Starting in fall 2023, Miami University removed or consolidated 19 majors due to low enrollment. Now in 2025, more majors may soon be removed due to changes in state law and the relocation of resources toward majors with high levels of enrollment.
What’s happening?
The majors placed on the chopping block two years ago were mostly in language or cultural studies, and their department chairs were told that if they did not have a plan to increase enrollment by December of that year, they would be cut.
Twelve were removed outright: French education, health communication, health information technology, Spanish education, German education, Latin education, Latin American studies, American studies, art history, critical race and ethnic studies, religion, social justice and women's gender and sexuality studies. Of those 12, only six retained minors: Latin American studies, American studies, art history, critical race and ethnic studies, religion, social justice and women's gender and sexuality studies. French education, Spanish education, German education, Latin education, health communication
AYLA PEDEN ASST. CULTURE EDITOR
Miami University’s student-run theater organization, Stage Left, held its annual fall musical in Wilks Theater during the weekend of Nov. 14–16. This year, club members came together to perform their rendition of “Firebringer.”
This musical comedy follows a prehistoric tribe as they try to survive without knowing how to hunt or make fre. All the while, the main characters break the fourth wall to make jokes about how easy it must be to live in modern society.
While audiences were fnally able to see the performance in late fall, the director, David Amsden-Michel, a senior media and communications and flm studies major, started planning the show last spring.
“I was informed that I would be directing last April,” Amsden-Michel said. “We started working with pre-production a little after that. By May, I had my assistant director, Sam, and we’d assembled a few mem-
OLIVIA PATEL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
“If you don't play the game, you lose.”
On Halloween, Ohio lawmakers on the state’s redistricting commission approved new congressional maps that will favor Republican seats in upcoming elections, including the midterms next year.
The redistricting committee consists of the governor, state auditor, secretary of state, an individual appointed by the senate president, an individual appointed by the speaker of the Ohio House, an individual appointed by the senate minority leader and an individual appointed by the Ohio House minority leader. Five out of the seven members of the committee are Republican; however, the maps passed with bipartisan support from all seven members.
Drew Belcher, chairman of the Miami University College Republicans, said while these maps favor Re-
and health information technology majors did not retain corresponding minors.
In April, seven majors – classical studies, French, German, Italian, Russian, East European and Eurasian studies, and East Asian languages and culture – were merged into the new world languages and cultures major. In the aftermath of the elimination and consolidation of these majors, the Department of Comparative Religion was merged into the Department of Global and Intercultural Studies. The Department of French, Italian and Classical Studies is currently considering merging with the Department of German, Russian, Asian, and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures.
Now, more programs are in the process of being removed. Interim Provost Chris Makarof said that because of changes in student and university priorities, as well as state law, majors like music composition will no longer be ofered. Why is it happening?
In July, Senate Bill 1 (S.B. 1) went into efect. The bill has many contentious issues, from limits on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion subject matter to regulations on faculty unions and striking, both of which Miami faculty and students have protested in the past year.
bers of the production team, and we sort of workshopped things over the summer.”
From there, Amsden-Michel and the rest of the show’s production team planned every detail, from what the sets would look like to lighting and casting — everything needed to be in-
publicans, the issue of gerrymandering is abused by both political parties.
“If Republicans don't do it, Democrats are gonna do it,” Belcher said.
“So it's either you do exactly what [the Democrats] are doing, or [Republicans] are going to hold the moral high ground on this, and we're going to lose. From a political standpoint, you don't get anything done that way.”
Republicans currently hold 10 of the 15 United States congressional seats in Ohio; however, with the newly-approved maps, Republicans have the potential to slide into two more of those seats: Rep. Greg Landsman, Democrat of Ohio’s 1st District, and Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Democrat of Ohio’s 9th District. The maps were required to be redrawn by the Ohio Constitution, which states that if the original maps – drawn once a decade in 2021, do not have bipartisan support – then they need to be redrawn after fve years.
Outside of Ohio, 12 states have either discussed, enacted or are pending approval for new congressional
JULIA HALL THE MIAMI STUDENT
When Miami University’s Chickfl-A opened its doors on Oct. 27, Armstrong Student Center looked like students had never seen a fried chicken sandwich before. The wait for the new fast food chain on campus was nearly three hours; however, Miami’s Chick-fl-A is more than just an exciting new dining spot. It’s a commitment to sustainability.
From compostable nugget containers to recyclable cups, Miami’s Chick-fl-A location ofers a range of sustainable packaging products. These products are a result of collaboration between Miami’s Ofce of Sustainability and Dining Services. Senior director of dining services Geno Svec said dining services works closely with Miami’s sustainability director, Olivia Herron, to implement earth conscious choices into the new location.
“We difer from other Chick-flAs,” Svec said. “We moved from styrofoam to paper products that are environmentally friendly.”
This switch was made possible by the sustainable alternatives Chickfl-A ofers to their franchised establishments. Miami’s sustainability engagement coordinator Alex Miller discussed the diference between brand standard packaging products and products used at Miami’s Chickfl-A.
“Their brand standard is the Styrofoam cups … but we were able to request recyclable paper cups,” said Miller.
Miller said that certain brand standard Chick-fl-A products, including the cardboard fry containers, drink holders and napkins, were already environmentally friendly. However, this was not the case for other items.
REN CHAFFEE
THE MIAMI STUDENT
College is often known for its “out on the town” experiences. A crucial, and often overlooked, part of the so-called “college experience” is the late-night eateries. Bagel & Deli is not just a place to grab a quick bite, but a core part of Miami University’s culture.
tricately planned. However, choosing who to trust in each role turned out to be the most challenging.
“The most important part about directing was just picking the right people for each role,” he said.
maps, according to a tracker by CNN Politics. However, out of the 13 total states redrawing their maps, only Ohio is constitutionally obligated to do so.
“Nobody should be doing this except Ohio,” said Elisabeth Warner, communications director for the League of Women Voters of Ohio (LWVO). “Everybody else who's doing it is doing it to gerrymander their state.”
Last fall, the Fair Districts Ohio coalition, which is led by LWVO and Common Cause Ohio, played a leading role in the Citizens Not Politicians campaign – or Issue 1. The campaign proposed an amendment to the Ohio Constitution that would take the power to draw congressional maps out of the hands of politicians and lobbyists and into a 15-person, non-partisan committee. The committee would be composed of fve Democrats, fve Republicans and fve independent voters.
Opened in 1975, Bagel & Deli has an expansive menu of over 90 creative bagel combinations. This menu is arguably the biggest draw of the restaurant. From custom orders like the “Lottery,” where the workers choose your bagel toppings for you, to the “Crunch and Munch,” Bagel & Deli has something for everyone.
“The workers are like the London cabbies of bagels,” Miami alum Joe Cochran said. “They have so much knowledge of just how to make all the bagels, and they do it so confdently – just like how the cabbies can drive anywhere in London without needing a map.”
The key to having efcient workers is maintaining a balance of new employees and experienced employees, said co-owner of Bagel & Deli Gary Franks.
“This year we have the right balance,” Franks said. “[The training process starts with memorizing the most popular bagels], then they start branching out from there. When you get down to it, the most popular bagels are what you are going to be making 90% of the time.”
Lisa and Joe Cochran are alumni who have – since graduating in 1998 – made multiple trips back to visit Bagel & Deli.
“I remember it would be the dead of winter and the staf would all be wearing T-shirts because they were working so hard,” Lisa Cochran said. “The staf is always working so hard, that’s never changed.” Sophomore sports and communication major Zoe Fleischer said she thinks Bagel & Deli is a good alternative to the dining halls around campus.
THE MIAMI STUDENT STAFF
OLIVIA PATEL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
KISER YOUNG
ANNA REIER
MANAGING EDITOR
TAYLOR STUMBAUGH
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR
KETHAN BABU
SPORTS EDITOR
TAYLOR POWERS
OPINION EDITOR
STELLA POWERS
CULTURE EDITOR
CONNOR OVIATT
HUMOR EDITOR
SARAH KENNEL
GREENHAWKS EDITOR
OLIVIA MICHELSEN
DESIGN EDITOR
SARAH FROSCH
DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR
ELISA ROSENTHAL
PHOTO EDITOR
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
MADELINE BUECKER
ASST. DESIGN EDITOR
SHANNON MAHONEY
PARKER GREEN
ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITORS
ALYA PEDEN
ASST. CULTURE EDITOR
JEFFREY MIDDLETON
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
AUSTIN SMITH
BUSINESS MANAGER
FRED REEDER JR.
FACULTY ADVISER
SACHA BELLMAN
BUSINESS ADVISER
AIM MEDIA MIDWEST PRINTER
The Miami Student is committed to providing the Miami University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication.
Who’s Who at MU: Student trustees
TAYLOR STUMBAUGH
CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
Miami University is governed by the Board of Trustees. Within the ranks of the 17 members are two enrolled students meant to be the voice of the student population.
Even though they’re not voting members, Peyton Morrow and Arushi Agrawal attend the fve annual board meetings and sit through the various committee meetings designed to update the board on current projects, and they contribute to discussions about topics ranging from campus infrastructure to academic programs.
More specifcally, though, Agrawal, a junior Spanish major on the pre-med track, said a lot of her job revolves around listening to students and then bringing those perspectives back to the board.
“We bridge communication between the student body and administration so decisions can refect real needs on campus,” Agrawal said. Morrow, a junior biology major, added that joining the board wasn’t a resume-building tactic. Instead, he wanted to get more involved on campus and saw this as fulflling a passion.
“I just want to help students and make them more aware of what the role does, but also, listen to their concerns and try to voice that to the highest level,” Morrow said.
Some of the presentations and discussions during board meetings have included approvals of degree programs, updates to Workday’s implementation, admissions updates and tuition revenue compared to years prior.
The last day of the meeting is when the student trustees get their opportunity to “shine,” though. During a fve-minute speech, the trustees update the board on what they’ve been working on and provide insight into the campus culture.
“It’s [really] student trustees going and meeting other student leaders [and] collaborating on projects that we’re working on,” Morrow said. “We try to collaborate as much as possible, just because we can have a bigger impact.”
Agrawal said she has spent her time and energy advocating for students’ mental health and creating a more compassionate curriculum
Our Awards
2024 and 2025 Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best All-Around Student Newspaper in the large school category, beating out every student paper at a university over 10,000 students in Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania
2025 Ohio Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Award for First Place in the Best College Newspaper category
2025 Greater Cincinnati Pro Chapter Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Excellence in Journalism Award in the College Student Publication category
2025 Ohio News Media Association Award for First Place in Best Website
2024 Ohio Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Award for Second Place in the Best College Newspaper category
Several break-ins plague Oxford
where professors are more willing to work with students.
An example she used was from her sophomore year, where a professor had a policy allowing students to replace one of their exams with the fnal if they did better.
“That genuinely changed my life, because something happened to my family, and I had to be a daughter before I could be a student,” Agrawal said.
Morrow’s projects run parallel to Agrawal’s. He focuses on student life and creating a sense of belonging on campus, as well as expanding mental health resources.
He said one of the things he helped with was the creation of the Student Wellness Advisory Group. Anytime a concern comes up surrounding anything related to student well-being, especially, he said, if it goes down the path of mental health, they’re able to pull from all diferent sectors of campus.
“We meet once a month with the associate director for student health and wellness, so right there, we can bring student issues front and center,” Morrow said. “We don’t have to carry them up a long chain of people.”
The process to be a trustee is not for the faint of heart.
The Associated Student Government’s president and vice president, along with the two current student trustees, interview students on campus to create a pool of applicants. Out of that pool, they rank their top fve and send that list to the Ohio governor’s ofce, where the Department of Boards and Commissions picks their top candidate after an interviewing process. That recommendation is sent to Governor DeWine, who signs of on the appointee. They then also
have to be approved by the Ohio Senate.
The trustees serve two-year terms – Morrow’s is up next February, and Agrawal’s is in 2027.
“I actually feel like I get to make a diference on campus, and I know I’m making a diference and it’s really cool,” Agrawal said. “... I love Miami, and this position has allowed me to see how much support actually goes on behind the scenes to give our students the best experience.”
Other initiatives include building a relationship with the Provost’s Offce, working on scheduling changes with the Miami Plan, strengthening frst-year orientation and helping implement an inclusive dialogue program in the honors college.
Izzy Whitt, a sophomore triple majoring in fnance, accounting and Spanish, said she didn’t know Miami had a Board of Trustees let alone student trustees.
“I don’t think you really learn much about what goes on behind the scenes,” Whitt said. “I just go to class and I do my homework and that’s it.”
She added that, even though she wasn’t aware of the board, she’s happy that people higher up are hearing the student perspective to gain an idea of what’s actually going on around campus.
Agrawal holds a similar opinion.
“The Board of Trustees are voting members that make decisions that directly impact our students,” Agrawal said, “and they 100% need the input of students if they’re going to be voting on decisions that directly impact us.”
stumbata@miamioh.edu
AUSTIN SMITH BUSINESS MANAGER
Between Nov. 10 and Nov. 17, police ofcers responded to 16 diferent incidents, according to the Oxford Police Department report.
On Nov. 11, at 5:25 p.m., in the 110 block of N. Poplar St., ofcers responded to an assault at McCullough-Hyde Hospital involving a patient and a nurse. No charges have been fled at this time.
On Nov 12, at 10:52 a.m., in the 5010 block of College Corner Pike, ofcers responded to a report of a fraudulent check drawn from the account of Oxford’s Carstar, occurring on Oct. 22. The check was deposited at an unknown bank. Both the victim and their bank requested a police order for the money to be credited back to the original account.
On Nov. 13, at 10:17 a.m., in the 210 block of S. Main St., ofcers met with a resident who said their house’s window pane was broken sometime during the previous night. No further details were provided.
Later that day, at 4:42 p.m., in the 470 block of McGufey Ave., ofcers responded to Miami Savings Bank regarding a report of identity fraud. The male suspect reportedly displayed a fake ID to the employee and attempted to deposit money into that account. Ofcers arrested the suspect for identity fraud, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a fake ID and obstructing ofcial business.
On Nov. 14, at 11:35 a.m., in the 300 block of Bishop St., an ofcer
met with a resident who had video footage of two suspects breaking into their house and causing damage. The investigation is ongoing.
Later that day, at 11:52 a.m., in the 150 block of Gaslight Ave., ofcers met with a victim to report a car break-in that occurred overnight. A report was fled.
That night at 9:28 p.m., in the 30 block of E. Sycamore St., ofcers responded to a report of a male attempting to break into a residence. Ofcers made contact with the suspect and found the male to be heavily intoxicated. The report said the man became sick and could not care for himself. A citation for disorderly conduct was issued.
On Nov. 15, at 10:34 p.m., in the 40 block of East Park Place, Ofcers and emergency medical services were dispatched for a heavily intoxicated female. Following arrival, medics transported her to the hospital. She was found to be underage and in possession of a fake ID.
On Nov. 16, at 12:42 a.m., in the 5180 block of Morning Sun Road, offcers responded to a welfare check. Once ofcers arrived, they located an intoxicated male and transported him to the hospital. He was cited for disorderly conduct and underage consumption.
Later that night, at 11:51 p.m., in the 600 block of S. Locust St., ofcers were conducting a trafc stop when they observed an open alcoholic beverage in the vehicle. Ofcers cited the driver for an open liquor container.
smith854@miamioh.edu
GRAPHIC BY SYDNEY MULFORD
GRAPHIC BY MACY CHAMBERLIN
The Miami Student Games
ASLEE
University Senate begins renovations by approving new Enabling Act in wake of Senate Bill 1
EVELYN DUGAN THE MIAMI STUDENT
Following a public hearing on Nov. 3 and a semester of sessions discussing how to adapt to Senate Bill 1 (S.B. 1), the Miami University Senate ofcially approved a new Enabling Act created by the ad hoc committee. The Enabling Act revisions will go before the Board of Trustees at their next meeting in December.
The ad hoc committee, led by Media, Journalism and Film Department Chair Rosemary Pennington, was also tasked with proposing revisions to the curricular approval process. Pennington presented these changes, which would allow the senate to have an earlier say in the approval process than they do currently. The University Senate approved the revisions.
“I’d like to note my gratitude to all of you for your patience with senate this semester, as we know this is a time of considerable change for this body,” Nathan French, vice chair of senate and chair of the senate executive committee, said. “Our vote for the Enabling Act revisions today herald the beginning of a series of changes to how this senate will function at Miami in the years ahead. At our Dec. 1 meeting, the senate executive committee will present to you an agenda for our ongoing renovations to this body that will extend across the entirety of the spring semester.”
These revisions are just the frst
step to a great deal of change to come for the University Senate. However, they did not completely take away the concerns regarding S.B. 1.
Cathy Wagner, a professor of English and member of the Faculty Alliance of Miami (FAM), spoke about her worries regarding the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act. Wagner specifcally focused on how faculty input is not included in the post-tenure review process, calling it dangerous.
“Is that bad? Is it dangerous? Yes, it is. Absolutely, it means that if you’re, say, a history professor who publishes books, [if] your productivity is deemed insufcient because they want you to publish articles, there won’t be a disciplinary person necessarily to weigh in,” Wagner said. “So we will have to count on our administrators working well for us, and I don’t think that’s enough. We need more than that.”
Wagner called on University Senate members to unite and focus on making change. She suggested paying attention to the legislature’s stances on education and pushing them toward repealing the law.
“It is a terrible, terrible law that is going to damage the credibility of Ohio higher education,” Wagner said.
“So what can we do? I encourage you to join your union. I encourage you to work in other ways, to combine with people, to build power so that we can do something about this and preserve higher education in the state of Ohio.”
The University Senate continued
with new business. Melissa Thomasson, associate vice president for strategic initiatives and professor of economics, presented a preliminary proposal on the restructuring of Miami’s regional campuses toward a polytechnic structure. It carries the goal of increasing enrollment by focusing on areas highly aligned to Ohio’s workforce needs.
Senate members expressed concern for faculty being physically moved or laid of because of this. Thomasson reassured the senate that this is not the only time when change has occurred for the regional campuses, and she said her report will entail a frm commitment to faculty.
“I know and you know this is a time of huge uncertainty in higher education,” Thomasson said. “This isn’t the frst time we’ve decided to do something diferent as a regional.”
The senate declined to recommend a previous proposal on the matter of the graduate school’s administration of graduate awards, which was previously proposed by Jason Abbitt, professor of educational psychology and associate dean of the graduate school, at the meeting on Oct. 20.
The senate also went into executive session to deliberate on proposed candidates for honorary degrees.
The University Senate’s next meeting will be at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 1 in 111 Harrison Hall.
duganec@miamioh.edu
City council approves construction, purchasing of new equipment
KIERNAN
will occur on recently-annexed streets by the City of Oxford: Riggs Road, Brookville Road, Fairfeld Road and Contreras Road. A resolution to replace and upsize the High Street water main was approved. The section of the water
main that will be updated runs from Elm Street to College Avenue and will distribute clean water to Oxford buildings. Chad Smith, director of Oxford Parks and Recreation, presented a resolution to construct a new playground at the Oxford Community Park. The park is intended for ages 2 to 5 and will replace a playground that is now more than 20 years old. The design was chosen from four proposals and will be funded by a community development block grant. The replacement will bring the playground up to the standard with the rest of the park.
“This will pair nicely with the larger playground that was replaced a couple of years ago,” Smith said. Parks and Recreation prepares
to purchase feld marking robot
Smith also presented a resolution to purchase a TLM Pro X Razor athletic feld marking robot. The robot would be used to mark athletic felds for sporting events, but it can also be used for other applications, such as marking parking spaces. The robot will cost $39,595 and will take three years to pay of.
The device was originally planned to be funded through a grant that is no longer available.
“We stayed with the company and they have ofered [Oxford] to purchase [the robot] outright with a considerable discount, from $56,000 to $39,000,” Smith said. Oxford to apply for event safety grant Jessica Greene, assistant city
ASG passes resolution for winter light decorations, discusses security camera placement
SHANNON MAHONEY
ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR
Senator Darius Somrack brought up a concern about the lack of security cameras in certain areas of campus during Associated Student Government’s (ASG) last meeting on Nov. 18 He said his bike had been vandalised after leaving it parked at a bike rack behind Havinghurst Hall, where other students have also reported issues.
“A lot of people have had incidents happen and they’re asking, ‘Why is there no camera that has a view to the only entrance that people go through after 11 p.m.?’”
Secretary Ryan Jeansonne said he would bring it up with the Oxford Police Department. He also said the Parking Advisory Committee recently received a grant to add more security cameras on campus, although an exact timeline for when they might be installed has not yet been determined.
Senator Lynn Setter brought up a concern regarding the lack of sidewalks near the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum on Western Campus.
“Cars come fast around that turn or that corner from Western, and I go to the art museum often for a class, and I defnitely almost got hit last week,” Setter said.
Senator Nick McClure introduced a revised proposal requesting the university reconsider its policy on course overload fees. The legislation was revised after its introduction at the previous meeting, when multiple senators expressed concern over a lack of information. McClure said he hopes to communicate with the university to better understand how the overload fees contribute to Miami f-
manager, presented a resolution to apply for a grant for the purchase of event safety equipment. If awarded, the grant would provide $353,000 for the purchase of portable safety barricades and handheld and walkthrough metal detectors. She said the barricades would be used for large events that close one or more streets and would protect event-goers from out-of-control cars.
“We did research on what cities were doing, and we found that vehicle stop barricades are widely used,” Smith said. “Together, these tools will improve event safety.” City council parts ways with two members The meeting concluded with council members thanking Vice Mayor Chantel Raghu and council mem-
nancially and consider potential ways to reduce the cost for students.
Senator Nathan Lentz also brought up issues with the way current information about the overload fee is listed on Miami’s webpage.
“The course overload fee has the last date that you can get a refund if you drop a class on the Miami website,” Lentz said. “But for sprint courses, it does not, and for spring courses, [it] just says, and I quote, ‘Sprint courses will have shorter refund periods.’ So I feel like they should put it on there.”
ASG passed the resolution.
Senator Nick Barry proposed a resolution to support placing winter lights on campus. He said the decorations would help spread joy on campus and serve to mitigate how dark certain areas on campus are, particularly on Academic Quad, which is a high-trafc area.
“It’s almost December, it’s snowing, I’m missing holiday music – but it’s [also] completely dark, which you guys have been mentioning a lot,” Barry said. “Greg Crawford does decorate his house, and it always looks great. I just feel like we should extend that to the rest of campus.”
Senator James Li said he worried whether this was a good allocation of university funds, but Senators Luke Jolly and Alex Oliver both voiced their support for the bill, saying they believed the cost was worth it.
The resolution passed and will be sent to President Gregory Crawford, the associate vice president of facilities planning and operations and the director of operations.
This was ASG’s fnal meeting for the current semester. They will resume meetings starting in the spring.
mahones5@miamioh.edu
ber David Prytherch for their service to the City of Oxford as their terms expire. Both Raghu and Prytherch thanked the council and the Oxford community for the opportunity to serve the city.
“It has been the privilege of a lifetime to be part of the City of Oxford,” Prytherch said. [City council] is just one form of service, and I look forward to contributing [in other ways].” Raghu and Prytherch will be succeeded by new council members James Vinch and Roxanne Ornelas. City council will meet again on Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. at the Oxford Courthouse.
pfennikp@miamioh.edu
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
After 6 decades, retired department chair returns to his roots delivering news
TAYLOR STUMBAUGH CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
It’s a Tuesday. 1961. A 12-yearold Richard Campbell leaves school and hops onto his bright red and white Hufy bike to deliver the Dayton Daily News in his hometown of Dayton. He earns enough to buy some pop and candy from delivering seven days a week.
“There were a couple houses with mean dogs,” Campbell said. “I would just throw [the paper] and take of.”
Now, at 76, he hops into his silver Honda CR-V hybrid to deliver the Oxford Free Press to his roughly 40 stops in Oxford every Friday morning – and he does this for free.
At each stop, Campbell gets out, reaches into the backseat where he stores about 300 copies of that week’s edition in his three-year-old granddaughter’s car seat, and delivers them to businesses Uptown. The Animal Care Clinic, where he picks up his dog’s arthritis medicine, gets fve copies. Salon Signature, where he gets his hair done, gets another fve and the Starbucks up the street gets 15. Later in the day, Campbell will visit Miami’s campus — a place he’s very familiar with after spending seven years working there as the founding chair of the Media, Journalism and Film Department and eight years before that running the journalism program.
“I’ve been a champion of local news ever since I’ve seen its decline and thought, ‘This is trouble when people don’t have access to their own town’s information and what’s going on,’” Campbell said. “‘What are they doing for information?’ Well, they’re not doing anything locally. They’re watching cable news, they’re listening to talk radio, they’re on social media. They’re getting a lot of bad information – they’re not getting any reporting.”
Less than 25 years ago, the United States had about 40 journalists per 100,000 residents on average. Now, that number has dropped to
CONTINUED FROM FRONT
One particularly impactful section of the bill – ORC 3345.454 – requires that majors graduating fewer than fve students a year on average over three years be eliminated. However, the chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education can grant exceptions to this rule.
Renée Baernstein, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), said this bill is not expected to afect CAS, as most of the low-enrollment majors were removed in 2023.
“CAS strives to ofer a rich and varied range of majors, with a portfolio that aligns with student interest,” Baernstein wrote in an email to The Miami Student. “In the last few years, we’ve deleted several low-enrolled majors and introduced several others in response to shifting demand. At the moment, we are not planning to delete any additional majors.”
She added that students already enrolled in cut majors have the right
8.2 local journalists, a 75% decline according to Muck Rack.
More than 1,000 counties — one out of three — do not have the equivalent of one full-time local journalist. This creates gaps in coverage of businesses, what’s happening in school districts, local government and the police station — leaving community members without a base level of knowledge.
Oxford is no exception.
John Skillings, a retired Miami University administrator and faculty member in math and statistics, said even though his background isn’t in journalism, he has always supported it. At Miami, he helped – along with Campbell and Jim Rubenstein, a professor emeritus of Geography at Miami – create the Oxford Observer, the journalism capstone class which operated for a little more than a decade. In this class, seniors could build their portfolios by writing for a professional publication.
In 2023, Miami stopped ofering the Observer as the capstone, leaving a reporting gap in Oxford. Skillings said the trio decided they should do something more. That’s when they began to discuss creating a weekly print paper.
In January 2024, the Sunday print edition of the Journal-News in Hamilton cut the page it dedicated to Oxford. What started as a prosperous independent community newspaper a century ago eventually fell to a lone page in a neighboring publication. Its single-page termination left Oxford to rely on one college publication, but no professional one.
Later that year, the trio founded the Oxford Free Press.
“... I just wanted to be involved in getting news into the community,” Skillings said. “... We thought [The Free Press] might be, not only a way to provide information for the community to get out of this, so to speak, news desert, but it’s also a way to bring people together. Another side beneft is to get more people involved in the activities.”
Similar to Campbell, Skillings delivered papers when he was 14, but stopped after two to three years once
he saved up enough for his bicycle.
“[Campbell] will walk Uptown and say, ‘Well, let’s drop of a few here, and drop of some there.’ He was Uptown the other day, and somebody had a sign out [that read], ‘You can get your Oxford Free Press here,’ so he thought, let me just give them some more copies,” Skillings said. “He’s our number one delivery person.”
Sean Scott, the frst editor of the Oxford Free Press and a Miami alumnus, is now the religion, politics and society reporter for the Maine Monitor.
He said if local outlets aren’t covering local decisions, like the Oxford City Council meetings every other week, those aspects just aren’t going to be covered.
“They do impact people’s lives,” Scott said. “They impact the businesses that come to Oxford, and I think that having a local paper that is explicitly focused only on those local issues is really important.”
At roughly 1 p.m. every Friday, Campbell can be found making his way onto Miami’s campus.
His route includes all of the deans’ ofces and roughly 10 education buildings. Campbell isn’t the only volunteer. He said the Oxford Free Press has 15 people helping out every week, delivering to the diferent shops Uptown and to the neighboring townships. All of them are also retirees.
Campbell said he would guess they drop of to a total of 50 to 60 locations.
“Richard cares very, very deeply about the paper and loves getting it to people,” Scott said. “So I feel like every week or every month or so, he would come in and talk about this new place that he was dropping of on campus. He was also very passionate about making sure Miami people were up to date on it … He loves local journalism and is a very good person to have on the team.”
Taylor Stumbaugh interned for the Oxford Free Press in the summer of 2024.
stumbata@miamioh.edu
What does accessible housing look like in Oxford?
OWEN MARTIN THE MIAMI STUDENT
More than 17% of Miami’s undergraduate population is identifed as disabled by the Miller Center for Student Disability Services – that’s nearly 3,000 people. Most able-bodied people focus on the visible aspects in academic buildings; accommodations like ramps, elevators and braille signs. But there’s one question very few people tend to ask: Where do they live in Oxford?
Living on campus is central to the college experience, and the Miller Center is charged with upholding this commitment to students with disabilities.
“Our role is facilitating equal access to the university experience for students with documented disabilities,” said Dan Darkow, director of the Miller Center. “That is, of course, the academic realm, but also includes housing, dining and all the programs and services Miami has to ofer.
Students who are seeking housing accommodations begin by contacting the center and submitting proof of their disability. Afterwards, they’ll meet with one of the Miller Center’s fve access coordinators, who will then decide if accommodations are necessary. From there, the application is reviewed by the Housing Accommodation Committee, an organization working with a wide range of universities to ensure students get the care they need. Of the students afliated with the Miller Center, roughly 13-15% receive housing accommodations.
Housing accommodations vary greatly depending on individual needs.
“Whenever we are presented with a concern for an individual student, we work collaboratively to identify the best solution forward that will beneft them and future students,” Darkow said.
Accommodations look diferent for everybody, but some of the most common are single rooms, private bathrooms, gender-neutral restrooms or frst-foor placement. For students with sensory issues – like hearing or vision loss – accommodations might look like visual fre alarms or bed-shaking devices to alert residents to an emergency.
Darkow said Miami prides itself on the fact that all renovated buildings are up to federal accessibility standards and include things like power-operated doors and grab bars in showers. This does not mean that unrenovated dorms are inaccessible; it just means that they are not accessible for every disability.
“Just because a building is accessible to one person doesn’t mean it’s accessible to somebody else,” Darkow said. “Those experiences can signifcantly vary depending on the impact of someone’s disability.”
Darkow also said housing accommodations are applied to students
with psychological or mental health disorders.
“Regardless of the disability, whether it be a physical disability, learning disability, psychological disability, medical condition, mental illness – it all goes through our same afliation and housing accommodation process,” Darkow said.
While housing on campus is generally accessible, fnding accessible housing of campus is usually more challenging. Darkow said he personally struggled to fnd accessible housing as a wheelchair user.
Although the Miller Center does not manage any of-campus units, it does provide guidance for students navigating the process.
“We don’t have a direct connection to of-campus housing … but we certainly have worked with students in their pursuit of of-campus housing to ask the right questions of their landlord and make sure they’re understanding what their rights are,” Darkow said.
Jessica Greene, assistant city manager in Oxford, echoed Darkow’s concern about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) housing in Oxford. She pointed out that while all new construction is up to ADA standards, older homes could be exempt from these standards.
“All new construction has to be built up to code, but older properties that do not meet standards can be grandfathered in and still rented,” Greene said.
However, since leases are contracts, the City of Oxford can’t interfere with individual agreements. Greene also said that since building standards are set by Ohio law, Oxford lets the state enforce housing law, while the local government spends time ensuring that the city’s facilities are accessible to all members of the community.
“For example, the City of Oxford just got done making every curb in the city ADA accessible,” Greene said. Students echo a large amount of concern for the issue, but not much comprehensive knowledge.
“I always saw the wheelchair ramps around my dorm and power doors at the Armstrong [Student Center], but I wasn’t aware how deep support went,” said Alec Martin, a frst-year integrated social studies education major.
“It really seems like Miami cares about disabled people.”
Darkow said conversations about disability in the media miss the point. Instead of focusing on barriers or framing disability as something tragic, he urged people to shift the lens to inclusion and opportunity.
“Too often in the media, disability is portrayed as negative, bad, tragic … and I think it’s really important we focus on the accessibility piece,” Darkow said, “and how housing accommodations allow students to be equal participants in the residential experience here at Miami.”
martino9@miamioh.edu
to complete the degree as planned.
However, the same may not be true for the College of Creative Arts (CCA).
Ryan Fisher, the dean of the College of Creative Arts (CCA), declined the request to ofcially comment; however, he said in an email to The Miami Student that CCA will hopefully have all proposed curriculum revisions approved in the next eight months.
Per Bloland, an associate professor of composition and music technology, said one major from CCA that will be eliminated is music composition. It is unclear whether this major is being removed due to S.B. 1 alone or other factors, although it would fall below the fve degree minimum.
Bloland said many of the programs, like the ones he teaches, are vitally important within campus culture.
“Music is an essential part of our lives, and having performers and composers on campus adds to many
things that are very important to the university,” Bloland said. “… [Humanities programs] enhance the world, they enhance the university and they enhance the student body.”
Aside from complying with state law, Makarof said the university is trying to focus on courses that more students are taking.
“What we’ve been trying to do is streamline the curriculum [and] reduce courses where there are very low enrollments,” he said. “There’s this notion in society that you have to major in engineering or business or something where you can see a high-paying, tangible job … We’re faced with a dilemma of huge numbers of students wanting more business and technology-related classes, and so we just have to shift the resources toward those areas.”
Nathan French, vice chair of the University Senate, chair of the University Senate’s executive committee and associate professor of religion and international studies, said the
increasing cost of higher education further exacerbates this problem.
“In some sense, this incredible cost of higher education is increasingly putting pressure upon students and their families to think about how each credit hour of their education will become fnancially and economically generative after their graduation,” French said. How will these changes afect students and the university?
While students currently enrolled in cut majors will fnish their programs, there is still concern over the efect that this could have on the university as a whole.
French said he’s not worried about the quality of education in the short term, but in the long term, things could change.
“As departments consolidate, or if a department is eliminated, it changes the way the university commits to ofering certain felds,” French said. “We have a couple of faculty who
teach elements of Jewish studies in their courses, but we no longer have one professor whose research and teaching interest is in Jewish studies … at a time when questions about the relationship of Palestine and Israel are foremost on the minds of many students.” Makarof said he still hopes the priorities of higher education can return to where they were before.
“When I went to college, it was knowledge for the sake of knowledge,” Makarof said. “When students would ask, ‘Well, what should I major in?’ I would say you should major in whatever you’re passionate about, because if you’re passionate, you’re going to do well in it, and you’re going to learn all the transferable skills. I think that those days are, at least for now, gone … Hopefully, we’ll come back one day.”
hagooda@miamioh.edu
TAYLOR STUMBAUGH
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
ROTC and the government shutdown: Training continues on campus
MADDIE KALTENMARK THE MIAMI STUDENT PARKER GREEN ASST. CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
For Lily Rose, a senior biology
major, a typical school day starts at 5:30 a.m.
As the Battalion S-4 for Miami University’s Army Reserve Ofcers’ Training Corps (AROTC), she’s the person who handles the logistics and supply operations for the group, on top of her duties as a cadet and as a student. These duties include physical training at 7 a.m., military science labs and a commitment to join the Army for up to eight years after she completes her higher education. It’s a strict schedule, but one that Rose is comfortable with.
In exchange for this unique college experience, AROTC cadets are compensated with scholarships (covering up to full tuition) and a monthly stipend of $420.
For Rose, being able to attend Miami was a reason why she enlisted.
“I have a full ride to the university, which is awesome,” Rose said.
“That makes fnancial freedom pretty great, and [the scholarship] also covered my room and board for [my frst year] and sophomore year.”
The fnancial freedom AROTC provides was uncertain during the record-breaking government shutdown, the longest in United States history.
Many government-run organizations faced the threat of funding issues, and the military was no exception. While general troops were paid during the shutdown, there were fears that a long period of government closure could result in future missed payments and suspension of ROTC scholarships or stipends.
Master Sgt. Jacob Hill said the military, including AROTC, would
continue regardless of payment.
“One of the key Army values is duty, right?” Hill said. “At some point in time, everyone agrees to serve … regardless of what’s going on.”
Rose shared a similar philosophy.
“We do our job,” Rose said. “It doesn’t matter if we get paid or not.”
Luckily for the AROTC cadets, Miami agreed to honor all of the scholarships and stipends.
“The university has done a really great job at honoring the students with our scholarships,” Rose said.
“They’re keeping the promise that even though the pay, due to the government shutdown, is delayed … it will be paid at a future date.”
Rachel Beech, the vice president for enrollment management and student success, said it would be rare for cadets to see any bill from the university, regardless of shutdown status.
“If we had stayed delayed into December or even January, they would see the bill be waived, but they wouldn’t necessarily say the account be closed,” Beech said.
ROTC scholarships are broken down into federal and university levels, with tuition being billed to the military and housing being billed to Miami.
Beech said there are two components to how ROTC students receive their funds: Part of it is through the federal government, and the other part, for housing and meals, is a direct scholarship from Miami, so it wasn’t afected by the government shutdown.
“At the end of the day, I head home, like everyone else,” Rose said. kaltenmg@miamioh.edu greenpt@miamioh.edu
Lewis Place: The White House of Miami
AYLA PEDEN ASST. CULTURE EDITOR
Along High Street, a large white house sits across from Miami University’s front lawn. With its open-air porch, supported by tall white columns and black shutters framing every window, Lewis Place has become a campus staple and a symbol of the university’s history.
But most students don’t know much about Lewis Place, beyond the fact that President Gregory Crawford and his wife, Renate Crawford, live there with their three dogs: Charlie, Newton and Ivy. Yet, it has been the home of every Miami president for more than 100 years.
In 1839, two years after arriving in Oxford, Romeo Lewis, a Connecticut and Floridian businessman, built the house for his wife, Jane. The couple lived in the house together until 1843, when Romeo died at age 48. Jane resided in the house until she died in 1888, at 80 years old.
For years, many people have speculated that Jane was an abolition sympathizer and even made Lewis Place a stop on the Underground Railroad. In 1965, when renovations were underway in preparation for Miami President Phillip Shriver’s arrival, secret passages were found that could have hidden runaway slaves, according to the Smith Library of Regional History and Oxford’s Black History tour.
Since the Lewises had no children of their own, the home went to Romeo’s relative, Phillip Moore, who rented out the house to various people and eventually leased it to the university.
“[After some time], Moore just realized that they were not going to live in the home,” said Jacqueline Johnson, a university archivist and interim head of special collections and archives. “So, they ofered it to the university as a lease for the university president.”
Following the lease in 1903, President Guy Potter Benton moved into Lewis Place, along with his wife and daughter. However, it wouldn’t be until 1929 that the university bought
Beyond the bubble: Oxford’s commuting community
A small town surrounded by cornfelds, Oxford is often considered to be a tight bubble. Yet, 869 commuting students slip in and out of town largely unnoticed.
Everyday, these students choose to wake up early and commute from their homes to Oxford for classes. That decision sets them apart from the majority of Miami University’s residential crowd. Commuting students navigate a diferent set of unique challenges, including managing travel time, gas afordability, bad weather, impeded routes and Miami’s parking policies.
“[Commuting students] choose Miami every day when they wake up, and it’s freezing,” BaShaun Smith, associate vice president and dean of students, said. “[We are] very blessed that they chose and they continue to choose us even when it’s difcult, even when it’s raining, even when it’s snowing, even when they don’t want to get up in the morning.”
Justin Watson, a sophomore biochemistry and pre-med major, is evidence of the commitment of commuter students. Despite his distance
from Oxford, Watson balances numerous on-campus activities: Best Buddies, Greek life, Medical Ethics Club, Med Life, the Honors College and inorganic chemistry research of diferent ligands of cobalt molecules.
Watson said he also works three to four nights a week at a hospital and volunteers at St. Vincent de Paul, a non-proft in Cincinnati. After sleepless overnight shifts, Watson makes the morning drive to his classes in Oxford. He is only able to rest after his commute home.
“There’ll be a lot of nights where I don’t sleep at all, and I just come to class,” Watson said. “Naps are big for me.”
Travel time is only one of many considerations for students who voyage into Oxford daily. In addition to the extra time dedicated to traveling, commuting students must also account for trafc and parking on campus. In her frst week as a Miami commuter student, Ashlyn Claywell, a frst-year biology major and resident of College Corner, Indiana, was handed three parking violations — although two have since been retracted. On top of that, she said potholes in the Millett parking lot have proven to be problematic for her small car.
the residence for $25,000.
After President Benton resigned his position, President Raymond M. Hughes moved into the historic house, creating the expectation that Miami presidents would reside there. Since then, it has been assumed that the presidents would live in Lewis Place as part of their contract with the school.
“There is no requirement for the president to live [at Lewis Place], pay rent or host events,” said Seth Bauguess, senior director of communications at Miami.
The house is simply a bonus of being the university president.
“It’s a private residence,” Johnson said. “It’s just like your house. It’s just that the president happens to live there.”
Each president has left their mark on Lewis Place, often giving it modern updates and adding personal touches, like new paint colors, decor and new furniture for the public areas of the house.
“Originally, Lewis Place had no bathrooms, running water, closets, electricity, cooling and was heated with 16 freplaces,” said Alecia Lipton, director of media and public relations. “Over time, all of these conveniences were added to the house. The last major renovation of Lewis Place occurred about 20 years ago, between President [James] Garland’s and President [David] Hodge’s occupancy.”
For many years, much of the art-
work on the frst foor was on loan from the Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum. Since moving into the house in 2016, the Crawfords have worked with the Museum as well as the College of Creative Arts to highlight the work of Miami students and faculty.
Along with featuring the Miami community’s art, the president and his wife host various events in Lewis Place, such as admissions receptions, dinners, recognition events, open houses as well as M.O.V.E Bootcamps, holiday parties, Welcome Weekend open house and more. These events welcome thousands of guests a year, including alumni, donors, students, parents and faculty. Crawford occasionally holds meetings in his study, which was originally the bedroom of the house’s original owner, Jane Lewis. Renate Crawford holds ofce hours for her physics classes there, as well. Manav Diler, a senior fnance and business analytics major, said he likes knowing that the president lives just of campus.
“I think it’s a good thing,” Diler said. “It really makes a smaller community. I see him around campus playing catch with some of the frats and all those boot camps that we have at his house; It really takes down the [hierarchical idea] that ‘Oh, he’s the president, you have to be formal with him.’” pedenae@miamioh.edu
For many commuters, scheduling and logistics shape their daily routines. Some commuting students avoid returning home unless they are fnished with all classes and activities for the day. Claywell said she sometimes waits hours around campus for her club meetings, which begin at 8 p.m. Rather than returning to a dorm room or using a meal plan to eat in a dining hall, Claywell must fnd new places to linger.
Claywell said relationships can be hard to form for commuting students who do not have time on campus to be involved in clubs and organizations.
“If I was not involved in clubs, I feel like it would be hard [to make friends],” Claywell said. “Especially because you’re not going home to these people, like you’re going to your home. So it’s not like you’re with them 24 hours a day.” Involvement in clubs and organizations may become difcult for commuting students to coordinate. Watson shared insight on how scheduling is diferent for commuters — noting that many campus groups forget Oxford is not exclusively flled with close residents.
“Some people get so wrapped up in the ‘everyone lives in Oxford’ or ‘Oxford is this community where we’re all right here,’ Watson said. “All of the sudden, [clubs] spring, ‘We’re gonna have a meeting in 30 minutes,’ and no one knew about it until just now. I can’t be there unless you give me a little bit more of an advance.”
Miami ofers services that acknowledge the special circumstances of commuter students. Oxford’s commuter students are invited by the Ofce of the Dean to spend time in the Commuter Center in Armstrong room 2045. It’s a welcoming environment for fostering community building and academic success, and the center holds resources for traveling students including lockers and assistants, according to the website.
“Commuter students can reach out to all the various services that we have on campus and we will be more than willing to support them,” Smith said. “If they need anything, they can reach out to the Dean of Students Ofce. We have a designated person that’s working with our of-campus and commuter students.”
duganec@miamioh.edu
New Ohio maps could promote more Republican seats ahead of midterm
CONTINUED FROM FRONT
Warner said the issue failed due to distorted ballot language, manipulative advertising and bad-faith rhetoric.
“It failed because voters were lied to and because the people who have the power cheated,” Warner said. “What the politicians did was they basically tricked voters into thinking that our amendment was going to create gerrymandering, and they used the political levers of power that they had.”
Since then, conversations throughout Ohio and on Miami’s campus regarding gerrymandering have increased with the current efforts to redraw maps nationwide.
Monica Schneider, professor of political science, said she discusses gerrymandering with her students in American Political System (POL 241), an introductory political science class ofered both to majors and those completing the Miami Plan.
“Gerrymandering is arguably one of the most important factors in determining elections in American politics,” Schneider said. “So, it’s obvious that you have to teach it to students.” Schneider said she presents the topic of gerrymandering through current events, both in Ohio and in other states around the country, like Texas and California. Similar to Belcher, she said she talks about it as an issue taken up by both political parties, not just by the Republicans in Ohio.
“It’s easy to feel like you’re picking on Republicans for doing gerrymandering in Ohio, but I try to always point out that if the Democrats were in charge, they would probably be doing the same thing,” she said.
One of her students, frst-year Reagan Williams, said as an Ohio resident, he appreciates the discussion of gerrymandering as it
relates to what’s going on in the news. A chemical engineering major, Williams took this class as an opportunity to explore his interest in politics.
“[Our discussions] mostly involve examples and explaining the process,” Williams said. “[Redistricting] is related to the process of electing ofcials more broadly, and how political power can be manipulated one way or the other.” Ohio has turned increasingly red in recent years, voting Republican in the last three presidential elections. With these newly-redrawn maps, targeting districts near Toledo, Akron and Cincinnati, Republicans have the potential to take two more seats in the midterm elections next year; however, these seats are still very much up for grabs.
“There are fve Republican representatives – that may change, that may not change,” Warner said. “The point is, this map was drawn behind closed doors. It’s a product of a deal made by politicians that the public did not have the opportunity to weigh in on, and that’s the part that is fundamentally anti-democratic.” patelou@miamioh.edu @OliviaPatel555
EVELYN DUGAN THE MIAMI STUDENT
ARE ABLE TO BOND OVER SHARED
Behind the jersey: A sit down with 3 men’s basketball players
PARKER GREEN ASST. CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
When you think about the Miami University men’s basketball team, it’s easy to jump straight to the highlights: last year’s 25-9 season, this year’s promising three-game winning streak and a strong roster highlighted by both experience from the upperclassmen and potential from the freshman recruiting class.
You rarely think of the players – at least, not as people beyond a number and a stats sheet.
The Miami Student sat down with junior wing Eian Elmer, junior guard Jackson Kotecki and senior guard Peter Suder in an unconventional interview to talk superpowers, superstitions and more.
Questions and responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Which NBA team do you root for, and who is basketball’s Greatest of All Time (GOAT)?
Suder and Elmer both picked LeBron James as their GOAT, despite cheering for the Pacers and “whatever team LeBron is on,” respectively.
Kotecki opted for a more controversial choice, naming Kevin Durant as the GOAT and the Rockets as his favorite team. It’s a wild pick for a basketball player from Chicago, a city famously linked to Micheal Jordan. Do you have any superstitions?
The athletic world is famous for its superstitions, and these three men are no diferent.
“I wear the same socks for every game. Like, the same exact pair,” Suder said.
Elmer also has a clothing-based superstition.
“If I just had a good game in a
pair of shoes, those are the shoes I’m wearing for the next game,” Elmer said.
If you were a time of day, what time would you be and why?
“I’d be 8 p.m.” Elmer said. “It’s the best part of the day. After dinner, it’s just chill and relaxed, you know?”
“10 p.m. on a Friday,” Kotecki said, “with nothing to do the next day.”
Suder took a broader approach and said he would be the morning, “because that’s when the sun comes up.”
What is your favorite and least favorite part about being a college athlete?
“The best part is going out to eat with the guys and just chilling [with the team],” Kotecki said. “The hardest part is that it’s a lot of work. You have to be dedicated.”
Suder and Elmer lightheartedly argued over who would go next, worried the other would “take their answer.”
Suder won, and he said the best part is the brotherhood that comes with being on such a close-knit team, and the worst part is balancing school and basketball.
Elmer followed suit.
“The best part is defnitely your team [and] building lifetime friendships,” Elmer said. “The worst part is traveling and then having to go to class in the morning. It’s the worst thing ever.”
If you could eradicate one food, what would it be?
Elmer was quick with his response.
“I don’t even know what it’s called, but it’s in soup,” Elmer said. “Those little green pieces? It’s like celery. Not peas – it’s chopped up. ” After clarifying that he was talking
KETHAN BABU SPORTS EDITOR VINCENT JOLLIFF STAFF WRITER
Last season, the Miami University RedHawks women’s volleyball team won two games in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play. Those two wins came nine matches apart from each other, and Miami ranked 10th in conference standings.
This year, the No. 6 RedHawks punched their ticket to the MAC tournament for the frst time since 2020. They frst face the University of Toledo Rockets on Nov. 21.
“It’s something that I’ve been dreaming about since coming here,” senior setter Hayden Hicks said. “I committed when they had been winning the MAC for four years in a row. [It’s] just so special to me, especially
KETHAN
BABU SPORTS EDITOR
ELISA ROSENTHAL PHOTO
EDITOR
“Nice pass Hank.”
“Try that route again Hank.”
“Hank, good scramble.”
If you visit a Miami University football practice, you’ll hear the name “Hank” thrown around frequently. Head coach Chuck Martin, quarterbacks coach Gus Ragland and all the wide receivers will call out to a “Hank” on the team.
But there is no Hank on the football roster. The person they’re referring to is redshirt senior quarterback Henry Hesson.
“People call him Henry, people call him Hank,” Martin said. “I don’t even know when they started calling him Hank. His family doesn’t call him that. It comes from somebody, it wasn’t me.”
Hesson has played as a backup on the team for the last fve seasons. He didn’t expect to start in any game this year, but the departure of Dequan Finn last week puts Hesson as the frst man under center for the remainder of the 2025 season.
Hesson grew up in Avon, Indiana, where his father was a high school football referee. He got involved with multiple sports, but once he played quarterback on his fag football team, he knew there was no going back.
As a three-year starter at Avon
about celery, Elmer confdently picked that as the food he would get rid of.
“I’m going to say black olives.” Suder said. Elmer agreed wholeheartedly.
“Brussel sprouts,” Kotecki said “They’re so gross.”
What’s one piece of advice that’s always stuck with you?
“Mine would be, ‘The work is going to show,’” Elmer said. “What you put in is what you get out, and if you only do a certain amount, you’re not going to get everything you want.”
Suder’s advice refected his feelings over what will be his fnal college season.
“It goes by too fast,” Suder said. “Don’t waste it. I feel like yesterday I was starting my freshman year playing college, and now I’m already a senior in my last year.”
Kotecki also said to be in the moment, adding that he tries “to live where his feet are.”
What’s your best quality?
Kotecki started by saying he’s a positive person but was cut of by Suder with a, “Dude, no you’re not.”
“I’m always having a good time, wherever I am.” Kotecki amended.
Suder said his own best quality was that he’s a “people person,” and that he genuinely cares.
There was a brief pause before Elmer answered.
“I’m just a joy to be around,” he said.
What did you want to be when you were little?
It shouldn’t be a surprise that both Suder and Kotecki always dreamed of going to the NBA.
Elmer took a diferent athletic route.
“I wanted to be a WWE wrestler,” Elmer said. “John Cena was my
GOAT, man. He really inspired me.”
Are you surviving the zombie apocalypse?
A unanimous “yes” was given, which led to a discussion of how they’re surviving.
“I’m going wherever Dan Luers is.” Suder said, while Elmer reassured everyone he would be “too fast” for the zombies to catch him.
“But I’m not living more than 10 years, though,” Elmer said. “If things aren’t looking better, I’m leaving the Earth.”
Kotecki agreed.
“If it’s a year-long zombie apocalypse, I’m fne,” he said. If you could wake up tomorrow with one skill, what would it be?
“I want to be able to speak French or something,” Kotecki said. Elmer chose the ability to sing.
Suder brought things back to basketball.
“I would wake up with a 40-inch vertical,” Suder said. “Or the ability to play piano.”
What superpower would you choose?
“Super speed – best one,” Elmer
said. “What’s fight going to do for me? I could do anything fast. You’re going to fy to clean your room?” With the idea of cleaning on his mind, Suder chose telekinesis.
“I could move stuf with my mind and just clean my room while sitting,” he said. “Everytime you shoot the ball: boom, buckets.”
“If I could teleport, that would be tough,” Kotecki said.
If you were athletic, what sport would you play?
“Well, this is a troll. You’re trolling us.” Elmer said.
“Yeah, are you athletic?” Suder asked Elmer. “Because I’m athletic.” Still, they decided to play along.
“If I were athletic, I would play pickleball.” Elmer said.
Suder cut in to say that if he was athletic, he would play tennis.
A side conversation broke out over who was the most athletic, with Elmer, Suder and Kotecki debating over the diferent levels and types of athleticism. Elmer and Kotecki both argued they were the most athletic in the room.
greenpt@miamioh.edu
to do it with this group. I feel like this is the closest I’ve ever been to any team I’ve been on. It just means everything.”
With a 16-14 (10-8) record, Miami also fnished the regular season above .500 for the frst time in six years. The team’s success this year is no surprise to head coach Dan Gwitt, who is now in year two with the program.
“For me as a coach, this was the game plan,” Gwitt said. “It’s not to sound arrogant, but I knew if I was tough on this team and brought in the right kids, and we stuck to the game plan and kept punching, we would get here … In my mind, that’s part of being a good coach: You have to make your team believe that they can do it as well.” The RedHawks began MAC play with an even 6-6 record in their non-conference slate. In 2024, they
High School, Hesson threw for 6,336 yards and 70 touchdowns, 31 of which came as a senior. He received ofers from other schools in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) like Eastern Michigan University, Ball State University and Central Michigan University, but his fnal decision was with the school that ofered him last.
“Miami was the ofer I wanted the most,” Hesson said. “I came here [my] sophomore year and fell in love with the place. It’s where I wanted to be, but I was a COVID kid, so we didn’t really get to go on recruiting visits or anything like that.”
Miami’s quarterback room at the time was highlighted by Brett Gabbert, who started all six years he was a RedHawk. Backup Aveon Smith proved to be an essential fller when Gabbert went down with an injury in 2023.
Hesson struggled to stand out in a stacked room, but Martin said his dedication to Miami football solidifed his spot on the roster.
“He’s one of many out there, but he is Miami football,” Martin said.
“We always say, ‘Smart, tough and together.’ He’s smart, and he competes at a high level every day. And the together part, not just on ofense, he’s always all-in on everything that we do. He’s always looking for ways to help other people in the locker room.”
In his frst four years, Hesson appeared in nine games. His only start was in the Cure Bowl in 2023 after Smith entered the transfer portal.
won two games against MAC opponents, going on a seven-game and a nine-game losing streak at two separate points in the year.
One year later, Miami produced a 10-8 record in the MAC. This stretch included a fve-game winning streak at the end of the regular season. The RedHawks dropped their fnal match against the Eastern Michigan University Eagles, but their frst win in that series clinched their spot in the tournament this year.
Freshman middle hitter Lindy Radaszewski said she credits this run to a switch that the team made in the middle of the season. After dropping three games in a row, the RedHawks realized something needed to change.
“After that third game, we sat down [and] had a conversation after the loss,” Radaszewski said. “‘We know this isn’t us, and we can do a lot better than this. We could have turned some of those losses into wins … but we decided as a team that we needed to switch it. It’s time to go. There’s no more dilly-dallying around. This isn’t who we are.’”
Following a 0-2 series against Ohio University, Miami fnished the season with a 7-4 run, including two series sweeps against Bowling Green State University and Central Michigan University. One more win against Eastern Michigan cemented the RedHawks’ spot in the MAC tournament.
Miami’s frst match in the tournament will be against Toledo, whom
He also played the second quarter against Central Michigan last season, throwing his frst collegiate touchdown.
“We weren’t worried about Hank going in at all,” redshirt junior receiver Kam Perry said. “Everybody has 150% confdence in Hank. We see him in practice every day. We know what he can do. He delivers the ball in practice, [and] he does on game days too.”
When Miami announced that transfer quarterback Dequan Finn would start for the RedHawks in 2025, Martin said he expected Hesson to transfer out. He had spent four years as a backup when he could have hit the portal and become a starter elsewhere.
Instead, he chose to return for his fnal year, even if it meant playing as a backup once again.
“I’m a competitor,” Hesson said.
“I was in a sticky situation because I couldn’t transfer until after I graduated. I love it here. I found out my best friend, Brian Shane, my roommate, was coming back, so I decided to stay and compete. I want to be with these guys, and I’ve been around this team for fve years.”
Hesson would earn his second career start in the game against Lindenwood University on Sept. 27. He took over for an injured Finn against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, throwing for 134 yards and one touchdown.
One week later as the starter,
the RedHawks went 1-1 against during the regular season. Both teams were neck-and-neck in the frst meeting on Oct. 24. The RedHawks took the frst set 27-25 and the third set 25-23 after the Rockets had evened the score. Toledo forced a ffth set after winning the fourth set 25-22. Miami fought back from a 9-6 defcit to take the fnal set 15-11.
The following night, the RedHawks were not as successful, dropping the match 3-1. The Rockets took the frst, second and fourth sets enroute to a victory that secured the series split.
“We didn’t play our best against them either night,” Hicks said. “We pulled out a win that frst night, and I think it came down to will over skill. We wanted it more, and I thought we made a lot of errors, but at the end of the day, we stuck together and played tough.”
Miami’s group this year is led by freshman outside hitter Molly Creech, who has 372.5 total points and 325 kills in her frst season. Hicks’ 581 assists leads the team, with sophomore setter Kamryn Utley not far behind at 562.
On the other side of the net, the Rockets are led by sophomore middle blocker Sierra Pertzborn, who has amassed 360.5 points. Sophomore outside hitter Olivia Heitkamp leads Toledo with 311 kills this season.
Gwitt said that the RedHawks have improved signifcantly since Oc-
tober, and that the Rockets are mostly the same in comparison.
“We’re a diferent team than we were a month and a half ago when we went [to Toledo],” Gwitt said. “I don’t think they’re that much different. That’s the diference. I think we’ve gotten better, and we’ve made some moves. They’re kind of a similar version of what we saw a month and a half ago, and I hope my team uses that as fuel … I think we’re very capable of winning this match against a team that’s pretty good.”
Should the RedHawks prevail, their next contest would be on Nov. 22 against the No. 1 Ball State University Cardinals. Ball State fnished with an impressive 17-1 record in MAC play, including two 3-0 sweeps against the RedHawks.
But frst, Miami needs to win the rematch against Toledo. The RedHawks making this year’s MAC tournament is a big step forward for the new era of the program, but the players and the coaching staf know the job isn’t fnished.
“It’s really big for the future of the program,” Radaszewski said. “Taking this and kickstarting the rest of my four years here with going to the MAC tournament is huge. It brings a lot of hope and excitement for what’s going to come.”
babukc2@miamioh.edu
jollifvm@miamioh.edu
Hesson threw for 208 yards and two touchdowns, leading the RedHawks to a 38-0 win. However, Finn returned the next week against Northern Illinois University, and Hesson returned to the bench.
No one expected him to start again, least of all Hesson. However, when Finn was reported out of the game against Toledo on Nov. 12, Hesson found out he would start less than two days before kickof.
Hesson underperformed, throwing for 147 yards and three interceptions. With two games remaining in the regular season, he recognized that he needs to play better if he wants to bring Miami to the MAC championship in December.
“Just showcasing who I can be,” Hesson said. “Last week, I was embarrassed about my performance and
how I played. I know that’s not who I am. I know I’m a lot better than that. [I want] to get back out there and prove to the guys on this team and to the coaches and this community that I belong here and I can play.”
Even after the game against Toledo, Hesson’s teammates haven’t lost any faith in him. Perry frmly believes that he can lead the team through the fnal two games of the year.
“I think we
Middleton’s Musings: Miami hockey’s series at Western Michigan made its place in the NCHC abundantly clear
JEFFREY MIDDLETON ASST. SPORTS EDITOR COLUMN
There’s a diferent kind of buzz around Goggin Ice Center these days.
With the infux of new players on the Miami University hockey roster (21 to be exact) under second-year head coach Anthony Noreen, the team has a diferent playstyle, a different vibe, a diferent swagger and, so far, vastly diferent results.
The frst 10 games of the season have gone swimmingly for the RedHawks. Not everything has been perfect, of course, but a 7-3-0 start, powered by a recent home series split against the Arizona State University Sun Devils, which gave the program its frst conference win since January 13, 2024, has put them on the minds of pundits throughout the college hockey universe.
Social media brands like Everything College Hockey ranked Miami at 19th, while ESPN sports commentator and anchor John Buccigross ranked them as high as 14th.
In contrast, the ofcial USCHO poll placed them one spot outside the top 20, and the USA Hockey poll had them ranked 20th both before their second bye week – the frst time Miami has been in the top 20 since 2015.
Last season’s three-win fnish was still a success for those around the program, as the approach was focused on changing the culture rather than racking up wins. But for those wanting to pack the stands, there was little appeal.
Now, not only is the culture changing, but the new class of players also provides the on-ice skill that Miami hockey fans have been begging for since the program’s downturn.
This feels even more special because Miami’s wins have come in various ways against teams they struggled to play last season. The RedHawks have had multiple comebacks, including a four-goal third period against the Ferris State University Bulldogs in the season-opener and a three-goal comeback against Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on
the road. Additionally, the back-to-back overtime victories against Lindenwood University were the frst time in Miami hockey history that that feat had been accomplished. And, for anyone who has paid attention since the program’s decline began, the overtime and shootout periods have been notoriously hard for the RedHawks to win (and painful for those who had to watch).
However, while things are all fne and dandy for now, the likelihood of the RedHawks fnding their way to a national championship with their current total of three losses to their name is about as high as me stepping foot on the ice in a Division I hockey game.
The RedHawks travelled to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to face the reigning national champion: the No. 8 Western Michigan University Broncos. While they haven’t fully found their stride in conference play, the Broncos made sure the RedHawks left knowing there’s still a long way to go.
The Broncos came into the series of the wrong end of a sweep by the University of Denver Pioneers in their second National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) series after splitting with the St. Cloud State University Huskies at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
Western Michigan’s most surprising loss, though, came against Ferris State at home, a 3-2 defeat in which former University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks goaltender Hobie Hedquist stopped 48 of 50 Broncos shots.
But despite those road bumps, the Broncos still managed to stife a RedHawks ofense that had performed well to that point, taking home two commanding victories with scores of 5-2 and 6-2.
When looking around the NCHC, there are more schools with the talent of Western Michigan than there aren’t. That’s not to say every series against some of these powerhouses will end up with the same results, but it shouldn’t be surprising if there are a few more multi-goal losses in the future.
Through two conference series,
the Pioneers have allowed only seven goals in 14 games and have given up 20 goals overall, including a 7-3 victory over then-No. 9 Boston College and a 1-0 shutout loss to the Northeastern University Huskies.
The RedHawks will travel to Denver for their frst series of December following their participation in the Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland, a far cry from the competition they’ll be playing overseas.
Miami will also have to hit the road for other big series later in the year. This includes trips to Grand Forks to play North Dakota, Tempe to play Arizona State and Omaha to play the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks – a group which may not have the record for now, but has been sneaky good to begin the season, putting together a couple of big wins against the No. 17 Colorado College Tigers and No. 3 University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs.
The goal of this column, of course, is not to be a Debbie Downer – nobody likes that. The purpose is more about still being realistic about their position in a stacked conference. The frst few series were fun and brought life back to a fanbase that needed resuscitation. But there needs to be some nuance in how the program is being discussed.
What should matter to Miami hockey fans is the idea that this team can beat anyone in the NCHC. While yes, talent and reputation-wise, the program still has a long way to go, and they may end up with more losses than wins by season’s end, that doesn’t mean they can’t earn themselves a fair-few conference victories.
The hype around the Miami hockey program is well-deserved. The fact that they can be competitive with any program in a conference that’s arguably the best in college hockey is exciting. Still, it’s important not to get ahead of ourselves regarding the expectations for this program following three big non-conference series wins, a conference series split and a drubbing at the hands of the reigning national champion.
middleje@miamioh.edu
Football and family: My weekend at the Texas-Georgia game
ELISA ROSENTHAL PHOTO EDITOR COLUMN
Blaring music, blinking lights and the deafening sound of more than 90,000 fans cheering on the Bulldogs.
The University of Georgia (UGA) has been a top program in college football, making an inarguable name for itself with back-to-back national championships and two conference titles in the past fve years. The energy in the stadium proves the Bulldogs are a force to be reckoned with, and they are here to stay.
This past weekend, I got the opportunity to watch Georgia face of against Southeastern Conference (SEC) opponent University of Texas for the third time since the latter joined the conference last season. The Bulldogs beat the LongHorns 35-10 in a thriller at home.
UGA is located in Athens, Georgia, about an hour northeast of Atlanta. Athens was originally a small town but has grown to almost 130,000, and it became the sixth most populous city in the state. The school itself boasts both impressive academic and athletic programs, with 40,000 students and more than 500 participating in its 21 varsity sports.
The whole state of Georgia is full of die-hard fans who either attended the university or became fans through family tradition. My brother currently attends UGA, and my dad is a very proud alumnus, as are many of my other family members.
Cheering on the Bulldogs is a family afair – something I never really had a choice in, but I’m happy to have been indoctrinated in the best fanbase in college football. Although UGA ultimately wasn’t the right ft for me as a school, I’m more than happy to cheer on the Dawgs from Oxford.
Nine members of my extended family gathered in Athens this past weekend. Only my brother attends the university, but six of us cheered on the Bulldogs while our three cousins few in from Austin to cheer on Texas.
The game extends much further than the few hours of literal playtime that occurred Saturday night. I met up with my family at noon, where we began the seven-hour long tailgate. We began at a family friends’ house with all nine of us together for the frst time in years.
I tagged along with my brother and cousin to my brother’s fraternity house for tailgate number two. We watched some other games that were on midday and chatted with my
brother’s friends before heading to the main event.
My dad and a number of other Georgia fans from our neighborhood have a tailgate tent about a fve minute walk away from the stadium gates. This is where the crazy SEC fan stereotype really starts to set in. One of the most recognizable UGA traditions is “calling the Dawgs,” a call and response chant that every real Georgia fan knows.
My dad, Bert, is the king of this tradition, so much so that his tailgate has a sign that says, “Bert Alert, time to call the Dawgs.”
He screams this chant on our walk to the stadium and again as we leave if we won the game. I’ve never witnessed him have a voice a day after a big game. This is the type of household I grew up in.
The physical game is one of the most electric environments I’ve ever witnessed, and it seems to get better every game I attend. The fans are enthusiastic on every play, and the lighting and music amplifes the high spirit everyone possesses.
Every fan is friends with each other for those 60 minutes of game time, highfving people they’ve never met and becoming best friends with those around them in support of the same team. It’s irreplicable and the most connected you will see groups of strangers be in your life.
The freworks are a newer addition, but the most exciting thing for me was the light-up bands passed out to every attendee that light up in coordination with the stadium lights and create a sea of red lighting across a packed stadium.
The game itself was one of the best I’ve ever been to: Georgia pummeled the opposing LongHorns in a thorough beatdown. After such a win, obviously students are bound to be excited.
Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine a full-grown man getting down on his hands and knees to bark at a stranger, but it’s not the most ridiculous thing I’ve seen in Sanford Stadium. The excitement of a Georgia fan after a win knows no bounds, and there’s a reason we’re named to be some of the craziest fans in college football.
Football is a way people connect – even when they disagree – and it’s a beautiful thing to witness strangers become friends in a few hours to support a mutual cause. Through all the craziness, my love for my family shines above my love for football, and the opportunity to experience such memorable scenes means more than the win or the bright lights at the end of the night.
rosente2@miamioh.edu
KETHAN BABU
Going into the 2025 college football season, dialogue surrounding the Miami University RedHawks centered around the roster turnover.
Half of the starters on defense from last year were missing, but most notably, all 11 starters on ofense had to be replaced ahead of this season. Beyond a new quarterback and bringing up new wide receivers, the coaching staf needed to replace fve ofensive linemen.
The previous squad consisted of standout players like Reid Holskey, a First-Team All MAC selection in 2024. Kolby Bolders and John Young graduated with Holskey, while Will Jados transferred to Texas Tech University. Without those starters, ofensive line coach James Patton needed to prepare the next group of players to take over.
“It’s fve guys working together on every play, and guys got to get their
jobs done,” Patton said. “We know that. This is a really good group. They work hard, they care about what they do, they care about each other.
There’s a standard that the smart, tough and accountable guys want to live up to.”
Miami brought in two transfers: redshirt senior Austin Uke from Stanford University as well as redshirt sophomore Mitchell Butler from Mississippi College. The rest of the group includes 10 returners and four freshmen.
While this group doesn’t have the same starting experience as before, several found playing time throughout 2024. Redshirt junior Drew Terrill even started in the Arizona Bowl at the end of the year. He’s the only lineman on the roster who started a game before the 2025 season.
Losing those veterans impacted the team early on, but redshirt junior Gavin Rohrs said this only made the RedHawks work harder to prove that they were ready to move up.
“It’s our mentality,” Rohrs said.
“All my time here, we’ve had guys that have started several games, guys that have played a couple thousand
snaps. Last year, we had a lot of veteran guys on the o-line. This year, we [had] nobody … We had a lot to prove this year, and we’re going to continue to keep proving what we want to prove and show everybody what we’re about.”
Throughout the ofseason, the linemen prepared themselves to see the feld a lot more than in previous years. However, many of them also stepped up as the new leaders in the locker room.
“They’ve done great,” Patton said. “In terms of a leadership role, a young guy like Kris Manu stepped in and [did] a really good job … But they’re all leaders in their own ways with efort and attitude and how they practice and how they work together. Leadership is coupled with performance.”
Creating a cohesive ofensive line would be especially important this season with a new cast of running backs and a scrambling quarterback in Dequan Finn. The RedHawks tend to rely on their passing game but enjoy a reliable ground game, going for 1,894 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns last year.
With fve new starters protecting the quarterback and opening paths for running backs to break through, ensuring the linemen were on the same page at all times was pivotal. For redshirt freshman Kris Manu, this year’s group seems to get along better than in his frst season.
“Last year, I really wasn’t as connected with these guys,” Manu said.
“Now, I spent another whole year with them. Every day, in and out, I love these guys. These are my people. It’s really a brotherhood.”
So far this season, the RedHawks have used a combination of redshirt senior running back Jordan Brunson in the middle of the feld and redshirt freshman running back D’Shawntae Jones at the goal-line.
Patton said his goal for the group is to keep the rest of the ofense energized, especially on crucial conversions and endzone pushes.
“It’s in the trenches,” Patton said.
“They gotta win their blocks, and they know that. If it gets to third-andshort, somebody’s gotta knock somebody in the endzone, and we have big backs that can run through there and make things happen. Our guys take pride in that, and they feel that surge of energy when they see guys like Brunson and D’Shawntae running through guys.”
Miami has one more game in the regular season against Ball State University on Nov. 28.
“We know we should
PHOTO BY KETHAN BABU
14-15. PHOTO BY ANNIKA MORRIS
The tradition, brotherhood of the Miami Glee Club
just being part of an organization.”
For over 100 years, the Miami University Men’s Glee Club has stood as a symbol of art, expression and brotherhood in Oxford. Founded in 1907, the club boasts a rich history, as well as providing hope and resources for its continued success.
Growing up in the surrounding area and having a club alumnus for a father meant Aaron Wanko, senior games and simulation major, spent a lot of time watching the Glee Club perform. Wanko said he recalls his awe watching the club sing from a balcony.
“It just, it really captured me,” he said, “like how good they sounded and how much fun it looked like they were having.”
Now serving as the club’s vice president, he helps with both the recruitment process and welcoming new members.
The club makes travel a priority, going on a domestic tour every winter, an international tour every other May and a myriad of events in between. Bradley Beck, current president of the club and Cincinnati Reds fan, said that one of his best memories was on Miami Night at the Great American Ball Park, when the club was invited to sing the national anthem on the feld before the game.
Despite their ballpark appearances and balcony shows, the thing that stands out the most about the Miami Glee Club is that it is home to one of Miami’s strongest alumni networks.
Beck, a psychology major working toward a master’s degree in social work, said he credits Lee Fisher, the club’s advisory board liaison project manager, for connecting him with a mentor.
“[Fisher’s] very involved in Miami University. He has connected me with a mentor who is a professor of psychology and social work at the University of Cincinnati, and I have been able to shadow that professor just through Glee Club, so many cool opportunities,” Beck said.
Milin Rajan, a senior political science major, said he never expected the club to be able to help him with his future career.
“I was in [Washington], D.C., this summer – interning – and I was a part of the men’s Glee Club,” Rajan said. “People would say, ‘Oh my God, I love the Glee Club’... it goes beyond
Rajan got the chance to work oneon-one with a mentor, learning new skills and building connections with a Kroger executive. The club also just recently hit over $1 million across its endowment funds, with the money being put towards scholarships, new member fees, tours and more.
Brotherhood is also a big part of the club, and it is instilled in new members from the very beginning.
As the vice president, Wanko is in charge of teaching members the traditionals — songs sung at the end of every concert and therefore not practiced with the whole group — club history and icebreaker activities. He also helps the new members make a skit poking fun at the older members.
Rajan said the support from members in non-club-related activities is strong.
“Whatever you are doing outside the club as well,” Rajan said, “you have a group that will support you when you do that.”
The club is a big commitment, as it is a credited course. It meets three times a week: Mondays from 6:15-7:35 p.m., as well as Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:50-4:10 p.m.
Apart from the required meeting times, members have plenty of opportunities to get more involved, including an exciting surprise the club plans to announce in the spring.
“I’m all in on Glee Club, you know,” Beck said. “It’s my life.”
Despite the intense requirements, Beck and the rest of the executive board understand that members have all ranges of commitment, and the team works to cater to all levels of involvement.
Members hold the club near and dear to their hearts, and many have expressed a desire to come back and see future members grow and sing. Wanko, much like he did as a child, looks forward to coming back, now as an alumnus, to watch performances.
“It’s such an unparalleled experience,” Wanko said. Beck, who also plans on coming back to see the future of the club, said to anyone considering joining the club to make the leap and do it.
“Joining Glee Club is the best decision you can make as a [frst year] at Miami,” he said.
hannaer@miamioh.edu
‘When she puts her mind to anything, she’ll do it’: Miami senior takes on one-woman show, MUF&D presidency
found interesting.
When senior Sara Rose Detwiler decided to try out to play Heidi Schreck in “What the Constitution Means to Me,” she knew no other acting role would push her limits more.
“I thought, ‘This is probably the hardest role I will ever have to play,’” she said. “And I was like, ‘You know what, let’s go out with a bang senior year.’”
The Pulitzer Prize fnalist play follows an adult Schreck on her journey back to her 15-year-old self, using the United States Constitution and her personal experience to trace the impacts of the document on women’s rights.
“I’ve always been attracted to feminist art and taking things from a feminist lens, and it’s just interesting to me,” Detwiler said.
Detwiler originally attended Belmont University before transferring to Miami in the spring of her frst year. She had planned to pursue musical theater, but quickly realized her passions lie elsewhere.
She said she decided to pursue a major in strategic communication, with a minor in marketing and a focus on public relations.
“I’d always been interested in PR and social media, so I decided to go that route,” Detwiler said. “I thought I would fnd my way back to acting and do it separately if I decided I still loved it.”
Detwiler said immediately after she received her acceptance letter to Miami, she jumped right on the HUB and began applying to any clubs she
“I don’t even know where I found out [about the HUB],” Detwiler said, chuckling. “The thing that stood out to me the most was MUF&D.”
She had discovered the PR and Marketing director of Miami University Fashion and Design (MUF&D) and immediately emailed her, essentially pitching herself in an attempt to be accepted as a member.
As the current president, Detwiler laughed at her past self.
“First years totally don’t need to do that,” she said. Membership needs no application; just showing up to meetings is enough to grant acceptance. As the years of college progressed, Detwiler slowly worked her way up the MUF&D chain. She began as a general member, then jumped to PR and marketing assistant, then climbed to an executive role as graphic design leader and fnally fnished her ascent to club president.
“I just absolutely love our organization,” Detwiler said. “I’m so proud of everyone who’s involved. It runs so professionally.”
Detwiler said she remembered pausing during the past fashion show, “Incandescence,” to soak in her environment. As she gazed up at the stage, the show’s graphics shone down upon her. Each had been designed and created by her, and seeing her work shining behind the stage fulflled her.
The president’s experience with MUF&D spilled into her other passions. She said anything requiring her imagination or artistry intrigues her.
“I will always have a project, always doing something creative, be-
cause it fulflls me,” she said, “whether I am just hosting a party for my friends, or I’m doing my website portfolio.”
Audrey Fitzgerald, a senior emerging technology and business design major and vice president of MUF&D, worked with the Detwiler all summer and throughout the fall semester, structuring and planning out the club’s events.
The two students work collaboratively with a 14-member executive board to bring the club’s fashion show to life. Each week, these members contribute anywhere from 15 to 20 hours to plan how they’ll host one of the largest student-run fashion shows in the nation, along with a plethora of other events and workshops.
“Having all of the ideas, basically being ours, is crazy,” Fitzgerald said. “And when we see things coming to life, it’s so magical.” Fitzgerald said Detwiler carries herself professionally and maturely, and she doesn’t believe anyone would guess the MUF&D president is only 21 years old.
“She’s gonna do something so incredible,” Fitzgerald said. “She’s a diva. It can mean so many things, but to me, if you’re a diva, you’re just powerful.”
Brooklyn Chrisman, a senior marketing and entrepreneurship double major, bonded with Detwiler in an entrepreneurial class last spring. The two worked together on a project in which they redesigned the very course they were taking. They placed frst out of the entire class.
Chrisman said she went to the same high school as Detwiler, but their paths never crossed.
“We told each other that the world wasn’t ready for us to be friends,” Chrisman said.
Over the summer, she once helped Detwiler run lines for the “What the Constitution Means to Me.” Both girls had been living in New York City, working at separate internships. She said Detwiler starring in the one-woman show ft her personality perfectly.
“She has this energy with her execution,” Chrisman said. “She deeply cares about the things that are on her plate, and she’s just a motivating friend to have in my life.”
Chrisman said Detwiler has mentioned possibly pursuing Broadway shows or plays on the side when she moves to New York in the future.
“I really hope she does,” she said. “When she puts her mind to anything, she’ll do it.”
Detwiler isn’t exactly sure where her future lies, but she’s sure it’ll be in either public relations or event planning. She said she has loved planning the fashion show so far and would enjoy a career in that realm.
“If I talked to 18-year-old me, I don’t want to say, ‘It’s gonna all be OK,’” she said, “but you’re gonna fnd yourself and it’s not going to be what you’re gonna expect; it’s going to be better. You didn’t know it was good until you found it.”
westonce@miamioh.edu
“Picking the right people to go on the production team and fnding the perfect cast, because so much of what makes this show great is everyone else with it.”
Some of the most crucial players in making a terrifc show are the leading cast. The lead role, Zazzalil, was played by Anna Tedford, a junior zoology and pre-veterinary major.
In the musical, Zazzalil is a member of the tribe who is tired of having to work every day to survive, leading her to sing “We Got Work to Do,” which became popular online after a performance of the song was posted on YouTube in 2018.
Following this song, Zazzalil goes out into the world during a storm to try to come up with a better way of making it through life. As she searches the wilderness, lightning strikes, leading to humans’ frst discovery of fre.
When she found out that the fall musical was set to be “Firebringer,” Tedford knew that she wanted to play Zazzalil.
“I had been working hard all summer, because I knew I wanted to play this part so badly,” she said.
When Tedford got the role, she was rewarded in full with a supportive community. “Sometimes doing theater is like
my stress relief from my major,” she said. “And so it was nice to have that balance of like, ‘OK, I’m going to get to go to rehearsal and sing and dance with my friends and have fun.’ And it was, honestly, something that encouraged me more because it’s kind of like a reward.”
Tedford was joined on stage by her castmates, Nora Current (Jemilla), Sophia Canino (Emberly) and Caleb Krainman (Grunt). Some audience members came out to support their friends as they sang and danced their hearts out.
“I didn’t think I was a really big fan of musicals,” said Harmela Soloman, a senior public health policy and administration major. “But I came out to support my friends that were in it. Everyone did a really great job, and it was just such a blast to watch.”
Along with performances from the main cast and ensemble, every scene came to life through costumes, lighting, sets and props, including a giant beast that endangered the tribe.
According to Amsden-Michel, the production designer, V Woods spent 120 hours bringing the creature to life.
Despite production’s hard work, their budget was hit hard by the Associated Student Government’s need to cut funding for several student organizations — Amsden-Michel said
that Stage Left’s budget was cut by 60%, leaving members worried and turning to donations from alumni and community members.
However, this did not stop members of Stage Left from working as hard as they could to create a great show.
“I’m really just happy,” Amsden-Michel said, “because one of my worries early on was that not only this show, but other shows in the future would be really badly afected by this. So … just thanks to this show and what we’ve been able to accomplish with it … other Stage Left shows won’t have to go through the same struggles we did.”
Amsden-Michel went on to praise his cast and crew for all their hard work and perseverance during this time of uncertainty and stress. Caitlin Faulknur, a sophomore majoring in professional writing and strategic communication, said she could see the dedication that every member put into the show.
“I came to the show not knowing anything about it, but it was really good,” she said. “I thought it was really funny. It was really awesome seeing everything that Stage Left puts on. They’re all really talented and deserve all the support they get.” pedenae@miamioh.edu
“I’ve been on random nights where we don’t want to go to the dining halls,” Fleischer said. “Sometimes on Saturday mornings, I’ll go to the farmer’s market and get it, or before going out on the weekend.” Bagel & Deli ofers a versatile menu that makes it a suitable place for all meals. Many other bagel places are breakfast-centered; having the option for a lunch or dinner meal is a big part of the appeal.
“That’s the success in a college campus restaurant when they can wrap it up and you can be on your way and enjoy it,” Lisa Cochran said. The idea of Bagel & Deli may seem odd to some. Cochran recalled the frst time she went to Bagel & Deli.
“It was chaos,” she said. “My frst thought was, ‘I don’t want to be here, this is ridiculous.’ But then, you stick around because everyone else wants to be there, and then you get the food
and see what it’s all about.” To add to the novelty of the expansive menu, Bagel & Deli has a challenge where if you buy all the bagels they have to ofer, you earn a branded t-shirt.
“There’s one kid who did it in 29 days, that’s the record,” Franks said. “A lot of people try to time it for graduation so they can get their last bagel and their picture in their cap and gown at the same time.”
Next year, Bagel & Deli will celebrate its 50th anniversary.
“We are celebrating with a big reunion and inviting back everyone who has worked for us for a big party in the summer,” Franks said. For students, alumni and residents alike, Bagel & Deli is a unique and fun place, and its late-night hours, as well as its breakfast appeal, makes it a staple in the Oxford food scene.
CLAIRE WESTON THE MIAMI STUDENT
ELISE HANNA
THE MIAMI STUDENT
DETWILER PERFORMED IN A ONE-WOMAN SHOW WHILE RUNNING MUF&D. PHOTO PROVIDED BY SARA DETWILER
MEMBERS OF GLEE CLUB PERFORM IN HALL AUDITORIUM. PHOTO BY SCOTT KISSELL
CULTURE
‘I couldn’t be happier’: The thrilling conclusion to the ‘Wicked’ story is simply Oz-mopolitan
STELLA POWERS CULTURE EDITOR
COLUMN
Anyone who has ever had a conversation with me knows how much I love “Wicked,” “The Wizard of Oz” and anything and everything to do with Oz. It’s magical. If there’s a way to bring up “Wicked” in any conversation, I’ll do it. If there’s not, I’ll still fnd a way.
“The Wizard of Oz” was one of the frst movies I remember watching. I went as Dorothy for Halloween, but don’t worry, I gave the others some love, too. I had a “Wizard of Oz” costume chest and would often put on performances as Glinda in my puppet theater. When I say I loved Oz, I meant it.
“Wicked” was the frst live theater performance I ever saw at Cleveland’s Playhouse Square, and back in August, I fnally got the chance to see it on Broadway. Life-changing. When the frst “Wicked” flm was released, I decided I had to review it, and it was, without a doubt, a 10/10. So, naturally, I felt it was my duty to review “Wicked: For Good” as well.
I had high expectations, and thankfully, they were met and then some. Assistant Culture Editor Ayla Peden and I attended an early screening of the flm on Monday, Nov. 17 (shoutout Amazon Prime), and, pun intended, I was changed for good.
I’ve been talking about this flm for ages to anyone and everyone who would listen. Some of my favorite musical moments in the show happen in Act 2 of “Wicked,” so I was excited to see how they’d translate to the screen. Sure, “Defying Gravity” is a show-stopper (literally), but have you heard “No Good Deed” from the second act?
The frst key number for me was “Thank Goodness,” the opener of Act Two of “Wicked.” Ariana Grande’s rendition did not disappoint, and she even did the “Hilty high note” at the end of the song, an option up made famous by Broadway’s third full-time Glinda, Megan Hilty. As a Hilty en-
thusiast, this was incredibly exciting for me.
Another standout for me was Cynthia Erivo’s rendition of “No Good Deed.” I’ve always liked the song, but Erivo took it above and beyond with mind-blowing new rifs. This was the only number in the flm that got uproarious applause from the audience. Erivo has a way of singing with such emotion that it fully transports the audience, and this number was a fantastic example of that. She can do anything. Erivo could probably sing the phone book and somehow still make me cry.
“Wonderful” has never been a favorite of mine, though. In the stage show, the Wizard sings the number by himself, and frankly, it’s boring. However, in the flm, the song is a duet between Grande’s Glinda and Jef Goldblum’s Wizard, and it turned out to be just what “Wonderful” was missing. I will be adding this to my
playlist.
I can’t talk about “Wicked: For Good” without mentioning the song “For Good.” It was everything: beautiful, emotional, perfect. I was fully sobbing in the movie theater. If I say much more, I may start crying again.
The flm also introduced two new songs that weren’t in the original stage adaptation. It’s no secret that Act Two of “Wicked” isn’t the strongest when it comes to pacing. So much of the Broadway show feels rushed and abrupt, but these new numbers and additional scenes helped make the story feel fuller and more complete.
Glinda’s new song, “The Girl in the Bubble,” adds depth to her character that was missing before. It shows that she cares more than she initially lets on, and that, despite what her big song “Popular” from the frst flm says, there are more important things in life than popularity.
Stephen Schwartz also wrote a
new song for Elphaba, called “No Place Like Home.” The title is a fun nod to the original “Wizard of Oz” flm, but the song itself is a powerful ballad in which Elphaba refects on her choice to stay in Oz, despite everyone hating her.
The flm introduces some of the iconic Ozian characters we know and love, such as the cowardly lion, the tin man, the scarecrow and the farm girl from Kansas herself, Dorothy. However, instead of playing a prominent role in the flm, Dorothy is a faceless character, serving more as a presence than a true fgure in the story.
Erivo and Grande delivered breathtaking performances, which I personally thought exceeded the standard they set in the frst flm. I will be manifesting Oscars for them both. However, Goldblum, Ethan Slater, Jonathan Bailey, Marissa Bode and Michelle Yeoh all delivered standout performances in the flm.
Slater was especially great in contrast to his role in the frst flm. And, of course, Bowen Yang and Bronwyn James were just as hilarious as they were in “Wicked.”
The flm also has such a strong message about the importance of doing and standing up for what is right. It’s part of what makes “Wicked” so magical. There were a few other moments and changes from the original Broadway show that truly made this flm for me, but where’s the fun in giving that away? You’ll have to see it yourself to fnd out. If you need me at any point in the foreseeable future, you can probably fnd me in a movie theater, watching “Wicked: For Good” as many times as I possibly can before they kick me out. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one.
Rating: 10/10
powers40@miamioh.edu
HAILEY CRAVER
THE MIAMI STUDENT COLUMN
Bello Wood Fired Pizza is a charming pizzeria and taproom located on High Street next to Graeter’s Ice Cream. They are most well-known for their authentic Neapolitan-style pizza, all made in a wood-fred oven that sits right in the center of the restaurant.
PARKER GREEN
ASST. CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
SHANNON MAHONEY
ASST. CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
AYLA PEDEN
ASST. CULTURE EDITOR COLUMN
As the semester comes to a close, so does another year of great — and not so great — books that made 2025 that much more entertaining. As you may or may not know, every other week, writers Ayla Peden, Shannon Mahoney and Parker Green each take turns to recommend some of their favorite books to you, lovely readers. So, in this edition, they have decided to come together and share their favorite and least favorite books of 2025.
Ayla’s Picks Best Book: “The Hunger Games” — Suzanne Collins
I had a tough time deciding which book was my favorite this year, because I actually read a lot of great books, which is surprising for me. However, the winner has to be “The Hunger Games,” and, quite frankly, every book in this series.
Unlike many of my peers, I did not read this classic in middle school, so this was my frst time actually sitting down and reading the story. When I say that it is fabulous, I mean it.
Despite the series’ target audience being young adults, Collins skillfully explores complex themes of corruption and the power of propaganda
When we arrived, a few guests were already seated, enjoying their meals and chatting quietly. The vibe was relaxed and low-key — the kind of place where you immediately feel comfortable. We were told to grab any open table, and our server came over within a minute — a super friendly and attentive start.
We started with the Bello ball.
It’s a pufed dough served with a dip consisting of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, parmesan cheese, oregano
without talking down to her audience.
I absolutely loved seeing Katniss Everdeen (the main character) grow from her experiences and turn all of the trauma she endured into motivation to create a better world for herself and the people of Panem.
Worst Book: “How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water” — Angie Cruz
As mentioned, there wasn’t one defnitive “worst book” of the year for me. However, there were defnitely some that didn’t stand out.
I fnished “How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water” back in January, and I have since forgotten that I ever read it. The story follows a woman who had moved from the Dominican Republic to New York City years prior and is now struggling to fnd work during the Great Recession of 2008. The concept intrigued me, so I read on. Nevertheless, by the end, I was bored. The main character, Cara, continuously makes poor decisions, which is fne until she never learns from them. I found that I was just overall frustrated by the writing and character building, so I decided to block it from my memory.
Shannon’s Picks Best Book: “The Emperor of Gladness” — Ocean Vuong
There was steep competition for my favorite book of the year (honorable mentions to: “You Could Make This Place Beautiful,” “Klara and the Sun” and “Sunburn”). Ultimately, I can’t help but fall back on Vuong, the author of my all-time favorite book: “On Earth We’re Briefy Gorgeous.”
Vuong’s newest novel is an intense exploration of how we connect with those around us as well as the
and crushed red pepper. The dipping sauce was amazing, with a great balance of sweet and tangy. The dough was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. However, my one complaint was that it was a bit doughy toward the outer edges. Still, a great appetizer, and it came out to $9. Next, the pizza. We ordered the bianco, which is topped with a white sauce, a three-cheese blend, bacon, black pepper and a fresh basil leaf. Again, a nice crispy crust and a soft
boundaries between friends and family. Much of the book revolves around the main character’s minimum-wage job at a small chain restaurant. Vuong masterfully depicts the anger against the ways in which he is trapped in a system that leaves so many behind, while also showing the incredible bonds that form when the same seven people work alongside each other for 12-hour shifts, seven days a week.
Vuong’s contemplation on the importance of these (often unstated) friendships will resonate deeply with anyone who has ever worked an entry-level job. This narrative made me refect on my own friendships created from work, and what lengths coworkers will go to for each other.
Worst book: “Dark Places” — Gillian Flynn
I read “Gone Girl,” by Flynn, for the frst time this summer, and the beloved cult classic managed to worm its way inside my heart so much that I knew I had to read the rest of Flynn’s work. Although I do largely enjoy Flynn’s writing, she most defnitely has a niche of eerie, horror-adjacent realistic fction. While “Gone Girl” uses horror to amplify ideas about gender hierarchies, relationships and the true self, “Dark Places” just feels, well… dark. The plot revolves around a poor family in a rural area as they struggle to make ends meet after their alcoholic father skips town. The oldest child, a boy named Ben Day, becomes friends with a group of teens obsessed with Satanism and the occult. His involvement eventually leads him to aid and abet in the murder of his mother and two of his sisters. His third sister, Lib-
inside, and the toppings complemented each other nicely. The pizza came out to $17. My brother, who came with me, agreed that it was one of the better-balanced pizzas we’ve had in town.
Overall score: 8/10
craverhj@miamih.edu
The atmosphere itself added a lot to the experience. The lights were dimmed, artwork flled the walls and you can watch the pizzas being made right in the middle of the restaurant, which gives it a personal, homey feel. The staf was friendly, attentive and genuinely seemed happy to be there, which always makes a diference. So, was this the best pizza I’ve ever had? No. But was it the best pizza I’ve had in Oxford? Absolutely. Bello is a great place to go with friends or to bring family when they are visiting. It’s defnitely a place worth checking out.
by, survives, and she ends up testifying against him.
Most of the story is told from Libby’s point of view when a group of true-crime junkies contact her and attempt to convince her that Ben is innocent. Libby’s investigation into her family’s convoluted past is spliced with memories from her mother’s point of view and Ben’s point of view when he was a child.
Although the book does present some interesting ideas about poverty, family and systems of abuse, it’s ultimately outweighed by the sheer amount of violence, which is distracting rather than additive. I don’t dislike disturbing books, but so much of the plot felt intentionally unsettling just for the sake of making the reader uncomfortable.
Parker’s Picks Best Book: “The Bear and the Nightingale” — Katherine Arden Admittedly, I’m a bit far behind on my reading goal for this year (55/100), and, unfortunately, this has not been the greatest year rating-wise. Perhaps the fve stars will come in the fnal stretch, but for now, the pickings are slim. That being said, the book I chose as the best of the best this year is absolutely fantastic. If you’re looking for a cozy, atmospheric, fantastical read with the smallest dash of romance and plenty of depth, look no further than “The Bear and the Nightingale” by Katherine Arden. Following a young pagan girl in Medieval Russia, Arden expertly weaves together themes of folklore, persecution and sacrifce. The setting is gorgeous, the prose is
wonderful and it’s simultaneously escapist and grounding.
This book is part of a complete trilogy, and is simply perfect for the winter season.
Worst Book: “Conform” — Ariel Sullivan I feel bad, since this is the author’s debut book, but I simply cannot recommend it.
In Sullivan’s dystopian novel, the world is divided into a caste system based upon physical appearance and (allegedly) mental aptitude. The protagonist is on the second-bottom tier, ugly due to her “defect,” which is heterochromia. Otherwise, she’s (and this is something she says) essentially perfect. But let’s say you ignore this gag-inducing plotline; the rest of the book is forgettable.
Even the parts that could induce some deeper thought and refection, such as the system of sexual slavery and conditioning the women of the world were forced into, somehow fell fat.
Recycled plot, snooze-worthy characters and the most mind-numbing love triangle to ever exist: this book basically took the worst aspects of every young adult 2008 dystopian novel and amplifed it to a mind-boggling degree.
Somehow this book has four stars on Goodreads, and to that I say, YOU ARE UNDER SPELLS PEOPLE!!! WAKE UP!
FOOD COLUMNIST HAILEY CRAVER VISITED BELLO WOOD FIRED PIZZA KITCHEN. PHOTO BY HAILEY CRAVER
The Miami Plan could save you from AI
ABE HAGOOD THE MIAMI STUDENT
We’ve all had that boring early morning lecture where you feel like Atlas with the mythic magnitude of efort it takes to keep your eyes open. “Why am I even here?” you wonder to yourself. “This has nothing to do with my major.”
It’s easy to throw out the idea of a modern liberal arts education altogether as a useless efort to retain some dumb tradition an old guy made up in the 19th century. But liberal education continues to be important to-
stand out in the application process is what experiences and perspectives they bring from outside their specific feld. To stand out in a shrinking job market, students don’t just need a professional major; they need the liberal arts programs that make them unique.
The many programs supported by the Miami Plan are also key in creating a diverse ecosystem of perspectives and discussions important to the environment of a college campus.
Per Bloland, an associate professor of composition and music technology, said these programs are vitally important within campus culture.
“To stand out in a shrinking job market, students don’t just need a professional major; they need the liberal arts programs that make them unique.”
day, not just for retaining traditions, but for diversifying your skills.
That boring lecture class — or at least a more interesting one from another section of the Miami Plan — might just save your future job from artifcial intelligence (AI).
A liberal arts education provides students with invaluable skills necessary to be successful post-grad.
Nathan French, vice chair of the University Senate and chair of the University Senate’s Executive Committee and associate professor of religion and international studies, said the skills and experiences of liberal arts courses are key to students’ futures.
“In my conversations with recent alumni, and my conversations with folks in professional spaces, the liberal education secured by these humanities courses is an essential differentiator for how Miami students succeed and promote faster in whatever career that they end up working within,” French said.
In light of the growing presence of AI, the ability to perform a profession’s basic tasks is becoming less important, as AI can do more and more of them. What makes an individual
“Music is an essential part of our lives, and having performers and composers on campus adds to many things that are very important to the university … [humanities programs] enhance the world, they enhance the university, they enhance the student body,” Bloland said. “They are essential to every aspect of our life in one way or another.”
Don’t take this as a blanket approval of all the Miami Plan’s aspects – there are many parts of it that I fnd confusing or mismanaged.
The plan requires professors to submit a proposal for their classes to be on the list, meaning many courses that should apply don’t. For example, Creativity and Design Thinking (CCA 111) applies to the Creative Arts Perspective area, but Design Thinking and Design Principles Applied (IMS 254) does not. Both are similar introductory design courses, only from diferent departments.
This hints at a wider issue hindering the Miami Plan; recent changes to the Miami fnancial model incentivise departments to not participate in the Miami Plan and to keep students limited to their major requirements as much as possible.
Despite these issues, the Miami Plan is still important. Creating a streamlined program that applies widely to all students isn’t an easy problem to solve, and broadly, the Miami Plan serves that purpose. Students who are frustrated with the Miami Plan should fnd classes that are interesting to them, not just to fulfll a credit. Plan ahead and check which semesters certain classes are ofered, or take advantage of the university’s course substitution petitions to use other classes to fulfll Miami Plan requirements.
We are often focused on professions and the economic aspects of education and society. Still, we can’t forget that the whole point of a job is to provide yourself with the means to enjoy the softer aspects of life. Art and discovery are important aspects of the joys that make us human.
College shouldn’t just be a method to get a job on the other side. College, as cliché as it may sound, is about fnding your place as an adult. Not just professionally, but socially and intellectually. The goal of the Miami Plan, for all its faws, is to aid students in that pursuit.
hagooda@miamioh.edu
Hagood
Abe Hagood is a frst-year student double-majoring in emerging technology in business and design and creative writing. He is a member of the Miami Game Design Club and Miami YDSA.
cation meeting on Oct. 9, two parents, Katie Benge and Ashley Ledington, spoke about their concerns over the book “Drama” by Raina Telgemeier being included in elementary school classrooms. They said the book included sexually-explicit content that was inappropriate for elementary students to be exposed to. The content in question included mentions of same-sex attraction and a drawing of two boys kissing.
LGBTQ+ themes are not inherently sexual. Yes, sexual attraction is part of an LGBTQ+ identity, but so is romantic love and physical afection other than sex. It is not considered obscene for heterosexual couples to kiss in front of children. Why is it any diferent for homosexual couples?
LGBTQ+ people want the same experiences and rights that are afforded to straight people, including the ability to love in public.
I read “Drama” when I was a kid, before I realized I was queer. I grew up in a conservative, religious environment. When I discovered I was queer, exposure to LGBTQ+ media, including “Drama,” was what helped me realize my identity was not shameful.
Seeing LGBTQ+ themes presented in a neutral light — as something normal to experience, not something that should be hidden or repressed — was a lifeline for me. It allowed me to understand my identity and realize I was not alone in this experience.
“Drama” is entirely appropriate for elementary school children. It
Miami Plan: Productive or problematic?
The Miami Plan is a curriculum that requires students to enroll in courses outside of their major for the expansion of the intellectual palette and equipment of life skills. In theory, the Miami Plan is perfect for young people fnding their own identities and fguring out what they want to do with the rest of their lives. But in practice, these requirements can hinder students’ college experience.
Like every student at Miami University, I have to take classes in subjects that don’t pertain to my major. I’ve always loved to learn, and so when I found out about the Miami Plan, I was excited — I thought I would get to choose topics that interested me that I usually wouldn’t have space for because they didn’t ft into my journalism major.
“In practice, these requirements can hinder students’ college experience”
When registration came around, I was looking forward to picking a class on something I found interesting and made my course load easier, but to my dismay, the opposite happened. Any class I found even remotely intriguing was full, but I still had to choose a class that flled one of the requirements. With no other option, I was stuck in a history class covering the Crusades, HST 360V. By no means am I saying that the Crusades aren’t interesting or worth studying, because they most defnitely are — I just don’t want to be the one studying them.
I acknowledge that the class has defnitely expanded my academic horizons, but I also know that I will never revisit what I’ve been taught about the Crusades ever again. I go to class, do the work, take the quizzes and write the papers, all the while wishing that I was spending
contains nothing more sexual than what children are exposed to in other popular pieces of media.
Teaching children from an early age about the concept of same-sex attraction is important for two reasons: students who later identify as LGBTQ+ will understand their identity and feel less alone, and students who are not LGBTQ+ will be able to empathize with their peers who are.
Elementary school students shouldn’t be reading anything graphically sexual, but books where two boys date or someone has two moms are an age-appropriate exposure to the fact that queer relationships exist.
According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, the mean age for children to realize they are experiencing same-sex attraction is 11 years old, with the 25th percentile of subjects realizing it at age 7.
One study from the National Institute of Health indicated that exposure to transgender identities in media could lead people to be more accepting of those identities, and another study found that any increase in social acceptance of their identity led to a decrease in suicide attempts among LGBTQ+ youth. We should be less concerned about whether their children will learn about LGBTQ+ subjects — they will learn about it sooner or later, from their friends, the internet or their own feelings.
should focus
react when
about
my time on a class that either contributed towards my major or was covering something I found interesting. I asked a group of my peers about what they thought of the Miami Plan requirements, and all of them said something along the lines of hating getting stuck in “pointless” classes, or something about how their time would be better spent on classes for their major.
While the classes required by the Miami Plan are technically accomplishing the university’s goals of broadening students’ horizons and teaching them life skills by forcing them to enroll, students like myself ultimately despise going to the classes they never wanted to take in the frst place. They spend their time learning the material, but because it’s against their will, the information will rarely be internalized or appreciated.
The Miami Plan had good intentions to be productive in its implementation, but because of scheduling conficts and student preference, it has become more problematic by forcing students to take classes that do not interest or beneft them in their major.
perkin41@miamioh.edu
For an extended version of this story, please visit miamistudent.net. sullivei@miamioh.edu
GRAPHIC BY KEEGAN PEREZ
KENZI PERKINS THE MIAMI STUDENT
ELIZA SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER
OPINION
Media matters: Trampling free speech
RICHARD CAMPBELL GUEST COLUMNIST
A version of this column was published in the Oxford Free Press on Oct. 13.
In these partisan times, it’s hard to fnd common ground. But in all the shouting among cable pundits, talk radio and social media, there is something both the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the New York Times agreed on: free speech. In defense of the First Amendment, Kirk wrote this on X in 2024: “There’s ugly speech. There’s gross speech. There’s evil speech. And ALL of it is protected by the First Amendment. Keep America Free.”
After Kirk was assassinated in September, the New York Times condemned the killing and featured Kirk’s words.
An editorial titled “The Trump Administration’s Chilling Eforts to Punish Free Speech” began this way: “A founding principle of the United States, enshrined in the Constitution’s opening amendment, is that our republic depends on citizens’ freedom to disagree with one another […] The ability to disagree with other people on raw, difcult issues, without fear of repression, is the essence of American freedom.”
Legally, of course, the First Amendment protects free expression from only federal and state government suppression, but private businesses and universities have their own speech and conduct codes. Last year, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) reported that 85.4% of the 489 top-ranked colleges now have speech codes — some more restrictive than others — to ensure respect for difering viewpoints.
And although Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Trump administration would “absolutely target you, go after you, if you are targeting anyone with hate speech,” the First Amendment protects most hate speech as long as it’s not an incitement to violence or lawlessness. Bondi later walked back her remarks.
The Times reported that in the two weeks following the assassination, more than 145 people lost their jobs or faced disciplinary action for comments made about Kirk’s death. Vice
President JD Vance even encouraged employers to report any workers criticizing Kirk or celebrating his death.
Back in February, though, Vance said of the Trump administration: “[W]e may disagree with your views, but we will fght to defend your right to ofer it in the public square.”
Let’s also remember that shortly after President Donald Trump was sworn in as president in January, he signed Executive Order 14149 — “Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship,” vowing that federal ofcials would not engage in conduct that would “unconstitutionally abridge the free speech of any American citizen.”
Yet in practice, Trump ofcials have told TV station licensees (including ABC-owner Disney and CBS-owner Paramount) that if they report negative news about the administration, their broadcast licenses, overseen by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), could be in trouble. President Trump has even suggested that because evening talk shows on the networks are licensed by the FCC, they are not allowed to criticize him.
Earlier this year, CBS decided to cancel “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” arguing fnancial reasons. Colbert was a harsh satirist of the Trump administration. Then, this fall, ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel for remarks regarding the motivation of Kirk’s killer. FCC chairman Brendan Carr told Disney “We can do this the hard way or the easy way.” He suggested that Kimmel should be suspended … and he was.
Disney-ABC later restored “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” although two TV station chain owners, Sinclair and Nexstar, kept Kimmel of their 70 local stations for an additional three days, demanding an apology from Kimmel – which never came. With 1.7 million subscribers cancelling Disney and its Hulu streaming service after Kimmel was sidelined, the company reportedly lost $6 billion in stock valuation.
When he returned, Kimmel had this to say about the Trump administration: “[They] tried to coerce the afliates who run our show … That’s not legal. That’s not American. That is un-American and it is so dangerous … The president of the United States
made it very clear he wants to see me and the hundreds of people who work here fred from our jobs.”
Returning to common ground in his podcast, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), no fan of Jimmy Kimmel, compared the FCC pressure to “mafosa” tactics in a parody of “Goodfellas:” “Nice bar you have here, it’d be a shame if you lose it … If the government gets in the business of saying, ‘We’re going to ban you from the airwaves if you don’t say what we like,’ that will end up bad for conservatives.”
The libertarian Cato Institute, which generally supports the Trump administration on free market issues, has emerged as a harsh critic of the president on free speech issues. Thomas Berry, Cato’s director of constitutional studies, called out the president for subverting one of the institute’s core values, telling The Guardian, “When government ofcials use the power of the state either to suppress speech or tilt the free marketplace of ideas, that’s incredibly dangerous in the long term. It places a core restriction on individual liberty – the right to say what you want and say what you believe.”
I’ll close with a quote from another founding father, Ben Franklin: “Whoever would overthrow the Liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech.”
campber@miamioh.edu
ABOUT Richard Campbell
secretary for the Oxford Free Press.
Sequestered away on the third foor of King Library, seemingly unnoticed by the student population at large, lies the Makerspace: a palace of arts and crafts, a cathedral to creativity and arguably the sole thing keeping me sane.
Sure, it’s an objectively chaotic space — the scent of slightly burned plastic is perpetually emanating from the 3D printers, the tables are usually covered in someone else’s sticky vinyl shreds and the embroidery needles are never where I last saw them — but it’s mine. It should be yours, too.
On a broad level, crafting is good for you. One study from the National Library of Medicine shows that 75% of a survey sample said their cortisol levels were lowered after making art. It creates spaces for self-expression and can be tailored to any age and ability. It’s also a natural, human imperative: We’ve been crafting since the dawn of the Anthropocene, from cave paintings to mask making, and will probably keep on crafting right until the end.
For me, the Makerspace (and art in general) allows me to make mistakes — to be absolutely terrible at something — in a consequence-free environment.
Despite the hours I have poured into the Makerspace, I am still quite terrible at crafting. The designs I embroider are crooked, my paintings are abstract at best and no one who saw my clay creations would ever assume they’re functional.
But I’m not being judged for it, and in turn, I’ve decided not to judge myself.
So far, my Makerspace exploits include a 3D printed slug, a upcycled hat, 12 clay magnets, a garland, seven pipe cleaner fowers, two mini canvases and fve hand-embroidered, transfer-vinyl garnished hoodies. In total, I have probably spent well over 80 hours in the Makerspace.
Already, my friends and I have planned future projects for next year, from ironic buttons to holiday decor for our new house. But the sheer variety isn’t even the best part. The best part would be that the Makerspace is completely free for Miami University students.
Sure, you have a capped allowance of fresh vinyl sheets, plastic flament and buttons for the semester, but it’s very hard to reach those caps. And even if you do (last year’s Christmas gifts blew through my vinyl allotment), there are always the
True realists believe in hope
KNUDSON
CJ
THE MIAMI STUDENT
Why has realism become, in so many ways, synonymous with the dark of the world?
Men and women look at evil and sufering around them — very real things in this world, mind you — and proclaim them as absolute truth; dystopia as the sole climax of human development, mundanity a better refection of reality than wonder. Realists, they call themselves, often with a turned-up nose, intent on putting all us naïve dreamers to shame. Because, to them, hope and wonder are imaginary fancies, mundanity and pessimism, the truths of reality and the domains of realists.
But true realists believe in hope.
The essential defnition of realism, divorced from its current societal asso-
ciations, possesses a simple meaning.
A realist is someone who accepts the world as it is — the good, the bad and everything in between — and deals with it as such. So, where did realism get mixed up with pessimism?
The simple answer is worldview.
The way the world is is a hotly-debated topic — thought of, argued over, written about and determined over and over, since the dawn of time. Every religion, every government, every science curriculum, every culture and every academic institution are always teaching a certain view of the world. In essence, reality looks diferent, depending on who you are and what you believe.
The issue, however, is that the default realist view has mostly been washed out into simple pessimism due to the efects of a postmodern Western world. Postmodernism, at
its heart, is a rebellion against modernism. Modernism, dawning with the industrial revolution, put emphasis on reason, logic, originality and the idea of an absolute truth of reality.
Modernism was optimistic and hopeful. Modernists didn’t necessarily have all the answers, but they knew the answers were there, and they were always searching, always creating, always looking toward the objective truths of the universe.
We, however, live in a mostly postmodern world, or at least, that was the consensus as of a few decades ago.
Postmodernism is, in most ways, synonymous with relativity. A postmodernist is skeptical of absolute truth and power structures — such as governments, religions and people who claim to have answers — and large unifed theories about how the world works. Postmodernism instead focuses on personal truths and subjective experiences. Many in today’s thought landscape, whether consciously or unconsciously, reject modernism and the idea of absolute truths and purpose, and they are suspicious of those in power. In a Pew Research Center survey, performed in 2024, “only 22% of U.S. adults said they trust the federal government to do the right thing just about always or most of the time.”
Another 2024 Pew survey found that only “57% of Americans say that science itself has had a mostly positive efect on society.” This postmodern world, without
the hope of purpose or the certainty of objective truth, lends itself well to pessimism.
Both of these views are called realism.
A realist in the modern era would most likely have a more optimistic bent. Currently, of course, with the postmodern reigning supreme, realism is equated with pessimism. However, neither of these are true realism.
True realism is the lack of assumption. Only someone living deep in the throes of despair never sees goodness or light in the world. Contrastingly, only someone who exists in a state of denial does not witness sufering. The essence of realism is in accepting both these realities — that there is good and there is evil — and never assuming the best or the worst, for the future could equally hold both in good measure.
There is a fnal angle in which to view realism, and that is functional realism. In order to change things, people have to believe that things can be changed. College students need to be able to imagine and dream of a better future, to build and work toward. They need to believe they can accomplish big things, make something of themselves and bring light and positive change to their careers and job felds.
A man studying to go into social work must hope and believe that he can help entire communities deal with physical and mental struggles, and that there can be a better future where not so many people go hungry.
scrap piles: extra bits and bobs that you can use to your heart’s content. But maybe you’re a perfectionist, like me, and you have creation ideas above your skill level. There are some things, like gifts or decor, that should look perfect, if not at least passable.
The Makerspace has a small army of trained staf members, a mix of full-fedged adults and students. In my experience, they have all been kind, capable and non-judgemental, especially when I ask them to explain the Cricut for the seventh time in one trip. They’re basically the fairy godmothers of Miami, turning my Pinterest board into real life. And yet, with all of these incredible resources available (for free!), the Makerspace seems barely used. I’m sitting there as I write this, and so far, only two of the four students are using the supplies, and I’ve been here for two hours.
While I know this space has higher trafc closer to Parents Weekend and senior-year bar crawls, I wish the Makerspace was used by more people beyond coming for mandatory class projects and the occasional last-minute T-shirt.
While a part of me wants to gatekeep this space (if the cute fabric scraps start disappearing, I will regret this article until the end of time), I want to share the joy of it so much more. There are so many incredible projects and hobbies just waiting to be discovered, hidden away in this cozy, chaotic, wonderful room. Use the Makerspace. Make it yours.
greenpt@miamioh.edu
ABOUT Parker Green
A woman studying creative writing must believe that her work will inspire, that it can change people, that it is important. Otherwise, she will never write anything.
A realist sees the world as it is. A functional realist, however, should not stop there. A realist should dream, wonder, believe and hope for a reality diferent from their current one. Only then can a better reality unfold — once realists are no longer afraid to dream.
knudsocj@miamioh.edu
Richard Campbell is a professor emeritus and founding chair of the Department of Media, Journalism & Film at Miami University. He is the board
WOMEN’S MARCH IN NEW YORK IN 2017. PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
GRAPHIC BY JAYSON BRAKE
‘Eat mor chikin’... Then compost the box
According to Miller, Miami was able to get compostable wrappers as well as compostable nugget holders. In addition, all of the bags are paper and compostable. These are examples of products that are not Chick-fl-A brand standards, but can be purchased and used by individual locations.
“They have a lot of diferent opportunities where diferent Chickfl-A establishments can shift to more sustainable purchasing options,” Miller said. “I believe that near everything could be recyclable or compostable if a certain location wanted to purchase that.”
Although this may have been an option, Miami did not switch every product to the recyclable or compostable alternative. Miller said that this was a strategic choice aimed at avoiding confusion among patrons.
Miller also said Miami’s decision not to purchase Chick-fl-A compostable straws is an example of this.
“If we had compostable straws that look like plastic, feel like plastic, but are able to be composted at Chick-fl-A [compared to] the red, actual plastic straws at Panera that look identical, then students will just have no idea what to do with them,” Miller said.
Lizzie Tabernik, a second year biomedical engineering student, agreed that with too much variance in Armstrong, students can easily get confused.
“It’s harder when there’s a mix of things,” Tabernik said. “Some recyclable stuf, some compost stuf – it’s hard to separate them.”
Miller said accurate separation is vital for the success of composting and recycling at Miami.
“It sounds counterintuitive, but if you don’t know where your waste goes, the landfll is always the best option,” Miller said, “because then you’re not contaminating the recycling and compost that we have.”
In addition to preventing contamination, Miller said Miami consid-
ered the ease of procurement when deciding what to purchase for Chickfl-A.
“We didn’t want to, for example, buy all compostable cutlery, and then we’re not able to actually get as much as we need,” Miller said. “Every now and then, we [would have] to buy plastic.”
The sustainable changes that Miami has made with Chick-fl-A have given students the opportunity to be more environmentally mindful.
“I think that there are defnitely a good amount of people on this campus that really want to put in the efort to recycle everything they can and compost everything they can,” Tabernik said.
Miller said that the use of more sustainable products, like those in Chick-fl-A, could be implemented to other dining facilities in the future.
“These are just baby steps that we’re starting with,” Miller said, “but still really exciting stuf moving forward.” halljp3@miamioh.edu
SAM NORTON EDITOR AT LARGE
Thanksgiving break is coming up, and the holiday season will soon be in full swing. Miami University students have just three weeks until the end of the fall semester and a return home for winter break.
The season is known for family reunions, good food and gift-giving. But with the ever-present and often overbearing consumerism that comes with gifts around the holidays, it is important to remember the impacts over-consumption has on our planet.
Gift-giving is inextricably linked to whatever holiday you may celebrate during this time of year, whether that be Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or something else. Giving to others is great, but giving sustainably is even better. Here are some easy ways to shop more sustainably for your friends and family this year:
Give experiences, not things
A gift doesn’t always have to be a material object. Consider getting tickets to that concert you and your friend have been talking about, a play at your local theater or some tickets to your family’s favorite sports team.
Not only can this be a gift that you share with the recipient, but it almost guarantees the gift will not go to waste. So many material gifts end up in the trash without being used and loved, but with an experience, all that is left over is great memories.
Buy second-hand
Second-hand shopping has exploded in popularity in recent years and is a great place to start when looking for gifts, especially clothes. Buying a used item keeps it out of the landfll, reduces emissions that would otherwise result from new products being produced and is usually cheaper than buying new. Lightly used items can look just like new, your friends and family don’t even have to know.
Along with thrift stores, some large name-brands have their own ways to shop second-hand. Levi’s, Lululemon, Pacsun and many more companies have started programs that take in used clothing and resell it, giving customers an easy way to fnd exactly what they’re looking for with-
out the unknowns that come with thrifting.
Buy from sustainable brands
Not all gifts are made the same.
From the raw materials used to the method of assembly and shipping, companies have plenty of opportunities along the supply chain to reduce their impact on the environment.
Researching how ethically and sustainably a company makes its products can be a great way to make sure the gifts that you are giving are better for our environment than others. Look for organic materials, Fair Trade labels, reusability, recyclable packaging and other signs that the company made an efort to consciously be more sustainable. Just watch out for greenwashing.
Shop at local businesses
You may hear about how shopping locally is great for economies and people in your community, but shopping locally is also often more sustainable than buying from large corporations. This is due to the reduction in emissions from shipping, automobile emissions and the damage that large-scale operations do to the land around it.
Also, local stores often buy from local farmers, local manufacturers or make their products themselves. The more localized an operation is, the less impact it will have on the environment. Plus, buying local is unique, and your friends and family deserve a thoughtful gift.
Think before you buy
This is a great mindset to have not only when buying for yourself, but also for others. Taking a second to think about the impact a gift had on the environment during its production and where it will end up in the future can greatly help in decision-making.
Being environmentally conscious does not mean you have to stop buying gifts. Rather, it can be a great way to practice your ability to live more sustainably. When you buy gifts that are better for our planet, you should not only feel better about yourself, but you could also inspire those who receive your gifts to do the same.
nortonsm@miamioh.edu
Climate change threatens Butler County agriculture
TORI FEE THE MIAMI STUDENT
Severe weather systems and increasing climate change across the country have led to the loss of more than $3.5 billion annually in the agriculture industry, according to a study by TraceOne. Butler County is expected to lose $213,000 per year due to natural disasters, with an average per-farm loss of $240. Butler County houses over 800 farms. A majority of these farms produce a variety of crops, and others produce livestock and poultry products. Common extreme weather events for Butler County include droughts,
heavy precipitation, high winds, tornadoes and riverine fooding. Riverine fooding poses the greatest risk for agriculture in Butler County.
Riverine fooding occurs when streams and rivers exceed the capacity of natural channels, resulting in overfowing water from banks into low-lying, dry land. Flooding in Butler County can lead to delayed planting and harvesting schedules, ruined crops and overfooded felds. Weather patterns in Butler County are determined by varying fronts. Patterns based on the movement of air masses produce systems such as tornadoes, thunderstorms and snow storms. David Prytherch, a professor of
geography at Miami University, specializes in urban planning and sustainability – including contributing to both Miami and the City of Oxford’s climate action plans. He said Southwestern Ohio will face the most trouble from climate change in the form of increased storm events.
“In our region, we do not need to worry about sea level rise, but the primary climate hazards we have are storms like extreme precipitation events, wind events and tornadoes,” Prytherch said.
Changing patterns in this region’s climate afect agriculture through temperature and precipitation levels. Growing atmospheric temperatures increase the amount of moisture
air can hold, creating more extreme weather within typical events, such as thunderstorms.
Bryan Butterfeld, a farmer for over 50 years at Butterfeld Farms, said variables in weather patterns, such as amount of rainfall, can have signifcant impacts on harvests. For example, this year, his farm had to replant their cornfeld maze several times due to heavy rains toward the beginning of the season.
“I would say this year was an extremely hard year for us with certain things,” said Butterfeld. “At the beginning of the season, we got a lot of rain. It was way too wet.”
Most farmers in Butler County use rain-fed agriculture techniques. This means the amount of rainfall through the year could make or break a farm’s productivity.
“Most farmers here do not irrigate, so they are vulnerable to rainfall,” Prytherch said. “If they get too much rainfall or not enough, then they have trouble.”
With precipitation, temperature measurements are very important to the agriculture industry. Certain crops have specifc temperatures that must be met for survival, so farmers have to be aware of the region’s climate.
Changes in precipitation and temperature have large-scale impacts on agriculture in the United States plant hardiness zones are a prime example of these impacts. These zones help farmers identify the best-ft crops for the region and when to plant them. The shifting of these zones causes issues for farmers, as certain crops won’t be able to survive in the same locations.
Plant hardiness zones shift due to lengthened frost-free periods, according to the Fifth United States National Climate Assessment. Zones in the U.S. are predicted to shift northward throughout the next century because of rising temperatures.
Director of the Institute for Environment and Sustainability J.D. Wulfhorst has a background in rural sociology; he said a suggested solution might be for farmers to shift northward with the hardiness zones –but relocating is not simple. Farmers are unable to move with shifting plant hardiness zones due to factors such as reduced land availability, land ownership through generations and farm insurance.
Butterfeld said that although his farm has considered the impacts of climate change, they continue pushing forward and focusing on creating a successful harvest year by year. He believes long term climate control strategies could help the problem, but feels there is little immediate shortterm action the farm can take to solve this long-term issue.
“If you worry about everything that there is that could happen to a farm, you’ll go nuts,” said Butterfeld. Farmers are constantly faced with new challenges, whether it be machinery repairs, new pest problems or harsh growing seasons, and Wulfhorst said he admires their ability to adapt and create new solutions.
“To me, they aren’t paid enough or honored enough,” Wulfhorst said. “We should be giving thanks to farmers.”
GRAPHIC BY EMILY HOGAN
CARLEY RAPP THE MIAMI STUDENT
Let’s face it. Life is expensive, especially at the old age of 13. Eventually, the cash in Mom’s wallet disappeared, and I needed to fund my gas station snack obsession. So, I did the unthinkable: I got a job. At a pizzeria, no less.
My plan was to start early so that I’d eventually grow into a mature, responsible adult; or maybe, at the very least, someone who could make a pizza without messing up.
So, of I went, proudly entering the workforce as a kid who still couldn’t legally work past 7 p.m.
The frst day
Strolling through the door confdently, I was ready to start making pizzas and brighten everyone’s day. I approached my coworkers and said hello. Nobody said it back and instead snapped at me to get workin’. It was a warm welcome, truly (given I walked past fve ovens).
I spent the frst hour pretending to know what I was doing, the second hour actually learning what I was supposed to be doing and the rest of my shift hoping no one would notice I was still doing it wrong anyway.
I tried my best to keep up with orders, but how could people expect any decent work ethic from a girl who still needed parent signatures on her feld trip forms?
Family hatred
You may be wondering why I chose such a job at the ripe age of 13. It surely wasn’t for the aesthetic. I just had to prove I could be the second-best sibling in the family (there are only two of us).
Holidays + Empty Campus = Thank God!
ANA ELIZA DE MELO GARCIA
THE MIAMI STUDENT
I remember my frst time taking the bus in Oxford. It was August 2024, about a week before the semester started. While I was still trying to fgure out the area, waiting for my bus route (Oxford used to have buses at 6 p.m., and you didn’t need to wait 86 minutes for a bus), I found myself quietly enjoying the short, random conversations happening around me.
As a graduate student, I usually just sat back and observed; a lonely student who sat alone on the bus during the frst week of the fall semester. But for the frst time, the driver actually looked at me and asked, “Are you new?”
“Yes, I am,” I said, trying to sound confdent. A small smile appeared on his face, the kind of smile people give in only two situations: when their football team wins or when they win the lottery. A few poor souls out there won’t experience either (God bless their hearts).
The bus driver confessed how much he loved chatting with new students and how sad he felt when the holidays came around. “The town gets so empty,” he sighed. His point of view surprised me. Who misses the
sight of scattered cups and crushed beer cans around town? Who looks at that and says, “Ah yes, I’ll miss this chaos”?
But … I get it. I remember fnishing my frst semester at Miami University and watching the campus slowly turn into a desert – no students, no one jogging at twilight and no one walking their dogs. I get why it afects the people who never leave town. Oxford is part of who they are. For students this is temporary; for others, this is home. Still, I have to admit. I love when the students are gone.
There’s no escape for me – I have to stay – but it’s so much nicer when there are actual parking spots, fewer students staring at me like I just landed from another planet, and no one sprinting to class like it’s an Olympic event. The campus becomes something else entirely: a quiet new land I can rediscover every day. No, no … it’s not like I come to campus every day during summer break. But I do enjoy watching it slow down, stretch out and fnally let the sun have some room to shine (when Ohio remembers sun exists)
demeloa@miamioh.edu
My brother worked at this pizza joint for a year before me and, the way people talked about him, he must’ve been the fastest pizza-box folder west of the Alleghenies. I half expected to fnd a life-sized portrait of him in the back, smiling next to the tomato sauce. Surely if everyone loved my brother they would extend some of their admiration to his cooler younger sister too, right? Wrong. I guess pizza-making skills aren’t a hereditary thing. Even when I was proud of myself, I’d get hit with the, “OH! You’re Brett’s little sister. He was so much better at this.” Apparently, I wasn’t just his sister, I was his lazier, clumsier shadow too!
ingredient in the restaurant industry. It was pretty difcult for tiny little Carley to answer absurd concerns people had. Here’s some classics:
Question: “Can you make sure my pizza is dairy-free, carb-free, and gluten-free?”
Answer: “Sure, so… a bowl of air?”
Question: “Where is your mozzarella sourced from?”
Answer: “Uhh. The fridge in the back? I dunno.”
Customer encounters Customers are their own special
Question: “Could you check if the marinara has tomatoes? I’m allergic.”
Answer: “Are you allergic to com-
mon sense too, or no?” Payday IT’S HERE. The day I had been dreaming of. I was ready to be referred to as Carley, the katrillionaire. My mind was fooded with dreams far bigger than my paycheck: Buy that private island now, before the others realize that’s the move.
Should I start brainstorming pet names for my future yacht? There isn’t enough yeast in the world for how much bread I’m going to make. Then I opened the envelope.
Let’s just say I think I had more money in my piggy bank in frst grade than on that piece of paper. At that moment, I briefy considered asking Google how much one could sell a kidney for.. I survived Well. I clocked out still conscious and breathing. That is until I remembered I had another shift the next day, and would be a working member of society for the next ffty years. I wouldn’t recommend the whole job gig.
rappcr2@miamioh.edu
PHOTO BY ANA ELIZA DE MELO GARCIA
GRAPHIC BY SYDNEY MULFORD
The Oxford Community Arts Center hosts a Celebration of the Arts event on the second Friday of every month. This month, the event showcased Miami University students’ art for Oxford locals and students alike to view and enjoy. The event, free to the public, also included a live music performance.
