ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
Volume 171 No. 4
Miami University — Oxford, Ohio
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
Do Oxford bars card hard for Miami student IDs?
Miami wrestles with eligibility issues VINCENT JOLLIFF
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
A GROUP WALKS PAST CJ'S BAR IN UPTOWN OXFORD. PHOTO BY KEEGAN PEREZ
ERIN WADZINSKI
THE MIAMI STUDENT In Oxford, a Miami University student ID holds power. It authorizes meal purchases, dorm entry and laundry cycles. A more unexpected perk lies in the admission it grants to popular bars Uptown. Many Oxford establishments require patrons to present a Miami student ID in addition to a valid government-issued ID showing they are at least 18 or 21, depending on bar policy. While the exact origin of the second-ID policy is unclear, Lt. Adam Price of the Oxford Police Department said it existed when he first
began working at the department 20 years ago. The decision to require Miami IDs is up to individual bar owners, and Price said the police have no involvement in it. Bar employees said they check student IDs as an added precaution against fake IDs and to maintain a primarily Miami student demographic. “It’s mainly a college bar and we want to keep it safe and fun for everyone who is a student so they don’t feel uncomfortable,” said a bouncer at Brick Street Bar and Grill, who asked to be anonymous for job security purposes. “A lot of other bars that don’t check student IDs get a little sketchy because it’s either townies
or people from Cincinnati, Dayton or even Hamilton. It’s not as fun or as safe.” The bouncer said she accepts both digital and physical Miami IDs. She also checks Canvas or school Gmail accounts if neither are available. Eli Losey, a junior middle childhood education major who works the door at Side Bar and The Woods (commonly referred to by students as New Bar), said employees cross-reference the name on a Miami ID with the name on a government-issued ID to verify authenticity. “We need to know it’s not a fake ID,” Losey said. “Obviously, the names need to match. We get a lot of high schoolers on the weekends that
From Texas to Ohio: Next steps for the migratory armadillo found in Oxford VENEZIA MCHENRY
SENIOR STAFF WRITER The discovery of a migratory Mexican long-nosed armadillo four miles east of Oxford, Ohio presents new opportunities for research about genetic adaptations and climate change. An Oxford resident found it dead after being struck by a vehicle, and the armadillo was sent to Miami University’s biology department and the Jezkova lab. Armadillos originated in South America and migrated north from Mexico to Texas in the 1850s. In Texas, they had no predators and found plenty of resources to eat and live. The Mexican long-nosed armadillo also always gives birth to identical quadruplets, resulting in a steadily growing population. As southern states get hotter and drier, armadillo populations have moved to northern states in search of warmer winters. This specific armadillo is the first documented migratory armadillo found in Ohio. Tereza Jezkova, the Jezkova lab principle investigator and associate professor, said her lab looks at species’ response to environmental change and genetic adaptations that help animals, like the armadillo, cope with thermal changes. Jezkova said climate change is a reason for the migration, but it is not the entire story. She said the discovery will allow her lab to conduct research on the armadillo to understand if they are adapting genetically to the cold and are beginning to tolerate much colder temperatures.
In this issue
THE DECEASED ARMADILLO FOUND IN OXFORD AWAITS RESEARCH AND TAXIDERMY. PHOTO PROVIDED BY STEVE SULLIVAN
“We are interested in whether the armadillos are somehow cheating the system,” Jezkova said. “That they are maybe finding some human structures to stay at when it’s super cold, in the hay or underneath stables, or if they’re adapting genetically. That would mean that something is changing with them physiologically.” In the next steps of research, Bhuwan Singh Bist, a Ph.D candidate in the Jezkova Lab, said they will use tissue samples from the armadillo to conduct genotype testing. They will test to see genetic variations between the Midwestern armadillo populations compared to the populations in Texas. “Research is definitely needed at the epigenetic level of what is the influence of climatic change,” Bist said. “The change in climate or any other factors that are driving the species to survive environmental conditions of
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
What is the Good Samaritan Policy? - page 4
Illinois, Indiana or Ohio, contrasted with extreme hot seasons over in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana.” Steven Sullivan, director of the Hefner Museum of Natural History, has been analyzing the animal while preparing to taxidermy it. He said he found no indication that this armadillo was captive, because captive animals tend to grow abnormal teeth and nails. They also tend to be obese and have dirt in their crevices, but Sullivan said this armadillo was “pristine.” To understand why this armadillo migrated north, Sullivan said to look to climate change models to help to understand the past, interpret the present and try to predict the future. CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
will try to go to the bars. If they don’t have a student ID, that’s a way you can tell.” Losey said he learned to look at meal swipes and plans displayed on Miami IDs as possible indicators of a student’s class year. If someone with an over-21 government-issued ID has meal swipes on their digital Miami ID, he said he takes a closer look. While the student ID policy can help bars verify student status and prevent underage drinking, it can also create problems for Miami students who have issues accessing their IDs. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
Get the guidebook without pictures - page 11
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Surviving in the age of digital mistrust REN CHAFFEE
ASST. CULTURE EDITOR The dead internet theory is the idea that online activity and the internet mainly consist of bots and automated content generated to manipulate algorithmic tactics. While this may seem irrelevant, increased bot use can shape public perception of advertising and products. The theory has been loosely circulating on online forums since 2016, and didn’t gain much traction originally. However, due to the artificial intelligence (AI) boom in the 2020s, interest surrounding this idea has sparked back up. What’s most concerning about this theory is the idea that public perception is now being controlled by algorithms, bots and corporate agendas instead of true human opinions. This idea can even leak into our personal lives. Was a seemingly empathetic text message crafted through generative AI? To put it simply: the main issue with the internet and digital communication is mistrust. “There’s something almost comforting about the internet getting so bad because it's just bots and propagandists,” said Andrew Peck, a professor in the Department of Media, Journalism and Film. Often, when a controversy arises on the internet, it gets blown out of proportion because digital platforms are designed to promote shares. “There are things that should not be an issue that can be amplified into big cultural war-level issues that say this deeper thing about American society,” Peck said.
SPORTS
OPINION
On June 23, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) introduced a new format for student-athlete aged-based eligibility, dubbed the five-for-five rule. It gives athletes five years to complete five seasons of their sport. A student athlete’s five years begin either when they first enroll in classes at an accredited institution or on their 19th birthday, whichever comes first. This ruling was intended to begin with the high school graduating class of 2023, meaning students currently in their fourth year of college sports would be granted a fifth year automatically. However, a group of lawyers sought the 2022 high school graduating class to be eligible for this new rule as well. Their argument was that the ruling violated antitrust laws and limited their clients’ ability to make monetary gains. The aged-based eligibility rule offers very few exceptions to the rule. With the new eligibility standards redshirting will become obsolete. “There are very few exemptions. Mission trips, pregnancy and military [service] are a few that come to mind,” said Robbie Trittschuh, assistant athletic director of compliance. The new eligibility rule is included in the Save College Sports Act. The bill passed through the senate and will move to the house for further deliberation. One of the players who is attempting to be grandfathered in is Miami University men’s basketball standout forward Antwone Woolfolk.
Preview: Miami Hockey not settling after best season in a decade - page 6
It emphasizes that society thrives off of high-emotion, catchy and addictive content to feed into this loop of constant sharing. “There are bot networks that are programmed and directed by people,” said Peck. Peck also said that in some ways, an increased amount of bot-driven activity can be placed on human fault. What he means by this is that humans are the ones developing advanced forms of AI and feed the bots the information they need to continue learning human behavioral patterns. A prime example of this is content creators buying bot services to get more “eyes” on their content to bolster views. This concept of controlling bots to manipulate what content goes viral is also being taken advantage of by large social media companies. Bots are also an undeniable factor in what posts become popular. The algorithms or creators who buy bots to uplift their content have bots circulate specific content to raise them to virality while other ideas are pushed further down, according to reporter T.M. Brown’s article in The New Yorker. All of the power is centralized in a few organizations. First, they treat their users well and then use the large number of users to draw in advertisers, sponsored partners and content creators. Once these partners are locked in, they sign exclusivity contracts and cannot go anywhere else because all users and potential buyers are already here. CONTINUED ON PAGE 9
CULTURE
Wellness is the greatest kindness you can give yourself - page 9
FYI
2
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
Our Awards
THE MIAMI STUDENT STAFF SHANNON MAHONEY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ELISA ROSENTHAL
KISER YOUNG
MANAGING EDITOR
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
EVELYN DUGAN
CAITLIN WONG
OWEN MARTIN
ASST. DESIGN EDITOR
PARKER GREEN
AYLA PEDEN
CAMPUS &
REN CHAFFEE
COMMUNITY EDITORS
2025 Ohio News Media Association Award for First Place in Best Website 2024 and 2025 Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best All-Around Student Newspaper in the large school category
ASST. CULTURE EDITORS
GRAHAM YOUNG
COOPER MENEGHETTI
SPORTS EDITOR
2025 Ohio Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Award for First Place in the Best College Newspaper category
VINCENT JOLLIFF
TAYLOR POWERS
ASST. SPORTS EDITORS
OPINION EDITOR
ABE HAGOOD
STELLA POWERS
ASST. OPINION EDITOR
CULTURE EDITOR
IVY KLEINMAN
CARLEY RAPP
PHOTO EDITOR
HUMOR EDITOR
AUSTIN SMITH
SARAH KENNEL GREENHAWKS EDITOR
BUSINESS MANAGER
SYDNEY MULFORD
JOE SAMPSON
DESIGN EDITOR
FACULTY ADVISER
ELISE HANNA
SACHA BELLMAN
DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR
BUSINESS ADVISER
EMILY CLARK
AIM MEDIA MIDWEST
PHOTO EDITOR
PRINTER
2025 Greater Cincinnati Pro Chapter Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Excellence in Journalism Award in the College Student Publication category 2025 Ohio News Media Association Award for First Place in Best Website
Advertising information: Smith646@miamioh.edu Send us a letter: eic.miamistudent@gmail.com The Miami Student is published biweekly during the school year by the students of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. The content of The Miami Student is the sole responsibility of The Miami Student staff. Opinions expressed in The Miami Student are not necessarily those of Miami University, its students or staff.
2025 Mark of Excellence Award (SPJ) for First Place in Best Affiliated Website
CORRECTIONS POLICY
The Miami Student is committed to providing the Miami University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication.
Oxford police report thefts, fake IDs and underage drinking AUSTIN SMITH
BUSINESS MANAGER Between Sept. 21 and Sept. 28, police officers responded to 21 incidents, according to the Oxford Police Department report. On Sept. 22, at 4:33 p.m., in the 900 block of Arrowhead Drive, officers responded to a report of theft after the victim lost his debit card and found about $500 in unauthorized charges. There were no suspects at the time. That same day at 4:59 p.m., in the 800 block of S. Elm St., officers responded to a report of a Nintendo Switch game system stolen from inside an apartment. There were no suspects at the time. On Sept. 24, at 4:44 p.m., in the 100 block of E. Sycamore St., officers responded to a report of burglary. Residents of two neighboring hous-
es told officers that two people had entered both houses the night before and consumed groceries and other items. That same day at 8:40 p.m., in the 900 block of Tollgate Drive, officers responded to a report of harassment. The victim said his ex-girlfriend had driven by his house with friends a few times since their breakup and yelled profanities at him. Officers took an information report. On Sept. 25, at 1:38 a.m., in the o block of W. High St., officers stopped a male who was seen concealing an alcoholic beverage under his shirt. Officers discovered that he was under 21 and in possession of a fake ID. Officers cited the male for underage consumption, possession of a fake ID and open container, and released him. That same day at 11:35 p.m., at the intersection of S. Poplar St. and E. High St., officers observed a male
GRAPHIC BY MACY CHAMBERLIN
urinating behind a building. Officers cited him for disorderly conduct. On Sept. 26, at 2:41 a.m., in the 100 block of N. Poplar St., officers found an intoxicated juvenile in the parking lot of McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital. Officers also discovered that the juvenile was in possession of a fake ID. The juvenile was cited. That same day at 3:22 a.m., in the
THE MIAMI STUDENT NEWSPAPER
5200 block of Brown Road, officers found an intoxicated female in the driver’s seat of a car. Officers arrested the female for physical control of a vehicle while under the influence, underage consumption and open container. That afternoon at 5:31 p.m., in the 0 block of E. High St., officers issued a male a summons instead of arrest after observing him vomiting and un-
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able to care for himself. The male was heavily intoxicated and under 21. That night at 11:26 p.m., in the 0 block of E. Park Place, officers found a male with an open container of alcohol in an alley. When the male saw the officers, he threw away the drink. Officers cited the male for the open container and released him. smith854@miamioh.edu
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GAMES
3 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
The Miami Student Games Crossword
Sudoku
Anagram
A P S R Y L E
How to play: Unscramble the letters to reveal possible word combinations! The number of possible answers may be greater than the number of answer spots provided, so pick your favorite words to use.
Across 1. A tool used in woodworking; past tense of see 5. To gather or predict based on previous information 6. Showered in affection 7. An old term for women at colleges or institutions 8. To be nosey; to force something open or apart
Down 1. To poke through something you aren’t supposed to; rhymes with the RedHawk mascot’s name 2. Not before, but _____ 3. A natural area that is overgrown and unkempt 4. Acronym for Respiratory Distress Syndrom 5. How someone might text to say “l don’t care”
3 POSSIBLITIES 24 POSSIBLITIES 6 POSSIBLITIES
16 POSSIBLITIES 16 POSSIBLITIES
ASG passes bill to make EV charging more affordable at Miami
SPEAKER QUIN AHLER ADDRESSES THE STUDENT SENATE. PHOTO BY SHANNON MAHONEY
SHANNON MAHONEY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The Associated Student Government (ASG) discussed problems with Bell Tower dining and passed a bill to reform electric vehicle (EV) charging rates at Miami University. The bill would encourage the university to move to a kilowatt-hour pricing structure as opposed to the hour-based system they have now. The current pricing charges users $2.50 per hour for four hours and $4.50 for every hour after. Senator Charles Amara, who introduced the bill, said he spoke with
university administrators who told him the current pricing structure was based on parking rates in Uptown Oxford as opposed to the amount of electricity a car takes to charge. There are currently 16 chargers in Oxford, 14 of which are operated by the university. The two chargers owned by the city charge $0.50 per hour. Senator Brian Mead said he has an electric car but chose not to bring it to Miami because of what it would cost for him to use it. “I think it creates a system where people that do have electric cars … [don’t] want to bring it based off the pricing, and frankly, it’s cheaper for
me to drive a gas-powered car than it is to have an electric car here,” Mead said. Some senators brought up concerns about the feasibility of changing the pricing structure. ASG has passed resolutions involving Miami parking before, although the governing body’s ability to influence parking services is very limited. Senator Gabe Slark said institutions like Miami typically don’t charge market price for an EV charger because the market price is so low. Often, the funds from the additional fees go towards similar initiatives. Amara said the bill does not give a specific price the charger should be
set at. He also said he does not expect the chargers to be market price, but hopes the university can make the system more reasonable for students with EVs. “The main point of this bill is that the price structure that they have here is disconnected with how long it actually takes to charge a vehicle,” Amara said. ASG voted to approve the bill. The Safety and Transportation Committee and the Sustainability Committee will work with the university to try to implement the pricing changes. This bill is the first piece of legislation ASG has passed this academic year.
ASG also heard student concerns about issues with food orders at Bell Tower. The dining hall does not alert students if they are out of an item, like lettuce, and instead substitutes it with another item. The concern said the dining hall should find some way to communicate when they are out of stock, as some students can’t eat a meal with substitutions due to allergies. The concern was committed to the Campus Affairs Committee. ASG will meet again at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6 in the Joslin Senate Chambers. mahones5@miamioh.edu
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
4
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
Changes to Miami’s student organization funding cause confusion
CLUB MEMBERS OF THE MARCHE OF UNICORN AT MCGUFFEY. PHOTO BY TESSA KLEMP
KRIS NAGEL
THE MIAMI STUDENT
MOLLY FAHY
SENIOR STAFF WRITER When Eleanor Jones, the co-chair for Miami University’s Young Democratic Socialists of America (YDSA) chapter, opened her email on Sept. 3, the last thing she expected to see was a message saying YDSA was ineligible for funding this semester. The Associated Student Government (ASG), which distributes funding for student clubs, required club leaders to attend several training sessions. Jones had attended everything, and her treasurer submitted YDSA’s budget request the day it opened through ASG. Now, six weeks into the semester, YDSA has no money and no idea why it was denied funding. “It is definitely a barrier in planning,” Jones said. “It’s not impossible for us to pull together some money for small things. But this extra cost and time and organization makes it even more difficult because we’re a better functioning organization if we can plan months in advance and we literally cannot.” The requirements to become eligible for funding aren’t the only things students are confused about. There’s still a lot of conflict about how much
money each student-run club receives. Miami funds clubs through a four-tier system, with each club falling into a specific category. Tier four is the highest designation for a club, which means it has a campus-wide impact, a faculty advisor, extensive programming history and high student engagement. Halfway through the spring semester of 2025, ASG announced they were cutting funds for tier four organizations effective immediately. A surplus of funds had remained from COVID-19 lockdowns, when student clubs were inactive and not requesting money. Between 2022 and the fall semester of 2024, tier four organizations could receive $12,500 per semester. By March 2025, the money had run out. Now, the most any tier four organization can get is $5,000 per semester. Club reactions The 2025 funding reduction created challenges for tier four clubs across campus. Stage Left, a student-run musical theater organization at Miami, felt particularly affected by the cuts. The reduction was announced mid-semester, creating logistical difficulties for the club, as contracts had already been signed to pay a technical company for help with an upcoming production. “The way they did this was abso-
lutely not appropriate,” said Lillian Shelley, president of Stage Left and a senior majoring in psychology and biology. “We got kind of an emergency email that said we will not be handing out any more funding this semester. It set our board into a real panic, and [ASG] didn’t even explain what was coming next.” Shelley said the university provided relief after coordination between Stage Left’s faculty advisor and the office of Student Engagement and Activities so that Stage Left could honor its existing contracts for the semester. For Drew Belcher, chairman of the College Republicans at Miami and a senior political science major, the funding cuts presented both a challenge and an opportunity. “I would say it was a little bit of a shock to the system,” Belcher said. “We didn’t really have any sort of infrastructure for fundraising externally a lot of money, so we had to put that into place. We had a fundraiser with U.S. Congressman Warren Davidson in Hamilton. We were able to draw a pretty good crowd, and you know we set a lot of fundraising records for ourselves that year.” Changes to funding Additionally, the funding application process requires clubs to be approved and registered through Miami Central, a new platform for students to connect with clubs on campus. This change, instituted in spring se-
mester 2026, replaced The Hub. Following the spring 2025 adjustment, tier four student organizations are eligible for up to $5,000 a semester in funding. Now, ASG is gearing up for a new funding structure — a three-level system set to begin spring 2027. Under this new structure, level one organizations will receive $500, level two can receive up to $3,000 and level three organizations can receive up to $5,000 in activity funding. Japveer Singh, ASG secretary of funding and a junior finance major, said this change aligns with his administrative goals. “I think bureaucracy kills a lot of things,” Singh said. One goal of the new system is to remove some of the restrictive barriers for low-level organizations applying for funding. “We’re thinking that we should automatically imburse it into your account, so you automatically have $500 to spend,” Singh said. “Therefore, you don’t have to come to ASG and submit all the requests.” Scott Walter, vice president of Student Life at Miami and faculty advisor for ASG, has seen the funding structure change several times during his 16 years in his position and believes the changes being made are a move in the right direction. “We changed the whole system,” Walter said. “Instead of doing five programs about something you want
to do, we’ve cut it down to: How do you run a student organization? How do you do funding? How do you prepare a budget? There’s not as many steps.” What can organizations do if they have issues? Walter said students with questions about their organization’s funding should reach out to the Office of Student Engagement and Activities. This office works with ASG, the Division of Student Life, and Miami’s Budget Office to distribute funds to student organizations. Jones and YDSA are currently working with the Office of Student Engagement and Activities to find out where exactly in the funding application process YDSA is lacking.” Singh and his colleague Nathan Lentz, deputy secretary of funding at ASG and a senior majoring in physics and political science, said student organization leaders should email them or come to office hours with questions. Improving access and accountability are among the primary goals that Singh and Lentz are working on. “Last year the biggest issue was a lack of communication and clarity, and that’s what me and Nathan are trying to solve,” Singh said. nagelku@miamioh.edu fahymm@miamioh.edu
What is the Good Samaritan Policy?
OWEN MARTIN
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR Like most students returning back to campus after a night of drinking, Rob anticipated his return home would be uneventful, maybe even a little boring. However, as he walked by the Maplestreet Station residence hall, this notion was shattered. When he looked up, he saw a student climbing up the hall’s gutter to get to her dorm through the window, following friends that went before her. Concerned that she appeared to be slipping, he ran over to catch her, but not before she lost her footing and fell. “I caught her shoulders, but I felt her ribs snap against the concrete,” said Rob, a senior political science major, who is identified here by his first name because he was underage at the time of the incident. With the student injured and distraught on the sidewalk, he called 911 for an ambulance. After they arrived and put her on a stretcher, the paramedics thanked Rob for his help and told him he was free to go home. While he didn’t know it at the time, Rob, who was intoxicated and underage, didn’t just get away with a stroke of luck. He received no punishment because there was a system in place meant to protect people like him who took a risk and did the right thing: Miami University’s Good Samaritan Policy. The Good Samaritan Policy is a limited medical amnesty policy that is meant to prevent students who call for assistance for another student on campus from administrative consequences if they themselves are also under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Developed during the 2013-14 school year and administered by the Office of Community Standards, the policy was designed to encourage students to care for one another during crisis. It is a comprehensive policy that covers both Code of Conduct violations and charges pressed by the Miami University Police Department (MUPD). “[The Good Samaritan Policy] means that students will very likely not be held accountable for the alcohol piece or the drug piece of calling for help the first time that ever happens,” said Alex Fields, the director of the Office of Community Standards. The process is relatively straightforward. When the MUPD or university staff respond to a distress call on campus, the report is later evaluated by the Office of Community Standards to determine whether or not the student(s) actions fall under the Good Samaritan policy. If the students are cooperative and nonviolent, callers are not disciplined by the university and legal action is not taken against them. “If somebody calls for you and you are engaging in what we would consider like disorderly conduct, for example … we would not hold to the policy,” Fields said. “If you are breaking other other policies [such as possessing a fake ID] we could maybe consider [proper consequences for that] but not the alcohol piece.” Students are allowed to call for another student an unlimited number of times without any penalty. If a student is intoxicated and calls for assistance themself, they are only allowed one call before normal university and legal rules apply. Importantly, however, this policy cannot trump state law, so it only ap-
plies to students who call the MUPD on campus property, and are either cited for by the MUPD or for Code of Conduct violations. If a student is confronted by the Oxford Police Department (OPD) off campus, they enjoy no such legal protections. “We are going to follow the Ohio Revised Code and the appropriate charges,” OPD Lt. Adam Price said. “It’s not like … we arrest somebody and figure out they’re a Miami student, we’re going to un-arrest them.” Had Rob’s incident taken place Uptown, he and the injured student may have faced harsher consequences, which usually manifest in citations like disorderly conduct, underage intoxication or possession of a fake ID. Students are typically cited and released or transported to the emergency room for medical treatment, depending on the responding officers’ judgement of their ability to take care of themself. Very few students are transported to jail on alcohol charges alone. “We’re gonna give you a citation, it’s almost like a speeding ticket,” Price said. “... You’re not being arrested, put in handcuffs and taken to jail necessarily.” Legally speaking, the Good Samaritan Policy only applies on campus. However, Price said that while there are no guarantees, the OPD often uses discretion when responding to distress calls and rarely interrogates those who flag officers down for help. “If you’ve been drinking, and you’re calling for someone else, you’re probably not going to get yourself in trouble.” Price said. However, despite the relative uncertainty around consequences on and off campus, Price and Fields
PEOPLE WALK ACROSS THE STREET IN FRONT OF BRICK STREET DURING BEAT THE CLOCK. PHOTO BY LANDON FORD
both said students shouldn’t focus on weighing potential consequences when deciding to make a call for help. “When it comes to alcohol, things can go from bad to tragic in a matter of moments,” Fields said. “I’d rather them get a ticket … then be at significant risk of loss of life [or] loss of brain function.” Fields said her office receives relatively few Good Samaritan reports compared to other alcohol incident reports, a troubling sign that Miami students are often reluctant to call for help for each other. “There’s still a ton of cases where we find people passed out outside Roudebush in the morning … and you have to think how many people have walked past a member of their community and didn’t do anything,” Fields said. Many students don’t even know the policy exists at all, until they run into it. “I didn’t really know about it in
effect, but I knew about it in theory,” Rob said. “I wasn’t really worried about it at the time, I was more worried about her getting hurt.” Fields reiterated that even if the policy doesn’t end up applying, the discipline policy is not something to be afraid of, and its consequences are nothing compared to the hazards of leaving an unconscious person alone. “I am never going to ask a student to commit to never drinking again,” Fields said. “What I want students to promise me is that they’re going to be aware of their surroundings.” martino9@miamioh.edu Rob chose to only provide his first name to protect his identity, because he was underage and intoxicated at the time of the incident.
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY Horse therapy builds new Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum closed for pen to expand services
5
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
renovations
THE ART MUSEUM IS CLOSED FOR RENOVATIONS THIS YEAR. PHOTO BY ELISE HANNA
SAVANNAH ROBERTSON THE MIAMI STUDENT
A MEMBER OF THE MIAMI EQUESTRIAN CENTER ADJUSTS THE SADDLE ON A HORSE. PHOTO BY CARA HALLQUIST
ADA LILLIE WORTHINGTON THE MIAMI STUDENT
This semester, the horse therapy services at Miami are changing as the construction of a new round pen nears its completion. With this addition, students will have more freedom moving the horses around during their sessions. According to Riding Director Heather Pinnick, construction of the new round pen started in late July, and she’s hopeful the pen will reach completion in the coming weeks. Construction was temporarily halted due to the recent rainy weather, but will be completed after the installation of the footing to make the ground level. “We needed the round pen space to be able to do some of the other types of therapy,” Pinnick said. “Right now, it’s just very basic with the grooming and the talking [during] the one-on-one session.” During a standard session, the equestrian staff will pick one of their five to six horses they typically use for therapy. The students will then bridle the horse, cross tie them, use combs and pick at the horses’ hooves. The round pen will allow these sessions to evolve from just grooming in the stalls to being able to let the horses walk around freely. According to Pinnick, interacting with the horses is a useful activity for students who have a hard time making eye contact or who have something difficult to share; she says it’s easier to talk when the students have something else to focus on and do with their hands. Pinnick saw this firsthand when she worked at a therapeutic riding barn in college. While working there, she witnessed a non-verbal middle school girl gain the confidence to speak and interact with
Pinnick while she was on the horse. “We talked and we talked about the horses and what their hair felt like and what color they were, and it was so interesting that the horse created that vector for us to have a conversation, whereas she wasn’t able to do that without the horse,” Pinnick said. When an alumni approached Pinnick in the fall of 2024 with the idea for implementing a horse therapy program at Miami, she immediately started discussing the possibility with Miami Student Counseling. Since the successful pilot program in spring 2025, horse therapy has been a staple for Student Counseling Services. Senior Staff Counselor and Co-Coordinator for the equine therapy program Sami Goodpaster became certified in horse therapy in 2025 after completing a week-long intensive training that combined both classroom and hands-on learning. Since implementing horse therapy into her practice, she has seen the psychological effects that horse therapy can bring: confidence boosts, trauma processing, development of social skills and anxiety and depression management. “I’ve been able to see [benefits] over the progress data that we’ve collected,” Goodpaster said. “We’ve seen reductions in self-reporting of depression, anxiety and social concerns across the board with all of the students we’ve met with so far.” Both Goodpaster and Pinnick said these psychological benefits are enhanced by the horses’ emotionally intuitive nature. The horses can pick up on students’ emotions — they can even nuzzle up and provide comfort to students if they sense sadness. Hunt seat member of the equestrian team and sophomore Caroline Stanwood has experienced moments
where her horse, who was usually very mouthy and would accidentally nip at her, would know to change his behavior based on Stanwood’s mood. If he could tell she had a bad day, he would know not to nip at her. “I think [horses] do a very good job picking up on humans’ emotions,” Stanwood said. “I think everybody always says that about dogs and cats and things, but I would say I have seen it the most, being able to tell if I have a bad day, [in horses] — the horses always know.” In addition to offering individual horse therapy sessions, the equestrian center offers three drop-in therapy events a year — two in the fall and one in the spring. Students are invited to bring their friends down to the equestrian center to feed treats to the horses and check out free “horse swag,” according to Goodpaster. “I thought that after the first couple times, you know, the attendance would fade,” Pinnick said, “but this last one we did the Friday of classes starting, there were over 200 people that came down.” The second drop-in session for the fall semester is scheduled for Oct. 2. Students can sign up for individual horse therapy sessions throughout the semester by calling counseling services to set up an initial consultation or schedule an appointment online via their website. “I hope [students] are able to feel like what me and [other equestrian team members] feel when we go [to the barn],” Stanwood said. “No matter if it’s five minutes or five hours, just being down at the barn with the horses and being able to forget about everything else that’s going on, and … [take] a breath and being able to reset from time spent at the barn.” worthia3@miamioh.edu
The Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum has been temporarily closed while the building undergoes major renovations, like renewing the air conditioning system and replacing the windows. Several of these updates are intended to improve storage and help maintain the museum’s art pieces. Collections Manager and Registrar Faith Walker works on storing the art pieces within the museum, labeling them and making sure they remain in the best condition possible. Part of that upkeep involves a dedicated storeroom, newer window protections from the sun and newer systems within the museum to regulate temperature. “[The windows] are nearly 50 years old, and over time, the seals around them break down and some of them have become very cloudy, but also they’re not as well insulated as modern windows,” Walker said. “That’s very important, both from an energy perspective, making sure that as much heat and as much AC as we’re generating stays in the building. But also, from my very nerdy perspective, it’ll be much easier to take care of the collection because the climate will be more stable.” The structure of the museum is also undergoing renovations during this project, including adding dedicated staff office spaces, expanding the entryway closer to the street and creating dedicated activity and classroom spaces as well. “The more permanent exhibitions were in the back of the museum, and it made it challenging when we were rotating and changing out the temporary galleries, we had to close the museum because we didn’t want people walking through an installation to get to the permanent collections,” said Shaiman interim director and curator of the museum. After the renovations, the permanent collections will be brought to the front of the museum, that way the museum team won’t have to close everything when they are swapping out rotating galleries. Several other changes focus on making the museum a much more accessible space for visitors, including the addition of family restrooms, an expanded entryway and altering
the stair-step design of the museum’s auditorium for greater accessibility. “Our auditorium has step seating, and that is really not very accommodating for those that might have mobility or accessibility needs,” Shaiman said. “All of the step seating is being torn out, and it’s all going to be one floor, and it’s going to offer greater accessibility for our space for lectures, events, programs and parties.” Despite several classes at Miami working closely with the museum, official classroom spaces have not been part of the building until this renovation project. Museum employees like Walker are enthusiastic about the opportunity for more dedicated educational spaces, and the museum is looking to hire an education curator for the museum to head these educational and collaborative efforts. “We do teach classes here at the museum, so there will be a more flexible classroom space,” Walker said. “We’ll be able to have more secure spaces where we can take items out into the classrooms and lay them out on tables, and students can view them.” Staff and students will soon be able to also view the museum’s pieces through an online program called CatalogIt, a new software the museum is using to label and organize art pieces for easier record-keeping and visitor viewing. “There’s a lot of stuff that people don’t even know what we have because our database doesn’t have that public feature,” said Walker. “You’ll be able to visually see what we have. I’m really taking this opportunity to rethink how my position does things: finding more efficient ways to manage records, manage view requests and organize stuff. This is really a reset.” The Richard and Carole Cocks Art Museum is scheduled to reopen in fall 2027, with these new renovations creating a fresh experience for firsttime and veteran visitors. “You don’t want someone to interact with your space one time and feel like they’ve done it all,” said Fisher. “We want to continue to bring a new audience, bring a returning audience, by having really phenomenal pieces that we can be really proud of.” rober618@miamioh.edu
Do Oxford bars card hard for Miami student IDs?
CONTINUED FROM FRONT
If a phone dies or digital ID will not load, the Brick Street bouncer said she asks students questions about their classes, dorms and professors for proof of enrollment. In rare cases, she said she accepts photos of students inside their first-year dorms. “It’s probably once every shift that someone will argue with me about not having a Miami or student ID,” she said. Emma Arentz, a first-year psychology major, said her friends’ Mi-
ami IDs loaded slowly due to weak Wi-Fi near the bars. Kylie Sanuk, a first-year undecided business major, said she also had difficulty showing her Miami Canvas page due to spotty service. Despite these occasional complications, some Miami students said they support the additional identification requirement. “Requiring Miami IDs keeps kids from other schools outside of Miami bars,” said a sophomore accounting major. “It’s good bars do the guest thing too so your friends can visit but still keep random kids from other
schools out of Oxford.” Non-Miami students can still enter certain bars under specific conditions. At Brick Street, guests must provide proof of student status and be accompanied by a Miami student. Every Miami student can bring one non-Miami guest. “I just need to see that guests are actively in school,” the Brick Street bouncer said. She said she may ask guests for school emails or transcripts to verify enrollment in alternative education programs such as cosmetology or trade school.
THE MIAMI STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Parents pose a notable exception to the one-guest rule, but a Miami student must be present at the door when their parents enter. The guest policy has relaxed in recent years. The Brick Street bouncer said it used to be more strictly enforced, but now she may allow students to bring in multiple guests if the group seems unproblematic. Requirements also vary by establishment and time of day. Losey said his boss determines when customers must present student IDs. During slower days and quieter hours, fewer forms of iden-
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tification may be required. On busy weekend nights, however, his workplace typically limits admission to Miami students. For students in Oxford, a Miami ID is more than a campus credential. As Uptown bars balance high entry demand with security and age verification, the red badges in students’ mobile wallets play a vital role in experiencing college town nightlife. wadzinski@miamioh.edu
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SPORTS
6
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
Miami men’s basketball schedule review
LUKE SKALJAC DRIBBLES BALL ON OFFENSE IN GAME AGAINST TOLEDO. PHOTO BY IVY KLEINMAN
JAKE O’BRUBA
THE MIAMI STUDENT The Miami University men’s basketball schedule has officially been released. Coming off an undefeated regular season last year, the RedHawks look to replicate the success of a magical 2025-26 season. Despite finishing the regular season undefeated, the RedHawks’ strength of schedule ranked 340 nationally per the NCAA Evaluation Tool. Due to this, Miami was one of the last four teams in the field that did not win its conference tournament. Miami prevailed, earning a No.11 seed in the tournament and beating Southern Methodist University in the First Four game. Miami’s season ended against the University of Tennessee in the first round of March Madness play. Miami plays 31 games again this season, 15 home, 15 away and one
at a neutral location. Twenty-two of those games are against Mid-American Conference (MAC) opponents. Miami starts the season off against Sun Belt conference (SBC) opponent, the James Madison University Dukes. Miami is traveling to Harrisonburg, Virginia, on Nov. 2 for its season opener as a part of the MAC-SBC Challenge. James Madison is a consistent competitor to win its conference, and Miami’s new team is going into an intense environment for its first game. “We put our guys in a lot of adverse situations in practice, which prepares us for games like James Madison, where I know we’ll face some tough moments,” head coach Travis Steele said in a press conference. After James Madison, Miami faces three more non-conference opponents: Bellarmine University, Evansville University and Defiance University. It is these games where Miami can get into the swing of its
season. Miami then heads to Jacksonville to play in the Jacksonville Classic. Miami will face off against the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). UIC comes from the Missouri Valley Conference and is also a top contender in its conference. Eastern Kentucky University then heads to Miami on Nov. 25 for another non-conference game. On Dec. 2, Miami will begin its MAC play against Central Michigan University. The University of Buffalo Bulls, who the RedHawks beat in double-overtime last season, will host Miami on Dec. 5. That leads to the Riley Decker Showcase game. Miami will face another very tough opponent, the High Point University Panthers. High Point was able to acquire many top prospects coming out of high school and the transfer portal. According to a statistic from LangIndex Hoops on Miami’s chanc-
Miami Hockey not settling after best season in a decade
es to make March Madness, many say that Miami’s schedule this year is not good enough to prove to the AP Top 25 Poll and Coaches Poll that the team is able to succeed. Miami’s perfect 2025-26 regular season was almost not enough to prove that the team was good enough to compete with power conference teams in March Madness. Head coach Travis Steele wants people to think about this year and not last. “Last year was last year, nobody cares,” Steele said. “I don’t care, you need to move on. Last year was great, but we got to continue to build.” All MAC teams are fighting for a spot in March Madness. Since the MAC is a mid-major conference, bids usually only go to the winner of the conference tournament. Other top contenders in the MAC are the University of Akron, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Toledo and Kent State University. Akron won the MAC tournament
ADELAIDE CHRISTENSEN THE MIAMI STUDENT
The Miami University hockey team is coming off its best season in over a decade. The RedHawks finished last season with an 18-16-2 record overall, and a record of 9-132 in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). The team was voted No. 5 in the NCHC preseason poll and Top 20 in the NCAA coming into this season, building on the momentum left over from the previous season. “No one wants to settle where we were,” said senior captain Doug Grimes. Despite possible pressure to recreate its winning season, the team feels more confident than ever. This season will not be easy and the early season games matter just as much as the matches later in the season. The RedHawks will face some of the best teams in the nation, including reigning national champions, the University of Denver, who Miami will face at home on Feb. 12-13. Regardless of the opponents’ ranking, the team approaches each game the same way. In order to reach the Frozen Four, Miami will have to face premier programs and bring its best to each and every game. Last season, Miami went 3-1
against St. Cloud State University and 2-2 against Arizona State University. The RedHawks will play at St. Cloud State on Jan. 15-16 and Arizona State at home on Jan. 22-23. Both matches promise to be entertaining for everyone watching. Fans should also look out for the team’s first ever game against the University of St. Thomas at home on Oct. 30. With 15 regular-season home games, there is plenty of time for fans to get in on the action. After last year’s recruiting class was ranked No. 4 in the nation, head coach Anthony Noreen and other members of the coaching staff dove back into recruitment and the transfer portal. 11 new members joined the team this season. Notable newcomers include freshman defenseman Timmy Runtso who earned 44 points (11-33-44) last season in the Western Hockey League (WHL) and was selected No. 57 overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2026 National Hockey League (NHL) draft. Another is freshman forward Layne Loomer who racked up 72 points (30-42-72) in 59 games with the Lincoln Stars in United States Hockey League (USHL). Returning players will also need to contribute for the RedHawks to achieve their goals. “Everybody’s a year older; everybody’s a year better,” senior forward
Matteo Giampa said. Giampa returns this year after being one of the top goal and points scorers on the team last year along with sophomore forward Ilia Morozov, who was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. But the team can’t compete by relying on only a couple players. As a whole, the team has focused on carrying the culture that it cultivated last season into the present. There are bound to be ups and downs throughout any athletic season, but the team has been working hard in the offseason to be at its very best. After roughly five weeks of preseason training, the team is excited to start a new season. “One really special part about last year for us was the engagement from the fans,” Noreen said. “I really think that there were a lot of nights last year where [Goggin] was the hardest place to play in college hockey.” The RedHawks start their season on the road on Friday, Oct. 2 versus Northern Michigan University at 7:07 p.m. Fans can catch the home opener against Robert Morris University at Goggin Ice Center at 7:05 p.m. on Oct. 15. chris216@miamioh.edu
obrubajm@miamioh.edu
Miami wrestles with eligibility issues CONTINUED FROM FRONT
MIAMI HOCKEY TEAM STANDS FOR THE NATIONAL ANTHEM AT BEGINNING OF GAME AGAINST ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY. PHOTO BY ALEX AREHART
last season and Miami sees them twice on Jan. 9 and Jan. 23. UMass defeated Miami in the tournament last season and they will see each other on Jan. 26 and the last game of the regular season, March 5. Miami will also play against Ohio University in the Battle of the Bricks and Kent State, a top MAC opponent. The team’s culture will play a big role in taking down these conference rivals. “[Steele] knows that we have a good culture here, and have established a good culture, we need dudes that will buy into that,” senior captain Evan Ipsaro said. This season will be very exciting for the RedHawks. They have a lot to prove this year with a new team and a new March Madness bracket featuring 76 teams.
Woolfolk, who averaged 10 points and five rebounds per game last year, exhausted his college eligibility at the end of last season, but is now attempting to return to Oxford for the 2026-27 season. His decision to return came after a July 31 ruling by Colorado District Judge Charlotte Sweeney, which granted a preliminary injunction nationwide. This gave every player in the 2022 high school class that had exhausted their eligibility the ability to return to college for a fifth year. On Aug. 21, the 10th circuit board of appeals ruled in favor of the NCAA and issued a stay on the order, which put a pause on the legal processes. As of now, Woolfolk is able to be enrolled in the university and practice with the team, but would not be allowed to play in any games the RedHawks play this winter. On top of the national ruling, many state-by-state cases appear in different courts. Woolfolk was included in a case out of Cincinnati that initially gave 15 to 20 men’s basketball players the option to return to college for another year of play. This adds another level of confusion in the process: Players may be deemed eligible on the state level but ineligible nationally, and vice versa. Despite the confusion, the athletes’ well-being remains a top priority at Miami. Over the summer, during the court proceedings, Woolfolk was finishing his degree. He reached out to men’s basketball head coach Travis Steele about the opportunity to return to Oxford for a fifth year. “We have to do right by Antwone,” Steele said. “He’s a great person. I wanted him to get his degree, a Miami degree.” Woolfolk is set to finish his program this winter, regardless of any court ruling. The Ohio five-for-five case was heard on Sept. 22, and the judge
presiding over the case said there would be a “timely ruling,” per Paul Fritschner of Cincy Crown. At the time of this publication, that ruling is still pending. Miami and Woolfolk are just one example of hundreds of programs and athletes being impacted by the recent confusion in the courts. Mid-American Conference (MAC) rivals, such as the University of Akron, are awaiting a decision on some of their top players. National brands like Louisiana State University have rosters where a majority of players are awaiting eligibility rulings. The situation does not affect only men’s basketball. Trittschuh said that due to the timing of the rulings, a number of soccer players at Miami were able to play at the beginning of the season but are now deemed ineligible. Another component of this situation is the potential of professional athletes opting to return to college after being on professional rosters. The Big Ten conference and Southeastern conference have both released statements determining that professional athletes are not able to return to the college ranks. The MAC has yet to do so. Regardless of whether Woolfolk suits up this season, the RedHawks have a deep and talented frontcourt. They return sophomores Tyler Robbins and Kyle Waltz and senior Almar Atlason. They also add freshmen Alan Horton and sophomore transfer Preston Copeland to the frontcourt. “We have great depth. We have several good front court guys with a lot of size that we will need in order to get to where we ultimately want to go,” Steele said. With practices officially underway and the regular season only a month away, it is imperative that a ruling, in whichever direction, comes soon — for Steele and other coaches’ sakes, and more importantly, for Antwone Woolfolk’s sake. jollifvm@miamioh.edu
SPORTS
Miami Hockey adds new recruits thanks to rule chances
7 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
Cooper’s Corner: What are fair expectations for the men’s basketball 2026-27 season?
GRAPHIC BY COOPER MENEGHETTI
MIAMI HOCKEY TEAM HUDDLES AROUND THE GOALIE AT GAME AGAINST UMD. PHOTO BY ALEX AREHART
TIMMY SWEARINGEN THE MIAMI STUDENT
Before last season, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) made a landmark rule change that allowed hockey players who had previously played in the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) to play college hockey. Prior to the ruling, these players were seen as having lost their amateur status due to the CHL giving players stipends. The NCAA deemed them as professional payments. The Miami University Redhawks men’s hockey team quickly jumped on this new recruiting opportunity, bringing in three recruits from the CHL for the 2025-26 season and one more for the upcoming 2026-27 season. “The biggest thing in coming to college was just having an opportunity to extend my runway of playing hockey before I turn pro,” sophomore forward Kocha Delic said. While in juniors, he was a consistent point-per-game player for the Sudbury Wolves and has continued to be a key player for Miami, leading the team in points last season. The transition to the college game was not the easiest for many players who had to adjust their style of play away from the CHL. Over-age players, which refers to players who are 19 and 20 in juniors, could physically dominate less developed competition, since the age range is 16 to 20. In college, the size and skill discrepancy is much less, because the ages of players are typically 18 to 24. The physical difference between 16 and 20-year-olds is much greater, so junior level stunts the development of older players to become level with their younger competition. This is the reason many junior players have taken the opportunity to play in college. There is less room on the ice to possess the puck as an individual, so junior players are forced to learn a more team-oriented style that prioritizes establishing offensive zone play and defensive responsibility. Because of this, junior players have changed the way they approach developing their game at Miami. “A big focus for me was playing a little bit more defensively,” Delic said. “In college, the games are tighter, I guess you could say. In the OHL it’s a little bit more open, where guys play a little bit more up and down the ice, working east-west, versus college, it’s a lot of north-south. You’re just getting pucks in deep and holding onto pucks, and you have to wait and pick
and choose your moments.” The competition in college hockey is bigger, older and more physical. The season has half as many games as the CHL, so each one is more significant to the overall standings, and players are forced to treat every game like it’s the difference between making the playoffs or not. “You just have less time and space,” said freshman defenseman Timofei Runtso. “There is always a stick on your stick, and whatever space you have, you just got to be ready to adjust to it and play it however you can.” Last year Runtso spent a season in juniors with the Victoria Royals of the CHL. “I think there is some pressure, but as an athlete, you’re supposed to get used to pressure and the pressure of always performing,” Runtso said. “I think that it’s something I’ve kind of gotten used to, especially playing in front of some big crowds in the WHL. So it’s just part of the job.” This summer, Runtso was drafted in the second round of the 2026 NHL draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He and the other CHL players are no strangers to the stress that comes with high-level sports. Stress has been a key factor in these players’ success in college hockey. Although the switch from juniors to college is a big one, they already possess the mental toughness to adapt to new environments and new playing styles. For Miami specifically, the addition of these junior players to the team has played a huge role in their recent turnaround under head coach Anthony Noreen, going from 3-28-3 in his first season as head coach to 18-16-2 last season. “[The coaching staff is] building something special here,” Runtso said “… I came here and visited campus and kind of just fell in love with it. They were saying how they’re building something special, and they believed in it, which made me believe in it.” Miami comes into this season ranked No. 5 out of 10 in the NCHC pre-season poll and is receiving votes for the national top 20, a huge jump from their 2024-25 season dead-last finish. Overall, this rule change has been extremely beneficial to both the four junior players who have made the transition and to Miami’s hockey team. The team looks to be back in the NCAA Hockey Tournament for the first time since 2015. swearitj@miamioh.edu
COOPER MENEGHETTI ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
When a mid-major goes on an unprecedented and remarkable run to the NCAA Tournament, lofty expectations typically do not follow the same team the next season. They are usually pillaged by the portal, the head coach gets poached and the state of the program becomes a withered shell of its former glory. For Miami University men’s basketball in 2026-27, this could not be further from the case. Will the RedHawks once again complete a perfect regular season? Probably not, but the stars over Oxford have aligned so this team could be something equally special. The main goal of the offseason was to retain head coach Travis Steele. Although Steele’s name spun around the coaches carousel several times this offseason, Miami was able to keep him in Millett with an eightyear extension. Steele’s return paved a much easier path to roster retention. In total, the RedHawks lost four potential starters. Senior guard Pete Suder graduated and left to join the NBA, while senior forward Antwone Woolfolk’s collegiate future hangs in the balance of an eligibility court case. Eian Elmer and Brant Byers departed Miami in the transfer portal. Miami was able to retain two key starters who will be featured prominently on this year’s team: junior guard Luke Skaljac, who turned into a consistent double-figure scorer at the end of last season, and senior guard Evan Ipsaro. Skaljac replaced Ipsaro after he suffered a season-ending injury midway through last season. Ipsaro gets to the basket with ease, drawing fouls or finding the open teammate. Prior to his injury, Ipsaro regularly eclipsed the 10-point mark with much of his damage coming from the free-throw line. Returning veteran guard leadership will give the RedHawks a huge boost of confidence heading into this new season. While neither guard can replace Suder’s presence on the court, the duo’s combined three years of experience in the same back court will help stabilize the offense. Veteran guard play is a triedand-true method toward success. Having a calming leader bring the ball up the court and develop the offense will help the RedHawks in late game situations. Skaljac and Ipsaro
THE MIAMI STUDENT NEWSPAPER
are not afraid to shoot or make the right pass. Just like with Suder last season, Miami now has two players who can take over the game with their decision making. Adding University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee guard Stevie Elam brings a third double-digit scorer from the guard position. Just a sophomore, handing Elam the keys to the offense gives Miami another weapon down the stretch. Steele’s run-and-gun offensive play style is built on the fast break from guards. The combination of Skaljac, Ipsaro and Elam fit perfectly into this scheme. Their experience commanding an offense will allow Miami to hang around late in close games. The Cinderella magic and clutch late-game shooting should continue to excite RedHawk fans this season as well. At the forward position, Miami deepened its talent pool with a combination of experience and unproven talent. Ball State University transfer forward Preston Copeland fits right into Woolfolk’s role from last season as a defensive force with athleticism around the rim. Sophomore forward Tyler Robbins returns to Oxford looking to break out this season. Robbins fits the typical bigman build and provides a height inside. Freshman center Alan Horton will play a similar role. Fifth-year senior forward Rich Rolf will fill in as the Byers-like slashing role. The Youngstown State University transfer can drive to the basket while providing the spot-up shooting threat. Senior forward Almar Atlason will continue to provide his three-point threat and rim-running presence. Justin Kirby returns for his sophomore season, after a break out following Ipsaro’s injury. In addition to his listed guard position, he will likely play the wing position. It is fair to assume that Kirby will take a big jump in this season after his quick development last year. Returning critical pieces give the RedHawks an advantage from a roster retention perspective. Additionally, the depth of players coming off Miami’s bench will bolster the team when its key players are having an off night. At minimum, the 121st edition of Miami men’s basketball should contend for a top-four seed in the conference. Finishing in the top four is not enough. Miami plays a schedule that provides limited road bumps before conference play even begins. Opening the season at James Mad-
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ison University will be a litmus test for the season to come. The Dukes finished 9-9 in Sun Belt conference play last season. It is a matchup that Miami should win. Eastern Kentucky University and Bellarmine University finished their seasons sub-.500 in conference play. The University of Illinois Chicago is projected to finish high in the well-regarded Missouri Valley Conference, however, it finished the regular season sixth a year ago. It is not unrealistic to predict a perfect record for the RedHawks before conference play begins. Dec. 12 is the first matchup where Miami will truly be tested. The team will travel to Greensboro, North Carolina to take on High Point University, which had a Cinderella run of its own last season. If the RedHawks suffer a defeat before the new year, it will most likely be there. Miami plays another tournament team from a year ago, the Wright State University Raiders, however they were easily dispatched by the RedHawks a season ago, 8376. The toughest stretch of the season is an 11-day period where the RedHawks will take on three potential MAC title rivals. From Jan. 5-16, Miami will travel from the University of Toledo to the University of Akron, a home clash with Western Michigan University and a quick trip to Kent State University. If Miami is to falter, that stretch is the most troublesome. While it is not impossible for Miami to repeat as undefeated regular season conference champions, the unprecedented nature of last year’s magical season leads me to doubt its ability to replicate. The foundation of last season’s RedHawk run is still in place. I trust this team more than any other team in its conference to steal the close game late. It is fair to expect Miami to win at least 27 games this season, if the core of the team remains healthy. The RedHawks are hungry and hunting for a championship this season. Finishing at the top of the conference is not the goal, it is the expectation. Coach Steele is building something special in Oxford and with that comes a loftier demand from the fanbase. A successful season for Miami basketball is meaningful basketball being played in March. This team has no reason not to be there. meneghcj@miamioh.edu
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CULTURE
8
The residents just might be evil
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
Ayla’s Adventures: A guide to Luxembourg
PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES
COMMENTARY
AUGUST HUMPHREY THE MIAMI STUDENT
If there’s one type of entertainment I’ll sit down and watch almost every day, much to my parents’ dismay, it would be horror, action-horror or something along those lines. So imagine my delight when I found out the new “Resident Evil” movie would be playing in a theater near me. I didn’t grow up playing the games. I was formally introduced to the series through “Resident Evil: Requiem” earlier this year — I could talk about that game for hours. Instead, I initially learned about the terrifying Umbrella Corporation through the eyes of the highly trained, ex-Umbrella employee Alice. The newest installment in this franchise doesn’t feature the classic characters we know and love, or anyone with immense combat training; instead, we experience the Raccoon City outbreak through the perspective of a guy who just wants to complete his job and go home to his girlfriend. In my professional opinion, an average person trying to survive the horrors of the Umbrella Corporation was the restart the “Resident Evil” movies needed. Don’t get me wrong, watching the iconic original characters coming together to fight a mutated monster is beyond cool, but there’s something so refreshing about watching someone who’s just as scared as I am trying to survive the night. If you’ve been a diehard fan since the beginning, don’t fret. There are a ton of little easter eggs scattered throughout the movie, like the beloved typewriter, the conveniently placed weapon, the green herbs and the locks you have to go on a separate two-hour journey to be able to unlock — just to name a few. The film did really well in how it portrayed all of the different monsters. They were beyond scary, but they were scary with a purpose. It didn’t feel like the monsters’ only
job was to be gory, bloody, terrifying creatures. More and more horror movie villains are being created without backstory, symbolism or nuance; when I was watching the movie that wasn’t something that I experienced at all. Besides the horror elements, another aspect of the film I enjoyed was the comedic elements sprinkled within — those moments didn’t make me feel less immersed in the film, it did the opposite. It sort of reminded me that if an apocalypse ever happens, the chance of the human race turning into Leon S. Kennedy — one of the main protagonists who enjoys backflipping unnecessarily and spewing cheesy one-liners — is extremely unlikely; if anything, we’re all going to be running around scared out of our minds. Whether you fell in love with the series during the “Mansion Incident,” or if you only just discovered the series because of a terrified FBI agent, this isn’t a movie you’re going to want to miss. humphrdk@miamioh.edu
About August Humphrey
August Humphrey is a firstyear undecided student at Miami, minoring in German. When she’s not studying, you’ll most likely find her at home in bed with her cat.
VIANDEN CASTLE IN LUXEMBOURG IN EARLY SEPTEMBER. PHOTO BY AYLA PEDEN
COLUMN
AYLA PEDAN
ASST. CULTURE EDITOR On Oct. 10, I will have been in Europe for two months. In that time, whenever I’m not hopping from city to city, I have tried my best to immerse myself in Luxembourg’s culture. Whether that’s through trying new foods or visiting monuments around the country, I have found some of my favorite places ever within Luxembourg. Food To start, I cannot recommend coffee and sweets from Maiora enough. It’s right down the street from the Miami University Dolibois European Center (MUDEC) Chateau in Differdange. My friends and I have become regulars at the cafe, and the workers even know us by name. They are always so friendly whenever we walk in. If you like your coffee on the sweeter side, Maiora is perfect. However, if you like your coffee stronger, the workers will make it any way you like it if you ask them to adjust. If you haven’t developed a coffee addiction like me, they have plenty of cakes and baked goods that always brighten the day. For dinner spots in Differdange, I recommend Schrainerei and Food Addict. Schrainerei serves traditional Luxembourgish meals. The restaurant’s atmosphere is also incredible, with antique chairs and unique decorations scattered around. Food Addict is a great option if you’re missing American cuisine. They serve everything from burgers and chicken tenders to kebab bowls and salads. Food Addict is on the ground floor of
the Gravity apartments, making it an easy, convenient option for students living there. Study While studying in the Chateau is a great option, I often get distracted by all the people walking around — mostly because I end up talking to my friends. For a quieter option, I recommend going to the library on Luxembourg University’s campus in Belval. It is just a seven to 12-minute train ride away, and anyone can get in. Also, there are multiple coffee shops around to add an extra pep in your step for studying. Shopping Since the options for food provided by the university are more limited in Luxembourg than in Oxford, Auchan is the number one place in Differdange to get groceries. It’s like a smaller version of Walmart or Kroger. They have the typical supermarket options, but also stock clothing, household items and electronics. I also recommend checking out the Auchan in Cloche d’Or Shopping Center in Howald, which is much bigger and has more options. The Howald shopping center houses plenty of American retail stores, like Zara and H&M. While at the center, I also recommend checking out European brands like Only, Bershka and Pull & Bear for sweaters, jeans, cute tops and much more. Sightseeing and events Besides everyday activities around Differdange, there’s plenty to see in Luxembourg. One of the most popular places to visit among MUDEC students is Vianden Castle. Located near the German border, this medieval castle is truly gorgeous. It sits on a hill overlooking the town
below. The tickets are seven euros for students, and you get to explore the entire castle. I also recommend checking out Rockhal in Belval for concerts. I saw Lorde there and had the time of my life. Whether you are thinking about studying abroad with MUDEC or just wanting to visit the country, there are so many things to do around the country to make you feel like a local. pedenae@gmail.com
About Ayla Pedan
Ayla Peden is a junior sociology and journalism major with plans to pursue a career in law. She is the assistant editor for Culture and spends way too much time in the newsroom. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting, reading and chatting with friends at a coffee shop — basically any old-lady activity.
Pick up your journal
SHOPPER LOOKS THROUGH JOURNAL SECTION AT TJ MAXX. PHOTO BY CAROLINE GNEUHS
COMMENTARY
ELIZA GARRETT
THE MIAMI STUDENT College life is overwhelming. Life happens: people disappoint you, relationships fail and you feel homesick. Sometimes you feel like you have nowhere to go or no one to talk to. The best place to go is your journal. Take some time out of your day, and just write. Let all of your emotions out: excitement, anger and stress. Your journal is a place to organize your thoughts. We have constant ruminations running through our heads every day, and writing down these thoughts can make people feel more relaxed. You will be surprised how good you feel once you’re done journaling. For a lot of college students, sitting down and writing in a journal isn’t something they would choose to
do on their own. This time in our lives is extremely busy, and attempting to balance school, work, friends and family often feels like a near-impossible feat. Journaling is a healthy way to reduce anxiety and process difficult emotions, even if you take only 10 minutes out of your day to write. Journaling has multiple benefits other than reducing stress; for sophomore nursing major Bella Hill, journaling helps improve her memory. “There are a lot of times that I will try to recap a moment, and I find when I am writing it down I’m able to remember more of exactly what happened; how I felt in the moment, my emotions, what I was thinking and what was going through my head …” Hill said. “Not only will the memory last, but also what I was thinking in that moment and what I wanted to experience — a lot of things start to come back to me.” For Hill, not only does journaling
sharpen her memory, but it paves the way for deeper self-discovery. For people who journal, they often start to notice growth; this leads to happier and more confident thoughts. “I’ve been journaling since junior year of high school. I’ve kept all my journals … it reduces my stress by really allowing me to get all my emotions out, you know, when I’m angry or frustrated about something that’s happened,” Hill said. Releasing your emotions and stress is a great way to clear your mind and calm down your nervous system, which leads to better sleep, less anxious thoughts and a healthier lifestyle overall. Journaling is how you get everyday’s stressful thoughts out of your mind and onto paper. Simply writing down what you’re thankful for before you go to bed can train your brain to focus on the good in your life and reduce everyday tension. Journaling
is also a way to gain more self-confidence. Looking back on what you’ve written in your journal allows you to see the progress you’ve made in life, what you have been through and gives you proof that you can handle hard things. Reading your old journal entries can remind you of funny moments, hardships you’ve experienced or even something small you feel proud of now. Taking time out of your day to sit down and write may seem like just another thing to add to your busy schedule. But if you try journaling, even for just a little bit every day, you will notice that it clears your mind and allows you to reflect. Whether you write down something you’re angry about, something you’re looking forward to, or even something you love about yourself, journaling gives you the chance to take a moment for yourself with zero judgment. Although journaling may not be for everyone, sometimes writing your thoughts down is all it takes to let go for a bit. Next time you feel stressed out, pick up your journal. garretea@miamioh.edu
About Eliza Garrett
Eliza Garrett is from Oklahoma City. She is a sophomore at Miami University studying journalism. She enjoys going on walks, spending time with friends and family and all things entertainment. Her favorite song is “This Must Be the Place” by Talking Heads and her favorite movie is “Donnie Darko.”
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CULTURE Wellness is the greatest kindness you can give yourself COMMENTARY
AUGUST HUMPHREY THE MIAMI STUDENT
A few years ago I stayed up far too late scrolling on my phone — don’t judge, I know you’re guilty of it as well — and I came across some old pictures from when I had a watch party for Billie Eilish’s Apple TV documentary “The World’s a Little Blurry.” Seeing those pictures reminded me of a specific scene from the film where Billie is having a consultation with her physical therapist. Somewhere during the conversation, her therapist tells her if she doesn’t carve out time for herself, no one else will. That hit hard — harder than I would’ve liked. I’m the type of person who gives everything to my academics, regardless of what it means for my health and well-being. How do I take care of myself when it seems that my fulltime job is reading and annotating my textbooks? Not everyone has this luxury, but in my “contract hours,” academics start on Monday at 8 a.m., and end on Friday at 5 p.m. I’m not getting “paid” throughout the weekend to worry about some part of the lecture I didn’t understand — and neither are my professors. Work unfortunately doesn’t grow legs and walk away; if it existed on Friday at 5 p.m., it can patiently wait for me to return Monday at 8 a.m. Now this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if I need a breather, there’s one person at the top of my list that I’m calling: my mom. And if for whatever reason she doesn’t answer the first time, I’m calling her again. Because according to the rulebook for moms, you’re supposed to be at the beck and call for your daughter 24/7 — regardless of whether it’s an
emergency or if it’s an “emergency” (someone in the dorm is using my favorite shower with the best water pressure, and now I have to use the shower in the dark scary corner that has no lights). In the unlikely event that I don’t have any guests to host on my 24/7 talk show, my next favorite option is a nap. I don’t know what sort of medicine is embedded in a nap, but it’s absolutely ridiculous how much better I feel after sleeping. My brain just goes on pause, and seemingly has a whole system reboot — it’s one of the greatest feelings in the world. Albeit pessimistic, no one is going to look out for you like you will. While it’s critical to have a support system, that only goes so far; it’s important to rely on others, but it’s integral that you know how to give yourself the support that you need. humphrdk@miamioh.edu
About August Humphrey
August Humphrey is a firstyear undecided student at Miami, minoring in German. When she’s not studying, you’ll most likely find her at home in bed with her cat.
9 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
In the editor’s rotation: Revisiting old and discovering new COLUMN
STELLA POWERS CULTURE EDITOR
I recently misplaced my AirPods, which has made listening to music a bit more challenging. The convenience of putting in a single AirPod while cleaning or walking to class made me listen to a lot more music. However, despite this setback, I have converted to my over-ear headphones, which somehow makes the music sound even better. So when you read these recommendations, imagine them sounding absolutely fabulous through my headphones. It adds to the effect. ‘Forward’ — Shoshana Bean I saw Shoshana Bean in concert a few weeks back, and was so excited to see she added “Forward” to the setlist. This song is bound to get stuck in your head after just one listen. There’s something about hearing it live that can’t be matched, but regardless, this track is on repeat. ‘petal’ — Ariana Grande I love Ariana Grande, especially her recent music. The title track from “petal” is so unbelievably gorgeous that I can’t stop listening to it. I adore this album and every track on it, but “petal” is the title track for a reason. It’s impossible to skip. ‘obsessed’ — Olivia Rodrigo There’s no one I love more than Olivia Rodrigo. Her new album is everything, but her sophomore album, “GUTS,” will always have a special place in my heart. When she released the extended version of the album, “GUTS (spilled),” featuring the track “obsessed,” I was, as the title suggests, obsessed. This is another song
where hearing it live changed my life — it really can never be topped. ‘River Deep, Mountain High’ — Celine Dion No one does it quite like Celine Dion. “River Deep, Mountain High” is a cover of a song originally made famous by Tina Turner, but Dion takes the song and puts her own twist on it. It’s fabulous. She’s one of the greats for a reason. ‘Cross That Bridge’ — ‘Schmigadoon’ cast It’s not one of my playlists without some showtunes. They’re the backbone of what I listen to, so I have to include them. I saw “Schmigadoon” on Broadway back in May, and fell in love with the fun, catchy songs from the show, including “Cross That Bridge.” It’s an ensemble-heavy song, featuring phenomenal vocals from Kaleigh Cronin. This song is definitely on repeat for me. ‘The Reckoning’ — Paul Alexander Nolan, the cast of ‘The Lost Boys’ I’ve recently developed an obsession with Paul Alexander Nolan. “The Reckoning” is his big number in the show, and it’s fantastic. The shift from the character he’s played throughout the entire production into this scene is jarring, and he does it with such ease. It’s also just such a fire song that it’s likely going to end up in my Spotify Wrapped this year. ‘For the Gaze’ — Megan Hilty, ‘Death Becomes Her’ Anyone who’s ever had one conversation with me knows how much I adore “Death Becomes Her” and Megan Hilty. This song has definitely been on previous playlists
of mine; however, it’s been far too long since it has made an appearance. Even just the intro to “For the Gaze” gives me chills. I will forever be mourning when “Death Becomes Her” was on Broadway. powers40@miamioh.edu
About Stella Powers
Stella Powers is a senior journalism and media and communication major from Wooster, Ohio. Powers is the Culture Editor for The Student and former Editor-in-Chief of The Miami Student Magazine. Outside of TMS, she enjoys film, television and theater.
Books to read on a dark and stormy night
GRAPHIC BY REN CHAFFEE
COLUMN
MOLLY FAHY
SENIOR STAFF WRITER There have been a few cold and chilly days in Oxford lately. I genuinely don’t think we’ve seen the sun in days, and there always seems to be a perpetual mist in the air. And maybe it’s because of the weather, or maybe it’s because my professor assigned me a 1,000-word essay due by Tuesday, but my mind’s been in a rather twisty place. What
this really means is that I’ve spent too much time in my cocoon of blankets reading a lot of books. Here are my top picks for those looking for novels with a touch of darkness — who really want to live out their dark academia fantasies as they watch the rain fall. ‘Wuthering Heights’ — Emily Brontë Fog-covered English moors, moody men and epic thunderstorms. What else would you expect from a book published in 1847? “Wuthering Heights” follows the
familial saga between the Earnshaws, Lintons and a strange man named Heathcliff. If any of you unfortunately saw the recent 2026 movie adaptation of “Wuthering Heights,” just know the book is far superior. It tackles racism and classism through a powerful magnifying glass. You will be horrified, yet equally entertained, by every twist this novel takes. ‘The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes’ — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes” is not a novel in the strictest sense. It is actually a compilation of 12 Sherlock Holmes mysteries, which were originally published in The Strand, a British magazine that published short fiction stories, between 1891-1892. Each story follows the famous detective as he embarks on a different adventure with his faithful companion, Dr. Watson, as they travel through London’s grimy backstreets. There’s a lot going on: Sherlock gets outwitted by a woman, he’s solving murders left and right, and he even fails to bring a case to justice (shocking, I know). The stories are short and self-contained, and with Doyle’s writing, they move quickly, perfect for those who don’t want to commit to a novel but want a jolt of mystery. ‘Heart the Lover’ — Lily King This novel was everywhere last year. It was a New York Times bestseller, shortlisted for the 2026 Women’s Prize for Fiction and longlisted for the 2025 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. Sometimes, when a book receives all these accolades, it doesn’t live up to expectations, but this one absolutely does. “Heart the Lover” follows an unnamed narrator and two boys, Sam and Yash, who meet in a college literature class. The rest of the novel
follows the ensuing love triangle and tragedy as they move into adulthood. This novel is short, roughly 250 pages, and I binged it in a day. King’s writing is engrossing and will make you want to find out what happens to this band of roommates as the drama unfolds. ‘The Night Circus’ — Erin Morgenstern I’ll admit, most of these book recommendations are sad and depressing. But I think we can lighten it up a bit with this one! “The Night Circus” follows Celia and Marco, two magicians trained to hate each other by rival instructors. At some point, they will battle each other, and only one will remain standing. As Marco and Celia fall in love and realize they are destined to fight each other, the instructors create a special place for the final battle: a circus that appears without warning, with black-and-white striped canvas tents that is open only at night. Part magical tale, part love story and part political thriller, “The Night Circus” provides lots of whimsy for those who love to escape to a fantastical land when the weather outside is terrible. ‘Hamnet’ — Maggie O’Farrell I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Maggie O’Farrell is the best writer we have on planet Earth right now. “Hamnet” is easily O’Farrell’s most famous novel, and was recently turned into an award-winning movie. It’s actually a good adaptation, so
definitely check it out. The story follows William Shakespeare’s family in rural England as Will tries to become the playwright we all know, and his wife tries to fit into the local town. Fair warning: this story is terribly tragic and will leave you sobbing. It’s dark and witchy, but O’Farrell’s writing is so magical that it’s perfect for spooky season. fahymm@miamioh.edu
About Molly Fahy
Molly Fahy is a senior double majoring in political science and journalism. When she’s not writing a story for The Miami Student, Molly can be found reading, watching a movie from the 1950s, or singing.
Surviving in the age of digital mistrust
CONTINUED FROM FRONT
Once again, it goes back to the idea that the internet was created by humans and parts of its detriments and dangers were spurred on by humans. “Even before AI, you still have a bit of a biased web for those who have the technological ability or have access to the tools to be able to post and be able to shape it,” said Dennis Cheatham, professor of design who specializes in teaching AI. Influencers play a big part in modern marketing. They often receive free PR packages and record content based on them without obvious ad disclosure. This can shape public opinion on certain products. This also goes hand in hand with influencers who post their personal beliefs and
values, and how exposure to those can influence users’ opinions. The overall distrust within the internet, its business model and its foundations — built upon lying and exploitation of its users and creators — continues to accelerate the downfall of this empire. “The flood of AI-generated images that fill social media are sowing seeds of doubt, eroding people’s ability to trust what they see and making people question reality,” David Carson wrote in an article published by Stanford University. It’s difficult to know where to go from here. All online discourse is filled with nuance; there is no clear answer to get us out of this hole. “For us to have, in this case, an internet or have conversation that we can trust, we have to take the time to
actually test out and not pass along information if we can’t verify it,” said Cheatham. “Maybe that means there’s less information out there.” Many social media platforms have stopped enforcing guidelines on what content is posted, and how much of it is posted. One of the biggest social media players, Meta, stopped flagging content and having users click through warnings in early 2025. Now, there are community notes attached to potentially misleading posts, according to PBS. This flagging system arguably does less to prevent disinformation. Since the social media companies no longer take the time to prevent harmful information, really digging into the details and authenticity of human work, effort and care can help defend from exaggerated or untrust-
worthy information on the internet. Another newer, heavier impact on trusting information is the Google Gemini synopses that appear when you search on Google. When we search, we get a narrow response generated by AI. While it may be nice to take the easier path and take the information at face value, there is a wide breadth and diversity underneath that synopsis that come from unique search results, said Cheatham. “Now we search for something, and we get this tiny thing. I imagine most people want the easiest path; they read the synopsis and move on. But underneath that there is diversity and breadth that come from all of those unique search results,” Cheatham said. The only way to learn is through
struggle. Taking the time and effort to understand a concept or learning how to complete a difficult task is far more rewarding. Your brain will have a more durable long-term memory, you will know how to think critically and there are levels of delayed gratification achieved that could not have been without struggling. “Our brains are the happiest when they go through suffering, and we achieve something,” Cheatham said. In the end, the internet was made for people and by people. The way out of this problem is to refocus on why the internet was created. It’s a place to share ideas and make human connections. The work that means the most is also backed by an endless amount of human effort. chaffele@miamioh.edu
OPINION We’re applying 18thcentury worldview to today’s society 10
GRAPHIC BY CIANNA FERRANTE
ETHAN FOSTER
THE MIAMI STUDENT The Supreme Court has been in the news a lot lately. In the last few years, the court has overturned Roe v. Wade, ended affirmative action and reduced the power of federal agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce regulations. This has been in large part due to a conservative-appointed majority — six of the nine justices — that has been characterized by a willingness to overturn precedent and enforce its ideology. So what exactly makes this court so willing to challenge precedent? The answer seems to lie in a legal philosophy called originalism, which is what some justices may use to interpret law, according to an analysis from SCOTUSblog in 2025 on the 2024–25 Supreme Court term. Originalism posits that judges should interpret the Constitution according to its original meaning. In practice, this places a large emphasis on historical interpretation, and often results in judges citing laws and letters from the 19th, 18th and sometimes even 17th centuries. It’s for this reason that originalist philosophy is extremely flawed. This emphasis on the “original meaning” of the Constitution usually limits interpretation of the law to 19th- and 18th-century perspectives while also failing to understand the purpose of the document. Many of the most important parts of the Constitution were written before 1870, when the last of the Reconstruction Amendments were passed. To this day, much of the debate around the Constitution comes from amendments that were written around or well before the Civil War. This creates a real problem because originalists attempt to solve these debates through worldviews contemporary to the time they were written. These perceptions are oftentimes completely different than the ones we have today. Let’s not forget that the same men who wrote our Constitution also owned slaves, rejected universal suffrage and viewed women as property. These views were normal at the time, but today they rightfully horrify us. It should also horrify us that our Supreme Court might think we should interpret the Constitution according to the views of these men. Thankfully, through the efforts of generations of activists, at various times in our history we have passed changes to the Constitution. Some of these changes guarantee equal rights for women, criminalize slavery and protect minorities, and our modern society wouldn’t function without them. Many of these protections, however, were created 100 to 150 years ago. These amendments were progressive for the time, but if we examine the original intent, they don’t necessarily align with how we view them today. The Equal Protection Clause, passed as part of the 14th Amendment in 1868, says that individuals should be treated equally under the law. Today, we use it as the basis of
equality between sexes, races and ages. But at the time, the authors of this clause only intended to prevent the rights of newly freed slaves from being infringed. Because of this original intent, originalists have previously argued that the creators never intended to create equality of the sexes, and thus, women should not be legally equal to men. The problem is that originalists misunderstand the purpose and philosophy behind the Constitution. Originalists pretend the purpose of the Constitution is to represent the intent of the Founding Fathers. This completely ignores the fact, however, that these same Founding Fathers believed the Constitution should change to appropriate the ever-changing needs of the people. The Founding Fathers were heavily influenced by philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau and his treatise, “The Social Contract,” where Rousseau argued that laws should express the collective interests of the people. This philosophy is deeply reflected throughout the founding documents of our nation. Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that governments derive their powers “from the consent of the governed.” He also believed laws should evolve according to the people’s needs, famously saying, “The earth belongs to the living, not the dead.” He and other Founding Fathers wrote that each generation has the right to create and interpret laws according to their needs; originalists simply ignore this. When originalists interpret laws according to the beliefs of 18th-century slave owners, they are directly contradicting the words of the Founding Fathers they claim to hold in such high regard. By interpreting the law in this way, they ignore the context of both history and modernity and show a deep lack of respect for the people they represent. The Supreme Court is in desperate need of change, or at the very least, some undergraduate philosophy classes. fostereg@miamioh.edu
About Ethan Foster
Ethan Foster is a sophomore philosophy and economics double major from Newcomerstown, Ohio. He is an Opinion writer for The Miami Student and plans to be a student ambassador to the Philosophy Department.
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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
Alcoholic beverages lack transparency and oversight ELISA ROSENTHAL MANAGING EDITOR
“Vodka with lemonade, natural flavors and artificial sweetener,” is what’s written on the front of a Surfside Lemonade — the only indication as to what the beverage is made of. But what exactly does “natural flavors” mean? Which artificial sweetener do they use? The back of the can doesn’t give much information either, only a government warning and a select few nutritional facts: calories, carbohydrates, protein and fat. Although I’m sure that’s enough for some — and too much for others — it lacks transparency. I want to be able to know what ingredients are in the products I consume, and I believe I should have that courtesy regardless of what I’m eating or drinking. I know I care more about ingredients than your average college student; having food sensitivities has made me more aware of what I put into my body, especially when what I’m consuming is already dangerous. Beverages are an especially important thing for me to label-check; one of my food sensitivities is corn, and corn syrup is a common ingredient used to sweeten drinks that makes me very nauseous. But it’s hard to avoid something when I don’t know it’s there. Just because other people don’t have to be vigilant like I do doesn’t mean they shouldn’t have the right to know. Because alcoholic beverages aren’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), no one gets the option to check what they’re truly consuming. The FDA regulates food, ingredients and substances that come into contact with food, like packaging or containers. They regulate the nutritional information on the packaging of all food products in the U.S., which includes serving size, calories, sugars and ingredients. This federal agency is also responsible for the recalls we’ve seen in recent months, in an effort to warn the American public when products become unsafe.
Let me ask you this: When was the last time you saw an alcohol product be recalled? Since alcohol isn’t under the scope of the FDA, alcohol products aren’t recalled like food is. The situation with Taylor Farms lettuce being recalled over the summer is not procedurally common with alcohol, because it doesn’t undergo intense FDA testing. Alcohol doesn’t spoil, and it can’t become bacteria-ridden like food can, but that doesn’t mean recalls can’t or shouldn’t happen. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) oversees alcohol production and sales in the U.S., but they don’t have the same reach as the FDA. They provide resources and oversight but don’t make laws or regulations in the same way. Alcohol products aren’t required to publicize nutrition facts under the TTB. The only things the TTB mandates to be printed on containers are the government Surgeon General warning and alcohol content. Some companies still choose to put nutrition facts on their products, but it’s usually an advertising tactic to prove how “healthy” the beverage is. In 1988, the Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Act was passed by Congress (not the TTB) to enact regulations for warning labels. This is what mandates the warning on cans and further states, “the American public should be informed about the health hazards that may result from the consumption or abuse of alcoholic beverages, and … it would be beneficial to provide a clear, nonconfusing reminder of such hazards.” The intent behind this law was to warn about the dangers of consuming alcohol while pregnant. But if the reasoning is to have clear information about health hazards, why wouldn’t that include nutrition facts and ingredients? Alcohol is a drug — a central nervous system depressant. It both deserves, and in my opinion, requires, the regulatory standards maintained by the FDA. Alcohol use disorder, or alcoholism, is the second most common type of substance abuse in the U.S.,
behind tobacco addiction, according to Harvard Medical School. Tobacco products are regulated and sometimes banned by the FDA. They are commonly regarded as dangerous products that elicit severe addictions. Up to 2.6 million people die annually from alcohol-related causes, according to the World Health Organization. Roughly one in 10 Americans struggle with alcoholism. With statistics that severe, it seems unusual that the FDA isn’t regulating the industry that takes the lives of many more than the food-related illnesses they focus on. To me, this is much more than just the ingredient labels on the backs of cans. Lack of transparency can lead to death. The FDA, a trusted regulatory agency, can be the oversight that the alcohol industry needs. If alcohol is so dangerous, why aren’t we trusting the top scientists at the FDA — including biologists, chemists, nurses, pharmacists, statisticians, engineers and so many other trained professionals — to monitor American liquor? A product with such strong consequences as addiction, illness and death deserves to be monitored at the highest degree. rosente2@miamioh.edu
About Elisa Rosenthal
Elisa Rosenthal is a senior Spanish education major with a passion for writing and storytelling. She’s originally from Georgia and writes sports for The Student, honoring a long family love for college sports.
Neutrality is not the same as innocence
GRAPHIC BY KEEGAN PEREZ
ELEANOR JONES
THE MIAMI STUDENT Macklemore’s time on Ed Sheeran’s “Loop Tour” lasted only two shows before his onstage support of Palestine cost him his opener spot, a decision attributed to the tour’s promoter and venues. Sheeran was not an uninvolved stranger who happened to hear that Macklemore had been removed from a concert somewhere across the country. Macklemore was opening for him. This was Sheeran’s tour, his production, his headlining platform. And yet, when the controversy arrived, the response was essentially: not my decision. Sheeran said the tour promoter and venues made the final call to remove Macklemore, not him. He said he spent the week trying to find a solution, speaking with venues, promoters and other stakeholders. That is worth acknowledging. It would be dishonest to rewrite his account into one where he personally picked up the phone and fired Macklemore. There is something almost comically narrow about treating “I didn’t make the final decision” as the end of the conversation. Macklemore has described difficult conversations with Sheeran and said Sheeran told him about pressure from venue owners, including Robert Kraft. Sheeran confirmed speaking with Kraft and other stakeholders, while maintaining the ultimate decision was not his. After Macklemore was removed, all of Sheeran’s other opening acts — Finneas, Lukas Graham, Aaron Rowe and Irish band Beoga — left the tour in solidarity. That is a remarkable amount of activity for a situation in which the headliner supposedly had nothing to do with the decision. Nobody is suggesting that Sheer-
an secretly sat in a back room and personally drafted the eviction notice. The point is more uncomfortable than that. You can be deeply involved in the circumstances surrounding a decision without being the person who officially makes it. There is a difference between authorship and responsibility. There is a difference between making a decision, having influence over it, benefiting from it, objecting to it and accepting it. Those distinctions matter. Conveniently collapsing them into “not my decision” does not make them disappear. This is where Sheeran’s declaration that he is “not complicit” becomes more interesting than the controversy itself. Complicity is a strange word because it implies a clean boundary: Either you are involved, or you are not. Real life is considerably messier. If a promoter makes the decision, a venue applies the pressure, a headliner negotiates with everyone involved and then continues the tour after the opening act is removed, where exactly does neutrality begin? Apparently, somewhere just outside the headliner’s name on the poster. That is the problem with the fantasy of neutrality; it imagines that politics only exists when someone announces a political opinion. Politics is also who gets a platform, who loses one, who has leverage, who is pressured, who gets protected and who gets told that the business decision simply isn’t theirs to question. Sheeran has every right not to turn his concerts into political rallies. He has every right to say he wants his shows to be places where people can escape politics for a few hours. Politics also does not have to ask permission before entering the building. When it does, saying “I didn’t make the decision” may establish
who signed the final paperwork. It does not necessarily establish who was responsible for what happened next. That distinction is especially difficult to ignore when the people standing around you begin making choices of their own. Macklemore was removed, other opening acts walked away and Sheeran stayed. Again, that does not prove that Sheeran ordered Macklemore’s removal. It proves something simpler: Everyone involved had choices to make, and they did not all make the same one. Since then, Macklemore has made the loss of the opening slot into an opportunity. On Sept. 24, he announced a new “Free Palestine” tour, beginning with dates in Dublin, Paris and London, with additional U.S. dates and performers to be announced. He has said proceeds will support organizations assisting Palestinians. Perhaps that is what makes the word “neutral” so appealing. It sounds cleaner than “I chose not to intervene.” It sounds less consequential than “I decided the show should go on anyway.” It allows someone to describe themselves as outside a conflict while continuing to operate comfortably inside the circumstances created by it. But neutrality is not the same as innocence. Sometimes neutrality means refusing to choose. Sometimes it means accepting someone else’s choice. Sometimes, when you have considerably more power than the person being removed, the distinction between the two is worth examining. joneseb3@miamioh.edu
About Eleanor Jones
Eleanor Jones is a senior Honors political science major with minors in business, English and religion from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She serves as co-chair of YDSA and also participates in Women in Political Science and Women Helping Women. Her interests include literature, law, medicine and travel.
OPINION
11 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
The most radical thing college can do is change your mind
GRAPHIC BY TESSA KLEMP
VEDIKA KAUSHAL
THE MIAMI STUDENT During one of the first weeks of my American politics class, my professor had us take a series of polls to determine where we fell politically. As the results came up, people seemed to concentrate toward particular ends of the political spectrum. I looked at my own answers and thought, “I feel like I’m nowhere.” It’s not because I don’t have political opinions. I have spent years reading about politics, history and international affairs, and I came to college expecting to have plenty of conversations about them. But seeing my classmates’ answers grouped into recognizable political positions made me realize how difficult it can be to neatly place myself in one. According to the Pew Research Center, 35% of registered voters in 2024 identified as independent or something other than Democrat or Republican, although most of them leaned toward one of the parties. Pew also found that 25% of voters identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party while describing their views as conservative or moderate, while 14% identify with or lean toward the Republican Party while describing their views as moderate or liberal. The idea behind the quiz exercise was not just to figure out where we fell on a political spectrum; it was to see what happens when people with different political views end up in the same classroom.
In college, it can feel easy to find people who share your interests, background or political beliefs. It is much harder to avoid disagreement entirely. Your classmates come from different experiences; eventually, someone is going to say something that makes you stop and think, “I have never looked at it that way.” That happened repeatedly in my politics class. Political disagreement is not unusual, but the broader political environment in the U.S. can make it feel more significant than it needs to be. Pew Research Center found that deeply negative views of the opposing political party have increased substantially over time. In 1994, only 17% of Republicans and 16% of Democrats viewed the opposing party very unfavorably. By 2016, those numbers had risen to 58% and 55%, respectively. Sitting in a classroom where people openly disagree with each other feels very different from seeing political arguments online. There is no comment to leave, no post to scroll past and no algorithm deciding what comes next. Someone makes an argument, and you hear it. Sometimes, I agree. Sometimes, I do not. Sometimes, I understand why someone reached a conclusion that I would never have reached myself. Occasionally, I realize I had never really thought about a question from that perspective before. That is what I have found most interesting about the class. I am not leaving every discussion with a completely different set of beliefs. In-
stead, I am becoming more aware of why I hold the views I do, especially when someone gives me a reason to question them. The poll from the beginning of the semester made me realize I might not fit neatly into one political category. The discussions that followed have made me more comfortable with that. Maybe I don’t need to find exactly where I fall on the political spectrum. Maybe it is more useful to know what I believe, why I believe it and what could make me reconsider it. That is one of the things I did not expect from college. I knew I would meet people who were different from me. I did not realize how often those differences would make me rethink things I had taken for granted. College is one of the few places where you can end up sitting next to someone with a completely different perspective and then spend an hour discussing the same question. You do not have to leave the room agreeing with them. But you should leave having actually heard them. You cannot expect to go to college and never have your beliefs challenged. Honestly, you should not want to. kaushav@miamioh.edu
About Vedika Kaushal
Vedika Kaushal is a firstyear student studying political science and economics. She is an aspiring journalist and international relations researcher. She spends time reading research on the politics of India and the Middle East. Beyond academics, she enjoys reading poetry, playing chess and finds joy in the kitchen.
Get the guidebook without pictures ABE HAGOOD
ASST. OPINION EDITOR We arrived in Bruges at night. Darkness had rolled over the Belgian countryside as the train approached the city. I found my way, by bus, to the hostel I was staying at as quickly as possible, falling asleep soon after touching the bed. When I awoke and emerged into the city, it was as if my dreams had guided me into another century. Every street in Bruges looks out of a postcard. The cobbles weave themselves through the city with complete disregard for the modernities of gridded urban planning. Around each turn ancient cafes, monolithic churches and well-worn bridges peek through. Cars are outnumbered by pedestrians, cyclists, canal boats and horse-drawn carriages. I had expected this; the guidebook described it as “one of Western Europe’s most beautiful cities, with its jangle of ancient houses overlooking a cobweb of picturesque canals.” It was a whole other thing to experience it: to wander a city so well preserved in appearance and culture, submerged in the sounds of bells ringing from towering churches, the sights of ornate Flemish architecture and the scents of dense Belgian waffles. Had I spent hours flipping — or scrolling — through photos of Bruges beforehand, the experience wouldn’t have been as magical. My awe at its storybook wonder was replaced, instead, with a satisfactory achievement of my expectations. Of course, I am not saying one should go without planning. In
preparation for studying abroad this semester in Luxembourg, I read Rick Steve’s “Europe Through the Back Door” and parts of “The Rough Guide to Belgium and Luxembourg,” including the chapter on Bruges, but I had mostly avoided pictures. When preparing for a trip, there is a balance between leaving room for spontaneity and planning ahead to avoid common pitfalls. Many tours, for example, require you to book ahead, and museums allow you to skip the line if you get your tickets online. Finding this balance is different for each traveler and destination, but I find that guidebooks strike a well-balanced medium. Unlike much algorithmic and ad-ridden content online, guidebooks allow authors to curate the experiences and advice they think is most pertinent and allow you to be prepared, but not overburdened with information. I’m not one to travel with a heavily researched itinerary notated down to the minute, but if I hadn’t at a minimum skimmed the guidebook, I wouldn’t have known that the Groeninge Museum contains a Last Judgment by Hieronymus Bosch, the extremely talented painter whose otherworldly landscapes, full of tiny single-brush-stroke details, look out of an 80s fantasy magazine rather than the Renaissance. Nor would we have found ourselves in the Café Vlissinghe, the city’s oldest cafe, where we had a 10-euro lunch in a building dating back to 1515. A good guidebook is filled with important information, from notes on tipping culture to ideas for lesser-known attractions and a small collection of useful phrases in the lo-
Oxford listened to the community and terminated its Flock Safety contract
cal language, but it’s light on images. When we focus on images from tourist advertisements and social media posts, we risk the destinations of our travels becoming merely backgrounds for Instagram selfies rather than the preservation of a century of European culture for us to explore. So, when you find yourself planning your next adventure, skip Google, go to a bookstore and buy whichever guidebook has the least pictures. Just as you might avoid trailers for a film you know you will watch, preserve some of that surprise for when you wake up in a foreign city. hagooda@miamioh.edu
About Abe Hagood
Abe Hagood is a sophomore double majoring in creative writing and emerging technology in business and design. He is the assistant Opinion editor for The Student, a steering member of the Miami University Young Democratic Socialists of America and a leadership member of the Game Design Club.
A NARROW COBBLED MEDIEVAL STREET IN BRUGES, BELGIUM. PHOTO BY ABE HAGOOD
FLOCK CAMERA COVERED WITH BLACK PLASTIC TO BLOCK USE. PHOTO BY CAROLINE GNEUHS
CHARLEY BABB STAFF WRITER
On Aug. 18, the Oxford City Council voted 6-1 to terminate the city’s contract with Flock Safety and end its use of the company’s automated license plate recognition cameras, 14 of which have been operating since 2024, according to reporting by the Oxford Free Press. The decision came as a surprise, after the Oxford Police Department had proposed a series of six new oversight recommendations and maintained that the cameras were valuable to their efforts. Most of the councilors’ reasoning for voting to end the city’s contract with Flock boiled down to trusting the local police, but not the company nor the amount of data it collects. What comes next is less clear. While the contract has been terminated and will officially end in February 2027, the cameras themselves might stay in place until Flock removes them. This could take months, as the company has historically dragged its feet on removing its hardware, and even illegally reinstalled cameras in an Illinois community, according to an article from the Evanston Roundtable in March. Oxford has already followed in the footsteps of other communities around the country and placed bags over some of the cameras to halt operations until they are properly removed. Since they are only leased, the cameras are still owned by Flock; they are considered private property, meaning the city cannot remove them itself. But the important thing is the cameras are coming down, and the Oxford City Council has listened to its people. It’s something I have to commend. It is not hard to see why Oxford was one of the latest to terminate its contract. Flock has, rightfully, been extremely controversial. With the growing public awareness and hatred, some citizens have taken measures into their own hands and begun tearing down the cameras, which has happened in Oregon, Virginia and California, to name a few specific incidents. While their actions are illegal, their frustration is understandable. The effectiveness of the cameras has always been in doubt, for starters. Despite the company’s marketing and supporters purporting an 11% reduction in car theft, a number taken from a University of South Carolina research paper that Flock quickly jumped on, the nonprofit Institute for Justice investigated the paper further and found that, taking into account other factors, there was no statistically significant change in car theft rates after Flock cameras were installed. Of course this is just one specific study and one specific type of crime, but it does illustrate that Flock is not some miracle fix to all crime. In reality, it is a dangerously flawed system that has famously and continuously
gotten things wrong. The Institute for Justice also created a database to track the failures and abuses of Flock cameras. The database has over 200 incidents recorded and a note that it cannot possibly document all the issues within the system. But even if the cameras did somehow miraculously work exactly as intended and never produced a false hit, they would still be morally wrong. The issue with Flock isn’t the arrogant name brand, nor is it just the critical security flaws in every aspect of their system. The real issue with Flock is the fact that it allows warrantless tracking of citizens, for no other reason than the whim of a police officer. The underlying technology is the real danger, not how it has been implemented. The technology does not have a moral use case, certainly not in the era of techbro billionaire oligarchs. Because of this, a lot of the backlash and removals of Flock cameras fall flat. Denver was one city that famously removed their Flock cameras, following severe community backlash over the realization that the system was being used for federal immigration actions. However, they were also a city that approved a contract to replace the cameras with those of a competitor named Axon. Axon cameras are arguably much worse, designed to blend into the streetscape more easily than those of Flock. In addition, the company is already far better established and connected with police departments, seeing as they provide body cameras and other related technologies. They also directly hold contracts with several federal agencies, as an NPR interview noted. I hope the Oxford City Council makes the smart and moral decision and takes the win. They have followed the will of the people and terminated the contract. They have made a good decision. Oxford does not need mass surveillance. babbce@miamioh.edu
About Charley Babb
Charley Babb is a junior majoring in professional writing. He is an Opinion writer for The Miami Student and a fencer in the Miami Medieval Club. He likes reading and creative writing in his free time.
GREENHAWKS
12
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
Local areas provide acres of land to explore
THE NATURAL AREAS OF MILL RACE, JUST OUTSIDE OF OXFORD, OFFER HIKING CONNECTIONS WITH THE OXFORD AREA TRAILS SYSTEM. PHOTO BY KATIE ELY-WOOD
TORI FEE
STAFF WRITER Southwest Ohio has numerous outdoor areas that students can explore in their free time, a well-known example being Hueston Woods State Park. Outside of Hueston Woods, students can venture off the beaten path and explore other unique areas, all under 30 minutes from campus. One such area is Rush Run Wildlife Area. Rush Run is a 20-minute drive from Miami University’s campus, just outside of Somerville, Ohio. Assistant Wildlife Management Supervisor Bryan Dorsey said out of the areas he overlooks, Rush Run has the most variety. Dorsey said people can visit Rush Run for hiking, hunting, fishing and even dog training. Rush Run has a dog training area where people can let their dogs go off leash, depending on the time of year. When the grass is taller, people usually bring their hunting dogs for training, but when the grass is shorter they see people just walking their dogs around, Dorsey said. The only time people can’t bring their dogs is during nesting season, so wildlife aren’t disturbed. Rush Run is a public hunting and fishing property, so visitors with hunting and fishing licenses can utilize the space. With a 47-acre lake and numerous trails, Rush Run provides a
unique hunting opportunity. “The lake is always really popular,” Dorsey said, “but we also release pheasants in the fall for hunting, so that brings a lot of people here.” Rush Run falls under the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, but MetroParks also has numerous areas for the community to enjoy. MetroParks Communications Manager Katie Ely-Wood said MetroParks operates independently and is funded by a Butler County tax levy, meaning visitors don’t have to pay to enter the parks. Three parks near campus are Indian Creek, Sycamore Bluffs and Mill Race. Indian Creek is the oldest MetroPark in the system, and it is under 15 minutes from campus. Ely-Wood said MetroParks got the property in the 1950s, and that it is one of her personal favorites. “If students are looking to really escape into nature, it gives you a really traditional park feel,” Ely-Wood said. Indian Creek has two sides, the Springfield Road entrance and the Oxford Reily Road entrance. ElyWood said the Springfield entrance has good access to the picnic shelter and hiking trails, and Oxford Reily has access to the creek itself. “If you’re looking for a water experience, I would head to Oxford Reily,” she said. “If you’re looking for
a more forested hiking experience, go to Springfield.” Sycamore Bluffs is in Milford Township, near Four Mile Creek. ElyWood said Sycamore Bluffs has kayak and canoe launches into Four Mile Creek, along with scenic trails that run alongside the creek. Sycamore Bluffs has a longer trail that takes hikers to the bluffs part of the park. “You have to hike up a pretty good trail to get there, but there’s a nice opening at the top that lets you see over farmland and forest,” Ely-Wood said. “It’s really gorgeous.” The Mill Race Preserve MetroPark offers a historical aspect unique to MetroParks. Mill Race has the historic Black Covered Bridge, one of the few remaining covered bridges in southwestern Ohio. Visitors have to cross the Black Covered Bridge to enter Mill Race. Ely-Wood said the unusual method of entry attracts many people. She also said the MetroParks natural resources team has worked to restore the native prairie. Mill Race has relatively flat terrain, so there are less challenging hills than at Sycamore Bluffs or Indian Creek. Mill Race also has access to the paved City of Oxford trail system. “There’s some really easy access at Mill Race,” she said. “You can just leave your car in our parking lot and enjoy the paved trail if you want to do that.”
Mill Race is around five minutes from campus. Another close-to-campus area is the Ruder Preserve, near Yager Stadium. Ruder Preserve is managed by the Three Valley Conservation Trust. Three Valley Conservation Trust Executive Director Randy Evans said they are a nonprofit land trust that manages over 25,000 acres of green space. Ruder Preserve was donated to the organization by the Ruder Family and formerly maintained by Miami University. The preserve has a jogging trail that connects with Miami’s Natural Areas. Along with the jogging trail, Evans said there is an accessible boardwalk along water. The boardwalk was built using donations and grants to increase accessibility for people with wheelchairs, walkers and strollers. The boardwalk was built by Steve Nimis, Ed Teets, Mark Boardman and Tom Farmer. Evans said Ruder Preserve is a great place for walking around, fishing and nature watching, especially with the rest areas included in the boardwalk. Evans said one of his favorite things about Ruder Preserve is the wildlife spotting visitors can catch. He’s specifically a fan of the spiny softshell turtles in the area. “If you get out in the morning and you’re quiet, a new fawn will walk
right by,” Evans said. “With all the butterflies and the wildflowers, it’s just a great place to be, especially for birding.” All of these areas offer volunteer opportunities for students. Evans said student groups come down to Ruder Preserve every Thursday and on weekends to help with restoration and storm debris cleanup. He said Donna McCollum, another Three Valley Conservation Trust board member, leads these groups in their efforts. To join these groups, students can fill out the Three Valley Trust volunteer interest form. Dorsey said Rush Run has worked with Miami groups many times for student projects and volunteering. He said students can reach out to him at Bryan.Dorsey@DNR.Ohio.gov, with their interest and availability if they’d like to join. “[Volunteers] may be high school students or college students, so [volunteering] varies,” Dorsey said, “but I’m absolutely open to it.” Ely-Wood said MetroParks volunteers typically help with invasive species removal and special events staffing. She said MetroParks is about to enter a busy season, so any volunteers are greatly appreciated. Students can volunteer by reaching out to volunteering@yourmetropark.net. feeta@miamioh.edu
From Texas to Ohio: Next steps for the migratory armadillo found in Oxford CONTINUED FROM FRONT
The best way to validate these models is to have organisms, like the armadillo, that can offer insight into how aggressive or conservative a model is. When looking at climate change, Sullivan also talked about the 1.5 degrees Celsius climate threshold,
known as the global average surface warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures. This threshold sets a goal that by the year 2100, the earth’s temperature should not rise by 1.5 degrees Celsius according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He said the discovery of the armadillo in Ohio warns us
about the current state of the climate threshold. “It’s because we recognize that when we go beyond that threshold, everything falls out of whack and it goes crazy,” Sullivan said. “This armadillo is saying, ‘Hey folks, you’re pretty darn close to everything going out of whack,’ and so it’s kind of scary.”
Moving forward, the Jezkova Lab has proposed research to further understand why this migration phenomenon is happening. They will bring southern armadillos from Texas and northern armadillos from Illinois to conduct genome testing to see if there is evidence of adaptation. Jezkova said they are currently working on finding funding for the research
before they can start. The Mexican long-nosed armadillo found in Oxford will be taxidermied and will debut on Oct. 8 in the Hefner Museum after the Hefner lecture, “Latin American Birds, Connecting Your Home to the Tropics.” mchenrvg@miamioh.edu
COMIC BY ELENA COX AND KERYN STOKES
HUMOR
13 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
How to rule the world: The book review no one asked for
GRAPHIC BY KEEGAN PEREZ
MIA STREBY
THE MIAMI STUDENT I am not smart enough to rule the world — though, it’s important to note that I was planning to. I did not walk into my high school guidance counselor’s office, crumple up the state-school brochures, and proclaim I wanted to be a dictator, but I liked having the option. Tragically, this backup plan was crushed when I read Theo Baker’s “How to Rule the World.”
My mother strong-armed this book into my life, proclaiming I would identify with the author. Like any 19-year-old, I ignored this recommendation, creating a multi-month argument with my parent for no apparent reason. I finally made it around to reading the book between my busy summer schedule of rewatching trashy TV and staring at a wall, only to immediately read that the author I was supposed to be so similar to was a self-described nerd. Thanks, Mom; love you too.
I went into the book with absolutely no context, because I refused to read the jacket as a form of protest. The worst part of the book was… I actually liked it. Not just liked; I loved it to the point I became one of those pretentious people who bring a hard-cover book to appointments, coffee shops, even a tennis match. I was just waiting for someone to ask those magic words, “What are you reading?” What had become of me? The last book I read had watercolor rabbits on the cover. They say drugs
are a gateway to a life of disaster; I argue this book set me on a worse track… I was a reader! You may be asking yourself, “Wow, for a book review I have no clue what this book is actually about.” Well, that’s why this article is in the humor section and why I have not been promoted to culture. I am far too self-centered for ethical journalism. Which, ironically, is what the book is about. Theo Baker was the student journalist who broke the story that led
to Stanford President Marc Tessier-Lavigne’s resignation. Baker published “How to Rule the World,” documenting the investigative process that exposed Lavigne’s falsified scientific reports and uncovered the toxic symbiotic relationship between Stanford’s elite students and Silicon Valley’s aggressive venture capitalists. His investigative journalism earned him the George Polk Award, making him the youngest recipient ever at just 18. I would like to take a moment for that to sink in. He was only a freshman. When I was a freshman, I was just trying to figure out how to do my laundry. I was definitely not cracking the core of our nation’s problems with capitalism. I mean, it was on my to-do list, but I just never got around to it. If, for some reason, you are reading this, Theo Baker, I mean, why wouldn’t you be? I’m positive The Miami Student has a national foothold. Just know, the high-achieving STEM parents of the world (my mother) see you as their surrogate successful child when their kid decides to go down the dark path of wanting to be a comedian. I could go more in-depth on the book’s discussion of the intricacies of venture capital in the tech industry and Big Pharma, but I honestly was not smart enough to understand it all and would probably get sued for libel. I will say, to all the young people trying to find their place morally, intellectually, and socially: “How to Rule the World” is an incredibly motivating story urging Gen Z to go past their societal constraints to achieve their goals while striving to create a better, more truthful world. And to President Crawford, don’t worry, I am definitely not clever enough to be an investigative journalist! strebymk@miamioh.edu
Goodbye to my favorite season, hello to my favorite season
GRAPHIC BY CAITLIN WONG
AVA DISALLE
THE MIAMI STUDENT Where did summer go? This past week I was reminiscing on my “favor-
ite” season, summer, as I walked with dread to my 8:30 first-year experience class in the rain. As a first-year student, these past five weeks have come with so many challenges, tri-
umphs and just about everything in between. Each spring I am reminded of how much I love summer. The pure anticipation of school ending, hot summer
nights with friends, and of course, endless amounts of vanilla ice cream with sprinkles. Mhmm, my favorite! I say this every year, but this past summer was unforgettable. Something about the summer after graduating high school felt so surreal, like a moment I was waiting my whole life for. Every day I would get in a pilates workout, head to my swim coach and lifeguard job, then top off the night with beach volleyball and a late night swim with friends. Oh and how could I forget, vanilla ice cream with sprinkles for dessert. I remember thinking to myself: “Wow life can’t get any better, this is the best.” But as all good things do, it came to an end. My best friends and I moved away to college, began a new season of life and soon a literal new season. This new season being my other “favorite,” fall. Since coming to Miami, I have met amazing friends and gotten involved with amazing groups; it’s finally starting to feel like home. The days are long, but the weeks are short. Before I know it I’m on my last meal swipe, and I will be using it to the fullest by getting a vanilla ice cream cone with sprinkles. As the weather finally cools off and I’m not dripping sweat walking to my classes, I am reminded that fall is
actually my favorite. The cool breeze, Norah Jones playing in my airpods, cozy sweatshirts and so much more. Ah, how I love carving pumpkins, eating apple pie and stomping on crunchy leaves. After the pumpkins rot and the leaves all blow away, I say goodbye to my “favorite” season and suddenly think winter is my “favorite” season. Oh how I love Christmas, cozy snow days, sledding and just about everything regarding the holidays. Then comes spring, my other “favorite” season. Warmer weather, shortsleeves, flowers and sunshine. Oh and it’s a little more appropriate to be eating vanilla ice cream with sprinkles. Then that quick turn around turns into summer, my other “favorite.” My birthday, no school and duh, ice cream! All in all, fall is my favorite, I mean summer, I mean spring, wait I mean winter. Whatever my favorite season really is, the best part of each season is its new beginnings and adventures. OK, and that I can eat ice cream anytime of year. With a grateful heart I am so excited that fall is officially here! Being at a new school lots of adventures are sure to follow, and of course… my other favorite seasons. disalla2@miamioh.edu
Ranking birthdays at different ages CARLEY RAPP
HUMOR EDITOR My birthday was last week, and contrary to popular belief, I did not turn 20; I’ve reached the much less interesting age of 19. If you’re wondering why I’m 5 years old as a sophomore in college, it’s because my birthday is late in the year and I knew my colors before everybody else in kindergarten. I’m still waiting for that to get me somewhere in life. To commemorate surviving another trip around the sun, I’m going to be taking a walk down memory lane and giving my review of birthdays at every age I’ve been. Stage 1: Ages 1-3 At this age, birthday parties aren’t really for you; you won’t even remember them. I think I had a birthday party just so that my mom could send me the “15 years ago today” Facebook recap later down the road. I’m not sure why my extended family drove over five hours to come watch me shove cake in my face and buy me gifts I wasn’t even old enough to say thank you for, but I hope they had fun? Stage 2: Ages 4-9 Back on my 4th-9th birthdays, I was put on a pedestal and everybody came to my house with gifts just be-
cause I continued to exist. I remember having a princess party where I made all my friends dress up as Disney princesses in order to gain free entry to my living room. Since then, I have yet to experience another moment as monarch. Stage 3: Ages 10-12 I remember the day I turned double digits. I got a Justin Bieber toothbrush that sang for the proper duration of tooth-brushing. How could I forget? I’d like to think the reason I’ve never had a cavity is because sometimes I’d brush my teeth six times a day just to hear his voice again. Stage 4: Age 16 Being a little young for my grade meant I couldn’t get my license until I was partially through my junior year of high school. During sophomore year I would stare in envy as people walked into first period swinging their keys in one hand and holding Starbucks in the other, meanwhile I was lucky to get dropped off on time by my older brother. Once I finally got my license, I pulled up to school the next day looking absolutely incredible driving my parents’ minivan. It didn’t have bluetooth, so I spent the 7:20 a.m. commute jamming out to the predicted weather forecast.
Stage 5: Ages 17-19 Seventeen was basically 16, but I didn’t get any better at driving, so let’s skip that one. Eighteen was cool because I was finally old enough to buy myself a lottery ticket… which I never even did — missed opportunity to win some money to put towards my tuition. This year, I spent my 19th attending my organic chemistry lecture, followed by cell biology. Then, I had to walk straight to Millett to move my car because apparently the $200 I paid for a parking pass gets revoked whenever the football team needs their cleats polished. It wasn’t the best birthday party, but I’ve had worse. Future dreams For my 20th I’m hoping someone will be so kind as to buy me another Justin Bieber toothbrush. Mine ran out of battery a while back, and I have some catching up to do. Until then, please bear with me for the next 360 or so days while I mourn the fact that I’m actually approaching my twenties. That sounds a little bit too much like a bedtime, real life and a normal toothbrush. rappcr2@miamioh.edu
PHOTO Bachelor hall receives a warm welcome amid reopening ELISE HANNA
DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR
IVY KLEINMAN PHOTO EDITOR
After a two-year long renovation process, Bachelor Hall opened its doors for the 2026 fall semester. De-
spite being open since the beginning of the academic year, the opening ceremony took place on Friday, Sept. 25. The hall was first built in 1978, and though there have been updates over the years, this is the first major renovation. With an increase in square footage from 112,000 to 120,418, Bachelor now boasts 20 classrooms, as well as
14 FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026
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141 offices. The ceremony itself featured a ribbon cutting, an award presentation and words from the College of Arts and Science Dean as well as Miami University President Gregoryory Crawford. hannaer@miamioh.edu kleinmim@miamioh.edu
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6 GAMES ANSWERS
ANAGRAM ANSWERS Six letters SILOED SOILED Five letters OILED SLIDE DOLES DISEL IDLES Four letters SLID
SLED LIES LIED LIDS OILS SOLD SOIL DIES ODES DOLE DOES DOSE LOSE
IDLE ODES Three letters DIE OIL LID LIE ODE
Did we miss anything? Contact mahones5@miamioh.edu
1 DEAN OF COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE, RENÉE BAERNSTEIN SPEAKS TO ATTENDEES AT BACHELOR HALL GRAND OPENING. PHOTO BY ANABELLE MONAHAN
4 BACHELOR HALL GRAND OPENING ATTENDEES APPLAUD AFTER HEARING SPEAKER. PHOTO BY ANABELLE MONAHAN
2 GRAND OPENING ATTENDEES SIT TO LISTEN WITH EVENT PROGRAMS. PHOTO BY ANABELLE MONAHAN
5 DEAN OF COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCE, RENÉE BAERNSTEIN SPEAKS ALONGSIDE PRESIDENT GREGORY CRAWFORD AT BACHELOR HALL GRAND OPENING. PHOTO BY ANABELLE MONAHAN
3 PRESIDENT GREGORY CRAWFORD PRESENTS AWARD AT BACHELOR HALL GRAND OPENING. PHOTO BY ANABELLE MONAHAN
6 DR. RENATE CRAWFORD ALONG WITH PRESIDENT GREGORY CRAWFORD AND ADMINISTRATORS CUT THE RIBBON AT BACHELOR HALL GRAND OPENING. PHOTO BY ANABELLE MONAHAN