At the beginning of each school year, Miami Activities & Programming (MAP) always welcomes students back to campus with a slew of exciting events. This year, however, the student-run organization had to take a different approach. Between the COVID-19 pandemic and Miami choosing to start the semester totally online, MAP had to turn their movie nights, escape rooms and bake-offs into virtual events.
Sunlight beams in through the large windows at the front of the living room as Robert Schonlau sits before the gleaming ivory keys. His face, reflected in the glossy black finish above the ivories, is contemplative and serene as he adjusts the large-rimmed glasses on his face. Back straight and feet reaching for the pedals, the 16-year-old pianist sets his fingers to the smooth keys.
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.
“We can't just sit in an office and make rules,” Vance said. “We've got to provide education and hear the voices of the students, the alumni, the various stakeholders in the community, and bring people together around common ideals. [We have to] help people focus on the fact that we’re values-based organizations, and what is it that we really value?”
This isn’t soccer, or basketball or rugby. It’s Quidditch, the same sport created by J.K. Rowling in the “Harry Potter” series. While these players don’t fly or chase after winged golden balls, the magic of the sport is still captured by the mandatory broomsticks players must run with and the classic three hoops made for scoring.
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.
The milkshake machine roars as Charlie King swirls ice cream and chocolate sauce around a plastic cup. He’s wearing a red and white Cradle of Coaches baseball hat, thick-framed chic rectangular black glasses and a red apron. Topping off the frozen treat with a mountain of whipped cream, King inhales sharply and bellows, “CHOCOLATE milkshake for SARAH!”
Ten weeks ago, many of these students would not have known the difference between a rock step and a half box. But in KNH 110S/T: Social Dance, learning these basics and more is the first step toward becoming a more experienced dancer.
The first question for New York Times bestselling author Ruta Sepetys was not about her own historical fiction works but another “shades of grey” book that came out the same year as her debut novel. The “Between Shades of Gray” writer turned toward the audience with a hand under her chin and a wry smile. “Lithuania has never looked so sexy,” she said, before bursting into laughter and breaking character. The audience roared along with her.
Whispered conversations peter out as the lights dim. Fifty students shift around in their seats, getting comfortable as the screen at the front of Irvin 040 displays an all-black image. Silence descends as a single voice rings out from the room’s hidden speakers.