the tasks went from individual excursions to joint activities. I roped in my new roommate to roam on the beach. An old friend from high school showed me around her university. Slowly but surely, tasks got ticked of.
And before I knew it, June rolled around.
Unfortunately for me, the frst day of work also coincided with my 21st birthday.
The STEM internship, where I was supposed to be teaching kids about graphic design and flmmaking, essentially consisted of glorifed babysitting. My legal adulthood collided with a plethora of unruly children.
Summer was now spent making sure kids didn’t get hit by cars on the walk to lunch, showing them how to use a computer for the frst time and generally trying to make sure no one cried.
Though this summer has taught me I’m not likely cut out to work with young kids for the rest of my professional life, it has given me hope for my ability to teach in the future. Though hopefully that will be balanced with research and other equally fruitful endeavors.
As I enter into my senior year, I can feel a real life outside of college taking shape. One where I must carve out a space for myself.
This space includes a graduation program. Continuing to explore and to be creative within my professional life.
Though this may be a small space in the world, it is the space I created for myself this summer. childssb@miamioh.edu
London calling: Summer abroad with the Department of English
SHANNON MAHONEY
ASST. CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
A voice rang out over the intercom system saying something about destination and arrival in French. I shifted in my seat and stared out of my window to the platform opposite the train — one of my last glimpses of Paris. The train began to move, and soon enough, we were hurtling through the French countryside back towards London, my home and school for the month of June.
I was still smiling, thinking about statues and stained glass I’d seen in some of the most beautiful cathedrals and museums in the world. As the train cruised on, I fipped open a paperback I’d picked up in Oxford (the real one!), but found myself distracted by the conversations around me. The woman next to me muttered French into her phone while the family in front of us joked loudly in Russian. A few rows behind me, I heard a young girl ask a question in Spanish.
Somewhere else on the train sat two friends, equally awed by the experience. Despite the wonder and impossibility of the past 48 hours, all three of us were excited to be headed back to London. We were ready to take on the next big thing, whether that be another train ride to Stratford-Upon-Avon or an analysis essay on an impossible deadline. Surrounded by hundreds of travellers making their way in the world and learning alongside me, I felt buoyed by the strongest sense of hope and curiosity. Leaving Paris didn’t feel like the end of an amazing adventure; it felt like the beginning of a new one. mahones5@miamioh.edu
The center of it all: 2 summers in Washington D.C.
OLIVIA PATEL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ANNA REIER
MANAGING EDITOR
Straight out of the movies: the editor-in-chief and managing editor duo from The Miami Student take on the most politically-prominent city in the country – and maybe even the world.
From Capitol Hill to inside the White House press briefng room, Olivia saw the city through the news lens. A digital politics intern at FOX News, she was able to get a frst glimpse into the world of political reporting — a feld she’s been working toward for the past three years.
She was inside the House of Representatives when Speaker Mike Johnson signed the “One Big, Beautiful Bill” on July 3, and she trailed reporters to the AC Hotel, where NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani hosted a breakfast with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, hoping to lock down key Democratic endorsements. It was fast, chaotic and more than what she signed up for — and she can’t wait to dive back in.
Olivia even hard-launched her X (previously known as Twitter) news account, which as a 21-year-old, is pretty embarrassing (this is a shameless plug to follow). Nonetheless, this summer taught her the importance of quick and factual news, while also coming up with creative ways to tell a story.
She’ll miss those weekly Monday night sunset walks at the National Mall, glowing orange in the heat, and
the view of the Capitol dome from the House doors – it was nothing short of inspiring. But what she’ll miss most? Biweekly cocktail nights with Managing Editor Anna Reier, which always stretched too late and rarely included any talk of The Miami Student.
Anna, on the other hand, spent her summer in Washington, D.C., on Capitol Hill, working in the House of Representatives.
This was her second summer in D.C., so she thought she was a pro: mastering the best places to go on a Saturday night, the best times to take the Metro and which museums were actually worth going to.
Boy, was she wrong. At the end of the day, those things were nothing more than details on a calendar. The real takeaways came from what happened within the hallowed halls of Congress.
Working in such a political environment during such a politically charged time is hard. No matter what side of the aisle you fall on, people are going to hate you.
Most of her summer was spent on the phone. Answering calls from incredibly agitated and upset people. Some were polite, although distraught. Others… not so much. People called her horrible names. Cursed her out. Questioned her integrity for working in a political ofce. At the end of the day, she really just wanted to tell these people that she was a 21-year-old intern. She was about as important as the artwork in the front ofce.
But instead, she said, “Thank you for calling, and have a nice day.”
Some days this was easier than others.
Refecting on her D.C. summer, she thought she was going to leave having learned little to nothing new. After all, she was an “expert.” She had already done an internship here and had a group of friends. She had a favorite sushi restaurant and bookstore.
While her “favorites” recommendation hasn’t changed all that much, her perspective on this city (and life) has. As cheesy as it sounds, she learned the importance of kindness and respect. Most people working on Capitol Hill are just 20 to 30-somethings trying to make a diference. You don’t need to agree with everything they are saying or doing, but you can treat them (and everyone else…) with respect.
So... the moral of this story isn’t where to get the best Margarita (Mission in Dupont, BTW), but instead, to be kind to those you don’t agree with, both politically and otherwise. Show respect to your neighbors, even if they voted diferently from you.
It’ll go a long way, from Washington to Oxford and beyond.
***
While Olivia and Anna loved their summers at the center of the political apparatus, they are ready to get back to Oxford, and The Miami Student. Both have something new to bring to the table from their experience this summer, and they look forward to implementing what they’ve learned at The Student.
reieram@miamioh.edu
patelou@miamioh.edu
THIS STORY JUMPS TO PHOTO ON PAGE 16
TAYLOR STUMBAUGH CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
Fitness on High, the Pilates and
on
into the
Street, will be ex-
where Walk-
and Apparel
store more geared toward running, but when she took it over roughly 12-and-
a-half years ago, she added to the inventory.
“I tried to expand it to things I would like, things I thought the local people would like [and] things I thought Miami [University] kids would like,” she said. “I worked in retail for most of my adult life. I worked for Anthropology for years and Louis Vuitton and Saks, so I just thought it would be fun.” Its last day open was
STELLA POWERS CULTURE EDITOR
In January, Vanessa Cannon, a professor in emerging technology in business and design (ETBD), turned in a 20-page promotional document explaining the work she has done for her department, the university, her students and her service. On July 1, she was promoted from assistant lecturer to associate lecturer.
Cannon is one of 22 members of Miami’s Teaching, Clinical Professors and Lecturers (TCPL) faculty to be promoted to higher positions within their tracks at the university. This series of promotions comes after the University Board of Trustees voted to ratify the Faculty Alliance of Miami’s contract.
The promotion process is a lengthy one — TCPL employees begin their tracks at the lowest rank, eventually moving up through meetings with the chair, submitting a promotional document, hearing a decision from the dean of the school and fnally hearing a decision from the provost.
For Cannon, the biggest change regarding her new position is a change in focus, directing her attention toward how she can continue to better the university. Currently, a large amount of her time goes toward the MiamiTHRIVE initiative, a plan to help meet evolving student needs, as well as other larger projects and responsibilities at the university.
“It’s not a huge shift as far as my day-to-day work,” Cannon said. “It’s more like, where is next for you and what’s the vision for the next piece of service for the university.”
Amy Sullivan, a professor in the department of biology, started as a visiting assistant professor and was promoted to an associate teaching professor. This promotion comes with a salary increase and more responsibilities.
Sullivan said she loves learning and teaching students about the world around us, and that’s what continues to inspire her career. She’s also a part of Project Dragonfy, a hands-on learning initiative for graduate students pursuing biology. Since the start of her career, she has transitioned from viewing her job as imparting knowledge onto students to helping them come to their own understandings about what they learn.
“I feel like I have grown a lot and am now in a position where I can see additional ways I can contribute to
the department of biology and Project Dragonfy, and I’m really excited about those,” Sullivan said. “Having just been promoted, I now get to reevaluate where I’m at in terms of my professional goals.”
Robert Leonard, a professor in the Department of Information Systems and Analytics, was promoted from assistant teaching professor to associate teaching professor. He said as the department grows, it’s difcult to anticipate what may come with his promotion.
Leonard said his promotion process was difcult, having been denied the frst time as the decision was based almost exclusively on student evaluation numbers. When he explained to his department that the input in his document was more valuable, he received his promotion.
“Now I have to really dig in and try to make a diference so that people understand they can’t continue to teach the way they’ve been teaching,” Leonard said. “It’s more of a business model than it is a social responsibility.”
Other promoted faculty consist of Renee Gottliebson, clinical professor of speech pathology and audiology; Chip Hahn, clinical professor of speech pathology and audiology; Devin Birt, associate clinical lecturer of nursing; Gabriele Bechtel, teaching professor of English; Jacqueline Daugherty, teaching professor of individualized studies; Aaron Abbott, associate lecturer of sociology and gerontology; Matthew Arbuckle, associate teaching professor of political science; Kerrie Carsey, associate teaching professor of marketing and frst-year integrated core (FYIC); Jacob Matig, associate teaching professor of marketing and FYIC; Justin McGlothin, associate teaching professor of management and FYIC; Chelsea Meyers, associate teaching professor of sport leadership and management; Carla Nietfeld, associate teaching professor of economics; Katherine Setser, associate teaching professor of architecture and interior design; Corey Shank, associate teaching professor of fnance; David Motta, associate lecturer of Spanish and Portuguese, Ben Nicholson, associate lecturer of ETBD; Karl Reif, associate lecturer of mechanical and manufacturing engineering; Elizabeth Troy, associate lecturer of entrepreneurship and FYIC; and Geof Zoeckler, associate lecturer of entrepreneurship and FYIC.
powers40@miamioh.edu
Sadie takes on Boston
STUDENT VIGNETTES
Memories from Miami: Students reminisce on time in Oxford
Megan Archung, a sophomore nursing major, said her best memory is from all of the people she met at Miami. “It’s really easy to make a lot of friends in nursing because you’re all going through the same thing at the same time. I rushed too, so I met a lot of people from that.”
Alli Becker
Alli Becker, a sophomore biochemistry and premedical double major, said she came to Miami because it had a good biochemistry program, but it also had a better atmosphere than other schools she applied to. “I felt more at home at Miami … it just felt like a better community than some of the other bigger schools.”
Spencer Bersh, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, said he came to Miami because of the campus. “My best memory here is probably playing pool with my buddies [at] Red Zone, because we did that all the
Patrick Cengia, a senior fnance and history double major, said he came to Miami to be closer to home and to get the small-town feel. “I do remember [when] my social fraternity threw a party, and we had two guys that would play guitar, and I just remember we strung lights up, and it was the last day on campus last year, and it was kind of a farewell to our seniors. I think we were singing revival by Zach Bryan ... I think that was a great, sweet moment.”
Liam Chilton
Liam Chilton, a junior fnance major, said picking a favorite memory from Miami is hard. “Probably playing water polo. We won a water polo tournament this fall, so that was probably my favorite [memory].”
Sophia Cline
Sophia Cline, a sophomore marketing major, said she came to Miami because she felt like it was where she needed to be. “All the people there were so nice, and I could just tell the sense of community [was] what I wanted in a college.”
Emma Custer
Emma Custer, a junior majoring in biology and pre-physician associate studies with minors in dance and disability studies, said she came to Miami because she grew up coming to campus and always thought it was pretty. “I remember ... walking around and being really excited, like ‘I’ll be here one day like one of the big kids’ ... I just always have loved the atmosphere.”
Megan Fenichel
Meghan Fenichel, a sophomore majoring in psychology and social work, said she came to Miami to start fresh. “I just felt there [were] a lot of places to express myself … [and] my goal in college was ... to kind of branch out, learn about myself [and] do what I really want to do.”
Lauren Gualtieri
Lauren Gualtieri is a junior business analytics major who was recruited to be on Miami’s swim team. “There’s Art after Dark at Armstrong. I really like that. And being on the swim team, we went to Bufalo, New York, for our conference meet, so the bus rides and all the travel stuf we do for swimming [is memorable]. Stuf like that [makes Miami amazing].”
Lily Jurasek, a junior architecture major, said her best memory is the yearly cookout her major does. “I remember doing it my [frst]
Kavya Karthik, a junior biology and premed major, said she was looking through a lot of diferent undergraduate options when she landed on Miami. She said her best memory is from her frst day of classes. “Everybody is so friendly. Everybody’s trying to make friends.”
Josette LaFramboise, a junior media and communication and flm studies double major, said her best memory is joining Miami Dance Corps (MDC). “I didn’t really have any clubs [my frst] year, but then joining MDC gave me a nice community to go to and gave me something to do every week to keep me active.”
Andrew Lowry
Andrew Lowry, a senior kinesiology major, said he came to Miami because he was recruited for football as an ofensive lineman. “[My best memory is] being a football player, [and] defnitely winning the MAC championship two seasons ago. That was very, very cool.”
Ben Meyer
Ben Meyer, a junior business and economics major, said he’d heard of Miami’s business school from people in his hometown in Minnesota and thought it was something he should check out. “I’m in College Republicans, and I’d say the frst year, it started slow meeting new people, but going through the second semester, I ended up meeting my roommates for the next two years, so kinda small things like that [are my best memories].”
Chloe Morton
Chloe Morton, a sophomore biology and pre-health major, said she came to Miami because of the campus and study abroad programs. “[The best part of campus is] probably the community and all my friends. Itt’s so fun. I’m gonna be sad to leave.”
Emma Rubinski
Emma Rubinski, a junior marketing and emerging technology in business and design double major, said her best memory was getting a bid for her business fraternity, Pi Sigma Epsilon. “I was so nervous. I was so scared ... I didn’t know if I was going to get a bid, but when they came knocking on my door, I literally was in tears. I was so happy.”
Lorelei
Courtney Van Winkle
Courtney Van Winkle, a junior media and communication major with a minor in dance, said her best memory comes from the candid moments. “I really just like the simple things too, just like hanging out with my friends and studying together. Even though that’s not super extravagant, it’s just kind of nice.”
Lorelai Velazquez
Velazquez,
Ana Wells Ana Wells, a former senior studying media and communication, said her favorite memory
Cheyenne Worrell
Cheyenne Worrell, a junior dou-
major in professional writing and creative writing, said she came to Miami because she loved the campus, and it felt the most walkable out of
erywhere else she visited. “The tour of [Ohio State University] seemed a little insane, and I didn’t want to be local,
Lily Jurasek
Kavya Karthik
Josette LaFramboise
Megan Archung
Spencer Bersh
time.”
Patrick Cengia
5 Miami home games to watch this fall semester
Miami’s early performance in its non-conference slate will preview how well the RedHawks will compete against MAC opponents later in the year.
Field hockey vs. Michigan State University (Sept. 21)
The Miami feld hockey team brought home its seventh-straight MAC championship last season, and head coach Iñako Puzo’s ninth overall.
Following their frst game against a MAC opponent (Bellarmine on Sept. 19), the RedHawks will welcome the Michigan State University Spartans, a team that they lost to in overtime last year, to Oxford on Sept. 21.
Miami visited Michigan for two games against the University of Michigan Wolverines and the Spartans at the end of September in 2024. Following a 3-2 defeat to the Wolverines, Miami traveled to East Lansing two days later for another Big Ten matchup. The RedHawks struck frst against Michigan State, but the Spartans evened the score 1-1 in the fourth quarter to force overtime. After a scoreless frst overtime period, Michigan State found the back of Miami’s net to end the game.
This year, the Spartans will visit Oxford, marking the ffth-straight year that the two will play. Miami is
7-10-1 against Michigan State, with its last win also coming in overtime in 2023. Hockey vs. Arizona State University (Oct. 31 & Nov. 1)
The RedHawks will open the 2025-26 hockey season with a home series against Ferris State University on Oct. 3-4. Following two away series, Miami will return to Goggin Ice Center for two games against the Arizona State University Sun Devils, their initial series of NCHC play.
The frst game on Halloween night will also be a welcome-back for former RedHawk Johnny Waldron, who transferred to Arizona State following the 2024-25 season. He totalled 56 points in 93 career games with Miami and will return with a program that fnished second in the NCHC last season behind eventual national champion Western Michigan University.
Head coach Anthony Noreen embarks on his second year with Miami in 2025-26. His roster, as of now, includes 18 frst years – a number that incorporates the three goaltenders and players who moved to college hockey from Canada – and seven transfer players from other NCAA schools, along with the nine returners, making a total of 34 players.
The roster will have to be trimmed down to 26 before the start of the academic year, which will likely include sending a few underage players back to junior hockey for another season and, potentially, not inviting back a couple of players from last season.
The RedHawks are looking to return the hockey program to former glory after almost a decade of underwhelming seasons with an almost completely revamped roster.
Football vs. Toledo (Nov. 12)
Midweek MACtion is one way for the conference to stand out during the football season. Starting in November, MAC teams will face each other on Tuesdays and Wednesdays when no other college teams are playing.
The RedHawks will have their frst MACtion game with a Battle of the Bricks matchup at Ohio University on Nov. 4. The following Wednesday, Miami will welcome the University of Toledo Rockets to Yager for a night game on Nov. 12.
The late matchup will be a highly-contested one between the No. 1 Rockets and No. 2 RedHawks, according to the head coaches preseason poll. It will also be a returnto-form for Finn, who played fve seasons for Toledo.
The Miami-Toledo matchup is one that fans should look forward to each year. Miami fell 30-20 last year to open conference play before winning seven straight. The two teams met twice in 2023, with the Rockets taking the regular season matchup and Miami winning in Detroit for its second MAC championship under head coach Chuck Martin.
babukc2@miamioh.edu middleje@miamioh.edu
Cradle of defenders: The Miami football team begins its journey to Detroit
COOPER MENEGHETTI THE MIAMI STUDENT
As the late August sun rises over Oxford, the statues in the Cradle of Coaches begin to look toward the 137th season of Miami University football. As the RedHawks enter fall practice, the team looks to leave its legacy on the hallowed grounds of Yager Stadium.
Head coach Chuck Martin enters his 11th season at the head coach following last year’s 9-5 record. The reigning Arizona Bowl winners utilized the transfer portal to rebuild the squad after losing multiple players on ofense and defense.
Martin oversaw several key transfer portal acquisitions. In the current era of college football, the portal is a necessary component in rebuilding each year’s roster. Martin said the ideal recruit has both talent and wants to contribute to the culture of Miami.
“Do we think [the recruit] is a ft with who we are?” Martin said. “Because then if he likes who we are, then we’re of and running toward success.”
With the graduation of one of Miami’s most prolifc passers, Brett Gabbert, the RedHawks focused on fnding a new quarterback. The team secured former University of Toledo and Baylor University quarterback Dequan Finn to lead the team.
Finn’s highlight tapes feature his pocket presence and ability to extend plays, as well as his speed and creativity. However, Martin said the ofense won’t change much under Finn.
“The unique thing about our offense is we have a pretty big playbook, which we don’t change regardless of who is at quarterback,” Martin said. “That said, we play to each player’s strengths. The only thing that our offense requires is a talented kid that’s a competitor. The scheme stays the same.”
Finn doesn’t lack experience going on the road against Big Ten teams, which the RedHawks can rely on for their frst two games of the season. In 2023, he nearly led Toledo to an upset over the University of Illinois that was thwarted by a last-second Illini feld goal.
Finn said his previous experience both playing against and for Power Four programs will be benefcial for Miami this year, especially when conference play begins.
“The experience that I have, understanding the ins and outs, helps me to get guys ready to play,” Finn said. “It’s just football at the end of the day. As long as my guys understand the standards are set high, we are ready to compete.”
On the defensive side of the ball, Miami looks to recover from the loss of linebacker Matt Salopek, who led the RedHawks with 122 tackles and
Poolside or
sideline: What do Miami athletes do over the summer?
KETHAN BABU SPORTS EDITOR
Every year, the Miami University athletic department stays active from August until June. Fall sports begin their seasons before and during the frst week of classes. Their schedules coincide with the start of the winter sports, which last until February and March, by which point the spring teams will begin their seasons, fnally ending in May and June. Despite the nearly year-round operation, each team has a brief respite during the summer when athletes can adjust to Oxford for the frst time or move back in as they get ready for the process to start again. From June until August, they can focus on practicing, meeting new teammates and creating a routine without other students on campus. The most notable diference over the summer is the peacefulness of Miami’s empty campus. With no students in town yet, the athletes experience a quieter Oxford. Football player Silas Walters, a redshirt senior safety, said this allows him to visit Uptown without a crowd.
“When I go Uptown, it’s way less populated, just like campus,” Walters said. “You can walk around peacefully and be in your own element. It’s way easier to get to places – during the school year, it’s ridiculous trying to go up there on the weekends. You’re always searching for a parking spot, but it’s the exact opposite during the summer.”
The football team began its fall camp on July 29. Prior to that, the players needed to fnd a hobby to fll time as they moved into their houses or dorms and met new teammates. Walters said a common hobby for the football team is golfng.
“I’m a huge golfer,” Walters said. “I picked it up like two years ago, [and] golfng is by far my favorite hobby now. A couple of my buddies on the team like to do it, too. It’s kind of popular on the team … We’ll work out in the morning and then golf from 1-5 p.m.”
The summer also allows athletes to arrive in Oxford from a previous university and get adjusted to their new environment. Junior guard Mio Sakano and senior guard Clara Gonzalez on the women’s basketball team spent their summers learning about their new school after arriving from South Georgia Tech University and Jacksonville State University, respectively. The women’s basketball team has helped the frst-year and transfer players acclimate to Miami through encouragement at practice, team bonfres and checking out restaurants Uptown. With a roster of seven new players, building that team chemistry early on has been a priority for the RedHawks.
“We encourage ourselves to push more weights,” Sakano said. “When someone misses a 3-pointer, we encourage them to keep shooting. That constant encouragement keeps us motivated and [lets us] have fun.”
For freshman midfelder Hannah Ruggeri on the soccer team, arriving in Oxford in the middle of July was a dream come true, and one that she had been anticipating for a long time.
“It was honestly so satisfying,” Ruggeri said. “I’ve been committed for almost two years now … just the feeling of it all being real, and the fact that I can fnally call this home, is so indescribable. I feel like I’ve defnitely found my home here.”
Ruggeri will play for the RedHawks after growing up in Tampa, Florida, all her life. Before the soccer season begins on Aug. 17, she has been learning everything she needs to know about the town, college life and the Midwest, especially the inconsistent weather.
“The weather here is defnitely different,” Ruggeri said. “It will rain for a minute and then stop and rain again, and it just goes on and of. It’s so confusing. I put on my jacket just to take it of and get soaked anyway.”
Like the women’s basketball team, the soccer team has spent July and August welcoming the new players and creating a strong bond ahead of the season. Ruggeri said she can text or visit her older teammates with questions about everything, whether it’s about something a coach said or about her course schedule.
The older teammates have also helped Ruggeri meet new people and showed her around campus. Walking around town and watching movies with teammates have helped her prepare for not only the soccer season, but also her frst year as a college student.
“Just giving it my all and more on top of that,” Ruggeri said. “When we do walk into the season, I want to be at my peak performance. I want to [play] good soccer but also make good memories as well because college is more than sports.”
As students begin showing up in mid-August, the fall sports teams will enter their frst matchups of the season. Although the peacefulness of a student-less Miami helps keep the athletes focused, having an active and energetic campus refects on the teams’ successes.
“There’s pros and cons to both,” Walters said. “It’s nice to have the students away and [to] really take in the city and campus, but at the same time, you do miss the vibrance of the students and the energy when everyone comes back. It gets you into that mode of, ‘School’s back, and football is starting back,’ and it gets your gears going a little bit.”
babukc2@miamioh.edu
Tigers on Sept. 27 at home.
two forced fumbles. The RedHawks will also be without linebacker Ty Wise, defensive lineman Brian Ugwu and defensive back Raion Strader. Returning redshirt senior linebacker Corban Hondru, who had three interceptions in 2024, and redshirt senior safety Silas Walters, who had 95 tackles and two fumble recoveries, will be a prominent feature in Miami’s defensive scheme. Both players will bring experience and leadership to the locker room.
After making eight tackles and recovering a fumble at the Arizona Bowl, Walters was named to Phil Steele’s preseason All-MAC Second Team. The former walk-on’s veteran presence will prove vital during the RedHawks’ 2025 schedule.
Walters credits his discipline and commitment to his job on the feld that helped him nearly achieve the century mark with tackles and a dozen pass breakups last season. He also said it is important to have the proper mindset, stressing how mental the game of football is.
“We got the right guys to handle it,” Walters said. “You know you’re going to get punched in the mouth and things will go wrong, so it’s just a matter of how you respond to adversity.”
Miami countered the loss of Strader to Auburn University with the addition of redshirt frst-year defensive back Koy Beasley from
Purdue University. Moreover, Miami picked up redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Bai Jobe from Michigan State University.
Miami’s ofense will see a similar change in roster. The RedHawks lost two key wide receivers, with Javon Tracy going to the University of Minnesota and Reggie Vergil to Texas Tech University. This loss of production forced Miami to shop in the transfer portal, acquiring redshirt senior Deion Colzie from Notre Dame University, redshirt sophomore Keith Reynolds from the University of Washington and redshirt sophomore Cordale Russell from the University of Colorado. Furthermore, the RedHawks secured the commitment of two former Big Ten tight ends: Grant Leeper from the University of Iowa and Brody Kosin from Indiana University. These players will give Finn plenty of downfeld targets this season.
Miami’s season begins with consecutive road trips to Big Ten opponents, starting with a Thursday night matchup against the University of Wisconsin on Aug. 28. The RedHawks will have one week before hitting the road to face Rutgers University on Sept. 6. The nonconference slate continues when the RedHawks return to Yager to welcome the University of Las Vegas Rebels on Sept. 20, followed by the Lindenwood University
At the start of MAC play, Miami will head to Northern Illinois University on Oct. 4 and Akron University on Oct. 11 before welcoming the Eastern Michigan University Eagles and Western Michigan University Broncos on Oct. 18 and 25, respectively. This year’s Battle of the Bricks against the Ohio University Bobcats, whom the RedHawks beat in the regular season before falling 38-3 in the MAC championship, will begin midweek MACtion when Miami travels to Athens on Nov. 4 for a Tuesday night game. The MACtion continues with a home game against the University of Toledo Rockets, who led the MAC preseason head coaches poll, on Nov. 12. Miami’s last away game has the team traveling to the University of Bufalo on Nov. 19 before closing out the regular season against Ball State University at Yager on Nov. 29. Miami hopes to rebound from last year’s MAC championship loss while continuing the program’s recent success, including two conference championships in three appearances since 2019 and the team’s frst bowl game win since 2021. However, the road to Detroit and beyond starts with a trip to Camp Randall Stadium to face the Badgers on Aug. 28.
meneghcj@miamioh.edu
THE MIAMI VOLLEYBALL TEAM PRACTICES AT MILLETT HALL OVER THE SUMMER. PHOTO PROVIDED BY MIAMI ATHLETICS.
MIAMI FOOTBALL PRACTICES AT YAGER STADIUM DURING THE 2024 SEASON. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH.
THE MIAMI FOOTBALL TEAM LINES UP FOR A SNAP AT SUMMER PRACTICE ON AUG.
PHOTO BY KETHAN BABU
CONTINUED FROM FRONT
From Moscow to Miami: Ilia Morozov faces new obstacles, stays confident
JEFFREY MIDDLETON
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
Moscow, the capital city of Russia, was founded in 1147. The city’s enormous buildings and historical monuments scattered across its bustling streets make it one of the best-known locations worldwide. It’s home to approximately 13 million people, including Ilia Morozov, a young hockey player who will fnd himself venturing to Oxford this fall.
Morozov, who moved west across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States at a young age to pursue a career in the sport, spent last season in Kearney, Nebraska with the Tri-City Storm in the United States Hockey League (USHL).
Standing at 6-foot-3 and 196 pounds, Morozov scored 22 points in 55 games – which may not seem like the most impressive stat line of all time, but it’s not bad for a player who started the season at a mere 15 years of age.
Prior to that, Morozov frst played for the 15U Windy City Storm Triple-A team after arriving in the United States, and he made an immediate impact: scoring 33 goals and tallying 41 assists in 49 games. Windy City has the same ownership group as Tri-City, which gave current Miami bench boss Anthony Noreen knowledge of Morozov from the outset.
Morozov showed up to Tri-City’s futures game as an underage player and scored fve of the team’s six goals, prompting the USHL club under Noreen to tender him before he got the job with the RedHawks.
“You can’t miss on those,” Noreen said. “When we tendered him, we were forfeiting our frst-round draft
as youngest player in college hockey
pick to take him – so that can’t be a miss. That’s a key piece in growing your team, and there was no doubt for us. We tendered him early and committed to that.”
When Noreen was hired by the RedHawks, he brought Morozov for an unofcial visit in one of his frst few weeks.
Even though he couldn’t commit ofcially, the young Russian knew Oxford was where he wanted to be.
Morozov committed right away on Aug. 1 after learning it was an option if he advanced through his schoolwork, which he did at an exceptional pace.
Morozov will begin the 2025-26 hockey season as the youngest player in college hockey.
He turns 17 on Aug. 3, a month and a half younger than the next closest player, frst-year defender Keaton Verhoef, the second-ranked player in the 2026 NHL Draft class and a fellow member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). Verhoef joined the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks this ofseason after playing for the Victoria Royals in the Western Hockey League.
Miami associate head coach Troy Thibodeau was not on the Tri-City staf that brought Morozov into the fold, but he was an assistant coach with the program while there were young players coming in and out. He has worked with plenty of players with the same talent and upside that Morozov has, and he emphasizes that things will be diferent at the college level for the young forward.
However, Thibodeau attended a handful of Tri-City’s games last season and kept in touch with him weekly as well. He mentioned that if
there’s one trait you can see within Ilia the moment you meet him or see him on the ice, it’s his maturity. Thibodeau said this will help him excel at the next level in an exceptionally tough conference.
“This is very high praise, but he reminds me a lot of [two-time Stanley Cup champion] Aleksander Barkov,” Thibodeau said. “He’s very responsible, makes guys on his line better, and you won’t notice him as much as you’ll notice the more highly skilled guys. I think there’s going to be some hype coming in, but it’s going to be a diferent look. I think people are going to really have to watch his game to understand it and appreciate what he’s doing at his age.”
Morozov’s game revolves around his two-way play and ability to fnd and protect the puck in hard areas. His frame allows him to keep play moving along the walls, and when he’s able to fnd teammates on the rush or in the zone, he moves well of the puck, fnding pockets of space to let loose a quick shot or slam home a puck in front.
The NCAA has seen players close to Morozov’s age that have found success at both the collegiate and professional levels. Macklin Celebrini, who played one season at Boston University and won the Hobey Baker Award when he was 17, was selected frst overall by the San Jose Sharks in 2024 and had an excellent rookie season in the NHL. Cullen Potter enters his sophomore year at Arizona State University in 2025-26 and was drafted 32nd overall by the Calgary Flames in this year’s draft.
Both are extremely dynamic players with styles that can light up any ice they skate on. However, it’s worth noting that Morozov is not the same
Miami men’s basketball brings in 5 high school recruits ahead of 2025-26 season
VINCENT JOLLIFF THE MIAMI STUDENT
In college athletics, roster turnover is inevitable. Athletes are given a four to fve-year window in college, and many decide to leave for professional endeavours even earlier. This, combined with the ever-expanding transfer portal, creates greater turnover than ever before.
High school recruiting is one of the main ways that men’s basketball coaches are able to resupply their talent. Higher-level programs such as Duke University and the University of Kentucky have done this through the “one and done” approach. Top-tier talents will play one season at a college before declaring for the NBA draft.
Programs like Miami University, however, cannot attract the highest level of high school talent. Instead, the RedHawks’ coaching staf must adopt a diferent strategy: development.
“If you look at our model or how we’ve built our roster since we’ve arrived,” associate head coach Jonathan Holmes said, “we’re still using high school as our main source of recruitment.”
Players like junior wing Eian Elmer and junior guard Evan Ipsaro were recruited and developed for the past two seasons under the current coaching staf. This development allowed Elmer to go from averaging seven points in his frst year to 11 points as a starter last season.
Although Miami has the ability to recruit nationally, the RedHawks don’t rely on the transfer portal to fll spots from the previous year. Holmes said it’s more difcult to fnd current college players that ft Miami’s play style.
“I think ft is always No. 1 for us,”
Holmes said. “In the portal, there has to be some sort of connection point or relationship; this guy averaged 17 points per game at ‘XYZ’ university, so [if we] try to bring them to Miami, you just don’t know if the ft’s gonna be there.”
With the departures of Kam Craft, Mekhi Cooper and Reece Potter to the transfer portal, as well as Dan Luers to graduation, Miami brought in fve frst-year players that the coaching staf will rely on for the next few seasons.
One of those players, 6-foot-10 power forward Tyler Robbins, said he ft well with his teammates both on and of the court. The Pittsburgh native chose Miami instead of local schools like Duquesne University and Robert Morris University.
“They defnitely felt like a family,” Robbins said. “They have a great group of people right now with the team and all the coaches. On my visit, I really felt at home.”
At Upper St. Clair High School, Robbins helped the team win a Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League conference championship in 2024 and 2025. He averaged 13 points and 11 rebounds during his junior year, and he graduated after setting the record for most blocks in school history.
Fellow frst-year LeShawn Stowers also committed to Miami after experiencing the culture found in Millett Hall.
“I feel like the coaches made me feel welcome,” Stowers said. “They came to my school, [and] I talked to them almost every day.”
Stowers, a 6-foot-5 guard from Peoria, Illinois, chose Miami over hometown Bradley University and other nearby schools. He attributes this, in part, to the playing style that head coach Travis Steele deploys.
archetype of player. While there are similarities to their respective situations, the kind of game-breaking fair the other two players bring won’t be how Morozov contributes to the RedHawks next season. The story of Morozov’s hockey career to this point has been playing against players who are older than he is. Last season, he was facing players in the USHL who were as much as four years older. Even over the summer, he skated with players from the Kontinental Hockey League – Russia’s top professional league – and said he felt confdent while doing so.
Morozov said the age gap has not deterred him from taking hold of the opportunity.
“I’m super excited,” Morozov said.
“It’s a good level, and I’m excited to improve my skills. Not a lot of guys get this chance to play at this level at my age, so I really appreciate everyone.”
There are, of course, people in
the scouting world who aren’t sure if the best ft for Morozov next season is college hockey. It’s demanding to play in any conference in the NCAA at just 17 years old, but especially in the NCHC. Regardless, it’s evident that the Miami coaching staf has complete confdence in the young Russian to contribute consistently and develop into a player NHL clubs will be eager to have in their pipeline.
“Whatever his ceiling is, I guarantee you, he’s going to reach it,” Noreen said. “This kid has an elite level mindset and work ethic. All he wants to do is get stronger, get in better shape, get better at hockey and improve in every area of his game. It’s going to be a challenge for him, but this is what he does. He’s proven that he’s taken on every challenge put in front of him, and we wouldn’t be putting him in this situation if we didn’t think he was capable.”
middleje@miamioh.edu
Fire and ice: Cincinnati locals bring differing play styles to Miami volleyball
“They play in motion, and everybody is moving,” Stowers said. “Everybody can shoot. Everybody can drive.”
Stowers joins forward Kyle Waltz as another incoming frst year from Illinois. Waltz graduated from York High School in 2024 and attended Spire Academy, which bills itself as “a sports performance training and education boarding school.”
During his senior year at York, Waltz averaged 13 points and six rebounds per game, up from 10 points and three rebounds as a junior.
Justin Kirby, a 6-foot-4 guard from Indiana, helped the Fishers High School boys basketball team win a 4A state championship in 2024. During his senior year in 2024-25, Kirby averaged 13.1 points.
The last incoming frst year, Trey Perry, arrived at Miami after attending Lakota East High School, 45 minutes away in Liberty Township. Perry averaged 22.1 points last season, leading the Greater Miami Conference, and he totaled more than 1,600 career points, the second-most in school history.
The RedHawks will return four of their leading six scorers from a historic 2024-2025 campaign, which saw Miami reach its best record since 1998-99. The frst-year players are focusing on competing this summer and developing in the RedHawks’ system.
“I’m expecting a lot of hard work,” Robbins said. “I’m just trying to prepare myself for that and balance being a student and a basketball player.”
The season ofcially starts on Nov. 3 against Old Dominion
versity as part of the
Summer training is drawing to a close for Miami University volleyball, and six incoming athletes will join the RedHawk roster for the 2025 season. Assistant head coach Haley Davidson is the newest addition to a coaching staf that features returning head coach Dan Gwitt and assistant coaches Kristina Fultz and Amanda Chamberlain.
Among the new athletes are frstyear players Lindy Radaszewski and Molly Creech, two locals from the Cincinnati area.
Radaszewski, who made the Cincinnati Enquirer’s volleyball All-Star First Team and Greater Girls Catholic League First-Team All-Star,, attended Ursuline Academy and served as team captain last year. Volleyball runs through her family’s veins: Her father, a Miami alumnus, participated in club volleyball, and her mother played throughout high school.
Radaszewski said her passion for the sport began when she was 9 years old.
“No matter what sporting event, I’d bring my volleyball with me,” Radaszewski said. “I always knew I had a very early passion for the sport, and that’s super special.” During her college search, Radaszewski received a call from Gwitt and was invited to visit Miami. She quickly fell in love with the campus – its academics, location and the volleyball coaching staf.
“I loved their aspirations for what was going to come of this program,” Radaszewski said. “I want to be a part of building something great.”
Radaszewski’s energy and composure are two standout qualities to the coaching staf. Although she steps into a competitive environment of nine returning juniors and seniors, her poise and confdence on the court reveals the age gap doesn’t matter, according to Davidson.
“I remember seeing her play for the frst time with do-or-die, 100% efort and a swagger like she wasn’t
going to let anything get past her,” Davidson said. “That’s really special for someone younger stepping on the court and doing the exact same thing with a bunch of girls who have been playing in college.”
Creech, who made the 2024 AllOhio Division II First Team and American Volleyball Coaches Association All-Region, attended Saint Ursula Academy and was captain of the team during her senior year. While Radaszewski grew up in a volleyball family, Creech grew up in a soccer family.
“My whole family is a soccer family, but honestly, I felt more passionately about volleyball, and I was always more confdent in that decision,” Creech said. “It just felt right to pick something diferent than my family and to commit to something I was more passionate about.”
Creech said her path to Miami came down to a gut feeling. Team dynamics, a new coaching staf and strong academics were also contributing factors. Davidson said she likes Creech’s balance of humility and competitiveness.
“Molly is like a silent killer,” Davidson said. “She knows that she’s good and will never say it, but when she’s on the court, she knows if you’re getting the ball to her, she is doing everything in her power to score.”
Creech can perform from anywhere on the court. Another standout attribute is her versatility. She will have the opportunity to play all six positions, asserting herself as a utility player.
Creech and Radaszewski came into the program already knowing each other and bringing a fre-andice chemistry to the RedHawks.
“It brings us comfort coming in with someone we know,” Creech said. “It’s nice to have a partner in that.”
Miami begins its 2025 campaign on the road at the Bellarmine Classic starting Aug. 29.
younggm7@miamioh.edu
GRAHAM YOUNG THE MIAMI STUDENT
ILIA MOROZOV (RIGHT)
THE MIAMI VOLLEYBALL TEAM CELEBRATES AT THE END OF A SUMMER PRACTICE AT MILLETT HALL. PHOTO PROVIDED BY MIAMI ATHLETICS.
CULTURE
Ranking Miami’s meal swipe options, so you don’t starve this semester
If you end up at Western, luxuriate in the well-stocked hummus bar, decent fry station and passable Delicious Without area.
But, and I am begging you, for your own safety, please avoid any Oreo cake.
#5: Maplestreet Commons
This might rufe some feathers, but Maplestreet is consistently the worst dining hall on campus.
Why is it always vaguely humid there? Why does all the food get mixed with its neighbor? Why is it so loud? I can’t put my fnger on it, but there is just something of about Maple. It’s not bad all of the time, of course. I fondly remember enjoying a mozzarella stick once, and a pretty good taco bar. It’s just that, when faced with literally any other option, I will always pick the latter over Maple. Sorry.
#6: Grab-and-go options
Sorry to the chicken Caesar wrap purists out there, but you could not pay me to eat 99% of the grab-andgo options, even if I had a surplus of meal swipes. Dry bread, questionable shelf lives and the most miniscule portions ever, I simply can not in good faith
Uptown bar in Oxford closes after 6 years, replaced with new bar
TAYLOR STUMBAUGH SENIOR CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
Church Street Social has been a staple at Miami University for six years, ofering trivia on Thursday nights, board games with friends, one-of-a-kind cocktails and more.
However, the college bar closed its doors on July 31, 2025.
Ann Kamphaus, co-owner with her husband Neil Kamphaus, said she accomplished what she wanted to with the bar and was ready to retire with her husband.
“We really appreciated the Miami students that embraced us, especially during COVID and after, and I just always tried to meet whatever they expected or what they wanted,” Ann said. “I know that the new owners will do the same thing. So it won’t be Church Street, but it’ll still be a place where I think the Miami students [will] have a lot of fun with each other.” Morgan Higgins, a 2021 Miami alumna who attended the fnal trivia night, said she remembers coming to Church Street when it opened as “Books and Brews.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the original concept Ann opened with was cofee as the brew in the morning, and then it fipped over to craft
beer in the afternoon and evenings, with books available all day. However, when the brewery she was attached to went out of business, she rebranded into Church Street Social instead of closing her doors completely.
“It was always fun, like anytime you’d walk in here [you’d] see kids playing Scrabble or Battleship or Euchre with cards or Uno, and yeah, sometimes it was drinking Uno,” Ann said. “But it doesn’t matter. You guys were socializing. And that was my whole point.”
The new bar is Lil Rudy’s, with locations at the University of Dayton and the University of Florida.
Owner and corporate marketing director Erin Schmidt said the 21 and up bar will have a soft grand opening on Friday, Aug. 15.
“It’s always been our dream to expand our brand,” Schmidt said. “I’ve [pushed] myself on wanting to make a safe and fun environment for college students. And with us being a majority women-owned business in our corporate, it’s been a good achievement.
It’s been my dream to purchase a bar all my life, and my business partners gave me that opportunity.”
Lil Rudy’s will have live DJs every weekend, club vibes and eventually a $5 cover charge.
stumbata@miamioh.edu
Back-to-school events to look forward to
on the Formal
Rocks will be displayed, and materials will be provided.
Fresh Baked Bluegrass
COLUMN
Looking for some fun entertain-
ment to kick of the school year?
ever recommend eating at a grab-and go-option. It would be cruel and unusual punishment! Whether you’re at Farmer or in Armstrong, do yourself a favor and skip the altogether unsatisfying graband-go locations. Please.
As the ranking concludes, remember to take everything with a grain of salt (food pun intended). At the end of the day, we know you’re headed to Panera instead.
greenpt@miamioh.edu
Miami University and the Oxford community are ofering a variety of events ranging from live theater performances to food trucks and local vendors. Shakespeare in the Park For those who enjoy live theater, the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company is putting on a free production of the fun, whimsical Shakespearean comedy, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” at 7 p.m. on Aug. 26 in the Oxford Community Arts Center Pavilion. Chairs, blankets and DORA beverages are permitted.
OXtoberfest
Looking for an Oxford take on the classic Oktoberfest? Located in the Oxford Uptown Parks from 1-8 p.m. on Sept. 13 , OXtoberfest is flled with celebratory food, a variety of games, local vendors, crafts and more.
Paint a rock
Though Hamilton is a bit of a hike, it’s home to a handful of community events. On Aug. 26, from noon to 1 p.m., Miami students can head to the Hamilton Conservatory to paint rocks and make their mark
Located in downtown Hamilton, the Miami Regionals are celebrating Appalachian culture with a performance by Fresh Baked Bluegrass. The event is co-sponsored by the Miami Regionals’ Appalachian Studies Program, no RSVP is required and the event will take place at 7 p.m. on Sept. 2 . Songfarmers
Looking for a chance to showcase your musical talents? An amateur acoustic jam session will be held at 7 p.m. on Sept. 10. in downtown Hamilton. The event is open to beginners, those with more experience and even those who just want to listen. The free event is open to the public, and no RSVP is required.
Creative Convergence
At 7 p.m. on Sept. 13, students can showcase their abilities in comedy, music, poetry and more through this open mic night in Downtown Hamilton. Sign-ups begin at 7 p.m., but performances aren’t until 7:30 p.m.
More information regarding upcoming local events can be found on the Miami University events calendar and the Oxford events calendar. powers40@miamioh.edu
The best Oxford bar, for every mood
When you want a late-night bite and keep the party going
Skipper’s Pub – 121 E. High St.
As we approach the frst day of school, one important topic remains at the forefront of many Miamians minds: Oxford’s best drinking establishments. With a wide variety to choose from, it isn’t possible to pick one best place (though I do have my favorites…), so instead, I’ve created a list of the best bars for every occasion.
When you want to chat
O’Pub – 10 W. Park Place – 21+
Back to school is the time for catching up with friends and fnding out what their summer adventures. With its cozy booths and dim lighting, there is no better place than O’Pub for these chats. The menu’s specialty cocktails, like the espresso martini, are sure to keep you hydrated throughout a long yap session.
When you want to dance
Brick Street Bar – 36 E. High St. – 18+
On a Saturday night, there is no better place to be than the Brick dance foor (afectionately known as the BDF). Oxford’s biggest – and most iconic – bar is perfect for dancing the night away with your friends. The bar, which features two indoor and outdoor levels, will keep you entertained into the wee hours of the night.
Following all that dancing, you will need a late-night bite. For this, I recommend Skipper’s. Whether it be a burger, gyro or grilled cheese (my favorite), Skipper’s has you covered in the food department. The best part? You can get one last beverage while enjoying your 1 a.m. meal. When you want to day drink
Sidebar – 17 N. Popular St. – 21+
On a Saturday afternoon, Sidebar is my favorite place to be. The bar, which is attached to The Wood’s, features a giant patio out back. With plenty of picnic tables and cornhole, it’s truly the perfect place to enjoy an Oxford Saturday in the fall. When you want a quieter setting
Bar 1868 – 13 W. High St. – 21+
Bar 1868 – although often overlooked – is one of the best bars in Oxford. It’s usually less crowded than some of the other Uptown bars, and the staf is incredibly friendly. When you want to grab a low-key drink with friends and play some pool, this is the place. When you want a dive bar
CJ’s – 25 E. High St. – 21+
CJ’s is the epitome of a good college dive bar. Opening in 1968, CJ’s is the perfect place to grab a drink in a classic Miami institution. Be warned, you will get the full dive bar experi-
ence upon stepping into CJ’s, including the slimy, slippery foor and dirty bathrooms. But for many,
STUDENTS WANDER THROUGH THE GLOBAL EATS SECTION AT MAPLE DINING COMMONS.
PHOTO BY ISABELLE OLIVAS
Gardens.
CONTINUED FROM FRONT
CULTURE
Where to shop for clothes in Oxford
STELLA POWERS CULTURE EDITOR
COLUMN
With the new semester approaching, students are packing their things and preparing for move-in. Every year, Miamians are faced with the tough decision of what to bring with them and what to leave at home, especially those coming from out of state. But what happens if they forget an essential, or fnd out later on that they weren’t as prepared in the fashion realm as they thought?
Luckily, a few places in Oxford can spice up your wardrobe this school year, whether you’re looking for a nice new sweater from a boutique or something pre-loved from a local thrift store.
Juniper
For those trying to keep up with the latest fashion trends and support a local boutique, look no further than Juniper, located Uptown. It can sometimes be a bit on the pricier side, but it has great options for going-out tops and accessories. It’s also the perfect place for window shopping as it always has cute new pieces on display.
The Apple Tree
The Apple Tree, located on High Street, is another trendy boutique that’s great for your back-to-school
and fall clothing essentials. Similar to Juniper, lots of items are also expensive, but would make a great addition to any fall wardrobe. In addition to clothing, the store also sells diferent gifts and accessories. DuBois Book Store
While it may not ofer the trendy styles the boutiques have, DuBois provides all of the Miami-themed gear you could imagine. Whether you’re looking for a T-shirt to wear to the hockey games, a sweatshirt for the cool fall weather or even cute school-inspired hats and accessories, DuBois has it all.
Brick & Ivy
Located on Miami University’s campus in the Shriver Center, Brick & Ivy also sells Miami-themed clothing and gear, and students can even purchase items using their MUlaa, an on-campus currency. It’s the onestop shop for all things Miami – including dog gear, last-minute gifts for relatives and holiday essentials.
T.J. Maxx
T.J. Maxx, which is known for its afordable prices on name-brand clothing, has a location in Oxford, located near Kroger and CVS. It’s a great spot for people who need a last-minute item to complete an outft or even to pick up a few staple items for your closet while at school.
Goodwill
Oxford’s Goodwill is a great place for any thrifting enthusiasts, or any-
one looking to get their clothes preloved and save a little money. Especially around move-out, students will drop of items they don’t have room to take home with them, so you
Do you know what’s better than books about college? Books that are about very niche college experiences.
As we re-enter the world of higher education, here are four books for any situation you could possibly encounter. Happy reading!
A book to remind you that the price of murdering your roommate over some dirty dishes is, in fact, prison.
Look, it’s not college without a lit-
tle roommate drama (not me though – mine are great). People are going to tick you of. But if you fnd your annoyance bleeding into homicidal tendencies, please read “Orange Is The New Black” by Piper Kerman. Before you even ask, no, it’s nothing like the show. However, this book is a witty and poignant memoir on a woman’s experience in prison, and I fnd myself thinking about it often. Maybe you should, too.
A book to raise your standards after some rando you met at a frat stomps on them.
#NotAllFratBrothers … but many of them. If you need to be reminded that some men actually do live up to
The
the incredibleness that is you, check out “Play Along” by Liz Tomforde. It’s spicy (don’t say I didn’t warn you), fast-paced and has a golden retriever male main character (or MMC) that makes you wonder if you shouldn’t just stay single forever, waiting for fctional characters to become real. While it’s technically the fourth book in a series of interconnected standalones, you can read this book out of order.
A book for when you need to cry, but also feel whimsical, but also need to deal with generational trauma. Sometimes the real college is the sad yet satisfying books with ro-
mance, LGBTQ+ sub-plots and theater kid lore you fnd along the way.
I love books that talk about death, and “Shark Heart” by Emily Habeck touches on it in such a unique and powerful way. A stunning debut novel, “Shark Heart” follows a couple in which the husband learns he has a chronic condition that makes him slowly metamorphose into a great white shark. I think I’ll leave it at that.
A book to make you wonder if Miami University also has a dark, paranormal criminal underbelly that the faculty is hiding from you. What if you went to school and learned that the world is basically run
by an unethical magical elite? “Ninth House” by Leigh Bardugo follows a girl who goes to Yale — and ends up solving murders, keeping cults in check and generally leaving a trail of blood and magic in her wake. With commentary on privilege, women’s issues and intersectionality, this book is a delight for when the weather starts to turn. Please check content warnings before reading.
***
So there you have it. Four books for four wildly diferent college experiences. If you like what you read (or didn’t), tell me about it! My email is below.
greenpt@miamioh.edu
Miami Dance Corps: A thriving club for expression and friendship
childhood to now having the opportunity to express herself through dance in various forms.
“We do everything:o hip-hop, a little bit of jazz, modern, lyrical,” Lender said. “I try to squeeze in a little bit of ballet here and there, too ... Our instructor team is super creative, and they always have new combos and styles for us to learn.”
While all members will participate in diferent dances, there is also an opportunity to become a sub-instructor or a full instructor. These roles range from leading the class in warm-ups and stretches to teaching foor combinations and group dances, which are performed at MDC’s end-of-year showcase.
One member who was able to take on both of these roles throughout her time with the group was MDC’s president, Sara Zdrojewski, a senior majoring in primary education. Starting her frst year, Zdrojewski instantly fell in love with the group and knew she wanted to be more involved, leading her to run for president.
“I am so beyond excited to be president,” Zdrojewski said. “I love the club so dearly. It brought me like the best of friends, and I’ve made the best memories there, so I’m excited to get back.”
practicing ballet throughout her
As the president, Zdrojewski will take on many responsibilities, including supporting every member of the group and ensuring that they feel welcome. While many other dance clubs
require their members to audition,
MDC has an open, non-audition policy, allowing all levels of experience to participate, while also creating a space where dancers don’t feel like they have to compete with each other.
“I was over the competitive nature [at my former studio], and I just wanted friends to dance with and to have a place to just be myself,” Lender said. “After auditioning a bunch [my whole life], I was just over it, and then I came across their Instagram and I was like ‘Wait, that might actually be a good option.’”
After Lender’s frst class, she realized that the competitiveness that so many dance groups face did not seem to be a problem in MDC. Lender was not the only person to feel a sense of belonging with the group. Abby Worly, a sophomore marketing and entrepreneurship student and MDC’s PR chair, said she felt this connection right away. After researching the university’s dance clubs for months before moving to Miami in the fall of 2024, Worly was fnally able to meet with the leaders of all these clubs, and, to her delight, she was able to fnd her new home.
“I went to Mega Fair, and I remember talking to the executive board of Miami Dance Corps, and they were all so friendly and welcoming,” Worly said. “I attended their open house and actually fell in love with everyone that was in it and the way they taught.”
Along with participating in small and large group dances, Worly was given the opportunity to choreograph her own dance and perform in it alongside her friends and teammates.
“Not only is the dancing amazing, but the friendships and bonds that we’ve created [are spectacular],” Worly said. “It really does feel like such a close-knit family, and, to be honest, like [the frst] year of college is a very nerve-racking time […] I felt like when I joined, I was welcomed with such open arms.”
While the club practices twice a week in the studio, located in Phillips Hall, room 115, this is not the only opportunity for members to see each other. About once a month, the group hosts social events that don’t involve dance, such as a bonfre or a holiday party at the end of the fall semester.
Along with these events, MDC holds a showcase in Hall Auditorium every April to show the hard work and dedication that each member has put into their dances.
According to Lender, the Miami Dance Corps has created an amazing place for students to thrive outside the stress of academics, allowing members to express themselves alongside some of their best friends.
“Right away, it felt like the right place to be,” Lender said.
pedenae@miamioh.edu
MIAMI DANCE CORPS PROVIDES A SAFE SPACE
AND SOCIALIZE. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH
LANDON MORRISON GUEST COLUMNIST
On May 17, I attended Miami University’s 186th commencement honoring my graduating class. I sat in my seat on the football feld, watching the platform party strut onto the stage as the beautiful spring morning began.
After much fanfare, President Gregory Crawford announced his accompanying platform party with a few shout-outs for the honored company.
“I begin with two very special guests: alumni and Miami Mergers, First Lady Fran DeWine and Governor Mike DeWine.”
A shiver went down my spine. Did the governor upstage my graduation because I accused him of betraying our alma mater?
I quickly opened the program to see if the heat was playing tricks on me, but my eyes were correct. There was no mention of the governor in the program, but there he and the frst lady sat.
On April 21, my letter to DeWine was published in The Miami Student.
In the rise of President Donald Trump 2.0, we have seen attacks on education systems from federal, state and local governments where the conservative party holds vast majorities. My letter was penned to express my utter shock that a fellow Miamian would kill the heart of a liberal arts education.
“It’s a very special day for our frst lady, because she was unable to walk when she graduated in 1971,” Crawford revealed as the reason for their unexpected visit.
To me, it seemed like a well-played excuse by the frst couple.
And while I know this is all probably acts of my imagination, that a sitting governor would come to his alma mater to upstage a student’s op-ed, in the age of Trump 2.0, is any political stunt of the table?
Per sources working the morning ceremony and the indicators in the program, DeWine’s potential attendance at commencement was unconfrmed, and the honorary doctorate section had no mention of the governor or the frst lady.
Entire speeches felt unedited for the special guests, as evident by commencement speaker Jef Berding’s remarks on higher education. Like myself, Berding, co-chief executive ofcer of FC Cincinnati, is a proud Miamian and holds the code of love and honor closely to his personal values.
“The motto of Love and Honor is very real in my life,” Berding said to the university communications and marketing department at Miami following the announcement of his commencement address. “If you feel gratitude, you also feel an obligation to try to give back to those who follow you and support the great opportunities that you were provided as a student.”
A former councilman and experienced CEO, Berding harked back to last year’s speaker, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol’s comments on loving America, taking it even further.
“‘We are living in challenging times,’” Berding said, quoting Niccol. “ … I’m gonna go further. Love America … Speak up for your values, including, I hope, the belief in the national importance of colleges and universities.”
“Our colleges and universities are certainly not the enemy as some are asserting,” Berding continued. “The
research and educational contributions have lifted up you, me and this nation for generations and are heroic.”
DeWine and the frst lady were both awarded honorary doctorates by President Crawford immediately following these remarks, an hour and a half into the ceremony.
DeWine’s unexpected appearance, of course, felt like a quick jab at my letter, and maybe my j’accuse had landed on the governor’s desk after all.
On May 22, DeWine reposted the Miami alumni association’s Facebook post highlighting his grandson’s graduation and the frst family’s visit.
“As proud alumni of Miami University, Fran and I are grateful to have received honorary doctorates of humane letters during the university’s commencement ceremony last Saturday. #LoveandHonor.”
The original post by the alumni association said, “Three generations. One unforgettable day. During Miami University’s 186th spring commencement, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine ’69 and First Lady Fran DeWine ’71 were among the #MiamiAlum awarded honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees, on the same day their grandson, Justin Darling ’25, graduated with his Miami degree.”
DeWine was actually attending his grandson’s ceremony, and I was starting to sound like a conspiracy theorist.
But upon reading the comments on both the governor’s and the alumni association’s posts, I discovered I wasn’t the only Miamian upset with the governor’s appearance at commencement.
Of the comments, a few truly showed me I wasn’t alone in my feel-
These are “hot takes,” or controversial opinions that spark intense debate on a topic with no right or wrong answer. Chances are, you probably have a few opinions that have caused heated arguments with
your friends. So, here are the hottest takes about Miami University, or college life in general, from our past columns. Professors should assign more homework – Riley Crabtree It’s no secret that if given the choice between a fve-page research essay and a homework-free weekend, most students would choose the latter. But author Riley Crabtree argues that an abundance of assignments is crucial to our education.
Crabtree says more homework means more opportunities for students to retain the material. It can help improve their grades, since they have multiple chances to try again for a better score. Crabtree focuses on her experience with an Italian class to emphasize her point, where she says if her professor hadn’t assigned a hefty workload, she would have failed her fnal exam. The frst-year Living Learning Communities (LLCs) requirement does more harm than good – Jamie Gowans Every frst-year student living in a residence hall is required to choose
ings: Kimistry Bargen said, “What did you bill to their institution? Or did your honorary degrees give them a carve out. You have stained your legacy forever.”
Stephanie Dickson added, “For someone with so little respect for education and those who really put in the work as educators, you sure do enjoy the photo opportunities to make it look like you care about education. I hope that the room fell silent when you were given this degree as you have fallen silent for the millions of Ohio students who need support for things like free lunches, smaller class sizes, and better special education funding.”
Jef Abke summarized how I felt, “As a proud Miami alumnus, and someone who has been supportive of you in the past, I am disappointed in Miami University for normalizing your support of SB1 and dismantling of public education. It is disheartening to see how you have changed your values over the last couple of years. I will always have #LoveandHonor for Miami, but this honor for you is ridiculous.”
One commenter concluded, “As a proud Miami alumnus, I’m disgusted by your acquiescence to the movement to politicize higher education and tarnish the liberal arts tradition.”
I was then reminded of the CEOs, Yale graduates and concerned parents who emailed me in support of my original letter.
“You are not Miami, that must sting huh,” a proud parent wrote in a postcard that they penned to the governor’s mansion. A lovely email to the editor-in-chief of The Miami Student showed the parent had attached a clipping of my article.
their top three LLCs, which are communities centered around a specifc major or interests, to bring similar students together. However, author Jamie Gowans says the system needs major adjustments.
Gowans provides a few reasons why the system is inefective, such as how some communities require a specifc major or academic college, or an extra class you have to take. But her main argument is that it fails to help students fnd their people, which is one of its key goals. She says LLCs may be benefcial for sophomores in residence halls, since they’d have a better understanding of the community they’d want to be around.
Living on North Quad isn’t that bad – Taylor Powers
If you’ve ever lived on North or East Quad, chances are you’ve probably groaned about how far from everything you are. Opinion Editor Taylor Powers provides reasons why these secluded corners of campus aren’t as bad as they seem.
The long walks from class to your hall may be annoying, but Powers argues it’s an efective and easy way to stay active. It also keeps you on campus until you’re fnished with everything for the day, which stops you from running back and holing up in your room when you have a break.
Miami’s liberal arts education is worth it – Sam Norton
Taking an assortment of random classes required by the Miami Plan may seem pointless and overwhelming. But columnist Sam Norton ar-
Maybe, just maybe, my piece made it to the most important decision-maker in Ohio’s desk.
In conclusion, no honorary doctorate will cover up your “stain” on higher education, Dr. DeWine. Love and honor.
morri3910@gmail.com
At The Student, we are committed to engaging with our audience and listening to feedback. This includes publishing a diverse array of guest editorials. For more information on guidelines and processes, email Taylor Powers, The Student’s opinion editor, at powerstj@miamioh.edu.
gues it’s a unique, valuable experience that not many universities ofer.
Enrolling in courses outside your major can introduce you to new interests, lead you to join extracurriculars or explore career paths you hadn’t thought of before. For Sam, joining The Miami Student led him to pursue journalism more seriously, and he picked up a minor in journalism because of the fexibility.
You can enjoy college without drinking every weekend –
Halle Grant and Owen Berg
As a college student, you may feel pressure to go out to bars and drink every weekend. But opinion writers Halle Grant and Owen Berg say you can enjoy college while having a healthy relationship, or no relationship at all, with alcohol.
Grant argues the risks of “binge drinking” outweigh the benefts of going to Brick Street Bar every weekend, and it can take a toll not only on your physical health, but your mental well-being and academics as well. Owen attests to this by listing nine things he learned from doing college sober, like beer is nasty and you’ll still have time for fun after you graduate.
*** If you have a hot take, the opinion section is the perfect place to express yourself. Think the campus isn’t that pretty? Do you fnd hockey overrated? Come tell
STAFF REPORT
The milk goes in frst, not the cereal. Apple Music is better than Spotify. And, arguably the most famous one: pineapple tastes good on pizza.
OPINION
Move-in day 2021, Peabody Hall. My parents dropped me of, and I sat in my dorm room full of fear. Will I ever fnd a major that fts? Will I make real friends? What am I supposed to do with myself for the next four years?
May 18-19 2025, Cook Field. Many students in the senior class pulled an all-nighter from Sunday night to Monday morning to watch the sunrise together. My friends and I were dreading the move-out and the drives home. I shed endless tears
ANDREW CASPER
OF ART HISTORY
PROFESSOR
As a student, you have just one job: Be curious.
That’s it.
This should be easy, since curiosity is a fundamental human trait. But today’s educational environment doesn’t always encourage it.
Many of you are traversing our red-bricked halls and leafy quads for the frst time, expecting over the next four years to learn facts and skills applicable to a predetermined career. And, I’m sure some of you already have everything planned out – your major, the job you’ll get and what specifc courses you need to take (and which ones to avoid) to complete that major and get to that job.
But if you think you have it all fgured out even before your frst 8:30 a.m. class on Monday, then you’re already doing it all wrong.
Yes, we will prepare you for a successful career in nearly anything you might want to do. But college is not equivalent to training you for a single job. It’s an arena for discovery, ofering all the opportunities you need to become a smarter, more thoughtful and capable person, ready to meet the intellectual challenges the real world presents. But you can’t do that unless you come here with open-minded curiosity. You never know when curiosity will ignite. But when it happens, only then will you know your purpose. I was in your position in 1997, freshly arrived on a sprawling campus ofering an overwhelming number of majors. I had a vague idea that I wanted to study “international business” (whatever that is). But my frst class was the History of Western Art, the equivalent of ART 188 at Miami, and I was hooked. No other class would generate as much curiosity as that one. Before long, art history was my major, and here I am today doing exactly what I discovered I wanted to do with my life. Curiosity yields that intoxicating excitement of discovery that should fuel you and challenge you. It will also be what brings you enjoyment. Your college career is too short not to devote yourself to what fulflls you –even if that choice surprises you and worries your parents. Trust me: I’ve spoken with too many seniors who elected not to major in what makes them curious, but what seemed safe. Tragically, they all want to start over. None of them look forward to life after college.
But the requirement to be curi-
saying goodbye to my best friends and the place I called home, Oxford. After four years of risk-taking and growth all in a 7.5 square mile radius, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Now, think about the moment your parents dropped you of at Miami: You’re excited, a little exhausted and flled with freedom, but with zero experience at this new life. Now what?
This is your time. You have independence, but with that comes responsibility. You’re in charge of getting yourself to class, studying, making time for friends and … wait for it … putting yourself out there.
At the end, you might look back and realize the biggest lessons weren’t taught in a classroom. Learning about yourself can’t be assigned. It comes from showing up, experimenting and sometimes failing. Putting yourself out there: Early and often If you told my frst-year self that one day I’d be teaching group ftness classes at the rec center or writing for The Miami Student, she would’ve laughed. Back then, I was stuck in a rut of loneliness and stagnation; I could barely envision what college had in store for me. I wish I could say I woke with
ous doesn’t just apply to your major. Some of you will wonder why on Earth you should care about a course outside your primary area of study. You might decide before you even attend the frst class that you’re better of not devoting the energy to care. But unless you read literature with a sense of wonder, explore biology with an expectation for revelation or study abroad and learn – actually learn – a new language, you risk missing a potentially life-changing experience.
Yes, curiosity involves surrounding yourself with the unfamiliar. And that applies equally to what you do outside class. The comfort of familiarity is sometimes too strong to resist, and so we often choose to lead our lives without ever really challenging ourselves to encounter anything new. Besides, curiosity of the unfamiliar can also breed vulnerability, present difculties and sometimes frustrate and disappoint. In other words, it’s hard to let yourself be curious. So why bother going through all the trouble of being curious when you can just follow your safe, pre-determined four-year plan and move on to your life exactly as you envision it right now? Well, it’s because the “real world” requires a nimbleness of mind – that is, an intellectual versatility and adaptability, and even a love for mental labor – that comes from the cultivation of curiosity. We’re not here just to dispense facts. We’re here to help you fnd the thing that makes you want to get up each morning and turn on your brain.
None of you will discover new secrets about our distant cosmos without curiosity. None of you will design new communication platforms to
confdence one random morning in my Peabody single dorm, but it came from taking baby steps out of my comfort zone: signing up for group ftness training after thinking it was a “crazy idea” for years and showing up to club meetings that interested me. Something I chose to live by was “risk is where growth lives.” I honestly can’t remember where I heard it frst, but it stuck with me and ran through my head every time I feared trying something new.
Maybe it’s participating in sorority recruitment, joining a campus organization or taking on a part-time job. Even a seemingly silly job on campus can help you learn soft-skills like multitasking under pressure, connecting with people and so many others that can’t be taught or experienced in a classroom.
Finding a balance: Academics, activities and you time Academics come frst, but that doesn’t mean they are everything. Show up to class, study hard and learn. But if you don’t carve out social time, or simply breathe, you will burn out fast.
Think of your week as a schedule that you get to build from scratch –around your classes, of course. Build in recharge blocks, both with friends and alone, which are just as important as study time.
More than anything else, be present. Don’t spend your college years waiting for the next weekend, event or break; it fies by quicker than you’d ever imagine. Looking back: What I’d tell my frst-year self
It’s OK not to know your major or your future; classmates I spoke with during my time at Miami didn’t. You might feel out of place right now, far from home and missing your “normal.” But now is the time to build your new “normal” and pursue passions or try things before you step into the real world.
You’ll learn the most about yourself and the world around you by taking on little “side quests” to pursue your passions and interests, more than you’ll ever learn in a course.
Takeaway: Own it and grow! My formula was simple: curiosity + involvement = self-knowledge and
readiness for whatever comes next.
If you fnish your Miami story feeling like you pushed past comfort zones, learned more than any course could teach, built friendships that last and can say you’re proud of what you gave and gained, then congratulations, you did it “right.”
This chapter will bring the most change and growth, and you’ll come out a better version of yourself. Don’t stress about timelines and what comes next. Just enjoy the moment you’re in right now.
A few years after that shaky movein day, you’ll be walking across a stage, diploma in hand, realizing how far you’ve come. You’ll glance out the car window, emotions and maybe tears fowing, as you take your fnal look at Oxford. Memories will food in, and you’ll barely remember the time that you sat on your frst-year dorm bed, anxious about this next stage of life.
You might feel lost now,
granthalle23@gmail.com
help the hearing and vision impaired, achieve a more moving approach to conducting Mahler’s symphonies or fnd new ways to improve transportation safety without curiosity. None of you will uncover new insights into the lives (and deaths) of ancient Romans, or lead successful business ventures, without curiosity.
But any of you can do all those things and more if you let yourself be curious.
casperar@miamioh.edu
Last year, I took the First Year Integrated Core (FYIC) courses. It is an eight-credit hour program of four classes – BUS 101, BUS 102, ESP 103 and BUS 104 – and each focuses on introductions to the business world. These courses will have all the same classmates. The FYIC can be very stressful and difcult if you do not stay on top of your coursework.
The best way to succeed in these courses is to show up and avoid losing easy attendance points. At the beginning of the semester, you will be assigned teammates to work with on major assignments for the rest of the semester. It is important to remember that your teammates are not all going to be your best friends. Your meetings don’t need to be a social gathering. When meeting with them, always make sure there is an agenda of what you want to accomplish.
For the BUS 101 course, you will be given your teammates and learn the basic concepts of business. Always make sure you complete the weekly assignments and communicate with your teammates to ensure you are on the right track to completing group tasks on time. The BUS 102 course will teach you business communication and presentation skills. This course will be a lot of individual and group presentations. At frst, this may seem daunting and nerve-racking, but by the end, you will be confdent speaking in front of your classmates. For this class, read the rubrics fully. Otherwise, you might miss easy points.
In the entrepreneurship course, ESP 103, you will learn to embrace your creativity. This class will teach you how to use both the creative process and critical thinking skills to come up with unique solutions to problems.
In BUS 104, you will learn how to code in the most popular coding languages used in business. This is the most individualized course of the four; however, you should still work with your team to practice and learn these languages. This class has more individual assignments compared to the others, and they can be difcult.
Each of these courses will play a major role in your fnal project, which counts for each class. Your fnal project will involve solving a problem for a client. It is important to put all of your efort into each of these courses because, if you fail even one, you will have to retake all four.
The FYIC presents its challenges and difculties. However, I learned a lot about working with others. This experience taught me that I cannot control how well others do their part, but I can encourage my teammates to do their best. These courses also taught me how to make connections with people I will need in the future. I am now more confdent in how I interact with others in the business world.
gowansj@miamioh.edu
JAMIE GOWANS STAFF WWRITER
It’s all downhill from here: Best natural areas to explore around campus
VENEZIA MCHENRY STAFF WRITER
“The most beautiful campus there ever was” said Pulitzer Prize winning poet Robert Frost about Miami University.
With more than 23 miles of connected trails, 1,000 acres of land, 120 species of birds and 60 species of wildfowers, there is so much of that beauty to fnd around campus and the surrounding area.
Many people enjoy hiking, running, biking, bird watching and meditating in these natural areas. Take a look for yourself by using virtual trail maps or be spontaneous and follow a trail near your dorm.
Here are a few trail systems and natural areas for you to explore if –and inevitably when – you’re looking to get outside this semester!
Dewitt Pefer Trail
This paved trail is a perfect starter hike. Its 1.6-mile length makes it great for an easy run or bike ride with friends. This trail is connected to the Dewitt Cabin Trailhead and the Pefer Woods Trailhead.
Following this scenic path will connect you to Pefer Park, a popular
place to take a break and eat at the picnic tables or play some outdoor games with friends.
Western Loop Western Campus is a must see –especially with the beautiful fall foliage. The Western Loop makes up 2.2 miles of hiking, with access on the eastern and southern parts of Western Campus.
When hiking, you will spot oak, maple and beech trees. These trails can be tricky, as the path is not paved and navigates through small hills and valleys.
The Western Loop connects to the Pefer Dewitt trails for a continued hike.
Silvoor Biological Sanctuary Trails
The Silvoor Biological Sanctuary is one of Miami’s popular nature preserves. Though short in length, at only .51 miles, this trail has much to ofer.
Donated in 1978 by Dr. Robert A. Hefner, former chairman of Miami’s zoology department, the sanctuary is best known for its bounty of wildfowers. In April and May, guided “Wildfower Walks” are held at 1 p.m. every Sunday by a botanist from Miami, which provides a great opportunity
The best ways to live a sustainable dorm life
to familiarize yourself with this wild nature and wildlife.
Bachelor Loop
Although a bit farther away from campus, Bachelor Loop is a good hike for those wanting to explore more diverse species of animals and plants.
Bachelor Loop is split up into three trails: Pine, North and East loops. These trails connect and make a 6-mile hike.
Dr. Joseph M. Bachelor owned this land when he was a faculty member at Miami. Eventually, he donated 416 acres to create the Bachelor Wildlife and Game reserve.
Some interesting features of this natural area include a swinging bridge, beavers and wood ducks in the Bachelor pond, along with beautiful pinewood trees. ***
Time at Miami goes fast. Take advantage of the natural areas by spending a Saturday morning hiking or a weekday taking a moment to yourself after a stressful day.
Exploring the most beautiful campus there ever was can make your Miami experience something you will never forget.
mchenrvg@miamioh.edu
SARAH
KENNEL GREENHAWKS EDITOR
Move-in week is in full swing at Miami University, and streets are packed with cars as students make their dorm rooms home. For busy college students, convenience is key. This can make navigating and adjusting to dorm life challenging – especially for students who want to reduce waste and live sustainably. Luckily, there are a few simple and efective ways to do this.
Resisting the plastic temptation
Single-use plastics are incentivising. They’re convenient, cut down on time spent doing dishes and are a part of most college students’ daily routine in the form of a morning cofee or a takeout dinner. For many, completely cutting out single-use plastics can be a daunting and near impossible task. However, you can lessen consumption of them in your dorm room. Stock your room with a few silverware items. Try purchasing dishes that you like the look of to encourage yourself to use them rather than single-use plastics. A few cute mugs, glasses and plates can go a long way to help you choose reusable.
Another reusable necessity is a water bottle and a brita pitcher. These items can help you resist buying a plastic water bottle from the hallway vending machines and save you some money in the long run.
Be sure to purchase a smaller-sized Brita pitcher, as it will take up less space in an already tiny mini-fridge. A small, fat silicon ice tray to keep your water cold without cramming your freezer can be helpful as well. Avoiding waste
All-you-can-eat style dining halls are another convenient
plate and throw away large amounts of uneaten food.
Along with wasting the product itself, food waste contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. When organic materials like food waste decompose in landflls, they produce large amounts of methane – a powerful planet-warming greenhouse gas. Make a smaller plate of food and go back for seconds if you need to.
Transportation opportunities
Dorm life also allows students to walk to and from essential places as opposed to commuting by car. Taking advantage of this opportunity is one of the easiest ways to live sustainably in your dorm, as most students fnd this option most convenient as well.
Oxford’s bus system is another great resource for sustainably traveling. Downloading the Transit app allows users to connect to their location and see Oxford’s various bus routes, wait times and nearby stops. This helps to eliminate some of the confusion that can make public transportation frustrating.
The good news: Many aspects of dorm life actually make it easier to live sustainably – especially when it comes to cutting down on carbon emissions. Miami’s Utility Master Plan aims to move all campus buildings, including dorm halls, from steam power to Heating Hot Water systems by 2026. Today, more than half of Miami’s buildings have made this transition, slashing emissions. Dorm halls, apartments, multi-family homes and other housing also tend to be much more energy efcient than spaced-out single family housing. Reminding yourself of these positives while employing a few simple tricks to cut down on the negatives can leave you feeling confdent that your new dorm life is a sustainable one.
kennelse@miamioh.edu
STUDENTS UTILIZE THE TRAILS SURRONDING OXFORD FOR PEACEFUL WALKS AFTER CLASS, AMONG OTHER ACTIVITIES. PHOTO BY ELLEN LONG MIAMI’S NATURAL AREAS COME WITH ALL TYPES OF TERRAIN. SOME, SUCH AS THE FOUR MILE
CREEK BY THE DEWITT
AND
WILDLIFE. PHOTO BY VENEZIA MCHENRY
THE WINDING DEWITT PEFFER TRAIL USHERS VISITORS AWAY FROM THE CHAOS OF CAMPUS, AND INTO A PEACEFUL HIDEAWAY. PHOTO BY VENEZIA MCHENRY
GRAPHIC BY THE MIAMI STUDENT
Before this summer, I would not have considered myself an expert traveler. When I do travel, it’s usually within walking distance, and often there’s a specialty Kofenya drink at the end of it. This summer, however, I had the opportunity to study abroad in London for a month (and now it’s my entire personality). During this period, I took a total of four fights in a month. So, here is my best shot at explaining the ups and downs of international travel in a simplifed way. Getting your hopes up A long plane fight … truly sucks. I know I’m lucky to live in an age where we can travel halfway across the world in a matter of hours, but every time I roll of a plane, I feel like a hobo being puppeteered by several greasy mice on cocaine. There’s not really a way around this. You’re trapped in a metal tube for hours on end with no leg room and a guy two seats behind you who will not use headphones, so let’s temper these expectations. Yes, I have also seen the videos of women doing 20-step skincare routines on the redeye to Majorca. Calm down. You are not these women. The second that plane touches land, you’re going to want to gather your things. Resist that impulse! You are going to be on the blacktop for at least 15 minutes longer than you think. Nope, longer than that. You’re close now, but it’s still longer. Once again, reduce your expectations to zero. Getting stuck on the blacktop for an hour is much more enjoyable if you simply build that into your expectations from the beginning. How many suitcases is too many? Look at me. Put. The. Dyson. Airwrap. Back. I know it’s tempting — after all, you’ll want a picture-perfect blowout for the Instagram posts — but if you think it’s worth the hassle of dragging multiple large suitcases through the airport looking like an of-brand grinch trying to smuggle the last of the Christmas decorations out of town, think again. Say it with me: less is more. Packing light means you won’t accidentally amputate roll over your toe on the way to your gate, and you’ll have more space for souvenirs once you get to your destination. I packed only half of my suitcase with clothes for my month abroad. Did I hate every single outft and article of clothing by the end of it? Yes, but I managed to bring well over a dozen books home, so who’s the real winner?
Packing your carry on
Because I was in London for a month, I brought home 23 books, in
addition to the fve books I took with me for my courses, for a grand total of 28 books. Obviously, that ain’t gonna fy. I mean that quite literally, there are weight restrictions, and I blew them out of the water. The smart thing to do (or so I thought) was to pack the heaviest books into my carry-on, which has no weight restrictions. After repacking, my luggage was well within the allowed range. Success!
Here’s the thing: my carry-on had no clothes in it. Ordinarily, I stick a change of clothes, as an extra precaution, in my carry-on, but due to the weight-rearrangement issue, I didn’t have the foresight to put clothes in the backpack. Of course, it follows that logically, this is when I would get my fight canceled.
There are no direct fights from Heathrow to Indianapolis, so the cancelation left me stranded alone in the Philadelphia airport at 9:30 p.m. I had no clothes. I had two Shakespeare plays, a copy of Euripides and Don Quixote, but no change of clothes. Do not do what I did. Even if it’s only to ward of the potential of getting stuck in the “city of brotherly I am going to mess up your life now.”
Waiting in lines
About 90% of being in the airport is just waiting in random lines. Here, wait in a line to check your bag. OK, now wait in another line. Take of your shoes. Now wait in line to get your shoes. Wait in another line to get on the plane. You want a hot pretzel from Auntie Anne’s? You’re not getting one without waiting in a line frst.
Things get even worse when you travel abroad. Now you have to wait in the customs line and get scrutinized while you panic about missing your fight. Some lines (like customs) are mandatory, but some can be skipped. For example, if you go to check a bag and there’s an issue that says go to special assistance, do not get in line for special assistance. Uh-uh, honey-boo, you get out your phone and ask Google because I guarantee Reddit will have an answer for you about 45 minutes faster than waiting in the “help services” line. Get those bags checked and get out.
If your fight gets canceled at the last minute, don’t stand in line to ask if you can get a hotel room comped. Airlines are sneaky little [redacted], and won’t give you anything. Resign yourself to bad fate and order Chinese takeout instead of waiting around for an extra hour.
Like many other aspects of life, fying is mostly a game of roulette, except everyone loses all the time. And that’s before we even talk about Spirit Airlines.
mahones5@miamioh.edu
CONNOR OVIATT HUMOR EDITOR
Disclaimer: Hello freshies! This is a (potential regular and totally not lazy) series where the Humor section provides necessary Miami University advice. Enjoy! I can remember the scene. The butterfies in my stomach. The blazing asphalt and 150% humidity. Sitting in trafc for three hours to move 900 feet down Patterson Street. Meeting my stupid roommate who signed me up for this God-forsaken job at the newspaper. No, this wasn’t a nightmare; it was my freshman move-in day. But, as you will too, I survived. So, now that you are in your beautiful (and defnitely not moldy) shoe box for the next 9 months, here are my tips.
Tip #1: Skip all freshmen events, especially RA meetings
Two of my bestest buddies at this university have been and currently are RA’s. Do you want to know how we became friends? Well, I don’t exactly remember, but it defnitely wasn’t going to things like RA meetings. Most importantly, do not go to the “fun” events that the university
has planned. The infatable obstacle courses, street sign making and free food are part of the college experience every single day; meanwhile, embarrassing the crap out of yourself at New Bar is temporary. And don’t get me started on RA meetings. Like I said, I didn’t actually go to any, but I can only assume that they’re miserable.
Tip #2: Go for a ride in the big red carts
Now, I have to admit that I was lucky. I lived in Young Hall, and would take MY move-in cart to the top of Western College Drive and ride down for about 2 hours each day. If you’re living on South Quad, this may be a little less exciting. But, at least knowing you’re breaking university rules gives you a thrill. And, if you have the right bobsledding partner, you can get a pretty good push on the cart before you hop in.
Tip #3: Make extra dry mac and cheese
This is a Havighurst Hall specialty, and about 45 dudes in there will make this recipe per year. It’s super simple – you take one of those microwavable Kraft macaroni and cheese cups and – this is crucial – don’t add water. This leaves your noodles with a
ELIZA SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER
“What’s your major?”
This is the most common question anybody ages 18 to 22 is asked, and for some people, it sparks dread, because the answer is “I don’t know,” or worse, journalism. Miami has more than 100 programs of study ofered, so narrowing down which one or two you want to pursue can be daunting. If you haven’t declared a major yet, I’m here to help you out with a few strategies to fnd what you really want to study.
If you want to make lots of money, you have two options: engineering or business. If you’re bad
nice smoky favor while preserving a crunchy, almost al-dente texture. It is simply amazing. This recipe is highly endorsed by my frefghter roommate (yes, he is a frefghter, ladies).
Tip #4: Have an obnoxious alarm Highly recommend doing this to assert your dominance in your room. I’ll use a few real life examples that I’ve heard. My roommate and least favorite staf writer Michael Pattee played audio from the Bengals choking in the Super Bowl (Joe Burrow has never scored a 4th quarter touchdown in the playofs). I used the theme song to the Care Bears (Michael and I’s third roommate stopped sleeping in our room by the end). And my current roommate’s former roommate played audio of someone tearing their ACL (as much as I try to be funny, this literally happened). Needless to say, no one messed with him. Ok younglings, that is what I’ll provide you for free. If you want more useful advice, feel free to join my Patreon and send me money on Venmo (I’m not hard to fnd on there).
oviattcc@miamioh.edu
at math (or just lazy), it’s of to the Farmer School of Business for you.
You’ll spend your time coloring and … actually I have no idea what they do in the business school, but apparently it makes you lots of money and leaves you with plenty of time to go to country night at Brick Street during fnals week.
If you’re good at math, or have no joy left to lose, an engineering major is a great choice! You’ll graduate college as a husk of your past self, with energy drinks coursing through your veins, straight into a cushy job.
If you have a creative passion you want to chase, consider a major within the College of Creative Arts (CCA). But beware, between the hours of studio work and the demanding schedule of 18 credit hours that really feels more like 36 (did you know that Instrument Performance majors have to take 0 credit hour classes?), a CCA major will wear you down. Looking for the worst of both worlds? You’ll ft right in as an architecture major. With classes that combine creative and scientifc thinking, architecture students have to learn it all. No matter how bad my political science classes are, I can always watch the architecture students
stumbling out of the art and architecture library in Laws Hall, and I can thank God I’m not one of them.
Speaking of political science, if you want to have no idea what you’ll do after graduation, choose political science! Will you have a job? Are you going to law school? Maybe getting a master’s degree? Who knows! The constant political turmoil keeps things alarming spicy. Plus, if you work hard, you might even get to write a bill that is never voted on because of flibustering and legislative gridlock!
The College of Arts and Science (CAS) is great if you intend to be in school for the rest of your life. Of course, a few majors, like psychology or pre-med biology, can translate into successful careers, but for the most part, as a CAS student, you should plan on getting a masters degree. And then a PhD. And then why not get another one? Maybe you’ll do some post-doctoral work. Maybe someday you’ll end up back at Miami as a professor – just don’t expect to get a job outside of academia, because, according to the job market, your degree is basically fake.
At the end of the day, your time at Miami will leave you with valuable skills. The liberal arts education will require you to take Miami Plan classes where no one wants to be there and the professor is about to cry, but you might learn something new. Probably not, though – most students play 2048 during those classes. But your degree will show that you graduated from a school the Wall Street Journal ranks among the top party schools in the nation. Go RedHawks!
