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Campus & Community


CULTURE

Students slow it down in t’ai chi

  What most obviously separates t’ai chi from other martial arts is the speed. “When you look, it’s slow, but when you learn, it’s difficult,” Xing said. Xing teaches two sections of Beginning T’ai Chi, listed under KNH 120T. This is his last semester in Oxford before he returns to China to continue teaching and studying Chinese martial arts as national traditional sports.


CULTURE

Happy 5th birthday to 20-year-old 'leapling' Vedika Gupta

Sophomore Vedika Gupta isn’t sure what age she’s turning this year.  The marketing major from India is a leapling, meaning her birthday falls on February 29, a date that only occurs every four years.  “Technically I’m turning five, but also 20,” Gupta said. “So I think I’m turning five and 20.”  Although she isn’t sure how to describe her age, Gupta finds joy and takes pride in her leapling status.


Miami University quidditch has faced enrollment issues since COVID. Today the team has only ten players.
CULTURE

And the House Cup goes to … Miami?

Leading up to their first tournament of the spring semester, the players on Miami University’s Quidditch team had only one thought: They had to beat Michigan.  This would be their first time playing the University of Michigan since falling to them in the semifinals of the Great Lakes regional competition last fall. This time, they’d be playing on home turf. 


CULTURE

Digging up the truth about Miami’s tunnels

  Buried deep beneath Miami University’s pristine quads and beautiful buildings, a hidden network of tunnels criss-crosses the campus.  Some of these passages, like the one underneath the sidewalk that runs alongside Bell Tower Commons, are visible to students who walk above. However, this tunnel system is far more extensive than what one can see above ground — approximately five miles of tunnels connect the various buildings on the mile square. 


NEWS

Tang Dynasty fails to pay employees

Tang Dynasty, a restaurant located on West High Street in Oxford and partially managed by a Miami University sophomore, neglected to pay its employees, according to court documents and the account of a former cook. 


NEWS

The man behind the music

Since its construction in 2001, walking past and listening to Pulley Tower's tunes has become an everyday experience for students, professors and staff alike. Yet the tower’s history and how songs are selected to be played remain a mystery to many.


Sarah Strack met with Governor Mike Dewine to advocate for anti-distracted driving legislation.
NEWS

Miami student advocates against distracted driving

After the accident, Sarah and Kathy also became more aware and constantly noticed people on their phones while driving. They would notice people checking messages at a stoplight and continuing to look down once the light turned green, and Sarah would receive Snapchats from her friends while they were driving.  Sarah got annoyed when friends would say, “It’s not a big deal.


Sparks will be moving back to Kentucky, her home state.
NEWS

Chief marketing and communications officer resigns

During her time at Miami, Sparks is proud of the impact she’s made in organizing the UCM department and the restructuring of Miami’s website that will be revealed later this year.  In addition to these projects, Sparks has also led the charge in creating the “From Now On” commercial campaign, which involved rebranding Miami for prospective students and alumni.


CULTURE

Cruising through the evolution of Miami’s LGBTQ dating scene

On the third floor of Miami University’s Shriver Center, tucked into a corner office, is the Miller Center for Student Disability Services (SDS). The space is decorated with art from local disabled artists and soft, flowing music fills the room. “Who are you here to see?” asked the woman sitting at the reception desk.  The three of us looked at each other. “We have a meeting with Andy Zeisler,” Tim replied.


CULTURE

From New York to Paris, Lexi Scherzinger makes her mark on the fashion world

Senior Lexi Scherzinger’s interest in fashion has literally taken her around the world. In the summer of 2018, she lived in New York City and interned for world-renowned fashion designer Christian Siriano. She then studied in Paris during the fall of 2018, right after she decided to switch majors. Originally a strategic communication major, she decided to change to journalism. She’s known that she wanted to study fashion since her second semester freshman year.


CULTURE

When we all fall asleep, where does the ranch dressing go?

The display case offers a wide array of options: French, Italian, Caesar, balsamic and even raspberry vinaigrette. There is one particular dressing, however, that appears to be missing.  At first glance, it feels like a mistake. Perhaps you simply glanced too quickly. Perhaps it’s stuck behind the raspberry vinaigrette packets. But no, as sad as it is to accept, the ranch packets seem to have disappeared from Lux — and this is where our Midwestern mystery begins. 


Melissa Thomasson is looking forward to leading new initiatives as the first female chair of the economics department.
NEWS

Miami appoints first female economics chair 

Before making history here, Thomasson began her career at a small liberal arts college in Tacoma, Washington, called the University of Puget Sound. There, she remembers being one of two women in classes of only seven students.  “Everyone talked about that picture of Nancy Pelosi in the cabinet where she’s the only woman, and I think I know what that feels like,” Thomasson said.  “I’ve gotten used to it,” she added.  

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