By Jenni WienerSenior Staff Writer

Are you sick of almost be-ing hit by traffic while walking across High Street to class?

The public is invited to review and comment on a new proposal to re-route traffic on U.S. Route 27 to avoid Miami University’s campus and the uptown portion of High Street.

An open house is being held by the City of Oxford and the Ohio Department of Transporta-tion from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20 in the Talawanda High School auditorium.

“The city has been wanting to do this for a long time,” said Jay Hamilton, traffic planning engi-neer for the Ohio Department of Transportation.

He said the city is looking at a couple options for the re-route.

Trucks currently take Pat-terson Avenue to High Street, a high pedestrian area. The study involves looking at run-ning truck traffic down Chestnut Street and then onto Main Street or Locust Street to reconnect with Route 27.

Doug Elliott, Oxford city manager, said the study came about through a northwest But-ler County transportation study that was looking at connecting

Route 27 with Ohio Route 73.In 2008, however, it was de-

cided the city would look at re-routing instead of connecting the two highways.

“Two resolutions were drawn up in 2008,” Elliott said. “One requests re-routing be evalu-ated for pedestrian safety and traffic flow. The other expands the study area and states that a connector between the two highways should only be con-sidered if the safety study indicates necessary.”

The objective is to improve pedestrian safety on High Street, Hamilton said.

According to Elliott, 30 per-cent of traffic in Oxford is traffic that travels through the city and continues outside it. The other 70 percent comes to Oxford for the benefit of the local shops and stores.

“High Street has an average of 10,000 vehicles a day travel down it,” Elliott said. “At peak hours, 2,500 pedestrians cross at Campus and High streets and there are 460 crossing at Main and High streets. There are only 60 crossing at Locust Street, which means that re-routing traf-fic there could be generally safer for pedestrians and vehicles.”

The project is estimated to cost between $2 million and $5 million for intersection im-provement, road widening and sidewalk installation. Federal earmarks will pay for most of this project, but additional fund-ing will be needed, Elliott said.

“There are several options for the funding,” Hamilton said. “We would seek federal and state funding through OKI (Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Re-gional Council of Governments) or Ohio Public Works.”

The timeline for the project has not been determined, Elliott said. After the Jan. 20 meeting,

By Alex ButlerStaff Writer

A thunderous thump echoed around Miami University’s Gog-gin Ice Center Saturday as a puck pelted the padding of goalkeeper Cody Reichard.

Reichard earned his second straight start in what is usually a goalkeeping timeshare with Con-nor Knapp in a weekend sweep over the Bowling Green State University Falcons concluding with a 3-1 win Saturday. In the victory Reichard had a team sea-son-high 30 saves.

“He was great,” Miami Head Coach Enrico Blasi said. “He knew and we knew they were go-ing to come out hard, that they might throw everything at the net and they did. He had some big saves and he’s part of the team. We need that.”

Known for keeping the goal-keeping timeshare in rotation, Blasi hinted Reichard’s starting nod Saturday could mean more time between the pipes.

“We didn’t split them this weekend, so that might answer the question,” Blasi said.

The ’Hawks (13-8-3, 10-6-2-1 Central Collegiate Hockey As-sociation (CCHA)) entered the weekend on a three-game sour skid and hope that the broom sweeping can turn things around.

“We definitely needed it,” soph-omore Reilly Smith said. “We came out and let up a goal and we weren’t organized. We came back with urgency, and it’s definitely

done a lot for our confidence as a team. A lot of guys were down just because things weren’t go-ing the way they wanted them to. Hopefully this starts something.”

It was the Falcons (7-17-2, 2-14-2-0 CCHA) who started the scoring Saturday. At 5:27 in the opening period, Brett Mohler drilled a one timer off of a Falcon faceoff by Reichard to make it 1-0. The RedHawks roared back as senior Andy Miele pulled the defense and the Falcon net mind-er to the left before finding Smith on the right side. Smith sent it scorching by the unbalanced keeper with an absolute sizzler. The one timer made it 1-1 at the 6:29 mark.

At 7:57, junior Trent Vogelhu-ber wanted in on the action. Smith spotted skates slipping by the blue line and found the jersey with the long name.

Vogelhuber touched the feed out of the reach of the defender and squirted around the left side. Just as the Falcon goalkeeper made his move, Vogelhuber lifted

the puck and backhanded it into the net for what would be the decisive score.

“The guys played really good in front of me,” Reichard said. “We bounced back, and that was a big step for us. They are a well-coached team, so we knew they were going to come hard tonight. They definitely wanted to get one for Berg (Head Coach Chris Bergeron). No doubt about that. They are going to get better.”

Miele found Smith again with a beautiful cross-ice pass that Smith hit from the center and into the net for the 3-1 RedHawk lead. Neither team scored in the second and third periods, and the Red and White throttled the Falcons de-fensively to seal the home sweep.

Senior Carter Camper had one assist on the night, but because of Miele’s two helpers the team-mates are now tied atop the nation in points.

“Hopefully that’s what we needed to jumpstart our energy

The Miami StudentTuesday, January 18, 2011

Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826MIAMI UNIVERSITY OXFORD, OHIOVOLUME 138 NO. 31

COMMUNITY

In 1972, The Miami Student reported a powerline overload caused a blackout in some parts of Oxford, leaving some residents without heat in freezing weather for three hours.

BY THE NUMBERS

Team season-high number of saves by Cody Reichard:

30

By Thomasina JohnsonNews Editor

Starting this semester, certain service learning (SL) designated courses at Miami University will cost students an extra $50.

The added fee was approved by the board of trustees to offer the services provided by Miami’s Office of Community Engagement and Service (OCE&S) and to expand the of-fice, according to Monica Ways, director of the OCE&S.

“SL is a new formal initiative that was started in 2009,” Ways said. “There was no designated funding for SL courses, and they show a lot of promise.”

Only courses that use OCE&S resources will add the $50 fee. Most of the SL-desig-nated courses do not require the fee because

the professors who teach the courses do not need the coordination, support or transporta-tion services of the office, Ways said.

Ways said the fee may be waived for students who cannot afford the price.

According to Ways, SL is a learning approach that takes students out of the classroom and into the community. Students work at volunteer projects that are selected for their educational impact.

The public relations in strategic and mass communications capstone, taught by Clinical Faculty Member Bill Brewer, is one of the courses affected by the new fee.

Brewer’s course works with the Talbert House in Cincinnati, a social service non-

profit organization. The students create a public relations plan, which has been successful with each client the capstone has worked with.

“I understand why people are doing it, but I was a little surprised,” Brewer said of the fee.

Brewer said he received an e-mail toward the end of

fall semester telling professors teaching SL classes the fee would be implemented for OCE&S courses. He has received no com-plaints from students regarding the cost.

“This is not a question about the

importance of service learning,” Brewer said. “The question is how do we fund it?”

For some students, the added cost to use the facilities of the OCE&S for an SL course is not an issue.

Miami senior Kelly Harrington took Ted Wagenaar’s sociology capstone during the fall semester. She worked at Oxford’s Com-munity Choice Pantry for part of the class.

“If I hadn’t had taken the class, I wouldn’t have volunteered, it was a great experience and I still continue working there,” she said.

Harrington said she was shocked by the added fee.

“Fifty dollars is steep for the office’s services,” she said. “They didn’t provide me with a list of hours that I worked and

Reichard denies Falcons in weekend sweep

Select classes add service learning fee

“I understand times are tough, but the

university shouldn’t charge people to volunteer.”

KELLY HARRINGTONSENIOR

wSee SERVICE, page 11

City to hold forum about semi traffic

wSee FORUM, page 11

SPORTS

The RedHawks battle in a a winning game against Bowling Green State University Friday at the Goggin Ice Center.MICHAEL GRIGGS The Miami Student

Miami University students show RedHawk pride at the hockey game Friday.SCOTT ALLISON The Miami Student

Semi truck traffic traveling down High Street may soon be re-routed.ALLISON BACKOVSKI The Miami Student

wSee HOCKEY, page 11

BY THE NUMBERS

Number of vehicles traveling down High Street per day:

10,000Pedestrians crossing Campus and High streets during peak hours:

2,500

NEXT GAME: 7:35 p.m. Friday at Michigan State

IT Services accepts fee proposals

FYI

Campus

Proposals to use portions of the student technology fee are now being accepted.

These proposals will be for stu-dent-focused technology projects on the Oxford campus. Approximately $525,000 is available and students, faculty and staff members are wel-come to apply.

To be awarded parts of the fees, applicants must submit a proposal through a competitive process.

The deadline to submit the fee proposal is Monday, Feb. 14.

There will be a question and an-swer session Thursday, Jan. 20 from 4 to 5 p.m. The session will be pre-sented by IT Services in Shriver Center 241.

All proposals will be reviewed by the university senate IT Policy Committee and approved by the IT Strategic Advisory Council.

NEWSBRIEFS

2Editors

Stephen BellAmelia Carpenter

Amanda Seitzcampus@miamistudent.net

TuesdayJanuary 18, 2011

By Matt LevyStaff Writer

In the world of salary amounts at Miami University, not all academic departments are created equal.

Miami’s 2010 salary roster, a public docu-ment accessible at King Library, shows there is a difference in the amounts of money different department chairs receive across the academic spectrum. Department chairs are funded by a combination of their sala-ries, stipends and additional supplements, according to Janet Cox, assistant provost for personnel.

“Stipends are flat amounts of additional salary that are based on the number of fac-ulty in a department,” Cox said. “It is an additional salary because of the responsibili-ties that go along with having that academic administrator appointment.”

According to Cox, supplements are an-other add on to a department chair’s total salary, which are determined by adding on an additional percentage of the chair’s salary excluding the stipend amount.

Cox said supplements are beneficial because they rise proportionally with pay rates while stipends remain at a flat, fixed amount.

“At some point in the past it was recog-nized that the stipends were really not sig-nificant amounts to compensate chairs for all that they do,” Cox said. “We acknowledge that chairs’ administrative responsibilities

are extremely complex by having (that) additional add on to their salaries.”

Instead of raising stipend amounts, which Cox pointed out could cause problems later if a department chair stepped down, the uni-versity instituted the supplement system for its department chairs. Cox said it would be better for the university to remove supplemental money com-pared to cutting salaries for department chairs once they went back to being faculty members.

“A chair may eventually go back to faculty, and their salaries would be expo-nentially larger,” Cox said. “We don’t want to cut sala-ries. We want to maintain the continuity of faculty base salaries.”

According to the 2010 salary roster, most chair stipend and supplements usually add approximately $2,500 to $15,000 to a chair’s salary.

Patti Newberry, lecturer in the depart-ment of journalism, was not surprised at the discrepancy between different departments.

“It’s not unusual for someone in the the-atre program to make far less than someone in marketing,” Newberry said. “One of the things Miami has been trying to do in recent years is have named professor positions, so the business school is probably the most

successful in that.”According to Newberry, a named profes-

sor position comes with an extra endowment. Professors can earn these positions when the university recognizes significant accomplish-ments he or she has made to teaching.

“You have (the) Ernst and Young (position),” Newberry said. “Another professor gets the Arthur Anderson Alumni profes-sor spot, so it’s not just chairs who can pick up an extra pot of money.”

According to Cox, there are some upper-level aca-demic administrators who are not department chairs but are also eligible to receive stipends.

Junior Heather Boddy, a theatre major, said she

was not thrilled at the difference in how much her department chair makes compared to how much higher prioritized department chairs receive.

“I don’t like it one bit,” Boddy said. “Ours does the same amount of work and puts forth the same effort in getting her department the way she wants it.”

Boddy said she understood why the system is organized the way it is.

“It is understandable because a business department chair might bring in more money for Miami or more students,” Boddy said.

By Jenn SmolaFor The Miami Student

According to recent reports, Mi-ami University continues to be the most expensive public university in Ohio.

The recently increased tuition for incoming Miami students is approximately $12,000 for in-state residents and $27,000 for out-of state residents. Compared with other Ohio schools, Miami’s tu-ition has risen at one of the high-est rates for the 2010-11 year at 7.4 percent, according to recent reports published by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Despite the increase, Miami has been diligent in keeping costs low for students, according to David Creamer, vice president for finance and business services at Miami. Legislation permitted universities to raise tuition by up to 3.5 percent in summer 2009, Creamer said.

“We elected not to do that,” Creamer said, explaining that it would have been disruptive for students to have a last minute tuition increase.

This caused a higher tuition increase later on, according to Creamer. Miami approved a 3 percent tuition increase for the 2010-11 academic year June 25,

2010. Miami, despite its compara-tively high tuition, has a lot to offer its students, according to Creamer.

“There is greater support and greater opportunities for our stu-dents,” Creamer said, mentioning faculty, smaller class sizes and average graduation time as major benefits at Miami. “At other uni-versities you’re going to find a lot more part-time faculty and larger class sizes,” Creamer said.

He also said the average time to graduate at Miami is 3.7 years, the lowest in the state. Financial aid comes into the tuition picture as well. Interim Financial Aid

Director Brent Shock said Mi-ami does its best to attract stu-dents and make their education more affordable.

“We’re working hard to recruit the right types of students,” Shock said, pointing out that Miami had a record first-year class size this year. “Miami uses all its financial aid available to help students pay for college. Generally 76 percent of students are receiving financial aid at Miami.”

For first-year Ethan Vargo, Mi-ami is well worth the cost.

“For the size, for the personal-ization and for the variety of clubs

and organizations that you can join at Miami, I feel like you can’t beat that in regard to value,” Vargo said.

Out-of-state student Casey Smitson lives two hours away in Indiana.

“It seems kind of ridiculous that I live closer than some of the people in Ohio and I’m paying quite a bit more,” Smitson said, but still she thinks Miami is worth it. “Miami is like a private school,” Smitson said. “There aren’t many public schools that are the size of Miami. It’s cheaper than a private school but you can still get a private school feel.”

Miami tops tuition list

Department chair pay differs across university

Songbirds

The Oxford Community Singers perform “Shed a Little Light” at the Martin Luther King Jr. Commerative Program Monday morning.EMILY ESPOSITO The Miami Student

Professor helps identify dinosaur

Brian Currie, an associate pro-fessor of geology at Miami Uni-versity, was part of an interna-tional team that helped discover a new species of dinosaur near the Andes Mountains.

With a long neck and weighing only 10 to 15 pounds, Eodromaeus, or “dawn runner,” is a previously unknown dinosaur that roamed re-gions of South America more than 230 million years ago.

Currie, along with a team of pale-ontologists and geologists, reported the find in the Jan. 14 issue of the Journal of Science, which helps chronicle the birth of the dinosaurs.

In 2009, Currie was also part of a team that uncovered evi-dence of Ardi, the oldest reported hominid skeleton.

Series hosts auction and wine tasting gala

Miami University’s Performing Arts Series is hosting the 21st an-nual Wine Tasting Gala and Auction from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22 at Millett Hall.

Affordable to rare wines will be available along with appetizers from Kona Bistro.

The silent auction includes week-long getaways, event tickets and pri-vate dinner parties among others.

Tickets are available in advance or at the door for $59 per per-son. Tickets for premium pours are an additional $5, six for $25 or 15 for $60.

Proceeds go to outreach activi-ties like workshops, master’s class-es, coffeehouses and discussion with visiting professional artists in the series. These events are pro-vided at no cost for regional students and area community members. The event is sponsored by Kona Bistro.

“We acknowledge that chairs’ administrative

responsibilities are extremely complex

by having additional add on to their salaries.”

JANET COX

ASSISTANT PROVOST FOR PERSONNEL

When you’re finished reading

The Miami Student,

please recycle!

Students pay most in Ohio among public, four-year universities

THE MIAMI STUDENT Campus TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2011 ♦ 3

It’s not everyday someone writes a public letter to terrorists, but after the 9/11 attacks in 2001, Leonard Pitts Jr. used his column in The Miami Herald as a medium to do so. The angry letter served as a topic of national conversation as a result.

Monday, Feb. 7, the Pulitzer Prize-win-ning columnist will present Owning What You Know in Hall Auditorium at Miami Uni-versity. The author and journalist will speak about the current state of public discussion in the U.S. and the struggle to identify truth

in society.Pitts’ professional career began at age 18

in 1976 for SOUL, a national black enter-tainment tabloid. Two years later, he became the editor. In 1994, Pitts began writing his twice-weekly column at The Miami Her-ald and has since won multiple journal-ism awards, including a Pulitzer in 2004 for commentary.

In addition to his column, Pitts is a published author. Pitts wrote Becoming Dad: Black Men and the Journey to Fatherhood

and Before I Forget. He also has a collection of columns called Forward From This Mo-ment and a series called What Works? about programs that improve the lives of black children. Pitts has also taught journalism at three U.S. universities.

Pitts graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor of arts in English and now lives in a Washington, D.C. suburb with his family.

The free event is sponsored by the Journalism Program, the Miami

chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Miami University Special Events Funds, the Center for American and World Cultures and the Department of Political Science.

To read Pitts’ most recent columns, visit to www.miamiherald.com/leonardpitts.

For more information, contact event co-ordinator Patricia Gallagher Newberry at newberpg@muohio.edu or (513) 529-5893.

Reporting by Amelia Carpenter, Campus Editor

Talking to terroristsPulitzer Prize-winning journalist to address public discourse in U.S.

9 , 0 0 0... The number of

Miami Student

readers who will see

Y O U R

To advertise in The Miami Student, please contact Katie Neltner at

neltekj@muohio.edu.

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Sophomore passes out in running car

Community4 EditorBethany Bruner

community@miamistudent.net

TuesdayJanuary 18, 2011

OPD undergoes staff changesBy Leslie ScottSenior Staff Writer

As of Friday, Jan. 21, three officers from the Oxford Police Department (OPD) will be leav-ing the station no longer as em-ployees, but as retired members of the force.

Lt. Robert Holzworth, Officer Ron Brooks and Detective Den-nis “Doc” Barter have all been members of OPD for more than 30 years.

Although the men are retiring, they all feel they could still keep working, Holzworth said.

“We all have a lot of gas in our tanks still,” Holzworth said. “I’m excited for retirement, but I love what I do. I hope that I can come back and work for the city part time.”

According to Holzworth, the three retirees participat-ed in a state program called Deferred Retirement Option Plan (DROP).

This optional program is avail-able to officers and firefighters.

“DROP took money from my retirement fund and placed it in an investment,” Holzworth said. “The money must remain in the investment for a minimum of

three years, but no longer than eight years. The other men along with myself partook in this op-portunity and we are all reaching our eighth year. If we do not re-tire now, we would be forfeiting a large amount of money.”

Both Holzworth and Barter are excited for retirement but don’t feel entirely ready for it yet.

“I have been working as an of-ficer since I was 19 years old,” Barter said. “It is going to be very different not coming in to work. I am used to the rou-tine I’ve been doing for over 30 years.”

OPD Sgt. Jim Squance said he feels a deep sense of loss.

“We are losing a vast expe-rience,” Squance said. “Their expertise and style of policing will be truly missed. Not only are these men knowledgeable about police business, but they know how to do it in a college town. It takes a special indi-vidual to police in a college town, and all three were great at it.”

According to Squance, there comes the good and bad with every situation. The bad is that OPD relies on these men for their certain responsibilities.

However, younger officers will now have the chance to obtain more responsibility.

“Many young officers are looking forward to trying dif-ferent things and they will get that chance with these older of-ficers leaving,” Squance said.

In terms of hir-ing new officers, Squance said it is up to the Civil Service Commis-sion. He is unsure of how soon more officers will be hired.

Holzworth said the hiring pro-cess can take up to a month and a half. He predicts OPD will start the process in February and new officers will be hired in April or May.

“Any department is going to be affected by people leaving,” Barter said. “A lot of experience is leaving, but I know OPD will bounce back.”

The retirees are dealing with their own feelings about the change.

“This is more than a job to me,” Holzworth said. “It is a

calling that we have all found. I love what I do and I am tru-ly blessed to have been here for so long. It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve

this community.”Although OPD

is losing three ex-perienced men, the department already hired a new officer by the name of Cole. He is a nine-month-old German shep-herd who has just joined the force.

He will undergo training for 14 weeks before he is put in the field.

Cole is replacing Simon, a police dog that passed away last year.

“Cole and his keeper are out of the schedule until his training is complete,” Squance said. “Dogs are used as patrol dogs, narcotics dogs and for tracking.”

According to Squance, the dogs used for OPD are treated just like officers.

“They all have done a great job fulfilling their obligation to the city, but they need to be replaced once they retire or move on,” Squance said.

Remembering Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Members of the Oxford and Miami University communities commemorate Martin Luther King Jr. Day at a ceremony Monday morning in Uptown Park.

ALLISON BACKOVSKI The Miami Student

General Assembly aims to repeal tax

“We all have a lot of gas in our tanks still.

I’m excited for retirement, but I love what I do.”

LT. ROBERT HOLZWORTHOXFORD POLICE DEPARTMENT

By Lauren KarchFor The Miami Student

State Republican lawmak-ers began last week to push a bill to eliminate Ohio’s es-tate tax, which is an action that could drastically affect local budgets.

The estate tax is a tax placed on assets left behind after death.

According to information from the Ohio Department of Taxation, taxation is de-termined by wealth.

Currently, the estates of residents with a taxable value of $338,333 or less are effectively omitted from paying the estate tax.

A 6 percent tax rate ap-plies to any net taxable value above that mark up to $500,000. A 7 per-cent rate applies to any net taxable value more than $500,000.

The repeal of the tax will drastically change the way local budgets are funded.

According to Timothy Derickson, one of Butler County’s two state represen-tatives, 80 percent of rev-enue from estate taxes stays in the jurisdiction in which it was collected and 20 percent goes to the state.

With approximately $280 million in estate taxes col-lected per year, $230 mil-lion goes to local and county governments.

Thus, the elimination of the state tax affects the lo-cal jurisdiction more than the state.

While he supports the elimination of the estate tax, his former experience as a trustee for Hanover Town-ship and as an owner of farm-land gives him perspective on both sides of the issue,

Derickson said.“As a property owner,

estate tax is not a good thing,” he said. “As a town-ship trustee, when someone passed away and the town-ship received those funds, I saw the benefit to the town-ship from receiving those funds. I’ve wrestled with this one, I come from it from a lot of perspectives.”

Derickson said townships with small populations, typical of rural localities in Butler County, do not see

a steady stream of income from estate taxes.

Localities receive funding from a variety of sources. Approximately 3 percent of tax revenue collected by the state is returned to local gov-ernments and sent back to lo-cal jurisdictions.

In addition, most juris-dictions have their own levies, income taxes and property taxes.

“I think I speak pretty well for most rural townships when I say that estate taxes are kind of a windfall, they’re not budgeted for,” Derickson said. “From a fiscal perspec-tive, you don’t budget for that revenue stream. If you get it, you put it to good use.”

Derickson said he supports the estate tax repeal because assets at the time of death have already been taxed through sales, property and income taxes.

“I don’t think it’s fair for families to have to pay tax on estates,” he said. “In all hon-esty, it’s already been taxed once. However, I do recog-nize that there is a downside. It can hurt local townships and municipalities.”

The proposed bill will go to committee hearings later this year.

At around 2 a.m. Sunday, Ox-ford Police Department officers in The Wood’s Bar reportedly had someone in custody when a male approached them.

The male, later identified as Wil-liam Steiden III, was reportedly asked to stay back multiple times but continued to tell officers to arrest him instead of the person they had in custody.

Officers reportedly asked Steiden to leave, but he continued to talk be-fore ripping a wristband off his wrist and dropping it on the ground.

Officers reportedly told Ste-iden he had littered and asked him for identification.

Steiden reportedly produced a Kentucky driver’s license that said he was 20 years old.

Steiden reportedly had the odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath and bloodshot eyes.

Steiden also reportedly told of-ficers he “could have run away but stuck around for a friend.”

Steiden was cited for underage intoxication and littering before he was released.

At around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, Oxford Police Department officers responded to a call regarding a run-ning SUV parked in the driveway of 5205 College Corner Pike.

Officers reportedly found a Lexus SUV idling in the drive-way with the headlights on and observed a male passed out in the driver’s seat.

Officers reportedly banged on the window, but the male did not respond.

According to police reports, the officers opened the driver’s side door and smelled a strong odor of alcohol.

The officers were reportedly un-able to wake the male, who was later identified as Miami University sophomore Brock Lucchese, 20.

When the officers finally woke Lucchese, he reportedly an-swered multiple questions with unintelligible replies.

According to police reports, when officers asked Lucchese where he lived, he replied, “Jack-son and Costa Rica.”

Officers reportedly noticed a six-pack of Elephant beer in the back seat of the vehicle and took Luc-chese into custody.

Lucchese was reportedly given a breath test, which showed he had a blood alcohol content of 0.15.

Lucchese was cited for underage possession of alcohol and physical control before being released.

OPD issues citation to junior carrying chairAt around 2 a.m. Monday, an Ox-

ford Police Department officer on pa-trol at the corner of Bishop and Vine streets witnessed a male crossing the street with a lawn chair in one hand and a 30 pack of Natural Light beer in the other.

The officer reportedly stopped the male, later identified as Miami Uni-versity junior Gregory Miller, and asked him where he had gotten the chair. Miller reportedly told the of-ficer he had found it on the side of the road.

When asked for identification, Miller reportedly told the officer he did not have his ID on him, but “had his brother’s.”

According to police reports, Miller was arrested when the officer discov-ered he was 20 years old.

The officer then reportedly found Miller’s Maryland driver’s license in his wallet along with a Florida driv-er’s license Miller said he thought he had lost.

Miller was cited for underage pos-session of alcohol and possession of a fake ID before he was released.

Male asks for arrest, litters in front of officer

BY THE NUMBERS

Approximate amount of estate taxes collected per year:

$280 million

www.miamistudent.net

We are looking for dedicated individuals to join our team and fill the following positions:

Editorial Staff

Editor in ChiefNews EditorOnline Editor

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PICTUREWITH USYOURSELFThe Miami Student is hiring!

Fill out an application online or stop by our office in 17 MacMillan Hall.We will also be at Winter MegaFair from 1 to 4 p.m. Jan. 25 in Shriver MPR.

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Leave the headdress at home

the

It’s tradition, songs and history of what used to be. The Miami University Redskins is a name that mostly alumni have held onto. They know how it used to be. They know better than anyone who is currently enrolled.It has been 14 years since that mascot was eliminated, but some of the traditions linger on.Students have picked up on these traditions, and now the discussion to eliminate them entirely has some up in arms.“I don’t see how they can do this,” Miami University senior Brian Hackman said. “It’s tradition. We’ve always had these things, and now they’re telling us they want to take it away.”Students are confused. The images of the Redskin era still linger in sports arenas and are sold in the Miami University Bookstore, licensed by Miami University itself.These images also send mixed signals to students. The mascot was eliminated at the urging of Miami University’s namesake, the Miami Tribe.“The Indian head (that is still on campus) does effect how students behave,” Coordi-nator of Miami Tribe Relations Bobbe Burke said. “Maybe there is a mixed signal there.”While the mascot was officially eliminated in 1996 at the request of the Miami Tribe, the images still linger.

The time for change is now

The traditions associated with the Redskin name ring loudly throughout athletic events. Students shout and scream, they dance around in celebration, great things for an athletic program that lacks support from students.University administrators are trying to channel that energy in a positive way.In spring 2010, the Miami University women’s swimming team received awards at the 2010 Mid-American Conference championship and student-athletes were photo-graphed wearing headbands with feathers.Those images made it onto the athletic department’s website and immediately had people talking. It’s an incident that was never publicized, and the images were removed immediately.According to Burke, a meeting took place to discuss this incident. It was an issue because that is no longer how the university wishes to be seen.Burke said she met with the athletics staff to discuss this. Band Director Stephen Lytle also joined the meetings after the discussions turned to the “Scalp Song,” a tune played during athletic events to pump up the crowd.At hockey games, students get involved in the tradition of waving goodbye to op-posing players as they are sent to the penalty box. Just before the song ends, they start whooping, a sound made by bouncing your hand over your lips, mimicking a stereotypical Indian war cry.It is an act that many Native Americans consider demeaning, but students at Miami consider to be a part of the school’s tradition.“It’s not offensive,” Hackman said. “We’re not trying to hurt anyone when we do that stuff, it’s just fun and helps us cheer on our team.”Despite the outcry from many students, the university has officially made the decision to end the “Scalp Song” and find something new that encompasses RedHawk tradi-tion.Hackman thinks the waving and whooping during the “Scalp Song” will continue even after the song is gone.

During a hockey game against University of Notre Dame earlier this year, students were still whooping even without the song, but that tradition may soon die away as well.Another event that took place involved a student who was at a football game wearing an Indian headdress. The student was asked to take it off, which he did, but continued to put it back on.After celebrating a touchdown and dancing around, the student was asked to leave.Burke said this was an isolated incident and there was no policy against wearing a headdress.Regardless of university policy, this incident further fueled the flames that drive debate surrounding the Redskin mascot.The students at Miami University argue they are not trying to be offensive. Some have said they are honoring the Miami Tribe by doing these things.Miami administrators understand the students’ intentions, but according to Daryl Baldwin, director of the Myaamia Project and a member of the Miami Tribe, the traditions themselves are not healthy for a learning environment.“It is my personal belief that Americans start shedding their stereotypes and start engaging with the Native American people,” Baldwin said. “It doesn’t allow us to progress and the imagery tends to hold us in the past.”Baldwin said the acts of whooping or wearing feather headdresses are not authentic to Miami Tribe culture.“The ‘Scalp Song’ is born out of a stereotype. It has nothing to do with us, but its presence keeps those stereotypes alive,” Baldwin said.Baldwin also said students who are engaging in these acts but choose not to learn more about tribal culture are in no way honoring them.“That argument just doesn’t stand,” Baldwin said. Burke, a 1970 graduate of Miami, said there was no such discussion on campus when she was a student. However, times have changed. A relationship with the Miami Tribe has been built.“We want to represent this relationship in a respectful manner,” Burke said. “Dressing up like, chopping like, whooping like, are all ways that we disparage the Indian people.” Earlier this year, a recent Miami graduate sent an e-mail to University President David Hodge with concerns about an “Indian Theme Party” that was to take place just before Thanksgiving break.That student is no longer attending Miami and is enrolled at University of Kansas studying global indigenous nation studies and peace and conflict studies. According to her e-mail, she said she saw the event on Facebook and her sister was attending.Administrators contacted the hosts of the event and the Facebook event was quickly removed. According to e-mails, administrators also requested the presence of several of the hosts to discuss the party.According to the event’s Facebook page, the party was a tradition dating back nearly 70 years. The event was reported to have never taken place.According to Miami’s mission statement, “Miami strives to cultivate an environment where diversity and difference are appreciated and respected.”Furthermore, a statement that ensures respect for all on campus reads, “We recog-nize that we must uphold and abide by university policies and procedures protecting individual rights and guiding democratic engagement. Any actions disregarding these policies and procedures, particularly those resulting in discrimination, harassment or bigoted acts, will be challenged swiftly and collectively.”

By Scott AllisonOnline Editor

FeaturesTuesdayJanuary 18, 20116

EditorHunter Stenback

features@miamistudent.net

Despite Miami’s stated dedication to provide a healthy learning environment, the Redskin mascot was not removed until the Miami Tribe requested a change.Hodge also said the image that lingers in athletic stadiums could soon be eliminated. The administration believes the old images no longer serve a purpose and do not reflect the university’s values.A poll recently conducted on The Miami Student website asked readers what they think should be done with the Redskin logo. An overwhelming majority, 81 percent, said they think the university should keep it.

A unique relationship

Miami University takes its name from a Native American tribe indigenous to the area around Indiana, Michigan and western Ohio. The Miami Tribe still exists as a sov-ereign nation in Oklahoma, recognized by the U.S. government. There are also tribe members living in Kansas and Indiana, but no longer around Miami University.It wasn’t until the 1970s that the chief of the Miami Tribe visited Miami University.When Chief Forest Olds came to Miami University in 1972, he was asked what he thought about the use of the word Redskins. Earlier that same year, Miami University student senate unanimously voted to remove the Redskins mascot. Officially, there was nothing they could do.Shortly after that resolution was passed, Miami University’s president set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the use of the word and its impact.Chief Olds wrote a letter to the university with his position on the issue, and it was a letter the university used for the next 20 years to defend the use of Redskins. That letter read:“Know all peoples, that we of Miami blood are proud to have the name Miami Red-skin carried with honor by the athletic representation of Miami University … We, The Miami Redskins of Indian blood, and our namesake, the Miami University Redskins, have a mutual and cherished heritage. May it be blessed by Moneto as long as the winds shall blow.”Chief Olds said he was okay with the use of Redskins and the mascot as long as it was presented in a respectful way.This relationship is a unique one. Not many higher education institutions have a relationship with a Native American tribe, but many universi-ties once carried Native American monikers and images.According to Burke, since 1969 more than 600 schools and minor league sports teams have dropped their Native American mascots. Miami University is one of them, but it is one of the few to have a continued relationship with a tribe.

Neepwaantiinki — Partners in Learning

This relationship has helped set up the Myaamia Project, an organiza-tion on campus funded by Miami University and the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma. Its mission is to study and preserve the Miami Tribe culture and language and to further students’ understanding of Miami culture.According to Baldwin, the relationship is of special interest not only to the Miami Tribe, but should also be cherished by Miami University students as a unique learning experience.“I think first and foremost the tribe feels very strongly about its positive relationship with Miami,” Baldwin said. “How positive that relationship is how these two entities interact with each other.”The Myaamia Project focuses on education in the Miami Tribe and also among Miami University students. For example, a capstone course in spring 2009 allowed students to create an interactive language learning tool for Miami Tribe families.This unique relationship has also set up a scholarship program for Miami Tribe citi-zens, allowing them to attend the university and also participate in these unique and culturally rich programs.

A unique learning experience

It wasn’t until 1991 that anyone from the Miami Tribe came to study at Miami University. Since then, 70 Miami Tribe students have come to study there.

In fall semester 2010, there were 16 enrolled tribe students and one of them was studying abroad. They are a decided minority, making up less than half of one percent of all students on campus.The Myaamia Project connects with these students every day and can be a deciding factor for tribe students to study at Miami University.Andrew Strack is a member of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma and from Indiana.After graduating in 2007 with a degree in mass communication, Strack stayed in Oxford and joined the Myaamia Project as media specialist.“The Myaamia Project was a significant part of why I came to Miami in the first place,” Strack said.According to Strack, Miami Tribe students meet once a week on campus, a tradition that began during his first year on campus, the 2003-04 academic year.“That really helped reinforce our identity as a community,” Strack said. “It certainly gives you a different perspective. There (are) not a lot of tribes in this area. People are always surprised if I identify myself as a Miami Tribe member.”While Strack said he doesn’t bring it up too often, he has been asked to speak to classes.“It’s a part of my identity,” Strack said.Strack hasn’t been completely free of issues regarding his heritage.He said he has been verbally confronted about his heritage in an uncomfortable way.“Typically it comes in form of ‘Did you get to go to school here for free?’ and subse-quently they would say ‘You don’t look Indian,’” Strack said. “If that’s what people latch onto without taking the time to learn about this or ask more questions about myself, then I don’t have the time (for them).”Other students have faced similar, but much more harassing comments since all of this talk about the “Scalp Song” and theme party came up.According to Baldwin, Miami Tribe students on campus have been harassed verbally as a result of the recent headlines. While he declined to disclose details, he said a seemingly harmless comment can cut much deeper than intended.“It’s not just a surface thing for us. To me, it runs deeper. There’s an underlying pain,”

Baldwin said of the discrimination Native Americans have faced in the U.S.According to Baldwin, the stereotypical Redskins mascot oftentimes reinforces stereotypes that are not true and are not authentic to the Miami Tribe culture.“The (Redskins) mascot in and of itself is rooted in misconception,” Baldwin said.Burke agreed the Redskin mascot only leads to negative stereotypes.“Most people in this country have no idea the devastation the U.S. did to na-tive people and their tribes,” Burke said. “There’s no way when we have someone dancing around on the sidelines that you can say ‘We’re honoring you.’”According to Baldwin, the stereotypes are hurtful and harmful no matter how innocent the intentions.“Stereotypes distract students on this campus from understanding the true relationship and engaging with that,” Baldwin said.Baldwin said he would like to see the relationship between Miami University

and the Miami Tribe continue to evolve and progress, and the only way that can be accomplished is by getting rid of demeaning traditions.“There’s a lesson in it all. We can learn a lot from old traditions,” Baldwin said. “Be-cause the mascot did go away, more meaning and positive things have come from it, like the Myaamia Project.”Just like scalping, these stereotypes are born out of Hollywood movies. Sensational-ized for the big screen, many Native Americans never whooped and never scalped anyone. Many Native American tribes were actually quite peaceful.Today especially there are no wars. No arrows are being shot between tribes.“We carry the name of an Indian tribe and our relationship with them is important,” Burke said. “Out of respect, we should not be stereotyping their culture or mocking them.”

THE MIAMI STUDENT Features TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2011 ♦ 7

A new proposal to re-route U.S. Route 27 is set to be re-

viewed by the public and the City of Oxford. The re-route would take heavy traffic down Chestnut Street and then onto Main or Lo-cust streets to connect to Route 27 instead of taking Patterson Avenue to High Street, where there are many pedestrian crossings. Accord-ing to Jay Hamil-ton, traffic planning engineer for the Ohio Department of Transportation, the purpose of the proposal is meant to improve pedes-trian safety on High Street. If the pro-posal is approved, the project’s cost of between $2 million and $5 million would be mostly funded by federal earmarks, al-though additional funding would be necessary as well.

The editorial board of The Mi-ami Student believes the proposal to re-route Route 27 is an excel-lent attempt to increase safety for both Miami University students

and drivers. Much of the heavy traffic through Miami’s campus creates unnecessary congestion and dangers for students using the crosswalks at busy intersections. While it may not solve the problem completely, by creating an alternate route traffic will be reduced and safety will increase.

In addition, the inclusion of the public in the de-sign process is ap-preciated. The Jan. 20 open house will allow community members to re-view the changes and make sugges-tions. Although most of the cost can be assumed to be covered, addi-tional funding will

be needed and citizens of Oxford deserve a chance to be part of the planning process.

The board commends those responsible for the proposal and hopes that if the change is ap-proved it will benefit both the stu-dents of Miami and the community of Oxford.

➤ EDITORIAL

Route 27 re-route will increase campus safety

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 EditorSam Kay Editorial EditorJessica Sink Editorial EditorStephen Bell Campus Editor

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

The following pieces, written by the editorial editors, reflect the majority opinion of the editorial board.

Opinion

➤ LETTERS

TuesdayJanuary 18, 20118 Editors

Sam KayJessica Sink

editorial@miamistudent.net

Service learning should be funded by tuition, not fees

Much of the heavy traffic through

Miami’s campus creates unneces-sary congestion and dangers for

students using the crosswalks at busy

intersections.

The editorial board of The Mi-ami Student feels the board

of trustees lacked a certain ap-preciation for cognitive disso-nance when they approved a new $50 fee for some service learning classes in which students volun-teer. The fee will only apply to service learning classes using the resources of the Office of Com-munity Engagement and Ser-vice (OCE&S), which provides contacts, expertise, scheduling and transportation.

The editorial board is very ex-cited about service learning courses and welcomes their new popular-ity among faculty and administra-tors. The $50 fee is mostly disturb-ing in the context of the many other s u p p l e m e n t a r y fees paid by stu-dents. There is, for instance, the surcharge that will rise to $100 per credit hour for most business courses. There is the fee being charged for the stu-dent center to students who will not actually be here by the time construction is finished. Appar-ently the same thinking applies to the $50 fee for service learning. Administrators admit the fee will be used to help the office expand. This board feels a fee charged to students for a class they are taking should reflect, dollar for dollar, the services actually being provided.

Miami University likes to boast

about being a good value, but as-sessing fee upon fee adds up.

Core services that can be used by students in all academic dis-ciplines should be funded by tu-ition, not fees. A lab fee for a sci-ence class makes a certain amount of sense because specific materi-als are being purchased and used, and those materials are only rel-evant to a specific class. Service learning is clearly different. Al-though some specific services are provided to students paying the

fee, at least part of the fee is go-ing toward build-ing up OCE&S. If OCE&S is something that can benefit all stu-dents and is worth funding, it should be funded by tuition dollars.

This board feels service learning is indeed valuable enough to merit a more solid fund-ing source. This

would require administrators to do a little bit of thinking to find the money. They would have to creatively reconsider core pri-orities. Instead, Miami has again taken the quick and easy way out with student fees. Each office and department of the university should not be expected to be a money-making machine. While the bottom line must always be considered, Miami needs to stop seeing students as bottomless pits of cash and realize that having to pay a fee to volunteer is not true value.

Victims of sexual assault should not receive blame

Just like all of you reading this, I just com-pleted my first week of the semester ready to start fresh and full of optimism. It only took until Friday for all of that optimism and good-will to go swirling down the proverbial toilet. I passed a bulletin in my hall that many passing it may have found entirely benign. It was a bul-letin with the words “Better Safe than Sorry” stapled to it in an overbearing font and it was filled with all sorts of information on how us ladies can prevent being sexually assaulted. The last time I checked, there were victims and assailants, and as far as I know no such thing as assailant-victims. So you can imagine my confusion as I thought, “If I can prevent my rape, then if I do get raped, I must be par-tially responsible, right? That doesn’t make much sense!”

And yet, here was a board telling me how I could prevent someone else from commit-ting an act of violence against me. Well, how about that? That sounds just peachy. In all of my excitement, I read on, thinking “Isn’t it lovely that someone has found a way to make people stop seeing women as sexual prey? To stop people from seeking and exerting control over women’s bodies? To stop people from violently robbing women of their bodily au-tonomy? Wow!”

Redskins logo: since when?

Miami’s decision to retire the most elegant logo in all of university sports is a great dis-appointment. There has been no real dialogue or input from those negatively affected, and no regard for significant historical realities regard-ing the logo, the Miami Tribe and the logo’s presence on campus. There have been unfor-tunate omissions and simplifications regard-ing the logo, and a recent The Miami Student online poll showed approximately 90 percent favoring its retention. It was not created during the time of mascot transition in 1997 as sug-gested by the director of business services (The Miami Student, Jan. 10), but graced athletic fa-cilities and licensed Miami products long be-fore then. It is still revered by Miami alumni.

On the Miami webpage titled Identity Stan-dards, the logo in question is identified and partially described as follows:

“Indian Head: Symbol of the university’s ties to the Miami Tribe. Dignified portrait of Miami Indian brave from the original work by John Ruthven. Appropriate for use on materials related to Miami’s heritage and athletic tradition.”

Does this sound like something the univer-sity wants to eliminate? This elegant symbol was not the “Redskins logo,” but conveniently became that when a particular group on cam-pus decided that an opportunity was at hand to eliminate the only remaining Native Ameri-can identity associated with Miami sports. But the tribe’s request for mascot change some 13 years ago also included an appeal for retention of the traditional logo. How can Miami Uni-versity justify retaining its name after denying the wishes of the Miami tribe, devaluing na-tive heritage and eliminating the “symbol of the university’s ties to the tribe?”

EDWARD JONESPROFESSOR EMERITUS

JONESEE@MUOHIO.EDU

To my utter dismay, however, I realized the board was entirely full of absolutely useless in-formation, telling me how to dress and how to walk and when to walk and when to drink and how to drink and who I should hang out with and how I should hold my keys and my phone and where I should walk and how I should drive and what people I should be with, what I should and shouldn’t do. It told me to act scared all of the time. Curiously absent from all of this inane jabber was even the slightest suggestion that not being around a rapist might contribute to me not being raped. Because, let’s get real folks, the only way to not be assaulted or raped is to not be around an assailant or rapist and they don’t exactly wear neon signs.

What I’m getting at, kids, is that this bulletin was telling me it wasn’t in fact rapists who are responsible for raping, it’s my lack of prepara-tion, my lack of daily fear and paranoia. This board was telling me that if I do A, B, C and D, then I won’t get raped and it is implicitly sug-gesting if I do get raped it’s because I didn’t do A, B, C and D or I didn’t do them well enough.

Now we return to my confusion, the elu-sive assailant-victim, that’s the victim of rape. Imagine a rape victim reading this bulletin (and by the way, its not unlikely, the Department of Justice as well as other sources estimate be-tween one in four and one in six women is the victim of sexual assault). She can stop and hear about all of the things she should have done. That bulletin will admonish her for not having acted the right way. This propaganda works. The FBI estimates approximately 40 percent of rapes go unreported. I can only imagine why. Victims are constantly told they are re-sponsible, they are drilled about what they were wearing and what they were doing and whether they drank, all the while the criminal remains unexamined.

It’s time we as a society examined ourselves and our attitudes toward rape and sexual as-sault. It’s time we stopped exhorting women to limit their freedoms to ridiculous extremes lest they fall victim to assault and start talk-ing about the real responsible parties, the rap-ist and the cultural context that excuses their crime. Of course suggestions on how to remain safe are not unwelcome, but it is irresponsible and practically criminal to frame these sugges-tions as rape or assault prevention because that framing serves solely to place blame on vic-tims, and that is absolutely reprehensible.

JESSIE HALLHALLJS2@MUOHIO.EDU

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editorial@miamistudent.net

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

To read more of this week’s letters to the editor, visitwww.miamistudent.net.

Thumb and ThumberSubmit your Thumbs online at

www.miamistudent.net/thumbs.

Miami University likes to boast about being a good value,

but assessing fee upon fee adds up. Core services that

can be used by students in all aca-demic disciplines should be funded

by tuition, not fees.

An accepted definition of insanity is repeating the same action and expect-ing different results. This truism can

apply to many of the behaviors we exhibit in our daily actions. For example, you know you shouldn’t miss your Friday classes, and yet ev-ery Friday you’re too hungover to get out of bed. There-fore, you should not be surprised when

you do poorly in the course. If you don’t change your behavior, you are unlikely to achieve different results. Even as adults with normal cognitive abilities, there is still a disconnect be-tween what we know we ought to do and what we actually end up doing.

Here are the facts. Dating web-site advertisements nearly quadruple around holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving and especially Valen-tine’s Day. Approximately 40 percent of all college students are single for only three months or less. The top three places to meet someone new are bars, clubs or on vacation. Ap-proximately 30 percent of college relationships are physically abusive. More than 50 percent of college re-lationships exhibit behaviors that are emotionally abusive.

What is the train of logic linking these facts together? It’s the idea that we (meaning women, but I won’t rule out the occasional sensitive guy as well) all crave some sort of connec-tion with another person, whether it’s healthy or not.

The quest for validation is a hall-mark of college dating and sexual in-teraction. Though labeling it “daddy issues” is in my opinion much too basic, the psychological seeds of poor self-esteem aren’t buried all that deep. More often than not we are willing to compromise what we need,and in particular belittle how we feel if it means keeping someone else inter-ested. The idea of being single is fun for all of maybe three weekends. After that point, you kind of start to wonder what you are doing wrong. Being sin-gle has the underlying stigma of be-ing defective. As females, we are the first to lay blame upon ourselves: our bodies, our hair, our clothes, our per-sonalities. We often overlook the fact that we haven’t found the person who is capable of truly making us happy. Instead, we focus on the fact that we haven’t found someone to fill that void, if only momentarily.

After a few emotional days with my closest girlfriends, I’ve come to realize that we too have lost sight of just how important it is to be healthy and single, to be happy and a party of one. Sure, it feels infinitely bet-ter to have a guy seeking your atten-tion, but at what cost? Relationships in college are more often than not transient, temporary or simple time-fillers. Figuring out who you are, and more importantly who you want to be, is the bedrock of almost every deci-sion you make in college. If you find yourself gravitating toward a partner out of desperation more than desire, you have to take a step back and truly evaluate why you feel the way you do. Every girl is guilty of mak-ing excuses for a guy, but how often do those guys turn out to be what you need?

To reference my opening statement, it is absolutely insane to believe that surely this time the guy who hurt you will change. The cycle of validation is one that often expands into the much more serious realm of abuse. I per-sonally know people who have un-wittingly staggered onto this hamster wheel, and it can take you to lows you never thought you could reach.

I ask anyone reading this to do me a favor and take a simple test. If you are with someone whose behaviors, words or actions seriously anger, hurt or embarrass you more than twice a week, legitimately ask yourself if they need to be a part of your life. Cut-ting someone out of your life is never a simple procedure, but sometimes it is necessary. No one wants to be alone, but likewise no one ever needs to stay with someone who makes them unhappy.

OpinionTHE MIAMI STUDENT

Being single becomes the new leprosy

➤ PERCEIVING REALITY

➤ ESSAY

➤ GUEST ESSAY

Find your point of difference

TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2011 ♦ 9

KarliKloss

Wikileaks threatens

civil liberties

➤ ESSAY

‘The truth will set you free’

➤ GUEST ESSAY

Ohio deserves open government

The Real Housewives of Orange County fol-lowed some of wealthiest women in Orange County, Calif. while the entire country witnessed catfights, marriages, divorces and the beginning of a legendary series on Bravo TV. Television host Andy Cohen also got his big break on Bravo with a show called Watch What Happens Live. Co-hen started off by having women from the Real Housewives come on after an airing of a new episode. Now Cohen hosts reunions of the show and interviews celebrities like Tina Fey and Sarah Jessica Parker.

In just two years, Cohen has transformed him-self from a small talk show host into an established late night talk show anchor. However, it takes more than asking questions of guest stars to make a late night show work. Cohen does research, in-corporates social media sites like Twitter into the show and is not afraid to ask challenging ques-tions to his guest stars. He also is not afraid to tell it how it is. Just watch him host a Real Housewives reunion show.

Cohen can be seen as an inspiration to those striving to break into a media market, especially broadcasting. It takes more than reciting facts off of cue cards to make a show successful. Cohen brings spice with a little bit of drama to the Bravo chan-nel once a week. He brings up those questions that everyone is dying to know. Did Camille Grammer decide not to join the second season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills? Will Jill Zarin and Bethany Frankel ever reunite and become best friends again?

It might not be breaking news on CNN, but to those college students on top of their celebrity gos-sip it is very important.

The edge Andy Cohen brings to his show is one of the key components of making it successful. It is not just another dry and boring news story. He is competing against some of the elite in late night shows, like Chelsea Lately and Jay Leno. One thing that makes Cohen stand out is that he sticks to his guns.

Even after becoming successful, his studio only holds 18 audience members, himself, his guests and anyone working on production. People on his staff also make sure the guests always have a full drink and that they are comfortable. Watch What Happens Live literally means what the title says. There are bloopers, mistakes and awkward pauses. The show is as live as it can be. Why aren’t other shows like that? Remember Ashley Simpson’s mess up on Saturday Night Live? That is why.

Cohen’s live show, not prerecorded, draws peo-ple in. During commercial breaks, he always has little live snippets of himself precluding to who his guests are for the night and what they are going to talk about. Having such a unique point of differ-ence helped Cohen expand his talk show and get celebrity guests to come on the show.

In two years anyone could gain stardom or achieve their dreams. Find your point of differ-ence and run with it. Inspirational people are those to look up to when trying to work on your dream. Find that band, actor, doctor or special person try-ing to become successful and watch how they achieve their dream. Do not be afraid to ask those daring questions. It might just get you where you want to be.

MICHELLE LUDWINLUDWINMA@MUOHIO.EDU

“I’m late because there was a ton of traffic.” “I didn’t scratch the car mom, Paul had it last.” “Nothing’s wrong, I’m fine.”

We’re all guilty of a little fabrication so we don’t have to come face to face with the truth. We convince ourselves that made up stories may be easier to hear than what really happened. We all believe that by lying we are sparing hurt feelings, wheth-er someone else’s or our own. The truth of the matter is, lying does the opposite of its intention. Somehow both parties involved will end up hurt no matter how hard you try to spin the situation in your favor.

Lying, in a sense, is another way of telling someone they cannot handle the truth. In the end people usually end up be-ing more upset about the fact that they were lied to rather than the lie itself. Lying takes you on a more complicated and messy route to eventually telling the truth. It is also a way of express-ing that you are incapable of fac-ing the truth. The length of Pin-occhio’s nose was a testament to just that. He kept telling others he was a real boy because he so desperately desired to be one. While our noses may not grow

every time we tell a lie, our guilt does. After telling a lie, more lies usually have to be created in order to create the perfect fake situation. If you’re going to lie about where you’re going, you usually have to lie about who you’re with, what you did there and how long you stayed. Look-ing at it in perspective, doesn’t it make more sense to just tell the truth? No need to worry about all the fabricated lies, and no more drowning in guilt.

There are many different kinds of lies people can tell, white lies, not lying but not telling the whole truth, bad lies and good lies. People tell lies on a daily basis. According to The Daily Mail, researchers found men tell six lies a day, while women only tell three. Is anyone surprised?

What qualifies as a good lie? If your significant other never finds out you’ve been cheating, are you a good liar or just a bad person? If you try to lie but fail, are you a bad liar or a good per-son for ’fessing up?

People can spend years living a lie and must deal with the tri-als and tribulations of covering it up daily. Those unfaithful lov-ers who spend years engaging in

devious and sketchy behavior behind the backs of their sup-posed loved ones must work hard every day to keep their sec-ond life a secret.

When does the lie become worth it? When does it no lon-ger become worth it so the truth comes out? It is not possible to pinpoint a spot in the long line of lies where a person can say “Yes, this is why it’s worth it.” That’s because lying is never worth it.

So, why do we lie? As I sit here I know I will continue to tell lies in an effort to sidestep the hurt feelings of loved ones. Does that make it any less harm-ful? If the intent is to protect oth-ers and ourselves is lying still as toxic as people say it is? Is lying ever okay?

Of course when planning a surprise party or buying gifts for a friend white lies are necessary, but you’re essentially creating a longer, more complex path to the truth.

In the future we should rely on the power of the truth and hope what seems worth the web of tangled lies is something you have the power to face head on.

SARAH TITLETITLESE@MUOHIO.EDU

There is a new terrorist on the block and he is causing quite a bit of a ruckus at the Pentagon. Wielding a quarter million cables that hold poten-tially embarrassing accounts of foreign countries given by U.S. ambassadors, Wikileaks has redefined “leaking” classified information by initiating a series of information “dumps,” or leaks in bulk. This drive for transparency is not just focused on governments.

In December 2010, the figure most associated with the organization, Julian Assange, spoke about a Bank of Amer-ica hard drive ostensibly holding pre-meltdown data spurring the company to appoint a damage control council. The organization does not just operate on a whim. A copy of all of their files is kept by a company operating in an underground bunker that was made during World War II. Additionally, the organization keeps a 1.4 gigabyte-size file named “Insurance,” so if anything happens to Assange the contents would be made public. Although the file is posted to be a dangling threat to many world governments, it could also serve as a temptation to those who think they can take on such a project. The most important issue is that Wikileaks is seen as a threat to national security.

Because of the threat they now pose, the U.S. government has been driven into action. Most notably, the CIA developed a task force to assess the impact of Wikileaks’ file dumps. Inter-estingly enough, very few CIA docu-ments have been in Wikileaks’ hands. That fact necessarily brings about the question of whether or not the task force’s acronym, “W.T.F.,” was delib-erate and intent on sending a distinct message to the other agencies that con-tributed to the compromise of the gov-ernment’s classification of sensitive information. The fact is that Wikileaks busted on the scene quite quickly and it is only logical to follow up with the question “Who is Wikileaks?”

An organization that preaches trans-parency by leaking secret information should prompt the country’s citizens to demand answers for many important questions before showing any type of support for the organization. As a matter of principle, the organization preaching the message ought to live by the motto and values that it advocates, but it seems this is not the case. For one taking such a solid stand for trans-parency, they seem to be unconcerned with the transparency of their own or-ganization. Frontman Julian Assange has been adamant about communicat-ing to volunteers that any type of infor-mation they have on him is to be kept secret, prohibiting them from talking to anyone associated with the media. He has had three prominent volunteers re-sign because he suspended them from volunteering after they gave out al-ready known information to the press. The most publicly criticized hypocrisy the organization has faced is the veil it has placed over its finances. Because of this lack of transparency, many feel that Wikileaks could be financed by a number of “shady” adversaries, or even the U.S. government itself.

Another ambiguous trait of the orga-nization is the shortage of sources that confirms its board members. While a record of its consultative board mem-bers had been posted on the Wikileaks website at one time, many of those listed have yet to confirm anything close to a consultative relationship with Wikileaks, but this is the most intriguing part of the organization. A large portion of those board members listed as advisers had no idea they were on the board. As far as the other board members are concerned, there are few to no sources that confirm their advis-ing role. These seemingly loose con-nections between those on the advi-sory board and Wikileaks necessarily shifts the focus of the original ques-tion. With the identity of the advisers and a financial record masked by what is often described as a dictatorship, defining the identity of Wikileaks by looking at the organization seems to be a lost cause. Therefore, by defining the dictator, the authoritarian shroud is gradually lifted and the face of a pure, simple quest for truth inadvertently be-comes a depraved, complex attack on individual freedom.

JOSHUA CARPENTERCARPENJ4@MUOHIO.EDU

The desire for less government confidentiality and the right to access information has recently been elevated to an issue of national stature, thanks to Wikileaks and its creator, Julian Assange, but Ohio is having none of it. Our recently elected governor, John Kasich, has repeatedly clashed with Ohio’s press, which has become a statewide concern. Even before being officially appointed as governor Jan. 10, Kasich had expressed his frustra-tion with the press.

His first scuffle with the press was during a news conference, when he was questioned on whether it was ethical that he hired his wife’s boss as the director of public safety. Kasich complained, say-ing that he found himself “tripping over the ant-hills on the way to the pyramids” in reference to the public scrutiny of his actions and “We have so many stupid rules and regulations that prevent us from getting the best people to come in here.” Ka-sich then went on to say “I blame it on all of you. All the transparency and conflicts and other stuff,” claiming the press was what damaged his ability to perform his duties.

His ceremonial appointment as governor at midnight Jan. 10 was not without conflict either. Originally it was going to be held at his home and the press would be banned from attending the cer-emony, one which the Ohio press has consistently attended and reported on for at least 30 years, ac-cording to The Plain Dealer. The press would only be admitted to a heavily scripted reception, where

Kasich would give some formal remarks. Not until there was a public outcry from press across the state did Kasich relent and open up the event to journalists. Kasich’s reasoning for the press ban is unclear. At first the rationale was that permitting the press in would threaten the security of the event, but then other members of his campaign claimed the ban was put in place just so the event could be private.

Kasich made an enemy of the press before even taking office. While it may be too early in his term to determine whether these were mistakes that Ka-sich will correct or are a pattern of his governance, it is troubling to know Kasich has tried to limit pub-lic knowledge and government accountability.

It is our right to know whether our gover-nor hired somebody because of a personal re-lationship. Public scrutiny is a necessary part of government. The people need to be able to ques-tion and analyze the actions of our leaders, and the only way to do that is through the press. The press doesn’t prevent Kasich from doing anything, it merely questions and reports on the truth.

Kasich should learn from his early mistakes and cooperate with the press. If he does not, we will see plenty more of his embarrassing outbursts that do nothing to help Ohio, but do everything to ruin our faith in our governor.

BRADFORD KASBERGKASBERBC@MUOHIO.EDU

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A case of the munchies

First-year Marina Annunziata shops for snacks Sunday afternoon at Market Street at MacCracken.

EMILY ESPOSITO The Miami Student

there were often mix-ups with my schedule.”

Harrington said some students may not take an SL course if there is an added fee.

“I understand times are tough, but the university shouldn’t charge people to volunteer,” she said.

the study will be determined and finalized. If the study finds that the re-route is necessary, the next step is receiving the funding.

“The pro is that traffic will be out of pedestrian areas,” Hamilton said. “The con is that this project could change traffic

patterns and there will be more traffic on the new route streets.”

Miami junior Nicole Brown said the re-route would be beneficial to the students of the university.

“I hate walking down the side-walks of High Street and smell-ing truck fumes as they drive by,” she said. “Also, I can never tell if they are going to stop or not at the crosswalks. It would be bet-ter if we didn’t have to deal with them at all.”

and execution,” Blasi said. “I thought we got better as the game went along on the little things as a team — gaining zones, moving the puck, sup-porting each other, making team-like decisions — I saw a lot of good things tonight.”

hockeyFRIDAYMichigan State7:35 p.m.

East Lansing, Mich.

men’s basketballWEDNESDAYAkron7 p.m.Oxford, Ohio

Schedule

SportsTuesdayJanuary 18, 201112 Editor

Michael Solomonsports@miamistudent.net

Powerhouse prestige

disappearsJM

Rieger

The Rieger Report

‘Bring ’em out, bring ’em out’

Miami University hockey players skate onto the ice before their game against Bowling Green State University Jan. 14. SCOTT ALLISON The Miami Student

’Hawks even up MAC recordBASKETBALL

By Melissa Maykut Staff Writer

After falling to Kent State Uni-versity and Bowling Green State University in the first two Mid-American Conference (MAC) games of the season, the Miami University women’s basketball team responded with two signifi-cant victories Wednesday.

The wins came against the University at Buffalo and the University of Akron Zips. The RedHawks’ three point shoot-ing led them to a 94-89 victory against the Bulls Wednesday in the “Class at the Court” game, but struggled in the first half Saturday afternoon against the Zips. They fought through the second half down to the very last few seconds of the game to win 68-63.

The RedHawks were on fire Wednesday, taking an early 15-9 lead with three-point shots from junior guard Maggie Boyer. The

Red and White continued to in-crease their lead with three point-ers made by sophomore guard Courtney Osborn and layups from junior forward Lillian Pitts.

The ’Hawks kept up the mo-mentum and went into the lock-er rooms at the half with the lead, 56-41.

Buffalo managed to come within four points late in the sec-ond half, but a forced turnover by Osborn clinched the win for Miami. Osborn led the team with 24 points and her sixth double-double of the season. Boyer and Olowinski scored 22 points, and Pitts had a career-high 12 points. Miami had a decent night re-bounding, but still dropped to the Bulls 37-35.

“I’m not satisfied with our re-bounding, and it’s something we need to continue to work on,” Head Coach Maria Fantanarosa said. “Our defense and rebound-ing wasn’t great. Our offense

really carried us in this game.”Unlike Wednesday’s game, it

was the defense that led the Red-Hawks to their second MAC win of the season Saturday afternoon.

“Our defense played great against Akron,” Fantanarosa said. “We had great execution on of-fense, but we just couldn’tmake our shots.”

The Red and White had a try-ing first half against the Zips. Akron took an early 11-3 lead, losing it only once in the first half when Osborn scored eight straight points. Osborn made a huge defensive play at the end of the first half, stopping a three-on-two break and hitting a jump shot that sent the RedHawks into the half 33-28.

The ’Hawks didn’t give Akron much of a chance in the second half to increase the gap. The Red and White had an early 10-0 run that gave them a 38-33 lead over the Zips. Three pointers from

Osborn and Boyer and hit free throws gave Miami a 13-point lead. The Zips were able to cut the score down to two by the end of the game, but with approximately 20 seconds left junior forward Rachael Hencke hit a five-foot shot, securing a 68-63 win for the RedHawks.

Hencke had four points in the game, Boyer had eight, Pitts had 10, Osborn scored 17 and Olowinski had a career-high 27 points and her seventh double-double of the season. Unfortu-nately, the Red and White were once again out-rebounded by their opponent.

“We’re really focusing on our defense,” Olowinski said. “We’re working on little things you don’t notice right away, like turnovers, rebounding and our communication.”

The RedHawks return to their home court Jan. 18 to take on the Ohio University Bobcats.

SWIMMING

RedHawks take down UC BearcatsBy Drew McDonnellStaff Writer

The men’s and women’s swim-ming and diving teams triumphed over the University of Cincinnati (UC) Bearcats Jan. 14.

The women’s team defeated UC 175.5-124.5, while the men outswam the Bearcats166-113.

For the men’s team, junior Chris Gunnels took first in the 100 backstroke and 100 free-style, and was part of the first place 200 medley and 200 relay teams.

Overall, Gunnels earned the team a total of 18 individual points for the team.

Junior Brendan Melling also contributed a large amount of points to the team’s score.

Melling won the 400 individual medley and took second and third

in two other events. Junior Jason Hass won the

200 butterfly and placed second in another event, contributing 13 points to the team’s score.

The men’s diving team also had a suc-cessful night, as junior Jimmy Beres claimed first in the one-meter and three-meter events.

The women’s swimming and diving teams improved their dual meet record to 7-1 as they crushed the Bearcats Friday night.

The team is currently ranked first in the latest mid-major divi-sion I poll.

Senior Megan Brunn contrib-uted 22 individual points to the team’s score after she earned first

place finishes in the 100 and 200 breastroke, while earning second in another event.

Senior Kelsey Vehr had a first place finish in the 400 medley and was a part of the first place medley relay team with sophomores

Leah Thornton, Bekka Westrick and Maddie Kete.

The team earned a total of 17 points for her team overall.

Vehr’s teammate, junior Chelsey Burington, contributed 13 points to the team with her win in the 200 freestyle.

The team had many goals for the weekend besides winning.

Vehr views each competi-tion as important preparation for

the Mid-American Conference (MAC) championships coming up in February.

“This meet is a great chance to judge where we are individually and as a team so far in the sea-son,” Vehr said. “It’s really help-ful for the coaches to judge which events to put us in for MAC’s and who could be on relays at the end of the year.”

The match against UC was suc-cessful for the women, with more than 21 of the swimmers and div-ers earning first place points to-ward the team’s winning score.

The women’s swimming and diving teams will resume their seasons Jan. 22 against the Ball State University Cardinals.

The men will travel to Yp-silanti, Mich. Jan. 29 to take on the Eastern Michigan University Eagles.

NEXT HOME GAME: 7 p.m. Tuesday, vs. Ohio University

NEXT GAME: 1 p.m. Saturday at Ball State

With the recent firing of University of Michigan Head Coach Rich Ro-driguez, much has been made about the Michigan football program and whether or not it will ever get back to the days of Bo Schembechler and Lloyd Carr, along with the importance of hiring a “Michigan man” for the head coaching position.

Programs like University of Michi-gan, University of Tennessee, Uni-versity of California, Los Angeles and even Penn State to an extent have declined over the past decade and have experienced numerous set-backs and losing seasons over the past 10 years.

Each of these programs at one point or another were considered an elite program in college foot-ball, but now are nothing more than an afterthought.

The question still remains: are tra-ditional powerhouse programs still as prestigious as their athletic directors and alumni would like to believe?

With the recent success of non-automatic qualifying schools and the setbacks that even schools like Ohio State, which traditionally has domi-nated the college football polls, have seen, it seems to suggest that there is a shift occurring in the college football landscape.

Plus, given the fact that the Michi-gan Wolverines not only were not able to get former Stanford University Head Coach and Michigan alumnus Jim Harbaugh to bring the program back from the grave, but also could not sway “Michigan man” Les Miles away from Louisiana State University suggests the allure of traditional pow-erhouses like Michigan simply are not there anymore.

Nothing illustrates this more than the recent hiring of San Diego State UniversityHead Coach Brady Hoke. Although he coached at University of Michigan under Lloyd Carr, the alumni at Michigan can’t help but say “Who?”

There was no hotter coach on the market than Rich Rodriguez when the Wolverines hired him in 2008, but he wasn’t a “Michigan man,” and many reports have suggested that the mar-riage between Rodriguez and Michi-gan was doomed from the beginning.

I can’t help but wonder how long the marriage will last between Hoke and the Wolverines given that he grad-uated from Ball State University, not from Michigan.

Not only is Michigan one of the toughest jobs in all of college football given the dramatic turnaround that will be needed to bring this program back to glory, but also the ridiculous amount of pressure Hoke faces.

Although Hoke did a good job both at Ball State and at San Diego State universities, the level of competition he faced at both of those schools will be nowhere near what the University of Michigan will face week in and week out.

Now, I do not want Hoke to fail (even though I am a Michigan State fan), but I just cannot see how this new marriage can last given that Michigan might have one of the angriest fan bases in all of college football right now. Their patience level is about the same as that of New York Yankees fans even after their team wins three straight World Series titles.

While Hoke tries to sort out the mess that is the Michigan football program, Jim Tressel is continu-ing to dominate the “team up north” with such ease that he could prob-ably skip out on this year’s game and Ohio State would still win by two touchdowns.

Good luck getting back to the glory days with one of the most impatient alumni bases in all of college football, Brady Hoke. You are going to need it.

women’s basketballTUESDAYOhio7 p.m.Oxford, Ohio

The women’s team is currently ranked first

in the latest mid-major division I poll.

women’s trackFRIDAYAll-Ohio ChampionshipsAll DayKent, Ohio