By Erin FischesserEditor in Chief

As many students were preparing to leave Oxford for Thanksgiving break, one Miami University junior faced at-tackers who approached him with harsh words and racial slurs.

According to police reports, between 3:50 and 4:15 a.m. Nov. 20, a black Miami sophomore walking back to Hawks Landing was met by two white males at the cor-ner of Sycamore Street and Brown Road. The two men reportedly ap-proached the student, us-ing expletives and racial slurs before tackling him to the ground.

The student reportedly fought back, and believes he struck one of his attackers in the face before the two fled on foot.

According to police, the two men were described only as white males between 5 feet 9 inches and 6 feet tall.

The incident is the third hate crime in Oxford in 2010, according to Oxford Po-lice Department Sgt. Jim Squance.

“We’re hoping some other information

will surface,” Squance said. “If we get any other information, we will pursue it.”

Until then, Squance said there is no further investigation into the incident.

Oxford City Manager Doug Elliott also serves as the director of the Community

Relations Commission (CRC), which is look-ing into recent hate crimes.

“We’re charged with looking into discrimi-nation in employment, housing and public accommodations, but we also take a look at other incidents,” El-liott said of the organi-zation.

According to El-liott, the CRC will meet with the Student

Community Relations Council, which includes a broader group of students and community members, Dec. 3 to discuss hate bias in the city.

“(We’re going) to talk about ways we can bring this type of incident to the pub-lic and think of ways we can prevent this from happening,” Elliott said.

By JM RiegerStaff Writer

Miami University is going to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship game for the first time since 2007. The Red and White fin-ished the season with an 8-4 record, including a 7-1 mark in conference play, making them the most im-proved team in college football.

After shutting down Temple Uni-versity in the final game of the season Nov. 23, the RedHawks got some help from Kent State University Nov. 26 when it held Ohio University to just six points, dropping Ohio to 8-4 overall and 6-2 in the MAC. Ohio’s loss allowed Miami to gain sole pos-session of first place in the MAC East Division, while Ohio and Temple fin-ished second and third respectively.

“It means a lot to us,” senior run-ning back Thomas Merriweather said. “It gives us more confidence to go out and play every week. We need to keep working hard and come out focused and ready to play.”

Merriweather has rushed for 323 yards in his last two games, including a career high 182 against Temple, a team that had been giving up just 129 yards per game on the ground.

Miami’s ground attack has been key for the ’Hawks, who have now won four straight games to close out the season, including their final two games without their starting quarter-back, redshirt sophomore Zac Dysert. Redshirt freshman Austin Boucher has stepped in nicely for the injured Dysert, and he will get the start again

against the Huskies.Northern Illinois University (NIU)

comes into the MAC championship game ranked 23 in the Coaches Poll and 24 in the Associated Press Poll. NIU is 10-2 for the year, including an undefeated 8-0 record in the MAC,

and the team also boasts one of the best defenses in the nation. The team is ranked 18 in total defense and 10 in scoring defense.

Meanwhile, NIU has the best scor-ing offense in the MAC, averaging just more than 39 points per game to

go with 452 yards of total offense per game. One of the keys to Miami’s last four victories has been getting pres-sure on the quarterback, which the team will need to do again Friday.

The RedHawks have 18 sacks in their past four games, including

seven in the game against Temple. Miami will get some added help when freshman defensive lineman Mwanza Wamulumba returns to the lineup after being injured the past

The Miami StudentTuesday, November 30, 2010

Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIOVOLUME 138 NO. 25

In 1990, The Miami Student reported the Miami Plan added the three-credit world cultures graduation requirement. A new technology requirement was also proposed to reinforce the importance of integrating technology into liberal education.

ONLYuWWW.MIAMISTUDENT.NET

SPORTS: FOOTBALL VIDEOWatch Coach Haywood’s speech

after the Temple University victory.

TOP 25 CHANGES CAMPUS Engaged learning in Miami’s most popu-lar classes can been seen all over campus.

CAMPUS, page 2

A DATE WITH THE CAVSCoach Michael Haywood surprises the football and cheerleading teams with a trip to see the Cavs play.

CAMPUS, page 3

FOUR LOKO NO-NOThe caffeinated energy drink disappears from Oxford store shelves.

COMMUNITY, page 4

50 YEARS AGOExperience a blast to the past with the newest installment in our historical series.

COMMUNITY, page 4

BALLIN’Julian Mavunga shares his story of life at Miami, on and off the court.

FEATURES, page 5

SKATING TO THE TOPRedHawk hockey moves up in the rankings.

SPORTS, page 10

INSIDESCOOPTHE

CAMPUS: MENTAL HEALTHDiscover resources for students

struggling with thoughts of suicide.

ENTERTAINMENT: STUDENT RAPPERGet the scoop on “Oxford Girls” by

first-year Ryan Wheeler.

Follow @miamistudent on Twitter and look out TODAY for your chance to win a coupon for $1 sandwiches from SoHi!

$1 Sandwich from SoHi!

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By Adam GiffiSenior Staff Writer

The results are in on the Strategic Priori-ties Task Force (SPT). The university sen-ate met Nov. 22 to hear President David Hodge’s final word on the report.

The original report included a total of 35 recommendations designed with the goal of placing Miami University in an increasingly competitive position in the future. Accord-ing to Hodge, all of these recommendations have been accepted.

Some tweaking has been done on the re-port, however. Four of the existing recom-mendations have been adjusted and one new recommendation has been added.

“The first is that the scholarship recom-mendation called for $40 million over the next five years of new scholarship money,” Hodge said. “That is being increased to $50 million.”

Hodge said scholarships need to be a pri-ority for the university. He said a major cam-paign for raising money for these scholar-ships is being prepared and will be launched later this academic school year. Hodge said athletic scholarships are not included in the recommendation.

Another adjustment being made is to the recommendation on the faculty retire/rehire policy. This recommendation has been ad-

justed to find a way to reduce costs while still leaving some retirement incentives.

The third adjustment was made to the budget reduction recommendation proposed for Intercollegiate Athletics (ICA).

“The task force report called for a 3 percent per year reduction in total budget, which was considerably larger than any oth-er reduction,” Hodge said. “I will be recom-mending that 2 percent per year reduction on the university subsidy for this activity.”

Hodge said this means the university sup-port of ICA will still be decreasing but it will be declining at a rate that matches other decreases recommended in the report.

SPT also suggested a study group to look at the divisional structure of the university.

“I don’t really think we are going to do anything major about restructuring the di-visions,” Hodge said. “On the other hand, what we really must do a better job of is to foster more interdisciplinary teaching and research throughout the university.”

The new addition to the recommendations is designed to stimulate a focus on the reten-tion and graduation of students. Hodge said increasing these rates will generate more revenue for the university, further build a nationwide reputation of academic suc-cess and create a better environment for all

Hate crime brings racial tension to light

Miami clinches berth in MAC title game

Miami has also an-nounced a travel package for students. For $25, students receive a ticket to the game as well as a ride to and from Detroit. Buses depart at noon Friday and return immediately following the game. In addition, the first 30 students to pay for the trip will be able to participate in the pre-game ceremonies at Ford Field. Students must reserve their spots with the Ath-letic Ticket Office by noon Thursday. Details for the trip can be found on www.muredhawks.com.Fans can listen to the Marathon MAC Champi-onship Game on Miami’s ISP Sports Network or watch the game on ESPN2. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. Miami football players signal they recovered a fumble Nov. 23 against Temple University.

MICHAEL GRIGGS The Miami Student

wSee FOOTBALL, page 9

Senate reviews SPT reportCAMPUSCAMPUS

wSee CRIME, page 9wSee SPT, page 9

“We’re going to talk about ways we can bring this type of

incident to the public and think of ways

we can prevent this from happening.”

DOUG ELLIOTTDIRECTOR

COMMUNITY RELATIONS COMMISSION

WANT TO GO TO THE GAME?

Museum to present philosophical exhibition

FYI

Campus

The Miami University Art Mu-seum has announced its spring 2011 exhibition.

The theme is Looking Beyond the Surface: Understanding Identity Through Art.

The exhibition opens Jan. 11 and will continue through July 23.

During this time, Miami will host three galleries at the museum. The themes of each will be Understanding Thyself, Capturing Identity and Defin-ing Identity.

Each exhibition will explore iden-tity in a philosophical and psychologi-cal way through art.

A public reception will be held for the exhibitions from 5 to 8 p.m. Jan. 20. The museum is free and open to the public.

NEWSBRIEFS

2Editors

Stephen BellAmelia Carpenter

Amanda Seitzcampus@miamistudent.net

TuesdayNovember 30, 2010

By Shannon CorcoranFor The Miami Student

As the initial implementation of Miami University President David Hodge’s Top 25 Initiative draws to a close, the results can largely be seen in classrooms across the university. To date, 27 courses from 22 different depart-ments have submitted success-ful project plans as part of the project’s redesign.

The initiative, which began in 2007, aims to improve under-graduate education at Miami, according to Physics Professor Beverley Taylor.

According to Taylor, the ul-timate goal of the project is to revamp the 25 most enrolled courses at Miami to replace the typical lecture-style curriculum with new technology and active learning techniques.

“We wanted to increase student engagement, have students more involved and create a student as scholar model so that students could develop better critical thinking,” Taylor said.

Besides improving students’ critical thinking, the overhaul also aims to boost students’ content mastery and satisfaction with the site, according to the Center for the Enhancement of Learning, Teach-ing and University Assessment (CELTUA) website.

“The point is to have stu-dents take on more responsi-bility and spend more time on tasks outside of the classroom,” said Marjorie Nadler, professor of communication.

Nadler led a team within the communication department to reform COM 135: Public Expres-sion and Critical Inquiry, which now uses new technology to re-cord and evaluate student speech-es. The team recently developed a widget that links to Blackboard and allows students to practice

impromptu speeches on their own. The widget generates a random topic for students, gives them a set amount of time to pre-pare the speech and then records them as they perform through the webcams of their personal computers. These innovative de-velopments are the first of many taking place across the univer-sity, according to Carol Johnson, assistant director of news and public information.

Along with enhancing courses with a range of new technology, other strategies to redesign Top 25 classes include the inverted classroom, which moves infor-mation acquisition out of the classroom. In an inverted class-room, students watch lectures on a DVD before class and do proj-ects and homework in class. The complete overhaul of classrooms restructures the larger lecture hall courses into a combination of lectures and small group lab ac-tivities. It also includes a peer-to-peer approach, which uses older undergraduate students as teach-ing assistants during break-out sessions, Johnson said.

“While some courses are be-ing redesigned from the ground up, not every change is as dra-matic,” Nadler said. “There has been a consistent series of small-er changes that culminate in an overall improvement, such as the use of clickers and online quizzes and activities.”

Program coordinators are monitoring the progress of the Top 25 Initiative in a number of ways.

“There are many different as-sessments we do to determine the impact of a course,” Ceci-lia Shore, director of CELTUA, said. “Students are obviously more engaged, spending more time with peers, are more likely to ask questions, use evidence to support what they’re saying and

are encouraged to think things through themselves. One of the impressive statistics we have is that 30,000 seats are affected by these courses per year.”

This means every Miami un-dergraduate student will enroll in two Top 25 courses each year, ac-cording to Shore.

While the implementation

phase is at its end, the impact reaches across the university and beyond larger lecture classes.

“While every course will not be granted their own team and allotted funding, many courses outside of the Top 25 are looking to incorporate new ideas,” Na-dler said. “What we’re seeing is a culture shift.”

Top 25 ends implementation

Shake it

The Indian Students Association performs dances at Hall Auditorium Saturday, Nov. 20 to celebrate Diwali. Diwali was a two-day celebration this year

at Miami University.

ALLISON BACKOVSKI The Miami Student

It is the policy of The Miami Student to publish corrections for factual errors found in the newspaper.

➤ In the Nov. 19 issue, of The Miami Student, the photograph accompany-ing “Uptown Oxford in 1910” was contributed by the Smith Library of Regional History.

➤ In “Life without peanut butter,” Argentina was said to have 13 million people, but this population refers to Greater Buenos Aires.

CORRECTIONS

Miami University senior Andrea Mueller took the top prize in the under-graduate research presentation compe-tition at the annual Midwest American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) meeting in Indianapolis, Ind.

Mueller, an exercise science ma-jor from Arlington Heights, Ill. was supervised by Randal Claytor on the project, a faculty member in Miami’s kinesiology and health department. Mueller examined the relationship between structured exercise sessions and daily physical activity in college students to determine if single bouts of vigorous or moderately structured exercise would result in an increase in daily physical activity.

After a three-day study, participants took part in various exercise activities, where it was determined that as a so-ciety Americans tend to turn exercise into a regimented, repetitive thing. Ul-timately, the study determined overall fitness could be enhanced by making spontaneous or unstructured physical activity a part of everyday life.

This marks the second consecutive year a Miami student won the award under Claytor’s direction.

Miami University Dance Theatre will present its winter concert at 8 p.m. Dec. 4 and 2 p.m. Dec. 5 in Hall Audi-torium. Dance Theatre includes multi-ple forms of dance, including modern, contemporary ballet and jazz.

The concert will feature Director Lana Kay Rosenberg’s choreography performed by Dance Theatre alumni and students.

Dance Theatre alumni choreo-graphed several pieces along with cur-rent Miami students.

Tickets are free for Miami students with a student ID. Students and senior tickets are $6 in advance and $8 at the door, and general admission tickets are $10 in advance or $12 at the door. All tickets are available at the Shriver box office or by calling (513) 529-3200.

Dance Theatre prepares winter concert

Undergraduate earns recognition for research

THE MIAMI STUDENT Campus TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010 ♦ 3

MIAMI PROPERTIES with each signed lease* for ’11-’12 school year

Good through 11.20.10*signed lease including all paperwork & security depositwww.murents.com | 513.523.9229

New 32’’ Flat Screen TV

By Noëlle BernardSenior Staff Writer

The Miami University football and cheer-leading teams took a surprise detour during their scheduled travel to Akron, Ohio for a football game Nov. 16. Football Head Coach Michael Haywood surprised both teams with tickets to the Cleveland Cavaliers (Cavs) bas-ketball game before their game against Akron University Nov. 17 during a Thursday night radio broadcast.

The extra day off school was unexpected for junior Jacob Schooler, a cheerleader.

“I’m glad he invited us,” Schooler said. “It was something different to keep the players’ minds off the game for a little bit and a chance to relax.”

Despite not having planned for the day off, all 12 traveling cheerleaders joined the football players at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleve-land with expenses paid by Miami football.

According to Elysa Appel, a Miami athletic academic coordinator, a committee meets at the beginning of the year to create policies for ath-letes traveling to competitions.

Appel said the Athletic Policy Committee is composed of professors and administrators from across campus and Academic Coordina-tor Brad Horton.

“Basically this committee looks at all the travel schedules of all of the different teams before the season or the year even starts,” Appel said.

The committee’s purpose is to advise each team schedule and athletes’ schedules to deter-mine how many days a student is allowed to miss due to traveling.

“They look at (schedules) once the students have registered for their classes for that certain semester, so they have come up with a policy that the students cannot miss more than six classes if the class is offered three days a week,” Appel said. “If it’s a two day a week class, they

can’t miss more than four due to traveling.”After the committee decides on a policy, a

letter is given out to all student-athletes to give to their professors in the event of a necessary excused absence.

“That gets distributed to the student-athletes and they distribute that to their professors in the beginning of each semester so they have an in-tentional conversation with the professors to let them know exactly when they will be missing,” Appel said.

According to Schooler, student-athletes must adhere to the procedure of informing professors before traveling to games and have to deal with how professors react.

“Last week I had two exams and I e-mailed my professors ahead of time to let them know because of the team I had to miss the class,” Schooler said. “Most professors are really nice about it, but in some cases I’ve had to miss one travel game.”

Sophomore cheerleader Garrett Wood said

not all professors are as understanding about absences based on game schedules.

“Basically it’s up to us to get it under con-trol,” Wood said. “When it comes down to it, if there is a test that day it depends on if the teacher says, ‘Yes, you can make it up early’ or ‘No, sorry.’”

Wood said Haywood’s generosity was greatly appreciated.

“Haywood is very generous and inclusive,” Wood said. “(Haywood) said, ‘The team’s go-ing, so we’re going to have the cheerleaders go too.’”

Schooler said attending the game was mem-orable for the cheerleaders.

“I’ve actually never been to an NBA game before,” Schooler said. “I never really showed any interest in it because I love college basket-ball, but once I saw it and saw all of the celebri-ty professional athletes, it kind of made me go, ‘Maybe I should watch the Cavs.’ It was just really cool.”

MU athletes travel to Cleveland to watch Cavs play

When you’re finished reading

The Miami Student,please recycle!

Junior receives citation for underage drinking

At around 12:15 a.m. Tuesday, Oxford Police Department of-ficers conducting a bar check at Brick Street Bar and Grill report-edly observed a young looking fe-male carrying a clear cup of beer.

According to police reports, the female did not have a wristband indicating her to be over the age of 21.

The female, later identified as Miami University junior Caro-line Butler, 20, reportedly turned around quickly and tried to walk into the crowd when she noticed the officers.

According to police reports, Butler was stopped by officers and identified. Butler reportedly told officers she had consumed two beers earlier in the evening.

Butler was cited for underage intoxication and released.

Community4 EditorBethany Bruner

community@miamistudent.net

TuesdayNovember 30, 2010

Male yells at bar patrons, resists arrest

At around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oxford Police Department (OPD) officers on patrol observed a heated exchange between a male and the staff of Brick Street Bar and Grill.

The male, later identified as Mi-ami University graduate student Derek Gilley, was reportedly upset the Brick Street staff would not ad-mit him into the bar and became physically aggressive.

When officers approached, Brick Street staff members reportedly con-firmed Gilley was not welcome in the bar. After being given multiple warnings by the officers regarding his behavior, Gilley reportedly be-gan to walk away toward the Brick Street patio.

As Gilley walked by the pa-tio, he reportedly began taunting Brick Street patrons, calling them derogatory names and pointing at them aggressively.

According to police reports, Gil-ley was arrested. However, when an officer attempted to put him in handcuffs, Gilley reportedly pulled back and spun away from the officer.

Gilley reportedly began running north on Poplar Street, where he was intercepted by another officer. The officer reportedly attempted to handcuff Gilley, but Gilley again pulled away and began to run.

At this time, Gilley was report-edly tackled by OPD officers and handcuffed before being transport-ed to Butler County Jail.

Gilley was cited for resisting ar-rest, obstructing official business and disorderly conduct.

Restaurant reports bomb threat

At around 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Arby’s reportedly received a bomb threat over the phone.

According to police reports, a male called Arby’s management and said there was a bomb in the bathroom.

Two employees reportedly checked the bathroom and found nothing unusual.

The building was reportedly evac-uated and the fire department then conducted a search, but also found nothing suspicious.

The Miami University Police De-partment’s bomb dog also reportedly conducted a sweep of the building and found nothing.

By Leslie ScottSenior Staff Writer

Once Oxford liquor stores sell out of the alcoholic energy drink Four Loko, students will be unable to purchase it.

According to Gary Hetzel, store manager of Oxford Spir-its, the store is allowed to sell what they have in stock, but the distributor is putting a hold on further distribution.

“The makers of Four Loko have voluntarily agreed to remove the drink from the shelves,” Oxford Police De-partment Sgt. Jim Squance said. “The drink will not be sold until the caffeine is removed from it.”

According to Squance, removing the drink is viewed as a positive step because it has been abused and is very dangerous.

“Students use the drink to get drunk quickly and cheaply,” Squance said. “These poor choices lead to bad consequences. Basically, the drink has such a dangerous mixture that it is just not healthy.”

Squance said the new version of Four Loko will be highly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration due to all of the publicity the drink has received.

“Oxford hasn’t seen any deaths yet, but we have seen many students black out and in the hospital because of the drink,” Squance said.

Miami University junior Jes-sie Rains believes students could

use the drink in a smart way.“It seems dumb because stu-

dents know what they can handle,” Rains said. “They just need to learn

to practice moderation with Four Loko the same way they do with every

other drink.”According to Squance, safety is the

first priority.“I just want students to be responsible and

safe,” Squance said. “Students know what is right and wrong. They know that if they abuse

any substance, bad things can happen.”According to Hetzel, the temporary ban will not

harm sales. The drink was actually decreasing store sales because instead of buying a six pack of beer,

students were just buying Four Loko. Hetzel said he believes beer sales will increase once Four Loko is off

the shelves.Hetzel said he predicts Oxford Spirits will be sold out of

Four Loko soon.An employee at Oxford Spirits said the store was down to

five cans after the weekend of Nov. 20. They said it was the big-gest Four Loko weekend they have ever had and they were sold

out before Thanksgiving Day. Although Four Loko will no longer be offered in liquor stores,

other similar alcoholic energy drinks are still available.

Lee Brice, the singer behind the recent smash hit “Love Like Crazy” will be performing at Brick Street Bar and Grill Dec. 2.

The concert begins at 9 p.m. and doors will open an hour before.Tickets for the event are available online or at Brick Street for $12 in advance

or $15 on the day of the show.Brice released his first album, Love Like Crazy, in June. Since the release, the

first single of the same title has stayed steadily on the charts.Brice’s second single, “Beautiful Every Time,” has also had success.

Country singer to grace Brick Street stage

Uptown moves back toward the way it wasBy Castle ArnoldFor The Miami Student

If you took a walk uptown in the 1960s, you wouldn’t see Chipotle, Miami Beach or the assortment of bars that there are today.

While the buildings and overall look of uptown was very similar, the store options were not. There were many car dealerships, phar-macies and grocery stores.

“It was a way different up-town in the 1960s, there was a Chrysler dealership uptown where Phan Shin is, a Chevrolet, Pontiac, Buick and Ford dealer-ship where the new DuBois up-town is and American Motors was next to where Stella is,” said Alan Kyger, the city’s economic development director.

Kyger said there wasn’t much display space for any of the dealer-ships, so people would order cars and that would come in a couple of weeks.

Along with many car deal-erships, there were also a number of pharmacies and grocery stores.

“Where Skyline is there was an apothecary shop, Jimmy John’s was another pharmacy, Kroger has been in Oxford for a long time and it used to be on High Street

in one of the middle blocks,” Kyger said.

Brick Street Bar and Grill was the Miami Western Theater, and the Princess Theater used to be the Talawanda Theater. At the time, each only had one large screen.

There were two or three men’s and women’s clothing stores, which offered lots of options and left no need to travel out of Oxford to go shopping.

“I work at Brick Street and peo-ple will come to visit what used to be the theater,” said Miami Univer-sity senior Kristen Stipek. “It’s cra-zy how different everything is, just from freshman year to now there has been a lot of changes with the buildings uptown.”

According to Kyger, during the 1960s, uptown was a major trade area and the hub of com-mercial activity in Oxford. By the end of the 1960s and early 1970s, there was a migration of stores leaving the uptown area and moving to locations near the present locations of Kroger

and Wal-Mart.

During the 1960s, the Historic Architecture Preservation Com-mission (HAPC) came to life.

A Frugals burger joint came to town, but instead of opening in one of the buildings, they came in a trailer and set it down, hooked up to the water and sewer and opened up.

This upset a lot of citizens, and they decided to create the HAPC to keep the original look of uptown Ox-ford. HAPC decided new designs need-ed to fit in with the look of other build-ings. This also protects the brick road, Kyger said.

“Red brick is forever, it has been and will always be there,” Kyger said. “If they’re taken up for construction, they will be

put back down.”Since the 1960s, Miami has

grown tremendously. According to Valerie Elliot, head of the Smith Library of Regional History, there were 6,937 students at the time. Oxford’s permanent popu-lation was approximately 4,139, a little more than half of today’s 8,000 residents.

The buildings uptown have changed back and forth be-tween single-story and larger buildings. Ac-cording to Ky-ger, the addi-tions currently happening up-town are going back to the way many build-ings were in the 1960s. While there is talk about whether it is good to have all apart-

ments uptown mainly for students, he said it is a positive for the busi-nesses because students are right there to go buy what they need.

The Cupboard occupied the space where 45 East Bar and Grill is currently located.PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE SMITH LIBRARY OF REGIONAL HISTORY

“It was a way different uptown in the 1960s, there was a Chrysler dealership uptown where Phan Shin is, a Chevrolet, Pontiac,

Buick and Ford dealership where the new

DuBois uptown is and American Motors was next

to where Stella is.”

ALAN KYGERECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR

CITY OF OXFORD

A look back in time

Uptown in the 1960s looks similar to the uptown of today.

Ban on Four Loko takes effect

ERIN

KILL

INGE

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iami S

tuden

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TuesdayNovember 30, 2010 5

HANNAH MILLER The Miami Student

FeaturesEditorHunter Stenbackfeatures@miamistudent.net

PHOTO: MICHAEL GRIGGS

Anyone can become a new person when they get to college. Anyone can work hard. But not everyone will have an impact on their peers like Julian Mavunga.

A 6-feet-8-inch junior forward and two-year letter winner on Miami University’s bas-ketball team, Mavunga used to be the shy guy, but came to college with a new attitude. He became more outgoing, making an effort to make new friends, focusing on his game both on and off the court and being a more positive person overall. Mavunga returns to the 2010-11 season as the team’s top scorer, rebounder and assist man. He’s got a lot rid-ing on this year’s performance.

“He had a good year last year, and this year we’re expecting him to have an even bet-ter year, a much better year,” Basketball Head Coach Charlie Coles said. “If he can stay away from injury, I think he’s ready to go.”

An impact player

Julian’s dedication was what stood out to the coaches that helped recruit him, two of whom are no longer at Miami. One of those coaches, Frankie Smith, left to become head coach at Saginaw Valley State University just before Julian’s freshman year in 2008. Smith said watching Mavunga’s game in the summer had a large influence on Miami’s choice in recruiting him.

“He’s going to be one of the best players on the team, if not the best,” Smith said. “When I saw him this summer, I specifically told him, I said, ‘Look, man, it’s time for you now to become one of the best players in the league,’ and he said, ‘You’re right, coach.’”

Ryan Pedon was the other coach who heavily recruited Mavunga. Pedon, now coach-ing at the University of Toledo, coached Mavunga during his first two years at Miami. Mavunga said Pedon was the main communication between himself and Miami.

“He was a guy I could trust and that I could talk to about things,” Mavunga ex-plained. “Ultimately, he was the guy that I called and said, ‘Hey, I’m planning on coming here.’”

Pedon said he and the rest of the coaching staff were impressed by the type of kid Mavunga was, especially the potential he had to become a great basketball player.

“What stood out to me was his size, his versatility and how well he was able to move for a guy his size,” Pedon said, noting Mavunga would become a real impact player. And he did. “His approach to the game on and off the court has changed from the time that he came in as a freshman until the end of his sophomore year. His diet, his eating habits and how he took care of his body all changed.”

More than anything, Pedon thought Mavunga has brought a physical presence to the team, but he’s brought a presence to the entire school.

Catching his stride

Coles is a man who has seen Mavunga more than Mavunga’s family has over the past two years. He’s familiar with Mavunga as a person today, but not so much with Mavunga’s quiet high school days.

“Julian Mavunga, right?” Coles asked. “I could never believe that guy was shy.”

After Smith brought up Mavunga’s name with the coaching staff, Coles said his fellow coaches made it their business to fol-low him. Coles thought Mavunga was perfect for the team, that he had great ability and could only get better.

His freshman year, though, was a bit shaky. He’d had knee problems in high school that continued throughout the year.

“He would show a lot of promise at times, but at times he wouldn’t,” Coles said. “I don’t think he was physically ready to go.”

During that time, Mavunga got to know redshirt se-nior guard and forward Antonio Ballard. The two are both from Indiana, Mavunga from Brownsburg and Ballard from Jeffersonville, and became close through how competitive they both were.

That competitiveness came out as Mavunga came back strong after surgery before his sophomore year, and he spent the summer leading up to his junior year working even harder.

“Julian brings a lot of energy,” Ballard said. “He helps out with directing, and he gives us motivation. He can always keep a smile not only on his face, but oth-ers’ as well, and I think that’s a great respect to have on any team.”

Coles said Mavunga has become more mature now as a player, meeting and inspiring people on a daily basis.

“I don’t quite know what it is, but he’s got it,” Coles said.

Watch it, John Wall

Sitting at Miami’s Shriver Center, Mavunga is a genuinely happy guy, waving every few minutes to friends who walk by. As it becomes more crowded, every few minutes changes to a few times per min-ute, and it seems as though everyone knows him. One of those people is Rob Brandenburg, a housing and dining employee at Shriver.

“He’ll come in here and talk to everybody,” Brandenburg said of Mavunga’s unique personality. “Most basketball players and football players keep to themselves, but he’s like a family member com-ing in here. He’s a blast to be around, he’s got a great attitude and he’s the full package, really.”

Anyone at Shriver can see it. Mavunga heads to the food court to grab lunch, but doesn’t get around

to picking out food for a good five to 10 minutes. For some, it’s a, “Hey, man, what’s up?” and others a longer conversation about how it’s been forever since the two have seen each other. Regardless, Mavunga knows almost everyone, and he’s made the effort because he wants a fuller life. After two years at Miami, he’s got it.

“I might have one of the most charismatic personalities on campus,” Mavunga said, not in a conceited way, though, then recalling Miami’s game against the University of Kentucky last fall.

“I remember taking a charge on John Wall,” Mavunga said of the No. 1 draft in the NBA last year. “He was like, ‘Uh, you flopped on that,’ or something like that, and I just kind of smiled about it and was like, ‘Maybe a little bit.’”

Mavunga said even though you’ve got a game to play, it doesn’t mean you can’t be-come friends with your opponents.

“From then on, back and forth, maybe if I made a shot, he’d be like, ‘That shot was luck,’ and I would come back to him and he’d miss a shot and I was like, ‘Uh, if you’re going to go to the NBA, you better make more shots than that,’” Mavunga said. “I could have just been like, ‘Yeah, whatever,’ and let the game continue. It’s kind of weird the way that people can communicate and that they’re on the same page during a basketball game.”

He doesn’t have a secret for his game off the court, though, except for the fact that he loves meeting people. In high school, Mavunga kept to himself and knew he was thought of as just “one of those guys” on the basketball team. After moving from inner-city Indianapolis to the suburbs before his freshman year of high school, he became un-happy and didn’t try to make many friends, though he managed to lead the Brownsburg Bulldogs to win the state championship that year as the team captain, a fact he didn’t even mention.

“I didn’t try to talk to people,” Mavunga said, sounding angry with himself for time wasted. “I was a lot to myself and more often than not just didn’t let myself have a good time. A lot of people would perceive me as a prick or just self-centered. People would try to interact with me, but I was very short with them.”

To this day, there are maybe five people from high school he says he still talks to on a consistent basis. Mavunga’s clearly got a few more friends than that.

By Catherine Couretas For The Miami Student

As Kent State University won in a surprise upset over Ohio Univer-

sity, Miami University football has a chance to continue its success against Northern Illinois University (NIU).

The Mid-American Conference (MAC) championship game will be played at Detroit’s Ford Field Dec. 3. The NIU Huskies won the MAC West with an 8-0 MAC (10-2 over-all) record. With Miami’s MAC East Champion football team playing out its season with a title of 7-1 (8-4 over-all), this is a wonderful time for the student body to encourage the team to take a win from the Huskies.

The turnaround for the football team is something in which all Mi-amians can take pride. The team has already reversed its record of 1-7 from last year, and the RedHawks are currently America’s most improved team in college football.

Just as the team is re-emerging (alongside the fact that tickets for all

students to the game in Detroit will be free), the editorial board of The Miami Student feels this is a chance for many students to also change their record of attendance at football games. Since the opportunity for a bowl destination won’t be determined until Dec. 5, this Detroit game may be one of the last opportunities to feasibly show stu-dent support for the team. Carpool-ing is a great idea, and transportation for a fee will be provided by Miami student organizations.

Kickoff for the game is set for (7 p.m.) Friday. With only a five hour drive to such a momentous game for Miami, students should do their best to make supporting the football team a priority.

The support can show the school is prepared to wear the title of champion and to display that title proudly through both the performance of the team and the attendance and support from the student body.

➤ EDITORIAL

Football team deserves student support

CHAD STEBBINS The Miami Student

Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826

The Miami StudentEDITORIAL BOARD

Erin Fischesser Editor in Chief Thomasina Johnson News EditorErin Maher Managing EditorScott Allison Online EditorJohn Luckoski Editorial EditorJessica Sink Editorial EditorStephen Bell Campus Editor

Amelia Carpenter Campus Editor Amanda Seitz Campus EditorBethany Bruner Community Editor Michael Solomon Sports EditorHunter Stenback Features EditorSamantha Ludington Photo EditorHannah Miller Art Director

The following piece, written by the editorial editors, reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.

Opinion

Racial backgrounds shape perceptions

Two weeks ago, I wrote a strongly worded let-ter to the editor concerning the planned “Indian Theme Party.” There are many legitimate critiques of the letter, and I apologize for any hurt or mis-understanding the letter evoked among Miami University students. I do, however, stand by the core message of my letter: the Indian Party showed enormous poor judgment and disrespect toward the Miami Tribe, as well as the values of our campus community, and the party was yet another nega-tive contribution toward our university’s campus racial climate.

Our country is deeply divided by race. Ac-cording to the work of Professor Gary Orfield, in 2006-07, the average white student in the U.S. attended a high school that was 75 percent white and only 13 percent of white students attended a high school where white students made up 50 per-cent or less of the student body. Such experiences are not necessarily representative of every student on campus.

Still, these relatively homogeneous environ-ments affect many of us and our perceptions of one another whether we realize it or not (try Googling “implicit bias”). College is a rare opportunity to break the cycle of homogeneity by engaging with racial diversity and learning from each other’s dif-ferences. Unfortunately, incidents like the “Indian Theme Party” do little to promote a climate of in-clusiveness and trust in our community.

I treasure the relationships I have built with my white colleagues and students. I see these people as individuals, but also recognize their racial back-ground has shaped many of their experiences and viewpoints, just as my background as an Asian-American has shaped many of mine.

I believe that together we have a collective re-sponsibility to make Miami a place where students of all races and ethnicities flourish as students, and part of that responsibility involves challenging ac-tions that perpetuate racial ignorance, whether such ignorance is intentionally fostered or not.

JuLIE J. PARkAssIsTAnT PROfEssOR

EDucATIOnAL LEADERshIPPARkJJ@muOhIO.EDu

Greek community acquires strong leader

Dec. 1 not only welcomes a new month, but it’s also the day the Greek community at Miami University welcomes a strong new advocate, Jenny Levering. As a former Greek student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill I can speak to the great leader and advocate your community is getting.

I worked with Jenny as both a chapter officer and a member of the Interfraternity Council Executive Board. Jenny is a woman who poured her heart into strengthening all of the chapters in the Greek community. She supported chapter and council events in whatever way was asked, provided counsel and guidance to Greek leaders and stood up for our interests to other university administration.

The presence Jenny brought to our community in Chapel Hill is what has allowed us to remain one of only two self-governed Greek systems in the United States. It has been Jenny’s guidance and continuity that allowed that system to sustain. The Miami Greek system should be thrilled to have gained her presence — it’s one that Carolina will not soon forget and one that will be dearly missed.

shAnE cAPPsunIvERsITy Of nORTh cAROLInA-chAPEL hILL

skcAPPs@gmAIL.cOm

Miami has diversity of thought

I have a few issues with Joseph Gioffre’s Nov. 18 letter entitled “Park’s opinion elevates racial tension.” If celebrating part of Miami Univer-sity’s affiliation with the Miami Tribe means “getting trashed,” then it’s not an affiliation worth celebrating.

First, how does perpetuating stereotypes about another person’s race or ethnicity in the name of a tradition begin to show the respect they deserve?

The insensitivity toward any feelings the themed party would have stirred up just go to show that in spite of the long relationship between the university and the Miami Tribe, students are ignorant of that history. (If the administration is concerned about diversity, how about starting by making a course in the history of the Miami Tribe a required part of the curriculum?)

Concerning the issue of Miami Redskins mer-chandise sold on campus, the persistence of the symbol is more a matter of people’s unwillingness to let go of traditions than with the acceptability of the symbol itself. Just consider the mascot for the Cleveland Indians.

In what world is an image like that still accept-able? Can you think of any other ethnic groups that are used so widely as sports mascots? While we obviously do not live in an era of mandated seg-regation, we still do live in one of ignorance and voluntary segregation.

That is not to say people from different back-grounds don’t associate with each other, but that especially on a campus such as Miami’s it is typi-cal to overhear disparaging statements directed at groups to which one doesn’t belong.

Whether that means expressing frustrations over an international student’s English when working on a group project, or racial slurs people let out more easily when they’ve have a few too many beers, this issue is and will continue to be an issue Miami will struggle with until we become more willing to talk about our differences.

In contrast to what Gioffre writes, failing to ac-knowledge something as vital as someone’s culture when you interact with them is doing the individ-ual and yourself a disservice. I’m not calling for a world where appearances, first impressions or even culture become the overriding factors in how inter-act with each other, I only wish to emphasize it is our differences that shape both who we are and our experiences here at Miami.

There is no hiding the fact that Miami has a problem with physical diversity, but I stubbornly believe what it lacks in physical diversity it makes up for in diversity of thought, which is an important aspect of any university’s atmosphere.

That said, I wholeheartedly support Dr. Park’s willingness to confront the lack of thought and con-sideration shown by the theme party. It’s because of people like her that I didn’t give up hope on Miami long ago.

JIbRIL AImAnEsI IkhAROIkhAROJA@muOhIO.EDu

➤ LETTER

➤ Write us

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e-mail to:

editorial@miamistudent.net

We reserve the right to edit for length, content and clarity.

TuesdayNovember 30, 20106 Editors

John LuckoskiJessica Sink

editorial@miamistudent.net

Rule of thumbMiami football

MAC championship, here we come!

Only three more weeks of fall semester

It’s a sprint to the finish. Ready, set, go!

Christmas lights in Oxford

The beautiful lights certainly put everyone in a holiday mood.

End of Thanksgiving break

The whirlwind of family, turkey and homework left little time for relaxation.

Finals and term papers

Why does the word “studying” have “dying” in it? Ironic.

Four Loko ban

Why all of the sudden decide it is dangerous?

New Provost Bobby Gempesaw

Welcome to Miami University!

Crowded King Library

No one likes fighting for a seat at the end of the semester.

Cyber Monday online discounts

Online purchases can now be better justified with such great deals.

Opinion

➤ ESSAY

THE MIAMI STUDENT

Nov. 2, Oklahoma placed a ban on the sale of any pre-mixed “alcoholic en-ergy drinks (PAEDs),” such as the popu-

lar Four Loko drink, pending “the safety of these products.” Nov. 11, Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire an-nounced a state ban on alcoholic energy drinks, citing an in-cident in which nine underage teenagers were hospitalized after consuming Four Loko.

Nov. 14, New York Gov. David Pater-son reached an agreement with Phusion Projects, the maker of Four Loko, to stop selling the drink in New York City. Utah and Michigan have also banned or have limited access to these drinks.

According to the manufacturer’s web-site, Four Loko comes in a 23.5 ounce can and has either 6 percent or 12 percent alcohol content by volume. Four Loko is one of many PAEDs currently available, including Joose, Tilt, Sparks and Catalyst. Critics claim mixing caffeine with alco-hol can be deceiving because the caffeine masks the level of intoxication the person is experiencing.

This government crackdown on PAE-Ds is misguided and ineffective for three main reasons. First, a ban does nothing to stop people from mixing caffeine and alcohol, which the ban claims is the main danger of PAEDs. Second, the govern-ment has no right to declare what is in the public’s best interest or what an in-dividual should or should not consume. Third, the government should not pick and choose what it should and should not regulate in a reactionary manner.

First, the various government bodies trying to ban PAEDs are citing the combi-nation of alcohol and caffeine as the main reason PAEDs should be pulled from shelves. However, this ban does nothing to address that problem, it simply makes buying PAEDs illegal. A consumer could buy a Red Bull and bottle of Jägermeister to make a Jägerbomb, which has similar effects to a PAED, but not buy the two already mixed together. Caffeine is al-ready a very common ingredient in many mixed drinks and shots, and PAEDs just make it more convenient because it’s pre-mixed. Buying PAEDs is even argu-ably safer than having consumers mix the drinks themselves because the ingre-dients and alcohol volume are listed on the can and the consumers know exactly what they are consuming.

Second, the authority to declare what is in the citizens’ best interest is the re-sponsibility of the citizen, not the govern-ment. The government’s responsibility is to present citizens with the necessary in-formation for them to make an informed decision regarding their personal behav-ior. The government requires warning labels, ingredient listings and an age limit on PAEDs, all presenting consum-ers with the information they should take into consideration. The government declaring what is in a person’s best inter-est is dangerous territory and could lead to further invasive government regula-tions. Smoking has been scientifically proven to cause multiple diseases, but the government allows citizens to make the choice whether or not to smoke ciga-rettes. Yes, many Americans make bad choices, but that’s their own fault, not the government’s.

Third, the government cannot pick and choose what it regulates. Patterson only pursued banning the sale of Four Loko, and none of the other PAEDs. This effec-tively does nothing to address the prob-lems associated with PAEDs, but merely satisfies critics of Four Loko. What makes Four Loko different from all the other PAEDs, which Patterson did not ban the sale of? Nothing. It’s just more popular. Gregoire banned PAEDs in Washington only after the hospitalization of nine Central Washington University students made national news. All nine of these students were first-years and under the age of 21, the minimum age stated on the can to consume the beverage. How-ever, Gregoire wanted to calm public outcry and banned PAEDs in the state. Reactionary regulations and laws are a dangerous precedent for governments to set and have few long-term advantages. Many of the actions pursued by the vari-ous states in banning or regulating PAE-Ds show little concern for the root causes of underage drinking or binge drinking and instead place the responsibility solely on the drink manufacturer.

Going Loko should be a choice

➤ LIBERTY AND JUSTICE

In an economy that has seen only downfall in the last five years, college is becoming increasing-ly expensive. There is an increasing trend of not being able to pay for school rather than not being able to succeed in school. If tuition costs $7,605 a year and textbooks cost $1,137 a year, the average student is spending 13 percent of their total col-lege costs on textbooks and materials, according to www.collegeboard.com.

While it is unlikely accredited four-year institu-tions will lower tuition fees, it is very feasible to lower the cost of textbooks. The college textbook business is very lucrative. According to The Mon-treal Gazette, the major companies, which include Pearson and McGraw-Hill, earn $4.5 billion, but the era of eBooks is here, and the academic com-munity as a whole needs to embrace it.

California has enacted a law that will be effec-tive in 2020. It makes any individual or company selling textbooks to the University of California, California State University or private colleges to make textbooks available electronically, according to www.vcstar.com. Leave it to California to pave the way for “green” laws. But there are many more advantages to eBooks than just being “green.”

They are more affordable. An experiment, conducted by Digital Trends, showed in the long run purchasing books on the Amazon Kindle or iPad can save money compared to buying new books in an on-campus bookstore, according to www.kltv.com.

They have better portability. Students with more than three textbooks in their bag might experience up to 20 pounds or more of weight exerted on their backs. With the Kindle (1.1 pounds) or the iPad (1.5 pounds), the student can store upwards of thousands of titles.

They are green. There is no tangible garbage when using eBooks or downloadable books, un-less you print out the receipts from your purchase.

This is not to say there aren’t some downfalls.Although money can be saved through eBooks,

it would take six semesters, according to the study, to pay off the device used to download the titles from Kindle for the iPad, according to www.kltv.com.

Availability is limited. Of the 15 titles used in the experiment, only four were able to be pur-chased from the Kindle or iPad.

Used books have advantages. If a student wish-es to buy used editions of books, the price may be lower than the eBook cost, not to mention the stu-dent can sell these books back to the bookstore, sometimes receiving an even greater return.

Students have trouble referencing the material. While eBooks allow for highlighting and margin notes, there aren’t page numbers and it is difficult to flip through the material.

We can review the downfalls and note one ma-jor factor that hasn’t been discussed: the technol-ogy is fairly recent and hasn’t had a chance to re-ally catch on. Digital textbooks only make up 3 percent of the total textbook sales market, but are expected to be up to 10 to15 percent by 2012 as more titles are made available, according to The New York Times.

Compare it to DVD sales. When the DVD was first introduced, it was expensive, relatively speak-ing, and there were scarce titles. Now, after the technology has been around for a while and the format has become the commonplace for recorded entertainment, titles have become numerous and the cost has been reduced greatly.

With an increase in prevalence and popularity, the titles are accessible and cost will grow and decrease respectively, creating a cost-friendly text-book market for students and parents alike.

Josh hannahJoshp.hannah@gmail.com

Digital books provide cheap option➤ GUEST ESSAY

➤ GUEST ESSAY

China’s poverty hinders its growthThe poverty and backward-

ness in China have already been thrown far away behind people’s heads. For example, the United States’ news media has begun to switch tones from negative to neutral reporting Chinese news. The New York Times and USA Today have an increasing num-ber of Chinese economic reports instead of arguments on human rights occupy more columns. A few American economists named a new term, “China’s threatening power,” when the world sudden-ly began to focus on the soaring economic development in China, and President Barack Obama pushed Chinese government to raise the Renminbi value in the 2010 G20 Seoul Summit.

When talking about China, most people just know the big cosmopolitan cities such as Bei-jing, Shanghai and Hong Kong. However, there are 23 provinces, four direct-controlled munici-palities, five autonomous regions and two special administrative regions distributed in every cor-ner in China. The truth is not all of them are like Beijing or Hong Kong. There is a very big gap between the rich and the poor, which is widening each year. While a business tycoon owns several luxurious houses in dif-ferent regions or even in different

countries, a large number of peas-ants are still living in shabby soil-made rooms. Those people who sit comfortably and drink coffee in the office and worry about the ups and downs of the stock market have it easy compared to some households that are suffer-ing from hunger and just man-age to get some food for the next meal. So will you still insist that China’s development threatens the world and turn a blind eye to reality?When President Obama, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and other countries’ administra-tive officials came to China, they all stayed in Beijing or Shanghai. However, Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s first female high representative of the union for foreign affairs and security policy, chose to visit Guizhou Province, one of the poorest and most underdeveloped areas in western China, rather than pros-perous regions. She is a wise woman, knowing how to get a balanced and comprehensive view of the real rural China from a small area.

There’s also a one-sided view that China should take the same responsibilities as other devel-oped countries do to relieve the world’s disasters of pov-erty, global warming, resources shortage and energy supplies.

As a matter of fact, China is a developing country with a huge population, severe unbalanced economic development and re-markable regional differences. It’s unrealistic for China to save the world’s economy, let alone believe its power will spread to other countries.

As a business major at Miami University spending four or five years in the Farmer School of Business, I ask Miami students, “Would you like to become an independent thinking person or would you just want to fol-low others’ voices? You spend $12,198 or more every year not for listening to what other econo-mists talk about on Wall Street, but for cultivating your own pro-found thinking system and mak-ing your voice heard some day in the future.”

As a journalism major as well, I know my job is to respect the truth. That’s why I could not sit still and read some news reports targeting America worrying about China’s growth and boost-ing up China’s economy. We should dwell upon the hot topic profoundly and try to figure out our own ways of interpreting and understanding the world.

Qiao songsongQ@muohio.edu

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30 2010 ♦ 7

Combating the senior fifteen A new study done of 1,672 students at Indiana

University found “packing on pounds” increases as students get into their senior year, according to www.msnbc.msn.com. The study showed students become less physically active as they get closer and into their senior year of college. Jeanne Johnston, professor at Indiana Univer-sity Bloomington, said the drop in activity could be from increased stress levels and workloads for upperclassmen.

College, as we all know, is a transitional period. There are so many changes going on in our lives outside of academics. Most of us have moved away from home, are becoming closer to the real world and are figuring out what we want to do with the rest of our lives. Many students also work and intern on top of classes. Don’t forget the social aspects that we also all try to fit in, in one form or another.

Being away from home for the first time is a big life change for most students. College for many stu-dents is the first time they are in charge of their own health and nutrition as well as overall lifestyle choic-es. Not being under mom and dad’s roof anymore means new freedom and responsibility, and for some

it means lack of responsibility for their own health. Not having someone around to remind you not to eat certain foods or to cook meals for you and to choose what’s available can be a major life change.

The study found first-year students spent approxi-mately 16 hours a week doing some sort of physical activity, while seniors spent 12 hours. Students who walked to get places decreased from more than eight hours per week to less than six hours.

I personally gained weight my first year from eating in a dining hall and not being as active as I was in high school, but now as a senior I have lost the weight and work out regularly to stay healthy. I also live off campus, so I can cook for myself, which helps me stay healthier.

I’m not sure how other students on campus feel about weight gain trends. It would be interesting to see this study done on other campuses across the country to see what trends are found. The main fo-cus of weight gain is on the freshman 15, but there are students who don’t meet that criteria.

samantha FriedmanFriedms3@muohio.edu

Ty Gilligan

As fall comes to a close, finals and

the delightfully destructive stress they bring with them are fast approaching.

However, for those of us lucky enough to be upperclass-men, there remains a periphery stress nagging at the back of our minds as we set up group meet-ings, start the study guides for finals and get in that last weekend party. The

stressor? Getting a job.Fortunately, I’m not staring down

the barrel of graduation this year, so I’m focusing on the internship route, but the process is much the same. It all begins with a trip to Career Services. For those of you who haven’t traveled over the bridge and through Western Campus, I would recommend mak-ing an appointment with the experts in Hoyt Hall immediately. They changed my entire plan for internship hunting, resume writing and particu-larly the art of interviewing. Though I left that meeting with an armload of pamphlets and the beginnings of an anxiety attack, I had a few questions I don’t think the staff would have been eager to answer.

While handing over helpful guide number 73, my adviser mentioned in passing the generally accepted rules of dress and deportment during the inter-view process. Casting a rather pointed look at my ensemble for the day, he remarked that my double-pierced ears were too glitzy, my black nail polish was too stark and my mauve and lav-ender dress was too bright. It wasn’t until I was running back to my car, praying to the campus gods I didn’t have a parking ticket, that I started thinking over his advice.

I went back though the pamphlet on interviewing later that day, and in particular the “What to Wear” section. The only colors socially permissible in the professional environment are black, brown and gray (and beige for women in the summertime). Muted patterns are acceptable, dark socks are a necessity, low heels are recom-mended, ties are required and frivol-ity is strictly forbidden. Though this is not surprising information, I was nonetheless irritated upon reflection of this highly gendered code of pro-fessionalism.

Taking a direct quote from the uni-versity’s interviewing guide, all are encouraged not to “be trendy. Dis-tracting jewelry, nail polish, make-up or perfume/cologne should be avoid-ed.” Now which of those professional faux pas are likely to be displayed by males? It’s rather elementary to point out that the professional world is dominated by men. That doesn’t mean women don’t make up a sig-nificant portion of the labor force. Though the gender gap in employ-ment, promotion and salary still ex-ists to a frightening degree, I don’t have the space to elaborate further than the first step into the job process: the interview.

The mold of the typical profession-al is undeniably masculine in origin. Should a suit be the best way to show you are serious about a job? Why not a fashionable outfit that showcases a certain style, a flair for creativity? The purpose of an interview is to persuade a potential employer in a very finite amount of time why you are the best for a job.

Shouldn’t your appearance allow you to make a statement about your-self instead of de-sexualizing you? I understand that a good impression means a well-kept and clean appear-ance, but I also believe standards ought to be evolving with the times. Who is to say what is considered pro-fessional and what isn’t?

I wouldn’t recommend anyone showing up to Spring ICE in shorts and flip-flops, but I encourage all female readers to bear in mind this added burden when joining the work-ing world and not letting it stop them from expressing themselves as a woman entering the workforce. We will face many inequalities as work-ing women, and I hope our generation can further disrupt the gender-appro-priate norms firmly established in the professional world.

Defining professional

attitudes

➤ PERCEIVING REALITY

Karli Kloss

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TuesdayNovember 30, 20108

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HOUSE FOR RENT 3 Bedroom House, 2 full Baths, 2 car garage, washer/dryer, full kitchen, cable and hi speed internet in every room, large closets, all electric utilities, landlord pays water, sewer, and trash. Less than 5 years old. Call Lou @ (513) 658-2590 2 BR TOWNHOUSE NOW RENT-ING for fall 11-12. Great Location one block from campus: 22 E Cen-tral. Well maintained. Large spacious rooms. Off-street parking. Call First Financial Bank (513) 867-5576.

Uptown Apts 2011-12 Across from BW-3s, behind Pour House. 108 S. Main, Permit for 3, $1900 per semester/person. Large kitchen, big living room, A/C, some furnishings. Call Dan, 513-543-4470

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UPDATED TOWNHOUSE FOR RENT - 5 bdrms/2 baths avail for 11-12. Tom (513) 839-0344.

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NEW CONSTRUCTION ONLY 2 BLOCKS TO UPTOWN! 8 bdrms/3 baths avail for 11-12. Security alarm & fire system with sensors in all bdrms. Stainless steel appliances, dishwasher, W/D, central air, park-ing, & large back deck. Tom (513) 839-0344.

ONLY A BLOCK TO CAMPUS! 2 bdrm & 1 bath apt avail for 11-12. Includes DW, central air, W/D, & stainless steel appliances. Renee (513) 839-0354.

apartmeNts

SOUTH CAMPUS QUARTER OPENED August 2010 Modern Liv-ing ~ Contemporary Design -Located across from the REC Center. For more information call (513) 523-1647 or visit southcampusquarter.com

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THE COURTYARDS OF MIAMI one bedroom with study $3300. two bedroom $2300 per student most utilities paid Located on the corner of Central and Main at the bus stop students enjoy living so close to the REC, on site laundry, off street park-ing, and quick access to owner and maintance. Ask about our specials, which are too hot to print. Contact Carolyn at 513-659-5671 or thecourt-yardsofmiami@yahoo.com

Roberts Apartments 2011/12. Great Location! Close to Campus. 2 Blocks from Uptown. Laundry Facilities. Off-Street Parking. Well-Maintained, Spacious, 1-and 2-Bedroom Apart-ments. www.roberts-apts.com 513-839-1426 Village Green Apartments 2 bedroom 2 bath apt. FREE HEAT. $2350 per person per semester. Water, sewer and trash included. 513-523-4532

Houses

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HOUSE FOR RENT 4 Bedroom House, 2 full Baths, 2 car garage, washer/dryer, full kitchen, cable and hi speed internet in every room, large closets, all electric utilities, landlord pays water, sewer, and trash. Less than 4 years old. Call Lou @ (513) 658-2590

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1 TENANT NEEDED For Fall 2011 Housing avaliable for 1 female. 4 bedroom house, 2 bath, $2300/semester, 3 great housemates. Great location 104 Ardmore St. (by the rec). Please contact Anne Halle IMMEDIATLEY at halleak@muohio.edu or call 330-268-8711

few weeks. In addition, the Red and White will try to shut down NIU’s rushing attack, forcing the team to become one-dimensional.

“We have tried to put pressure on the quarterback all season,” senior defensive lineman Will Diaz said.

“We will try to get there as much as possible. They are a very, very good football team. Our most im-portant task is stopping the run. Their running backs and their quarterback are really good and it will be an all-out war, so hopefully we can come out on top.”

On the other hand, Miami has relied on a solid running game in Dysert’s absence. The ’Hawks have also relied on steady play from Boucher, who is averaging 184 yards per game and complet-ing just more than 60 percent of his passes to go with two touch-downs against Temple. The Red and White will continue to open up the playbook with Boucher, but will also look for another solid game from the running backs.

“Austin is a true competitor and works really hard in practice,” Head Coach Michael Haywood said. “He has a lot of confidence in himself. He understands his weak-nesses, but he makes up for his weaknesses because he studies so much tape.”

In addition, the RedHawk

offensive line is completely healthy and has dramatically improved the offense over the past three games.

This will be a big plus for the Red and White, and should give Boucher more time in the pocket against NIU’s swarming linebackers.

Miami will need to continue to play physical football against the Huskies, but the team will also need to continue to play smart football.

The RedHawks have won the time of possession battle in nearly every game this season, the ex-ception coming Oct. 23 in the Homecoming loss to Ohio. Time of possession will be a huge key for the ’Hawks, especially because NIU is 77 in the nation in time of possession.

By Lee Jones Staff Writer

When a computer comes down with a case of the “blue screen of death,” the concerned owner panics and calls In-formation Technology (IT) Services, but this decision could be a mistake if the student did not purchase the computer through Miami University.

There is a great disparity between the costs of service for Miami Notebook com-puters and non-Miami Notebooks.

The cost for a Miami Notebook user to have virus and malware removed from his or her computer is $75.

The job takes between five and seven business days. It costs a non-Miami Note-book user $150 and seven to 10 business days for the same service.

“When you purchase a Miami Note-book, part of the price is going to support those services, so you’ve already pre-paid a bit,” said Cathy McVey, senior director for strategic communication and planning. “IT gives priority to Miami Notebook users.”

One of the services included in Miami Notebook sales is the loaner service.

If a Miami Notebook requires a couple of days in the shop, IT Services will provide the student with a loaner lap-top until the repairs are finished.

Since non-Miami Notebook us-ers do not pre-pay for the service, they are not entitled to a loaner comput-er. Xtend Computers on High Street has a different policy on virus removal and loaner computers.

They charge customers $55 per hour based on how many billed hours of labor the job requires.

“Most virus removal will run one to two billed hours of labor,” said Erik Snider, general manager of Xtend Computers.

“The worst case we may have to do a complete system restore.”

The cost for a complete system over-haul, which requires backing up data and

reinstalling, is $165. “We try to remain as competitive with (Miami IT Ser-

vices) as we can, but obviously they have a bit of an

advantage,” Snider said. Ben Raabe, a technician at Xtend, said loaner computers

go to customers whose computers require extensive work. “We’ve found that generally people appreciate it and they

take good care of them,” Raabe said. “We don’t mind doing it. The best advertisement is a happy customer.”

McVey poses a question to answer critics who would say IT Services is unfair in charging non-Miami Notebook us-ers more money for the same services.

“If you bring your iron to campus and it breaks, do you expect someone at the university to fix it for free?” McVey said.

Miami should not repair alien machines for the same rate as Miami Notebooks, which contain standardized program-ming that streamlines repair labor, she said.

Sophomore Katie Gullickson bought a Macintosh laptop through the Miami University Bookstore, but said if her computer experiences any damage, she would not go di-rectly to IT Services.

“I would call Mac first because I’ve had good experienc-es with their technicians, and then I’d go to IT Services,” Gullickson said.

The student technology fee does not include funding for repairs, according to the IT Services website.

By Kathleen SullivanFor The Miami Student

The Journalism Program at Miami Uni-versity is preparing for a technological upgrade. The department was authorized for five new iPads for professors to in-corporate into the classroom and assist student needs.

According to Richard Campbell, director of the program, the department requested the iPads because of a need to study the ev-er-expanding world of interactive media.

Campbell said the professors could re-ceive the iPads as early as December.

Cheryl Gibbs, professor and assistant di-rector of the Journalism Program, said the iPad will help faculty and students meet the demands of new technology.

“The iPads were requested so that faculty can both become familiar with the way tab-let technology is revolutionizing journalism and demonstrate in class how news is being formatted for tablets,” Gibbs said.

Gibbs said the cost of the iPads were ac-tually smaller than other requests made by the department.

“The iPads were a very small part of our fall technology request,” she said. “The biggest share of the funds went for two new video cameras that will help our broadcast classes move away from tape-based cameras.”

According to Campbell, Miami is

providing the iPads to the professors with funding from student technology fees.

Each semester, students pay a student technology fee, according to Cathy McVey, senior director of strategic communication and planning at Information Technology Services. This fee goes toward increased support desk services, software for student academic use, increased bandwidth and en-hanced classroom technologies.

McVey said the fee for full-time on-cam-pus students is $114 per semester and $168 for off-campus students. The fee evens out for all students, with on-campus students having the reaming amount incorporated into their housing contract.

“The primary use has to be used for stu-dents,” McVey said.

McVey said there is also a pool of funds from the student technology fee that goes through a competitive process for students, faculty or staff to apply for the $525,000 available in funding.

According to McVey, guidelines are in place of what the money can or cannot be spent on, and all proposals have to go through an approval process.

Junior Rachel Petri said the iPads are a good investment.

“The iPads will be a great addition to the classroom and I’m excited to see how the professors integrate them into the class,” Petri said. “It’s very useful especially given the increase in social media and interactive

news sites.”According to Gibbs, the iPads will give

students more multimedia experience. “We (hope) our students will enjoy

using the new cameras and having a chance in class to see newspapers and maga-zines as they are appearing on the iPad,” Gibbs said.

Apple iPads revolutionize Journalism Program

Students with non-Miami Notebooks pay extra IT services fees

“If you bring your iron to campus and it breaks, do you

expect someone at the university to fix

it for free?”

CATHY MCVEYSENIOR DIRECTOR

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION AND PLANNING

THE MIAMI STUDENT Campus TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010 ♦ 9

FOOTBALLcontinued from page 1

He suggested a focus on com-munity education and public dis-cussion may be created.

“I was very impressed with the student response to the incident outside of Stadium,” Elliott said, alluding to an alleged hate crime that occurred in April. “We’re thinking of something along that same vane to extend into

the community.”Most importantly, Elliott said

the city wants all incidents of this type to be reported to police regardless of whether or not a crime was committed.

“We want people to report any sort of incident if they feel threatened and allow police to investigate it,” Elliott said. “If a crime has been committed, then we know exactly what to do. If it’s someone basically who is racist, I don’t know how we counter that except to maybe work together on this problem.”

students. He said this will entail looking at things that prompt stu-dents to transfer.

“One of the challenges we have is that we have pretty severe pen-alties for bad grades,” Hodge said. “Students that make a mistake as we try to push them out of their comfort zone need to be able to recover from that.”

Hodge said adjusting this pol-icy could result in a process for replacing a grade so a bad mark will not necessarily be permanent.

Overall, the senate seemed to feel ensuring retention should be a priority of all Miami staff. Marla McKinney, an administrative as-sistant in University Advance-ment, verbalized this sentiment to the senate.

“I think we can all agree that we are all accountable for each and every student,” McKinney said.

Hodge will make the changes official and set the implementa-tion plan into motion at the board of trustees meeting Dec. 10.

“This is not about any one per-son’s agenda, this is about the university’s agenda,” Hodge said. “We have to collectively figure out how to make this stuff work.”

SPTcontinued from page 1

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is looking for bloggers.E-mail online@miamistudent.net for more information.

The Miami Student

SAMANTHA LUDINGTON The Miami Student

The iPad provides many innovative features that Miami journalism professors are able to use.

By Alex Butler Senior Staff Writer

The Brotherhood faced two of its former mentors over the holi-day break in Bowling Green State University’s Head Coach Chris Bergeron and Western Michigan University’s Head Coach Jeff Blashill. In the end, it was Miami University Head Coach Enrico Bla-si’s RedHawks who nearly swept the smirk of smiling faces with a 3-1 series mark, ending with a 5-1 win Nov. 27.

“I thought we played extremely well on Saturday and I didn’t think we were as sharp as we needed to be on Friday, but obviously a good response with how we played on Saturday,” Blasi said.

Friday it was Blashill, a six-year assistant to Blasi, who mastered a three-goal spark in the third pe-riod, sending the Red and White (9-4-3, 7-3-2-1 CCHA) home with a 5-2 setback.

“We knew they were going to be a tough team, obviously with Blashill as their coach,” senior Justin Vaive said. “They came out and played us really hard as most teams do because of the way we’ve played over the last couple years. (This was) the first night we weren’t doing what we wanted to. We were doing things, but we weren’t clicking. It just seemed like there was something a little off.”

Saturday, Vaive vowed to turn it back on. The tallest man on the

ice at 6 feet 6 inches tall, he aptly made the biggest impression with two scores for the No. 5 team in the land.

“It was pretty cool,” Vaive said. “It doesn’t happen too often and it’s only my second time scor-ing two goals in my four years here. I was just glad I could help the team out when we needed some offense.”

After sweeping Bergeron’s bunch, the RedHawks caught a case of letting up early goals against the Broncos. Their home foe sounded the horn first Fri-day and did the same Saturday at the nine-minute mark on a power play.

As the first period clock dwindled, the RedHawk reverie flashed in the form of junior Matt Tomassoni. With 12.6 seconds left, defenseman Chris Wide-man snared a shot into Bronco territory that was deflected by Tomassoni. The sneaky saucer found its way through Nick Pi-sellini’s five-hole into the goal for Tomassoni’s second netter of the season.

Vaive struck for goal number one next, netting the first lead of the weekend for the Red-Hawks when sophomore Curtis McKenzie found his large frame wide open in front of net. Vaive’s one timer put the ’Hawks ahead 2-1.

“We have a level of expecta-tion for everybody,” Blasi said. “They know their role, they know what they need to do. It’s

a matter of being focused and ready to go execute. Our expec-tations don’t change from day to day for anybody, but it’s nice to see those guys contribute. For us to be successful, we need everybody going.”

Next it was forward Reilly Smith who kept the momentum shift alive. At 10:28, the sopho-more split several Bronco de-fenders and nearly severed the net with a backhand score over Pisellini’s shoulder.

Senior Carter Camper increased his nation-leading assist total to 20 after Smith deflected a pass to senior Andy Miele. Miele bur-ied the chance and distanced the lead to 4-1 before it was Vaive who struck again. Vaive handled a feed from senior Pat Cannone and abused Pisellini’s five-hole again on the short-handed score to make the score a final at 5-1.

“It’s respectable to be in the position that we are at and there is room for improvement,” Blasi said. “We want to be playing our best hockey at the right time and right now we are still improv-ing in a lot of areas and we are still in the hunt for a champi-onship and hopefully make the national tournament.”

Next up for the RedHawks is the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Blue and Gold bring their sparkling helmets to Steve Cady Arena at 7:35 p.m. Dec. 3. The Irish are ranked No. 11 in the country and are currently second in the CCHA.

By Alex Butler Senior Staff Writer

At halftime Nov. 21, Rahmon Fletcher’s Univeristy of Wisconsin Green Bay team-mates shouted at him as he ran into the wrong locker room.

After Saturday’s one point win over Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), that was about as confused as the RedHawks’ opponents were on the Millett Hall hardwood. Fletcher tallied 23 points in the Phoenix 69-65 win before the Red and White fell again Monday 77-56 to San Diego State University to round out the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic.

The No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes (5-0) were next and would only prolong the bleeding with a beating. The Buckeyes, the second top-five team the RedHawks (2-4) have played in three weeks, overpowered a weaker foe and the Red and White shot an abysmal 22 percent in the first half to spark the 66-45 loss.

“Turnovers have been a problem for us so far this year,” senior Nick Winbush said. “We’re turning it over way too much because those are points we just don’t have to give the other team. We’re going to have to clear that up if we want to have success, especially in the MAC.”

The RedHawks’ 7 to 15 assist to turnover ratio in Columbus was a fatal ingredient when combined with the 29 percent shooting for the game. The perimeter defense was also a prob-lem, as the Buckeyes shot 53 percent from three-point land with guard David Lighty go-ing a perfect 4-4 from range.

“We need to play our big guys, Drew Mc-Gee and Vince LeGarza, more because they’re consistent in their efforts and play on the in-side,” Head Coach Charlie Coles said. “Nick (Winbush) and Julian (Mavunga) play on the outside so much sometimes it takes away from their inside presence. Nick is more of a perimeter player, but he needs to shoot more consistently.”

Neither team found net until four minutes into the game when RedHawk Allen Roberts netted two foul shots. The Buckeyes responded with a 9-2 run.

Julian Mavunga hit a three pointer before the Buckeyes went nuts.

The home team reeled off 17 straight for a 22-5 lead. The Red and White woke up with six unanswered points to tighten the margin to 12 at 28-16 as both teams headed to the locker room at the half.

The RedHawks kept playing hard and tight-ened the gap to five points before the Bucks

answered again with a 22-6 run that would not relinquish. Orlando Williams paced the Red and White with 13 points, while Mavunga added 11.

“At points we played some really good bas-ketball, but at other points we went on droughts offensively and defensively,” Winbush said.

Despite the three game losing skid, the smil-ing face of senior Antonio Ballard appeared to spark the ’Hawks over the weekend. The forward returned to his No. 35 jersey Nov. 20

against IUPUI and put in 14 points while rip-ping down five rebounds.

“I feel like I can bring a lot to the team just

because of the energy,” Ballard said. “We all feed off of each other. We all just try to get each other going. I’m a senior, so I want to try to motivate my team as much as I can, and I just try to contribute as much as I can. Sit-ting out for a while is a pain, but you notice so much while you’re out. I tried playing with that some and going slower than I normally would and it seemed to work, but coming back is awesome and it feels good. I’m glad to be back!”

The Red and White continue their interstate tour when they host the Xavier University Musketeers at 7 p.m. Dec. 1 at Millett Hall.

SportsTuesdayNovember 30, 201010 Editor

Michael Solomonsports@miamistudent.net

Welcome back everyone. If your break was anything like mine,

you can’t wait for finals to be over and to get home again. Last week’s festivities got me thinking, though. I have a lot to be thankful for, especially right now.

For starters, I’m thankful for Thanksgiving football. Everyone has his or her own Thanksgiving traditions, but the best hands down is the Turkey Bowl. Many people have their own games they play in every year.

Thanksgiving football is as im-portant to the day as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. There’s nothing quite like getting out on the field with your friends and pretend-ing you know what you’re doing as you throw yourself up and down the field trying to take down your best friends and family members.

I’m also thankful for my favorite NFL team. I can honestly say I never would have pegged my Chicago Bears to be on top of the NFC North this late in the season, let alone the second best team in the NFC. It just goes to show that anything can hap-pen in the NFL.

Between the Bears’ surprise run, the St. Louis Rams being tied for their division lead just a season af-ter going 1-15 and having the first pick in the NFL draft and the Colts not playing like the best team in football (let alone their division), this NFL season is easily the most unpredictable one in years, and I like it.

I’m also thankful for hockey. The RedHawks may not be undefeated, but they are the best team east of the Great Lakes and the season is just gearing up.

With University of Notre Dame coming up this week-end and dates against The Ohio State University and University of Michigan still ahead, the best part of the hockey season is still coming up.

Not only that, but NHL season is in full swing. With the NHL in non-Olympic years comes an All-Star Game that follows in the great NHL tradition of changing the format. For the third time in 10 games, the NHL has changed the way the teams for the All-Star Game are chosen.

Having dabbled in North America versus the world and the traditional East-West showdowns, the NHL took a page out of the pond hockey playbooks and decided to have the two team captains pick teams just like they do in gym class.

Fans vote for six players to get the first six roster spots. Then, the league will name the other 36 players for the game, ensuring that each team has 12 forwards, six defensemen and three goalies after the draft.

The pool of 42 players will choose a team captain and two alternate cap-tains for each side. Jan. 28, the team captains will draft their squads live on television with order determined by a coin toss.

Most of all, I’m thankful for Head Coach Mike Haywood and the Red-Hawk football team.

Last year, sitting in my apartment early Sunday morning, the sun shin-ing down into my kitchen overlook-ing beautiful Tel Aviv and the Medi-terranean Sea, I couldn’t help but be depressed as most of those Sunday mornings included a harsh reminder of how bad the program had gotten.

After that rough first season, Haywood and company have really turned things around. With Miami’s first bowl berth since 2004 just a few weeks away and the chance to take home the first MAC championship since the days of a certain Pittsburgh Steeler coming up on Friday, ev-erything’s coming up RedHawks, err, roses.

Love and Honor!

What I am thankful for

AdamHainsfurther

Hainfurther’sHoller

RedHawks fall to BuckeyesMEN’S BASKETBALL

MICHAEL GRIGGS The Miami Student

HOCKEY

’Hawks return to top of CCHA

Senior captain Carter Camper winds up for a shot Nov. 13 against the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.

MICHAEL GRIGGS The Miami Student

NEXT HOME GAME: 7:35 p.m. Friday, vs. University of Notre Dame

NEXT HOME GAME: 7 p.m. Wednesday, vs. Xavier University

Junior guard Chris McHenry looks for the basket Nov. 26 against Ohio State Univeristy.