MUF&D hosts 19th annual fashion show, announces new fashion major
LINDSAY STEVENSON
THE MIAMI STUDENT
Last season, Madilyn Reeves was a freshman on a Miami University softball pitching staf that included ffth-year Ashley Hitchcock and sixthyear Addy Jarvis.
This season, she’s Miami’s only returning pitcher.
Reeves, now a sophomore, is the anchor of a four-player pitching staf that includes Shelbie Krieger, a true freshman, Léa Chevrier, a junior transfer from Florida Southwestern State College and Alex Caouette, a sophomore transfer from Western Michigan University.
“I knew I was going to be someone that the other pitchers could really lean on if they needed help or anything,” Reeves said. “I think just the
experience is diferent from last year because I had other people with more experience at this level.”
Reeves ranks second in the nation this season in games started (31) and has pitched more than 200 innings for Miami this season. Her 173 strikeouts tie for 18th in the nation with Mississippi State University’s Raelin Chafn.
“[Reeves] has done great,” head coach Mandy Gardner-Colegate said.
“She's kind of been our leader in the bullpen just from a sense of knowing the standard that was set here, and obviously knowing our conference.”
But she isn’t the only RedHawk pitcher who’s been highly present in the circle. Chevrier and Krieger have seen 26 and 13 appearances, respectively, this season.
“I think we're all getting to the point where we're all kind of level and
doing the same thing, all working towards the same stuf,” Reeves said. “I think [the new pitchers] have done a really good job of adjusting just to a new place and getting to know their routines.”
Chevrier’s transition from junior college to Division I initially presented a challenge, but she said she has settled in well at Miami.
“For me, it was kind of difcult at the beginning, just because the level of play is diferent,” Chevrier said. “But right now, I feel like I'm in a good space.”
Alongside a largely new pitching staf is an entirely new coaching staf led by Gardner-Colegate. Pitching is an area of expertise for Gardner-Colegate, who pitched at both the University of Michigan and the University of Maryland and was the pitching
SYDNEY MULFORD STAFF WRITER
The Miami University Fashion and Design (MUF&D) club hosted its 19th annual fashion show, “Mosaic,” on April 26. The show had 1,700 in-person tickets sold, 1,200 viewers on the live stream, 87 models (icons), 20 designers, 104 looks and 21 collections. In addition to the record-number of designers involved in the show this year, a prominent announcement also made its debut: Miami will have its own fashion design program beginning in the fall. Currently, Miami only ofers a co-major and minor in fashion. In addition to the new fashion major, College of Creative Arts (CCA) Dean Ryan Fisher announced that there will be a new fashion institute at Miami. The inaugural director of the institute will be announced in the upcoming weeks.
coach at the University of Iowa for two seasons.
Despite the individualized nature of the position, she emphasizes a group mindset for the RedHawks, frequently reminding her athletes that they win and lose as a team. She also highlighted the importance of preventing the mound from feeling too quiet.
“Pitching is hard,” Gardner-Colegate said. “I mean, [the pitchers] already feel like they're on an island, but if it's also silent, then that's really tough. Having that ability to know that their teammates are behind them, whether it's the infelders, outfelders or even the people in the dugout, it’s just so important to have that support.”
SOPHIE KWIATKOWSKI STAFF WRITER
College move-out season is now in session, which means a lot of waste is bound to pile up, especially electronic waste. Students are often unsure of what to do with their old cofee maker that’s been leaking all semester, or their dingy microwave. Instead of throwing these well-loved items away, students can head over to Bath State Bank in West College Corner, Indiana, on Friday, May 16, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for its Electronic Waste Recycle Day.
At this event, many forms of electronic waste are eligible for recycling, from power strips and printers to toasters and tablets. E-waste, short for electronic waste, is defned as “any electrical or electronic equipment that’s been discarded.” E-waste’s prevalence has grown, as seen in 2022, when over 62 million tons of e-waste were produced worldwide, with only about a ffth of that waste collected and recycled.
So, what happens to the 80% of e-waste that does not get collected or recycled?
“E-waste comes from not only computers, but also the chemicals that are inside those computers,” said Dylan Fall, president of Miami University’s Humanitarian Youth Preparation for Electronics Education organization. “So, when they degrade in landflls, they are very toxic to the environment since they release toxic gases and reduce the quality of the air, making areas surrounding those landflls difcult to live in.”
Thinking twice about subjecting e-waste to a dumpster death is what prompted Bath State Bank to begin hosting its Electronic Waste Recycle Day.
“We started seeing a mass of computers and televisions dumped on the side of the road in our community, because they had no place to get rid of them,” said Ann Haas, Bath State Bank’s director of marketing. “Because of this, we decided to do a re-
cycling day for Earth Day, and it was very successful.” During its frst e-waste recycling initiative in 2016, Bath State Bank recycled 13,850 raw pounds of electronic waste. Due to this success, Bath State Bank has begun to consistently host its Electronic Waste Recycle Day event. “We tend to think that it’s about three years between people getting a new device and then disposing of it, so we host this event every three years,” Haas said.
For its most recent Electronic Waste Recycle Day in 2022, Bath State Bank partnered with Cobalt, a certifed and family-owned recycling company dedicated to helping local businesses and citizens recycle e-waste efectively. Brittney Gill, director of client relations at Cobalt, spoke to the pertinence of efectively recycling e-waste.
ANNA REIER MANAGING EDITOR
FC Cincinnati CEO Jef Berding never thought he’d work in sports. Berding, who graduated from Miami in 1991 with majors in political science, diplomacy and foreign afairs and speech communication, dreamt of going to law school and having a career in politics. But, due to a scheduling confict, Berding missed orientation and wasn’t able to start law school at the University of Cincinnati.
So, he drove across town to Xavier University and enrolled in its MBA program. From there, Berding went to work for the Cincinnati Bengals for 20 years.
“But, my kids really loved soccer,” he said, “so, I wrote a business plan to create FC Cincinnati.” Berding will be giving this year’s spring commencement address. In addition to founding Cincinnati's third professional sports team, he’s held a variety of diferent roles throughout the community.
In addition to serving as co-chair of the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee, Berding served three terms on the Cincinnati City Council and founded Build Cincinnati, a group that created the charter amendment for evolving Cincinnati’s city government into a stronger mayoral system.
“People have introduced me at speaking engagements as Cincinnati’s biggest dreamer,” he said. “The reason that becomes a fun introduction is because not only do I dream it, but I make it happen.
SAM NORTON EDITOR AT LARGE
Since the start of the 2024-25 school year, Miami University has succumbed to substantial, and often controversial, changes. Administration increased faculty workload, a new arena will dominate student gathering spaces and changes to higher education in Ohio will no doubt be felt from Columbus to Oxford. Yet, someone passing through campus would have no clue of the physical and institutional changes that will soon descend upon Miami. As a graduating senior, none of these changes will impact my soon-toend Miami experience. Logically, I shouldn't let all of this noise bother me. I should look forward to grabbing my diploma in a month’s time and moving back home, oblivious to the chaos at an institution I will no longer attend. But I am not oblivious. And despite the seemingly illogical nature of it, I care what Miami will look like when I’m gone. I care deeply. I have not been quiet about this, either. I have reported how the new arena’s environmental impacts were not considered during approval and have penned staf editorials admonishing the administration over its mistreatment of faculty. I am deeply invested in the happenings at Miami because, despite leaving soon, I will always carry Miami with me. It will always show up on my resume and my LinkedIn profle, I will discuss it in job interviews, the red “M” will remain on decorations and clothes I’ve collected and it will always defne the past four years of my life. But, as universities love to promote, your time there will also defne your future. I don’t want that future to be defned by the growing number of faws creeping onto our beloved red-brick campus.
THEME 'MOSAIC.'' PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH.
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Will the Miami I experienced disappear soon? From a senior who still cares
Perhaps it is selfsh and an overreaction, but I don’t want someone to view my quality of education as diminished because I went to Miami; because I went to a school that submitted to the classroom censorship in Senate Bill 1 and preferred to overload STEM and business majors while stifing the humanities that make it a “liberal arts school.” I don’t want to be associated with an institution that is viewed by outsiders as hypocritical, going back on the very morals it promotes to new students.
Alongside my biology major, I will also be graduating with an environmental science co-major and journalism minor. Will a future employer question my knowledge about the scientifc processes of climate change because it will soon be considered controversial in Ohio? Will my journalistic experience be overlooked because Miami is consolidating many of its writing majors, stufng them all in one building and submitting itself to free speech restrictions?
When I decided to attend Miami, it was nationally respected, recognized for undergraduate teaching and research, known as a Public Ivy brand and promoted an emphasis on interdisciplinary study. I have seen much of that begin to fade. Will I regret “Miami University” showing up next to my degree?
Will the Miami I experienced disappear soon?
With everything in me, I hope not, because there is too much here that I still love. I love my tree-lined walks to class. I love that Oxford is all of the
picturesque college town I expected it to be. I love that, while liberal arts were still valued, I could pursue both STEM and humanities studies. I love that most of the memories from this time of my life will be flled with joy. I love the clubs I’ve joined and the people I’ve met. The Miami Student changed my life, and I am forever grateful this university brought me through the newsroom doors. I have made friends here and traveled the country with them, friends I know I will have for the rest of my life.
I have taken so many amazing classes, been taught and mentored by so many wonderful professors and have created bodies of work I am incredibly proud of. I am a better person because of my time at Miami, and I hope future students can say that as well.bBut I worry they won’t, and that terrifes me. Because what I found here is special, and there are people with no concept of Miami students’ experiences that are trying to take that away.
This university doesn’t deserve that. The incredibly smart and talented people it attracts, students and professors alike, don’t deserve that. The rich history of our Oxford campus and the hundreds of thousands of alums don’t deserve that.
That is why I can’t give up on the place I’ve called home for the last four years. I can’t give up on a place I love so much.
First year or senior, alum or professor, we deserve better. We don’t deserve the Miami that our administration is trying to create. nortonsm@miamioh.edu
Multiple suspects arrested on warrants in Oxford
AUSTIN SMITH BUSINESS MANAGER
Between April 21 and 28, ofcers responded to 11 diferent incidents, according to Oxford Police Department (OPD) reports.
On April 25 at 11:31 a.m., in the 5300 block of University Park Blvd., ofcers responded to a Talawanda High School special needs student who reportedly struck his teacher and an administrator. He was cited and released to a parent.
Later that day, at 1:29 p.m., in the 600 block of S. Locust St., ofcers located and detained a male wanted for a warrant out of Jeferson County, Indiana. The man was wanted for questioning regarding the murder of an Indiana woman in her home on April
14. Detectives interviewed the suspect before he was processed and taken to Butler County Jail. On April 26 at 9:31 a.m., in the 20 block of Lynn Ave., ofcers responded to a theft report at Oxford Spirits that occurred the previous night. Video footage shows two male suspects entering the store, with one concealing a bottle of alcohol and exiting the store on two diferent occasions that day. The suspects have not been identifed and the investigation is ongoing.
Later that day, at 4:40 p.m., in the 5700 block of College Corner Pike, an ofcer observed a male passed out in a parked motor vehicle. After receiving medical care, the man was issued a citation and was found to have an outstanding warrant. He was subsequently arrested.
At 11:06 p.m., that same day, in
the 100 block of W. Spring St., ofcers responded to a report of three individuals being kicked out of their Uber driver’s vehicle. After they left the vehicle, the driver got out and continued yelling at the subjects. The Uber driver then reached into his vehicle to retrieve a handgun, which he held above his vehicle. The driver pulled away when he noticed that one of the individuals had called 911.
On April 27 at 9:09 p.m., in the 600 block of McGufey Ave., ofcers responded to a call regarding an unresponsive male. Upon arrival, he was alert and responsive. Ofcers determined that he had been inhaling air dusters. After medical evaluation, he was cited and released.
smith854@miamoh.edu
University Senate discusses business co-major, new world languages and cultures major, graduate student hours
SHANNON MAHONEY
ASST. CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
University Senate met to hear a proposal for a new business co-major housed within the Farmer School of Business (FSB). The senate also passed a proposal to create a new major in the language department and a policy change to the combined graduate degree program.
Andrew Refett, associate dean for educational excellence and professor of accountancy, presented a proposal to create a new business management co-major within FSB. Although this program would run through FSB, it would only be available to non-FSB students.
Refett said this program would help fll demand for FSB education, particularly among students who are not in Farmer.
“Adding FSB programming education to non FSB students will help them for students who have interest in something other than business, but can see the practical value of a business education,” Refett said. “I think this will help attract, help us yield more high achieving students.”
Refett said the program has support from both students and faculty who see the value of the combined program for student employment outcomes.
Some senators voiced concern over the demand for the program, and asked if the program would require increased faculty resources. Refett said the program would not require new faculty or resources; however, the program would likely need to be capped because student interest is so great.
The senate will vote on the proposal at its next meeting, May 5.
The senate passed a policy revision that requires future proposals to add a major, minor or certifcate to be brought before the Council of Academic Deans. This revision will help to ensure there is a dedicated place and process to discuss adding new programs.
Additionally, the senate passed a proposal to create a new languages and cultures major. This major is intended to replace six majors in the language department that are being deactivated.
Jason Abbitt, associate dean of the graduate school answered questions on his proposal to change the number of course hours that can overlap for students’ undergraduate and graduate degrees. This change is intended to bring Miami University in line with state requirements and other Ohio universities.
“We do want this policy to move to a situation where [the] undergraduate degree is completed frst, [the] masters follows that,” Abbitt said. “We think our current policy opens up too large of a loophole where it does put us in confict with some other things.”
The senate voted to pass the proposal.
Rosemary Pennington, professor of journalism and chair of the Department of Media, Journalism and Film, proposed a dissolution of the Council on Diversity and Inclusion (CODI) to bring Miami into compliance with Senate Bill 1. If CODI is not sunsetted by the University Senate, it will have to be dissolved by the Board of Trustees instead.
The senate’s fnal meeting of the semester is at 3:30 p.m. on May 5 in 111 Harrison Hall.
mahones5@miamioh.edu
A new rotation: Reeves and newcomers find their roles on the mound
Togetherness has been key for the RedHawks in a season that included what Gardner-Colegate described as arguably the toughest out-of-conference schedule the program has ever seen. Prior to the start of Mid-American Conference (MAC) play, the RedHawks played 13 games against Power Four opponents. They currently sit at third place in the MAC behind Central Michigan University and Ohio University. According to Chevrier, part of Miami’s cohesive strength lies in the contrasts between the pitchers.
“We’re all diferent, and we throw diferent stuf, which I think is good,” Chevrier said. “Maddie [Reeves] is more upspin and I’m more downspin, so then the other teams don’t know what to expect.”
According to Reeves, she and Chevrier will often pitch a full game
during the week, helping each other out by fnishing each other’s games when needed. During a weekend series, the strategy shifts, and the staf will often split the arms up.
Gardner-Colegate said she readies her pitchers for success by putting together rigorous “bullpens,” or practice workouts. Each bullpen is customized to each member of her staf based on what she needs to work on, whether that be tightening up spin or simply throwing strikes.
She also said that her players’ personalities and passion have done some of the work for her as a coach.
“All of [the pitchers] have an uncanny work ethic,” Gardner-Colegate said. “They’re extremely competitive. They wanna go out and perform the best they can for their team. That piece of it has been just really easy for me as a coach.”
Gardner-Colegate hopes to add a ffth pitcher in a season to come, following a model more similar to base-
ball by adding a closer. However, unlike a baseball team, which carries a large number of arms and often limits pitchers on games and innings, softball teams often have just a handful of pitchers that can each throw multiple games back-to-back if needed. Additionally, a softball pitch is a more natural motion than a baseball pitch, which allows for the smaller number of pitchers on a roster.
Gardner-Colegate also believes that women’s mobility and fexibility may play a role in this phenomenon, along with the trajectories of players in the sport.
“From a longevity standpoint, we pretty much play college softball and then we’re done,” Gardner-Colegate said. “With baseball players, there’s an opportunity for them to go pro, so I think their baseball life longevity is a little bit diferent as well. I really do think that has something to do with it.” As Gardner-Colegate looks to maximize the payof from her team’s
time playing collegiate softball, she is focusing on the postseason. The RedHawks have one more series against the University of Bufalo Bulls at home before setting their sights on the MAC tournament starting May 7 in Akron. The RedHawks won the previous three MAC championships from 2022 to 2024 under former head coach Kirin Kumar, and Gardner-Colegate said she wants to continue building upon the program’s success. With a long-term goal of winning a super-regional, she likened Miami to the James Madison University Dukes, who made a run at the national title in 2021 before falling to the University of Oklahoma Sooners in the NCAA semifnals.
“James Madison, a few years ago, made it to the World Series, and they’re in the [Coastal Athletic Association], and it’s very similar to the MAC,” Gardner-Colegate said. “I really feel like that can happen here if we get the right pieces in place, and
from a recruiting standpoint, our class that’s coming in next year and then the following year is extremely strong.”
The RedHawks look to continue their championship-winning streak at the 2025 MAC tournament next week. As they look to bring home another title, Reeves and Chevrier feel confdent in their abilities to lead the team defensively by working together.
“We’ll pick each other up,” Reeves said. “Just because of how we throw, it complements the other person. My up compliments [Chevrier’s] down.”
The RedHawk pitching staf will head into the fnal week of the regular season with an ERA (4.28), nearly a full run higher than their end-of-year ERA last season (3.55). When Iowa hired her, Gardner-Colegate saw the ERA of the pitchers improve from 5.03 to 2.57 from year one to year two.
stevenL7@miamioh.edu
GRAPHIC BY MACY CHAMBERLIN
MADILYN REEVES WINDS UP HER PITCH AGAINST THE NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY HUSKIES AT MIAMI’S SOFTBALL STADIUM ON MARCH 21. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH.
CONTINUED FROM FRONT
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
Honors College changes GPA requirements to ensure graduation credit
SOLOMON BOWSER STAFF WRITER
Honors students at Miami University received an email from the Honors College on April 7 detailing a change to the college’s current policy regarding GPA requirements.
The new policy requires students who are part of the Honors College to achieve a 3.25 cumulative GPA to earn university honors when they graduate. It also stipulates that they need to complete an honors senior project. The original policy, which was set for the Honors Program, required a 3.5 GPA for students to receive the notation on their transcript.
“This policy change will reward honors students with a wider range of fnal cumulative GPAs for having completed the required honors senior project,” wrote Zeb Baker, the inaugural dean of the Honors College, in
the email. Catherine Moul, a frst-year chemical engineering major in the Honors College, said she appreciates that the lower threshold accommodates honors students who might be struggling academically, but feels that it shows a diminishing focus on academic excellence within the college. Having taken both of her required honors courses, she said she doesn’t think the extra requirements are very challenging.
“I understand the thought,” Moul said, “[but] it just does feel slightly like [it’s] maybe diluting the point of the Honors College.”
Baker said this change was an effort to reestablish standards already in efect for honors students since 2021, when the Honors College began at Miami. Rewriting the policy ensured that the almost 200 upcoming Honors College students graduating in May 2025 will get credit for all of the work they were expected to do.
“If we hadn’t made this change, no one who is graduating from the Honors College this year would have been able to earn University Honors, because none of them completed that set of requirements,” he said.
Baker also said the new policy helps to emphasize the importance of the honors senior project, a requirement that was optional under the previous honors program policy.
“The real change there is that university honors is a culminating experience, it’s a culminating project,” he said. “We’re trying to make sure that students are getting credit for having completed that kind of culminating project, on top of their honors requirements.”
However, the majority of students in the program and the college have exceeded these expectations. In a University Senate meeting on March 10, Baker said that the average GPA within the Honors College is 3.74.
VENEZIA MCHENRY STAFF WRITER
During the spring of 2025, Miami University started giving out “Graduation Celebration in a Box” merchandise to admitted students in the class of 2029.
Ella Nutter, an incoming frst-year intending to major in speech pathology and audiology, said after confrming her place at Miami, she received one of the “Celebrations in a Box.”
The admissions department sent the boxes to confrmed fall 2025 students with domestic addresses. Nutter said the box contained a Miami pendant, red and white paper decorations, a “Proud Parent” magnet, postcards, a notepad and under-eye stickers for future sports games.
Bethany Perkins, director of admissions at Miami, said these boxes were sent to allow incoming students to show Miami “fair” at graduation parties.
In the past, students would receive stickers, yard signs and Miami pendants.
Perkins said the admissions department also sent out merch boxes for engaging with Miami on social media, with the stipulation that they would need to post about it.
Perkins added that for the twenty students who received a box, there were 20 to 50 calls from parents and students asking about the boxes and if they would receive one.
“Well, actually you didn’t do what we encouraged you to do,” Perkins said was her response to the families. “It was all about rewarding wonderful social media behavior.”
The incoming class of 2029 is cur-
“Eighty-two percent of our graduates last academic year graduated with a 3.5 or higher, and this year it’s going to be even higher,” Baker said. “It’s going to be more like 85% of our students.”
Erin Wahler, the assistant director for student enrichment at the Honors College, said she has seen honors students stay on track with their requirements. Although she primarily facilitates study abroad programs, she’s also an adviser for students in the Farmer School of Business.
“I’ve had some really good conversations, and I think they’re doing well,” she said. “Everybody seems to have a good game plan.”
Elianna Danner, a frst-year zoology major in the Honors College, has been fnding ways to engage with her passions at Miami. She is currently participating in undergraduate research on avian malaria, she has lined up volunteer work for the
rently preparing to start their next four years at Miami. With them come fnancial and class size changes that could afect future applicants.
Perkins said this year, the university decided to accept a smaller class size compared to past admission cycles.
According to the Ofce of Institutional research and efectiveness, in 2024, 29,787 frst-year students were admitted and 4,192 enrolled compared to 2023, where 28,319 frst year students were admitted and 3,937 were enrolled.
“Last year, we enrolled a slightly larger class than we needed to,” Perkins said. “Partly because we did not know entirely what to expect due to FAFSA delays.”
Perkins said she anticipates the class size will continue to drop, mainly because of the upcoming demographic clif or smaller class sizes graduating from high school because of a falling birth rate starting in 2007. The result will be a decline in enrollment and fewer students graduating from colleges.
Perkins said merit scholarships are also anticipated to be slightly lower or close to the range of last year’s because of the smaller class size. She added that merit scholarships at Miami are based on a student’s weighted high school GPA and residency to determine how much money they will receive.
According to Miami’s admission and aid department, 93% of frstyear students received gift aid from Miami. The department reported the average merit scholarship received by an in-state student as $7,144, in comparison to an out-of-state student, which is $16,805. The average num-
summer and she is going on a study abroad trip to Costa Rica next spring, but none of them are specifcally designed for Honors College students.
“I feel like there probably are opportunities that just don’t apply to me that I could take if I had a diferent career path,” she said. “But mostly, I’ve just been getting these opportunities on my own, without needing anything from the Honors College.” However, she said she’s still thankful for the community and motivation that being a part of the Honors College has given her.
“I feel like it has made me have a lot of faith in myself,” Danner said, “that if I can be taking honors courses and still doing regular college then I can do this.”
bowsers2@miamioh.edu
ber for the class of 2025 will be determined two weeks into the fall term.
David Creamer, Miami’s senior vice president for fnance and business services and treasurer, said when it comes to scholarships for incoming students, his administration must consider rising costs of compensation and infation that afect higher education.
He said it must also try to make education afordable for all students who want to attend Miami.
“It’s a complex set of trade-ofs that we tend to make each year,” Creamer said, “looking at exactly what we’ll be able to try to achieve with as much afordability for our students as possible.”
Nutter said the merit scholarship she received made her decision to accept Miami easier.
“Ever since I visited Miami, I kind of had my heart set,” Nutter said. “I wasn’t sure how much Miami was going to give me because tuition is expensive.”
Creamer said fnancially, the admissions merch box decisions are allocated from the admissions department budget for recruitment of the upcoming class and do not afect scholarship amounts. He said that he hopes students know that the university tries to come up with ideas that are fair to all students.
“It’s constantly evolving because we’re competing against other institutions,” Creamer said. “We look at what are the best types of strategies that put forward the benefts and value of Miami.”
mchenrvg@miamioh.edu
RYAN RODEMAN WORKS ON CLASS ASSIGNMENTS IN HILLCREST HALL, A DORM HOUSING HONORS COLLEGE STUDENTS. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH
‘He has a heart for making the world better’: FC Cincinnati CEO to give spring commencement address
I’m hoping to give that level of belief and confdence to the graduates. They can do the same.”
In a statement to The Miami Student, President Gregory Crawford wrote that he was excited for graduates to hear from Berding.
“[Berding] is a ffth-generation Cincinnatian who has worked tirelessly to support his community,” Crawford wrote. “FC Cincinnati is a part of the fabric of the city, and Jef helped build a strong and loyal fan base in a short time.”
Berding was the frst in his family to go to college. He grew up with nine brothers and sisters in the Westwood neighborhood.
“I was paying my own way,” Berding said, “so I applied to be a resident assistant. There, I really started to fnd my leadership voice.”
One such experience, Berding said, was when then-Governor Richard Celeste slept in his Collins Hall dorm room.
“[He] did these university days, and in 1987, he had a Miami Day,” Berding said. “He would bring his cabinet to campus and meet with students, and he slept in my dorm room. After that, he helped get me involved in a couple diferent things.”
Following his time as a residence assistant, Berding served in a variety of diferent roles, including executive vice-president of the student senate and president of the Ohio Student Association in Columbus.
“We’re talking about 13 public, four-year institutions,” he said. “I was very involved in that and became quite comfortable as a leader.”
Carolyn Pione Micheli was a close friend of Berding during his time at Miami.
“He has a heart for doing good and making the world better,” Micheli said. “Whether it’s with politics or
businesses or sports, he’s really trying to build pride for the people of our region.”
Micheli, who graduated from Miami in 1991 with majors in history and English literature, said Berding has always been driven, and she isn’t surprised by his success.
“He was intense [then] as he is now; that really hasn’t changed,” she said. “He’s incredibly interested in making an impact for the greater good.”
Berding said he still found time to have some fun while on campus. As a sophomore, he rushed the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. Given its close proximity, Berding and his fraternity brothers spent lots of time at Skipper’s, directly across the street from the chapter house.
“Skipper’s was a huge part of my Miami experience,” Berding said. “I always walk over when I’m in Oxford. I pop in, say ‘hi’ to the owners and make sure to get some cheese fries or a gyro.”
When Berding gives the commencement speech on May 17, it will be his frst time attending a Miami graduation.
“I’m currently O for two,” Berding said. “I missed my graduation and when my daughter graduated, she had a [COVID-19] ceremony. It’s an enormous honor to come back in this capacity.”
In his speech, Berding said he hopes to inspire a sense of gratitude.
“I want to encourage them to have gratitude,” he said. “Gratitude to their families who helped give them this opportunity, their friends who helped them get through it and their professors, who set them up for a lifetime of being.”
reieram@miamioh.edu
Tenure and tacos: A Miami professor’s semester at Chipotle and abroad
JACLYN WENHOLD THE MIAMI STUDENT
Leah Wasburn-Moses, a tenured professor at Miami University, requested a leave of absence last fall to visit her daughter who was abroad. But when the university denied her personal leave request, she was left with an unplanned semester of — and a lot of time on her hands.
Wasburn-Moses’ 16-year-old daughter was studying abroad in Birmingham, England for the fall semester, so she asked her supervisors if she could take a few days of or teach online. Once they said no, she realized that if she wanted to visit her at all, she had to take a semester of without pay or benefts.
“I am a very active person,” she said, “so even if I had a salary, I would want something to do, and so I had to fnd something productive … that would make some amount of money for the time that I had in Oxford.”
Wasburn-Moses, who teaches educational psychology, applied everywhere she could think of to stay busy during her semester of in Oxford.
“I just sent my application to everywhere you can think of in town that’s always hiring, and nobody called me back,” she said. “I just did exactly what students do. [I] went from door to door, just kept going, and then Chipotle called me for an interview.”
She was interviewed by Brayden Osborne, a Miami frst-year majoring in nursing. “I do remember when Leah came in for an interview,” Osborne said. “I was shocked to fnd out she was a professor … but it all added up; she was very smart and professional.”
The job, she admits, was no joke – the physicality was a shock.
“I’m pretty ft, but I have not had a physical job like that, so that was really a challenge,” Wasburn-Moses said. “It’s not a challenge for me to be on my feet for a seven-hour shift, but I am not used to carrying heavy boxes and getting on stools and taking things down from high shelves
and pouring and spilling.”
Wasburn-Moses said she enjoyed the difcult and novel approach brought to her through this work experience. Leaving for a semester to see her daughter and learning about life along the way turned out to be the best situation for her.
She said she understood that requests for personal leave are dependent on the professors’ situations.
“Obviously, we want our professors to be present and in the classroom and with students,” Wasburn-Moses said, “but once the request was denied, it turned into fve weeks.”
Aside from England, she also traveled to Athens, Greece with her oldest son and ended up taking a fve-week solo cruise from Fort Lauderdale, stopping at places like Albania, Malta, Corsica, Spain and Portugal.
“When I tell what happened, I feel like I’m making it up,” she said, laughing. “I’ve certainly never done any kind of travel like that before in my entire life.”
The juxtaposition of her two professional worlds — academia and the food industry — prompted a change in perspective.
“I think it changed how I view my students,” she said. “I just really appreciated learning more about their
lives – what they’re really thinking about, the pressures they face from home and work and romantic relationships – just getting to know them as a person really meant a lot to me.”
After a semester away, Wasburn-Moses uses her experience as an important lesson and tool to grow her teaching in the classroom. It taught her more about the skills they can acquire in a “simple” job like working in a restaurant and applying that to life.
“I feel like all of those skills I can really make use of in the classroom,” she said. “I hope that makes me a more compassionate instructor who understands a little bit more about … students’ real lives.” Learning about her students made a large impact, but she also came to learn more about herself. Her time at Chipotle and going abroad didn’t just shift her perspective — she said it reshaped her confdence in what’s possible.
“I learned that I can really switch up everything in life and be successful, even if it’s something that is completely diferent,” she said. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
wenholje@miamioh.edu
‘Trying to bridge that gap’: How Miami students are helping improve mental health on campus
If it weren’t for Miami University’s winter Mega Fair, Miranda Walker wouldn’t have known that Miami Hope, a student-run mental health awareness organization, existed.
“I’ve always been pretty passionate about mental health, but it wasn’t really a thing in my high school; there was no organization dedicated to it,” Walker said. “I wasn’t really looking for anything coming into college. I didn’t realize [there was] anything until my spring semester.”
Now, Walker, a junior majoring in computer science, serves as secretary of Miami Hope, focusing on spreading awareness and resources about mental health to Miami students.
“We provide a ton of resources. We try to [share] on Instagram, we’ll post multiple times a week, just resources,” Walker said. “We’ll post about whether it’s suicide prevention month or sexual assault awareness month, or just kind of spreading awareness on campus.”
Miami Hope is one of several organizations on Miami’s campus
that aims to improve student mental health. What makes these organizations unique is that Miami ofcials do not run them; instead, they are organized by the people they aim to serve.
Recent surveys have shown that more than 60% of college students face mental health challenges. Between worrying about their grades to becoming concerned with current events and social media, there has been a signifcant increase in the number of college students who meet the criteria for mental health problems.
Jada Kramer, a junior majoring in public health and psychology, works as a mental health peer educator at the Ofce of Student Wellness and helps students struggling with their mental health. Kramer said that one of the best ways for students to cope with stress from classes and current events is to fnd a way to distance themselves from these sources.
“Whether it’s just taking a walk like just to enjoy the outdoors, or coming to dog therapy at the wellness studio, or giving your family a call at home, or even just taking a nap, there are a bunch of diferent things
you can do to kind of de-stress a bit,” Kramer said.
Mindfulness activities, such as those suggested by Kramer, are popular among mental health advocates because they promote awareness of one’s thoughts and feelings.
Carson Ebbrecht, a sophomore psychology and psychology and premed double major and president of Active Minds, another Miami student-run mental health organization, emphasized the importance of mind
fulness activities for students.
“Active Minds [has] really diferentiated itself [by] doing more campus events that are free, so students can be really engaged with mindfulness generally,” Ebbrecht said. “For this semester, we’ve done an event every single month, outside of our club hours, [and] inside Armstrong.”
For Ebbrecht, connecting with students and meeting them where they are in life is crucial to helping people access the support they need.
“I think a lot of times when you have bad mental health, it’s really hard to reach out and seek out support,” Ebbrecht said. “So, how can we be that person? How can we fll that
gap that needs [to be] flled?”
Kramer also recognizes the importance of having students be mental health advocates, especially since students seeking help may be overwhelmed by the traditional therapy process.
“I think there is something to say about the comfortability of talking with someone who is your own age, in your same situation, [and is] a fellow Miami student,” Kramer said. “You’re not going into an ofce and sitting with an adult. I think people are a lot more willing to talk about their mental health when it’s with someone who is going through the same things as them.”
Students who want to help their peers struggling with mental health issues can undergo QPR training, a national program that allows students to become licensed in suicide prevention. Miami Hope and mental health peer educators have several licensed students who teach these programs.
“Miami Hope ofers QPR training at least once a semester,” Walker said. “It stands for question, persuade and response. We provide [this] to make
Miami a safer campus.” However, students don’t have to take QPR training to engage in and be proactive about their own and their peers’ mental health. Ebbrecht said he wants students to understand that mental health looks diferent for everyone.
“With mental health, [some people] may think of it as a one-sizefts-all,” Ebbrecht said. “Being able to foster those diferences between diferent aspects of mental health, because mental health is a very wide breadth of topic, can really impact mental health for the better.”
Ebbrecht, Kramer and Walker all said that providing an open and safe space for students to talk about their struggles and to fnd the help they need is the main goal of these student-run organizations.
“Miami, in my personal experience, has been very open,” Walker said. “There are resources available. It’s not [an] insanely stigmatized topic to talk about on campus. There are plenty of people who care.” fahymm@miamioh.edu
MOLLY FAHY STAFF WRITER
MIAMI HOPE HOSTS WEEKLY GENERAL BODY MEETINGS WITH A FOCUS ON MINDFULNESS AND SELF-CARE ACTIVITIES. PHOTO PROVIDED BY MIAMI HOPE
AYLA PEDEN ASST. CULTURE EDITOR
Since the beginning of her academic career, Deborah Lyons has been fascinated by the classic languages, like Latin and Greek. Now, Lyons looks around at her once-fourishing department and wonders how it could have diminished so drastically.
For 21 years, Lyons has dedicated countless hours to Miami University’s classical studies program, helping students and fellow faculty members alike with their studies. However, her time at Miami will soon come to a close, and a new chapter of her life will open.
As much as Lyons loves her classes, she said she looks forward to having the extra free time that comes with
Classical studies professor urges Miami to recognize the importance of the humanities
retirement. She plans to fnish two books she has been working on and hopes to move to Massachusetts to be near the ocean.
She’s also looking forward to spending more time with her threelegged tuxedo cat, Elvis.
“This is the frst time I’ve ever had my own cat — other people’s cats would adopt me,” she said. “So, I fgured I’d better get one of my own.”
As Lyons prepares to make her leave, she has refected on the history of Miami’s classics department and realized that it doesn’t look the same as when she frst arrived.
She said for many years, Miami has consistently diminished departments in the humanities, including classical studies. With this, Lyons has made it a point to speak up about what these changes mean for people like her in the humanities.
“Our resources have been consistently taken away, to the point where there are now three [majors] who are part of the Department of French, Italian and Classical Studies,” Lyons said. “My colleagues in French and Italian
have been extremely welcoming, but it’s a sign of how diminished we are.”
She later explains that these cutbacks have caused much worry for herself and her colleagues.
“It’s just very sad to me to see this feld that I invested so much in over my life be basically almost eliminated,” Lyons said. “I see that happening with a lot of humanities, and I’m really worried about where Miami is going.”
However, Lyons’ concerns about the future come from a place of endearment.
Lyons said she has had a lifelong love of the classical languages and stories. As soon as she stepped onto Wesleyan University’s campus in 1972, she knew that that’s what she wanted to study.
“I went to a school where everyone studied Latin,” Lyons said. “That’s where I got this insane idea that if you really wanted to be educated, you had to know both Latin and Greek. So, as soon as I got to college, I started Greek, and here I am all these years later.”
After graduating from Wesleyan
and taking fve years away from academia to learn book binding, Lyons discovered that she missed studying what she loved. This led her to get her master’s degree, and eventually, her doctorate of philosophy (Ph.D.) from Princeton University.
After graduating with her Ph.D. in 1989, Lyons worked at various universities, including Princeton, the University of Rochester, the University of Michigan and Johns Hopkins University. However, she came to Miami roughly 20 years ago and has become a beacon of light for many students ever since.
“[When] I came here in 2004, I was very pleased, because I knew that I was joining one of the top undergraduate classics departments in the country,” Lyons said. Throughout her time here in Oxford, Lyons has taught several courses. Some of her favorites include ancient sexualities, along with another course on religions in ancient Greece and Rome.
These classes are not only a favorite of Lyons, but also of her students.
Senior classical studies major Evelyn Rose has been taking classes with Lyons since her frst year, including Greek and Roman mythology and, currently, a senior capstone course.
Rose said that being in Lyons’ classes has allowed her to learn as much as she could about classics.
“[You can tell] she loves what she does a lot, which I admire,” Rose said. “I think it’s good that you can tell that she’s not just doing it because it’s a part of her degree — she’s doing it because this is what she loves to do.”
While she said she believes that it is time for her to retire, Lyons is hesitant to leave. She hates to see her feld deteriorate around her and her colleagues, and hopes that the humanities will receive the recognition it deserves.
“There are so many good things about this place,” she said. “I’ve had some wonderful experiences, wonderful students and great colleagues, but I think the university is squandering its riches.”
pedenae@miamioh.edu
TAYLOR STUMBAUGH SENIOR CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
When walking into Eric Bachmann’s ofce in the McVey Data Science building, it would be hard to assume he loved hiking, instructed in the Outdoor Pursuit Center or was a helicopter pilot in the Navy. Instead, students see the trinkets his colleagues bestowed upon him: a duck riding in a rickshaw and a rhino from a trip to India. They would see books stacked upon each other on the bookcases that lined one side of the room, from a career well spent in computer science, but nothing on the walls.
After moving the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering from its home in Benton a year ago, the computer science professor and previous chair was instructed not to put much up on the new walls. Since he was retiring in a year, he said he “never bothered to do a whole lot here.”
One thing Bachmann said he hopes to continue after retiring is his work with the Outdoor Pursuit Center. He became an instructor roughly 10 years ago. Since then, he’s led trips hiking
SYDNEY MULFORD STAFF
WRITER
Terri Barr, a professor of marketing, started the healthcare sales certifcation program three years ago; the program now boasts roughly 200 students interested in taking on roles in healthcare.
parts of the Appalachian Trail during spring breaks.
“I think a time I felt closest to the students was doing backpacking with them,” he said. “For a whole week at a time, struggling over the mountains, 50 miles or more, and so those are the students I think I’ve kept in touch with the most.”
He recounted a specifc spring break trip from about nine years ago where norovirus ran through the group while on the trail. He said somehow the group fnished the hike, and at the end, he said it was just a high, like they had come through adversity.
“That was the value of a lot of the backpacking trips: it’s hard, it’s physically hard, it’s mentally hard,” Bachmann said, “and I think people on those trips learned that they could do so much more than they ever thought they could. And maybe that’s why I remember [that] so much because they learned they had a lot of strength inside them.”
Lauren Butts, a 2024 winter graduate, wasn’t on the 2016 trip with him, but she met Bachmann while interning as a trip leader at the Outdoor Pursuit Center and now works as an outdoor instructor.
This led her to take multiple hik-
Barr said she was asked by Miami University administration to start the program with Stryker, a medical equipment manufacturing company that creates a wide range of operating room products.
Through this program, students have the opportunity to interact and network with leaders in the healthcare industry around the world. For example, recently, Greg Roche, the CEO of the Swedish company Distalmotion, came in and talked to students about his experience at Miami, and his career path. Particularly, how he became Distalmotion’s CEO.
Barr said this program is what she is most proud of from her time at Miami.
“[Barr] gave a toast at the end of our dinner when we were touring Stryker. She teared up and got emotional talking about how much the program
ing trips with him, both individually and in groups. Butts said a memorable one for her was their spring break trip in 2023, where they spent a week hiking 55 miles of the Appalachian Trail, starting in Georgia and ending in South Carolina.
“Eric is one of the most joyful, happy people you’ll meet who is so enthusiastic about the outdoors and just getting all people there,” Butts said. “During our spring break trip, we had international students, people who’ve never really hiked before, to people who that’s what they want to do with their life, and he’s just a great encourager.”
Hikers receive trail names based on funny things that happen on the trail, their personality or specifc tasks they might complete. During the trip, they’re only called by that.
Butts said Bachmann prepared a lot of meat and cheese on the trail, slicing it up and distributing it to the students. One day it was raining, and he brought it to everyone’s tents because he didn’t want anyone out there getting cold and wet — hence his trail name “cut the cheese.”
Peter Chin, a 2023 Miami University graduate with a degree in political science, was on the spring break trip in
has meant to her,” said Katie Kruzich, a senior in the healthcare sales certifcate program and a marketing major.
“You could really tell that this program is her baby. She has poured everything into it, and she’s done an amazing job.”
Kruzich said she frst met Barr in a professional selling class for marketing her sophomore year — she continued to have two more classes with Barr: Marketing 490C, advanced healthcare sales, and Premedical Studies 320, healthcare sales careers.
Through the certifcate program, Kruzich said Barr encouraged her to go to a resume workshop. There, she met Jef Tavella, a Stryker employee who also teaches at Miami. Tavella instantly became a mentor for Kruzich, and she said she hopes to continue to work with him in the future after graduation.
“I talk to Jef now more than I talk
‘Working with students and ideas’: A 36 year-long career comes to a close
RAQUEL HIRSCH SENIOR STAFF WRITER
For Chris Wolfe, coming back to Ohio after leaving his hometown of Cleveland Heights to attend Denison University was not the plan. But the opportunity to work at Miami University after receiving his doctorate of philosophy (Ph.D.) in cognitive psychology from the University of Pittsburgh turned into a 36-year-long career in academia.
“It kind of just worked out that way,” Wolfe said. “I’ve had ofers from people to see if I wanted to move someplace else, but I’ve been really, really happy here. I’ve enjoyed working with Miami students.” Wolfe said he originally started working at Miami in 1989 within the Western College’s individualized studies program, where he stayed for two decades.
“I love that program,” Wolfe said.
“I miss it, but I was always an afliate of psychology, a cognitive psychologist, and that was my research area.”
Since moving to be in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Psychology department in 2008, Wolfe has run a research lab focused on medical decision-making, though he’s researched many areas of cognitive psychology throughout his career.
“Medical decisions are some of the most important ones people can make,” Wolfe said, “and anybody could get sick with cancer and not have a big background in biology or anything, but today we don’t just turn it over to the doctors [to decide] … we call it shared decision making.”
Wolfe has also allowed undergraduate and graduate-level students to work with him in his lab.
Jordan Ritterbeck, a senior psychology and pre-medical studies major with a minor in neuroscience, has worked in the medical decision-making lab since fall 2023. She also took his capstone class focused on medical decision-making this past fall semester.
“I feel like he genuinely cares about what each student has to say and cares about their understanding, especially in
class,” Ritterbeck said. “He’s just been a really good mentor for me, and it’s nice to have someone … that you can talk about real things with.”
Another one of Wolfe’s responsibilities at Miami is serving as director of graduate studies in psychology. In this role, Wolfe oversees two Ph.D. students. Although he is stepping away from teaching undergraduate classes after this school year, Wolfe will continue to oversee his two Ph.D students through their graduation next year.
One of his students, Wylie Brace, is focusing on media psychology and the impact of short-form media on current events and decision-making of consumers as part of his dissertation project.
He said one thing he enjoys about working with Wolfe, both as a Ph.D. student and in his lab, is the independence he’s been given on projects.
“If you need the help, he’ll be there for you,” Brace said, “but he doesn’t force his 35-plus years of research down on anybody else’s ideology.”
Brace also acknowledged how Wolfe has helped him manage the high
2023. He said not only did Bachmann put all the students frst, but he also got to know everyone individually.
“He knew that I was trying to go military, and I wouldn’t have guessed this, but he comes from a military background,” Chin said, “so we just talked about military stuf. He also wrote me a letter of recommendation for Army Ofcer Candidate School (OCS), which I was greatly appreciative of, because I ended up getting into OCS.”
Bachmann came to Miami in 2001 after his time in the Navy and graduate school, and in 2015, he started instructing at the Outdoor Pursuit Center.
Even though Bachmann said he loves the Outdoor Pursuit Center, the majority of his time was spent in the lab, doing his research on inertial body tracking with the same kind of algorithms that track the orientation of your phone. His most recent research was the HIVE, a huge immersive virtual environment, but he said becoming department chair in 2020 put a pause on a lot of his research.
Bachmann’s successor, Liran Ma, chair of the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering, said he’s met with Bachmann almost
to Barr,” Kruzich said. “[But] it was all thanks to Barr.”
Kruzich said Barr has also infuenced her in the classroom. After telling Barr about a job her mom got at a medical testing company, the pair bonded.
“[Barr] really cared about not just me but also my family,” Kruzich said.
“She was just really interested in her students’ lives.”
Along with starting the healthcare sales certifcate program, Barr also helped develop the winter term study abroad programs. This is where senior Ben Hanchar met Barr for the frst time. Hanchar, a chemistry major with a minor in business, said he started the healthcare sales certifcate program because of Barr.
“I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do with my career,” Hanchar said.
“I was kind of just thinking of things,
expectations of working in academia and developing research.
“There’s a lot of rigor that goes into publishing and coming up with good work,” Brace said. “So a lot of times, your closest people can critique you pretty heavily when you’re trying to do research. And he’s probably the one that has taught me, ‘Hey, let it roll of your back, that’s how you become a better researcher.’”
A career highlight for Wolfe occurred when his research took him across the world to Venice, Italy.
“I got to do some neat travels with work and collaborate with some good people,” Wolfe said. “That’s been one of my favorite things … working with students and working with ideas.”
Throughout his career, Wolfe has taught many students and said he fnds it rewarding to see them go on to live successful lives.
“I think Miami students are bright and hard-working and also have fun, but working one-on-one [can really] make a diference,” Wolfe said. “Being around long enough to see some of my former students, especially in the Western College program, go on … and live interesting, positive lives has been great. Having that kind of impact has been really good.” While Wolfe will still be advising his
every other day since August, when he was promoted to chair, for advice and mentorship. He referenced Bachmann’s space as his “second ofce.”
“I [have developed] a really deep appreciation for how much he has done,” Ma said, “and how busy this work is and how demanding this work is, and also he did so much for the department, and for the students.” Overall, Bachmann said the frst thing he wants to do after the semester is over is to rest.
“[I’m] trying to refect on this whole thing, you know? What has it all meant?” Bachmann said. “All this work and trying to think about research and service and everything else I have done, but I guess I just recently connected with former students who I hope that I’ve helped students fnd a life, live a life that they wanted to live, allow them to be successful.”
stumbata@miamioh.edu
kind of going with the fow. Then, once she introduced me to the program, [Barr] built me from the ground up.” Specifcally, Barr taught Hanchar how to network and connected him with mentors.
“She’s just taught me, you always have to be networking,” Hanchar said. “Your network is what’s going to get you to jobs and careers.”
Throughout the next year, Hanchar had Marketing 315, professional selling, and Marketing 490C with Barr and started attending her ofce hours. Barr taught Hanchar to network and connect with other people professionally.
She’s just been so helpful,” Hanchar said. “She is always willing to go the extra mile and help you outside of class.”
mulforsj@miamioh.edu
graduate students during the beginning of his retirement, he is looking forward to having increased fexibility in his work schedule.
“I have things that I want to write up, but I’ll do that at my pace,” Wolfe said. “If it’s nice weather, I’ll go fshing, and if it’s raining, maybe I’ll do a little writing.”
After years of a lifelong career in learning, Wolfe said he hopes to continue doing so, but in a diferent way than as an active academic.
“I hope I’m always open to learning to do new things,” Wolfe said, “but I’m ready to start trying to fnd diferent ways to live my life … There’s a lot of ways to live a good life.”
hirschr2@miamioh.edu
PROFESSOR ERIC BACHMANN TEACHES A CLASS . PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH
GRADUATING SENIORS
Senior Aiden Schmeling preparing to fly
Hoots
into the night. Then, a
from a fashlight. The
is gingerly picked up, taken back to the workshop and a tiny tracker band is at-
tached to it. Then, it is set free. The night rolls on, and Aiden Schmeling continues to wait, watch, listen and then act. His work has only just begun. Making the most of time at Miami University is not a task for the faint of heart. Since his frst year, Schmeling, a senior biology and sus-
tainability major, has been involved in hands-on Miami initiatives in Ohio’s wilderness. Recently, Schmeling said he has been working with Dave and Joe Russell on “bird banding” at Miami’s Hueston Woods outpost of the Avian Research and Education Institute.
He said they would go out in the spring and the fall to the outpost to catch and tag the birds to track the migrations, which the institute has been doing for more than 10 years.
“It’s a bit hard to share all the stories I have,” Schmeling said. “The simple experience of working on banding the saw-whet owls late into the night was something I loved very much and taught me to appreciate the gentler side of wilderness work.”
In addition to his research at Hueston Woods, Schemling has also been involved with other scientifc organizations and projects on campus, including the Global Change Limnology Laboratory’s eforts to sample lake water and the Ecology Research Center’s investigations of watershed streams.
A typical sampling trip usually involves pulling samples of lakewater from diferent locations, and then testing for various chemicals, such as nitrogen or phosphorus. These initiatives have been running for more than 20 years. However, sometimes these trips can be much more thrilling than expected.
“I remember once we managed to hunt up a giant catfsh larger than my arm,” Schmeling said. “That was a real challenge to keep control of while we measured him, but it shows how limnology work can be unpredictable as any feld work.”
Steve Sullivan, director of the Hefner Museum of Natural History and Schmeling’s boss, said his drive and incredible wish to improve and connect with not only the academic side of his major, but its practical ways as well, was commendable.
“He would often stop by the end of the day and he would ask me a lot of questions,” Sullivan said. “He was special in that he drew information and thought from all the disciplines he was involved in, and soon he was helping around the museum, organizing exhibits, managing stock … Eventually, I came to see him as a colleague.”
Schemling said he didn’t accomplish everything alone. He relied on the extensive resources and knowledge of Miami’s faculty. He learned skills that were both practical and abstract in nature, like learning to categorize a storeroom’s contents. This was something that Sullivan said he noticed when he frst started working with Schmeling.
“He worked with a cohort of like-minded peers, and they are some of the most unique students I have ever met,” Sullivan said.
Schmeling said he still keeps in touch with these students – he can list a large number of people from his cohorts across the campus who all help him achieve his goals. While he understands the importance of personal dedication, he also said he appreciates the role that Miami and its students and faculty played in his accomplishments.
“[Miami] has given me the ability to volunteer and work, and I am grateful for that,” Schmeling said. “I recently got a job, earlier this year, with the Alaska Fish and Game Department, for surveys. So I appreciate the connections and the people above all, I met at [Miami].”
kwanwz@miamioh.edu
Caitlin Zook closes the curtain on their Miami career
PARKER GREEN
ASST. CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
For Caitlin Zook’s fnal performance, even traipsing around stage dressed as an ailing Russian duchess can not hide their genuine love for their craft. From the moment the act opens to the very last bow, Zook’s joy is nothing short of radiant. They might not be the princess, but they sparkle all the same.
Zook, a senior strategic communication and arts management double major, said theater is their passion. They’ve been a member of Stage Left– an entirely student-run organization that produces two musicals each year – since their frst year. They later became the lead counselor for a musical theater summer camp, worked for the Performing Arts series and ran the arts management social media page.
All of their extracurricular activities have given Zook a strong sense of time and self-management.
“I defnitely give myself a lot of grace, especially for Stage Left and extracurriculars,” Zook said. “If I’m not able to get something done in time, that has to be OK.”
This year, Zook had to juggle playing a lead role in Stage Left’s production of “Anastasia” and their other classes and responsibilities
Jobe Vogelsong, a senior strategic
communication and political science double major, directed this year’s play. He said Zook is one of the funniest people he’s ever met.
“For this show, we had to tell them to stop being funny, because they’re so naturally funny and charismatic,” Vogelsong said. “That’s just something I really admire, is that they’re always the funniest person in the room.”
While they enjoy their time in the spotlight, Zook said some of their favorite roles are behind the scenes.
“I directed for Stage Left my sophomore year,” Zook said. “It was one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done. It’s a lot of work, but it was also one of the most rewarding things.”
In addition to their on-stage part, Zook ran “Anastasia’s” social media, graphic design and promotion work as the PR director.
They said their experiences at Miami have infuenced their future career plans.
“I would really like to go into social media, marketing and communications for nonproft art organizations,” Zook said. Whatever Zook does in the future, Voguelsong is confdent they’ll go far.
“If there’s one word to describe Caitlin, it’s ‘light,’” Vogelsong said. “They light up every room that they’re in.” greenpt@miamioh.edu
KETHAN BABU SPORTS EDITOR
One thousand seven hundred and thirteen days passed between Paula Peña Martinez’s frst and last feld hockey games in Oxford.
During her time at Miami University, Martinez scored 43 goals, tied for sixth in program history and helped the RedHawks win four consecutive Mid-American Conference (MAC) championships.
At the peak of her collegiate career, Martinez refected on her time with the RedHawks and on the feld hockey feld, emphasizing the importance of sports in her life.
“Everything that you learn in life comes from sports,” Martinez said. “It’s
the most important thing to do in every way, not only for the values, but also the exercise and the fun.”
Growing up in Bilbao, Spain, Martinez played tennis throughout her childhood. Her frst experience with feld hockey came by accident when she joined people playing the game after tennis practice one day while waiting to get picked up.
Despite not understanding the sport just yet, Martinez quickly fell in love with feld hockey and secretly played it after tennis lessons.
“My mom saw that I was actually enjoying [it], and I was actually enjoying it way too much that I couldn’t stop playing,” Martinez said. “When I was 12, I got a call for the under-16 team [for my region], and I got selected … From
then, I got called for all the regional teams [and] for the Spanish national team.”
With her name spreading in Spain, Martinez set herself on the path to achieve her ultimate goal –to play in the United States.
Her uncle, Jose Leon, played tennis from 1993-96 for the Louisiana State University Tigers. His stories of collegiate athletics in the U.S. fascinated Martinez and inspired her to want the same dream, but with feld hockey.
After her success on the feld in Spain, she attended a boarding school in Dublin, Ireland, where she learned English and played for the Old Alex Hockey Club. While there, she started emailing collegiate coaches in the U.S. She asked her coach, Spanish Olympic feld hockey player Rocío Gutiérrez Sierra, for a letter of recommendation. She was denied, but Sierra connected Martinez with a friend of hers from the U.S.: Miami head coach Iñako Puzo.
“I had a very long phone call with Paula regarding Miami,” Puzo said.
“We were getting ready for team dinner, and we set up this phone call. I missed the team dinner because of the conversation with Paula; it was a very long one. After that conversation, [it] was pretty much a done deal.”
Puzo visited Martinez in Dublin two weeks after the phone call to ofcially sign her. Despite never visiting Oxford, Martinez’s confdence in Puzo inspired her to go all-in with the RedHawks. The COVID-19 pandemic halted her recruitment process, and when Marti-
nez arrived in Oxford for the frst time, she was admittedly worried she’d made a mistake.
“I was expecting high buildings, you know how everyone says things about America [having] big cities,” Martinez said. “[Oxford] is literally just one street, it’s a really small town … I told her like, ‘Are you joking? Is this it?’” Following her adjustment to Oxford and to the team, Puzo put her to work for the RedHawks. During her recruitment process, he highlighted her speed as her most important skill.
“She was always a very fast player,” Puzo said. “Someone that really likes to play with the ball, likes to have the ball in the hockey stick, excellent in eliminating players with speed in oneby-one situations … She scored many, many goals for us in her fve seasons at Miami.” Martinez wasted no time getting involved with the team. After scoring four goals during her frst season, she improved her stats each year, combining for 43 goals and 95 points from 202024 and helped the team reach four MAC championships.
Going into the 2024 season, her fnal semester with Miami, the realization that she wouldn’t play again for the RedHawks after November dawned on Martinez.
“You always have to keep your cool because you’re a senior,” Martinez said, “but I think there’s more nerves … Coming into this last season is always a bitter feeling of like, ‘Oh my God, you’re a step in and out of the door.’ I just took
this last season as like, ‘This is the last chance for you to show what kind of player you are.’” Martinez shined once again during her encore season, scoring 11 goals, the second-highest on the team. Her fnal goal as a RedHawk came in the MAC championship against the James Madison University Dukes, culminating in her fourth championship win. Despite the numerous accolades, championships and high numbers that she put up, Martinez spotlighted her teammates as the most important takeaway from her time at Miami.
“From all of this, I take a family with me and an amazing group of people,” Martinez said. “That’s the good thing, [to] have a really, really good group of friends every year.”
Martinez graduated at the end of the fall semester and moved to Miami, Florida, to work for a marketing company. She hopes to study jewelry design at the Gemological Institute of America in New York and work for her family’s jewelry company, Dámaso Martinez.
As she leaves collegiate feld hockey in the past, Martinez said the value of her time as a RedHawk is something she can never leave behind.
“It was the wildest ride of my life,” Martinez said. “But it was the best thing I ever chose to do. My frst week, I was like, ‘Mom, this [is a] tiny town that you have cows around when you get into it.’ It was not the physical place, but the people around it who made it amazing.” babukc2@miamioh.edu
WILLIAM KWAN STAFF WRITER
late
ray of illumination
tiny owl in the trap
ZOOK
AIDEN SCHMELING POSES WITH A SKELETON. PHOTO PROVIDED BY AIDEN SCHMELING
The perfect pair: Brother duo on road to NCAA Championship
OLIVIA PATEL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
In the back of the throwing circle, Adam Smith prepares for his waltz.
His partner, a 22-centimeter discus weighing 2.2 kilograms, rests comfortably between his fngertips and the heel of his palm. The pair has been dancing for nearly eight years now, despite their frequent separation. Now, they are one month away from the greatest dance of all: the frst round of the NCAA National Championship.
Behind him, assistant throws coach Ryan Smith watches closely, his iPhone 11 tangled in the back net to record Adam’s performance for further analysis. Three of Adam’s
teammates, including sophomore Sharron Kagan, sit behind the throwing circle. Ryan ofers no last-minute coaching advice; he trusts every step of Adam’s process before releasing his discus.
After all, they are brothers. Adam begins facing the rear of the throwing circle. He swings the discus forward three times, outward once, then takes the frst step of his fuid yet highly technical dance. One-anda-half rotations, building speed, he propels the discus high into the sky. The momentum of the move causes Adam to complete another rotation even after the discus is released, gracefully spinning on his left foot to release energy.
“I love how patient you were with
the right side, but not perfect,” Ryan says, leaning against the net. “But you didn’t pull left and [release] the discus right.”
The throws practice on April 24 marked less than two months from the NCAA outdoor track and feld championships. Between now and then, the Miami University track and feld team has two more meets and the MAC championship, taking place May 15-17 at Ohio University.
On the 75-degree, partly cloudy day, Adam said he is confdent about the upcoming challenges. He currently ranks No. 43 in the NCAA East before the NCAA Regional Championship, taking place May 28-31 at the University of North Florida.
To remain qualifed for the frst round of the NCAA Championship, Adam must rank in the top 48 of discus throwers in the East by May 21. His best throw, 53.56 meters at the Blizzard Buster in Oxford on March 21, qualifed him for the NCAA Regional Championship, creating the possibility of performing one last time following graduation this spring.
However, his best throw of the season does not guarantee him a spot in the NCAA National Championship, taking place June 11-14 at the University of Oregon.
“It’s all about who shows up to perform [at Regionals],” Adam said. “Even the best throwers can have a bad day and get knocked out of the running.”
Adam started his track and feld career in middle school, specializing in the 800-meter dash. However, his body sufered under the constant strain of running, so he took up throwing, following after his brother.
“Every kid wants to be like his big
brother, right?” Adam said. “I saw what he was doing, and the passion he had, and I decided to try throwing.”
Ryan began helping Adam his freshman year of high school, and the pair spent one year throwing together at Archbishop Moeller High School. Ryan was the frst to set his sights on becoming a RedHawk athlete: He jived well with head coach Steve Manz, who ultimately made his decision to attend Miami in 2018 feel natural.
Even when Ryan was away at college, he would still coach Adam over the phone on how to improve his throw.
A few years after Ryan began his career in the Red and White, Adam made his debut on the team in 2021.
The brothers were teammates for two years before Ryan graduated with a master’s degree in sport leadership and management from Miami and entered into the role as assistant throws coach shortly after.
“It’s a long-standing family tradition of being here at Miami,” Adam said. “I’d been hearing Ryan speak so highly of [coach Manz] for so long … and I got very fortunate to be ofered a roster spot by him. After that, there was no looking back.”
During his time at Miami, Ryan set four top 10 all-time school records, one in each of the four throwing events: shot put, hammer, javelin and discus. Because of this, Ryan assumed the role of assistant throws coach before the 2024 season, shortly after Manz retired and was replaced by Sandy Moran in 2023, during Ryan’s fnal year on the team.
“Part of [coaching] is like, living vicariously through the athletes,”
Ryan said. “I get an insane thrill from throwing PRs [myself], and I get a very similar … [thrill] to actively coach someone else to a PR of their own.”
Similar to Adam, Ryan participated in the frst round of the NCAA National Championship in 2022, also throwing the discus. Because of this experience, Adam said Ryan has a better understanding of how to coach him for the championship.
Despite his recent successes, Adam has not had a perfect collegiate track and feld experience. After tearing an intervertebral disc in his back during a weightlifting session early in his frst season, Adam redshirted most of his frst year. Despite this injury, Adam never let it set him back, and he has continuously returned to the team as one of the RedHawks’ strongest discus throwers.
“Adam has shown me that you can have a million setbacks and still have a positive outlook and come back from it,” Kagan said.
Following Adam’s graduation in the spring, Ryan said he will continue coaching throws for close to the rest of his life. For Adam, he said he looks forward to graduate school, but has not yet decided where. Before then, the pair has a lot of work to do.
“One or two more throws today,” Ryan said, rewatching Adam’s last throw on his phone.
Adam approached the throwing circle like a dancer would his fnal bow. With a few wide swings and a momentary pause, Adam fell back into the recognizable pattern of his well-rehearsed waltz, and he released the discus one last time for the day.
patelou@miamioh.edu
BRYAN MILLER STAFF WRITER
It’s been two decades since Miami University baseball has won the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and made it to the NCAA tournament.
For a program with as storied a history as Miami, boasting record-breaking players such as Buddy Schultz and recent World Series champions like Adam Eaton, it seems odd at best and inexplicable at worst that the RedHawks haven’t had recent success on the diamond.
Brian Smiley was introduced as the 17th manager for the RedHawks after the 2023 season. His frst season at the helm brought a six-win improvement and an appearance in the MAC tournament for the frst time since 2019.
More importantly, though, Smiley instilled a new culture and mentality throughout the entire program.
“Coach Smiley brought a whole new standard of baseball when he came, and that was kind of an eye-popping experience,” junior pitcher Carson Byers said. “He just demands the best out of each guy every single day. It doesn’t really have to be the best in the country or the most talented team in the country, but you have to be mentally locked in every rep.”
One example of Smiley demanding the best out of his players came this past fall season. It’s during this time of the year when players receive new gear and swag to wear in the clubhouse and throughout campus.
What players saw in their lockers this year was a surprise.
“We got four cotton t-shirts: Two of them had the number four on it, which is where we fnished in the MAC last year,” Byers said, “and the other two had .500 on them, which was our winning percentage last year … It’s just a daily reminder as we were going through the grind of the fall that that’s not where we want to be. We want to achieve more.”
So far in the 2025 season, Miami is on track to do just that.
The RedHawks’ strong start to the season saw them win nine series so far, including the frst eight to start conference play. Their series win over Central Michigan University was the frst series win in Mount Pleasant since 1973.
A complete game from sophomore pitcher Cooper Katskee highlighted the series opener against Central Michigan. Katskee held the Chippewas to just fve hits and one run in what ended up being a 4-1 RedHawk victory. Since becoming the Friday starting pitcher, Katskee has given the RedHawks much-needed pitching support.
For Smiley, it was a decision that had to be made.
“I think it was kind of one of those decisions that was right there in front of us,” Smiley said. “We were looking for somebody to kind of lock down that Friday night starter role. Just a guy that you knew what you’re going to get.”
Katskee has given the RedHawks
consistency. After becoming the Friday starter, Katskee has given up 2.4 runs on average and averaged 5.6 strikeouts, while conceding 1.8 walks in fve starts.
Before becoming a starter, Katskee was coming out of the bullpen. Oftentimes, he was throwing three or more innings following the starter. Despite the change, Katskee’s preparation isn’t any diferent whether he’s starting or coming in relief.
“My whole life is based around consistency, and that’s all the coaches really asked of me,” Katskee said. “If [I’m] throwing an inning, if I’m throwing six innings, if I’m throwing a complete game, it doesn’t matter because I know I don’t want to do more with less every single time I go out there. I just want to be consistent.”
That consistency has paid of for Miami. Katskee’s ERA of 2.84 is second-best in the MAC. The one person he’s behind is his teammate, Byers.
After being named the MAC Reliever of the Year last season, Byers has continued his dominance on the mound. His ERA has improved from 3.97 last season to 2.10 so far in 2025.
In 16 appearances and 55.2 innings pitched, Byers has struck out 52 batters and walked 16.
Katskee and Byers have given Smiley and the rest of the RedHawks a steady presence to build on.
“It helps everybody inside of the program whenever you have a consistent, reliable guy that you’re running out there on Friday nights and a consistent, proven, reliable guy at the
JEFFREY MIDDLETON
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
The Miami University hockey announced its 2025-26 schedule for the 2025-26 season on April 28.
Miami’s season begins on Oct. 3 and 4, when it takes on the Ferris State University Bulldogs at home in the frst of three non-conference series. Max Dukovac, who played his frst three collegiate seasons with the RedHawks, will return to Goggin Ice Center for the frst time as a Bulldog.
The second and third series will be on the road against familiar opponents from 2024-25: the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers and the Lindenwood University Lions.
The RedHawks begin conference play against the Arizona State University Sun Devils on Halloween weekend. Former Miami forward and the RedHawks’ leading scorer last season, John Waldron, will be returning to Oxford after transferring to Tempe early in the portal window this ofseason. Following the Arizona State series, Miami’s schedule moves to a bye week before the second weekend of November. Miami will head up to Kalamazoo to take on the defending na-
backside of the game,” Smiley said.
One group that benefts from a consistent pitching staf is the batting lineup. This season, the RedHawk bats have improved on their team average (.282 to .297), on-base percentage (.389 to .420) and slugging percentage (.442 to .492).
The increase in ofensive production may come as a surprise for RedHawk fans, as two of their best power bats in Zach MacDonald and Ryland Zaborowski did not return. However, the not-so-secret recipe of hard work, consistency and coaching has allowed returning players such as Evan Appelwick, Anthony Zarlingo, Ty Batusich, Ryan Novak, Dillon Baker and David Novak to step up.
“Everything, every bit of success that those guys are having, is directly attributed to the time coach [Kyle] Trewyn puts in with them,” Smiley said. “They’re doing drill work daily, there’s been guys that have cut down on their strikeouts, they’re working on pitch recognition, making mechanical adjustments, and that’s an ongoing process … It’s just been a lot
tional champion Western Michigan University Broncos before returning home to face the St. Cloud State University Huskies. Miami then embarks on a journey overseas to participate in the Friendship Four tournament in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The RedHawks will take on the Sacred Heart University Pioneers, the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers and the Union College Garnet Chargers in games on Nov. 28 and 29 competing for the Belpot Trophy. There’s no rest for the RedHawks following their international journey, though. As the second-half of the regular season begins, Miami travels to the Denver University Pioneers on Dec. 5-6 before returning home to take on the Colorado College Tigers, whom Miami did not play at home in 2024-25. The RedHawks hit their second bye week before playing in another mid-season tournament, this one taking place in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The Great Lakes Invitational is another four-team tournament that will involve Miami along with Ferris State and hosts Michigan State University and Michigan Tech University. The 2025-26 season will be Mi-
of work, a lot of good mix and combination of drill work and hitting of live pitching in the fall and winter.”
It’ll take a full team efort to continue the early-season success into the homestretch of the season. Miami has two more conference series in the regular season before the MAC tournament begins in Avon, Ohio, on May 21.
The top six teams make the MAC tournament, and the top two will receive byes. A No. 2 seed would allow the RedHawks to play one less game, giving the team time to rest while the No. 3 through No. 6 seeds battle it out. More than anything, it’ll take strong pitching to get the RedHawks back to the NCAA tournament. For team leaders such as Katskee and Byers, they will continue to emphasize the same mentality that got them there.
“I think what we need to do is to continue to rely on our mentality,” Byers said. “I think that’s what’s gotten us here so far … I think it’s going to be a really fun team to watch.”
ami’s frst time playing in the tournament.
To begin 2026, the RedHawks will take on Arizona State for the frst time as visitors at Mullett Arena. Then, the University of Omaha-Nebraska Mavericks head to Oxford for the frst of two series between the squads in 2026. A third bye week for the Red and White makes way for fve-straight weekends that alternate between home and away. Miami will play St. Cloud on the road and Western Michigan at home, the second series against both teams during the season. Their frst and only series against the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks will take place at Ralph Engelstad Arena on Feb. 13 and 14 before frst-year netminder Ethan Dahlmeir returns to Oxford with the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs the following weekend. Miami closes out the regular season against Omaha on Feb. 27 and 28 before beginning NCHC tournament play on March 6, with the top four seeds in the conference hosting the best-of-three series, the semi-fnal and the fnal.
middleje@miamioh.edu
ADAM SMITH STANDS AT
The rise in sports gambling: How a perspective can prevent financial
KETHAN BABU SPORTS EDITOR GRAHAM YOUNG THE MIAMI STUDENT
Danny Mitchell is a senior sports leadership and management student at Miami University. Like many college students in Ohio, Mitchell is an avid sports fan and casually bets on games.
His favorite app to use is DraftKings, and his favorite sport to bet on is football. Like most bettors, Mitchell said it’s more enticing to watch a game if he has money on it. His betting preferences come from the emotional side rather than the fnancial, and he overall feels that he has a healthy relationship with sports gambling.
“Sports gambling isn’t my profession or way to make money,” Mitchell said. “Sure, it’s great when you hit bets and you win money as a bonus, but it’s defnitely more [just for] fun.” Mitchell joins millions of other Ohioans who bet on sports. The legalization of sports gambling in Ohio in 2022 paved the way for massive participation. The state saw consecutive years of revenue growth from sports betting, and the Ohio Casino Control Commission reported more than $200 million in taxable revenue from sports gambling so far in 2025.
With the ease of access to online
sports betting platforms, the United States as a whole saw a massive increase in participation. According to the National Survey on Gambling Attitudes and Gambling Experiences from the National Council on Problem Gambling, 33% of Americans participated in at least one form of sports betting in 2021 compared to 29% in 2018.
While sports gambling can allow fans to engage with their favorite teams and sports in a diferent but equally exciting way, its widespread accessibility leads to many problems.
Among other concerns, gambling counselors worry largely about Ohioans developing an addiction to sports betting. The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) regulates casinos and mobile sports apps in the state, while also providing counseling and assistance to problem gamblers.
Even before the legalization of sports betting, the number of problem gamblers in the state had increased by the start of the decade.
The 2022 Ohio Gambling Survey from the OCCC reported that more than 250,000 adult Ohio residents, or 2.8% of the state population, can be categorized as problem gamblers.
The OCCC will do a study specifically on sports betting this summer, but the commission has already felt the efects of increased participation.
Michael Buzzelli, the director of problem gambling services for the OCCC,
said he noticed a larger rate of people calling the problem gambling helpline.
“People are reaching out more and more,” Buzzelli said. “What we’re also seeing is younger people are calling more often now.”
People develop an addiction to sports gambling similar to alcohol and other substances, Buzzelli said. When someone gambles, the “reward” they receive releases dopamine. As they continue to gamble, they release more dopamine, and their body produces less.
Instead, the person relies on the external reaction to gambling for their dopamine fx, eventually resulting in a physical addiction to gambling.
The main diference – and a major concern for Buzzelli – with sports gambling is the speed at which people can participate.
“That’s one thing where we still need to do more awareness for the community,” Buzzelli said. “Baseball has a pitch clock now, there has to be a pitch every 15 seconds. You can bet on your app if the next pitch will be a ball or a strike, meaning you can bet on your app every 15 seconds.”
Another rising issue with sports betting is online harassment. With billions of dollars being gambled on sports, athletes and coaches are now more at risk to receive online threats following their inability to win money
for the bettor. The OCCC estimates that one in three high-profle athletes receive threatening messages from someone who bet on them.
Robbie Trittschuh, the assistant athletic director of compliance at Miami, works with the athletic department in managing reports from student athletes or anonymous sources about threats from sports bettors.
“Student athletes shouldn’t be caring about any type of sports wagering activities that are going on,” Trittschuh said. “Anytime they get a message, it’s in their minds, and it’s going to be a thought at some point.”
For student athletes, an easy outlet to prevent threatening messages from happening again is through Miami’s athletic department in the ofce of compliance. Trittschuh said this is also a good source for students who choose not to bet and notice athletes receiving harassment from online messages.
Trittschuh also said the athletic department can see and track stat lines for any kind of bets. When an athlete reports a message they received, the athletic department will report that bettor for sports wagering.
Sports gambling isn’t going away anytime soon. When bettors participate in a healthy manner, it can be a fun way to engage with the athletic realm.
Some apps, such as DraftKings and FanDuel, have implemented
betting limits to address the growing concern of problem gamblers. The OCCC also launched its “More Than a Bet” campaign, focusing on the online harassment faced by athletes. However, it’s difcult for bettors to set those limits because of how much they could potentially win. Addiction can occur if bettors start winning consistently, and before it’s too late, they could get themselves into debt.
Mitchell has established himself as a responsible bettor, and he recommends that potential gamblers take precautions to prevent this type of irresponsible sports betting from occurring.
“Only start betting on things if you’re going to invest your time in actually watching it,” Mitchell said. “And then set that limit, whether it’s a dollar amount per week or a certain amount per month.”
The betting industry continues to spread, and gambling commissions continue to monitor a growing number of people and companies within the industry. While sports betting can provide fans an extra dog in the fght, and sportsbooks promote diferent resources to help those who may be struggling with addiction, there are still many potential risks in an ever-evolving world.
babukc2@miamioh.edu
younggm7@miamioh.edu
Evan Appelwick is leading the charge for Miami baseball on and off the field
ANDREW RELVAS STAFF WRITER
The Miami University RedHawks baseball team is having another successful season under second-year head coach Brian Smiley.
Smiley’s RedHawks are currently third in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) with a 25-19 overall record and an 18-6 conference record, its best start in MAC play since 2014.
The RedHawks’ strength this year has been their ofense.
Miami ranks fourth in the MAC in batting average at .296, fourth in hits with 437, third in home runs with 59 and second in RBIs with 338.
One player who has been a key cog in the ofense is Evan Appelwick, a redshirt junior infelder in his third year with Miami. Appelwick grew up in Madison, South Dakota, and credits his grand-
father as a signifcant infuence on his baseball career.
“My grandpa was a big part of me playing baseball,” Appelwick said.
“He was always there to throw to me, and it really was a family bonding thing for me.”
In his junior year of high school, Appelwick transferred to IMG Academy after three years at Madison High School. He said his time at IMG prepared him for the next level, starting with Indiana University.
“I think it really prepared me well for the college level,” Appelwick said.
“To have that college structure and to be around guys who have the same college mindset really made me work hard and get comfortable.”
During his one season as a Hoosier, Appelwick recalls having an excellent experience but mentioned that he had a better opportunity at Miami..
“There were players that were
more developed than me, so I thought it would be better to enter the transfer portal and look for a better playing opportunity,” Appelwick said. “Seeing how beautiful the campus and facilities were was another thing that brought me here.”
Appelwick currently leads the RedHawks in home runs with 14, RBIs with 51 and is second on the team in slugging percentage at .600. His 14 home runs also ranks him No. 50 in the country.
Through his time in Oxford, Appelwick’s batting average has increased every year. He’s currently hitting .297 and improved his numbers from .274 last year and .233 in 2023.
Appelwick’s mindset at the plate is to get on base above everything else, and he believes it’s helped him out tremendously during his collegiate career.
“The best approach for me is just to hit a hard single the other way and
look on the outer half of the plate as it comes in,” Appelwick said. “Overall I’m just looking for a pitch that I can drive right to centerfeld.”
One person he has attributed his success to throughout his time at Miami is associate head coach Kyle Trewyn, who joined the RedHawks’ coaching staf after spending the 2023 season as a hitting coach for the Bradley University Braves.
“He’s passionate about hitting,” Trewyn said. “He wants to be a really good hitter and help his team win and that mentality is good. It’s a testament to that hard work that Evan has put in.”
The RedHawks are closing in on making back-to-back MAC tournament appearances for the frst time since 2018-19. For Appelwick, he believes this team can make the jump to the NCAA regionals this year.
“Our one goal is to make a regional,” Appelwick said. “I would say
that’s my main focus to fnish in the top two so we can secure a bye. I think this team is very capable of getting into a regional, we have guys that will step up.”
Miami is third in the MAC, but has a tiebreaker over the No. 2 Kent State University Golden Flashes, whom the RedHawks beat in a home series on April 11-13.
The RedHawks have two MAC series left in the 2025 season. They close out their home schedule against the Akron University Zips from May 9-11. Their fnal series of the regular season fnds the RedHawks on the road against the Ball State University Cardinals from May 15-17. Appelwick hopes to bring Miami to the NCAA tournament for the frst time since 2005. His hitting power puts the RedHawks in a strong position to make history.
relvasaj@miamioh.edu
Thirsty? Try these fun drinks from around Oxford
AYLA PEDEN ASST. CULTURE EDITOR
COLUMN
Have you ever been studying and thought, “I could get so much more done if I had a fun drink?”
Now, I know some people like to stick to their signature beverage; I, too, am guilty of this. So, I give you an excuse to try something new with my recommendations.
Kofenya
From the frst moment I walked into this café, I fell in love with their vanilla iced latte. Yes, yes, it’s a basic drink, but it’s so good! It is the perfect combination of sweet vanilla and bitter espresso, and I cannot get enough of it.
Tous les Jours
From Tous les Jours, I have two recommendations: My frst is the mango smoothie. I don’t normally like mango-favored things, but this drink has allowed me to gain a new appreciation for this fruit.
My second recommendation is for those who are in the mood for cafeine. The lavender latte is the perfect kickstart for a great study session or a walk down High Street.
I would personally get this iced, but hot is great to have on a chillier day.
Patterson’s Café
While many of these drinks you can take on the go, I highly recommend sitting down at Patterson’s with your friends and drinking a hot white chocolate mocha. It seriously tastes like hot chocolate. If you don’t care for the bitterness that comes from many hot cofees, then you will love this beverage. Fridge & Pantry
Another recommendation for my smoothie lovers has to be Fridge & Pantry’s Green Machine smoothie. This drink includes orange juice, coconut milk, spinach, pineapple and mango, all blended together in a refreshing beverage.
Drop In Tea
Last but not least, I give you pomegranate berry tea with pomegranate popping boba from Drop In Tea. I truly love boba, and this drink is at the top of my list. However, if you don’t like pomegranate, that’s OK! This cute shop has so many options that it is impossible not to fnd something you like.
pedenae@miamioh.edu
Movies to look out for this summer
STELLA POWERS
CULTURE EDITOR
COLUMN
Summer is fnally approaching, which means the long-awaited summer blockbuster season is right around the corner. While it may not be “Barbenheimer” summer anymore, here are some flms to look forward to once school lets out for the year.
‘Thunderbolts*’ – May 2
Marvel’s “Thunderbolts*” releases May 2, starting the summer of with a bold, action-packed movie. The flm stars Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and more as an unlikely team comes together.
‘Final Destination: Bloodlines’ – May 16
A new installment in the “Final Destination” series, “Final Destination: Bloodlines,” drops on May 16. A family fnds themselves cursed by and having to outrun death, realizing they were never actually meant to exist in the frst place.
‘Hurry Up Tomorrow’ – May 16
From the mind of The Weeknd, this psychological thriller stars Abel Tesfaye himself, Jenna Ortega, Barry Keoghan and Riley Keough. “Hurry Up Tomorrow” comes out May 16, following a musician struggling with insomnia as his life begins to unravel.
‘Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning’ – May 23
The latest installment of “Mission Impossible” starring Tom Cruise, Vanessa Kirby, Hayley Atwell, Hannah Waddingham, Nick Oferman and Angela Bassett releases May 23. It’s marketed as action-packed and full of adventure: the perfect closer to the series.
‘Lilo & Stitch’ – May 23
The long-awaited live-action remake of “Lilo & Stitch” fnally hits
theaters May 23. The flm introduces young actress Maia Kealoha as Lilo as she befriends Stitch, an alien, and the two go on wild adventures.
‘Karate Kid: Legends’ – May 23
The fan-favorite “Karate Kid” flms are back with “Karate Kid: Legends,” dropping in theaters May 30. Ralph Macchio reprises his role as Daniel LaRusso from the original 1984 flm as he helps train a new kid to be a karate legend.
‘How to Train Your Dragon’ – June 13
Another live-action remake is coming to the big screen this summer. Hiccup and Astrid’s story with the dragon Toothless comes to life as they form an unlikely friendship, despite dragons and Vikings traditionally being enemies.
‘M3GAN 2.0’ – June 27
The beloved killer robot “M3GAN” returns to the theaters in this highly-anticipated sequel. Despite being destroyed at the end of the frst flm, she is brought back to life by Gemma, her inventor, to battle a new robot named Amelia. Allison Williams and Violet McGraw return as Gemma and Katie, and Jenna Davis once again voices M3GAN herself.
‘Jurassic World Rebirth’ – July 2
Dinosaurs are returning to the big screen this summer on July 2 with “Jurassic World Rebirth.” The newest addition to the Jurassic flms stars Scarlett Johansson, Rupert Friend, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali.
‘Superman’ – July 11
The newest “Superman” flm, which happened to be flmed in Cleveland, will be released in theaters July 11. The James Gunn flm stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent himself as he learns to navigate living two lives and seeking justice.
‘I Know What You Did Last Summer’ – July 18 Releasing July 18, the reboot
serves as a direct follow-up to the 1998 sequel, “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,” with Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt reprising their roles from the original flm. This time, however, a new group of kids featuring Madelyn Cline, Chase Sui Wonders, Jonah Hauer-King and more is terrorized and stalked because of what they did last summer.
‘Smurfs’ – July 18
The newest “Smurfs” flm stars Rihanna as the voice of Smurfette as she leads her community on a journey to the real world to rescue Papa Smurf (John Goodman). Releasing on July 18, the flm also features Hannah Waddingham, Natasha Lyonne, Nick Oferman, Billie Lourd, Dan Levy, Sandra Oh, Octavia Spencer and more in this star-studded cast.
‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ – July 25
It’s the summer of superhero flms, and “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” rounds it of on July 25. The flm stars Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, and it follows the beloved super-family as they navigate balancing family life with saving the world.
‘Freakier Friday’ – Aug. 8
Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan return to the world of “Freaky Friday” on Aug. 8, 22 years later, with the upcoming sequel, “Freakier Friday.” Their family has grown since the frst flm, and the dynamic gets even messier as another body swap occurs.
Whether you’re looking for something action-packed, a good horror movie or a feel-good family flm, there’s something for everyone this summer.
powers40@miamioh.edu
Beach, please: summer books you
PARKER GREEN ASST. CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
need to read
Summer is almost here, and you know what that means: hours of uninterrupted and guilt-free reading time! So, whether you have a TBR (to be read) thousands of books long or are just trying to read one book over vacation, here are four summer reading suggestions from a variety of genres. For those who want a summer romance
Look, I don’t care if it’s basic: “Book Lovers” by Emily Henry is by far her best summer romance. If you’ve already read it, reread it. A charming mix of banter, bookish references, refections on life and the slightest bit of spice, “Book Lovers” is my highest-rated Emily Henry book to date.
For those of you who don’t like to read, Emily Henry is a great introduction to the book community. Her
writing is unpretentious, easy to consume and full of cute moments. “Book Lovers” is brain popcorn, in the best way possible. For those who love a thriller Spooky and summer aren’t usually what people pair together, but connoisseurs of the thriller genre know that a seemingly perfect honeymoon is the perfect location for all the thrills and chills. Meet “Something in the Water” by Catherine Steadman: a suspense thriller set in gorgeous Bora Bora. Approved by Reese Witherspoon and with over 30,000 fve-star reviews, “Something in the Water” is a tried and true beach read. Though I can’t personally attest to this, reviewers mention multiple times that the audiobook version is incredible.
For those who prefer an element of fantasy
Though this is technically a YA (young adult) fantasy, “The Raven Boys” reads like an adult series. “The Raven Boys” by Maggie Stiefvater is an addictive fantasy series. Told
through multiple third-person perspectives, this book expertly blends fantastical elements with the real world. Fear not, love lovers: this book has multiple incredible romantic plotlines (both LGBTQ and hetero), which, while subplots, complement each other beautifully.
For those who keep it real
Not everyone wants their summer to be full of made-up stories. If you like real events with real people, as well as beautiful writing, pick up “Everything is Tuberculosis” by John Green.
If you know anything about John Green, then you know this is the book of his dreams. Short, witty and full of emotion, this book is a masterclass in delivering both empathy and research in an easy-to-digest way. “Everything is Tuberculosis” is a great book for both newbies and old-timers in the genre of nonfction.
greenpt@miamioh.edu
Amid rain, annual Sparkfest carries on
SYDNEY MULFORD STAFF WRITER
Miami University’s Sparkfest, the College of Creative Arts end-of-year celebration and celebration, went on with live music, booths and more despite rainy weather on April 25.
At this year’s event, there were over 150 students involved: 45 tables of sellers and student organizations, 12 diferent emerging technology in business and design (ETBD) games to demo and seven diferent performances. Some performances included local bands like Dust and Guitars, Oxchord, acapella music from The Cheezies and Just Duet and a performance from Dance Theater.
There was also a wide range of booths students could walk up to. A few of the diferent items being sold were paintings, prints, jewelry, vintage clothing, pottery and costumes. There were also booths to learn about art programs at Miami, as well as opportunities to take part in community artwork, draw or write where you feel most creative and get a small portrait drawn.
“It’s just a great day for [student organizations and sellers] to reach
a larger audience as well as sell and showcase their own artwork,” Sparkfest co-chair Mallory Stiles said. “A lot of people have gotten a lot of well-deserved attention.”
Miami graduate Abbie Webster comes back to Sparkfest to draw small portraits of students. She graduated from Miami in December of 2023 with a degree in psychology and a co-major in art therapy. She said she started drawing portraits on a whim three years ago. At that point, she only had a cardboard sign; now, she has a whole booth and a line of people waiting for portraits.
“This makes me happy – I love being here, I love the people here,” Webster said. “It’s a good feeling to know my art is valued enough that people spend their time to enjoy it.”
Sophomore Lee Trout also had a booth selling jewelry he made. Trout started making jewelry after doing the paperclip assignment in one of his arts entrepreneurship classes. The purpose of the paperclip assignment was to keep trading a paperclip to get something else. When Trout ended up with beads, he decided to make jewelry, and then Trout started his business when everyone asked about
his earrings.
“I just think it’s a great, awesome opportunity,” Trout said. “I’m really glad I get to do this.”
The whole event would not have been possible without Stiles and her co-chair, junior Jack Drayer. Stiles said they have been planning, organizing and reaching out to student organizations and artists since the beginning of the school year.
“Our real goal is to combine all six diferent departments of the College of Creative Arts (CCA) in one place, at one time and on one day,” Stiles said. “One of our biggest goals this year was improving the marketing and bringing in a wider university audience.”
Even though the event had to be moved at the last minute to the Center for Performing Arts building because of rain, Stiles and Drayer are still proud of how everything turned out.
“I’m glad we switched to full pivot inside because now we’re able to have it for the full day,” Drayer said. “It seems like people have enjoyed it, even being inside.”
mulforsj@miamioh.edu
GRAPHIC BY STELLA POWERS
GRAPHIC BY STELLA POWERS
CULTURE
KAITLIN MCDOWELL STAFF WRITER
From April 25-27, Miami University’s on-campus theater organization, Stage Left, transported students and attendees alike to early 20th-century Russia in Wilks Theater for its performance of “Anastasia: The Musical.”
The musical, which was fully student-run and produced, combines the history of the Russian Empire and the myth of the real-life Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia for a captivating telling of this story.
According to audience members, the production was heartbreaking and heartwarming all in one, thanks to the direction of Jobe Vogelsong, a junior strategic communication and political science double major, who chose this semester’s musical.
“This is very diferent from what Stage Left has done in the past,” said Vogelsong. “Stage Left is known for doing really campy, comedy musicals, and while there are funny aspects to this, at the end of the day it is [based on] a true story about the Romanov family about real people, which is much more serious than what we’ve
done in the past.”
Due to the serious tone of this musical, Vogelsong worked with the cast and crew to ensure the score was portrayed properly and appropriately.
“[During] the frst rehearsal, I did a whole slideshow about Russian history leading up to this story,” Vogelsong said. “I wanted to communicate that while this is not a true story, it’s a myth, it is based on real people who these real horrible things happened to.”
The show itself, a stage adaptation of the 1997 animated flm, follows Anya, played by Molly Stewart, an amnesiac young woman on a quest to rediscover her true identity and the possibility that she is the lost Anastasia Romanov, whose family was killed.
As she embarks on a journey of self-discovery, Stewart delivers several solo performances throughout the musical, including “A Secret She Kept” or “Journey to the Past,” showing the audience her talent in commanding the stage with her presence and voice. Her vocals are both powerful and emotionally rich, capturing the complexity of her character’s inner confict.
“Whenever [Stewart] sang, I couldn’t look away,” said audience member and junior public health major Katie Brand. “Her emotions were so evident through her vocal performances, and it added so much more depth to the character and the struggle she was going through.”
Anya is joined on her journey by two con men: Dmitry, played by Nathaniel Ivy, and Vlad, played by Ian
MUF&D hosts 19th annual fashion show, announces new fashion major
CONTINUED FROM FRONT
The institute is designed to build a strong connection with the professional fashion community, Fisher said.
“[The director] is going to build a strong connection with the fashion community in Columbus and beyond,” Fisher said. “Here’s to a thriving and growing fashion program at Miami.”
The announcement was met with resounding applause from the audience, including the MUF&D graphic design director, Sara Rose Detwiler.
“MUF&D has been this outlet for so many students who have only been able to do [fashion] through a minor,” Detwiler said. “Now they can really immerse themselves through this major, which is very exciting.”
The evening started at 5 p.m. with a trunk show, featuring various vendors and photo opportunities for attendees. There was a chance to get CJ’s merch, including the special edition CJ’s x MUF&D sweatshirt, a photo booth from Design Collective by Cintas, a table full of Poppi beverages, UP magazine’s latest issue and MUF&D merch with patches to customize it. There was also a separate section for VIPs, which included friends and family of the fashion designers, models and others involved with the show.
At 6:30 p.m., the doors opened to the runway, which was transformed to match this year’s theme, Mosaic.
“[Mosaic is] all about fnding the
‘It’s
small things in life that are meaningful and build your story,” Co-Design Director Liz Bregman said. “[The idea behind] Mosaic is that it takes a lot of diferent tiles to come together to form the bigger picture. MUF&D is a small part of each of our lives to help form the bigger picture of our collective unit.”
The Collab collection was the frst collection to walk to the stage. Collab featured six looks created by six senior designers and models, following the Mosaic theme. This included Co-Design Directors Ian Kellogg and Bregman.
“[For the Collab collection, Kellogg and I] settled on uses of colors, textures and diferent silhouettes that are very unique to each designer but have small overlaps,” Bregman said.
This year, the Collab collection also featured jewelry made by nine advanced students in the jewelry department.
“It’s a really great opportunity to help integrate fashion a little bit more within CCA,” Bregman said. “It’s a great way to represent other artists at the show. [The jewelry pieces are going to] be worn during the show. Then the jewelry students are going to walk with us on the stage.”
Following the Collab collection, the rest of the collections walked, one after another. Every collection had three to eight looks and music specifcally picked for each one.
Bregman’s collection featured eight looks centered in silk, denim, brown fabrics and pops of red. A few
Dewey. With their own distinct and charming quirks — brought to life brilliantly by the actors — they take Anya under their wing, training her to step into the role of the duchess they hope she might truly be.
These three embark on a journey to Paris to reunite Anya with her Nana, also known as the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna, played by Caitlin Zook, a senior strategic communications and arts management major. The journey is flled with struggle, as Anya is being hunted by Bolshevik ofcer Gleb Vaganov, played by Will Sapp, on a mission to eliminate any trace of the Romanovs from Russia. Additionally, there is romance and many transportive musical numbers.
“My favorite song is ‘Stay I Pray you,’” Zook said. “It’s a big ensemble number, and it’s so beautiful. [The cast] sounds amazing.”
Alongside all of the individual cast members of the musical, the ensemble played a large part in making this musical so engaging. A standout performance of theirs begins the second act as the audience is welcomed to Paris with the song, “Paris Holds the Key (To Your Heart).”
As the saying goes, there is something about Paris, which is held up in the second act, as it begins in Paris with large dance numbers and extravagant costumes.
Paris also sees the reunion of Vlad and his old fame Countess Lily Malevsky-Maltevich, played by Olivia Weddle. This rekindled romance added a hint of humor and fair to the story, balancing out some of the more
emotional elements.
Some notable production choices utilized by Stage Left were their light efects and the use of the stage itself. While Wilks Theater is not comparable to that of a stage on Broadway, the cast and crew utilized every inch of the theatre. For certain numbers, cast members foated throughout the rows before arriving at the stage, making audience members feel truly immersed in the show.
The lighting of the stage changed with the mood of the scene to add a certain dramatization. A scene where this was particularly memorable was where the entire stage lit up red as Gleb belted one of his riveting solos. The opening scene of the production showed the Romanovs posing for a family photo, but this was portrayed with simply a fash of a light rather than using an actor as a photographer.
Despite this musical’s overly serious tone and story, Vogelsong found a few ways to insert some humor into the characters and their scenes. Zook’s character, the Dowager Empress, has a scene where she complains of how boring and mundane the City of Cleveland sounds.
It’s good to know that despite all that has changed from the early 20th century, Ohio remains to be the butt of all jokes.
“It’s a very sentimental and nostalgic show,” Zook said. “It’s like magic on stage, because you get to watch a princess become a princess.”
mcdowekr@miamioh.edu
What to wear for warmer weather
of the pieces included a red romper, monochrome sets, menswear and a denim corset top with a white fowy skirt.
Kellogg’s collection was the last to walk and featured exclusively menswear, with eight looks in total. Most of his looks featured jackets and tees with styled pockets. While most of the colors were earthy greens, there were pops of purple and red.
“I really enjoyed seeing how, as a collection, the same designer had made a bunch of pieces that [were] very cohesive,” sophomore audience member Ella Skolnicki said. “You could tell, ‘Oh, these things go together.’ That was cool to see how certain elements went together.”
Sophomore designer Janel Bartee created a collection inspired by ethereal space and the ffth element, aether: an idea formed by Aristotle. She said that aether can embody different celestial bodies, and she has been working on this collection since October.
“It took so much preparation to get here,” Bartee said. “It’s amazing to fnally walk on stage and see everything, but it’s a little overwhelming.”
In the end, the show left audience members in awe.
“It was amazing,” frst-year audience member Annie Bame said. “It was so impressive. I didn’t really know what to expect, because this is [my] frst time here, but [MUF&D] did such a good job.”
mulforsj@miamioh.edu
These members represent the few who had the confdence to perform and stuck with it following their frst show.
“We aren’t too big of a group,” said junior biochemistry major Ben Cubberly, president of the club. “People usually, when they walk past us at Mega Fair, [are] like, ‘Stand up comedy? I don’t want anything to do with that.’ You might be shocked to fnd out that people aren’t readily wanting to do standup.”
Cubberly joined Miami Comedic Relief during his frst year, but he wasn’t initially looking to do standup. He watched comedians like Nate Bargatze, but he only joined the stand-up club after his twin brother told him about a sketch comedy group he joined at the Ohio State University.
“I did speech and debate in high school, so I’d like to think that I already was pretty good at speaking to people,” Cubberly said. “The biggest challenge I had was learning how to [recover] when you do bad … I can still remember vividly the frst time I bombed a set, but I’ve bombed plenty of times since then, and I don’t remember those as much.”
Learning how to get over bombed sets proved to be a useful and consistent skill. Cubberly still remembers his frst time MC’ing, or hosting, one of the comedy shows. His preparation gave him confdence going into the show, but it quickly fzzled when the crowd started chiming in early into his set. Someone shouted, “Oh brother, this guy stinks,” throwing Cubberly of
AYLA PEDEN ASST. CULTURE EDITOR
COLUMN
As temperatures rise and the sun shines brighter, there is more and more of a need for warm-weather clothes. I am sick of sweating after making my way to my classes, and I am ready to embrace my nice, light clothes.
So, for the past week, I have been scouring Pinterest to fnd the perfect summer outfts – something that will remind me that summer is near. Light, fowy skirts or pants Now, I’m sure you have all seen these, but there is a reason for that. These cute linen pants and skirts are perfect if you don’t want to wear shorts, but also don’t want to burn up in jeans or sweatpants.
I would pair this with a colorful tank top, cute tennis shoes or sandals (depending on your mood) and wide-rimmed sunglasses. Cute tank tops and oversized graphic tees
As referenced above, I have been loving a good tank top moment lately – specifcally, the kind with wide straps. If they have an interesting design or fun colors, I’m grabbing it. This summer should be the summer of color.
While I could wear this with linen pants or a skirt, that is not the
his game and causing a loud reaction from the crowd, obscuring his jokes.
“That was a year and a half ago, [and] it still keeps me up at night,” Cubberly said. “That was embarrassing because I had some friends who I had been begging since the last semester to come to one, and they chose that one, and they never came back to any others.”
Despite the horror stories of comedians bombing, members of Miami Comedic Relief encourage everyone to try stand-up at least once.
Senior fnance major Max Freese, president of the club before Cubberly, said that after four years of stand-up, he still feels the same way before each show.
“I’ve been doing it for four years now, and I’ve had the chance to perform in some of the biggest clubs in both Ohio and Maryland,” Freese said. “It doesn’t matter the amount of people in a show … It’s always the same, the nerves. And then once you’re fnally up on stage and you have the microphone, you’re so in your own head, you’re not even worrying about the audience.”
Freese elaborated by saying the second and third performances are worse than the frst. When a comedian goes up for the frst time, the MC will usually explain that it’s their frst performance, providing a safety net in case it doesn’t go well.
When a comedian goes up for the second time, it determines whether they’re going to stick with it.
“That’s the ultimate litmus test,” Freese said. “Most people do well
only thing this article of clothing can look good with. I mean, it’s a tank top — it can literally be paired with anything. I would normally wear this with denim shorts and the chunkiest gold jewelry you can fnd. I need to spice up the look somehow. Pastels and fowers Yes, yes, I know, very “Florals for spring? Groundbreaking” of me. But, there is a reason why these colors come back year after year.
Personally, the pastels and fowers make me feel so happy. Also, they tie into the surrounding environment. This year, colors like power pink, sky blue and spring green are trending. Additionally, a new color that is in style this season is “butter yellow.” I have found that color pairs extremely well with light blues.
Light cardigans
To end my list, I have to include a cute, light cardigan because, despite it being hot outside, it is freezing inside the classroom.
I am always cold by the end of my classes, so if you’re like me, you need that cardigan to survive. I recommend a tan, light-knit cardigan. The upside of this sweater is that it can go with everything: t-shirts, tank tops or anything you can think of. It is an easy piece of clothing to fnd, especially at a thrift store. pedenae@miamioh.edu
their frst show. The second and the third shows are the big [ones] … No one cares if it’s your second or third time doing stand-up. Your jokes have to stand on their own.”
After a good show, the comedians will meet at Skipper’s to celebrate. They’ll grab a table and a drink, talk about the show and lose track of time. For Freese, these memories remain some of his favorites.
Beyond the biweekly Bar 1868 shows, Miami Comedic Relief started performing every other Friday at Steinkeller this semester.
“I want to get those big nights because people don’t always come out on Wednesdays,” Cubberly said. “If we can get a big show on Fridays, we’ll probably get a lot more diversity in who shows up, and it probably won’t be the same people, so you can repeat more jokes.” In some shows, every comedian pulls of ringer after ringer, keeping the crowd laughing the entire night. Other times, the crowd refuses to even crack a smile, leaving the comedians with an unrelenting audience.
No matter what, the comedians will dust themselves of, regroup and return to the stage within a few weeks.
“I was chasing the feeling of the frst time I did it, the frst time I did stand up,” Freese said. “The feeling of having a room of 50, 60 people, all laughing … [when] you get the entire room to burst out laughing, it is the craziest feeling ever.”
babukc2@miamioh.edu
KETHAN BABU SPORTS EDITOR
Five years ago, I was racing across campus, camera in hand, chasing the last bit of golden hour before a frontpage photo deadline. It was my third year as the photo editor at The Miami Student, and I had convinced myself, as I often did, that the perfect shot was still out there, waiting. That obsession with moments and meaning, with the timing of light and the power of stillness, followed me long after I left Oxford.
But not every moment was about movement.
Some evenings, I would leave the noise behind and wander into the nature trails surrounding campus. No camera. No deadline. Just quiet. That space between the world and the woods was where I learned to breathe again. And on the days that blurred into nights, I would fnd myself inside the Armstrong Student Center – studying, editing, showing up for appointments and sometimes just sitting with my thoughts in the soft buzz of student life. That building held as much of me as any classroom ever did.
Miami University wasn’t just where I studied. It’s where I started –slowly, quietly – becoming who I am.
After graduating in May 2020, I stayed in the United States for a while, trying to make sense of what it meant to be an adult in a world that suddenly felt uncertain. Later, I moved to India, reconnecting with home and beginning a new chapter in our family business: working across supply chain management and real estate development.
Since then, life has unfolded across both places. I’ve gone back and forth between the U.S. and India –new cities, new people, same me. And yet, in all that movement, one truth kept circling back: I never really left Miami.
You don’t know what you know until you leave Oxford teaches you gently. You
don’t realize it while you’re there. It seeps in slowly – through the bricks under your feet, the stillness of the library, the weight of a camera hanging from your shoulder as you walk across campus chasing a story that matters.
It wasn’t until I left, until I was sitting on a fight from the U.S. back to India, that I felt the gravity of what Miami had given me. I paused the movie I was watching, “Nomadland,” to hear an announcement, and the screen froze on a line that still echoes in me:
“Home. Is it just a place, or a feeling we carry inside us?”
I was returning after years – and at that moment, I wasn’t sure which direction was forward. But I knew this: I was carrying both homes inside me. The quiet hills of Oxford and the rhythm of Mumbai. Both were real. Both had shaped me.
Belonging isn’t found – it’s built
My mentor in the newsroom, the photo editor before me, saw something in me I hadn’t seen in myself. He challenged me, pushed me, believed in me when I was still learning to believe in myself. He taught me more than how to frame a shot; he taught me how to show up with intention.
That kind of leadership, that trust – it stayed with me.
At Miami, I learned that belonging isn’t something that waits for you.
It’s something you build through latenight walks, shared cofees and conversations that stretch into silence and back again. In India, I had to relearn that process. It’s diferent, more layered, but the tools were already within me.
You fnd familiarity not in the places, but in how you treat people –and how you let them treat you.
The most important things you learn are between the lines
I can’t recall every theory I studied in class. But I can tell you exactly how it felt to sit under a tree near Western Campus, wondering where I was going in life. I can tell you how it
felt to walk away from a situation that cracked something open inside me –a moment of stillness so sharp it felt like a mirror being held to my soul.
That was my moment of clarity. My personal enlightenment.
Oxford was the frst place that taught me how to face myself honestly. And maybe that’s what college is for. Not just to teach you, but to unteach you all the noise, so you can fnally hear your own voice.
Your story is portable – even when you’re not
These days, my work looks nothing like my college days. I’m in supply chains and site visits, not pressrooms. But the way I see the world, that’s still the same. That came from years behind the lens, observing quietly, looking for the story inside the scene.
Whether I’m in India or the U.S., that perspective shapes how I lead, how I connect, how I solve problems. It shapes how I exist – noticing the details most people walk past.
Because once you’ve learned to see the world with attention, it’s hard to stop.
Five years out, I don’t see Miami as just a place I went. I see it as the place where I became someone who pays attention. Who believes in the power of being present. Who understands that joy is often quiet. Meaning doesn’t need to be loud to be profound.
There’s a quote that foats through the air at Miami:
“To think, in such a place, I led such a life.”
It’s more than nostalgia. It’s gratitude, wonder and the quiet awe of knowing I was exactly where I needed to be – long before I knew why.
jainjugal98@gmail.com
JAMIE GOWANS STAFF WRITER
At the beginning of the semester, professors go over their syllabus guidelines about technology usage during class, and they specifcally make a point to mention phones. However, they rarely interrupt lectures to scold someone. In the majority of my classes, students actually put their phones down and pay attention to the professors and course material. However, there is always that one extremely boring class that you are only taking to fll a requirement. This is the case with one of my courses; students end up bored, zoned out or distracted with their phones.
While this is not benefcial to their education, it is the students’ right to be on their phones during class. We are all adults paying for these classes one way or another, so we should be able to decide if we participate and actively pay attention or not.
Professors should not comment on phone usage during class. Although it’s rare, I have experienced a professor interrupting class to tell a student to stay of his phone. This specifc time, the student was just taking pictures of the slides for notes.
This same professor has threatened to dock our attendance grades for being on our phones during his lectures. But the professor needs to make the class more entertaining and benefcial to pay attention to the material. If everything about the class is boring, and they do not seem to be mildly interested in their own material, professors should simply be grateful that students attend the
lectures to begin with.
The majority of student success relies on teachers making the material interesting. While I do fnd this specifc course material interesting, I still zone out in this class because of the professor. He doesn’t even seem like he wants to be there in the frst place. How can professors expect us to pay attention and participate in class when they do not want to be there for their paid job?
I understand it can be considered disrespectful for being on our phones during class. However, we should not be expected to respect someone who does not respect us as adults. The professors who interrupt classes to call out students are treating us like we are still in high school. They should treat us like the adults we are and respect our decisions if we choose to check our phones during class. Professors should treat their students with the same respect that they expect from us. Yes, they deserve basic respect just as the students do. But professors should not comment on how we spend our time in the classes that we are spending our savings on, or even going into debt for, to attend. gowansj@miamioh.edu
Francis were gratitude to his personal health assistant: “Thank you for bringing me back to the Square.”
Around 8 a.m. on Easter Monday, April 21, I woke up and reached for my phone to check my notifcations. There were way more than usual, and the frst message I read was from a friend: ‘The Holy Father just died.” Pope Francis had passed away at age 88. Pope Francis was recently hospitalized with bronchitis on Feb. 14, but recovered and returned to public life. On Easter Sunday, Pope Francis gave a blessing from St. Peter’s Basilica, followed by one last ride in the popemobile, waving to some 50,000 people. In the very early hours of the next day, he sufered a stroke and fell into a coma, before passing away. It is reported that he did not sufer, as it all happened very quickly and unexpectedly. Among the fnal words of Pope
Now, approximately 1.4 billion Catholics around the world are mourning the loss of the Supreme Pontif, after Cardinal Kevin Farrell announced the passing of Pope Francis to the world.
The Catholic Church now enters a “sede vacante” period, when there’s currently no pope. The next pope is chosen in the papal conclave by the College of Cardinals. There is no way to accurately predict who will become the next pope.
As for Pope Francis, his pontifcate was exceptional. He was a pope who emphasized mercy, human dignity and the nearness of God’s love –especially to those on the margins of society. Although often misrepresented by the media, he was not a liberal, communist or some kind of political fgure. Rather, he was a man who led with great compassion in accordance
with the Catholic Church’s teaching.
In a 2013 interview with Antonio Spadaro, Pope Francis was asked who he is. He responded: “I am a sinner. This is the most accurate defnition. It is not a fgure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.”
Pope Francis was known for this humility. Even for his death, he requested only a simple burial in a plain tomb with only the inscription, “Franciscus.”
He was the frst pope in the digital age – directing the Catholic Church through challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic, secular hostility, social media and a divided world. He was the frst pope of the Jesuit religious order, the frst from the Americas and the frst to take the name “Francis.” Billions of Catholics loved him and are sad to see him go. Pope Francis was loved around Miami University’s campus, too. Mara Flood, a sophomore and
president of Students For Life, said she liked Pope Francis’ unwavering support for the pro-life movement.
“I have always appreciated Pope Francis’ frm stance against abortion,” Flood said. “His insistence of the value of the unborn has been an inspiration to all who fght for a culture of life.” Hayden Poellinger, a junior marketing major, said he already feels the loss of Pope Francis.
“It’s truly a tragic loss, not just of the leader of our church, but of a symbol of kindness and generosity,” Poellinger said.
The death of Pope Francis came as a shock to the Miami Catholic Newman Center and St. Mary’s community, where he was greatly admired. The Newman Center is a home for Catholic students, located behind the Oxford Police Station.
The Rev. Jacob Willig, one of the priests at St. Mary’s Church and Newman, remembers how Pope Francis had a direct impact on the founding of the Newman Center, as it was established during the year of St. Joseph, which was declared by Pope Francis in 2021.
“St. Joseph had a large infuence in helping us fnish building a chapel in just a few short months,” Willig said. “It was miraculous how it all came together. We decided to name the chapel St. Joseph chapel too, after this great patron.”
Willig also recalls Pope Francis’s humility and charity from the very beginning.
“He would often ride the bus to work before he became pope,” Willig said in an email. “He was certainly dedicated to living the beatitudes and always tried to stand up for the poor and the marginalized … Let us remember to pray for the repose of his soul and for the next Vicar of Christ for the Universal Church.”
Cooper Jones, the head server at St. Mary’s and vice president of the Newman Center, said he remembers many of the pope’s amazing moments throughout his pontifcate.
“Pope Francis, by his humility and immense self-giving, proved himself to be the ‘most based pope ever,’” Jones said. “He visited the place where ISIS said they would kill him, adding to his legacy.” Marc Orlando, a junior mechanical engineering major and a regular at the Newman Center, said he was very saddened by the loss of the Holy Father.
“I greatly appreciated his devotion to the maintenance of the Catholic Church and its beliefs surrounding marriage and family,” Orlando said. Pope Francis has had a profound impact on our campus and the entire globe. He challenged the Catholic Church not to remain in comfort, but rather to step out into the world with mercy, courage and love. That legacy will remain.
vanripjl@miamioh.edu
JUGAL J. JAIN
GUEST COLUMNIST
JACOB VAN RIPER THE MIAMI STUDENT
Love and Honor your neighbor: A lesson from Lima
GAVIN MCGONAGLE
THE MIAMI STUDENT
“Time is a luxury” is a truism that defned much of my time at Miami University. In my underclassman years, my time was spent on becoming the most able student I could be, taking most nights to work on page after page of notes. Towards my upperclassman time (admittedly, especially when I turned 21), I put more of an efort into cultivating a social network, branching far out to fll all my time. On both fronts, I believe I succeeded. However, until very recently, I still felt disappointment in what I had done at Miami, especially in regards to connections summed in the phrases “Miami Merger,” “Love and Honor,” “To think in such a place I lived such a life” and “OxVegas” that the school takes pride in. I must report my sincerest gratitude in fnding an opportunity where I could not only connect myself to a community I came to love, but also have the wisdom to put to rest those doubts of self-fulfllment regarding both my past and my future.
That community was Pamplona, Lima, Peru, though you can have yours anytime, anywhere, if you choose.
To explain the impact of my service and visit with the Miami University Newman Center, I have t0 briefy explain what interested me in taking this trip. It took several leaps of faith Beyond mere adventure, it gave me a unique opportunity to refect on myself and my family. I had already traveled much for pleasure, having traveled Europe through MUDEC in my sophomore year.But, I remembered my time visiting and hearing the stories of Sister Anastasia McGonagle in Ireland, who had a deep compassion for the downtrodden, as had many members of my family. It was then my realization that refecting on your own good fortune better compels one to refect on your duty to others.
The obligations of the trip were the tradeof and sacrifce to immerse myself. The entirety of my spring break would be taken with this act of service, with little space or time for amenities of any sort (including phone usage).
By the time I was on the bus to the convent where we would be staying, I was already battling a storm of frustration and fustered worries. And when, mere minutes later, we were standing before what appeared to be a sheer rise of tumbled rocks, I almost laughed. Then we climbed it and saw the town.
It is hard to describe the extremes of poverty in being, but wealth in spirit I saw.. In a country where almost half its citizens making less than $50 a month, the hills of Pamplona were a desolation near absolute – the best houses had raw brick-walled terrac-
es – but everywhere else the crude shacks of plywood and scrap roofs.
And everywhere was the stink and yammering of chickens and feral dogs that squatted by fenceless homes, perched dangerously on that desert hillside. Trash was scattered, either blown away or piled into burned toxic piles. It is a landscape that puts the lives of those “south of the border” into clarity.
Yet, all the talk troubles from outside were moot, for here lived an extreme of humanity more vivid than any talking point could surmise.
Even on that frst awestruck day, the glory of the people was undeniable. For that frst day (as with every day we were in Pamplona), we were met with their joy, and my hope rose with every sighting of a student coming up or down the impossible concrete steps, or the sights of mothers with papooses in the traditional garb with gifts or groceries.
Together, we played games and relaxed under the shade with the neighbors. I remember fondly and spontaneously playing a makeshift game of catch with a kid, him rolling a broken DVD down a wooden board for me to catch at the end.
Although we worked long hours each day moving water, sand, stones and concrete to complete an anti-avalanche wall overlooking the town’s community center, we were encouraged to spend time with the locals even without words. The result was to learn; to take a pace of life where personal connection is rightly at its heart.
The revelation from those days, in short, was this: value above all those who can value you (friends, families and God), wherever they can be found, even in the most remote of strangers. And when in doubt, look for them with love, and honor them in your heart and deeds. That is the best way to validate and commemorate your time at Miami and beyond.
Love and honor your neighbor.
mcgonags@miamioh.edu
About Gavin McGonagle
Gavin McGonagle is a senior undergraduate student double majoring in history (with honors) and political science. He is writing as an independent opinion columnist for The Miami Student as well as the press representative of the Miami University College Republicans. He serves as Chancellor of Oxford’s Knights of Columbus Council 18322 – Seat of Wisdom, as well as secretary of Epsilon Tau Pi, Sigma Colony.
Another view of DEI
LEE FISHER GUEST COLUMNIST
I read, with considerable consternation, professor John-Charles Dufy’s letter to The Miami Student that was published in print edition on April 14 concerning the leadership of Miami University – President Gregory Crawford – and the recent passage of Ohio Senate Bill 1 (S.B. 1).
Perhaps, Dufy should have taken a closer look at the inner workings of Miami’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) group and the impact it has on Miami students.
I am an older, non-traditional Miami student who has been involved in class work for the past decade. About fve or six years ago, a guest from Miami’s DEI department came to my class as a guest lecturer. This was the frst time I had been exposed to the staf of Miami’s DEI department. Since many in this class were frst years, my guess is that this was also a frst-time exposure for many of my fellow students.
After a few minutes of introduction, the guest speaker talked about their department, defned some terms and gave students a historical look at race relations in the United States. I knew that the guest speaker would be there prior to the class. So, I had jotted down a few names from the early Civil Rights movement beforehand. I raised my hand and asked the speaker about their view on a half dozen of these early leaders and their impact on current race relations in the U.S. Imagine my shock when the speaker said, “Those people were ‘old
The crisis of complacency
PIXIE MENEZES THE MIAMI STUDENT
In an age where injustice is broadcast in real time and hashtags rise and fall within hours, activism has never been more visible – yet, paradoxically, more performative. We are surrounded by curated expressions of outrage, while the gears of oppression turn steadily in the background, untouched and undeterred.
Modern activism is frequently reduced to digital displays – an Instagram post is shared, profle picture is changed, a hashtag is passed around and then … silence. It’s palatable and designed for the algorithm, not for the streets.
Surface-level solidarity won’t save us. We need more. We need direct action. We need hands that reach beyond the screen. We need community, not just commentary. We need ground-level organizing.
That’s what real activism looks like. It’s grueling. It’s showing up when no one’s watching, and it demands that we have the courage to speak up when it’s inconvenient and intimidating, not just when it’s popular.
As someone who has navigated sorority leadership, advocacy for sur-
vivors of violence and the slow-burning work of coalition-building, I’ve witnessed frsthand how hard it is to sustain energy in a culture of feeting attention spans. I’ve become familiar with the ache of caring too much in a world that begs you to care less. We are all tired, but the systems we are fghting don’t rest. What breaks my heart the most is the silence. The friends who nod in agreement, but are nowhere to be found when action is needed. The ones who say, “I’m here for you,” but stay seated when it matters most. Silence isn’t neutral, it’s loud in its absence of solidarity. As an activist, the silence is more than disappointing – it’s disorienting. It forces me to question my place in a community that claims to care, but then only does so when it’s easy. You begin to wonder: Is anyone listening? Am I too sensitive? Why am I the only one who can’t look away? The reality is that we are surrounded by people who claim to care until caring becomes inconvenient. This kind of dissonance cuts deep, but we can’t let it convince us to stop trying. We can all contribute based on our skill set and capacity. Resistance means choosing community over and over again: getting to know your neighbors, stocking
your local fridge or pantry, donating to mutual aid eforts, calling your representatives, showing up to town hall meetings, wearing a mask to protect others or planting food in community gardens. Our individual contributions might seem small or insignifcant, but they are important because resistance only survives in the arms of the collective. Solidarity isn’t a vibe or a moment: it’s a lifelong commitment. It’s standing in the storm and saying, “I’m not leaving.” We must ask ourselves hard questions: What are we willing to lose for what we believe? Who are we willing to stand beside when it’s uncomfortable? Are we truly challenging power structures or are we performing resistance for applause?
To shift the culture and build the world we deserve, we must embody the change we preach. No single moment, leader or election is the sum of what we are and what we can be. We need to move from awareness to accountability, from hashtags to hands-on action, from performative posts to participation. Complacency is complicity. The time for comfort is over.
If none of us are willing to risk everything for freedom, then all of us will perish beneath the weight of tyranny.
I refuse to let that happen. Even if my voice shakes, even if I stand alone, I will keep shouting into the silence. Because true revolution won’t come with flters or applause; it will be raw and uninvited, led by those of us who feel too much, speak too loud and refuse to look away.
menezepa@miamioh.edu
About Pixie Menezes Pixie Menezes is a thirdyear student studying organizational leadership and sociology. She is a proud member of Sigma Lambda Gamma National Sorority Incorporated and is involved in multiple activism and diversity-related organizations on campus.
The University is an ecosystem: An extended metaphor for our new fiscal priorities
school,’ and they knew nothing about the struggle we face today.”
Another student asked the speaker about what they felt was the “biggest challenge in improving race relations today.” Without hesitation, the speaker said, “It boils down to a war between us and them.”
I, again, raised my hand and asked the speaker to defne “them.”
The speaker turned to me and said, “It’s people like you.”
We are all products of our own personal experiences with every person and every idea put in front of us. Based on what I have described in this classroom scenario, how would or could professor Dufy promote or defend the impression left on the minds of dozens of students that day by Miami’s DEI group. I did my own investigation over the next few years about the speaker. Would it surprise anyone to learn that the same rhetoric continued unabated and unchecked?
Crawford had nothing to do with whether S.B. 1 became law in Ohio, or did he? Does Dufy know anything about private conversation that Crawford may have had behind the scenes about his disapproval? Does Dufy now suggest that Crawford engage in “civil disobedience” that would probably curtail funding that pays his (Dufy’s) own salary?
It’s one thing to take the moral high ground on any issue that is charged with emotion. It’s a totally diferent story when one acts as a “Monday morning quarterback” when the game has already been played.
Lee Fisher Miami, 1968 Oxford, Ohio
ELENA JACKSON ALBARRÁN PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY
ASSISTANT CHAIR, DEPARTMENT OF GLOBAL AND INTERCULTURAL STUDIES
A version of this op-ed was delivered as a speech at the April 17 Hands Of Higher Education rally organized by the Ohio Student Association (OSA) in collaboration with the Faculty Alliance of Miami (FAM).
This month, President Donald Trump issued an emergency order to open all national forests for logging to boost timber production. Supporters of this move say that trees are a renewable resource. They can be replaced. Yet many feel outrage at this pillaging of our natural resources. Why? Because they know that cutting down a forest for its trees is a short-sighted solution.
Education, like national forests, is a public good. A university, like a forest, is an ecosystem. A professor, like a tree, cannot thrive in isolation from that ecosystem. Elimination of programs and departments that do not prioritize proft-seeking outcomes is a slash-and-burn approach to solving projected budget problems. Those faculty lines can be replaced, administrators say, when times are fush.
But what happens when you clear-cut a forest? You are not simply removing trees. You are destroying a fragile, interdependent ecosystem.
Professors might seem like a renewable resource, but like a tree, they come to being within the context of
their environment, feeding from and giving life to the members of their community.
Under RCM 4.0, the new university budget model announced at the annual budget symposium on April 14, Senior Vice President for Finance and Business Services David Creamer said he supposes that approximately 25% of the current departments at the university will be considered underperforming, and they will be fagged for removal, reducing them to individual line-items on a budget, a single tree with a commodity value equal to its weight in timber. But these departments are part of the university ecosystem, what we know as the liberal arts. RCM 4.0 wants to allocate funding to students’ chosen frst majors, allowing a high school student declaring an incoming major in computer science to determine the viability and fate of a university department that he or she has yet had the opportunity to discover, fall in love with and add as a second major. Trees and shrubs in the understory play an important role in the health of a forest. They provide soft landing grounds for the larvae of benefcial insects, insects that are fundamental to the food chain and our planetary health. Likewise, our programs that teach students world languages, global perspectives, historical empathy, visual literacy, technical writing skills, creative thinking skills, manual making skills, oral presentation skills and more are also vital components of this educational ecosystem. Their value might not be
as readily quantifable as timber, but they feed from and give life to the larger departments that have more impressive trunks, the ones that signal cash value. Yet those trunks would be malnourished without the organic compounds that fow through them.
Students will take liberal arts skills with them into any career. To be sure, the careers of today will not be the careers of tomorrow, and our graduates will have to adapt to a rapidly transforming employment landscape. A short-sighted approach to cull the educational forest and allow only the strongest trunks to remain standing strips us of our intellectual biodiversity. It leaves us vulnerable to blight. It does not invite or sustain a variety of species.
We might be able to plant new trees, but we can never recover what’s lost when we remove an oldgrowth forest.
A liberal arts university is an ecosystem.
Save generations of institutional knowledge, cultivated relationships and organic partnerships. Save our intellectual diversity. Protect our public goods.
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.
albarrej@miamioh.edu
About Elena Jackson Albarrán
(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) ANDIE KARRENBAUER, PIXIE MENEZES AND KAITLYN STEPHENS ATTENDED
DISSATISFACTION WITH PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP AND ELON MUSK. PHOTO PROVIDED BY PIXIE MENEZES.
ELENA JACKSON ALBARRAN ADDRESSED THE CROWD AT THE APRIL 17 “HANDS OFF HIGHER EDUCATION” RALLY. PHOTO BY TAYLOR STUMBAUGH
A great conservation success story: River otters sightings in Oxford
VENEZIA MCHENRY STAFF WRITER
Oxford resident Jim Hermann set up trail cameras on his property hoping to catch the beavers that were chewing on the trees. Instead, he saw images of river otters, not commonly seen in Oxford, playing on downed tree branches.
“For me, it was very exciting and unexpected,” Hermann said. “If somebody asked me, ‘Do you hope to capture otters along the creek?’ I would say, ‘I know they’re back in Ohio someplace, but I wouldn’t have expected them here.’”
River otters are native to Ohio and should be playing in every river and creek. The reason they are rarely seen is because of the direct actions of humans. Continuously hunted for their soft, brown fur, river otters were wiped out in the 1900s in Ohio and eventually reintroduced in 1986, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
Steven Sullivan, director of the Hefner Museum of Natural History on Miami University’s campus, said he hopes everyone cares about conserving the ecosystem and its inhabitants.
Sullivan said there are three main reasons why we should care about our environment: aesthetic, utilitarian and ethical. Aesthetic reasons because many enjoy looking at nature’s beauty. Utilitarian reasons include animals, plants, trees and water systems providing resources to people.
Lastly, Sullivan said ethical reasons are important because humans should not decide what lives and dies. He said all organisms on Earth have value and contribute to the ecosystem.
“Otters belong here as a resource, as an aesthetic thing – people tend to fnd them beautiful – and as an ethical thing,” Sullivan said. “They are an organism that lives on our planet.”
Two other species, the bobcat and mink, were also intentionally killed of by humans and are now reappearing in Ohio in recent years.
“There are bright spots,” Hermann said. “One of those bright spots is the reappearance of these big mammal and bird species that have come back to Ohio. They’re coming back naturally or from surrounding states, or in the case of the otters I believe there was an intentional reintroduction of otters that had been trapped elsewhere and released into the Ohio waterways.”
A 2019 study done by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources found that the reintroduction of otters from Arkansas and Louisiana has been largely successful. They report that 83 out of 88 counties in Ohio have confrmed some river otter presence, especially in eastern parts of Ohio. They fnd that the increasing number of otters is likely due to improving aquatic habitats, expanding beaver populations and growing restoration eforts in surrounding states.
Aiden Schmeling, a senior majoring in biology, sustainability and geo-
Oxford Area Trails System project pushes
graphic information science, works with Sullivan in the Hefner Museum. Schmeling said he believes that otters are a great conservation success story.
“We want to have a healthy population that can sustain itself and provide resources,” Schmeling said. “They are a mid-upper level predator on fsh and aquatic life, so that indicates there’s adequate water quality for our fsh. It tells us that we have a big enough ecosystem to support a predator.”
The nocturnal, semi-aquatic mammal has made a comeback after being missing in Ohio for years. Today there are estimated to be over 6,500 river otters in Ohio, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Sullivan said that the number of otters and other rare species, such as bobcats and mink, will only increase if we do our part for the environment.
“It remains to be seen if [otters] will become that common,” Sullivan said. “It’s up to you and I and all of our friends to make the decisions. Do we want to live in a world that is governed by natural principles? Will we let those natural principles establish natural ecosystems, or are we just going to be constantly fghting against things and ultimately be making rivers that have one hundred year foods all the time?”
mchenrvg@miamioh.edu
SARAH KENNEL GREENHAWKS EDITOR
For college students navigating Oxford without a car, middle school students without access to busing and those looking to reduce carbon emissions, alternative transportation is essential. The Oxford Area Trails System (OATS) project aims to create a 12-mile path around the city, making alternative forms of transportation easier.
However, implementing such a wide-scale project across the city comes with challenges.
According to Oxford City Council member David Prytherch, one of these challenges is the acquisition of land. While some phases of the project, such as those on land owned by Miami University or the city of Oxford, go without a hitch, it is more difcult to carve a path that intersects with privately-owned land with mul-
tiple stakeholders.
Prytherch said the most recently completed Phase Four, connecting Talawanda Middle School, Dana Drive, Brookville and the Owls Landing subdivision, did need to acquire private property and instead used the public right of way.
“If you see a street, it’s part of this wider thing called a public right of way that basically, even though it may be your front yard and you own it, is part of this thing that the city has a right to develop transportation facilities inside of,” Prytherch said.
The fnal addition to this phase will be a new pedestrian-activated trafc signal at the entrance of Dana Drive and Oxford Riley Road. This intersection was regarded as busy and unsafe. Prytherch said he hopes the new trafc signal will help middle school students walk to school safely.
Assistant city manager Jessica Greene said there were a few residents unhappy with the path of Phase
Four. The removal of gardens in the path of the trail upset some residents along Brookville Avenue.
Greene said she believes these challenges and disagreements are worth working through because citizens have led the push for this project. She said the original project was citizen led, and has been one of the top priorities for citizens in comprehensive plans. In 2018, a tax levy was passed to support the funding of the project.
“We passed a levy in 2018 of residents saying, ‘Yeah we believe in this so much we’re willing to pay taxes to do it,’” Greene said. “And so all those reasons mean it’s a public amenity and a public necessity for transportation that’s worth fghting for.” The next phase of the project, Phase Five, may require fghting through more confict. This path will connect the Talawanda High School and Middle School to Pefer Park and the future Chestnut Street Multimod-
al Station. It also crosses through private property.
City engineer Scott Otto said that the city is working with 11 private property owners, and that they have reached an agreement with nine. The city is working to acquire easements that give them the right to build and maintain the trail in a certain area on someone else’s property.
Greene said that the city will try to pursue an agreement with the remaining two property owners in court.
“This is the frst one where we’ve had [to take] private property, and so that has been a big learning process on how to do that, and we are getting ready to begin that process,” Greene said.
An additional challenge to completing Phase Five is the construction of a large bridge over the railroad, including mesh across the sides and top. Otto said he hopes this will further improve Oxford’s connectivity.
“I think it’d be a very important connection piece and in the trail system,” he said. “Being able to connect the two schools with … a bridge over the railroad.”
Prytherch said the city does its best to put the planning through a public process, and that he hopes this process will bring about a trail that increases the connectivity and transportation options in the city.
“It’s just an enormous team efort that it’s been a privilege to be a part of and see like that,” Prytherch said.
“We’re a small city, but we still can dream big and marshal the resources to get it done, which is just very empowering.”
The construction process of Phase Five will begin once the remaining private property disputes are resolved.
kennelse@miamioh.edu
CONNOR OVIATT HUMOR EDITOR
Listen, our generation is lazy. We like to use acronyms whenever possible, whether it be through our written or verbal communication. So, I’ve decided to compile a list of my favorite acronyms specifc to Miami. Some of these you may know, and some of them…. may have been invented by yours truly, but should become commonplace. Without further ado, here comes my favorite shorthand sayings.
BDF - Brick Dance Floor
The acronym that inspired this article. I, in my apparent lack of ball knowledge, did not know this was commonplace until maybe a month or so ago. I had been hearing people say it of and on, and I fnally asked some friends what it meant. Boy, did a ton of conversations between sorority girls I’ve eavesdropped on make a lot more sense.
Since I became enlightened, I’ve realized how common this is, with other acronyms in front of it as well. I don’t want to speculate on what you degenerates are doing at Brick, so I’m just going to leave this here. But se-
riously, please don’t tell me what the other acronyms mean – I want to protect my innocence as long as possible.
ROPE - Running from Oxford Police and Escaping Now I’ve never personally used this acronym. If I were to ever get arrested, which I won’t, then it would probably be for something money-related. Luckily, I took Paul Becker’s business law class, so it won’t stand up in court.
Anywho, for those of you who have ROPEd before, congratulations, I guess. Bonus points if you managed to hold onto your fake and the contraband in the process.
DTF - Dashing to Farmer I don’t know about you, but the best part of my day is when I receive the text from my class crush who’s running late to class that she’s DTF. I also feel like such a hero (or white knight) when I tell the professor that Amber is running a bit late to class, so make sure she gets her attendance points for the day. Man, I hope she remembers all that I’ve done for her when I decide not to talk to her in my endless search for love. It’s gonna work one day….
MILF - Man I Love Frats Another common one, which
What does AI think about Miami?
MICHAEL PATTEE STAFF WRITER
If any of you have ever turned to AI for help coming up with ideas to write for a paper, then you know exactly what I tried to do for this article. I got some of the results, and I realized… Why not just see what AI thinks is funny about Miami University? So the following headlines are humor article suggestions by Co-Pilot, Chat GPT and Grok relevant to Miami, followed by a touch of commentary from yours truly. Microsoft Co-Pilot
“The Miami seal: A guide to avoiding accidental kisses”
Whoa whoa whoa! Accidental kisses?!?! I’ve gotta start spending more time by the seal, I guess…
“Armstrong Student Center or Miami’s Vegas Strip?” First, Co-Pilot fully supports the nickname of OxVegas! Personally, I love it, but Armstrong is not the place I would’ve considered to be the heart and soul of Oxvegas. But hey, if I can gamble while waiting on my Panera order, you won’t hear any complaints from me!
“How to survive the walk of shame … from kipper’s” First of all… anyone who spends the night at Skipper’s is on a diferent level. I didn’t realize that overnight stays were an option. Look, if you manage to spend the entire night at Skipper’s, I think you’re more than capable of surviving any ensuing walk of shame.
Chat GPT
“University debuts new ‘Snow Day’ policy: Just pretend it’s summer”
President Gregory Crawford, even Chat GPT has caught wind of our denial of the existence of snow days! Now, unless you want to be known as THE Snow Day/Science denier, just throw us one (or fve) this next winter.
“Incoming freshman thinks ‘Green Beer Day’ is environmental holiday, uickly learns otherwise”
Don’t tell me you can’t imagine those Eco-reps water bottles making an appearance at GBD. I mean come on, a green container for fuid AND green fuid, it’s a GBD miracle!
“Study fnds 94% of students have texted ‘u up?’ within 500 feet of Brick Street”
…this one isn’t a satire … Chat GPT knows us too well…
Grok
“The Great Squirrel Heist: Why Miami’s squirrels are plotting a nut revolution”
Pause. OK, resume. I’ve known the squirrels have been up to something for a while now, kinda nutty that they’re plotting a revolution via a heist, though.
“The seal superstition: Why stepping on the hub seal dooms your love life”
Ohhhhh, this explains it. Y’all stepping on the seal doesn’t make you fail your next exam, It makes you fail at relationships!
“The Goggin Ice Arena conspiracy: Why the zamboni is the real campus MVP”
Is this even a conspiracy? The zamboni is this campus’s Majestic Vehicle of Perfection. patteemj@miamioh.edu
is odd because I hear it a ton when people are talking about my friend Raileeighy’s mom. I think people may not understand this one. Anyway, I tend to hear this one commonly as I walk to Millett and Yager along fraternity row. I completely understand – if I paid thousands of dollars for a social group, I too would hope that I love it. Regardless, it is great to see brothers having spirit for their cults, I mean clubs.
DAR - Don’t Actually Read I think this one may apply to our whole university. I am proud to say that I have saved approximately $3,000 throughout my college career by not buying the “required” textbooks for my classes. If they were truly required, how come I keep getting emails from academic standards telling me they “want to talk about my academic performance”? I would tell you what my GPA is, but I think you would get jealous (it starts with a 1, because I’m No. 1). While not an exhaustive list, these are my current favs of the acronyms that are in our lingo. If you feel I missed some, feel free to email me at: oviattcc@miamioh.edu
ELIZA SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER
9 a.m. - I wake up in a cold sweat from a dream where Nancy Pelosi my demons are chasing me down a long, windowless hallway — the usual. I grab my phone and immediately open the AP News app, where I doomscroll for a good 45 minutes. Once I feel a sufcient amount of crushing hopelessness, it’s time to go to class. I live on Western Campus, so the frst thing that meets me when I step out the door is the lovely stench of dead fsh coming from Western pond. When I reach the political science dungeon (Harrison Hall) I brace myself. My class is on the third foor and those stairs are brutal. I watch my feet as I climb. Left. Right. Left. Right. I’m sweating through my shirt. Left. Right. Left. Right. My calves start to burn, but this is the last fight. Left. Right. Left. Right. I hoist myself up by the banister, triumphant. I have vanquished the stairs… for today. I walk into my classroom drenched in sweat and out of breath, just like everyone else. Despite the arrival of summer in Oxford, Harrison is kept at a frigid 60 degrees. I begin to shiver.
1 p.m. - Once class is over, I log on Instagram. My feed is a mix of alarming news coverage, friends’ posts, animal videos and The Onion. I get whiplash as I scroll: a cat is playing fetch, my friend studied abroad in Spain, immigrants are being deported without due process. Oh look, another cat video!
My grandma calls me to catch up. After a lovely chat about her book club and garden, she shifts the topic to “these darn liberals” and tells me to avoid getting indoctrinated at college. I make up an impending class I have to go to and politely excuse myself from the conversation.
5 p.m. - I stop by the dining hall for dinner. As I eat, I scroll through the news some more. I see that another federal program I had hoped to work at in the future has been cut. I go to my notes app where I keep my list of future career options and cross of a few more. Now it looks like my only choices are… switching to a business major or becoming a West Virginian cryptid. I’ll opt for the latter. 7 p.m. - I fnally meet up with my friends. However, we’re getting to the end of internship application season, so rather than relax and unwind with them, I’m rapidly switching between applying to internships and checking my email. I refresh my email an average of seven times
sullivei@miamioh.edu
SHANNON MAHONEY
ASST. CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
As my frst year at Miami University comes to an end, I’ve begun to look ahead to what this summer will bring! Here are the things that I am most looking forward to this summer: Hot showers
I am a sucker for a boiling hot shower. Unfortunately, the dorm showers may as well be a freezing cold water hose with their freezing temperature and nonexistent water pressure. Showers are a personal unwinding time for me. If I can’t get a scalding hot shower, I go from a minor nuisance to borderline insuferable. It’s no surprise, then, that I’ve been prone to sending progressively more aggressive emails as the semester has worn on. Plus, I get to have my dogs out with me while enjoying my time in the wet chamber. Seasoned protein Oh how I will rejoice when I can taste my food again. Trying to get my
protein requirements in the dining halls often feels like eating very, very dense air. I wised up a little for the second semester, and I’ve taken to carrying Trader Joe’s everything but the bagel seasoning around with me whenever I hit the dining halls.
Toasters My biggest gripe with both the residence and dining halls is the unlawful seizure of all toasters. What’s worse, at the beginning of the year, my dorm had toasters! In a violation of our rights, they decided to remove them about a month into the school year (likely because Brad decided to put Kraft Mac and Cheese in it after a long night at Brick). Perhaps you’re thinking there’s some sort of rationale behind this, but I’ve been through the fre reports from last year and there is no mention of a toaster-related incident. As far as the government is concerned, nothing actually happened. Someone stuck a sponge in a microwave, but nothing at all happened with a toaster. It’s safe to say I will be extremely
happy once I can have a toasted bagel with cream cheese for breakfast again (I will no longer have to pretend with the crappy dining hall chicken). Free laundry
This is also synonymous with “free loading,” AKA, the practice of leeching of of your parents while you still can. I absolutely plan on being a little parasite for as long as humanly possible (dad, this is a joke, I swear). I don’t care if it’s undignifed; I think it’s dumb to pay to wash my clothes. Fewer EMS vehicles I wouldn’t say I get a lot of sleep while I’m at school (see Eliza’s article), but I try to at least aim for a deep sleep if nothing else. Unfortunately, that gets complicated when the ambulance gets called to the dorms about three times a night. I can’t wait to fall asleep without the blinding red and blue lights shining through my windows and shattering any hope
GRAPHIC BY OLIVIA MICHELSEN
GRAPHIC BY MADELINE BUECKER
