Despite safety measures, including fashing lights at crosswalks and lane separating barriers, vehicle-pedestrian collisions continue to occur in Oxford.
Ainsley McClean, a frst-year integrated social studies education major, was hit by a car on Oct. 1 at 8 a.m. while walking to class.
“I was [preparing to] cross the street, there was another girl too, and a big group was about to be done crossing,” McClean said, “so we let one car from each direction go. Then the other girl and I started walking across the street, and another car came and hit us.”
The accident left McClean with a sprained wrist and several bruises.
McClean is just one of many students who have been hit by a car. However, Lt. Adam Price of the Oxford Police Department said the
ALLISON LEE STAFF WRITER
In early October, Miami University announced the launch of the brand new Fashion Institute. The fashion program, which includes a co-major (fashion corporate business, design and entrepreneurship) and a minor, is still fairly new, only being introduced in 2015. Though there are Miami alumni who have pursued fashion as a career, there has not been a fashion networking program in place.
Until now.
Jamie Schisler graduated from Miami in 1996 and serves as the inaugural director of the Fashion Institute.
“We’re here to really help support the fashion students, faculty and organizations through industry connections, ofering advice in terms of where the industry is headed,” Schisler said.
The Fashion Institute will not change the current fashion program — the requirements and curriculum for all fashion students will remain the same. Much like how Farmer
number of collisions this year is not unusual.
“[Miami University is] a regular college campus, we deal with [collisions] a lot,” Price said.
Price said he believes most accidents happen because of distracted or impaired pedestrians or drivers. He also said some pedestrians do not use the fashing lights at crosswalks.
Safety features, like the fower boxes that sit in between lanes on East High Street, aim to discourage jaywalking and promote the use of crosswalks. These measures have helped reduce, but not eliminate, collisions.
The university has taken steps to help students who get hit by cars, like alerting faculty and ofering counseling. They also provide temporary accommodations through the Miller Center for Student Disability Services.
“If [students receive] an injury where they're going to the hospital, [the Dean of Students Ofce] automatically sends a faculty notifcation
School of Business students work with companies in their classes, the Fashion Institute aims to do the same.
Miami’s fashion program coordinator Natalie Reed has worked closely with Schisler throughout the process of bringing the Fashion Institute to fruition.
“The Institute was developed to build industry partnerships and to provide support to our students, faculty and program,” Reed said.
“Through our Professional Advisory Committee, we hope to gain current industry insight, as well as internship and employment opportunities.”
One unique focus of the Fashion Institute is sustainability, which has been in the spotlight in the fashion world as climate change, upcycling and AI use have been hot topics of debate.
“One of the things we are looking at doing is making a take-back program on campus,” Schisler said.
“[Through] donating shoes and clothes primarily, how do we create a circular environment? Whether it’s biofuel or fertilizer in terms of circularity, I think with taking fashion
on their behalf,” BaShaun Smith, the dean of students, said. “We don’t tell the faculty any specifc detail whatsoever on what’s going on with that student, but we tell them something serious has happened, please be accommodating with missed classes and missed assignments.”
In McClean’s situation, both accommodations and counseling resources were ofered. Injured students are urged to use the students of concern reporting form or email the Dean of Students Ofce.
“Always make eye contact with drivers when you’re walking, [and] try to have your phones in your pocket,” Smith said.
Price echoed that acknowledging the driver is crucial to alerting them to slow down.
“Just because you’re in the crosswalk doesn’t mean drivers will stop,” Price said. “It’s a matter of making sure both drivers and pedestrians are always paying attention.”
pfennikp@miamioh.edu
waste, we can close the loop by inverting that into something new.”
The Fashion Institute has made it clear that they plan to work directly with and fashion-based student organizations, such as Miami University Fashion & Design (MUF&D) and UP Magazine.
Sophomore marketing and fashion design student Tatiana Fecowycz is on the director team for MUF&D.
“What’s really exciting is we’re transitioning into this Fashion Institute, which brings us a higher level of credibility and recognition,” Fecowycz said. “It creates a huge platform and expansion, and it shows people that as a fashion organization and program, we’re more than just clothing — it’s initiative, it’s a goal, it’s something that is much larger than ourselves. It’s really rewarding to see the development of the program coming from nothing to this big thing.”
However, fashion students who are not directly involved with these organizations will still beneft from the Institute.
OLIVIA PATEL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EVELYN DUGAN THE MIAMI STUDENT
With Wednesday, Nov. 5, marking the longest government shutdown in United States history, the efects of the government’s inactivity are being felt nationwide. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, benefts are grinding to a halt, and 12.3% of the country has felt the repercussions of these cuts, according to SNAP data tables.
In Ohio, the number of SNAP recipients is nearly identical to the national average — 11.7% of Ohio residents utilized SNAP benefts during fscal year 2024, which equates to $264 million from the federal government to Ohioans each month.
“I think this is going to have a profound efect in Oxford, the same way it’s going to have a profound efect everywhere,” said associate professor of political science Anne Williamson.
To soften the blow, a Rhode Island federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to fund the food assistance program before the Nov. 1 expiration date, to which Trump said he would be “honored” to do on Oct. 31. Following the court order, the Trump administration committed to partially funding SNAP with a $4.65 billion payment, according to a top USDA ofcial. However, the use of these funds would be slow, and SNAP recipients would likely not see relief for “a few weeks up to several months,” according to the ofcial. However, in the afternoon on Nov. 4, Trump suggested in a Truth Social post that he would refuse to aid SNAP so long as the government remains shut down.
THE MIAMI STUDENT STAFF
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KISER YOUNG
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TAYLOR POWERS
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CONNOR OVIATT
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SARAH KENNEL
GREENHAWKS EDITOR
OLIVIA MICHELSEN
DESIGN EDITOR
SARAH FROSCH
DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR
ELISA ROSENTHAL
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MADELINE BUECKER
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COMMUNITY EDITORS
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Who’s Who at MU: Director of athletics
TAYLOR STUMBAUGH
CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY
EDITOR
Miami University has 19 sports, not including club or intramural, and 540 student athletes. Each team requires coaches, funding and facilities. David Sayler, Miami’s director of athletics, is in charge of all of them.
But in Sayler’s mind, he serves them.
At the beginning of the year, he asked the athletes where he was positioned on a pyramid versus them. They answered, “You’re the top dog,” “You’re the chief” and “You’re in charge.”
“And I’m like, no, actually, in my mind I fipped that pyramid upside down, and I’m on the bottom,” Sayler said. “I serve up to my staf and serve up to my coaches and provide them the resources they need to ultimately produce a great situation for the fans and the community and the students themselves.”
He also leads athletics with the guiding mission of “graduating champions.”
But what does he do?
Dave Meyer, the assistant athletic director for communications, who manages Sayler’s schedule and works with local and national media outlets to promote the student athletes and coaches, said that since Sayler started working at Miami 13 years ago, he’s implemented changes to put Miami back on the map. Including the seat changes in Millett Hall from green to red, he’s added tennis courts, two new football facilities, which he fundraised $40 million for, and is working on the new sports arena.
“He’s got millions of things going on,” Meyer said. “The world that I live in is such a small world, but I do want to try [and help it] go well when he is doing an interview, because it does help him. It helps Miami athletics …” Meyer said he would be surprised if students knew what Sayler did because of all the diferent hats he wears.
Janelle Tipton, a senior Spanish major, proved him right. She said she has no idea what the director of athletics does, but guessed he “makes decisions on funding stuf and probably what sports are here at Miami.” Ryan Robusto, a sophomore fnance major, had a similar answer and added that a strong leader equals a strong team.
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Halloween
weekend brings multiple assaults to Oxford
“Sports bring in a lot of revenue, so having an athletic director who can lead means better sports teams and more revenue they can use to support students,” Robusto said.
Sayler’s responsibilities vary depending on the time of year, but he’s involved with the decision-making of diferent sports, fundraising, meeting donors and alumni across the country, managing the athletic budget and getting involved with NCAA committees to help the national ofce run. He’s also in charge of hiring coaches, monitoring staf and making sure everybody’s doing OK.
“A lot of times I’ll come in, though, and I’ll have my day kind of planned out, but then it ends up being completely diferent than that,” Sayler said. “So I sometimes would equate to you that, like, I should come to work wearing a fre hat, because you just don’t know what’s going to pop up that day.”
He ofered the examples of a student who got injured the night before, and they have to deal with a hospital situation for them, or organizing travel for a team that got stuck in a diferent city.
He said all of his responsibilities and roles are just part of Miami’s mission of “graduating champions.”
“I love watching them compete, and I really believe at my core that
what makes sports unique is that these student athletes overcome things that make them more prepared for life,” he said.
“You know, they’re part of a team, and when you’re on that team, nobody cares where you’re from, how much money your family has, what your political beliefs are [or] whatever else.”
One surprising aspect of his role is how connected the athletic department is to the rest of the university. He compared it to Ohio State University and how it has resources to be “its own island,” but Miami is intertwined with campus life. Sayler is involved with the dining halls, residence halls and the deans of the diferent colleges.
“You know, one of the things I really love about Miami is we have a student athlete who is an architecture major,” Sayler said. “Everywhere she went to be recruited, the coaches at those schools told her, ‘You can’t be a student athlete, Division I [basketball player] and do architecture. It’s too difcult a major to manage, timewise. Miami was like, ‘No, you can do that here.’ And she’s here, and she’s having a great experience.”
Contributed reporting by Paul Gollis.
stumbata@miamioh.edu
Between Oct. 27 and Nov. 3, police ofcers responded to 23 diferent incidents, according to an Oxford Police Department report.
On Oct. 27 at 4:21 p.m., in the 500 block of S. Locust St., police were dispatched for a wellness check on a potentially unresponsive male. He was found to be intoxicated. They transported him to the hospital and cited him for disorderly conduct and an open liquor container.
One minute later, at 4:22 p.m., in the 110 block of N. College Ave., police responded to a call about an unknown man attempting to break into a residential unit earlier that morning. A report was taken.
On Oct. 29 at 1:36 p.m., a male walked into the police department lobby to report that he found his stolen DSLR camera listed for sale on Facebook. The suspect was identifed, arrested and charged with theft.
On Oct. 30 at 1:09 p.m., in the 180 block of Hilltop Road, ofcers and animal patrol responded to a severely injured deer. Police assisted in euthanizing the animal. A report was fled.
Later that day, at 11:52 p.m., in the 120 block of E. High St., ofcers responded to a report of two males attempting to gain access to an occupied Uber. The driver pepper sprayed the men. No further details have been provided at this time.
On Nov. 1 at 1:46 a.m., in the 5200 block of College Corner Pike, ofcers were dispatched to domestic violence in progress. Upon arrival, a male became combative and threatened the ofcers. He was arrested and transported to Butler County Jail.
Two minutes later, at 1:48 a.m., in the 110 block of N. Poplar St., offcers responded to a report of an as-
sault of a female at The Woods bar. She reported that an unknown object had been thrown at her on the dance foor, causing her head to bleed. No further details have been provided.
Later that morning, at 3:03 a.m., in the 600 block of S. Locust St., offcers responded to a male passed out at the wheel in a McDonald’s drive-thru. The male was taken out of the car by EMS, and after evaluation, he was found to be under the infuence of alcohol.
That same day, at 11:16 p.m., at the intersection of East Walnut Street and South Poplar Street, ofcers performed a pedestrian stop. The male fed on foot and, after a short chase, was placed into custody. He was found to be underage and cited accordingly.
On Nov. 2 at 12:10 a.m., in the 210 block of W. Vine St., ofcers responded to a call of an unconscious male in an alley. He was transported to the hospital and cited for underage consumption and disorderly conduct.
That same morning, at 1:52 a.m., in the 40 block of East Park Place, ofcers were dispatched for a fght. When the ofcers arrived, they encountered a man who had been punched in the face. The suspects’ identities are currently unknown.
Later, at 2:47 a.m., in the 10 block of N. Poplar St., ofcers were approached by a male who said he had been assaulted by an unknown person outside of The Wood’s bar. A report was taken, and the investigation is ongoing.
Then, at 11:26 a.m., in the 110 block of E. High St., a female fled a report online saying that she had lost her wallet in Uptown and that there were several unauthorized charges on her debit card. A report was taken. smith854@miamioh.edu
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AUSTIN SMITH BUSINESS MANAGER
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GAMES
The Miami Student Games
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EASID
City council adopts housing ordinance, discusses tax revenue distribution
KIERNAN PFENNIG THE MIAMI STUDENT Oxford City Council passed an anti-discrimination ordinance, welcomed a new Oxford police ofcer and discussed tax fund distribution during its meeting on Nov. 4. Oxford Police Department’s new ofcer The Oxford Police Department’s newest ofcer Lincoln Wolf was sworn in during the meeting. A United States Army veteran, Wolf graduated from the Butler Tech Police Academy and will begin feld training next week.
“I’m excited for this opportunity,” Wolf said. “I’m ready to stop reading policy and start walking around and stretch my legs a little bit.”
Housing discrimination ordinance Council passed an ordinance prohibiting landlords from discriminating against potential tenants based on forms of payment. This ordinance requires landlords to accept housing vouchers as a form of payment and prevents landlords from examining how rent will be paid in their consideration of renting to a person.
This ordinance is intended to increase the opportunities for housing for low-income residents. Vice-Mayor
Chantel Raghu said this ordinance is a stepping stone to passing more anti-housing discrimination ordinances.
“I see this as just one piece,” Raghu said. “We had a bunch of housing ordinances about six months ago; [the ordinances] died in committee. We have this simple, beautiful [ordinance] and we can just build on that.”
Funds from marijuana excise tax
City manager Douglas Elliott shared an update about the distribution of funds from the state of Ohio to its municipalities.
Ohio Senate Bill 56 outlines that 36% of the funds gathered by the 10% excise tax on marijuana will be distributed to municipalities containing marijuana dispensaries. However, no appropriations have been made, and the funds have yet to be distributed.
“The state is sitting on that money and gathering interest, and that was not the intent of the citizen-initiated statute,” Elliott said.
Oxford hosts two marijuana dispensaries, Consume Oxford and Pure Iconic, and it is expecting the eventual distribution of funds.
Council will meet again on Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the Oxford Courthouse. pfennikp@miamioh.edu
Associated Student Government rescinds resolution to dissolve University Senate, emphasizes growth and shared governance
EVELYN DUGAN THE MIAMI STUDENT
Last week, the University Senate executive committee was made aware of a proposal to disband the University Senate. This resolution was authored by Nicholas Barry as a member of Associated Student Government (ASG). Barry recently became a member of senate, the governing body he proposed to dissolve.
Nathan French, chair of the executive committee of University Senate, addressed ASG about the importance of Senate and allotted time during a public hearing on the Senate Enabling Act for concerned parties to express their opinions.
“The university will always have a need of shared governance,” French said. “Since the earliest history of Miami, faculty have participated in the decision-making of the institution, and since that time, faculty have been joined by students and staf and administrators in that project of governance.”
At the public hearing, Barry delivered prepared remarks alongside three other ASG members: Tyreke Farkensen, Susanne Morrissey and Kirsten Osteboe. During the open foor, ASG members spoke on shared governance, focus and synergy.
Each speech emphasized the importance of collaboration between advisory bodies and alluded to backing away from the original piece of legislation. Later, Barry indicated that the resolution will not be on the foor this coming Tuesday and will not re-
appear the same way it was originally written.
“We’re kind of just hoping out of today and voting on the Enabling Act, that it will be kind of the fnal push towards ‘let’s work,’” Osteboe said after the hearing. “I don’t foresee that original legislation coming to the foor at all.”
ASG speakers were met with silence from University Senate.
“I’m hoping that they’re willing to put time into [making changes],” Barry said after the meeting. “I don’t know because they were silent, but I’m hoping. I really do think that they were thinking and they were in listening mode. I’m optimistic, but there’s still conversations to be had.” French reinforced the idea that the senators were processing and digesting the news.
“I think what you saw today, even as quiet as senators were during the public hearing, I think you saw a group of folks who’ve processed last week’s news and have thought really hard about what they want University Senate to be,” French said after the meeting.
He added that the institution feels as if it is amid a moment of tectonic shift towards a fundamental rearrangement of its historic position in the service of mind, spirit and civic life.
“I hope for this Senate to become a place of robust, engaged advice and dissent, a rampart of shared governance whose voice is one worth hearing and engaging,” French said. “To achieve that will require open discussions such as today’s. Our public
ASG passes resolution to reform parking citations
SHANNON MAHONEY ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
Senator Nick McClure introduced “A resolution to encourage university administrators to reform and update current parking citation policies” to the foor at the Nov. 4 meeting.
The resolution requests that tickets for frst-time parking ofenses be changed to $25 or $35, which would bring Miami University in line with other Ohio universities like Kenyon College and Mount Union.
“I feel like $75 is a very high amount to charge students,” McClure said. “I think [this way] we’ll still get the gist across that we have to park in other spaces.” The resolution recommended that Miami move to a tiered system of citation, where repeat parking offenses would incur increasing ticket amounts.
Senator Alex Oliver agreed the resolution was necessary, but said the issue may be larger than Miami’s current policy. “Maybe it’s a broader issue of ‘We
don’t have enough parking available on campus,’” Oliver said. “[For example], why do commuters have to park all the way down at Ditmer?” The resolution passed with unanimous consent, and it will be presented at Miami’s Parking Advisory Board meeting on Nov. 11.
discussion today is a part of the important work of the renovation of this body, [so] it might provide timely, clear and efective advice, serving, if needed, as a conscience for our institution at a time when our institution works to recover the broader trust of the public it serves.”
On Sept. 8, Senate motioned to create an ad hoc committee, led by Media, Journalism and Film Department chair Rosemary Pennington, to revise the enabling act. The committee was tasked with authoring and proposing an amended version of the act, aligning with Senate Bill 1 and the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act.
The enabling act, which will be voted on at the next meeting, is the frst step to a great deal of change to come. Then, the body hopes to engage at the winter retreat to begin to work more efciently and update important documents.
“Nationally, you see university senates and faculty senates being shut down, and I think when you lose those bodies of shared governance, you lose spaces for transparency and dialogue and discussion and those are really important for the life of a public institution,” Pennington said. “So I’m happy that it seems like we’re moving away from the conversation of dissolution. I’m still a little nervous about what comes next, but I’m more hopeful for what that could be.”
University Senate’s next meeting will be at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 17 in 111 Harrison Hall.
duganec@miamioh.edu
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
‘A glimpse into the past’: Crafting the meaning of architecture
TAYLOR STUMBAUGH CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
Alumni Hall used to be Miami University’s primary library. Authors’ names still line the rotunda, and George Washington still greets students as they walk in the front doors. Now, however, it’s primarily architecture and interior design students walking up the spiral staircases on their way to class.
As aspiring architects walk past classrooms and through a set of double doors into the added architecture studio, they see their own work taking up the wall in front of room 203; all 4 feet by 44 feet of it.
The collage, made up of 85 smaller collages, depicts the social and cultural history of Miami through the investigation of 50 buildings.
Terry Welker, a visiting assistant professor of architecture, frst assigned this project three years ago during his frst year teaching at Miami. He said when thinking about architecture, it’s not just the physical world, but the intersection of cultural, social and physical aspects.
Architects dive into social aspects like: Who’s there? What are they doing? Why are they doing it? What’s the story there?
The cultural perspective includes:
What are the belief systems? What’s the history of this place? What are the traditions? What are the things that help us know and understand this sense of place through experience?
“And so all three of those things add up,” Welker said, “so what we end up with is a collection of really fantastic stories.”
Lauren Molyneaux, a frst-year interior design major, chose Peabody Hall for the subject of her collage.
The frst-year dorm and academic building holds personal history for Molyneaux. In 1978, her family donated the Molyneaux-Western Bell Tower, which stands across from the Freedom Summer of 1964 Memorial and next to Peabody Hall.
She admitted, though, that she mostly chose Peabody for the “hauntedness” of it.
“I feel like some people have connections to the school and there are many pieces of history behind every building,” Molyneaux said.
Welker said the vision for the assignment was to help frst-year students answer the question: What is architecture?
He added that there’s a naive saying of, “Well, it’s just about designing objects or buildings.”
But it’s about more than just that – it’s an understanding of the social aspects of architecture.
New executive order set to ban intoxicating hemp products in Ohio
Asking what’s going on in here? Why are we doing this? What is this? What’s the purpose of this place? And understanding that meaning and context in architecture only occurs over time with experience.
Another student in Welker’s Architecure 113 class, Caleb Pelton, chose the McGufey House and Museum as his building of choice.
From his research, the frst-year architecture major said it’s one of the oldest buildings on campus. The namesake, William Holmes McGufey, was an important fgure in education throughout much of the 19th and 20th centuries due to his series of readers, which sold more than 120 million copies.
He said he also liked how close it was to Alumni Hall because it made the trips back and forth quicker.
“I like how simple it is,” Pelton said. “I liked its location – it’s pretty central on campus, but it gets looked over when you look at Miami. It was actually really important, and learning about its importance is really cool.”
Students said they not only learned history and research techniques during the collage process, but also honed their sketching and crafting skills.
“[The overall purpose of the assignment] was just to learn more
CAITLIN O’BRIEN
THE MIAMI STUDENT
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine issued a 90-day executive order banning the sale of intoxicating hemp products throughout the state.
The ban was set to expire Jan. 12, until it was paused after a Franklin County judge fled a 14-day restraining order on the executive order, allowing shops to sell until Dec. 2, according to reporting by the Ohio Capital Journal. On Oct. 29, the Ohio Senate voted not to concur with House changes to the original bill –Senate Bill 56 – which included added intoxicating hemp regulations.
The executive order means that intoxicating hemp products containing THC cannot be sold anywhere other than licensed marijuana dispensaries.
This includes establishments such as smoke shops, gas stations and CBD stores. The closest dispensaries in Oxford are Consume on Southpointe Parkway and Pure Iconic on College Corner Pike.
At a press conference on Oct. 8, DeWine emphasized how important this matter is to the safety of children.
“I’m not going to tell [lawmakers] what to do, but we have to have some control of this product,” he said at the press conference. “We can’t have a
about Miami’s history, how every building tells a story,” Pelton said.
“[The curator] said, ‘This place is a place of memory and a glimpse into the past.’” Janiece Lumpkin, a sophomore architecture major, approached this project not as a history of what’s inside the building, but a history of the architecture. Lumpkin said she focused on styles from ancient Greece and created a theme of “looking deeper.” This meant, creatively, she added small statues and isolated the eyes in an attempt to get the viewer to get closer and look deeper at the theater department. The background is sheets from
a play, with architectural elements mixed in throughout the layout, like the arches on the windows, the metal railings and the trademarked Miami red brick. She then added elements of music and dancing to bring out the theater department’s history.
“This campus has a lot of rich history,” Lumpkin said. “I mean, obviously, the architecture of these buildings and their aesthetic, it gets very traditional, but I think we also take that for granted. I think [Welker] just wanted us to dig deeper into what goes on inside the buildings, rather than just enjoying what we see.”
stumbata@miamioh.edu
situation where it is legal for people to sell this to underage kids.”
Exposures to delta-8 THC and delta-9 THC among ages 19 or younger increased from 419 in 2021 to 994 in 2024, with more than half of all cases involving children ages fve and under, according to Ohio Poison Control.
Retailers who continue selling intoxicating hemp could be fned $500 each day the products remain on sale, according to the executive order.
Marijuana is not considered an intoxicating hemp product and is legal in Ohio. Oxford has fve smoke shops in town, and other shops like Wild Berry sell various CBD and hemp products.
Wild Berry’s store manager, Barbara Cox, said 10% of their sales are from hemp products.
Trevor Rybolt, 26, has worked at Oxford Smoke Time on High Street for seven years. He said intoxicating hemp products should not be banned, and he is frustrated the ban continues to get pushed back.
When he and the other employees at Oxford Smoke Time frst read about the original ban, they took everything of their shelves. Now, he said the order has been extended three times, which means it won’t be in efect until Dec. 2. He said this has caused annoyance for the employees
as they place products back in the store, and it has also confused customers.
“People who don’t have the resources to aford medical marijuana purchase from me because it’s a lot cheaper,” Rybolt said. “It’s annoying for them because now they have to resort to other things. I think it’s inconvenient and childish.”
In addition to working at a shop afected by this order, students are concerned with what this ban could lead to.
First-year Miami University student Calvin Ainsworth said he thinks the government should be focusing on banning more harmful drugs, such as 7-OH products, that act as a gateway to opioids. He worries that when intoxicating hemp products are no longer readily available, customers will resort to dangerous alternatives.
“Those products are much worse,” Ainsworth said. “They’re going to end up getting addicted. That could ruin their life.”
Other groups like the hemp industry and the Ohio Cannabis Coalition hold varying opinions as well, but ultimately, the decision will be up to the lawmakers when the countdown clock ends.
obrie175@miamioh.edu
The Miami Tribe of Oklahoma: A people of the present
VENEZIA
MCHENRY STAFF WRITER
LIAM CLARKE
MIAMI STUDENT
THE
The Myaamia people were forcibly removed from their traditional homelands and displaced to what is now known as Miami, Oklahoma. They are people of the present: living, working and studying across the country, all connected to each other.
Kristina Fox, Myaamia education coordinator for The Myaamia Center, said the Miami Tribe’s traditional homelands are what are known today as Indiana, Illinois, Western Ohio and parts of Wisconsin and Michigan. The tribe shared the area with several other tribes until the United States government developed a need for land.
“We started signing treaties, not always by choice,” Fox said. “There was defnitely coercion happening, pressure from the U.S. to sign these treaties. The Treaty of Greenville, in
1795, is actually what ceded the land Miami University is on.”
According to the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma website, these treaty periods were devastating. In October of 1846, 500 of the Miami Tribe’s ancestors were walked at gunpoint to canal boats and steamboats that took them west near Kansas City, Missouri. They stayed there until the Treaty of 1867 called for their removal to the “Indian Territory,” now known as Oklahoma. Kara Strass, director of Miami Tribe relations for the Myaamia Center, said the Miami Tribe is recognized as a sovereign nation by the U.S.
“You can think of tribes as having a similar level of power in the hierarchy of the United States as states,” Strass said. “For example, if we are standing on the Miami reservation in Miami, Oklahoma, you do not have to follow state laws. You do have to follow federal laws.” Fox said the tribe demonstrates their sovereignty through identifca-
tion cards, elder benefts and their own police force.
She said it is also important to know where you came from and how you got to where you are, not just for Myaamia people, but for everyone.
“Knowing our history is important to stay connected to language and to family,” Fox said. “It’s such a big part of our community.”
Fox said they foster community with gatherings in summer and winter. The largest of the two is the National Gathering Week, which takes place in the summer. She said people come from every part of the country, taking time to connect through education, dancing and games. Ofcial elections also take place during this gathering, where citizens elect fve leaders, each with a three-year term. Positions include chief, second chief, secretary-treasurer, frst councilperson and second councilperson.
She said there are also summer camps for citizens, ranging in age from babies to adults. It started in 2005, with 23 participants, and it has
now grown to include fve programs in two locations with 123 participants this past year.
Savannah Strack, a junior math and math education double major and a Miami Tribe citizen, said she never attended the summer camps when she was younger. She decided to help out at the camps her frst year and brought her younger siblings to experience it for the frst time.
“I fell in love with it,” Strack said.
“I just felt so much closer to the language after [my frst] year. I was the one teaching them, so I was also learning alongside them what the language was.”
Strack is in the Myaamia Heritage Award Program at Miami and said she loves attending heritage classes with her friends in the program. Each year, the subject they learn rotates between language and culture, history and ecology, contemporary issues and sovereignty and a senior project in their last year.
Strass said the relationship between the Miami Tribe and Miami
University was formed by individual people connecting with each other. She said in the 1990s, Chief Floyd Leonard and Myrtis Powell, former vice president of student afairs, connected on ways to institutionalize their relationship with a focus on education.
She said in 2001, Daryl Baldwin arrived as the frst director of the Myaamia project and started the conversations about revitalization that have impacted the relationship between the Miami Tribe and the university since then.
“Today, we have 46 students enrolled at Miami University and 135 graduates of this program,” Strass said. “For a community like ours, that’s quite small – about 7,000 tribal citizens – this is having a really big impact on what the tribe can accomplish through language and cultural revitalization.”
mchenrvg@miamioh.edu
TERRY WALKER
CALEB PELTON CHOSE THE MCGUFFEY HOUSE AND MUSEUM FOR HIS COLLAGE. PHOTO BY TAYLOR STUMBAUGH
Energy drink brands target health-conscious students
drinking things more for the aesthetic of drinking it, not because of the drink itself,” she said.
as TikTok and Instagram often features young women as brand ambassadors.
Local farmers, residents feel the blow amidst the halt of SNAP benefits
CONTINUED FROM FRONT
For farmers around southwest Ohio, including Lucy Owsley-Goodman, the loss of SNAP benefts is felt by her business. Lucy and her husband, Eugene, are the owners of their farm, located two miles north of Eaton, Ohio, and have been in the industry for 31 years.
Owsley-Goodman sells to the Richmond Farmer’s Market, which ofers a unique deal with SNAP recipients where they do unlimited doubling.
As college students focus more on their health, energy drink brands
Bubbl’r and Bloom have expanded their marketing eforts to Miami University. From free beverage handouts in front of Maple Street Commons to building brand recognition within a new niche, a new target audience on campus has emerged: health-conscious women.
Bubbl’r sent out a truck full of free energy drinks to Central Quad, home to most sophomore sorority women. Twelve pack by 12 pack, the beverages disappeared. Anna Drone, a frst-year strategic communication and political science double major, grabbed two packs and made her way home to share her new energy boosters with friends.
“[The] marketing is more out of the box,” Drone said. “Not many companies choose to be out and about on campuses.”
Drone said she noticed that when she got her 24 cans of Bubbl’r, she almost exclusively saw women lining up in groups.
“Not the traditional energy drink buyers,” she added.
Drone said she is a strong proponent of area-specifc marketing efforts, but she also had commentary on the design of the Bubbl’r cans themselves, attributing the popularity and success of the brand to visual appeal.
“In this day in age, people are
For many Miami students, the aesthetics largely infuence their purchases. However, the contents of the drink do matter to others.
Sophia Lach, a frst-year student, said she enjoys the favor profle and transparency of Bloom’s ingredients.
“The taste is pretty vibrant, but not too sweet,” she said. “You can’t taste the artifcial sugar.”
Lach, a biology major, occasionally enjoys energy drinks, but she added that she’s also very health-conscious, which is one of many factors Lach considers when shopping.
For her, there should be no guessing what an energy drink brand is or is not hiding from the consumer. Lach described Bloom as “open and honest about their ingredients,” which she said makes her decision more straightforward.
However, presentation still plays a role, even for her. She called Bloom’s can subtle and “prettier” than other alternatives.
“I’ll fall for something that looks prettier,” she said.
Zhiyong Yang, chair of Miami’s Department of Marketing, said Bloom’s gender-targeted marketing is obvious.
“The color theme is more of a gender theme, which is quite frankly a little risky,” he said.
He noted the Bloom marketing seen on social media platforms such
“It’s very consistent with the younger generation, which is a little bit more bold in terms of suggesting this gender theme,” he said. “Social media picks up in that way.”
Lach agreed and said Bloom’s marketing is intentionally more feminine.
“There is 100% a gender component,” she said. “When you see a Ghost energy drink and gym guys, that’s what they are going to drink, but a pilates girl is going to have a Bloom in hand.”
She noted that many Bloom products are sold at Pilates and yoga studios, not in places that stock brands like Monster or Redbull.
“The ideal audience is [girls and young women], probably 15 to 25,” Lach said.
Yang also analyzed the branding of Bubbl’r and said the design choices seen on the cans communicate health and energy.
“Fruit suggests health,” he said. “The color refects an energized mood, and the low-calorie, zero-sugar attributes reinforce that.”
He said the Bubbl’r font is strange, but he praised the company’s overall campaign, adding that green leaves suggest something more natural.
“It’s a really great design,” Yang said. “I actually prefer [the] look [of Bubbl’r].”
slarkgj@miamioh.edu
“People who use SNAP can go to a farmers market and get fresh food, and if there’s a doubling program, they can get the food essentially for half price, but the farmer gets the full price,” Owsley-Goodman said.
Market-goers can use their Electronic Beneft Transfer (EBT) card loaded with their SNAP benefts, and local farmers who sell at the market beneft fully from the proft. For Owsley-Goodman, more than a quarter of her sales are through SNAP at the Richmond Farmers Market.
“Our sales are [about to] go down,” Owsley-Goodman said. “That’s not a good proposition … not at all.”
SNAP is part of a farm subsidy program, where it is used as a way to get rid of an excess of certain farm products. For Owsley-Goodman, this means profting from her produce, including tomatoes, lettuce and red chard, outside of her sales to the farmers market.
“If you have more people who can aford food, then you have more people who will be buying what the farmers grow,” Williamson said. “Look at all the farmland around us. I mean, I knew that this was farm country, but I can still remember when I frst drove into Oxford and saw all the felds of corn.”
The Talawanda Oxford Pantry and Social Services (TOPSS) serves 400500 Oxford families weekly; however, in the last two weeks alone, that
number has surged to 600, according to executive director Sherry Martin. The number of Oxford residents requiring food assistance cannot be served by the pantry alone, which is why Martin said the elimination of SNAP benefts in Oxford would cause the pantry to be overwhelmed in the coming weeks.
“I’ve kind of been in denial, just thinking that something would change before [Nov. 1],” Martin said. “... We think that people are kind of bracing themselves for not getting their SNAP benefts.”
However, in the wake of the Nov. 1 freeze on benefts, Martin said the Oxford community has stepped up.
“Every day that we’re open, we’ve gotten just loads and loads of food,” Martin said. “Of course, it goes right back out [the door] … It’s really nice to see the whole community stepping up and people digging deep and donating and helping share information.”
Martin said she has been communicating the pantry’s needs to the public through the TOPSS social media and has received high levels of engagement since.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed an executive order for the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services to direct the provision of temporary assistance to Ohioans facing food insecurity. Should the government shutdown continue, this order provides up to $25 million in food assistance to aid Ohio families afected by the SNAP suspension.
“[The Ohio government] has been doing an amazing job of communicating and trying to support us,” Martin said. “But the food is just not there. Pantries were not meant to replace SNAP; it was supposed to supplement or to help people who don’t qualify for SNAP. To replace SNAP is impossible.”
patelou@miamioh.edu
duganec@miamioh.edu
ABE HAGOOD THE MIAMI STUDENT
The votes have been cast and the results are in – current city council members William Snavely and Jason Bracken will be joined by incumbents Amber Franklin and Alex French and new members James Vinch and Roxanne Ornelas.
James “Jim” Vinch
James Vinch said he was somewhat surprised by his victory.
“I’m not a seasoned politician,” he said. “This was my frst foray into running a campaign, so I really had no idea what to expect.”
That campaign was focused on what Vinch calls “good government.”
”[After] working 25 years for the
federal government in a policy-making role, I really learned the value of following the process, because [it] is essentially designed to allow the public to provide input into the decisions that the government makes,” Vinch said. Vinch said the recent controversial skate park closure is an example of when this goes wrong.
“My whole philosophy is that this campaign was not about me – it’s about the citizens of Oxford,” he said.
“Government decisions are always better when they have the input of the public.”
Alex French Alex French said she was very excited about her victory. She enjoyed running as an incumbent because people knew who she was.
“It can be a double-edged sword,” she said. “ If folks were unhappy with what I had done in my frst term, then I think we would’ve seen that … I’m really honored that folks are happy with the work I am doing enough to vote me in for a second term.”
Part of that work is the Oats n’ Honey 5k and 10k, which she hopes to expand into a half-marathon.
”Now that more of the trails are completed, we will very soon have enough to do a half-marathon.”
She said she also plans to continue work on economic development and making Oxford a more attractive and afordable place for people to live.
She also spoke about her excitement to work with new councilors Ornelas and Vinch, whom she plans to show the ins and outs of city govern-
ment. She also said she looks forward to continuing to work with city staf.
“… They’re so, so talented and smart, and they’re just great partners,” French said. “So I am really thrilled that we get to continue that work together.”
Amber Franklin
Right after teaching her Miami University Class, Franklin said she felt great about the results.
“It’s wonderful to have the support of the community behind me,” she said, “and to be reelected with other wonderful people who I’ll be serving with for the next four years.”
Like French, she spoke about the economic development projects she wants to continue, like bringing advanced air mobility to Oxford, which positions Southwest Ohio as a nation-
al leader in next-generation aviation, according to a Miami press release. She said she was also excited about continuing ongoing eforts, like the construction of the Amtrak station, water softening and public art in Oxford.
“There are a lot of things that are already in play that we want to see come to fruition,” Franklin said.
The new members will join the council in January, replacing councilor David Prytherch and Vice-Mayor Chantel Raghu. Roxanne Ornelas was unavailable for comment prior to publishing this story.
hagooda@miamioh.edu
GABE SLARK THE MIAMI STUDENT
BUBBL’R AND BLOOM HAVE BOTH SHIFTED MARKETING TOWARD HEALTH-CENTERED WOMEN ON MIAMI’S CAMPUS.
PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH
History of the Battle of the Bricks
KETHAN BABU SPORTS EDITOR
Twenty years after the frst collegiate football game in the state of Ohio, Miami would start another historical rivalry with the frst Battle of the Bricks against the Ohio University Bobcats in 1908.
Ohio outranks Miami by fve years as the oldest university in the state, with the former being established in 1804 and the latter in 1809. A century later, football teams from both schools met for the frst time.
There have been 102 Battles of the Bricks matchups. The RedHawks currently hold a 56-44-2 advantage in the series. The 100-year-long rivalry contains several notable games over the years.
Oct. 17, 1908 – Miami wins 5-0
In the very frst Battle of the Bricks, both teams engaged in a defensive war that ended in a low-scoring afair. Neither team impacted the scoreboard until Miami left end B.C. Morris, who was “especially good in handling the forward pass” accord-
ing to that year’s Recensio, caught a touchdown in the endzone.
A touchdown, of course, equaled fve points at the time, and the “Big Red” took their victory 5-0 in the frst of more than 100 matchups between the two schools.
Oct. 22, 1960 – Ohio wins 21-0
The Battle of the Bricks became an annual tradition starting in 1945.
Miami went 14-0-1 over 15 years until 1960, when the Bobcats ended their losing streak with a 21-0 shutout in front of 15,000 people.
Miami entered the matchup as the underdogs, given Ohio’s dominance at the time. The Bobcats won their frst fve games decisively and would fnish the 1960 season undefeated, taking the AP small college football No. 1 ranking.
The RedHawks, coached by John Pont, reached opposing territory three times but were held of the scoreboard. Ohio scored three touchdowns to shut out Miami and end its drought. The Bobcats fnished the year with four more wins to maintain a perfect 10-0 season and take the
Mid-American Conference (MAC) title.
Oct. 13, 1973 – Miami wins 10-6
The early 1970s were arguably Miami’s best years in program history. The RedHawks were 32-1-1 between 1973-75, won three-straight MAC championships and made it to the Tangerine Bowl each year, winning all three.
Miami’s dominance was replicat
ed in the Battle of the Bricks matchup each year. In 1973, the RedHawks entered the game ranked No. 20 in the country.
The homecoming game saw more than 11,000 fans at Miami Field. Despite their national ranking, the RedHawks only scored 10 points on the Bobcats due in part to Hall-Of-Famer Bob Hitchens sitting out with a knee injury. His substitute, future Miami head coach Randy Walker, gained 160 yards on the ground and scored the team’s only touchdown.
Miami’s defense, ranked third in the nation, held Ohio to 121 total yards. Gary Homer kicked two feld goals for the Bobcats, but a fourth-quarter feld goal from Miami’s Dave Draudt kept the RedHawks up until the fnal whistle. Oct. 14, 1989 – Both teams tie
The 1989 season was ugly for both teams. Neither team had won a game going into the annual rivalry matchup, and both matched each other with one loss in conference play the week prior.
Ohio held a 19-7 lead halfway through the third quarter, but a picksix from Miami linebacker Jerry Prochko proved to be a much-needed spark. A Bobcats feld goal put them back up 22-14, but quarterback Joe Napoli found receiver Milt Stegall for a 30-yard touchdown. Head coach Tim Rose opted for a two-point conversion to tie the game with six minutes left, and Napoli targeted Mark Matthews to even the score 22-22.
Recap: Miami football falls to Ohio in 102nd edition of the Battle of the Bricks
BRYAN MILLER STAFF WRITER
The Miami University RedHawks football team (5-4, 4-1 in conference play) sufered its frst Mid-American Conference (MAC) loss of the season to the rival Ohio University Bobcats (6-3, 4-1 in conference play). The 2420 defeat snaps Miami’s fve-game winning streak. The quarterbacks from both teams played nearly an even game. Ohio graduate student quarterback Parker Navarro threw for 201 yards and one touchdown, seven more yards but one fewer touchdown than seventh-year quarterback Dequan Finn. The two matched each other with one interception as well.
Statistically, the RedHawks and the Bobcats stayed even with each other. However, one crucial mistake, a pick by Finn late in the fourth quarter, sealed Miami’s defeat.
The frst quarter began with four drives ending in punts and was highlighted by a touchdown-saving interception by redshirt junior linebacker Eli Coppess. The second quarter featured the frst points of the contest, with each squad putting a feld goal on the board in the last two minutes of the half. After their frst drive in the second half resulted in a punt, the RedHawks forced their second turnover of the game with a strip fumble caused and recovered by redshirt senior linebacker Corban Hondru. It was the highlight of a strong day for Hondru, who fnished the game with a team-leading 17 tackles.
Miami was able to capitalize on the turnover with a 46-yard feld goal from redshirt senior kicker Dom Dzioban to take a 6-3 lead.
Ohio responded on the very next drive, going on an eight-play, 75yard drive that ended in a 22-yard touchdown for redshirt senior running back Sieh Bangura. That gave
the Bobcats their frst lead of the game at 10-6 with just over four minutes to go in the third quarter.
Miami responded with an 11-play, 60-yard drive that featured a critical pass interference penalty on Ohio graduate student defensive back Tank Pearson and a fourth-down conversion by redshirt freshman running back D’Shawntae Jones.
The drive ended with a 4-yard touchdown to redshirt freshman receiver Braylon Isom with 13:29 left in the game. The go-ahead touchdown was Isom’s frst touchdown of his career.
“They took away the frst read, Isom did exactly what he was supposed to do,” Miami head coach Chuck Martin said. “He ran a go route, then he wrapped it, and [Finn] bought some time and found him.”
The Bobcats took the momentum right back on the ensuing kickof. Bangura faked a reversal pitch to sophomore running back Duncan Brune and returned the kickof 97 yards for the touchdown. The touchdown was Bangura’s frst kickof return attempt and touchdown in his career, and it was the frst kickof return for an Ohio touchdown this season.
Miami kept fghting, though, and the pendulum swung back in the RedHawks’ direction with a 65yard drive that ended with a 27-yard touchdown to redshirt junior receiver Kam Perry on fourth-and-9. That touchdown catch was Perry’s fourth of the season and gave Miami a 20-17 lead with 9:29 left.
“[Perry] ran a really good double move and beat the safety,” Martin said. “[Finn] threw the ball, and our protection was really good – it looked like practice.”
With Ohio looking to take back the lead, Miami got a major stop on defense when redshirt senior defensive back Eli Blakey forced a Navarro throwaway on third-and-7. The RedHawks got the ball back with just over seven minutes left with a
The RedHawks got the ball back with more than three minutes remaining and drove down the feld, but Napoli threw an interception. They nearly forced a safety, but Ohio quarterback Anthony Thorton escaped a tackle in the endzone.
Miami won two more games after the tie, while Ohio beat Kent State one week later before going 0-3 to end the season. Rose and Ohio head coach Cleve Bryant would both be replaced at the end of the year.
Oct. 17, 1992 – Miami wins 23-21
The RedHawks won 1992’s Battle of the Bricks 23-21, but the real headline for this year was when Miami’s football team fought Ohio’s Marching 110 alumni band.
At halftime, the Marching 110 took center stage at Peden Stadium for its performance. The Miami players stretched and practiced on the sidelines. At some point, a practice ball made its way onto the feld during the band’s performance. When a Miami player went to retrieve it, members of the band got into an altercation.
More players and coaches joined the feld as the situation escalated into a brawl.
Nov. 22, 2003 –Miami wins 49-31
Miami won six games straight at the start of the 21st century, taking the mug between 2000-05. In Ben Roethlisberger’s fnal season in Oxford, the RedHawks once again took the mug to jump up three spots to No. 15 in the national rankings.
Roethlisberger threw four touchdowns against the Bobcats, who entered the game on a four-game losing streak. He broke his passing yards record from the previous season (3,532) and reached 290 completions on the year.
Meanwhile, Ohio head coach Brian Knorr swapped four diferent quarterbacks during the game.
Despite this, the Bobcats scored 31 points, including a 21-point fourth quarter when freshman quarterback Austin Everson entered the game as Miami pulled its starters on defense.
The game pushed Miami to 10 wins. The RedHawks fnished the year at 13-1, their most wins in a season, and they fnished the year with a MAC championship and a win at the GMAC Bowl.
Oct. 19, 2024 –Miami wins 30-20
In the frst of two Battles of the Bricks last season, the two oldest colleges in Ohio met at Yager for the 100th anniversary of the rivalry.
The RedHawks took a 16-0 lead at half before the Bobcats found the scoreboard. Two more touchdowns at the end of the third quarter, including one after an interception, kept Miami up enough to give head coach Chuck Martin his 59th win, matching Walker for most in program history.
The two teams would meet again in Detroit at the 2024 MAC championship, where Miami would not replicate this same success.
Dec. 7, 2024 – Ohio wins 38-3
A little over a month passed between the 100th and 101st meeting in this rivalry, but Miami looked entirely diferent compared to its regular season win over the Bobcats.
At the MAC championship, Ohio outperformed Miami in every statistical category. The Bobcats had 467 total ofensive yards to the RedHawks’ 189 and kept Miami of the scoreboard except for one feld goal on the opening drive. The loss ended the RedHawks’ seven-game winning streak and marked the largest score diferential in the history of the MAC championship. Ohio took the title for the frst time since 1968.
@kethanbabu_04
babukc2@miamioh.edu
chance to potentially ice the game with another score. Instead, Miami went three-and-out and had to punt it away.
Ohio kept the ball on the ground with Bangura and through the air with redshirt senior tight end Jake Bruno. On a third-and-4 from their own 46-yard line, the Bobcats were called for a critical holding to make it a third-and-14.
Miami sufered a crucial penalty of its own on the ensuing play, with redshirt junior defensive lineman Adam Trick getting called for a 15-yard facemask penalty on what would be a third-down sack. With new life and the ball in Miami territory, Navarro rolled to his left and found redshirt junior receiver Rodney Harris II for a 49-yard touchdown.
The touchdown gave Ohio a 2420 lead with 2:15 left to go.
With their backs against the wall, the RedHawks had to go 81 yards down the feld to clinch a victory.
On the frst play of the drive, Finn rolled to his left and found Isom for a leaping grab in between two Bobcat defenders for a 27-yard completion. One play later, Finn was looking for redshirt freshman running back Josh Ringer on the right side, but junior safety Jalen Thomeson jumped the route and intercepted the pass.
After a couple of kneel downs, Ohio clinched a 24-21 victory.
The loss puts Miami at 4-1 in MAC play; it also creates a fourway tie at the top of the conference standings between Miami, Ohio, the University of Bufalo and Western Michigan University.
“This one would have put us in great shape, but this is our life at 4-1,” Martin said. “There’s a lot of teams 4-1 in our league.”
The RedHawks will next be in action on Wednesday, Nov. 5 against the University of Toledo Rockets. mill2361@miamioh.edu
COOPER MENEGHETTI THE MIAMI STUDENT COLUMN
Miami University has a problem.
No, it is not the long lines at Chickfl-A, the mold in Morris Hall or the equally atrocious behavior from walkers and drivers alike. In fact, the problem is far greater than that: Students are wearing the gear of rival universities on campus.
Any keen-eyed RedHawk can spot the Cutler Green and Cupola White of our dreaded rival, Ohio University (OU), from across the seal. Rufus the Bobcat’s gnashing teeth have a way of sneering at Miami students passing by, almost as if to say, “I shouldn’t be here, but what are you going to do about it?”
The Battle of the Bricks rivalry has been contested for 117 years, and yet a select few Miami students seem to think that history does not matter, and it is acceptable to represent OU on campus.
As a die-hard sports fan, the concept of proudly wearing the brand of a rival through the heart of campus is inconceivable. At many campuses across the country, the act of doing this would spark verbal – if not physical – backlash.
I am not promoting the use of aggressive verbal and physical violence against individuals in Bobcat gear. However, I will condone a dirty look and an uncomfortable interaction.
Every time I see an article of OU clothing, I ask myself, “Why would any self-respecting Miami student choose to represent a university that willingly plays little brother?”
Anyone chronically online in Mid-American Conference (MAC) meme circles on social media is aware of the relentless toxicity directed at Miami from OU. From the constant claims of “unwarranted entitlement” to the asinine notion that Athens is a better, more interesting town than Oxford, spewing recycled slop seems to be the Bobcats’ favorite pastime.
Yes, “redcupohio,” if reusing the same Halloween graphic with an AI image of a bobcat passes for creativity in Athens, I want no part of your wretched town.
Anyone wearing OU merchandise is complicit in a crime against MACtion and, most importantly, slandering the good name of the United States’ fnest public ivy by aligning ourselves with such hooliganism.
Just remember whose bricks have ivy.
Many students will claim they have a well-founded argument for desecrating Miami’s campus with the green and white. However, each reason is more illogical than the next.
They have a signifcant other who attends OU – The problem is not that they have a signifcant other who attends OU, but that they are wearing Bobcat clothing on Miami’s campus. No one with a signifcant other at the University of Michigan wears their gear at Ohio State University, so why is this acceptable at Miami?
Miami students do not care about sports – This rivalry extends far beyond the athletic feld. It should consume the classrooms, buildings, nightlife and pride that exist in Miami, the same way it seems to exist at OU. Why should we, as Miami students, willingly endorse a university that plays the foil to us? If you want to support the Bobcats, be my guest. I hope you fnd Athens to be a more appealing place to live than I do.
They have some personal connection to the Bobcats – In other words, one of their parents is a professor, their sibling plays sports there or there is some deep familial connection to Athens. In any case, they chose to attend Miami. If someone decides to attend Miami, embrace the rivalry and have fun with it. Do not become a poster child for half-hearted regret, embracing a life on the fence.
For those of you with OU gear: donate it to Goodwill, a thrift shop or a person you know who attends that school. If you are too sad to get rid of it, leave it in your closet at home –don’t wear it in Oxford.
Rivalries are meant to be fun, high-spirited competitions that add intrigue to the monotony of daily life or the regular season, and every student should embrace them. If someone wants to be a humbug and ignore the fun traditions and good-natured animosity between Miami and OU, that is their prerogative. But as Miami students, we owe it to our predecessors to keep the tradition alive and continue to poke fun at OU.
So, RedHawks: wear the Red and White proudly, keep making Miami the best school in the MAC and, most importantly, keep laughing at OU. As always OU, Oh No. meneghcj@miamioh.edu
OHIO BLANKED MIAMI 38-3 IN THE 2024 MAC CHAMPIONSHIP AT FORD FIELD. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH
THE MIAMI SIDELINES WATCH THE FIELD AT PEDEN STADIUM ON NOV. 4. PHOTO BY KETHAN BABU
ADAM
Healing through chaos: A review of ‘Everybody Scream’
REN CHAFFEE
THE MIAMI STUDENT COLUMN
Florence Welch had a near-death experience from a ruptured ectopic pregnancy in August 2023. That and the surgery that saved her life became her main inspirations for her new album, which came out on Halloween. Her album, “Everybody Scream,” deals with varying themes of life and death, along with her experiences as a female performer. Welch takes these life experiences and creates an album flled with comparisons to mythology, witchcraft and fnding healing outside of modern medicine.
The album begins with the title track “Everybody Scream.” The instrumentals support the title, featuring screaming and slightly unsettling music before the lyrics begin. The meaning of “scream” shifts to take on a double meaning, expressing both yourself and desire when Welch sings “scream my name.”
“One of the Greats” continues with a self-empowering tone: “It must be nice to be a man and make boring music just because you can.” This song is focused on being a powerful
and independent woman, and how that drives men crazy. In “Witch Dance,” orchestral background vocals are used as a percussive element as the track dives into the theme of healed trauma, while conveying Welch’s feelings of damage. This song appears to be connected to a witch dance, a legend in which witches meet out in the woods to practice, dance and feast. This song appears to be connected to this legend because Welch sings about healing and becoming a better version of herself through mythical rituals.
“Sympathy Magic” is less raw than the frst three songs, as Welch sounds more self-assured in the lyrics and instrumentals, especially when she starts belting and repeating, “So come on, come on, I can take/Give me everything you got/What else? What else? What else? What else?”
In “Perfume and Milk,” Welch keys in on the idea of rebirth. She connects it to changing seasons and medicine. It elaborates on how often people change, just like seasons — going around every year through nature being reborn and dying again and again.
In “Buckle,” Welch reveals that despite being adored by fans, all she
longs for is attention from the one she loves. This song’s placement in the album is important. Despite her anger and rebirth, she still falls back into old feelings and emotions. The instrumentals are tender to support the vulnerability in her vocals and lyrics.
During “Kraken,” Welch embraces the side of herself that is dangerous and almost powerful. The song uses a metaphor with her being a kraken, too big and intimidating for anyone to truly get close to her. It helps the listeners understand that she isn’t necessarily herself when she’s performing; she puts on a strong, powerful persona and saves her softer side for her personal life.
In “The Old Religion,” Welch de-
Staying stylish and dry: Footwear for cold, wet weather
KENZI PERKINS THE MIAMI STUDENT
COLUMN
Your usual Ugg boots, slippers, sneakers and clogs are all comfortable and convenient options when you’re picking out what shoes to wear, but they aren’t always the most practical. With the colder and wetter seasons descending upon us, it’s time to upgrade your footwear to something a little more functional that still looks great with all your outfts.
Basics When trying to determine what qualities to look for in footwear that checks both the function and fashion boxes, there are three things that you need to look for: traction, water resistance and warmth.
When it’s rainy, icy and snowy, sidewalks can become the ultimate slip hazards, so when you’re choosing what shoes to wear, it’s important to pick a pair that has a textured, rubber sole. You’ll want to avoid smooth soles, because they can make it easier for you to slip.
Materials like mesh, suede and cloth absorb liquid like nobody’s business, so shoes made of these are not the best choice in footwear if you want to keep your feet dry in these wet seasons. It’s better to opt for a more durable, water-resistant fab-
ric like leather (real or synthetic) or rubber. It’s important to remember that even though these materials are naturally water-resistant, it’s still a good idea to waterproof them.
Everyone’s number one goal in the cold months is to stay warm. Flimsy, open shoes like mesh sneakers or clogs expose your toes to the elements. Instead, consider choosing a shoe that is entirely enclosed and made of a more durable material. If you’re looking to keep extra warm, you might even consider a feece-lined boot or investing in some thick socks.
Now that we’ve established a baseline for what we want from our footwear, let’s take a look at some of our options.
Boots
A staple of autumn and winter wardrobes, leather boots are a classic for a reason: they’re waterproof, keep your feet warm and are comfortable for walking, all while managing to be cute. When deciding on the best boot, it’s important to consider which leather color looks best on you. If you’re fairer-skinned, like me, it might be better to go with a medium or light brown, because the darkness of the black leather might be too harsh against your skin tone. The opposite is true, too: if you have a darker complexion, a really light leather might be too stark a contrast. This is just what I’ve found works
Miami announces new fashion institute
best for me; choose whatever color you like most!
Sneakers
Okay, okay, I know I said sneakers aren’t a great idea during the colder months, but this isn’t always the case. There is an exception: leather (or leather-like) sneakers. They have the same qualities as leather boots, but for those of you who like to stay casual, they serve as a more laid-back option. If this sounds like you, think about shoes like Nike Dunks, Reebok classics and any other sneakers that are made without mesh.
Miscellaneous
If you’re looking for something a little more unique from your shoes, there are lots of weather-friendly options with lots of fair. Leather Mary Janes, structured loafers and any platform shoe are fun variations for when you still want the function of a good weather-proof shoe but also want to prioritize fashion.
You shouldn’t have to choose between the functionality of your footwear and looking good during the autumn and winter, and now, with these tips, you won’t have to. By making just a couple of crucial decisions, you can stay comfortable, dry and, most of all, fashionable all season long!
perkin41@miamioh.edu
Students who are simply having a tough time breaking into the industry will be given resources, as Miami has not had a reputation for being a big fashion school before now.
Junior communications and fashion design student Farah Millman shared this concern. “I want to go into designing garments, and I will most likely have to start out in retail or the business end of the industry,” Millman said. “I think the Fashion Institute connecting students to industry leaders will be extremely benefcial for someone like me who wants to break into design and is otherwise uninspired by the business side of it all.”
As the Fashion Institute begins to take shape, it marks a new era for Miami; one that bridges creativity and commerce, design and innovation. It is more than just a program; it is a gateway. Whether students dream of running a brand, designing the next trend or reshaping the industry, the Fashion Institute ofers a platform to make those ambitions tangible.
leeam8@miamioh.edu
scribes feeling out of control of her body, a reference to her ectopic pregnancy. This song makes the listener feel like they are running through a forest, hiding from something inescapable.
“Drink Deep” is teeming with allusions to diferent folklore. It sounds like a fever dream. Welch references her past with alcoholism and the loss of control she felt. She belts, “Yes, it came from me/It was made from me.”
In “Music by Men,” Welch ruminates on the struggles of real relationships, a stark contrast compared to the other songs in this album. She shares her fear of being vulnerable.
“You Can Have It All” is argu-
ably the most emotional song of the album. With strong percussion, her powerful and raw vocals, Welch delivers a song flled with grief, rage and every emotion in between.
“And Love” is a quiet and warming ending to an emotional album. She displays that love is not necessarily always found in the dramatic moments of life.
Overall, Welch’s “Everybody Scream” is an amazing display of emotion. Her ability to tell her stories through narratives is astonishing, and I can’t recommend the album enough.
Rating: 10/10
chafele@miamioh.edu
Chop Bento enters the Oxford food scene
them the beneft of the doubt, since I took it to-go. I always enjoy a light, clear soup to start any Asian meal, and this one was a comforting, classic choice.
Located next to Bodega on High Street, Chop Bento is a brand new restaurant in Oxford. It ofers a fresh take on modern Asian cuisine, featuring a diverse menu with something for everyone. I stopped in for their grand opening this past Wednesday, and it started of great. The woman who greeted me was very helpful and made sure all my questions were answered. After browsing the menu, I decided to go for the chicken katsu bento box with white rice. The chicken katsu bento box was $13.99 and came with steamed rice, mixed vegetables and clear egg drop soup with seaweed. Chop Bento ofers both dine-in and takeout options, but I chose to take mine home. Each part of my meal came neatly packaged in its own container, which made everything easy to unpack and enjoy.
I started with the egg drop soup. It was pretty lukewarm, but I will give
Next up was the chicken katsu, served with Tonkatsu — a thick, tangy and slightly sweet Japanese-style brown sauce. The chicken was tender, and the outside layer was crispy. It was a great dish and the star of the show. It was even better with some of the steamed rice. The bento box also included a side of seaweed salad, which added a nice, refreshing touch. Inside, the restaurant had a sleek, modern look and felt very clean and inviting. All of the staf working were nice and welcoming, and as a sweet gesture, they even gave me an extra soup to thank me for stopping by during their grand opening.
Overall, Chop Bento is a great new spot in Oxford and a cozy place to enjoy modern Asian cuisine. I will defnitely be going back to try some of their other menu options.
Overall score: 9/10
craverhj@miamioh.edu
HAILEY CRAVER THE MIAMI STUDENT COLUMN
CULTURE
Holiday romances that will make you forget about seasonal depression
AYLA PEDEN ASST. CULTURE EDITOR
As the sun sets earlier over the horizon and temperatures continue to drop, the best thing to look forward to is the upcoming holiday season. Now, I know there is debate about whether holiday celebrations should start on Nov. 1 or after Thanksgiving — I personally fght for the latter — but that doesn’t mean you can’t start preparing for when you’re in the festive mood.
So, with that said, here are fve holiday romance novels that give of the same cheesy, nostalgic vibe of a Hallmark movie.
“Window Shopping” — Tessa Bailey
Have you ever wanted to read published fanfction about America’s favorite soccer coach, Ted Lasso? No? Well, maybe we should change that.
“Window Shopping” is the classic grumpy-sunshine story that follows Stella, a girl working to create the perfect holiday window display for Vivant, a high-end department store. While there, her dark persona starts to slowly melt away as she becomes friends with Aiden, the store’s owner. Will they be able to fght temptation, or will the holiday spirit get the best of them?
“The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year” — Ally Carter Now, why just stop at romance?
“The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year” combines mystery and romance to give us a “Clue” inspired
JOEY DIMACCHIA
THE MIAMI STUDENT COLUMN
Over the course of its lifespan, Hollywood has shown a simultaneous progression and regression. This has created public confusion regarding the “state of cinema” — constantly overtaking both public and industry conversations.
Is there a formula for flmmaking that directors and writers should adhere to? Or, on the contrary, must we constantly evolve the art form so as to remain relevant and original? The work of Kelly Reichardt, now more than ever, shows us that the answer is both. Even among the trite, tepid and creatively-devoid output coming from contemporary Hollywood — whether in theaters or “straight to streaming” format — Reichardt guides us to a light at the end of the tunnel, where the creative reservoir of Hollywood isn’t entirely soaked up after all.
Her latest endeavor, the indie art heist flm, “The Mastermind,” is a hilariously timely, politically-charged genre reconstruction that is simultaneously of the past and a look into the future. Although set in Massachusetts, the flm possesses a Midwestern fair, or lack thereof (the flm was largely shot in Hamilton and Cincinnati, not far from Miami University’s campus).
“The Mastermind” is — at its core — a heist flm, in the same way Robert Bresson’s “Pickpocket” is, or in the way John Cassavetes’ “Gloria” is a crime thriller. That is, it’s a flm composed of surfaces, and one that beckons to be peeled back to reveal more layers. And like the two aforementioned flms, “The Mastermind” doesn’t adhere to a genre so much as it creates its own.
mystery.
Maggie Chase and Ethan Wy-
att are both mystery authors — and they hate each other. They think that they can skate by this holiday season without seeing each other, until they both receive a mysterious letter from a “fan,” inviting them to a Christmas party at an isolated estate.
Upon arrival, they realize that the “fan” is actually Eleanor Ashley, the holiday romance version of Agatha Christie. She invites them to stay as snow continues to rise around the house. All seems well, until Eleanor suddenly goes missing, and it is up to Maggie and Ethan to fnd out what happened to her — and they can’t do it alone.
“Kiss Her Once for Me” — Alison Cochrun
In this charming sapphic romance, Ellie Oliver moves to Portland to pursue her dream of becoming an animator. On one snowy night, Ellie meets a woman at a bookstore, Jack, whom she ends up falling in love with over the course of one night.
However, things are not what they seem when she suddenly loses her job, and Jack is nowhere to be found. In desperation, Ellie works at a local cofee shop to make ends meet. One night, the shop’s landlord, Andrew, proposes a marriage of convenience so he can obtain his inheritance, and Ellie doesn’t have to live paycheck to paycheck.
All seems well until a visit to Andrew’s family cabin leads to a run-in with his sister, Jack. Ellie must decide whether to follow her brain or her heart.
“This Is Not a Holiday Romance” — Camilla Isley What’s better than a brother’s best friend, enemies-to-lovers romance? One set during the winter holidays, of course!
Nina Thompson famously hates her brother’s best friend, Tristan. All she wants is to avoid him at all costs. However, it’s kind of difcult to do that when he crashes the family’s Christmas party, and snow begins to fall into large mounds.
They’re snowed in, perfect. Confning two people who hate each other into a small house defnitely won’t make them fall in love. Right?
“The Christmas You Found Me” — Sarah Morgenthaler Set in a small town in Idaho, Sienna Naples cares for the ranch that has been in her family for generations. However, after her parents’ passing and a long, painful divorce, Sienna is all alone for the winter season. She craves a connection, and that’s when a tall, handsome stranger and his 4-year-old daughter walk into her life. In a ft of desperation, Guy Maple will do anything to get money to save his daughter, who has stage-fve kidney disease. Guy and Sienna come up with a plan: The two will get married. It’s the best of both worlds! Guy can fnally aford to help his daughter, and Sienna will get help taking care of the ranch. What could possibly go wrong?
Whether you’re already in the holiday spirit or not, these books will bring warmth to these cold autumnal days. pedenae@miamioh.edu
In the editor’s rotation: Time for holiday music
AYLA PEDEN
ASST. CULTURE EDITOR COLUMN
Hello! Welcome back to my column, “In the editor’s rotation.” My streaming has been all over the place recently; however, as soon as it hit Nov. 1, I had to tune into a bit of holiday music.
Look, I know a lot of people think you should wait until after Thanksgiving to listen to any Christmas music, but some of it is just so good, so why wait? Holiday tunes haven’t fully infltrated my streams yet – thankfully – but they’re defnitely starting to make an appearance. Don’t worry, I’m still listening to plenty of showtunes.
‘What’s Inside’ — Jessie Mueller, ‘Waitress’ As a child, “Waitress” was one of my favorite musicals, and I still love it to this day. It’s perfect in every way — Sara Bareilles wrote the most beautiful music to accompany such a powerful story. I’m obsessed. “What’s Inside” is a strong number from the show and a favorite of mine. It does an excellent job of representing Bareilles’ talent for creating a musical masterpiece.
‘House Tour’ — Sabrina Carpenter Carpenter’s music continues to bring me so much joy and whimsy throughout my day. Look, I know it’s not for everyone, but I consider it to be pop perfection. I love a fun, silly and goofy tune, and “House Tour” is just that.
‘Santa Baby’ — Megan Hilty It wouldn’t be my playlist without mentioning Megan Hilty. Hilty released a Christmas album in 2016, so as soon as Halloween was over, I had to tune in. All of her covers are magical, but her “Santa Baby” is especially fun, and a great way to kick of the holiday season.
‘Change It’ —Megan Hilty,
Allison Janney and Stephanie J. Block, ‘9 to 5’ Who doesn’t love a good Dolly Parton song? Plus, it’s musical theater and Hilty — what more could you ask for? “9 to 5” remains such a fun musical with such a strong message, and “Change It” does an excellent job of showing the heart of the show.
‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas’ — Frank Sinatra
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” has always been my favorite Christmas song. It’s so beautiful and magical and immediately gets me in the holiday spirit. This song manages to convey every emotion I associate with the holiday season.
‘Dancing Through Life’ — Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Cynthia Erivo, Marissa Bode and Jonathan Bailey, ‘Wicked’ One thing about me is I love “Wicked.” So much. And it’s fnally “Wicked: For Good” month, so I felt obligated to stream the soundtrack from the frst flm to celebrate. I don’t typically think of this song as one of my favorites, but it’s such a fun, upbeat tune and serves as such a monumental moment in the movie. Please go see “Wicked: For Good” in theaters on Nov. 21.
‘Brownstone’ — Brian Gallagher I initially listened to Brian Gallagher’s album because he’s married to Hilty, who happens to be featured on some songs. However, I quickly became a fan of his work as well. He has such a unique musical style, and his albums tell a story with characters and a plot. I love it.
‘World Burn’ — Reneé Rapp, ‘Mean Girls’ I know the “Mean Girls” musical movie is controversial, but I love it. It’s peak Tina Fey comedy mixed with Rapp’s insane vocals. What more could you ask for?
powers40@miamioh.edu
The flm, set in 1970, follows a vagrant, unemployed carpenter and father of two, J.B. Mooney. He plans — and ultimately fails — at lifting four Arthur Dove paintings from his local art museum. Mooney is played by Josh O’Connor, the now well-known actor, whose turn as Mooney is eerily reminiscent of his leading role in the 2023 Italian flm “La Chimera,” which found him playing a similarly disheveled drifter, albeit one that was much more physically dirty.
But in many ways, “La Chimera” can act as the ideal precursor to “The Mastermind.” If the former was about a man running from his past, and from grief itself, the latter is simply about a man on the run – from everything and everyone. Where most flms about a heist gone awry would build up exposition that culminates in a climactic heist near the end of the second act, Reichardt does the exact opposite: It shows the planning and undertaking of the heist within the frst 20 minutes, leaving the audience with 90 minutes of comedown. But through her own structure, she forgoes the spellbinding shootout or car chase and replaces it with the mundanity of being the hapless fugitive, positioning all of the action out of center frame.
Reichardt intertwines political motifs that are recognizable across her entire flmography. Here, they manifest in a far more overt manner, in the form of Vietnam-era protests that occur both on a boxy television set and on the Massachusetts streets. The banality of Midwestern life, superimposed with wartime politics, only increases the relevancy of her work, both politically and artistically.
There is a notable scene that occurs shortly after the heist, where J.B. eats dinner with his family as they discuss the museum robbery, which was featured in the local paper. J.B.’s
father, a prominent local judge, voices his disdain for the idea of stealing four abstract paintings from a local museum, despite his unawareness of his own son’s involvement.
The camera slowly drifts 360 degrees, landing on the other members of the Mooney family as they similarly give their two cents on the matter. Once J.B. is fnally in frame, the camera settles and observes his quiet indiference, both to his own wrongdoings and to the world’s.
Through a shot like this, with all of its purposeful lack of editing and bone-dry humor laden throughout
the flm’s runtime, “The Mastermind” positions Reichardt at the intersection between a formalist and realist. But in this intersection, she oscillates between the two styles frequently, so that they eventually confate into one.
This forms a new cinematic language that, despite its meandering pace, is impossible to look away from.
If it’s not obvious already, I may be glorifying “The Mastermind” and Reichardt as a writer and director more than I am trying to critique them in any real sense. Without being overly infuenced by its Midwestern autumn setting, chunky sweaters or Rob Mazurek’s jazzy, roseate score, I easily liken my viewing experience to that of an afternoon stroll in October. The greatest flms are those that easily establish a sense of place — a world that allows the viewer to inhabit, if only for a couple of hours — and Reichardt’s ninth flm is exactly that, and more. It’s an oftentimes hilarious, intensely relevant flm that beckons to reinvent the form, and by doing so,
GRAPHIC BY AYLA PEDEN
GRAPHIC BY STELLA POWERS
Gun laws should be decided by cities
These columns were written by students in Matthew Arbuckle’s Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations (POL 364) class, based on the question of whether cities in Ohio should be able to enact gun laws in their own jurisdiction.
Individualized city weapon restrictions: Federalism in crisis
JULIA RODE THE MIAMI STUDENT
If someone were to do a web search for “shootings in Ohio,” thousands of reports of gun violence would immediately appear – some dating back decades – describing accounts of death and despair. This tragic and persistent pattern reveals a deeper issue: the imbalance of power between state and local governments, and the limits of federalism in protecting public safety.
Regardless of the current legal framework, individualized gun restrictions are a necessity in cities that experience large-scale gun violence, such as Cleveland, Cincinnati and Columbus.
In 2024 alone, there were 228 people shot in Cincinnati and 247 in Columbus, with similar numbers in Cleveland. That equates to approximately 0.62 people shot per day across just these two cities, or more than one person shot every two days.
Shootings are not isolated incidents; they leave behind deep psychological scars and ripple efects that traumatize entire communities. As noted by Julie Collins and Emily Swoveland in Children’s Voice, these
events cause long-term psychiatric stress. When state leadership refuses to respond with adequate reform, the duty to act falls on local governments.
Fortunately, Ohio’s Constitution provides a mechanism for local empowerment.
Article XVIII, Section 3 grants all municipalities the authority to exercise “all powers of local self-government.” This clause afrms the principle of home rule – an acknowledgment that local governments should be able to enact measures necessary to protect their citizens. Moreover, police powers hypothetically authorize local governments to regulate the health, safety and welfare of their communities, which should encompass localized gun legislation, according to Section 2935.03. Allowing cities to respond to their own public safety needs does not inherently confict with state law; it complements it by enabling government at every level to function efectively for its people.
Those in opposition point to State Statute: Ohio Revised Code § 9.68, which declares the General Assembly’s intent to regulate frearms uniformly across the state. This preemption law, along with the Ohio Supreme Court’s decision in Cleveland v. State, upheld the statute and ruled
that it constitutes a “general law that displaces municipal frearm ordinances” and does not unconstitutionally infringe on home rule authority.
In other words, the court determined that cities cannot pass gun laws more restrictive than those at the state level.
Yet, laws are not static – they are living instruments meant to adapt as society evolves. The Cleveland ruling was issued over a decade ago, and since then, the scale and nature of gun violence have changed dramatically. Courts have revisited precedent countless times when the facts demand it. As communities across Ohio face rising urban gun violence, it is both logical and just to reevaluate the limits of state preemption.
Laws that once seemed uniform and fair may now be barriers to survival. Even within existing limits, cities already possess specifc pathways to act. Uniform state preemption generally applies to the possession, ownership and carrying of frearms, but not necessarily to the use or discharge of those frearms. Historically, ordinances regulating the discharge of a frearm within city limits – especially in densely populated areas – have been treated as a local matter because
the state has not enacted a comprehensive, conficting law on this issue, according to Section 3739.15. Similarly, municipalities can regulate the improper handling of frearms while intoxicated, focusing on dangerous conduct rather than on the right to own a gun. These distinctions are more than legal nuances; they are lifelines for urban communities seeking practical tools to prevent tragedy. The pervasive nature of gun violence in Ohio’s most signifcant cities presents a clear and present danger to public safety that demands immediate, efective intervention. The state legislature’s reluctance to adapt, paired with the devastating human toll of shootings in cities like Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland, underscores why local action is essential. Ultimately, the goal is not to amend constitutional rights, but to preserve human life. Public safety should remain a priority. The legal landscape is capable of evolution, and when lives are at stake, it must evolve. Courts and lawmakers alike should reconsider the strict application of state preemption to grant Ohio cities the fexibility they need to protect their residents through targeted, evidence-based gun safety legislation.
About Julia Rode
Julia Rode is a junior double-majoring in economics and political science, with minors in history and international business. She is a student ambassador for the College of Arts and Sciences, a co-founder of Students for Sustainability and a member of Kappa Alpha Pi and Miami’s Government Relations Network.
When cities deserve a say: Why Ohio needs local gun authority
KAYLA WILLIAMS THE MIAMI STUDENT
Gun violence in Ohio is not just an abstract policy debate, but a lived reality for too many communities. Every week, there is another headline or report about a shooting in Cleveland, Columbus or Cincinnati.
Lives are shattered, families grieve and yet, our state leaders continue to bind the hands of local governments who are attempting to protect their residents. Because of this, Ohio’s cities should have the right to enact their own gun control laws. These communities understand their local challenges far better than the General Assembly in Columbus, which is sometimes far removed from the neighborhoods they serve that are facing the highest rates of violent crime. It is time to give cities the freedom to act.
Ohio’s Constitution gives cities the power of “local self-government” under Article XVIII, Section 3, meaning municipalities should have authority over issues like public safety. However, state lawmakers have repeatedly blocked that right. Ohio Revised Code 9.68 prevents cities from passing any gun law stricter than state law, making gun regulation a “state-wide con-
cern.” But if public safety is not local, what is?
According to the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, Ohio recorded 690 frearm homicides in 2023, the vast majority occurring in urban counties like Cuyahoga, Franklin and Hamilton. According to an article by Ohio Capital Journal, in Cleveland alone, some neighborhoods experience homicide rates as high as 57 deaths per 100,000 residents, compared to less than 15 per 100,000 in other parts of the city. By denying cities the right to respond to their own circumstances, the state is not promoting fairness; it is imposing uniform inaction.
In 2010, the Ohio Supreme Court sided with the state in Cleveland v. State, upholding the preemption law. The court ruled that state-level uniformity was more important than local variation. Since then, Ohio has doubled down. In 2019, House Bill 228 expanded preemption even further, giving gun-rights groups more legal tools to sue cities that try to regulate frearms.
But local leaders have not given up the fght. Columbus tried again in 2023, banning magazines that have over 30 rounds and requiring safe gun storage for residents. The
city argued that it has a moral duty to respond to the crisis of gun violence. The state of Ohio sued to stop it. That same year, a judge in Hamilton County sided with Cincinnati, temporarily allowing the city to enforce its own gun restrictions, recognizing that local governments have “the right to protect their citizens from harm,” according to Hamilton County Judge Jennifer Branch.
Gun ownership is already protected under both the U.S. and Ohio Constitutions, but rights come with great responsibilities for gun owners. When a community faces daily threats of violence, it should be able to decide how best to reduce those risks. We trust cities to make decisions about policing, zoning and emergency management, and frearm safety should be parallel among those listed.
Gun control does not have to mean gun bans. It can mean requiring safe storage, restricting high-capacity magazines or setting an age limit for purchase. These are reasonable measures designed to protect people from themselves and each other. I’ve also considered the human side of this issue – many shootings are not premeditated, but are impulsive acts of anger, fear or despair. When guns
are too accessible, those moments become deadly. Stricter local laws could help prevent suicides by gunfre, domestic violence incidents and accidents that take innocent lives. The argument for uniformity is about control and the state government deciding that cities do not know what is best for their own residents. This exemplifes principles opposite to democracy. The Ohio Constitution’s home rule clause was written to empower cities, not silence them. When state leaders override local governments, they’re not defending liberty; they’re defending their own political comfort.
Preemption laws should not be shields for inaction. If Cleveland wants to address gun violence diferently from rural Ohio, it should have the right to do so. Let us all stop pretending that the “one-size-fts-all” approach is working. People are dying while our leaders debate the semantics of what gun control should look like. If we care about protecting Ohioans, we must trust our cities to take the lead. Gun violence is a public health crisis, and like any other crisis, the best solutions come from those closest to the problem. Ohio’s cities are ready to take responsibility
for their own safety. The question is whether the state will fnally let them. will1551@miamioh.edu
About Kayla Williams
Kayla Williams is a junior majoring in public administration, with minors in marketing and history. She is the vice president of community relations for Tri Delta sorority and the president of CHAARG, an all-women ftness organization. She is also a student visit coordinator for Miami’s Ofce of Admission.
Gun laws should be decided by the state
THE MIAMI STUDENT
In 2023, Columbus tried to ban magazines holding more than 30 rounds in response to a rise in gun violence. That local ordinance, now tied up in court, refects a growing push by some Ohio cities to go their own way on frearms regulation.
Proponents argue that local governments should have the freedom to address unique urban safety challenges. But this approach is that Ohio’s current frearm preemption statute, Ohio Revised Code § 9.68, prohibits cities from passing gun laws stricter than the state’s. This isn’t an accident; it’s an intentional safeguard to ensure consistency across the state. If each of Ohio’s 900+ municipalities could enact its own rules, a law-abiding gun owner traveling from Columbus to Cleveland could unknowingly break multiple laws in a single day. One city might ban certain magazines, another might set an age limit and another could restrict open carry altogether.
A fundamental principle of law is clarity. Citizens must be able to understand and follow the rules that govern them. A fragmented regulatory landscape would violate that prin-
ciple, turning ordinary Ohio citizens into unintentional lawbreakers. This is why the Supreme Court of Ohio upheld preemption in Cleveland v. State, afrming that the state, not cities, has the fnal say on frearm regulations. The court recognized that uniformity protects both public safety and individual rights.
Supporters of local gun control often use Article XVIII of the Ohio Constitution, which grants cities “all powers of local self-government,” but that authority is not unlimited. When state law speaks clearly on a matter of statewide concern, it overrides local ordinances. Gun rights are explicitly protected not just by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, but also by Ohio’s own laws. Firearm ownership isn’t like zoning or garbage collection; it involves a fundamental constitutional right, and the state has a legitimate interest in ensuring that this right is applied equally across Ohio’s urban, suburban and rural communities. Allowing cities to restrict that right would undermine its uniform application and invite endless legal battles.
Critics of state preemption argue that cities face unique gun violence challenges, so they should have more fexibility to act. But public safety isn’t
served by legal chaos. In fact, consistent state laws allow law enforcement agencies to cooperate more efectively across jurisdictions. Uniform standards also support lawful gun owners, many of whom live in rural counties but commute or travel to cities daily. A concealed carry permit should mean the same thing in Columbus as it does in Cincinnati or Athens. A gun owner shouldn’t need a lawyer on speed dial every time they cross a city line. Gun violence is a serious issue, especially in Ohio’s urban centers. But the solution isn’t to let every city become its own regulatory island. Instead, Ohio should pursue statewide strategies that address violence directly. For example, more investment in community violence intervention programs, strengthening background checks already in place, supporting law enforcement collaboration between cities and counties and improving mental health and crisis response services. These kinds of coordinated, state-wide actions address the root causes of violence without jeopardizing constitutional rights or creating legal confusion.
But that reasoning overlooks two key facts. First, local ordinances can’t stop weapons from fowing across city
borders. A ban on certain frearms in Columbus is meaningless if those same guns are legal in neighboring suburbs. Criminals don’t respect city limits. Second, home rule authority doesn’t allow cities to infringe on constitutional rights or confict with state law. The Ohio Supreme Court has repeatedly reafrmed this. If Columbus can ban certain magazines today, what’s to stop another city from banning handguns tomorrow? Selective local control risks eroding rights for everyone. This isn’t about ignoring public safety concerns; it’s about addressing them smartly and constitutionally. Fragmented local gun laws may feel empowering to city leaders, but they create confusion for residents, extra burdens for law enforcement and instability for the courts. Most importantly, they threaten to turn fundamental rights into privileges that vary by zip code. Ohio has a long tradition of protecting the right to bear arms while balancing public safety at the state level. That tradition is worth defending. Cities should focus their energy on programs and partnerships that actually reduce violence, not symbolic ordinances that invite litigation and confusion.
Gun violence is a shared problem, and it demands shared solutions. Allowing every Ohio city to set its own
A call to uniformity: Why gun laws should be left up to the state
GRACIE CRIBBS
THE MIAMI STUDENT
The Second Amendment of our Constitution states: “The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” This right must remain protected and shall not be infringed upon by anyone, including city councils.
In December 2022, Columbus’s city council passed an ordinance banning the possession of magazines holding 30 rounds or more. Many saw this as a step in the right direction, while others felt that it violated their Second Amendment rights. This case is currently still in court, pending in both the Ohio Supreme Court and the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas.
It is unclear whether the court will uphold this or not. However, Ohio cities should not have the right to enact their own gun laws as it violates the United States Constitution, it is an inefective form of gun control and it is prohibited by the Ohio Revised Code.
First and foremost, allowing Ohio cities to enact their own gun laws is unconstitutional. The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects all citizens’ right to obtain
SIDNEY ZAWILA THE MIAMI STUDENT
In the year 2023, there were 1,768 deaths caused by guns in Ohio.
The state has relaxed restrictions regarding gun usage and ownership. Some examples are how a person only has to be 18 to purchase a rife or shotgun, only a background check is required when purchasing and there are no restrictions on the amount or type of ammunition that can be bought.
To reduce the number of gun fatalities, some Ohio cities – specifcally Cincinnati, Cleveland and Columbus – have been trying to pass stricter regulations. They have been unsuccessful due to Ohio’s preemption laws, preventing cities from passing ordinances on frearms that are stricter than state laws. Ohio cities should not have the authority to enact their own gun laws, as it will not solve the overarching problem of high gun violence in urban areas.
The general public and the state are not supportive of the cities’ attempts to pass stricter gun laws. The current court case, Columbus v. Ohio, showcases this. When Columbus at-
and bear arms. If an Ohio city, or rather any lower level of government, were to enact its own gun laws limiting this freedom, it would be in direct violation of this amendment.
The Constitution is the supreme law of the land, as established by the Supremacy Clause in Article VI, Clause 2 of the Constitution, meaning that it trumps all other laws or ordinances made by lower levels of government. Essentially, the Second Amendment is a sure-proof protection against adding gun restrictions, meaning that Ohio cities cannot enact their own gun laws.
Secondly, allowing Ohio cities to enact their own gun laws would create confusion and ambiguity, making it an inefective method of gun control. In order for gun control to be efective, it must be streamlined and uniform across the entire state. In Ohio, there are approximately 247 cities making up about 931 municipalities overall. Therefore, potential gun laws would vary from municipality to municipality, creating unclear guidelines.
The variation amongst gun laws would also make it difcult for citizens to keep track of policy, as any varying policies would exist. For ex-
tempted to enact a law putting a cap on magazine purchases and requiring guns to be safely stored out of children’s reach, the lower trial courts stopped the application of this ordinance, claiming its restrictions were unconstitutional.
Not only is Ohio fghting stricter regulations, but it is actively passing legislation that supports looser gun laws. Showcasing this sentiment is the passage of Senate Bill 58, which prevents banks from tracking when people purchase frearms and prohibits gun owners from having to buy special insurance. With even looser gun regulations being passed, it is obvious that Ohio and its citizens enjoy their gun rights. If these rights were to be challenged in any way, the citizens would vehemently protest to their representatives. These lawmakers, who want to be reelected, will be persuaded not to support more restrictive legislation. Overall, giving cities the right to create their own gun regulations will not reduce the amount of gun violence in urban areas. If people wish to own something illegal in the city, all they have to do is travel outside city limits, buy it and bring it back. For
ample, carrying a gun might be illegal in the city where you work but not the city in which you live, leaving the lines blurred on where and when you have to change what you do with your gun. Additionally, the variation in the degree of these laws may mitigate the efects of these laws, as some may not fully understand or comply with the variation in laws.
Finally, allowing Ohio cities to establish their own gun laws not only violates the U.S. Constitution, but it also violates the Ohio Constitution. The Ohio Constitution, in alignment with the U.S. Constitution, states in Article 1, Section 4: “The people have the right to bear arms for their defense and security …” Building on this idea, in the Ohio Revised Code, the preemption law afrms the state’s authority to regulate all laws and ordinances regarding frearms. Under this preemption law (Section 9.68), any ordinances or laws made regarding guns at lower levels are prohibited.
The goal of preemption and the Ohio Constitution is not just to afrm the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, but rather to establish uniformity and organization when it comes to gun ownership in Ohio. In
gun violence to be reduced, a statewide initiative that supports stricter gun regulations would have to be put in place. However, you risk running into the same problem. Take Illinois as an example. According to Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Illinois has some of the strictest gun laws in the country, and yet it still has the 10th highest overall gun homicide rate. This is because Illinois is bordered by states that have very relaxed regulations on guns. People travel to these states, buy what they need and then use it in Illinois. The same thing will happen in Ohio’s cities, especially considering people will have a signifcantly shorter travel distance to acquire what they want. Unless Ohio implements a statewide initiative, any other attempt at gun regulation is useless and provokes unnecessary public outrage. It is important to note that, according to the National Library of Medicine, urban areas have the highest gun homicide death rates. If cities were given the authority to create their own ordinance, they could have the opportunity to bring these rates down. In addition, Article XVIII, Sec-
several cases brought before the Ohio Supreme Court, preemption has been challenged and upheld, as the majority agreed that state uniformity is the most efcient form of gun control.
Ultimately, any attempts by Ohio cities, such as Columbus, to circumvent this will most likely end up being a waste of both taxpayer money and resources as it faces a long time going through litigation to ultimately not be upheld.
Many who oppose this argument cite that the home rule authority delegated to Ohio municipalities would allow Ohio cities to enact their own gun laws. Home rule authority, as written in Article XVIII, Section 3, describes a municipality’s autonomous ability to enact policies, regulations and laws that act in its best interest. However, local governments must still act and abide by state laws. Since both the Ohio Constitution and Revised Code take an unequivocal stance on guns, home rule does not apply to this argument and is insufcient in supporting the argument for Ohio cities to enact their own gun laws.
The frst step to efective gun policy is uniformity. Allowing Ohio cities to enact their own gun laws violates the U.S. Constitution, is inefective
tion 3 of the Ohio Constitution grants cities “all powers of local self-government.” These powers are called home rule, and they grant local governments – including cities – some autonomy when it comes to dealing with local matters.
According to the power of home rule and Ohio’s constitution, cities should be granted the ability to deal with their high gun homicide rates in the way they see ft. However, home rule does not apply to frearms because of Ohio’s preemption laws. Despite cities having higher death rates from guns, this doesn’t mean a new law will make the rates decrease. Once again, it can easily be evaded by people traveling outside city limits to purchase a frearm. Plus, a bunch of diferent gun laws will be confusing to citizens. It is best to have uniformity with important and controversial laws, so everyone is on the same page and understands expectations. The political reality is that Ohio is a red state. Republicans have the majority in all major political ofces, making it highly unlikely that statewide gun reform will be passed. In other words, it is highly unlikely that cities will be granted the right
and is prohibited by the preemption law in the Ohio Revised Code. Ultimately, Ohio deserves clear and uniform laws that uphold both the U.S. and Ohio Constitutions while also responsibly handling the issue of gun violence. cribbsgc@miamioh.edu
Gracie Cribbs is a sophomore double-majoring in public administration and economics. She is a research associate at the Center for Public Management and Regional Afairs (CPMRA) and also holds a leadership position for LIFE (Leading the Integration of Faith and Entrepreneurship) at Miami.
to bypass the preemption laws. People must recognize that uniformity in gun regulation is best to prevent confusion and outrage from the public. If people understand what the law is, then they can make an informed decision to change it if they wish. Granting cities the right to change these gun laws on their own is counterproductive and, quite frankly, will not generate positive change.
zawilasn@miamioh.edu
About Gracie Cribbs
KAROL KOROTKIN
Soaring opportunities at Hueston Woods
TORI FEE
THE MIAMI STUDENT
Less than fve miles away from campus sits Hueston Woods State Park. The park, covering nearly 3,000 acres, has hiking trails, a beach, campgrounds, a covered bridge, dog park and much more.
Two hidden treasures in the park are the Hueston Woods Nature Center and the Raptor Rehabilitation Program. These facilities ofer opportunities for visitors to learn about the natural world surrounding Oxford.
The park’s nature center is open every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and contains infographics, interactive displays and wildlife enclosures that can be found throughout the park and Ohio. Enclosures contain animals such as red-tailed hawks, bluegill, musk turtles, gray tree frogs and different species of snakes.
The eastern copperhead snake, for example, makes its home in the nature center. Within its enclosure, visitors can look for the camoufaged snake under logs and rocks and see its shedded skin.
There are also informational panels about tree life cycles and circulation, nocturnal animals in the park and the importance of pollinators. There are also discussions of evidence indicating the shallow sea that covered Ohio long ago through fossils and geologic records.
The nature center showcases collaboration between Hueston Woods and other organizations in the region. Shawn Conner, a naturalist in the park, highlighted collaborations between the Avian Research and
Education Institute (AREI), Audubon Miami Valley (AMV) and Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
AREI is a non-proft organization founded by Miami professors David and Jill Russell to focus on the research and opportunity of birding in natural areas. Matt Valiga, an ofcer of community engagement and educational outreach, said AREI collaborates with Hueston Woods for educational programming such as bird banding stations and the raptor education program.
“They have always been really phenomenal with physically hosting us,” Valiga said. “They have been really determined to make sure that we can get in, we have the space to do what we’re going to do and that we continue to do that.”
The nature center and raptor program is also utilized by the Miami University Audubon Society (MUAS), a student chapter of the National Audubon Society. This student organization focuses on bird conservation and creating a community for bird-lovers.
MUAS organizes events for the public such as lecture series,“The Joy of Birding,” and the building of the Miami University Chimney Swift Tower. This structure can be found near DeWitt Cabin, along with a bird blind, butterfy gardens and many more nature-friendly areas.
“We love to go to Hueston Woods for outings,” MUAS president Michelle Baker said. “Every year we try to do a raptor handling session with the nature center … and we typically get to handle red-tailed hawks, which is really cool.”
The nature center and raptor rehabilitation program are two separate facilities that require diferent sets of permits. If an animal is unable to return to the wild, it can be transferred from the rehabilitation program to the nature center or another educational facility.
“I think it is a common misconception that the birds people see out at our facility are birds that will make it back out into the wild,” said Kathryn Conner, the Hueston Woods park manager. “Everything at our nature center that you can see cannot go back into the wild for one reason or another.”
The facility responds to calls about injured or sick animals, often from the local community. Multiple species of animals are housed at the nature center, including reptiles, mammals and birds ranging from hawks and owls to bald eagles and turkey vultures.
Kathryn and Shawn Conner said students have multiple opportunities to actively engage with Hueston Woods. Students and community members can volunteer at the nature center to clean cages, feed animals and eventually be trained to handle certain birds.
Free public programs at Hueston Woods occur year-round on Saturdays and Sundays, and “Hometown Holi-Days” will occur on Saturday, Dec. 13. This event will consist of breakfast with Santa, cookie decorating and a gingerbread competition. “Hometown Holi-Days” will end with a tree lighting and drive-in Christmas movie.
feeta@miamioh.edu
Water-soluble confetti available for winter graduation photos
SARAH KENNEL GREENHAWKS EDITOR
Each winter and spring, Miami University graduates throw their caps up in the air – and sometimes handfuls of plastic confetti, too.
Graduation photos often result in campus being littered with broken champagne bottles and pieces of plastic confetti. During graduation week, this creates three to four hours of work daily for physical facilities workers and an array of environmental problems.
Hoping to prevent the campus-wide litter, Associated Student Government’s sustainability council decided to purchase water-soluble confetti last spring. The fnancial contribution was matched by President Gregory Crawford through the Ofce of the President. The confetti never made it into the hands of students.
Delays due to Miami’s vendor verifcation process caused the boxes of water-soluble confetti to arrive at the end of the semester – too late for spring graduation use. After sitting in the ASG ofce for months, it is ready to be put into use.
The confetti now sits in small, recyclable envelopes, waiting to be picked up by winter graduates during the Grad Central event at Brick and Ivy this Thursday Nov. 6, from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m. The event aims to equip this semester’s graduates with the graduation gear and information they need.
John Day, president of the Student Sustainability Council (SSC) and a senior majoring in psychology and English literature, helped host a packaging event to prepare the confetti for handout. He said the event was successful, and he was glad to see the initiative come together so successfully after months of work.
“I was very happy,” Day said. “We’ll probably do an event similar in the upcoming weeks, maybe to get more hands on deck and try to just knock it out.”
Miami’s director of sustainability Olivia Herron said she is hopeful that the initiative will make a significant diference in the amount of litter produced during the graduation seasons. Herron helped successfully implement a similar program during her previous position at Austin Peay State University.
“We were really pleased,” Herron said. “At least anecdotally, the feedback we got from the grounds crew was that it substantially reduced the amount of plastic confetti they were seeing being used on campus.”
Herron said she hopes Miami’s initiative can allow students to have fun taking graduation photos while cutting back on plastic that ends up in waterways. Physical facilities workers
spend hours cleaning up the litter, and Herron hopes this will make their job easier as well. The confetti provided by ASG is made of food starch, and it will dissolve during the frst rain.
“We know that students want the fun experience of throwing the confetti and taking the pictures, and we don’t want to take that away from people,” she said. “We just want to provide a more sustainable option.”
Alex Miller, Miami’s student sustainability coordinator and a graduate student studying biology, said that since the number of winter graduates is smaller, the ASG sustainability council has learned a lot along the way to prepare for next spring’s graduation.
“We have a lot of ideas of ways that we could expand our outreach with it,” Miller said.
These outreach ideas include hosting packaging events with campus organizations looking for service hours and ofering students a confetti pack when they pick up their gowns at Brick and Ivy. Any leftover confetti from this graduation’s stock will go towards the spring graduation season.
This November and December, confetti can be picked up by graduating seniors from the Ofce of Sustainability’s table at Grad Central or at the Armstrong help desk starting next week.
kennelse@miamioh.edu
EPA grant cuts impact Miami, local climate organizations
JULIA HALL THE MIAMI STUDENT
“Tell me fve things that you did this week that you think are valuable to the American people.”
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employees read this statement in a weekly email from the Department of Government Efciency only a month into President Donald Trump’s second term. The agency had already begun to see a shift in demeanor from the federal government.
These initial changes soon grew into an unprecedented loss of federal support for the EPA and an attempt at complete overhaul of EPA funding. Much of these changes to funding have manifested in grant cuts.
In the spring 2025, the EPA began laying of workers, freezing climate funding and revoking previously -awarded climate grants. With over $1.5 billion in climate grants cut, the federal government has made a historic shift on environmental support.
“For so long, the federal government has been a partner in trying to achieve big things,” said Jim Vinch, former EPA attorney and current professor at Miami University. “Without the federal government being a partner, it’s really hard to achieve the same level of big things that you would normally achieve.”
These changes to federal climate funding have afected universities, researchers and nonproft organizations. For climate projects, Miami re-
ceives grants and donations from a number of diferent sources. Miami’s Mitchell Sustainability Park, for example, launched with a $5 million alumni gift, but received grant funding as well.
Olivia Herron, Miami’s director of sustainability, said Miami obtained a $100,000 grant for the park’s solar panels from the Honda Foundation this year.
Herron also said the project was previously awarded but unable to accept a $500,000 Build America, By America grant from the Ohio Department of Development. Miami submitted a waiver for this grant during the period between administrations. This waiver was never reviewed due to closures within the EPA by the current administration.
“They told me that the ofce at the Federal Department of Energy that reviewed the waivers was closed,” Herron said. “There are now no employees to review that waiver, and without that waiver being approved, the Ohio Department of Development could not give us the money.”
Despite this loss, the Mitchell Sustainability Park is progressing.
“We haven’t stopped.” Herron said. “But it was going to give us more cushion in our budget.”
Miami has also felt the loss of certain Infation Reduction Act (IRA) provisions. The IRA was introduced in 2022 and pledged signifcant funds to climate and energy initiatives in America. The tax credit aspect of the IRA is
particularly signifcant to public universities. Prior to 2022, institutions had to be paying taxes to the federal government to receive tax credits. This made Miami, a public institution, ineligible for this money. With the Infation Reduction Act, nonprofit organizations were given access to these tax credits for climate projects relating to clean energy.
When the One Big Beautiful Bill Act was signed into law in July, IRA tax credits relating to certain types of clean energy were limited signifcantly with the intention of being repealed completely in coming years. These included solar energy projects, like Miami’s Mitchell Sustainability Park.
Herron said that the University was still able to receive tax credits on the Mitchell Sustainability Park, because enough money had been spent on the project at a point when the tax credit was still in efect.
“We had spent enough money on this project to get the credit, but if tomorrow I wanted to start building a new solar array, we would not,” Herron said.
Fortunately for Miami, geothermal energy has not been subjected to the same restrictions.
“The only thing that I’m aware of in that piece of Biden era legislation that the Trump administration has left intact is for geothermal,” Herron said, “which for Miami, is phenomenal, because we are such big users of geothermal as a strategy in our sustainability toolkit.” Grant cuts have also had an im-
pact on the City of Oxford. Sustainability Coordinator for the City of Oxford Reena Murphy said that although Oxford has not dealt directly with climate grant cuts, funding cuts have still had infuence.
“If we know that there is grant funding available that is reliable in the future, we would be able to invest in projects to go after that grant money,” Murphy said. “But when we’re not sure if there’s going to be money available in the future for implementation, it is more difcult for us to plan.”
Murphy mentioned that Cincinnati’s Regional Climate Collaborative Green Umbrella has been afected by changes to federal funds.
In response to federal funding cuts, Green Umbrella has turned to other forms of funding on the regional and local levels.
As for Miami, Herron said that many of the university’s sustainability projects have been in the works since 2010, and that although benefcial, tax credits and grants are not necessary.
“I don’t want people to feel dismayed,” Herron said. “We are going to continue to do this work.”
halljp3@miamioh.edu
Earlier this year, Green Umbrella lost a $500,000 federal grant intended for climate justice. Green Umbrella is unique because they secure federal funding that can be distributed to nearby nonproft organizations; a grant cut for Green Umbrella means a loss of funding for the nonprofts they support.
GRAPHIC BY CAITLIN WONG
Miami dorm horoscopes
ELIZA SULLIVAN STAFF WRITER
I, Eliza Sullivan, have a clear vision for the future of this university (no, it doesn’t get any better). As such, I have decided to share my visions with each of you so that you can best prepare for the days ahead.
Emerson
If recent events (not that recent but I refuse to forget … I’m looking at you Spooky Sex) are any indication, things will be heating up for residents of Emerson Hall. This week is a good time to pursue romantic relationships. Rekindle that situationship you just got over. Who knows, maybe this time they’ll actually want you.
Hillcrest
With Mercury in Sagittarius, this month will herald a newfound understanding of microwaves. Fewer people will forget to put the water in their mac and cheese and fewer fre alarms will go of at 3 a.m. Catch up on sleep in the coming weeks; you deserve it.
Morris
Take this time to appreciate what you have. Spend time with loved ones, make new friends and stop complaining about how “musty” your dorm is. The stars indicate that it’s really not that bad.
Havighurst
After a truly boisterous Halloweekend, bad omens abound. Drink some orange juice and get plenty of sleep to ward of frat fu. In-
vest in close friendships – don’t just snap those people you added and forgot about this weekend.
Peabody
Fate will smile upon you soon. All semester, you’ve been walking ffteen minutes minimum to class, and the universe will reward you. Look out for 8 a.m. classes being cancelled, people giving out free Celsius and extra credit points.
Ogden
Try getting out of your comfort zone. There’s no way you’re not tired of Bell Tower food yet – that burrito bowl is not that good. Consider walking to a new dining hall or cooking your own food in the dorm kitchen, rather than just popping downstairs for yet another fried chicken sandwich.
All of Sorority Quad Nature will call for you to continue showing your love for the trees (it shouldn’t end on Halloween). Take your most recent frat situationship on a walk through Pefer Park to become one with your surroundings. You might even fnd a new pair of Uggs among the beauty.
Withrow
Grab a cup of cofee somewhere other than Starbucks … PLEASE (and support a local business like Kofenya while you’re at it). While it is cool that a Miami alum is running the company that is making you the most broke, you could share the love (and maybe even change up your order). A letter, to you
MICHAEL PATTEE STAFF WRITER (BARELY)
Dear reader, hello! It’s been quite a while, I must say. I came back to write this article to prove that no, dear reader, I have not passed away due to the strain of senior year (all 13 credit hours). I know what you’re thinking, “Oh no, my favorite humor writer of the past 3 years is graduating in the spring!” Well, dear reader, you’d be wrong, I’m leaving you in 6 (no not “or 7,” get of TikTok, it’ll fry your brain) weeks! I’m sure that
CONNOR OVIATT HUMOR EDITOR
You may be wondering, “Connor, you are a silly little Farmer student, how did you get such a prestigious position as an editor at The Miami Student?” And to that I would say, “I survived a brutal war of attrition.” A whopping zero people were gunning for my position. But, with my back against the wall, I persevered. And now, I’m here. Because I am so kind, I will share with all fve of you reading this the habits/practices that led to me being selected, and ultimately becoming the GOAT TMS humor editor.
Step 1: Become a ghost writer
When I joined The Miami Student, I made it my mission to go to
you’re all quite appalled at this news. The fan club of Michael Pattee has a MASSIVE following of at least 6 or 7.
So, as my time at TMS begins to come to a close, I thought that I would leave you, dear reader, with some advice. For starters, share a bed with your freshman year roommate! Wait, no, that came out wrong. Share BUNK beds with your freshman year roommate. This is especially true for people who are in a triple. Not only will you get good cardio climbing up and down that ladder (if you’re on top), but if you put cushions against the wall, you can create your very own
every All-Staf meeting. That is, until I realized it would be a weakness. So, I stopped showing up after attending two meetings. Luckily for me, attending those two meetings did not take me out of the running to be humor editor. Knowing that my opponents would be looking for any opportunity to strike me down, I decided to lie low. I even gave up writing for an entire semester. This lulled anyone else who would have wanted to be humor editor into a false sense of security. They started to pursue other sections, believing that they would be able to keep humor as a fallback option. But, in my infnite wisdom, I reemerged during the semester in which they started looking for a new humor editor. The job was mine. And, after asking about
double-decker couch (shout out Lego Movie).
Another crucial piece of advice is the following: don’t eat dining hall food all four years. I have made this fatal mistake and now have an appointment with a gastroenterologist. Try saying that fve times fast. I’m not even fully sure what’s going to happen, but it can’t be anything good. You’re probably expecting me to say something inspirational like “get involved” or “ofer the fat Earth guy a popsicle.” But no, don’t do any of that. Instead, fnd your D.S. from back in grade school and start playing it
four other people to take the role, I was chosen as humor editor. I credit my ability to instill fear in my opponents about what I would do to them if I weren’t picked. And now I get to say I’m on the board, while producing slop that rivals AI! Step 2: DO NOT learn how to use any of TMS’s software For those who don’t know, TMS has a very complicated web of software that editors are required to know/use (I think I had to create accounts for two or three platforms after being selected). You may be saying, “Connor, your major is primarily coding. How can you not fgure out some easy software?” It’s simple: I don’t want to. I play dumb, and in the end, I get my minions to do all of the actual work at print production.
again. Embrace nostalgia, you’re only getting older, so why form new memories and explore your beliefs when you can speed-run Pokémon White and Super Mario?
Now I know, dear reader, you’re anxiously awaiting my advice on how to get into a happy, healthy relationship, on-campus relationship. I’ve got three words: Good luck, soldier. I can promise you that your Halloween make-out you snap exclusively after 11 p.m. isn’t the one. My best advice is to fnd a long-distance relationship, ideally out of state, via a dating app and escape campus as much as pos-
I don’t even bother showing up to online weeks, as I have to build everyone’s patience back up. I also don’t properly share the humor articles with my editors. Why would I make the links publicly available when I could cause biweekly crashouts in the newsroom? How do I get away with it? Weaponized incompetence. You all should try it sometime - it also helps you get out of chores, work you don’t want to do on a group project and putting efort into any of your relationships. Step 3: Use Grammarly to edit your articles This is the cardinal sin to every other TMS editor. However, I believe this is what makes me great. Incorrect capitalization? Why not. Unnecessary punctuation? Of course! And the holy
sible, and get a ring by spring (it can actually work). Finally, dear reader, join the humor section, where both being funny and attendance are optional, and meet me in person. After all, who wouldn’t want to meet their hero? I don’t know what that has to do with meeting me, but that felt like an appropriate follow-up. Oh, and don’t bother with LinkedIn. Just don’t.
Toodle-loo,
patteemj@miamioh.edu
grail - the Oxford comma. I am trying to bring it back, but I am consistently silenced. Unlike everyone else at TMS, I am humble enough to admit that I am not smarter than AI. Grammarly has probably been trained on MILLIONS of books; I can’t even tell you the last time I read three pages. Unfortunately, I’m surrounded by people who are unwilling to embrace the future, and I am publicly shamed each time we print the paper. Do not consider this an exhaustive list of tips to reach my success, but they are crucial frst steps. We are currently looking for a new humor editor, so if you think you can lower the bar even further, reach out to me at: oviattcc@miamioh.edu
