ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
Volume 170 No. 11
Miami University — Oxford, Ohio
FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026
The $281 million question: Who’s paying Underestimated, for the arena project? but never daunted: The Eian Elmer story COOPER MENEGHETTI STAFF WRITER
STUDENTS ENJOY THE WARM WEATHER BY TANNING ON COOK FIELD. PHOTO BY SEAN MCGLYNN
EVELYN DUGAN
ASST. CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR The new arena project on Cook Field has raised questions around the Miami University community since it was first announced in February 2025. While ROTC students worried about their facilities being moved, intramural sports teams debated a replacement location choice, students raised concerns over tuition impacts and faculty rattled about program cuts, the underlying question remained unclear: who will pay for the new arena? The project, now labeled at up to $281 million, according to the uni-
In this issue
versity, includes a new sports arena, a parking lot and the relocation of both the ROTC program and recreational fields. It does not include a hotel or restaurant, as those would be separately funded. On top of the near-$300 million, the university will have to pay off interest on the debt it accumulates from issuing bonds. David Creamer, senior vice president for finance and business services, said the interest rate is estimated to be at 4.2%. “There’s probably going to be — in addition to the $280 million that’s borrowed — about, if I recall, $90 million in interest over the life of the debt,” Creamer said.
SARAH KENNEL
Miami report lists 5 years of hazing violations in fraternities, sports teams - page 4
OPINION
Exporting my final layout - page 11
SPORTS
‘We don’t want to get stagnant’: Miami men’s basketball enters MAC tournament undefeated - page 6
CULTURE
Styles’ new style: A ‘Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally’ review - page 8
terim Vice President for University Advancement Jill Gaby wrote the fundraising goal is established at $75 million. $500,000, which is less than 1% of the goal, has been pledged so far. Gaby said Miami is considering incentivizing donations through recognition opportunities including potential naming opportunities for the arena and spaces within it. The financial risks of large construction projects are worrisome for some stakeholders because of broader demographic trends facing higher education.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
Miami tackles the impact of waste from record-breaking crowds at Millett Hall GREENHAWKS EDITOR
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
Miami already has an outstanding debt of more than $432 million, according to the Oxford Free Press. The arena will be funded through the issuance of bonds, although none of these loans have been issued to investors yet. The debt service for the arena project will be funded through an increased annual draw on investment income of $10.2 million per year for 25 years and annual savings from retiring debt. Creamer said the project will take 25% of the non-endowment fund, which is unrestricted and controlled by the Board of Trustees. The project will also partially be funded through donations. In an email to The Miami Student, In-
Miami University’s undefeated basketball teams have brought record-breaking crowds to Millett Hall this spring. These unprecedented crowds have also resulted in unprecedented waste, as concessions demands rise. In response, physical facilities and dining services are working to accommodate demands while reducing food waste and promoting recycling. Director of Sustainability Olivia Herron helped to collect and sort trash during a waste audit following the home game against the University of Massachusetts on Jan. 27. Herron said she hoped to understand what waste was being produced and how effectively it was being recycled. The crowd of over 9,000 fans generated 1,600 pounds of waste, with 404 pounds of that going toward recycling. “It’s really fun that basketball is getting all of this very well earned, well-deserved attention,” Herron
said. “There was more waste than my office had seen at a basketball game before, but we knew that higher attendance would mean higher waste.” Herron said fans were highly accurate when choosing which items to recycle, and that very little waste was incorrectly mixed in. To Herron, the amount of aluminum cans she was seeing in the trash, rather than the recycling, was the biggest problem. After they moved recyclable items – such as aluminum cans – from trash to recycling bins, diversion rates increased from 13% to 38%. Sustainability engagement coordinator Alex Miller also took part in the waste audit and said she shared this concern. “We were really, really shocked at the amount of cans and plastic bottles that were in the landfill, because for us, we [thought that was] recycling 101,” Miller said. “Those were the two things that we were like, ‘We’ve really got to do something here.’” One strategy the Office of Sustainability will be implementing following the regular season are signs near
trash and recycling bins encouraging patrons to recycle aluminum cans and plastic bottles. Herron said she hopes the hyper-specific nature of the signage will make this initiative more effective than other recycling signage in campus buildings that feature instructions for a larger amount of items. Miller said concerns about food waste have also prompted the Office of Sustainability to have conversations with stakeholders around campus, including Dining Services, regarding how to divert potential food waste from unsold concessions. “Food waste is horrible for these environmental things, but also, the social and financial impacts of it are not great,” Miller said. “. . . [We’re] just making sure that we’re doing what we can but not making anyone’s lives too difficult. It’s definitely spurred a lot of conversations, and I think a lot of great stuff will come out of it.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 13
Refocused women’s basketball takes first game in MAC tournament over Kent State DEVIN MCCARTIN
THE MIAMI STUDENT The Miami University RedHawks women’s basketball team captured its first postseason victory with a 6558 win over the Kent State University Golden Flashes at the Mid-American Conference (MAC) tournament. The RedHawks are set to face the Ohio University Bobcats at Rocket Mortgage Arena in Cleveland on March 13. The RedHawks captured the MAC regular season crown after a home win against Kent State on March 4. It was the first regular season title for Miami in 22 years. Miami wrapped up its regular season on March 7 with a 77-62 loss to Ohio, setting the stage for a rematch in Cleveland. The RedHawks won every home game this year too, going 14-0 at Millett Hall. They are now preparing for a three-game run this weekend to
THE MIAMI WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM PLAYS AT MILLETT HALL AGAINST OHIO ON JAN. 31. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH
send them to March Madness. The RedHawks haven’t made the dance since 2008: the last time they won the MAC championship. After a 19-12 season and first round exit in the MAC tournament
last year, the 2025-26 MAC Coach of the Year Glenn Box came into this season with a vengeance. CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
Crossing over the Ohio River on Cincinnati's iconic Roebling Bridge sits the oddly shaped town of Covington, Kentucky. Like any other neighborhood in the country, one can expect to see brothers fiercely dueling in an intense game of one-on-one basketball in their driveway. In the late 2000s, however, something special was happening just outside the lights of the Queen City. An older brother, Donovan, was teaching his younger brother the foundational skills of the sport. At the moment, it might’ve seemed like any other family in the United States, but those skills would eventually lead that younger brother to become an impactful figure on a basketball team — one that would join a small group of teams that have gone undefeated in the regular season. Although it sits in the Bluegrass state, Covington is where the journey began for one of Miami University basketball’s unsung heroes: junior wing Eian Elmer. Jumping forward to June 2022, Elmer received his first Division I offer from Northern Kentucky University after what he describes as a slow recruitment process. It wasn't long until Miami basketball took notice of Elmer’s athleticism, and head coach Travis Steele offered him to be part of his inaugural freshmen recruiting class. Elmer would commit soon after the offer arrived. CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Shannon Mahoney elected next editor-inchief of The Miami Student MOLLY FAHY
SENIOR STAFF WRITER In the crowded newsroom, located on the third floor of Armstrong Student Center, Shannon Mahoney, a sophomore strategic communication and creative writing major, was elected to be the next editor-in-chief of The Miami Student on March 8. Mahoney, who has served as assistant Campus and Community editor for more than a year, said she plans to focus on building and improving relationships outside The Student newsroom by working with other student media organizations on campus, such as Redhawk Radio and Redhawk Television News, and making the newsroom more accessible to new and returning writers. “I really learned a lot in the past year and a half,” Mahoney said. “I looked around, [and] I realized that I had real ideas about what I could bring, initiatives I could do [and] ways I could shape this newsroom.” Sarah Kennel, editor of the GreenHawks section, voted for Mahoney and said she is excited to see how she brings the newspaper together. “I sat down with [Mahoney] before [the election] and talked about GreenHawks,” Kennel said. “She was able to provide me with a good feeling going forward, as a smaller section of the newspaper, on how I'm going to get support and build connections. I felt very supported in our conversation.” Part of Mahoney’s initiatives includes “TMS Workshops,” a series of gatherings where The Student newsroom will be open one or two times a month for all editors and writers to come in and work together. Writers would be able to sit down, ask questions, get help with their stories and connect with other staffers outside their normal section. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
FYI
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FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026
Our Awards
THE MIAMI STUDENT STAFF OLIVIA PATEL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ANNA REIER
KISER YOUNG
MANAGING EDITOR
SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR
TAYLOR STUMBAUGH
MADELINE BUECKER
CAMPUS &
ASST. DESIGN EDITOR
COMMUNITY EDITOR
SHANNON MAHONEY
KETHAN BABU
PARKER GREEN
SPORTS EDITOR
ASST. CAMPUS &
TAYLOR POWERS
COMMUNITY EDITORS
OPINION EDITOR
AYLA PEDEN
STELLA POWERS
ASST. CULTURE EDITOR
CULTURE EDITOR
JEFFREY MIDDLETON
CONNOR OVIATT
2024 and 2025 Corbin Gwaltney Award for Best All-Around Student Newspaper in the large school category, beating out every student paper at a university over 10,000 students in Ohio, Michigan, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania 2025 Ohio Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Award for First Place in the Best College Newspaper category
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
HUMOR EDITOR
AUSTIN SMITH
SARAH KENNEL GREENHAWKS EDITOR OLIVIA MICHELSEN
BUSINESS MANAGER FRED REEDER JR.
DESIGN EDITOR
FACULTY ADVISER
SARAH FROSCH
SACHA BELLMAN
DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR
BUSINESS ADVISER
ELISA ROSENTHAL
AIM MEDIA MIDWEST
PHOTO EDITOR
PRINTER
Advertising information: Smith646@miamioh.edu Send us a letter: eic.miamistudent@gmail.com The Miami Student is published biweekly during the school year by the students of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. The content of The Miami Student is the sole responsibility of The Miami Student staff. Opinions expressed in The Miami Student are not necessarily those of Miami University, its students or staff.
CORRECTIONS POLICY
The Miami Student is committed to providing the Miami University community with the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication.
2025 Greater Cincinnati Pro Chapter Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Excellence in Journalism Award in the College Student Publication category 2025 Ohio News Media Association Award for First Place in Best Website 2024 Ohio Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) Award for Second Place in the Best College Newspaper category
Who’s Who at MU: Senior vice president of student life
Public defecation, multiple domestic violence incidents in Oxford last week
GRAPHIC BY MACY CHAMBERLIN
AUSTIN SMITH
BUSINESS MANAGER
GRAPHIC BY SYDNEY MULFORD
EVELYN DUGAN
ASST. CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR When she’s not baking pie, hiking or reading, Jayne Brownell is tirelessly managing Miami University’s Division of Student Life. Brownell has spent the past 11 years building on Miami’s vision in which the whole student is educated. She has focused on five strategic priorities: community and belonging, leadership and engagement, health and wellness, student transitions and academic support. “[Brownell] has created a culture,” Scott Walter, assistant vice president for student affairs, said. “As the senior vice president of student life, [Brownell] represents a student body voice at the President’s Executive Cabinet level, at the Board [of Trustees] level and literally has unlimited energy for promoting students and their voice. All the things you see in student life are because of [Brownell] over the past decade.” Brownell said she has pride in what the office has done for mental health initiatives – from growing awareness to expanding campus resources. She has been on a mental health committee for multiple years and prioritizes inserting the topic of well-being into every environment. In the 2014-2015 school year,
Miami had nine mental health counselors with a 22-day waitlist. Since Brownell’s first presentation about mental health to the trustees in 2015, the number of counselors has doubled, and the waitlist time has decreased to four days. The Division of Student Life oversees 14 different departments, ranging from housing and dining to safety and security. Brownell said she meets with the directors of each office on a regular basis to make sure they are working in the same direction for the benefit of students. She describes her role in these meetings as being the chief student advocate in the room. “I feel like my role with the cabinet, Board of Trustees and alumni is to make sure that students are the center of everything we do,” Brownell said. “... The people in those rooms care about students so much, but sometimes [when] conversations [are] about the logistics and all the other stuff, I always have in my mind: how is this going to affect students?” Brownell also has consistent meetings with the student life leadership team, direct reporters, the cabinet and President Gregory Crawford. She also attends student events, handles appeals and teaches a course about student affairs in higher education, while managing an inbox that receives hundreds of emails a day. Both Walter and Brownell said
there are no identical weeks for the division of student life. What often takes most of her time are the challenges of student mental health, alcohol and drugs, sexual and interpersonal violence, hazing and responding to discrimination or lack of belonging and community. “I would argue [that] student activities — doing late night Miami, having fraternities and sororities [and] residence hall programs — those are all prevention, too,” Brownell said. “ … Students who feel like they belong and are cared for and are part of a community are much more likely to do well in other parts of their life, too.” Brownell’s initiatives trickle down throughout all the departments overseen by student life, including residence life. Resident Assistant Coryn Cummings, a junior biology and neuroscience major, said student life encourages monthly residence hall events and bulletin boards with themes consistent with alcohol safety, campus involvement, academic support and mental health habits. “[Community and belonging] is like our number one pillar they tell us in training,” Cummings said. “At other universities, I don’t know how much they stress it, but here, your primary job is to build community.” duganec@miamioh.edu
Between March 2-9, police officers responded to 18 different incidents, according to the Oxford Police Department report. On March 2, at noon, in the 5000 block of College Corner Pike, officers were dispatched to a welfare check. After investigating, officers took a report for domestic violence. While a suspect was identified, no charges have been filed. On March 4, at 2:56 p.m., in the 400 block of McGuffey Ave., officers received a report about a theft. The victim learned that her personal information for her bank account had been used without permission, and an attempt was made to withdraw money from the account. On March 5, at 1:10 p.m., in the 5700 block of College Corner Pike, officers responded to a shoplifting in progress. Officers found the suspect leaving the store with approximately $781 worth of merchandise. Later that day, at 5:03 p.m., in the 5000 block of College Corner Pike, an officer stopped a vehicle for a fake registration. Both the driver and passenger were found to have active arrest warrants from two different counties. Both were taken into custody and transported to Butler County Jail. That night, at 9:10 p.m., in the 5400 block of College Corner Pike, officers received a report of a burglary in progress, where a male attempted to enter the window of the residence but was scared off. The same night at 10:57 p.m., in the 0 block of E. Walnut St., officers received a report of an intoxicated female passed out on the ground. When officers arrived, they found the female to be underage, cited her and transported her to the hospital.
On March 6, at 4:51 a.m., in the 0 block of E. High St., officers observed a male defecating on the street. When officers were investigating the incident, the suspect became uncooperative and ultimately resisted arrest. He was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and obstructing official business. On March 7, at 1:07 a.m., in the 100 block of N. Poplar St., officers were waved down by hospital security for two intoxicated males breaking glass in the parking lot. Once the officers arrived at the scene, one of the males became increasingly aggressive and was yelling slurs while leaving the property. After the officer tried to make contact with the male, he fled and resisted arrest. He was caught and taken into custody. On March 8, at 12:41 a.m., in the 0 block of N. Poplar St., officers were conducting a bar check when they observed a female concealing an alcoholic beverage. After approaching the subject, they found her to be underage and in possession of a fake ID. That same morning, at 6:10 a.m., in the 0 block of Gail Drive, officers were dispatched to a residence for a female who was heard screaming and crying. Once officers arrived, they found the female with several injuries caused by her boyfriend punching her in the face. Officers located the male and took him into custody. Later that day, at 9:29 p.m., in the 5100 block of College Corner Pike, officers conducted a traffic stop for a driver who was driving in marked lanes and committing several other violations. After pulling him over, officers arrested the driver for operating a vehicle under the influence and with no driver’s license. smith854@miamioh.edu
GAMES
3 FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026
The Miami Student Games Crossword
Sudoku
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Anagram
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How to play: Unscramble the letters to reveal possible word combinations! The number of possible answers may be greater than the number of answer spots provided, so pick your favorite words to use.
Across 1. To create 7. To void or invalidate, often used in reference to marriage 8. A barrier that stops the flow of water or other materials; a homophone of a curse word 9. To restore or make fresh again 10. Miami University administration plans to build the “___ district” on what is currently Cook Field
Down 1. Abbreviation for Bachelor of Arts degree 2. Below 3. Silly, insubstantial 4. A unit used to measure light 5. To keep something “on the ___,” means to keep it secret 6. Noise a baby might make when it cries; abbreviation for the state of Washington 9. Abbreviation for resident assistant
13 POSSIBLITIES
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ASG discusses residence hall laundry costs, approves National Volunteer Week programming KATHRYN HIPPE
THE MIAMI STUDENT Associated Student Government (ASG) discussed a proposal on March 10 to reduce or eliminate residence hall laundry costs and approved a resolution to expand volunteer opportunities during National Volunteer Week. Senator Nick McClure proposed reducing the cost of residence hall laundry services from $3.50 to around $3 per load, or eliminating the fee entirely. Students may spend roughly $100 to $200 each year on laundry at the current rate — money McClure said could go toward books, food and other necessities. “I looked at the university budget, and residence halls do bring in more money than [laundry services] cost to operate, so I’m not necessarily sure why they cost that much,” McClure said. McClure noted many universities
across the country — including the University of Dayton and Ohio State University — include laundry services within room and board fees rather than charging per load, while others keep costs closer to $3. At the very least, McClure said the cost at Miami should be reduced to $3. When asked if he had spoken with the administrators responsible for laundry services, McClure said he had not, but planned to raise the issue with them. ASG passed the resolution. In other business, Senator Lynn Setter proposed establishing more volunteer opportunities during National Volunteer Week and Earth Week, which both occur April 19–25. “[Miami University] did one thing for National Volunteer Week, like three years ago, and haven’t done anything since,” Setter said. Setter proposed collaborating with ASG’s internal sustainability initiatives to incentivize battery recy-
cling, filling the “Salt You Betty” bags — salt kits for icy sidewalks — and other service projects. She said she has met with the Wilks Institute for Leadership and Service, which agreed to collaborate on ideas, resources and events. National Volunteer Week occurs the week before the Greek Service Fest, and Setter said she hopes these initiatives will gain traction within Greek organizations and provide students with opportunities to earn service hours. Secretary Tyreke Farquharson added that National Volunteer Week is often overlooked and treated as a one-time event rather than an ongoing effort. The resolution passed. ASG also approved a bill placing the Student Body Vice President, Kiersten Osteboe, in charge of coordinating the university’s Outstanding Professor Awards following the dissolution of the Academic Affairs Secretariat.
ASG MET ON MARCH 10 TO DISCUSS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES AND MORE. PHOTO BY KATHRYN HIPPE
Members addressed several student concerns during the meeting. Secretary Katherine Allison said Pepsi plans to inspect dining hall soda machines in response to several reports that drinks and ice were not dispensing during peak hours. A student also raised concerns about electric vehicle chargers in the north parking lot, saying they were obsolete and needed replacement. Secretary Jeansonne said replacing the chargers may take time due to
the university’s sustainability commitments. In the meantime, he suggested alternative charging locations, including Millet Hall, Ditmer Hall, Chestnut Hall and the Marcum Conference Center. ASG will meet again at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 17 in the Joslin Senate Chambers. hippekl@miamioh.edu
New electric vehicle charging stations, proposed sidewalk discussed at city council
OXFORD CITY COUNCIL MET MARCH 3 AT THE OXFORD COURT HOUSE TO HEAR UPDATES AND FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS. PHOTO BY KIERNAN PFENNIG
KIERNAN PFENNIG STAFF WRITER
Oxford City Council approved the installation of two new electric vehicle charging stations and listened to a presentation from the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities during its March 3 meeting. Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities’ 2025 update Patricia Dawson, public relations coordinator for the Butler County Board of Developmental Disabilities, gave a presentation on how the board has supported 4,293 residents in 2025 from infancy to adulthood. Services start with individuals three-years-old and younger, where
disabilities can be diagnosed early and developmental milestones can be evaluated. The board assists individuals as they go through school and continues to help in adulthood. They manage basic needs, transportation, assistive technologies and employment. The board is also responsible for protecting disabled individuals from abuse and neglect. Federal funding pays for 60% of the board’s expenses while property tax revenue pays for the remaining 40%. The board saw an increase in expenses in 2025, possibly because of the increase in Butler County residents. In September, the board declared a fiscal emergency, limited the services they provide and stopped all cost-of-living raises for their staff. A
levy to increase property taxes that help fund the board’s services will be on the ballot in May. Raising property taxes now may help save money in the future. “For every dollar spent on early intervention, seven dollars in savings is realized in adulthood support,” Dawson said. Community members discussed proposed sidewalk Community members continued discussion of the proposed construction of a sidewalk on Olde Farm Road. During the city council’s Feb. 20 meeting, four homeowners opposed the sidewalk and its estimated $153,000 cost. T.J. Meloy and Allison Meloy are both blind residents who support the sidewalk and the safety and ease of movement it would provide. T.J. Meloy used examples of how he has to walk in the street to exit the neighborhood and how garbage trucks and other vehicles prevent him from reaching landmarks that orient him. He criticised his neighbors and their use of a newspaper article instead of the city council video recording to obtain their information. His wife, Allison Meloy, also expressed disappointment in her neighbors not
consulting the couple when drafting the proposal they sent to council. She said that any improvements would not only help disabled people, but all residents. “As people with disabilities, we are the experts in what we need,” Allison Meloy said. “Our voices and experiences matter, and our input is not optional; It is essential.” Oxford resident Allen Pantle spoke in place of Marcus Jobe, an affected homeowner who was unable to attend the meeting. Pantle said Jobe wants to help people, but he also wants to consider alternative solutions. Pantle shared Jobe’s objections to the cost of the sidewalk and how much homeowners would have to pay. Oxford to receive new electric vehicle charging stations Six new electric vehicle fastcharging stations will be installed in Oxford. Four of the stations will be installed near the Uptown parks, and the other two will be located at the Municipal Building’s northern parking lot. The Ohio Department of Transportation awarded Oxford $905,000 for the installation of the charging stations. The city will be responsible
for the purchase of two electric transformers, and the funds have been added to the budget appropriations. Oxford Service Director Michael Dreisbach presented this resolution and said the city may be able to enter an agreement with Duke Energy to get the transformers at a lower cost. “We’re working with Duke [Energy], hopefully we can agree to a 60/40 split on the cost,” Dreisbach said. “They’re interested in selling power and we’re interested in saving money so hopefully we come to an agreement.” Councilor and former Oxford mayor William Snavely said the charging stations could bring people to Oxford and boost the local economy. “When you get [an electric vehicle], you get an app and they tell you where the fast chargers are, and where the fast chargers are is where you want to go,” Snavely said. “And then you’ll have lunch at one of the uptown businesses or you’ll shop at one of the local stores.” City council will meet again at 7:30 p.m., March 17 at the Oxford Courthouse. pfennikp@miamioh.edu
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
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FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026
What to know about the 10 Associated Student Government body president and vice president candidates LIAM CLARKE
THE MIAMI STUDENT The Associated Student Government (ASG) president and vice president elections begin Monday, March 16. Here’s what to know about each ticket on the ballot, following the March 10 debate. Katherine Allison and Ife Araba Katherine Allison, a junior human capital management and leadership and psychology double major and ASG secretary for Campus Affairs, is running for student body president. Ife Araba, a junior computer engineering major and ASG senator for the College of Engineering and Computing, is running as vice president. The candidates’ slogan is “Change begins with you; accountability begins with us.” Allison said their campaign pillars are safety, equity, sustainable relationships, advocacy and accessibility. Araba said they want students, faculty and administrators to hold each other accountable to work toward common goals. “Beyond my leadership capabilities and my ability to listen and advocate for everyone, is also my ability to be empathetic and understanding,” Allison said. “I think we’ve really shown how genuine we are in improving Miami in the roles we have now.” Allison said she would increase ASG’s visibility to help students learn about what the organization does by canvassing in student buildings. Aubrey Crish and Quin Ahler Aubrey Crish, a junior individualized studies and philosophy double major, parliamentarian of ASG and student senator for the University Senate, is running for student body president. Quin Ahler, a sophomore political science and anthropology double major, ASG Interfraternity Council representative and Armstrong Student Center board member, is running as vice president. Their slogan is “See every student. Hear every voice.” Ahler said their campaign pillars
are safety, recognition and support, personal branding and spirit tradition, because those are the things students told them were priorities. Crish said she and Ahler are committed to listening to student voices. “I’ve found my place in Miami, and I want to help people find their place too,” Crish said. “Being able to take on roles and having the passion to do so is a big testament [to] why me and Quin are running.” Ahler said he comes from a family of humanities teachers and heard complaints from teachers and students about the loss of majors and academic opportunities during Board of Trustees meetings. He said student voices are the most important step to facilitate change. “Administrators and faculty at this school don’t know what it’s like to be a student here, and we need to hear each other’s voices more,” Ahler said during the debate. “If you want a dog who’s going to fight for you against administration, I’m absolutely your guy.” Crish said she and Ahler will look to bring back resources that have been taken away by the state of Ohio in Senate Bill 1, such as the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion (CSDI). She said it’s important for students to have the resources to feel like they’re included. Carson Ebbrecht and Harshini Ramesh Carson Ebbrecht, a junior psychology and philosophy double major and president of Active Minds — a student organization centered on mental health advocacy — is running for student body president. Harshini Ramesh, a junior psychology and neuroscience double major, is running as vice president. Their slogan is “A future with your voice.” Ramesh said their pillars are wellness, student inclusion, financial literacy and intellectual literacy. She said these pillars allow students to be the most educated they can be and benefit from a transparent administration. Ebberecht said they want to give
GRAPHIC BY SYDNEY MULFORD
students a platform for their voices to be heard, rather than speak in their place. “A lot of people like to say college will be the best four years of your life, [but] that puts a lot of pressure on people,” Ebbrecht said. “I want students to understand that your experience might look different, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important.” Ebbrecht and Ramesh would work to prepare students for their future after college. Ebbrecht mentioned changes to UNV 101, a course that’s required for all students, and working with administration to teach students life skills. Ebberecht and Ramesh are the only candidates not currently in ASG. James Li and Ava Fort James Li, a junior business analytics and entrepreneurship double major, ASG senator for the Farmer School of Business (FSB) and a co-leader of Bridges International at Miami, is running for student body president. Ava Fort, a junior political science and entrepreneurship double major, is running as vice president. Their slogan is “Building your vision together.” Li said their primary campaign pillars are impact through real action and leading with empathy and resilience. Fort said their secondary pillars are empowering student voices
and transportation. Li said a problem with ASG is that they transfer problems onto the administration instead of working together toward a solution. With this in mind, he and Fort would work with students and administrators to find solutions to common problems. Fort asked the audience to raise their hands during the debate if they had ever received a parking ticket, been unable to find parking or had ever nearly been hit by an electric scooter. Almost everybody raised their hands. Fort went on to say communication needs to improve between students and administrators regarding parking guidelines. “We are not here to campaign; we want to invite you to our journey of redefining student leadership and building a better future for the Miami University community at this pivotal moment,” Li said. “Actions speak louder than words.” Fort said they would hold informal tabling sessions for students to voice their concerns. Charlie Merrill and Susanne Morrissey Charlie Merrill, a junior human capital management and leadership major, president of the Society for Human Resource Management and FSB senator for ASG, is running for student body president. Susanne
Morrissey, a sophomore marketing major and Speaker of the Student Senate for ASG, is running as vice president. Their slogan is “Next starts now.” Merrill said their campaign pillars are mental health, life development and love and honor. He said their focus preparing students for life after graduation and mentioned implementing workshops to learn skills such as cooking or how to change a tire. He said the student body president is the bridge between students and the administration. “There needs to be more people on this campus [who] know what the student government is capable of doing,” Merrill said. “My entire passion is about giving back to the communities that have helped and shaped me so much.” Morrissey said during the debate that she and Merrill will advocate for what students actually want, give them a better education and a happier experience. “Being a RedHawk means that you’re reaching the goals you have set forth for yourself,” Merrill said. “I love being a RedHawk.” Elections will be held March 1618. You can vote on the HUB. clarkelt@miamioh.edu
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
5 FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026
Miami report lists 5 years of hazing violations in fraternities, sports teams ZOEE ROBINSON
THE MIAMI STUDENT
ZOE ERICKSON
THE MIAMI STUDENT Miami University released its updated biannual report on hazing violations for the fall semester of 2025. The report cites all violations five years prior to Dec. 1, 2025. The data launch is required under Miami’s code of conduct and Ohio code section 2903.31, also known as Collin’s Law, which makes hazing and failure to report hazing criminal offenses. Organizations charged with violations include the Miami Dance Team, Men’s Golf Team and Club Baseball. Greek organizations listed include Alpha Delta Phi, Chi Psi, Delta Sigma Phi and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. The report lists what violations occurred and the penalties enforced. According to Miami’s code of conduct, hazing can include a range of activities such as forced alcohol consumption, deliberately creating messes for members to clean up, sleep deprivation and physical or psychological abuse. “When I was a pledge, we had to do stuff like crawl on bottle caps or
put together a puzzle in the dark,” said a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, who will remain anonymous for fear of retaliation. The reporting process begins when a student files a report with the Office of Community Standards or submits one anonymously through EthicsPoint. Alex Fields, director of the Office of Community Standards, said EthicsPoint reports are monitored by Miami’s legal counsel, who then notifies her office and the Miami University Police Department (MUPD). Fields said it is essential that MUPD is informed because all hazing allegations are allegations of a crime. To receive reports, the Office of Community Standards also partners with national headquarters of campus organizations, the Cliff Alexander Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, Campus Recreation, Intercollegiate Athletics and the Center for Student Engagement, Activities and Leadership. From there, officials determine whether a victim has been identified and if they’re willing to participate in the process. Then, a formal investigation begins. If no one comes forward, a smaller and informal investigation still takes place, but the lack of victims limits
The $281 million question: Who’s paying for the arena project? CONTINUED FROM FRONT With the sharp projected decline in the amount of college-aged students in the United States, there are concerns about future financial trouble at the university. “[The bond issue] says the bond holders must be paid first if there is any financial trouble at the university,” said Cathy Wagner, professor of English and member of the Faculty Alliance of Miami (FAM). “If there were a genuine deficit, not just a budget deficit … and [we] couldn’t pay the debt, then the bond holders would have to be paid first.” Wagner said this situation occurred at the University of Virginia, where high debt forced the university to cut programs and spending. Programs have already been cut and consolidated at Miami. Wade Warren, junior social work major and deputy secretary to the treasury of the Associated Student Government, said when programs were removed and opportunities were taken away students were disappointed. “When it came to the programs getting defunded, there was the immediate loss of the programs within the year, and follow that up with an expenditure that is going to take years to fully come to fruition,” Warren said. “It is hard to grapple with sometimes as a student.” Students and faculty alike are feeling those program cuts and consolidations. Jennifer Purdum, associate teaching professor at Miami region-
als in the art department, said at the February Board of Trustees meeting, she was informed that her position would be dissolved after 18 years as collateral damage to the sports arena. She said she had never known the grief or feeling of utter disposability like she has experienced from Miami in the last three months. Faculty members, like Wagner, have raised concerns about what happens if the university faces financial trouble along with carrying new debt. “[FAM feels] pretty strongly that in a situation where programs are being cut, jobs are being cut, massive transformations are happening to the university on the basis of financial problems, especially coming up … It’s not a time to be taking out massive debt for a project that is demonstrably massively unpopular,” Wagner said. Although there will be 2,0003,000 less seats in the new arena, Creamer said it could raise revenues for the university. According to a project information packet from university communications and marketing, the tighter space enhances the fan experience and will allow the university to maximize revenue generation, drive ticket sales and generate more sponsorships. Although questions regarding Miami’s future finances remain, the arena project construction is set to begin in September 2026. duganec@miamioh.edu
officials’ ability to act. “It can be a bit of a longer process,” Fields said. Once the formal investigation begins, a non-decision-making body will gather facts and determine what happened. “We use a standard of evidence called preponderance,” Fields said, “which means that the evidence needs to weigh out … that what has been alleged to have happened, took place.” If preponderance is met, the Office of Community Standards reviews previous misconduct, if any, to determine appropriate sanctions. Fraternities and sororities also have their own boards to settle internal matters. These judiciary boards, or “j-boards,” can charge members of their chapter with hazing in violation of their organization’s bylaws. BaShaun Smith, associate vice president of student life and dean of students, said violating Ohio Law and Miami’s Code of Conduct is a completely separate process from violating your own organization’s bylaws. “If you are found responsible or going through a process like a student conduct process, [organizations] can hold you accountable through their own constitution and bylaws, too,” Smith said.
Hazing violations can also include elements of sexual assault. When this occurs, Georgia Hensley, Miami’s Title IX, Title VI and hazing prevention coordinator, intervenes. According to the American Psychological Association, 50% of sexual assault cases occurring on college campuses happen from August to November. This period is referred to as the “Red Zone.” It is typically the beginning period of a new school year because there is a link between increase in social gatherings and rates of sexual assault. This spike can also occur after Greek life recruitment. “I think it’s about the newness of being on campus, the excitement of events happening and the more student exposure to instances where they are all together,” Hensley said, regarding the “Red Zone.” To combat hazing and sexual assault, Hensley and her staff will lead Miami’s National Hazing Prevention Week, Sept. 21–25. The event will be a joint celebration of many university offices. “[This is] the first year that we as an administration celebrate hazing prevention with a coordinated calendar of events,” Hensley said. “We’ll have an event or speaker every single day that week.”
Sororities take steps to educate and protect their members, as well. New members go through a new member education experience and an online course to help prevent hazing and sexual assault. Throughout the Panhellenic recruitment process in the spring, all sorority members and potential new members participate in a mandatory dry period where drinking and visiting bars Uptown, as well as going to fraternity houses, are prohibited. During this time, girls are not allowed to visit fraternity houses, so there’s no possibility of witnessing hazing. “They don’t want you at the frats because they don’t want you in the household when hazing is happening,” said a Phi Mu member, who asked to remain anonymous because she was not authorized to speak on behalf of the chapter. If you or someone you know witnesses hazing or sexual assault on campus, fill out the anonymous EthicsPoint form or contact the Title IX office or MUPD. You can also contact the national hazing hotline at 1-888668-4293. robinsza@miamioh.edu erickszl@miamioh.edu
Shannon Mahoney elected next editor-in-chief of The Miami Student CONTINUED FROM FRONT Olivia Patel, the outgoing editor-in-chief, said while Mahoney is on the younger side of editors-in-chief elected in The Students’ history, she believes that Mahoney will do great things. “I have a lot of faith in her ability to lead, and I think that the newspaper is in great hands,” Patel said. “I think she did a really great job of focusing her platform on a few really important issues and campaign ideas. They’re very achievable if she puts in the good, hard work, which is definitely going to happen.” Another key initiative that Mahoney wants to focus on is improving relationships with local leaders at Miami University and in the City of Oxford. “I’m really passionate about looking and reflecting on the coverage that we have put out so far, and making sure that we can address and identify blind spots in [current] coverage and blind spots in the future,” Mahoney said. In addition to her campaign ideas, she also announced that she would select Photo Editor Elisa Rosenthal as her managing editor. Patel said while this may not be a traditional choice, she thinks Rosenthal will be a dynamic partner. “Elisa comes from a bit of a wild card background,” Patel said. “She wasn’t committed to the newspaper
SHANNON MAHONEY POSES AFTER BEING ELECTED NEXT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THE MIAMI STUDENT. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH
during her first couple of years at Miami, but her commitment now just proves why she will be a wonderful [managing editor]. She shows up, and she takes on tasks, even if she doesn’t know how to do them right away. She puts in the hard work to figure it out and to do really well. That, to me, is the makings of a great leader.” While Mahoney said she promises to support her staff, she is also committed to producing quality content for the Miami and Oxford
communities. “I hope that everyone feels they can reach out to me,” Mahoney said. “I definitely seek to be someone who has conversations with the community. I want this to be reciprocal communication. I want people to come if they have issues, if they want us to investigate something.” Mahoney and Rosenthal will begin their term on March 12. fahymm@miamioh.edu
Changes to Miami Plan will reduce required student courseload
A STUDENT HEADS TO CLASS IN LAWS HALL PAST THE OFFICE OF LIBERAL EDUCATION. PHOTO BY ELISA ROSENTHAL
SHANNON MAHONEY ASST. CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY EDITOR
The Miami University Senate Miami Plan Revision Committee has proposed sweeping changes to the Miami Plan in response to a section in Senate Bill 1 (S.B. 1) requiring Ohio universities to teach an American civic literacy course to all students. The revision committee is led by Elizabeth Wardle, the Roger and Joyce Howe Distinguished Professor of Written Communication and director of the Howe Center for Writing Excellence, and Marko Dumančić, associate provost for undergraduate education. Wardle said she views the changes as an opportunity for the administration to consider how to integrate liberal education skills, such as writing and communication, into courses students are already taking. “What we’re trying to do is say, ‘What are the things we want students to learn? What do students want to learn? How can we make that as flexible and holistic as possible?’”
Wardle said. Current issues Elizabeth Hoover, the interim director of liberal education, said one of the goals of the new Miami Plan is to shift faculty and students’ view of the curriculum from a set of requirements to be checked off to a more cohesive set of courses that a student can make cross-content connections with. “If the value of the class is visible to students ... we think that students will be taking them because they’re interested and they make sense to them,” Hoover said. “We want you to feel excited about what you’re doing, and not like, ‘I gotta go check this off.’” Nathan French, associate professor of religion and international studies, vice chair of University Senate and chair of the senate executive committee, said under the new Miami Plan, students with high credit hour majors will have more time and freedom to explore courses outside their major without having to worry about taking courses that count for a specific requirement.
Alexis Morter, a first-year nursing major, said she enjoys getting to take Miami Plan classes because they add more variety in her day and allow her to meet students she may not ordinarily interact with. However, she said her position as an honors student made scheduling more difficult, since honors students are required to take a certain number of honors courses. “There’s just not a lot of honors classes that fit into my schedule,” Morter said, “so I had a very limited selection of what I could choose from.” Another important factor is the value of the Miami Plan classes. All students are required to complete the Miami Plan before they graduate, meaning a certain amount of their tuition goes toward these courses. Several of the Miami Plan courses also satisfy what is known as Ohio Transfer 36 (OT36), which is a set of state-mandated course requirements that all students in the state of Ohio must complete before graduating, including English composition, statistics, natural sciences and more. For students in the 2025-2026 academic cohort, tuition costs $7,135 a semester, according to the Miami One Stop webpage. For a student taking 15 credit hours, that’s $475 per credit hour, meaning it costs $17,124 for a student to complete the required OT36 courses, not including additional charges for course materials like textbooks. The current Miami Plan requires somewhere between 42-50 credit hours to complete, or between $19,979 and $23,785 in tuition. The revised version of the Miami Plan will
be about 30-36 hours, or between $14,271 and $17,125, depending on whether certain OT36 requirements can be fulfilled by a student’s major or minor. New plan The new Miami Plan would eliminate the Global Citizenship and Signature Inquiry areas, which total 21 credit hours. The Knowledge in Action area will also be dissolved; however, the capstone course requirement will remain as its own, separate category. The plan would add a civic literacy course worth three credit hours, as required by the recently passed S.B. 1. The new plan would also include an advanced writing requirement worth three credit hours and an applied skills requirement worth nine credit hours. Hoover said it’s important to keep in mind that these changes won’t remove courses from the course catalogue, but will allow students more flexibility in their schedules. “Just because a signature inquiry is not going to be a category or is not a proposed category in the new plan doesn’t mean that that learning goes away, because it already is in a perspectives area that we’re retaining,” Hoover said. Another addition to the new Miami Plan is e-portfolios, which all students will be required to compile. An e-portfolio is a collection of work and projects that students engage in during their time at Miami and is meant to be a way to showcase work done across multiple classes. Wardle said the idea for an e-portfolio is not new. Since she began
teaching at Miami in 2017, the Howe Writing Center has offered workshops for building an e-portfolio, and many departments and divisions already use them, like the College of Creative Arts. Although changes in the Miami Plan will not stop courses from being taught, it is possible that professors’ course loads and course offerings may be affected. Implementation French addressed the Board of Trustees at the Feb. 27 meeting and provided updates on the work of the Miami Plan Revision Committee. He also discussed a desire for more support for Miami’s Office of Liberal Education, which oversees the Miami Plan. The office currently has two employees: Hoover, the interim director, and Dorothy Falke, the administrative assistant. “Our Liberal Education Council noted its support for the ongoing work of the Miami Plan revision committee and recommended those revisions for consideration by the University Senate, while underscoring to us the need for a well-resourced and staffed office for the administration of the revised plan,” French said in his address on Feb 27. The committee plans to implement the new plan beginning in the fall of 2027. This timeline is designed to be compliant with Ohio legislation requiring all students who graduate in the spring semester of the 20292030 academic year to complete the new American civic literacy course. mahones5@miamioh.edu
6
SPORTS ‘We don’t want to get stagnant’: Miami men’s basketball enters MAC tournament undefeated
FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026
PETER SUDER DRIVES FOR THE RIM AT ROCKET MORTGAGE ARENA AGAINST KENT STATE ON MARCH 14 IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH
PETE HARTLAGE
THE MIAMI STUDENT The Mid-American Conference (MAC) men’s basketball tournament begins on March 12 at Rocket Mortgage Arena in Cleveland, where the No. 20 Miami University RedHawks (31-0, 18-0 in conference play) look to continue their perfect season. Eight teams will compete across three rounds between March 12-14. Unlike most other conference tournaments, the top seeds do not get any byes or any advantage to
start the tournament. Therefore, the RedHawks are matching up in the first round against the University of Massachusetts Minutemen (16-15, 7-11 in conference play) at 11 a.m. on Thursday. After finishing perfect in the regular season thanks to an overtime effort against Ohio University, the RedHawks come into the MAC tournament ready. However, the RedHawks do need to be prepared for a challenge they have not faced all season: playing three games in three days. “We don’t want to get stagnant,”
freshman guard Justin Kirby said. “When you win, you think everything comes easy. We just keep doing the same thing, we’re going to be alright. I didn’t think in my mind we were going to be undefeated, it’s obviously crazy.” The RedHawks need to take the tournament a day at a time and focus on who they play that round, which is something they have succeeded with all season. “If you start looking too far ahead, that’s when you get tripped up,” associate head coach Jonathan Holmes said. “Our preparation was no differ-
ent for Trinity than it was for Akron or for Ohio. There’s some comfort in that. They know what the expectation level is, and it probably sounds cliche, but the standard is the standard.” Since the RedHawks finished with a perfect regular season, they have already beaten every team that will play in Cleveland at least once. If they win against UMass, they will face either the University of Toledo or Bowling Green State University. If the perfect season continues past the semifinals, the RedHawks will face either the University of Akron, the University of Buffalo, Kent State University or Ohio University. The RedHawks played against Akron once this season back on Jan. 3 when they defeated the Zips 76-73 in Millett Hall. Akron went on to finish the rest of MAC play undefeated and enter the tournament at 26-5 overall. Akron is favorited to win the conference, making the Zips the biggest threat to end Miami’s perfect season and potentially make the MAC a twobid league in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1999. If Akron loses before the championship game, it would likely be to Kent State, whom the RedHawks also faced once this season. Miami defeated the Golden Flashes 107-101 in overtime on the road. Kent State finished third in the MAC this season with a 23-8 overall record.
Similar to the RedHawks and the Zips, the Golden Flashes have a highly efficient offense and average more than 85 points per game. A MAC championship game against either Akron or Kent State would be highly entertaining for Miami fans. The RedHawks have had their fair share of tight battles throughout the regular season, with four overtime games and many more decided by one or two possessions. This battle-tested and experienced group will continue to rely on the experience from those close games throughout the MAC tournament and, hopefully, the rest of the season. With national coverage and attention turning towards Miami, many outsiders may think that the pressure continues to build, but Holmes believes it’s a privilege, and the players do a great job handling it. “At this point, we’ve been dealing with it for months now,” Holmes said. “It’s not a burden, it’s exciting. You wake up, and everybody’s talking about Miami basketball. It’s a privilege to have that. Our guys have done a great job compartmentalizing the task at hand and staying focused.” With the tournament beginning on Thursday, it will hopefully be a great weekend for Miami athletics as the RedHawks look to extend the nation’s best record to 34-0. hartlapo@miamioh.edu
Miami men’s basketball’s strength of schedule no longer matters KETHAN BABU SPORTS EDITOR COLUMN In the past 80 years, only 21 men’s basketball teams have gone undefeated in the regular season. Of those 21, seven have gone on to win the national championship. With an overtime win against Ohio University on March 6, the Miami University RedHawks men’s basketball team became the most recent team to attain a flawless regular season. At 31-0, Miami set a program and Mid-American Conference (MAC) record for wins in a season. However, time will tell if Miami goes on to March Madness success. For some, time will tell if the RedHawks will go dancing at all. Around the time Miami received its first national ranking in January, online conversations erupted with complaints about the RedHawks’ strength of schedule. Both casual fans and professional analysts have argued that Miami’s undefeated status has an asterisk next to it: The team
hasn’t played any Power Four opponents this season. Basketball is a game of metrics when it comes to deciding who qualifies for the NCAA tournament. The 10-person selection committee primarily relies on the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET), an algorithm that uses team value index (TVI), which rewards teams for beating “quality” opponents, and an adjusted net efficiency. A team’s NET score isn’t the sole determiner of their postseason aspirations, but it’s one the selection committee weighs heavily on. Miami ranks 54th in the country based on NET score, mostly due to the opponents it faced this season. Furthermore, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index (BPI) ranks Miami at 91st with a 6.5 BPI, meaning the RedHawks are expected to be 6.5 points or better than the average Division I team. The NET uses a quadrant system that ranks a team’s wins and losses on impressiveness, for lack of a better word. It uses the strength of the opponent and the location of the game to determine whether a game is Quad 1 or Quad 2. The more Quad 1 wins
Underestimated but never daunted: The Eian Elmer Story CONTINUED FROM FRONT Elmer had an explosive senior season to close out his high school career, helping Taft High School win the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division III state championship. A two-handed dunk from him sealed the title game, and Elmer’s potential was on full display. Elmer played in 32 games during his 2023-24 freshman season, and started in 19 of them. He averaged seven points and 4.3 rebounds per game and posted a season-high 23 points in a game against the Eastern Michigan University Eagles. “I didn’t really envision myself starting as a freshman [in college],” Elmer said. “We had a lot of older players that were great players, but the opportunity just presented itself.” Elmer’s ability to adapt his playing style is one of his most notable traits. Coupling his spot-up jumpshot and an affinity to attack the hoop makes him a dynamic scorer. On defense, he exemplifies the hustle play style, utilizing his prolific ability to force turnovers with blocks and steals. Elmer credits his diverse play style to his playing time particularly early in his career. “[I] just changed my game to fit the role,” Elmer said. “I think that’s what my game is. Whatever role you need to do, I’ll be able to do it.” With Elmer playing a significant role, the RedHawks improved their record by three games during his freshman season, finishing at 15-17. He would receive his first accolade in a Miami uniform when he was named to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) All-Freshman Team. During his standout sophomore campaign, Elmer started in all but one contest and finished the season averaging 11 points and 4.9 rebounds, the second most on the team. Elmer also led the team in total steals with
50 and finished second in blocks with 24. Now in his junior year, the soft-spoken Elmer has once more placed his name high on the marquee of Miami basketball. Averaging 12.1 points and six rebounds per game, he has continued his significant contributions to the unprecedented Miami basketball season. He has been recognized for his efforts this season with All-MAC Second Team honors. “He rebounds, he defends, he can score, he can shoot, he can do a lot of things well,” Steele said. “Eian impacts the game in every way possible. If he’s not an all-conference talent, that would be insane.” Elmer’s star has shone brightly in Miami’s biggest moments this season: hitting a game-tying 3-pointer against the University of Buffalo as time expired, scoring a career-high 30 points in a close game against the University of Massachusetts and sinking another game-sealing dunk against Kent State University. He has remained consistently fearless in the most dire moments of the season. “[My] mindset is always playing to win,” Elmer said. “I never let the moment become bigger than what it is.” As Miami looks to build on the success it has already had, Steele will rely heavily on Elmer’s guard play to parlay the RedHawks’ regular season accomplishments into the MAC championship in Cleveland. Undoubtedly, Elmer will look to keep his routine the same on the banks of Lake Erie. He will continue to listen to his favorite playlist during shoot-around. During games, Elmer will wear his lucky Harden Volume 9 shoes to pay homage to his idol, James Harden, in the same arena he calls home. meneghcj@miamioh.edu
a team collects, the higher NET ranking it will achieve. Miami has played zero Quad 1 and two Quad 2 games this season (Wright State and Akron). A bulk of the RedHawks’ games have been in Quad 3 (11 games) and Quad 4 (15 games). Among those matchups include three non-Division I opponents. All in all, Miami had one of the weakest strengths of schedules in the NCAA this season. For basketball fans and analysts, this is a huge factor in whether the team makes it to March Madness. Opinions appear divided online. Some argue that the RedHawks have done enough to make it in the Field of 68 regardless of what happens in the MAC tournament. Others argue that they need to go far in the tournament to have a chance. Yet another group claims that the regular season resume means nothing, and that Miami needs to win the MAC championship for the automatic bid. Regardless of any metric, statistic or formula, basketball fans have to admit: 31-0 is an unreal accomplishment.
Ignore how many Quad 3 and Quad 4 games occupied Miami’s schedule this season. Ignore the fact that the RedHawks didn’t play any Power Four opponents (despite their best efforts to schedule them). Ignore how many games went into overtime or were decided by a handful of points. The RedHawks won 31-straight games. They haven’t lost a collegiate basketball game since March 15, 2025. No matter how you frame it, going 31-0 is an accomplishment. Once January hit and conference play began, the argument with strength of schedule should have fizzled out. Miami faced the standard slate of MAC opponents that it faces every year, and it won every game. The RedHawks defeated the University of Akron, the reigning conference champions, as well as Kent State University, Ohio University and the University of Massachusetts, all of which were predicted to finish in the top five of the MAC before the season started. When it looked like Miami’s winning streak would end, like during the
game against Western Michigan University, it somehow fought back and took the lead before the final buzzer. The RedHawks continuously find ways to win, and a perfect record in the MAC shouldn’t be ignored. The March Madness Cinderella story is as important to basketball as the tournament itself. If 68 teams make it into the bracket, then a handful of them should be mid-majors and underappreciated teams. The RedHawks have made a strong case for themselves, not only by joining the selective group of teams that have gone undefeated in the regular season, but by doing so with several overtime wins, close games and last-second points. In an era where data analytics, formulas, algorithms and statistics largely determine which teams make it into the bracket, the selection committee would be mistaken to not include Miami, regardless of its strength of schedule. babukc2@miamioh.edu
Midseason Review: Miami’s baseball team chases backto-back MAC titles GRAHAM YOUNG STAFF WRITER
The Miami University RedHawks baseball team loaded the bus without a sound. The RedHawks were headed to Cape Girardeau, Missouri, for yet another road series. They played 12-straight away games before playing their home opener at McKie Field. After a go-ahead single and a sacrifice bunt gave the Southeast Missouri State University Redhawks a 4-2 lead in the eighth inning, Miami was handed its third loss in a fourgame series. “One thing I’ve picked up on is how quiet the bus is,” graduate student pitcher Clayton Burke said. “After each loss, it’s a different type of quiet because we know the ball didn’t bounce our way.” Still, these moments prepared the RedHawks for long-awaited home field play. The team headed into its first Mid-American Conference (MAC) series this past weekend against Eastern Michigan University with a 10-4 record, one game behind the Kent State University Golden Flashes. With a series sweep against Eastern Michigan, the RedHawks are now first in the conference. Redshirt senior infielder Evan Applewick is confident in the team so far. After coming off its first MAC title since 2005 last season, the team’s expectations aren’t slowing down. “We believe that we’re the best team in the MAC,” Applewick said. “Our goal is to win the MAC and then receive recognition on a regional and national level, competing with the best teams in the country.” On the pitching side, depth has
become a strong suit for the RedHawks. Burke leads the team with 19 innings pitched, and five additional pitchers have pitched 10 or more innings across the first 15 games. “Last season, we relied on three or four guys to carry the load through the weekend,” Burke said. “This year, we can rely on three or four guys to get us through almost every game.” Freshman pitcher Cameron Novak and fellow right-handed senior Austin Berggren have supported starting pitching efforts in an effective way. Novak posted a 1.64 ERA through 11 innings, while Breggren has a 2.79 ERA through 9.2 innings and a team-high six appearances. On the offensive side, Applewick returned to the roster after a 21 home run performance last year. He hasn’t let off the gas, hitting seven so far this season. “Last year, we were one-dimensional,” Appelwick said. “We hit home runs and doubles. This year, we’ve got a lot more speed. We’ve got guys that hit for power, but we also have guys that are stealing bases and can bunt.” Head Coach Brian Smiley also mentioned the different ways the RedHawks can win games with a new skillset from last season. “Team speed wasn’t a part of our offense last year, but it certainly is this year,” Smiley said. “That’s why we can beat teams a couple different ways, whether we need to bunt and run, hit and run, steal bases or hit the long ball.” Junior outfielder Marcus Dierks leads the team in stolen bases (13), already clearing the team-high from last season (10). Dierks also leads the team in batting average (.442),
alongside redshirt junior outfielder Tommy Harrison (.442) through 52 at-bats each. The men’s basketball team finished its season a perfect 31-0 after coming off a 25-9 2025 season and has received national coverage alongside a potential spot in March Madness. The baseball team has bounced back in a similar way, but success from basketball hasn’t added any pressure to the team’s expectations. “We want to build off what the basketball team has created,” Burke said. “The national coverage and media is certainly cool, but it doesn’t put more pressure on us, and we know that if we compete to our ability, we will end up getting that national coverage.” Improvements from last season in hitting, stealing bases and pitching depth started in practice last fall. The grassroot efforts have allowed the team to thrive in multiple aspects of the game instead of just hitting for power. The RedHawks have another half of their season left, and another MAC title is within reach. Work still has to be done, and the offseason training has given the team confidence. “The guys have a taste of a MAC title in their mouth, and they want to get back to an NCAA regional,” Smiley said. “I believe we’ve got a regional team.” The RedHawks (11-4) will face off against the Bowling Green State University Falcons (3-10) in their next home series at McKie Field on March 13-15. younggm7@miamioh.edu
SPORTS
7 FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026
Why the new Arena District is a good thing
Why the new Arena District would hurt Miami COOPER MENEGHETTI STAFF WRITER COLUMN
GRAPHIC BY ELISE HANNA
VINCENT JOLLIFF STAFF WRITER COLUMN On Feb. 27, the Miami University Board of Trustees approved a $242281 million plan for a new Arena District in place of Cook Field. The approved plan will include a new arena for men’s and women’s basketball, a volleyball court and two auxiliary courts. This plan and its approval have been divisive, garnering support and opposition from students, alumni and fans. The new Arena District, set to open in the fall of 2028, will be a great success for the students, athletes and local community. Millett Hall will be 60 years old by the time it closes its doors after the 2028 season. The arena committee has estimated that renovations will cost $175 million dollars. The arena lighting is outdated and not built for basketball or volleyball. The ceiling and building do not enclose sound well, and the seats are far away from the court. Another problem is attendance. It took a historical season from the men’s basketball team to sell out Millett consistently. The 9,200 seats in Millett are just too many for Miami athletic programs. Some of the best seats in the building are being used as hallways and tunnels, and large entry-ways are put in place of valuable seats close to the court. One of the ways the new arena will help with attendance is location. Millett is far away from the majority of campus and student rental houses, a half-mile from the Farmer School of Business and one mile
from South Quad dorms. An arena in the heart of campus would solve this problem. In the past weeks, the BCRTA bus system had to set up shuttles to get fans in the arena due to the long walks and winter weather. In comparison, the Cook Field site is centrally located, right next to Farmer and just under a half-mile from South Quad. Moreover, drivers have to traverse smaller, in-town roads that create immense traffic on game days to get to Millett. Cook Field is right off of Highway 73, which is one of the main roadways into Oxford and Miami’s campus. Traffic will still exist, but it will be mostly on the outskirts of town, not log-jamming multiple blocks in northern Oxford. Duke University’s Cameron Indoor Stadium only seats 9,300 people. The Blue Devils are arguably the biggest brand in college basketball and could easily sell 20,000 tickets a game. Yet, they’ve kept it smaller, mostly because of how close the seats are to the court. Cameron Indoor is one of the hardest places to play in the country and has a great atmosphere. A 6,400-seat arena can be just as loud and intimidating as a 10,000 plus seat stadium with the right architecture and, of course, great fans. Student-athletes would also benefit from the new arena. The experience of playing at a state-of-the-art new stadium would differ greatly from a 60-year-old auditorium that was transformed into a gym. The new arena would instantly become the newest and one of the best in the Mid-American Conference, if not the whole region. In the highly-competitive world
of the transfer portal and Name, Image and Likeness, Miami must win on the margins. The athletic department cannot afford $20 million basketball rosters, but athletes may take a discount to play in a brandnew facility. The biggest benefactor of a new arena and surrounding district are the students of Miami. Cook Field is limited for intramural sports and student exercise. It is only a half grass, half turf area with a half-mile concrete path and two metal baseball backstops. The turf is old and needs to be updated, and the grass is poorly maintained and largely neglected. The plan outlines immense progress to student athletic facilities on the old Millett site. Soccer fields, flag football fields, exercise equipment and walking paths are all planned to be built in place of Millett. Students will benefit from new green spaces just as much as the student-athletes will benefit from the new arena. Economic opportunities will flood the region and the university, according to the university’s outline. The athletic teams playing in the new arena will have advantages over peers in terms of recruiting and retaining talent. Most importantly, students will have access to better facilities in place of the existing facilities at Cook Field. Building over Cook Field is not a perfect solution, but it is the best option to ensure the project is a success and appeals to students, athletes, and all of Southwest Ohio. jollifvm@miamioh.edu
Millett Hall is a Miami University institution; it has witnessed the oncourt wizardry of Ron Harper, the magic of Wally Szczerbiak and the 1999 season, and the unprecedented 2026 RedHawk men’s and women’s basketball seasons. It has hosted iconic musical acts like Elton John, Bruce Springsteen and Fleetwood Mac, establishing the arena as a cultural landmark. Miami prides itself on its rich history. Destroying both Millett as well as Cook Field is antithetical to the university’s efforts for historical preservation. It should not be disregarded that Millett needs renovations. That being said, it does not require the complete destruction of Miami’s oldest athletic facility. The university administration makes several arguments in support of the new arena, the first of which is that the Cook Field location will increase student attendance. Last year, the public perceived this as a sound argument; however, the success of this season proves that a team’s record is the main driver of attendance. The men’s basketball team will not go undefeated year after year, but consistent winning and a culture of success will keep attendance at Millett near 8,000 people. The best way to ensure the continued success of the basketball program is to use the money that could have been used on a new stadium to pay both coaches and athletes more. Travis Steele is a once-in-a-lifetime coach. Retaining him should be of utmost importance to the athletic department, and realistically, the best way to do so is to maintain a competitive salary like Gonzaga University does with head coach Mark Few. The large financial burden a new arena would saddle the university and would eat into the budget to keep Steele. Additionally, this budget can be used to continue to attract the excellent talent this coaching staff has lured to Miami. If the athletic department is serious regarding its commitment to the continued growth of
the basketball program, this option should have been weighed more heavily. Providing coaches and players with an increased financial commitment is critical to establishing Miami as a serious mid-major basketball program. To capitalize on the recent success of the basketball program, renovations could be made to address Millett’s problematic elements. Adding more permanent seating behind the opposing basket would strengthen the already-dominant home court advantage. This concept would allow a raucous wall of students to sit right behind the basket and nearly on the court, a concept that has proven successful at many mid-major schools, like Gonzaga and Butler University. Updating locker room facilities is another opportunity for improvement in Millett, modernizing the conditions for the athletes who use the space daily. These upgrades limit frivolous spending by focusing on the issues that need to be addressed. The fan experience at Millett does not require much alteration; regardless of which arena the team uses, concession stands, seats, hallways and concourses are effectively the same. Millett has an old and unique design within the area that gives it a retro charm. In a new arena, the same formulaic, corporatized layout seen throughout hundreds of gyms in the country will inevitably be used. Miami is much better served by an arena with an older facade cloaked in history than a new age cookie-cutter facility that will likely be plagued by the same issues in 30 years. Cook Field has served Miami students for as long as many alumni can remember. As an Oxford landmark, many long for its continued service. The university could leverage this facility for traditional events such as the Cook Field Music Festival and other events that would bring more recognition and financial opportunities. Miami will be better served prioritizing alterations on the facilities it has used for more than 60 years in order to keep its rich tradition alive, rather than scraping it all together. meneghcj@miamioh.edu
Miami hockey loses in NCHC quarterfinal but comes away with a positive outlook JEFFREY MIDDLETON ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
After the 2024-25 season, Miami University hockey head coach Anthony Noreen and his staff cut ties with almost every player on the roster. The cuts and transfers (along with the eventual influx of new names) signaled a new era at Goggin Ice Center, and the team’s results in the 2025-26 season showed what is possible for the program moving forward. The RedHawks swept their first series of the season at home against the Ferris State University Bulldogs, and fans saw many of the 21 new players in action. Canisius University transfer Matteo Giampa made his presence known, alongside Boston University transfer Doug Grimes, Michigan State University transfer Vladislav Lukashevich and others. The presence of the youngest player in college hockey, 17-year-old freshman Ilia Morozov, made waves around the rink for opening series attendees. After that first series sweep, Miami met and surpassed its previous season win total on the road in its second series against the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers. Two overtime victories on the road against the Lindenwood University Lions put the RedHawks at a 6-0-0 start. Having not won a single conference game in the 2024-25 season, the RedHawks returned home to begin National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) play against the
Arizona State University Sun Devils, hoping to change their outlook in the conference standings. They faced adversity after a 4-1 loss on Friday night but hit the ice on Saturday and were powered to a 5-2 win, their first conference win in 658 days. University of Alaska-Anchorage transfer Maximilion Helgeson and Quinnipiac University transfer Ryan Smith each had a pair of goals. The RedHawks participated in two separate non-conference tournaments through the middle of the season: The Friendship Four in late November and the Great Lakes Invitation in late December Miami came away with the Belpot Trophy in the Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland, triumphing over the Rochester Institute of Technology and then-No. 20 Union College. Following two NCHC series against Denver University and Colorado College, the RedHawks lost 5-2 to the Michigan Tech University Huskies in the first game of the Great Lakes Invitational. Though they were unable to play in the championship game against Michigan State, they won their third game against Ferris State 4-2. This was the only game sophomore netminder Matteo Drobac didn’t play during the season. Noreen decided in favor of 19-year-old Mathis Langevin, who took the open goaltending roster spot when freshman Shika Gadzhiev left the program after being unable to play due to eligibility issues.
Following the tournament, Miami returned to NCHC ice and had its best stretch of the season, winning six of seven games from early January to early February, including a home overtime win against the reigning national champion Western Michigan University Broncos. However, the RedHawks’ ship took on some water when they lost six-straight games, including the second game of the series against Western Michigan, both games at the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, at home against the University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs and the first game on the road at the University of Omaha-Nebraska in their final series of the year. Miami won its last game of the season at Omaha and finished the year with an 18-16-2 overall record (9-13-2 in-conference), good for the seventh seed in the NCHC tournament. The RedHawks headed into Denver back in form. Freshman defenseman Shaun McEwen, who scored his first collegiate goal at Omaha and took on a larger role through the back-half of the regular season, spoke before the quarterfinal series at Denver about playing against a team that swept them early in the season. “I’m pretty excited, and I think a lot of the guys are too,” McEwen said. “We’re heading out to Denver, and we know obviously they’re a great team, but I think we have a lot of belief in that room.” However, the excitement was
THE MIAMI HOCKEY TEAM GATHERS AT THE HOME NET BEFORE THE UMD GAME AT GOGGIN ICE CENTER ON FEB. FEB. 21. PHOTO BY ALEX AREHART
short-lived, as the RedHawks’ season ended in the best-of-three series with a 3-0 shutout loss and a 5-2 loss. “We just weren’t ourselves,” Noreen said after the final game. “We didn’t have our normal leg drive and didn’t have our normal detail. I thought in the third period we got back to our game minus one bad penalty that wound up in the back of our net, as it should. We played until the last minute, the last second, and that’s what this group has done every time.” After the season ended, there was a mix of feelings around the Miami locker room. Of course, there was disappointment, but it was hard to walk away without appreciating those who helped create the atmosphere that put the team back on the map. “I’ll keep most of it in [the locker room], but I obviously wanted to thank our six seniors,” Noreen said.
“They’re six guys that, in different ways, have all made a major impact on this program, mainly because of who they are as people, the way they interacted with the rest of the guys and the way they represented Miami.” The RedHawks experienced their first capacity sellout game since 2015 against St. Cloud. The increase in attendance shows the team’s improvement from last season and the level that the athletes are playing at. “There haven’t been many programs in the history of Division I hockey overall – on the ice, off the ice, community, attendance, alumni interaction – every single thing these guys did, there’s a lot to be proud of,” Noreen said. “There’s certainly a lot of work to get it to the next level, which is what the expectation is.” middleje@miamioh.edu
Refocused women’s basketball takes first game in the MAC tournament over Kent State CONTINUED FROM FRONT The RedHawks lost three seniors and another five players to the transfer portal last season, but they had a whole offseason to get to work and make sure they improved upon last season. “This team has come really, really far,” Box said. “It takes time to get kids truly immersed and buy in, and we’ve done that.” This gave the chance for soph-
omore guard Tamar Singer to get a year of experience under her belt and grow into the position of starting guard this year, along with sophomore forward Ilse de Vries. Singer leads the team in assists per game (7.1), steals per game (2.7) and free throw percentage, shooting 86.7% from the line. She was also named to the All-MAC Third Team. De Vries was named to the AllMAC Third Team as well. She averag-
es nearly two blocks per game, leading the MAC, along with averaging 12.8 points and 4.9 rebounds. Junior forward Amber Tretter took on a bigger role this season, leading the team in points per game (14.2) and rebounds per game (8.0) while shooting 50.9% from the field. “I think my development has improved significantly, especially from freshman year,” Tretter said. “But also developing players beside me
like Tamar, Ilsa and Jurjo that have been here for multiple years, and we learn how to play with each other.” The RedHawks took some time after their loss to Ohio to reset ahead of their biggest test yet. The MAC tournament has major implications towards the national tournament, with an auto-bid going to the winner of the conference tournament. “We had a wake-up call last game,” Box said. “We needed the last
couple days to kind of regroup and get ourselves back together.” The RedHawks look to cap off a historic season and continue their dominance in the conference once more against Ohio. If they defeat the Bobcats in the semifinals, they will face either Ball State University or the University of Toledo. mccartd6@miamioh.edu
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Smiling ends ELISE HANNA STAFF WRITER COLUMN For a show whose premise lies in making people smile, the latest news about the show “Smiling Friends” is making fans anything but cheerful. The show premiered its first episode, “Desmond’s Big Day,” on April 1, 2020, as a part of Cartoon Network’s nighttime programming block Adult Swim. The complete first season aired on Jan. 10, 2022, despite plans having been made for a weekly release. Almost immediately, it became clear that viewers loved it, gravitating towards its smart humor, witty jokes and lovable characters — characters who genuinely seemed to care for and play well off of each other. Unfortunately, this high did not last long. Creators Zach Hadel and Michael Cusack announced the show’s conclusion through a YouTube video on Adult Swim’s channel Feb. 26. Prefacing by ensuring that it was not a joke, Cusack said both he and Hadel had been feeling burnt out after writing, directing and voicing three seasons in roughly three years. “We wouldn’t want to be doing more seasons with like, half-hearted,” Hadel said in agreement. Another sentiment shared by the two was they wanted to end on a high note. “This feels like a good spot to end it,” Hadel said. “If we really feel inspired and if we really feel we’ve got great ideas, and we’re hungry to do it again, you know, absolutely we’ll come back maybe for a special or some more episodes.” Despite this, many fans are hesitant to believe the show is truly ending. Adult Swim is known for elaborate April Fool’s jokes, including when they aired three Smiling Friends episodes completely remade with puppets. “They are going for a long con prank this year,” Reddit user Doomchan said, claiming that the creators plan to let the fandom “talk about it, cry, complain, etc. for all of March” before revealing the prank on April 1. Other fans have criticized Hadel and Cusack’s decision, especially since this comes just months after the news that the show had been renewed for seasons four and five. Another concern is that the staff members are suddenly out of a job. “Smiling Friend’s” composer, Brendan Caulfield, posted on the social
media site X in search of employment. “I’m looking for more work! Keen to try composing music for a video game,” Caulfield wrote. Several people expressed frustration on behalf of Caulfield and other Smiling Friends staff. “Confirming 2 more seasons, to the point that the company you’re working for advertises them, and then backing out is NOT okay when you’re working under a major network,” Reddit user Buffwoman69 said in a thread discussing the show. “This isn’t a project among friends, they had a ton of people working with them that assumed they had job security for several more years. It’s like, comically unprofessional and tbh I wish [Adult Swim] would put their foot down regarding it. It’s great they’re creator friendly but this is somehow a little TOO creator friendly.” Smiling Friends has become almost a poster child for Adult Swim. People from all over the world have created fan art, memes and even cosplays (shoutout to my Halloween costume this past year). I’m rather sad to see it go, but I do believe Cusack and Hadel are telling the truth, and they are not pulling an elaborate prank about the show’s ending. It had been a common topic of discussion, especially when the show was renewed, that they didn’t want to see the show go on past its prime. I hope to see more “Smiling Friends”-related content in the future, such as the mentioned specials. I would much rather watch high-quality episodes that are few and far between than a constantly updating reel of low-grade content made purely to get a season count met. There were also questions about whether or not Hadel and Cusack could pass the torch and allow other creators to take over the show, but they addressed that idea in their video. “It wouldn’t be the same show,” Hadel said. “It’s just not that kind of show, it’s not built like that.” While it’s certainly not easy to accept, I do see their intentions as pure and in the best interest of the show and its legacy. “This was our decision,” Cusack said. “We hope you understand, [and] we hope you’ve enjoyed what we’ve done. It’s been amazing, the fans have been so good. It’s been the best, [and] it’s been the ride of a lifetime.” hannaer@miamioh.edu
GRAPHIC BY ELISE HANNA
FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026
10 spring movies for defrosting into March
GRAPHIC BY REN CHAFFEE
REN CHAFFEE STAFF WRITER COLUMN I always tend to associate spring with being youthful and carefree. This is why, during spring, I find myself turning back to old favorites that are (for the most part) uplifting and feel like the sun hitting your face on the first warm day of the year. These 10 movies perfectly fit that criteria. ‘My Neighbor Totoro’ This movie takes me back to my childhood in so many different ways. It is arguably in my top three Studio Ghibli movies. The music and animations are beautiful and create a perfect spring vibe. In this movie, two sisters move to the countryside to be closer to their mother, who is in the hospital. In this new rural environment, they learn that the trees are filled with magical forest spirits. ‘Anne of Green Gables’ (1985) I grew up watching this movie on the VHS tapes my mom owned as a kid. Anne is an orphan sent to live with the Cuthbert family. Originally, the family wanted a boy, but she won them over with her big heart, imagination and spunky personality. The countryside setting is what really solidifies this movie in the spring genre for me. This movie has a run time of three hours and 20 minutes, but it’s worth it. ‘Leap Year’ “Leap Year” takes place in Ireland on, you guessed it, a leap year. Since it takes place in February, this movie feels like the transition out of the harshness of winter into the beginning of spring. The main character, Anna, plans to bring her boyfriend of four years to Ireland to propose on Feb. 29 because, according to Irish tradition, it is the one
Sketched Out improv hosts first Alumni Show LAYLA NORRIS STAFF WRITER
On Saturday, Feb. 28, the laughter and shouts from Pearson 128 could be heard throughout the building. That first-floor room holds classes and study sessions, but it is also home to the performances of Sketched Out — “Miami University’s BEST (and only) Improv Comedy,” according to their Instagram account. Usually, the team consists of 10 comedians. However, their most recent show was different. Sketched Out held their first-ever Alumni Show, inviting back 13 former members of the group. In total, there were 23 performers for the show. Previous members from the class of 2010 to as recent as the class of 2025 returned for this special show. As part of their campaign, Lily Green, a senior theatre major and the president and artistic director, along with co-president Max Kaufman, a senior theatre and English major, decided they wanted to create the show to foster the group’s alumni connections. “We both understand the importance of networking and meeting people,” Green said. “I’ve seen so many other organizations, and honestly, Glee Club has been a big inspiration … It made us think we can do that.”
Notably, the co-founder of Sketched Out, Marie Maloney, class of 2010, returned to perform. Maloney co-founded Sketched Out in 2009 and has been performing for 17 years now. Junior media and communication major Mallory Branek spoke on the preparation for their improv shows and how this changed with the addition of 13 extra alumni members. They had only met the alumni the night before their performance. “The biggest hurdle we had to tackle was, what do you do with 23 of us?” Branek said. “It’s been exactly 24 hours of knowing each other, so all day [before the show] was spent doing improv. When the alumni came in … when we decided what games we would be playing based on their skill sets.” The show began at 7:30 p.m. that night. All the performers stood at the sides. An improv game was declared, and a selected few came to the stage to perform. The show is split into two separate acts, with a 1o-minute intermission in between. The games rely on audience participation through shout-out ideas, and performers answer questions to prompt different topics. These shows all have a special yet key component — marshmallows. Audience members can purchase marshmallows to throw at the improvists while they perform.
So, mid-scene, one of them may be pelted in the face by a marshmallow. The first act was short, with only a couple games being played, including musical improv. After the intermission, they resumed. The second act was significantly longer and included fan-favorite game “5 Things.” Three members are selected and one leaves the room while the other two ask the audience questions. The audience provides five sets of three things: an action, a place and an object. These two members must act out the action, such as surfing on a toaster with RuPaul, but can only speak in gibberish. The first member must guess what is being acted out. Sketched Out shows are serotonin boosters. It’s almost two hours of pure joy, entertainment and laughter. These shows have become a source of community for members old and new. “[This show] was really inspiring to me,” Green said. “All these alumni who shared with us that Sketched Out was the most important part of their college experience. It meant so much.” Their next event will be held on Friday, April 10.
day a woman can propose to a man. However, instead of meeting with her boyfriend, she ends up on the other side of the island where she meets an Irish man who leads her life down a different path. ‘Matilda’ Most of us know and love “Matilda.” The movie follows a lonely and intelligent young girl who loves to read. Matilda goes to school, where she discovers she has telekinetic abilities and uses them to fight back against the bullying of the school headmaster and her family. Along the way, she befriends Miss Honey, her teacher. ‘Little Women’ (2019) This is your classic coming-ofage film, directed by Greta Gerwig, featuring the famous hill scene between Jo and Laurie. While this movie does not take place entirely in spring, the imagery and colors in this film create a very spring-like feel. From my perspective, the way the four sisters come into their own in this movie reminds me of the growth we see in spring. ‘Enchanted’ This underrated 2007 Disney movie is a comedy, romance, musical and fantasy all rolled into one. Princess Giselle is banished from her animated fantasy world to the shockingly real city of New York. She is astonished this world doesn’t always end in happily ever after; we watch her wonder if her storybook view of love can survive in the real world. ‘The Sound of Music’ This movie musical follows Maria, a nun, who becomes a governess to the seven children of a strict and widowed military father. She brings music, warmth and kindness into a household that lacked it for so many years. The music sticks with
you and warms your heart, which is part of what makes it perfect for spring. Like the song “My Favorite Things,” where Julia Andrews sings “Raindrops of roses and whiskers on kittens.” ‘Bambi’ “Bambi” fits into the mostly uplifting category I mentioned in the beginning. We all know the scene I’m referring to. Besides that, this childhood classic is heart-warming and follows Bambi, a deer, who discovers and matures through life with his friends Thumper and Flower. The concept of talking forest animals will always be one that brings a lot of nostalgia for a wide audience. ‘Clueless’ “Clueless” might not be the first movie that comes to mind when thinking of spring movies, but the pastel fashion and warm setting of Beverly Hills make it the perfect movie for spring. Along with the visual elements, it is a lighthearted romantic comedy. Fun fact, “Clueless” was also inspired by Jane Austen’s novel “Emma.” ‘The Secret World of Arrietty’ Arrietty is a borrower, essentially a four-inch-tall person, who lives in the floorboards in the country home of the human boy, Sho. A friendship grows between the two of them, despite Arrietty and her family having to stay a secret from the rest of Sho’s family. The imagery of this movie reminds me of the Tinkerbell movies with repurposed, small human items. A lot of this list consists of old favorites, but that’s what spring is for all of us: returning to a time of year filled with warmth and familiarity. chaffele@miamioh.edu
New Mediterranean grill opens Uptown HAILEY CRAVER STAFF WRITER COLUMN Where Jimmy John’s once stood now sits a Mediterranean and Greekstyle restaurant: Tavo Mediterranean Grill. Inside, the interior remains the same; The floors are still checkered, the booths are still linear and the food-making assembly line is still present. But the small restaurant on East High Street, located next to Starbucks, went from a multinational sandwich chain to a unique Oxford Mediterranean grill. Before I tell you about my experience, you should know that Mediterranean cuisine is something I know well. Both sets of my great-grandparents are Lebanese natives, so I grew up surrounded by some of the best, most authentic Lebanese food. Because of that, I came in with high expectations, and thankfully, Tavo did not disappoint. Tavo sells Greek-style wraps and sandwiches, and they are best known for their gyro wrap, which comes with gyro meat, tomatoes, onions, lettuce and tzatziki sauce. My friend recommended the chicken shawarma wrap, and I took her word for it.
The menu is simple and easy to follow, which makes it a great stop if you are looking for something quick but different from the usual Uptown options. After I ordered, I watched as the employee started assembling the wrap. She laid out two large tortillas and began adding the spiced grilled chicken, garlic sauce and pickles. She then asked if I wanted the wrap toasted — I said yes, obviously. Tavo has an abundance of sides and appetizers you can choose from, including hummus, baba ghanouj, tabbouleh and grape leaves. My friend got the fries and said they were perfectly crispy — I will definitely be trying those soon. The wrap came to about $12. For its size, I would say it was decently priced. The wrap was nice and warm, and I could taste the chicken, sauce and pickles in every bite. It was filling without feeling too heavy, which is always a win when you still have the rest of the day ahead of you. Oxford gaining a Mediterranean option is a welcome addition — especially if you are looking to switch up your usual High Street routine. Rating: 9/10 craverhj@miamioh.edu
Additional reporting was contributed by Assistant Culture Editor Ayla Peden. norrisl3@miamioh.edu A NEW MEDITERRANEAN GRILL OPENED ON HIGH STREET IN MID-NOVEMBER, 2025. PHOTO BY HAILEY CRAVER
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Styles’ new style: A ‘Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally’ review REN CHAFFEE STAFF WRITER COLUMN “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” is the perfect name for Harry Styles’ fourth studio album. The album consists mainly of sentimental and reflective songs, like “Taste Back,” making up the “Kiss” part of the album. The “Disco, Occasionally” represents the smaller number of songs in the album that just make you want to dance like no one’s watching. Fans have been waiting nearly four years for this album. During his time off, Styles was “drinking coffee in Rome, running marathons and becoming an uncle [which] helped him enjoy the little things in life,” according to Daily Mail. Despite an extended break from being in the public eye, Styles remained a significant figure. I think part of this is due to the star status he’s had since 2010, when he joined One Direction. A lot of fans, even casual ones, have grown up with his music in their playlists. Starting with “Aperture,” a song inspired by the band LCD Soundsystem, Styles introduces a new style for himself with the lead single. This song guides the listener into a reflective headspace with lyrics like “It’s best you know what you don’t/Aperture lets the light in.” “American Girls” continues the new sonic style for Styles. After the in-
ward reflection of “Aperture,” Styles turns his thoughts outward. He sings about how everyone around him is finding something meaningful — love — while he is still trying to figure out his own life. Throughout the song, he realizes that everyone’s life unfolds at a different pace, capturing the bittersweet sensation of that experience. I don’t really have much to say about “Ready, Steady, Go” and “Are You Listening Yet?” However, I wish I had a video of my live reaction to “Taste Back.” This is easily my favorite song off the entire album. My jaw dropped the moment it began. It reads like a direct callout to whoever he was romantically involved with — “Did you get your taste back?/Or do you just need a little love?” He asks his ex if their “taste,” or longing for him came back, or if they would take love from anyone willing to give it. There’s also something very human about “The Waiting Game.” It’s the natural behavior pattern of passively waiting and hoping things will change on their own without having the motivation to break those emotional cycles. Continuing the theme of emotional journeys, “Season 2 Weight Loss” is more about the metaphorical weight loss of shedding the world’s expectations. “Coming Up Roses” is another one of my favorites on this album. Just the violins alone make this piece so beautiful and emotional to listen to, and the added lyrics about vulnera-
PHOTO PROVIDED BY COLUMBIA RECORDS
bility in relationships really seals the deal for me. Following the emotional high of the album are “Pop” and “Dance No More” which bring back the disco and dancing vibes of the album. I find “Dance No More” to be really lively, funky and engaging, and the references to ball culture really add a new dimension to the song — “Get your feet wet/Teach them all to respect their mothers.” Ball culture is a LGBTQ+ subculture where participants perform in various categories that are judged on dance (vogueing), fashion and the persona they create.
“Paint by Numbers” is the next track; it serves as a comedown from the upbeat songs to tie the album together. Styles uses the image of a paint-by-number kit to show how the life that you feel you had planned can get messy — “It’s a lifetime of learning to paint by numbers/And watching the colors run.” Bringing the album to an end is my second favorite track, “Carla’s Song.” After an entire album filled with ups and downs, Styles closes with a quieter, calmer song focusing on the small details in life. Something about the instrumentals and his voice
pair beautifully together on this track, and it feels like a perfect ending to the album. As a product of his return to the spotlight, Styles will be the host and musical guest for “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) on Saturday, March 14. To tease his upcoming spotlight, Styles crashed Ryan Gosling’s SNL performance on Saturday, March 7. He will begin his tour for this album on May 16 in Amsterdam. Rating: 8/10 chaffele@miamioh.edu
How to lose an Oscar in 10 minutes: The Timothée Chalamet controversy
GRAPHIC BY ELISE HANNA
ELISE HANNA STAFF WRITER
Despite having the arts to thank for getting him where he is today,
Timothée Chalamet has found himself in hot water over his criticism of them. In a Town Hall produced by CNN and Variety, Chalamet said to Inter-
stellar star Matthew McConaughey, “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, or you know, things where it’s like, ‘Hey keep this thing alive’ even though it’s like, no one cares about this anymore.” This sparked intense backlash, especially online. Almost immediately, a video surfaced on TikTok of Chalamet in 2019, in which he referred to ballet and opera as “a dying art form,” proving that this has been in the back of his mind for years. The Chalamet family is no stranger to the arts. His mother, Nicole Flender, has been both a dance teacher and Broadway dancer, and his sister, Pauline Chalamet, trained at Studio Maestro and, at age 10, danced in a Broadway production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. With this in mind, his comment came across as a direct insult to his family. Chalamet was also accepted at and attended the Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, which he cites as a turning point in his appreciation for acting. They offered him a chance, despite his less-than-perfect performance in middle school. “I gave him the highest score I’ve ever given a kid auditioning,” said Chalamet’s sophomore-year drama
teacher at LaGuardia, Harry Shifman, in an interview with Broadway Buzz. She insisted on accepting Chalamet after he was initially rejected for prior grades. LaGuardia boasts both a dance program focused on ballet and one for vocal music — the very things Chalamet said he appreciates not being involved in. Celebrities have not been silent in their criticisms either, with many people coming forth to speak against Chalamet. Whoopi Goldberg, an actress and comedian, held back no punches as she voiced her disapproval. “When you crap on somebody else’s art form, it doesn’t feel good. It doesn’t feel good to see,” said Goldberg in the March 9 edition of The View. In a now-deleted TikTok, rapper Doja Cat referenced how long-lasting and respected both art forms have been. “Opera is 400 years old. Ballet is 500 years old,” Doja Cat said. “I’m sure you can walk into an opera theatre right now, seats will be filled out, and nobody is saying a word as the performance is going because everybody has that much respect for it.” Some people are against the hate being directed at Chalamet, saying
that it was misguided and less significant than it is being made out to be. “It is honestly laughable how insignificant the comments he made were, and how they have spiralled into waves of hate against him,” said user Altruistic_Mood9293 in a Reddit post discussing the controversy. Despite these arguments, many people believe he knew what he was implying when he said it. Almost immediately after making the remark, Chalamet added, “I just lost 14 cents in viewership,” which implies that he sees these people as those with monetary value to him, rather than as artists pursuing their art form in the same way Chalamet has. The whole comment has left a poor taste in many fans’ mouths, causing them to see Chalamet as less of the “artistic smart boy” he had previously been viewed as and more as a shallow, fame-hungry man. London-based dancer Anna Yliaho shared her feelings on the matter in an Instagram post. “Only an insecure artist tears down another discipline to elevate their own,” she wrote. hannaer@miamioh.edu
I saw ‘Moulin Rouge’ on Broadway and had the time of my life AYLA PEDEN
ASST. CULTURE EDITOR COLUMN Over March 4–7, incoming Editor-in-Chief Shannon Mahoney, Social Media Editor Kiser Young and I traveled to New York City for the spring College Media Association Convention. While the main purpose of this trip was to learn more about running a newspaper and how we at The Miami Student can improve, I would be lying if I said I hadn’t planned to spend most of my time exploring the city. One of the adventures we unanimously agreed on was to see a show, because how could you go to New York and not? So, on our second night, we sat down and decided to find last-minute tickets to see “Moulin Rouge.” Were they in the back row? Yes. Did I have the time of my life? Absolutely. I’ll be honest, I was a little hesitant about seeing the show at first — I had never seen the movie, let alone listened to the songs off the album besides Christina Aguilera’s cover of “Lady Marmalade” (amazing song, by the way). However, when we walked past the theater one night on the way to dinner, and I saw Bob the Drag Queen’s face on a poster playing the cabaret’s owner, Harold Zidler, I knew I needed to see it. In case you didn’t know, the “Moulin Rouge” stage musical is based on the 2001 film of the same
name, starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor and directed by Baz Luhrmann. The story centers around the romance between Satine, a courtesan, and Christian, a penniless poet, and takes place in a fictionalized version of the actual Moulin Rouge, which is still open in Paris. The stage version opened on Broadway in 2019, and Playbill recently announced that the show will be closing July 26. The show is a “jukebox musical,” which means that characters sing modern, popular songs that explain a scene or a character’s emotion. Think “Mamma Mia!” or “Glee” — instead of breaking out into original lyrics, the characters perform a mashup of “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” “Material Girl” and “Single Ladies.” Upon walking into the theater, I looked around and saw the most mesmerizing decorations that transported the audience to the world of 19th-century Paris. Velvet cloth and chandelier-inspired sconces lined the walls. The windmill that sits atop the Moulin Rouge towered over one side of the stage, while a large statue of an elephant sat on the other. The show opened with “Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!” which, as the name suggests, introduced us to the spectacle that is the Moulin Rouge. Zidler tells us about the cabaret and the girls who dance there. The song also introduces us to Christian, an American who has just moved to Paris to enjoy the city’s bohemian scene, and the Duke, whom Zidler hopes will
invest in Moulin Rouge. The next song, “The Sparkling Diamond,” is sung by Satine, the cabaret’s headliner. Throughout the number, Zidler tries to introduce Satine to the Duke and tells her she must seduce him to save the Moulin Rouge, but due to a miscommunication, she believes Christian is the Duke. One of my favorite performances has to be “So Exciting! (Pitch Song).” Before this scene, Satine finds out the Christian is not the Duke, and through a bit of hijinks from the rest of the cast, all the main characters end up in Satine’s dressing room, where she is supposed to seduce the Duke. To cover up, the crew convinces the Duke that they were all invited to practice the new play they wanted to pitch to him. The made-up play mimics the story of the actual musical. I will be honest, the first act is difficult to keep up with if you don’t already know the plot. There are a lot of dance breaks, song changes and flashing lights. That being said, it’s a very entertaining first act. The second act is much mellower — well, as mellow as the Moulin Rouge can be. I enjoyed the show a lot more than I anticipated, and it didn’t hurt that I got to see Bob the Drag Queen perform. Following Bob’s run as Zidler, which ends on March 22, Megan Thee Stallion will take over the role until May 17. This will be her Broadway debut and the first time a woman has played Zidler. If you are in New York before the
ASST. CULTURE EDITOR AYLA PEDEN SAW ‘MOULIN ROUGE’ ON BROADWAY IN NEW YORK CITY ON MARCH 6. PHOTO BY AYLA PEDEN
show’s closing, I recommend seeing “Moulin Rouge” if you want to enjoy a night of fun costumes, pop song mashups and a wild amount of absinthe.
Rating: 8/10 pedenae@miamioh.edu
SENIOR COLUMNS
10
Farewell, The Miami Student
Do I have to say goodbye?
TAYLOR STUMBAUGH WAS A FINALIST IN A CONTEST HOSTED BY THE SOCIETY OF PROFESSIONAL JOURNALISTS. PHOTO PROVIDED BY TAYLOR STUMBAUGH
TAYLOR STUMBAUGH CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR
OLIVIA PATEL ATTENDED THE SNOOP DOGG ARIZONA BOWL IN TUCSON, ARIZONA, ON DEC. 27, 2025. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH
OLIVIA PATEL
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Three months ago, I sat in the press box at the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, feeling slightly out of place. I had been asked to attend and report on the game because our Sports Editor Kethan Babu, and his second-hand-woman, Photo Editor Elisa Rosenthal, were both unable to attend. So, I packed my bags and headed to Tucson, Arizona, the day after Christmas. As I sat in the box, reporters around me conferred with one another about the score, Miami University’s offensive strategies and, eventually, Fresno State University’s 18-3 win over the RedHawks. At one point, a reporter from a local TV station leaned over and asked me if I had seen these defensive strategies by Miami this season so far. I turned around and said, “I have no idea; this is my first Miami football game.” Shocked, he asked me what I was doing in the press box at one of the biggest games of the RedHawk season. I explained that as editor-in-chief, my role allowed me to travel and cover a multitude of Miami events, including the bowl game. He smiled and replied, “Wow, that’s one hell of an opportunity.” He didn’t know the half of it. Over the course of my four years working at The Miami Student — two and a half of which have been in editorial roles — I’ve had the opportunity to travel to Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Louisiana and all around the state for awards ceremonies and conferences. While The Student has been a multitude of different things for me — professional development, a place where I could build my portfolio and a space to meet like-minded people — it has mainly been a place for me to test my boundaries and dip my toe in different pools, including sports. While I typically focus my reporting on campus and community issues, I am so thankful to The Student for allowing me to collect bylines in five of its six sections (Humor, you’re next) and push my multimedia skills in an environment where it’s OK to fail. During my time as editor-in-chief, one of the greatest opportunities — and biggest challenges — was planning a weekend-long extravaganza for The Miami Student’s 200th Anniversary, as well as a print edition that shows off two centuries’ worth of experience. That opportunity showed me the staff always has my back, and proved the people are what make such a great newspaper (best in four states, actually) what it is. Thank you to Editor Taylor Powers for always pushing my “Letter from the Editor” ideas to the next level and expanding my understanding of opinion writing, which is something completely new to me in the last year. Thank you to Editor Sarah Kennel for leading the GreenHawks section with incredible grace and determination, and shining a light on an often overlooked subject. Thank you to Kethan and Assistant Editor Jeffrey Middleton — my Sports section heroes — for enduring my relentless nagging during pro-
duction to turn in last-minute game coverage. I have never seen a duo more committed to covering Miami athletics the way you two have. To Editor Stella Powers and Assistant Editor Ayla Peden, for maintaining an awesome Culture section and promoting fashion and food, along with all of your other great coverage. There is no greater duo I’d want to have sat next to this last year (even with how much you make fun of me…). To Editor Taylor Stumbaugh, Assistant Editor Parker Green and the entire Campus and Community team — thank you for working extremely hard to keep our students informed. You all never back down from a difficult story, and I can’t wait to see where your investigative skills take you. To Digital Media Editor Sarah Frosch, Design Editor Olivia Michelsen, Assistant Design Editor Madeline Buecker, Social Media Editor Kiser Young and all the other creative thinkers on our staff — thank you for bringing our content to life, and for making The Student stand out on our newsstands around campus. And finally, to my amazing Managing Editor Anna Reier — boy am I glad I sat next to you during that Campus and Community meeting our first year at Miami, when a few short weeks later we walked out of there agreeing to run as editor-in-chief and managing editor our junior year. While we may only have been first-year students, our dedication to this newspaper only grew, and there is no one else I would have rather served alongside than you. While it is extremely bittersweet to see my time at the newspaper — an organization I poured my heart and soul into for the last four years — come to an end, I have no doubt that it is in great hands. Incoming Editor-in-Chief Shannon Mahoney and Managing Editor Elisa, take care of it for us, and welcome to the greatest chapter of your life. patelou@miamioh.edu
About Olivia Patel
Olivia Patel is the editor-in-chief of The Miami Student. She is a member of the Delta Lambda chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma, a model for Miami University Fashion and Design and a soon-to-be graduating senior with majors in journalism and political science, and a minor in classical studies. Patel has interned with The News Graphic in Cedarburg, Wisconsin; Milwaukee Magazine in Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and FOX News in Washington, D.C.
FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026
How do I write something that I can’t even articulate in my own head? How do I leave something I’ve dedicated my last four years to? Like most staffers at The Miami Student will say, ever since stepping into the newsroom the first week of my first year, I immediately got attached. I got attached to the people I looked up to (who inevitably left me), like my editors Alice Momany and Sean Scott, who I still talk to to this day, because why would I ever want to stop? I got attached to my writers and will miss receiving their frantic calls about stories and what happens if a source ghosts them. I think I’ll miss the one-on-ones the most, though, because that’s where I got to know them personally. I got attached to, as Managing Editor Anna Reier would put it, the “bestest friends” I’ve made in The Student. You know who you are. I didn’t get attached to the anxiety that came with the newspaper, though. I hope after graduation, I don’t take the self-doubt, self-criticism and imposter syndrome with me, no matter how hard it will be. I remember stepping into my new role as editor and dreading going to meetings, editing stories or giving advice to my writers, because how was I at all qualified for this? I don’t belong here, and, in my head,
everyone agreed. Nothing ever felt good enough. Those draining thoughts stayed with me for years. Throughout my time at the paper, I’ve had two main goals: do whatever I can to make my section the best it can be and to make sure nobody ever has the same thoughts I’ve had about myself and my worth. Going from writer to Campus and Community (C&C) Editor allowed me to touch the lives of so many blossoming writers, and I took advantage of that. At every opportunity, I let my writers and fellow editors know how much they’re cherished in the paper, that every story matters and that they matter. They’re not defined by the words that end up on The Miami Student website. They’re not defined by the number of edits they get on a story. There have been a few people who have helped me a lot with my confidence — Sean and Alice being two huge ones — but also past editors letting me vent to them and telling me I’m good enough and amazing at my job. I guess something finally stuck, because my ego is huge now. But what really meant the world to me were the little texts checking up on me, my writers responding to me with the funniest GIF, and most definitely the weekly productions where no topics were off the table, inducing laughs so loud the door had to be shut. Basically, it’s all about the people. I know for a fact I was able to push through the hard times be-
cause of Anna and Editor-in-Chief Olivia Patel. Anna wasn’t always the managing editor; she used to sit right next to me at the C&C girl boss table, where we spent many a night laughing, freaking out and talking about all things news. Anna — I think you’re crazy, but I nonetheless will miss your relentless drive. Olivia has, to this day, encouraged me to be the best editor and journalist that I can be — helping me at my low points and knowing that all I needed was a push. Thank you. Digital Media Editor Sarah Frosch, I’m not sure where I would be if I hadn’t dragged you to the newsroom because I was too scared to go alone our first year. Thank you for being my forever friend. And, to Parker Green, who may be in Luxembourg right now, but who will forever be in my heart — know you’re the best assistant C&C editor a girl could ask for, and the Girl-Boss table will be awaiting your return. Finally, I need to give my girl Shannon Mahoney the spotlight, because without her this past year, I would be a mess. She became my newspaper rock and reminded me that no, I don’t have to do it all myself, and asking for help is OK. Shannon, you’re going to do amazing things, and you’re going to use huge words to do it. Nothing will ever top my experience in this organization. I have found purpose, I have found love and I have found an outlet for my passion for writing. Looking back in 30 years, of course, I’ll have regrets, but joining this paper will not be one of them. stumbata@miamioh.edu
About Taylor Stumbaugh
Taylor Stumbaugh is a senior double majoring in journalism and media and communication. She is the Campus and Community editor for The Student and a copy editor of The Miami Student Magazine. She’s also a Miami CAS Ambassador.
236 bylines and counting
OLIVIA PATEL (LEFT) AND KETHAN BABU (RIGHT) HOLD A CAKE CELEBRATING KETHAN REACHING 200 BYLINES IN THE NEWSROOM ON NOV. 5, 2025. PHOTO TAKEN BY KISER YOUNG
KETHAN BABU SPORTS EDITOR
I don’t cry often, and certainly not in front of other people. Okay, I definitely cried in middle school; if we’re being honest, I probably cried more than I should have, even when I was in high school. I was told growing up that I was a sensitive guy, and I can live with that. But when I got to Miami University, I told myself that crying wasn’t a productive use of time. It might calm me down or let me unload some weight, but it wouldn’t solve the problems I had at the time. When I did cry — usually during the moments I lovingly call my “tweak outs” or mental spirals — I limited myself to either a bathroom or the confines of my apartment. I refused to shed a tear in front of an audience. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. I broke those rules when Photo Editor Elisa Rosenthal stood up on the desk during The Miami Student’s 200th Anniversary Celebration to surprise me with a jersey for my record-high byline count. I’ve told this story before, but my choice to come to Miami was completely random. My decision to stay at Miami was also out of my control — if I had turned in my paperwork one week ahead of time, I would have transferred to the University of Michigan. I wrote six stories total for The Student in my first year, and honestly considered it more of an extracurricular. However, I hadn’t quite found my “home” yet on campus. I
didn’t love my finance major and felt ostracized in my dorm hall, giving me more alone time than I would have preferred. I picked up a journalism major going into my sophomore year and started writing more. A lot more. I had 128 bylines in my junior year alone, and that’s when I realized I wanted to be a professional journalist more than anything. Despite the admittedly excessive amount of writing I did, there remained a voice in the back of my head telling me that I’m making a mistake. No matter how many games I covered, interviews I conducted or road trips I went on, I was never doing the best I could. That voice led to some dark times for me. I won awards and received constant validation from people around me, but it didn’t matter. I was never satisfied with myself, and eventually, I told myself there was no point in pursuing this dream anymore. So, when Elisa stood up on that table, tears in her eyes, and told me how proud she was of me, of course my eyes welled up. It became clear to me that even when I can’t give myself grace or have faith in myself, I have a whole team of people in my corner. People that I consider family and who will shower me with support and love. My career and life trajectory have been entirely altered because people chose to take a chance on me. Former Sports Editor Jack Schmelzinger took a chance on me when he promoted me to sports editor despite my limited experience
and lack of confidence. Former Editor-in-Chief Kasey Turman and, later, now Editor-in-Chief Olivia Patel and Managing Editor Anna Reier continued to take chances on me when I was scrambling to fill space every print, but they always told me they trusted me enough to get the job done. Digital Media Editor Sarah Frosch took a chance on me when they taught me all about photography and let me do multimedia work for football and basketball. Campus & Community Editor Taylor Stumbaugh, Opinion Editor Taylor Powers, Culture Editor Stella Powers, GreenHawks Editor Sarah Kennel and former Opinion and GreenHawks Sam Norton all took chances on me when they allowed a sports journalist to cover Senate Bill 1, warbling birds and the stand-up comedy club. The people on staff have become my closest friends, people I know I can count on and, I hope, people who know that they can count on me for anything at any time. It’s a bittersweet feeling knowing that the group I’ve seen as a family will be going their own ways pretty soon. At the same time, I’m eternally grateful to have people I’m close enough with to feel incredibly sad about leaving. I can’t say enough about the impact The Miami Student has had on my college experience, career and personal life. babukc2@miamioh.edu
About Kethan Babu
Kethan Babu is a senior journalism major with a minor in finance. He is the sports editor of The Student.
SENIOR COLUMNS Exporting my final layout There will never
11
FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026
be a ‘right time’
OLIVIA MICHELSEN (LEFT) AND MADELINE BUECKER (RIGHT) SMILE FOR A PHOTO TOGETHER. PHOTO PROVIDED BY OLIVIA MICHELSEN
OLIVIA MICHELSEN DESIGN EDITOR
Serving as The Miami Student’s design editor has been the opportunity of a lifetime. Little, sophomore-year Olivia never experienced a real leadership role before and felt thrilled that the then-Design Editor Macey Chamberlin chose her to be next. Out of all the people on the team, I never expected Macey to pick me; surely someone else was more qualified. Immediately after she asked me, I jumped up and down with excitement and couldn’t wait to take on my new role. At the time, I had no idea how much the role would change me, in more ways than one. For starters, I had never used Adobe InDesign before taking on this position; however, I knew this challenge would be a great opportunity to develop my design skills. Not only that, but being a leader was completely new to me. I had never managed people or given design direction before, and I felt like an imposter in my own major at times. As I settled into my role, editors and designers began asking me questions, and I began to realize that I was one of the paper’s primary decision-makers. This, along with recruiting more designers, helped me grow my self-confidence. Delegating graphics to aspiring designers and seeing their work gave me so much joy. The energy of the newsroom and watching all these people, print after print, work towards something we loved created a space I never wanted to leave. I felt valued and was given a sense of purpose that filled my cup every single Wednesday. Because of this, I learned to truly trust myself as a designer for the first time. Within two years, I created so
much for me to look back and smile about. When I look at my favorite print front cover — the 2024 election edition layout — I still sit back and say, “Wow, I did that.” And now, bookmarking my end with the front cover for the 200th anniversary edition feels like no better way to leave a lasting mark. An honorable mention has to go to The Battle of the Bricks front cover as well, because that one got a lot of compliments (Thanks, you guys!) I am also so proud that I was able to help with all the recruitment branding as well; refining the materials to be cohesive gave me such a cool opportunity to make design suggestions. From growing the design team and meeting and working with all the various editors, to working alongside two editor-in-chiefs, I created a lot. The cool thing about print design is that I will always have something tangible to hold onto, reminiscing on each unique creation. Of course, I need to give some special thank yous, starting with the two editor-in-chiefs that I worked under. To former Editor-in-Chiefs Kasey Turman and Olivia Patel, thank you. You gave me so much creative freedom to design various front covers and experiment with different layouts. You both blindly trusted me with the look of the newspaper, and I am so grateful we got people more excited to pick it up every week. To my best friend, assistant editor and incredibly talented designer, Madeline Buecker — thank you for being with me from start to finish. You kept me sane and supported me during all the late nights and fun collaborative design meetings. I will always look up to you as a designer, leaning on you to push myself to be better. To future design editor, Sydney Mulford — thank you so much for always showing up with more excite-
ment than me at times and offering such a fresh perspective to the team. I know how much you care about The Student, and I could not have picked someone better to carry on what we have started. Lastly, my whole design team deserves so much gratitude from me, because you all gave me the space to lead and stuck with me as I navigated so much. The shared passion for what we do is one of my favorite things about being creative. For this reason, it solidified why design is my favorite way to bring people together, giving such a deeper meaning to what The Student does. My time at Miami University would not be the same without this newspaper. The Student gave me purpose, people and confidence, making me feel ready for what is next in my career. Words cannot describe how much I have changed, but I owe a part of it to this organization, so for that, I am forever grateful. Goodbye! michelor@miamioh.edu
About Olivia Michelsen
Olivia Michelsen is a senior communication design and entrepreneurship major. She is the design editor for The Miami Student, and she hopes to live in Cincinnati working in some creative capacity after graduation.
Thanks for everything ANNA REIER
MANAGING EDITOR I’ve sat down to write this five times now, and frankly, I’m having little success. I’m not sure how to sum up the last four years in 500800 words. The Miami Student (TMS) newsroom has seen me at my best and also at my absolute worst. Yet, it never wavered in its support. Ever. Maybe even when I wanted it to (kidding, duh). Given the 200th anniversary celebration at the beginning of March, I’ve spent way too much time talking about myself. So, I want to use this space instead to thank the people who made the experience what it was. For the sake of clarity, here’s the abbreviated version of my TMS story: I was homesick, terribly so. I took a journalism 101 class and felt inspired to join the newspaper, but only because I really needed more to do. Then, I met some of my favorite people ever. First, former Editor-in-Chief Sean Scott, when he sent me the world’s most expansive introductory email. Then, Olivia Patel, our fearless editor-in-chief (who would go on to become one of my best friends in the entire world). Later on, former Editor-in-Chief Kasey Turman, Campus and Community (C&C) Editor Taylor Stumbaugh, Culture Editor Stella Powers, Business Manager Austin Smith and former C&C Editor Chloe McKinney. In the latter half of my TMS experience, I found the people with whom I’d spend my time as managing editor surrounded by: Sports Editor Kethan Babu, Assistant C&C Editor Shannon Mahoney, Digital Media Editor Sarah Frosch, Assistant Culture Editor Ayla Peden, Assistant C&C Editor Parker Green, Assistant Sports Editor Jeffrey Middleton, Design Editor Olivia
Michelsen, Assistant Design Editor Madeline Buecker, GreenHawks Editor Sarah Kennel, Opinion Editor Taylor Powers and Photo Editor Elisa Rosenthal. I wish I had some magical insight to put my experience into words, but I don’t, because it wasn’t really me that made it so impactful. I just showed up. Which, admittedly, was harder some days than others. But when I showed up, I was met with the greatest and most driven people I could have possibly found on this campus. With that, I’d like to be annoying and share a few specific thanks. (Just pretend I’m giving a Grammy’s acceptance speech.) To Stumbaugh: Thank you for anchoring the Girl-Boss Table. Your constant energy and presence make our news team chug, and frankly, it will be almost impossible to replace. Thank you for being a great and true friend. To Turman, former Opinion and GreenHawks Editor Sam Norton, former Humor Editor Teddy Johnson and former Business Manager Adam Smith: While I had been involved in the paper, I decided to truly join the “cult” during your tenure. I will only ever admit this once, so please savor it; when I committed to TMS, you guys were so cool. You looked like you were having so much fun, and because of you, I wanted to stick around and have fun too. You created a culture in the newsroom that was truly admirable. To Babu: You spend a lot of time thanking me for supporting you, but I feel like we need to flip that idea. You have been such a constant in my life, and your strength and resilience motivate me. You have this calming and steadying presence that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to replicate. So like, wanna move to D.C.? (Please note I did not mention your technical support abilities until… right now). To professors Joe Sampson, Jim Tobin and Sacha Bellman: You saw
me at my worst this year (and last year… Sampson, I’m looking at you). Your support never wavered, even when my sanity did. To Scott: Thank you for being the reason I joined TMS in the first place. Yes, you sent me a lengthy email, but you also made me feel welcome and wanted. And, you made me laugh. Deepest apologies for constantly posting you on my Snapchat story. And finally, to my ride or die, Patel: I’m almost out of words and emotions, so maybe I shouldn’t have saved you for last. All I can say is thank you for changing my life. I cannot wait to see what this next chapter holds for us. Oh, and in typical Grammy fashion, I also need to thank my family and my best friend, Libby O’Toole. Even when they didn’t know what the hell I was talking about, they let me ramble. And ramble. And ramble some more.
SARAH FROSCH PHOTOGRAPHS THE 2025 SNOOP DOGG ARIZONA BOWL GAME IN TUCSON, ARIZONA. PHOTO BY OLIVIA PATEL
SARAH FROSCH
DIGITAL MEDIA EDITOR It would be so easy to spend your entire life in an anxiety-induced purgatory. I spent years thinking I wasn’t old enough, educated enough or likeable enough to go after the things I’ve wanted. It took me until recently to realize that there was never going to be a “right time,” and it was hurting me to wait for one. I came across current Campus and Community (C&C) Editor Taylor Stumbaugh multiple times before ever messaging her during my pursuit of finding a college roommate. Between our baby-faced selves, she seemed so much cooler than I was. And yet, after all that time wasted wondering if she would like me, it only took about five hours to share our entire life’s stories and become what has turned into, possibly, the greatest duo aside from Sean and Gus in “Psych.” I didn’t mean to join The Student; I frankly had no interest in journalism and was afraid to publish my photographic work alongside my name. I remember walking into the newsroom the first time — particularly the lime green walls, the fact that there were significantly too many people packed in there and the feeling of being intimidated by Abigail Ankeney perched atop her desk, looking down on all of us nervous first-year students. We quickly split off into our individual sections, and I met then-photo editor Jake Ruffer for the first time. Darn you, Jake, for being so encouraging and kind. I would likely still be an art major without you. I’m sorry for turning in a posed portrait as my first assignment. I am thankful to have learned better since. As I continued at The Student, I met some of my closest friends, many of whom I can assuredly say I could (and did) travel thousands of miles with — and I’d do it again. Working my way to the over 1,890 published photos and articles that I’ve accumulated over the years was, quite frankly, an absurd task. First-year me desperately wanted to become an editor — without the audacity that The Student has granted me, I may have ended at just that. My former and fellow editors, now close friends, pushed me to embrace my goals, granting me positions at The Student as assistant photo editor, recruitment and retention chair and later digital media editor. These friends counseled me through my decision to change career paths to photojournalism, lamented with me over difficult stories and convinced me that my work and my ideas were not only valid, but great. They have changed who I am in and outside of these four (thankfully no longer green) walls. Without The Student constantly pushing me out of my somewhat
narrow comfort zone, I would likely not believe I am talented enough to become a professional photographer. To Abigail and former Managing Editor Luke Macy, I’d like to think that we were Ohio’s equivalent of the iconic Kermit, Fozzie and Gonzo trio in “The Great Muppet Caper.” I love the fact that anyone who knows me knows a piece of you, too. I am glad to have found such a strong group of people who have inspired me to befriend others — you know who you are — in the same unabashed way. Since my first year, I’ve wondered what would be in this column. I knew no matter what I said, it could never encapsulate all of the feelings that have gone into my work at this incredible newspaper and the love I’ve had for the people who came along with it. To my not-yet-graduated chickens, please enjoy your time here. The last 200 years have been filled with a group of passionate, anxiety-filled, semi-adults creating a newspaper. Please remember to do this work out of love, not a sense of obligation. Go into this world with audacity — no one this age is fully certain of where they’re going in life, there is no reason you have to. There will never be a time when you feel like you are fully prepared to take on the world; This is why you have friends and formerly-scary editors around you on all sides. Assistant C&C Editor Shannon Mahoney once told me: “I didn’t know that you and your camera could actually be physically separated.” As I head out to find a job in the real world, I see that maybe she was right on that one. And now for my final statement in The Miami Student, the oldest college newspaper west of the Alleghenies (and coolest in the entire world): You all can pry the Oxford comma from my cold. dead. hands. froschse@miamioh.edu
About Sarah Frosch
Sarah Frosch is a senior media and communication major with minors in studio art and art history. She is the digital media editor and will be pursuing photography and multimedia production after graduation.
reieram@miamioh.edu
About Anna Reier
Anna Reier is a senior double majoring in diplomacy and global politics and journalism with a minor in international business. She currently serves as the managing editor at The Student.
MANAGING EDITOR ANNA REIER AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OLIVIA PATEL SHARE A HIGH-FIVE DURING A PRODUCTION NIGHT IN THE TMS NEWSROOM. PHOTO BY ELISA ROSENTHAL
SENIOR COLUMNS
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‘Yes’ can be a life-changing word RAQUEL HIRSCH
SENIOR STAFF WRITER The story of how I joined The Miami Student feels like one I’ve told a million times in my four years. It’s a perfect example of how important it is to adopt what I call the “Yes Mindset.” My first-year roommate, Ava Hunt, was interested in joining The Student because she wrote for her high school’s newspaper. I did not have any experience in journalism beyond the Intro to Journalism class I was enrolled in merely for honors credit. In a move that was completely unlike me, I agreed to go with her to the informational meeting. The Student boasts several sections that all sounded appealing to me as a first-year student who had yet to find her voice in writing. I decided to split off into the Campus and Community (C&C) meeting. As a political science major, this decision made sense to me. There was a sense of community immediately upon entering the neon-green newsroom, surrounded by stacks of newspapers, Lego creations, pride flags and sticky notes of inside jokes among the staff. This community opened up to me immediately. The staff running C&C at the time — Lexi Whitehead, Sean Scott, Reagan Rude and Alice Momany — were some of the first people I ever met at The Student. All of them made me feel like I belonged there and were quick to allow me to start writing. My first story with The Student was co-authored with Rude, and we reported on therapy dog sessions available to students. The story ran on the front page. Seeing my name in print for the first time filled me with a sense of confidence I had been missing. I felt
like this was something I could be good at, surrounded by people who shared the same values that I had. From then on, my work with The Student accelerated. During my sophomore year, thenEditor-in-Chief Sean Scott asked me to work on a new multimedia project: a podcast highlighting local election candidates for the Talawanda School Board and Oxford City Council. I remember feeling intimidated, but I said “yes,” alongside current Editor-in-Chief Olivia Patel, and I am so grateful that I did. “People and Policies” became one of the most unique experiences I’ve ever had — and it won a few awards, too. More than that, it led me to covering the Talawanda School District Board of Education meetings diligently for a year, and allowed me to work as editor of the Oxford section (R.I.P) alongside current Managing Editor Anna Reier. This filled an important gap in local journalism before the Oxford Free Press was established. During my time as editor, there were many cherished late nights in the newsroom. Working alongside Olivia, Anna, current C&C Editor Taylor Stumbaugh and many others added so much value to my time at Miami University and made me feel like I had found a home on campus. It was hard to leave this home during my junior year, when I studied abroad in Luxembourg. However, I found a new opportunity in writing a travel column called “Living in Luxembourg.” This style of writing was unlike anything I had written before, but I took it as an opportunity to extend my portfolio and develop my voice. The Student is a place that allows students to grow with patience and support, no matter how much writing experience you have or where you are in the world.
I especially thank then-Opinion Editor Sam Norton and our current Opinion Editor Taylor Powers for helping me with those columns, even from thousands of miles away. When I returned to campus, I found myself blooming in other places. I became more involved with undergraduate research, my on-campus job and an internship in public relations — which I could not have gotten without the skills I developed in the newsroom. All of this to say, The Student is the foundation of who I am today. Though my upperclassmen schedule became filled with many other commitments, the newsroom and the connections I’ve formed within it have and always will be a home to me. I am endlessly grateful to every single person I have met through The Student, and I am excited to see where the publication goes. I know the staff will continue to do great things, and I am already proud of what will be. Thank you to all of my editors, especially Momany and Stumbaugh, who helped me improve my writing skills. Thank you to the journalism department faculty who taught me lessons in both writing and life that I use every day. Thank you to the newsroom for being a safe space and fostering lifelong memories to be made within it. Saying yes to attending a meeting on a whim was one of the best decisions I have ever made. hirschr2@miamioh.edu
About Raquel Hirsch
Raquel Hirsch is a senior journalism and political science double major with a Fostering Just Communities certificate, graduating in May. After graduation, she will be working in public relations back in her hometown of Chicago.
RAQUEL HIRSCH (SECOND ROW, SECOND FROM RIGHT) WITH CURRENT AND FORMER EDITORS IN MARCH 2024. PHOTO PROVIDED BY RAQUEL HIRSCH
My biggest opportunity became my home, and that means everything
JEFFREY MIDDLETON (LEFT) AND KETHAN BABU (RIGHT) SMILE IN THE MIAMI STUDENT NEWSROOM. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH
JEFFREY MIDDLETON ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
Coming into college, I was a rarity among my friends. I knew where I wanted to be, and I knew what I wanted to do. I had been writing about sports since the age of 16, when I began an NHL analytics account on Instagram and branched out into the world I now love: authoring articles. I was told that Miami University was a place I should look at to pursue a journalism degree, so my family and I decided to visit. My first time in Oxford was packed with an official tour of the campus, Williams Hall and the journalism department from soon-to-be sports editor Jack Schmelzinger and then-head of Redhawk Radio Patrick Geshan, and a tour of Goggin Ice Center by then-hockey Head Coach Chris Bergeron, set up by a family friend. I fell in love with everything about this place. I knew there would be opportunities for me to write as a first-year student about a Division I college hockey program (albeit one that hadn’t had much recent success at that point), which was the biggest factor for me. I committed early decision to Miami. It was the only school I applied to. I knew I belonged here, and I knew The Miami Student was where I wanted to be for the next four years of my life.
My journey with The Student has been full of fun adventures and has provided me with plenty of exciting opportunities. I began writing in October of my first year with a sole focus on hockey. I interviewed a professional player I had grown up watching on my second-favorite NHL team, Andy Greene, and spoke with former forward Red Savage about the World Junior Championships before the season ended. Sophomore year, I continued writing about hockey but branched out into baseball by spring, which was also around the time that I became far more active within The Student. I realized I needed to use this opportunity to grow not just my resume, but my friend group, too. And so I did. Through my junior and senior years, I became close with members of the staff, like Kethan Babu, whom I would become the right-hand man to as assistant sports editor before my junior year. I made friendships with others like former Editor-in-Chief Kasey Turman, former Opinion Editor Sam Norton, Business Manager Adam Smith, Editor-in-Chief Olivia Patel, Managing Editor Anna Reier, Campus and Community Editor Taylor Stumbaugh and so many others. It was the greatest privilege getting to know these incredibly talented and kind-hearted people who welcomed me in without skipping a beat. I remember most of them say-
ing, “Oh, you’re whose byline we see all over the Sports section,” and from there, we were off and running with a laugh. As I reflect on my time with The Miami Student, I initially thought of it as my biggest opportunity in college. While it has been exactly that, it has grown into more of a home than anything else. I always look forward to production nights with my friends where we write and edit stories, do stupid impressions of Stephen A. Smith, Eric Cartman, Mort from Madagascar and any others we can think of, while enjoying music and pizza along the way. Even outside of the awesome newsroom, I enjoyed having a group of people in my journalism classes that I was familiar with and could look forward to seeing. It made my college experience exactly what I thought it could be. So, thank you, The Student, and thank you to the wonderful people who helped make this newspaper a place where I could share my thoughts in person and in print. I’ll be forever in your debt for making this sports and writing-lover’s dream a reality.
FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026
Friends, plural?
CAITLIN DOMINSKI (CENTER) SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS AT THE MIAMI STUDENT. PHOTO BY ELISE HANNA
CAITLIN DOMINSKI STAFF DESIGNER
My start to college wasn’t easy. I arrived at Miami University as a heartbroken, naive first-year student, eager to experience life outside of my suburban Wisconsin hometown, but in no way prepared to feel as alone in the world as I suddenly did. It didn’t take long to realize I wasn’t going to remain close with any of my high school friends, that my dream of becoming best friends with my roommate wasn’t going to happen or that my utter disinterest in going out made it hard to fit in with what seemed like the majority of the students at this university. By the time fall break rolled around, I found myself crying and calling my mom from the top of a mountain — I’d gone on a hiking trip with the Outdoor Pursuits Center — telling her I wanted to come home and “quit college” (That idea was vetoed. My dad was instead sent to Oxford to keep me company, where he and I lived out of a hotel room at the Marcum Conference Center for a week. Thanks, dad!) The first time I went home, everyone wanted to know the same thing: “Are you having fun? Do you have a lot of friends? Meet any boys?” No, no and definitely no. The fact that I hadn’t made a friend was something I was very aware of. What was I doing wrong? It’s not that I wasn’t involved on campus; I had joined the design and photography teams at The Miami Student and was part of a creativity organization that met on Wednesdays. I knew lots of people, but I didn’t feel connected to any of them. For the first time in my life, there was not a single person in the world I considered my friend. I started to joke about it. Whenever anyone would ask about college, I would casually respond with “I have no friends.” At least watching people have no idea how to respond was amusing. I finally met my best friend at the beginning of sophomore year, and life got significantly better. Lindsay Stevenson and I met at church and immediately clicked. She asked if I wanted to live with her the following year about five minutes into our first conversation, and the rest is history. The joke changed. “I have no friends” became “I have one, singular friend!” The wording is different, but it’s still something I say lightly to this day. As a junior, I became more involved in The Student. I quit my other organization and started attending print nights every other Wednesday instead. I became the art
director of The Miami Student Magazine, and I have even attended a few newspaper parties. Eventually, I realized how much I looked forward to those Wednesday nights. I began to stay for the entirety of each six-hour production, despite my spread usually being finished within the first few hours. Being surrounded by so much energy was fulfilling. About a month ago, Lindsay and I stood in the kitchen of our off-campus apartment, joking with each other about how college would’ve been had we not found each other. “We’d have no friends,” she said. “Not that we do now,” I joked. “Friends is plural.” A few hours later, I walked into Armstrong Student Center. It was Wednesday, and I was ready for another print production night. As I rounded the corner to the newsroom, several people saw me through the large glass windows, their eyes widening in excitement as I stepped inside. “Caitlin’s here!” “Caitlin!” “Hi, Caitlin!” The text I sent Lindsay said, “I just walked into a room and like 10 people said some variation of hi to me all at once.” Then, a slow grin spread across my face, the irony of our conversation from earlier hitting me. My joke wasn’t true anymore. I did have friends, plural. Every single person in this room was my friend, and they had been for a while. So, thank you to The Student. Thank you for giving me the most wonderful group of college friends I ever could have asked for. dominscj@miamioh.edu
About Caitlin Dominski
Caitlin Dominski is a senior studying emerging technology in business and design and communication design. She is one of the art directors of The Miami Student Magazine, on the design and photography teams at The Student and a layout designer for UP Magazine.
middleje@miamioh.edu
About Jeffrey Middleton
THE MIAMI STUDENT NEWSPAPER Are you interested in....
Jeffrey Middleton is a senior from Nashville, Tennessee, double majoring in journalism and sports communication and media. He is the assistant sports editor for The Student and has been in the role since his junior year, while still focusing on his primary beat, Miami hockey.
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GREENHAWKS Climate change threatens the Winter Olympics
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FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026
MARIA BUZOGANY
THE MIAMI STUDENT COLUMN Whether we are cheering for Alysa Liu’s exceptional ice skating performance, watching Norway sweep gold medals across the board or questioning the life decisions of mountaineering skiers, it’s hard not to keep up with the Winter Olympics. However, with the climate crisis today, one could ask: are the games melting away? Held every four years, the Winter Olympics showcase events ranging from skiing, ice skating, hockey and curling on an international level. This year, Milano, Cortina – the birthplace of alpine skiing – hosted the games in a much warmer climate than previous years. According to Climate Central, average temperatures in Cortina, Italy, have risen by 6.4 degrees Fahrenheit since 1956, when the region first hosted the Winter Olympics. Since the number of freezing days has dropped by almost 20%, event organizers have had to produce 3 million cubic yards of artificial snow, creating icier and riskier conditions for athletes. Even though event organizers pledged to be sustainable, alpine rivers have been depleted to make way for snow cannons, and dozens of infrastructure projects are urbanizing a mountain environment already strained by excessive tourism. Envi-
ronmental organizations, including the Italian branch of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), issued a joint statement saying that the projects did not meet environmental sustainability standards. Olivia Herron, director of sustainability at Miami University, works within the Physical Facilities Department on campus to facilitate solar panel and geothermal energy projects. While the International Olympic Committee has made efforts to become more sustainable, it is constrained in what it can do. “Those in charge of the IOC are somewhat restricted in their influence because of politics,” Herron said. “There are limits in what the governing body can do while trying to remain as impartial as possible and to ensure that all countries feel welcome participating.” Herron also said the Olympic Games have significant climate impacts. “The greenhouse gas emissions from all the air travel from athletes, coaching staff, fans and families generates a greater environmental impact than just from the making of artificial snow,” Herron said. “This is because the production of artificial snow would have happened anyways due to its location in the Italian Alps.” Climate Central also indicates that out of 93 current potential host sites, only 52 will remain reliable for the 2050 Winter Olympics. Furthermore, Salt Lake City, Utah – the potential
Miami tackles the impact of waste from record-breaking crowds at Millett Hall CONTINUED FROM FRONT One way food waste can be diverted is by sending items, such as leftover popcorn or thawed pretzels, to dining halls for students to eat following the games. “This has been working well to minimize waste and maximize our resource surplus items at the end of a game that can be successfully integrated into our dining commons menu,” Geno Svec, senior director of dining services, said in an email to The Miami Student. Svec also said concessions aims to reduce food waste at games by implementing a ‘final whistle’ discount, where patrons can purchase remaining stock 50% off near the end of the
game. “Our primary goal is to achieve near-zero waste by the conclusion of every event,” he said in the email. “This not only provides value to our fans, but ensures we are operating as sustainably as possible.” Herron said she is looking forward to using the information her office learned and the strategies they developed to reduce waste at sporting events going forward. She said new initiatives, such as signage, will be implemented following the spring season once Millett staff have more time on their hands to coordinate with the Office of Sustainability. kennelse@miamioh.edu
Celebrating the sweet history of Hueston Woods
THE HUESTON WOODS ANNUAL MAPLE SYRUP FESTIVAL CELEBRATES THE PARK’S LONG HISTORY WITH SYRUP PRODUCTION. PHOTO BY THE MIAMI STUDENT
TORI FEE
STAFF WRITER Oxford is known for many things: Uptown bars, red-brick buildings and a now-historic basketball team. But, Oxford has a lesser-known legacy of maple syrup excellence. The 59th annual Maple Syrup Festival, spanning two weekends, will conclude the weekend of March 14 and 15 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hueston Woods State Park Lodge and Beach. This festival highlights the significance of maple syrup production at Hueston Woods. Park Manager Kathryn Conner said the Hueston Woods Nature Preserve was kept uncut by the Hueston Family specifically for maple syrup production. “They kept those trees so they could tap, collect the sap and then make syrup or sugar for their family,” Conner said. “I think [the festival] is a nice honor of how we came to be a park.” She said the festival shows people the art behind maple sugaring and how they can do it on their own. Conner called it the “one stop shop” to learn about the park and the cultural significance of maple syrup while enjoying the local natural area. The days begin with a $10 pancake breakfast from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. downstairs at the Hueston Woods Lodge, with syrup-themed merchandise available in the front lobby. Tanya Drake, assistant front office manager and gift shop manager, said the most popular products are the glass maple leaf bottles, maple balsamic vinaigrette and various flavors of peanuts, popcorn and other snacks. “[The festival] brings a lot of people to the lodge,” Drake said. “I like seeing the people and chit-chatting with everybody.” Free hay wagon tours start at noon and run until 4 p.m. These tours begin at the park beach where
visitors are taken into the preserve, then are dropped off at the top of an easy, downhill trail with a tour guide. Conner said the tour guides teach visitors about maple sugaring in the park while leading groups to the sugar house. The hay wagon then picks the visitors back up and returns them to the beach. At the sugar house, visitors can see how syrup is made at Hueston Woods. Along with the demonstration, visitors can enjoy a free sample of the maple syrup and shop around for other merchandise. Every hay wagon tour has a unique aspect that varies with each tour guide. Conner said certain guides share experiences of how the festival and park has changed over the years, and partners from the Division of Natural Areas and Preserves can explain how maple syrup is tied to their work. “While the pancakes and syrup are good, there’s something special about getting to make a connection with your guide,” Conner said. Audrey Rodrigues, a sophomore at Miami University, visited the festival on Sunday, March 8. She said her favorite part was starting the day off at the park. “I actually don’t like maple syrup that much, but I love being outdoors and walking the trails,” Rodrigues said. “Plus, it gives me and my friends something to do on the weekend.” She said she regularly visits Hueston Woods, but enjoyed seeing more people there than usual. Rain or shine, the festival has something to offer visitors of all ages. “The really big thing is to take advantage of this free opportunity, and then you’ll have been so blown away that you’ll want to take home one of those stickers, ornaments or syrups – and make it a tradition to come back next year,” Conner said. feeta@miamioh.edu
host of the 2034 games – has only amassed .10 inches of snow this season, compared to its usual average of 33.4 inches typically accumulated by February. The warming climate conditions and increasing production of artificial snow puts regions in the West at risk of severe drought conditions. For instance, sodium polyacrylate, a synthetic, plastic-like chemical used for production, stores more water and is non-biodegradable, leading to the suppression of plant growth and wildlife. Snowmaking machines are powered by fossil fuels, pollute freshwater resources, and exacerbate greenhouse gas emissions through CO2 production. This affects climate change projections, such as Cincinnati’s drastic temperature changes in the near future. Herron uses statistics from Climate Central to see what future weather patterns will look like. “In Southwest Ohio, we are expected to have six to seven more inches of rain a year, and about three degrees warmer in average temperature,” Herron said. “However, we’re going to experience more severe summer than winter impacts because warmer summer days feel more drastic and cause threats to human health such as heat stroke.” At Miami, a warmer winter day may not seem like a bad thing, especially if it means trading in a heavy winter coat for a light jacket. Howev-
GRAPHIC BY KEEGAN PEREZ
er, historically warmer summer days will begin to feel miserably hot. While it is difficult to conceptualize what a five-degree increase in winter weather may feel like, Herron recommends that students look up their climate sister city: a city whose modern-day weather is projected to resemble the future climate of another. For instance, Cincinnati is project-
ed to have a climate similar to that of Achille, Oklahoma, in 2080. With only a 17% likelihood of a white Christmas for Cincinnati currently, the best time to act is now. Christmas doesn’t feel the same without snow flurries and a cold winter breeze. buzogamc@miamioh.edu
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14 FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2026
The future of The Miami Student ELISE HANNA STAFF WRITER
Every other Wednesday, while the rest of the Armstrong Student Center sits quiet by 6 p.m., Armstrong 3018, the newsroom is alive with people. Despite their majors, ranging from
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international relations to emerging technology in business and design, all editors of The Miami Student bond over their shared love and commitment to journalism. As the end of the spring semester gets closer into view, the staff begins their transition, in which graduating seniors teach up-and-coming editors
how to keep the paper running. Jokes pass on through the years, shared over pizza and the occasional cookies brought in. Though it’s bittersweet to say goodbye, the future of The Miami Student is in good hands. hannaer@miamioh.edu
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Did we miss anything? Contact mahones5@miamioh.edu
1 ELISE HANNA AND AYLA PEDEN LAUGH OVER A DISCUSSION OF TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH 2 MADELINE BUCKER, OLIVIA MICHELSEN AND CAITLIN WONG DESIGN THE NEWSPAPER LAYOUT FOR THE MAR. 13 EDITION. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH 3 KETHAN BABU TEACHES INCOMING ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR VINCENT JOLLIFF HOW TO USE THE STUDENT’S PUBLISHING SOFTWARE. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH
4 OLIVIA PATEL, ANNA REIER AND SHANNON MAHONEY PROOF PAGES OF THE NEWSPAPER. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH 5 EVELYN DUGAN, KISER YOUNG AND TAYLOR STUMBAUGH CHAT WHILE WAITING FOR THEIR SECTIONS TO BE READY. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH 6 THE CLASS OF 2026 STAFF POSES WITH A CELEBRATORY CAKE. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH