Public university, private bias reporting data
By Matthew Rubenstein | December 3, 2019Miami University has declined to make the bias reporting system data available to the public. Associated Student Government (ASG) hopes to change that.
Miami University has declined to make the bias reporting system data available to the public. Associated Student Government (ASG) hopes to change that.
In the late 1980s, Rebecca Heftel was a student at Wright State University pursuing a major in music. As a lifelong singer, Heftel’s plans went awry when she began to experience issues with her vocal chords, forcing her to switch her major.
University Senate approved recommendations to merge the Department of Classics with two other departments and to establish Sport Leadership and Management (SLAM) as its own department separate from the Department of Kinesiology and Health (KNH) at its meeting on Dec. 2.
The pottery wheels hum softly as nine students bend over their work, hands gently wrapped around the spinning cups and bowls. Bright sunlight blazes in from the almost-full-length windows spread across two walls of the room, illuminating the space and the students’ faces.
This year, the Oxford Police Department participated in its third annual No-Shave November fundraiser. Each year, the entire force is allowed to voluntarily grow out their facial hair if they donate to the local charity the force chooses.
Last July, Miami University implemented a new budgetary system where, instead of having each college’s dean distribute money to the departments within their schools, individual departments will now apply to the provost’s office for funding.
On his 18th birthday, Michael Molchan received a dog named Hawkins. While many people dream of getting dogs for their birthday, Hawkins is special. The highly-trained yellow lab is not just a welcome companion. Hawkins serves as Molchan’s guide dog, too.
Walking around Miami University’s campus on Saturday night, most buildings are closed. But Benton Hall remains well-lit and open. Visitors that walk inside the building from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. will be greeted with chatter coming from room 100 just to the left of the entrance.
Former Ohio Governor John Kasich may have run as a Republican, but that isn’t the main way he chooses to identify himself. “I’m an American more than anything else,” he said in an interview with The Miami Student. “I want to be respectful to people who are in the Republican Party; it’s my vehicle, but it has never been my master.”
As fall settles over Oxford, leaves float to the ground, their rich hues of vermillion, burgundy, apricot and gold creating a blanket of color across Miami University’s campus. Thanks to two tree programs initiated in 2018, Oxford may be seeing even more of these trees over the next few years. The Oxford Urban Forestry and Tree Replacement programs are two funding sources aiming for effective tree management in Oxford.
Miami University employees’ salaries range more than half a million dollars from the highest paid to the lowest. Three of the ten highest paid employees are coaches. Three are college deans. One is a person of color. None are women.
Miami University President Greg Crawford and other faculty members traveled to Washington D.C. to receive the 2019 Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization on Thursday, Nov. 21. Miami was one of five institutions that won the award back in March 2019. The award was in the comprehensive category, which recognizes schools who use an “integrative approach” to internationalizing their campuses.
Spending her childhood forging her musical talents, Rebecca Andres eventually found herself playing for Cincinnati Broadway Across America’s "Wicked." In the 96 performances that followed, Andres further fine-tuned her flute skills. Andres found her passion for music in the fourth grade. She comes from a family of musicians — many of her relatives play piano and her sister plays the violin. Andres tried to play the violin, too, but found that it wasn’t a good fit.
As the leaves swirled down from the trees outside of Armstrong on Friday, Nov. 15, Miami’s Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) swirled ornate designs onto the arms of students who stopped at their booth. Adjacent to a card table covered with various canned foods like Campbell’s soup and JIF peanut butter is another table occupied by a student practicing an ancient art form: henna.
Miami University’s Associated Student Government (ASG) passed three pieces of legislation to reform university policies involving sexual assault and one resolution to make public the data gathered by the university’s bias reporting system over its past two senate meetings, on Nov. 12 and Nov. 19.
Sophomore Owen Dame balances classes, clubs and running his own company. Six weeks ago, the entrepreneurship and economics major launched Warm Heart Clothing Co., a business that sells affordable clothing and donates 15 percent of the profits to various charities.
With the spread of unattainable body ideals across social media, there has been a rise in disordered eating behavior among college-age people. Miami students are feeling the impact, especially at an intersection with the university’s reputation as a party school. “I do think the label and the celebration of [disordered eating] is more common now,” Ward said, explaining that Miami has had the reputation of a party school as long as she has been teaching at the university.
Oxford City Council said goodbye to Mayor Kate Rousmaniere and Vice Mayor Steve Dana at last week’s meeting. The two served on council together for eight years and, at the pair’s last council meeting, they received high praise from citizens, councilors and city staff alike.
The snow started falling outside, and first-year Mango Lapack couldn’t contain their excitement. They went bursting out their dorm’s door to meet the delicate flakes falling to the ground. Suddenly, the mood shifted as Lapack realized just how cold it was. All they had was a jean jacket and no winter coat. As they shivered their way back inside, Lapack made a mental note to buy a coat online when they got back to their room.
Students circled around the seal, the candles in their hands illuminating their faces against the dark November night. The mood was somber, some people looking at the ground and others hugging their friends in acknowledgment of those they gathered to remember. Spectrum and the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion co-sponsored a candlelight vigil for Transgender Day of Remembrance on Wednesday, Nov. 20.