ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
Volume 170 No. 14
Miami University — Oxford, Ohio
FRIDAY, MAY 1, 2026
Baseball walk-up songs push the RedHawks onfield success
Beyond the surface: The hidden struggles of students with chronic illness IVY KLEINMAN
ASST. PHOTO EDITOR
in the preseason. Harrison ended up with the iconic “Here Comes the Money,” better known as the World Wrestling Entertainment walk-up song for Shane McMahon. Gonzalez had to compete with Latino teammates, freshman infielder Diego Cruz and sophomore infielder Christopher Roa for representation from Spanish-speaking artists. “Diego went with the Bad Bunny route as well, and Roa went with a Dominican artist, but we talked about it, we showed each other our songs and went from there,” Gonzalez said.
On a typical day, even sitting in class can become uncomfortable for students with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). POTS is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system commonly causing rapid heart rate increase, dizziness, fatigue, brain fog and many other symptoms. EDS is a disorder that weakens the body’s connective tissues and frequently causes joint hypermobility, stretchy skin and chronic pain. Elizabeth Nadolson, a first-year biology major diagnosed with POTS and following the path to an EDS diagnosis, is affected by the illness on a daily basis. “My heart will beat really fast for no reason,” Nadolson said. “My heart rate was at 130 and I was just standing there getting ready for bed.” Simple tasks like walking around campus are difficult, Nadolson said. Even in class, she has to sit with her leg up or crossed, as the space between seats is so tight she is cramped and experiences numbness and pain. Zimmer Combs, a first-year kinesiology major, faces a similar reality. In addition to EDS and POTS, she was diagnosed with mast cell activation syndrome, fibromyalgia and arthritis.
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MIAMI BASEBALL TEAM CELEBRATES AFTER A BIG PLAY IN A GAME AGAINST OHIO UNIVERSITY. PHOTO PROVIDED BY SEAN MCGLYNN
VINCENT JOLLIFF
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR When walking past McKie Field on springtime weekends, it is likely the speakers will be blasting a unique collection of songs. From Bad Bunny to The Rolling Stones to Jason Aldean, the Miami University baseball team provides fans with a mini concert on top of its play on the field. Walk-up songs are specific to baseball and softball. When a batter steps into the box or a pitcher takes the mound, a song of his or her choosing will play. The players pick these songs for a variety of reasons. Some pick a song to represent family and heritage, others choose a song sim-
In this issue
ply because they like it. No matter the reason, the songs have a special meaning. Some famous examples of walkup songs are former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera’s “Enter Sandman” by Metallica and my personal favorite, Lynyrd Skynard’s “Simple Man” playing for Texas Ranger pitcher Jacob DeGrom. Due to the RedHawk’s success on the baseball field this season, some players have become synonymous with their chosen songs. Sophomore catcher Carson Raether’s “Fat Bottomed Girls” by Queen and sophomore infielder Ignacio Gonzalez with “EoO” by Bad Bunny have become the soundtrack to this Miami season.
Both songs represent the players in different ways, and perhaps more importantly, both tracks get the stadium rowdy. “It just gives me confidence,” Gonzalez said. “There’s not a lot of people from Puerto Rico that come here.” Bad Bunny is one of the most popular artists in the world, and also hails from the island. With so many players on the roster, sometimes the battle for walk-up music gets heated. The team relies on the “dibs” method. “If you say it first and voice it before someone else, typically that one goes to you,” Raether said. He beat junior outfielder Tommy Harrison to “Fat Bottomed Girls”
A return to Ohio: Trent Gould named PA Miami University’s new provost program director resigns following demotion SOFIE TERLESKY
THE MIAMI STUDENT
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
Campus Starbucks mistakenly overcharged tax on extra espresso shots for eight months - page 5
OPINION
Why you should join Miami’s Climate Action and Sustainability Council - page 10
Miami University’s nationwide search for a new provost has come to an end. Trent Gould, current professor and dean of the College of Education and Human Sciences at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), will join the Miami community as provost and executive vice president for academic affairs on July 1. The University Senate and Associated Student Government (ASG) released the initial advertisement for the provost opening fall of 2025 and began conducting preliminary interviews the following months. The four finalists were announced in early February and brought to campus later that month. From there, President Crawford made his decision on which of the finalists would be selected as the next provost. Zeb Baker, dean of the Honors College, said this decision was largely
THE MIAMI STUDENT
Next man up mentality: The emergence of Luke Skaljac - page 5
CULTURE
Treblemakers: More than just singing - page 8
STAFF WRITER
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI
based on the candidates’ interviews, their interactions with campus partners and the feedback they received from the faculty they met on campus. “We wanted someone who could come in and hit the ground running,” Baker said. “We were looking for a good leader, someone who could ef-
fectively manage the academic enterprise.” This administrative position comes with a diverse range of responsibilities. Every dean, department chair and program administrator reports directly to the provost. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
How the birthplace of house music shapes Miami University’s EDM scene ANTHONY CAPRARA
SPORTS
CAITLIN O’BRIEN
Panelists for Up & Up Oxford’s DJ competition met in February to listen to sets submitted by students hoping to open for popular EDM duo Shipwrek. The panelists expected to listen to energetic tracks that amplify rooms and invigorate crowds. They didn’t expect to hear the blasting horns of the FOX NFL theme. For Andrew Solomon, a sophomore business analytics major, that’s the purpose of being a DJ — picking the right track at the right time, even the unexpected. Solomon was raised in Chicago, the home of house music and gritty EDM. The city identified and designated a building as the official birthplace of the genre in 2023, and since the 1980s, it has maintained a highly active and competitive scene. For Solomon, his city may have set the stage,
but his true education happened in his home. For his entire upbringing, Solomon remembers being surrounded by DJs. His mother owned old vinyl records and turntable equipment, which she used to mix tracks when she was his age. Friends of Solomon’s family all practiced the art. This gave him a deep interest in the genre and inspired him to explore more on his own. Solomon began attending music festivals and EDM shows all across Chicago. He never kept his ears away from anything new, making a point of attending events that showcased genres across the spectrum of EDM. After going to enough concerts and understanding the music, he felt called to produce something of his own. One summer, after learning basic techniques using his mother’s old turntable equipment and vinyl
records, he went out and bought a cheap controller and practiced daily at home. It was a low-pressure hobby that brought him joy. “[I was] just having fun with it, mixing songs that I liked,” Solomon said. As practice and experimentation continued, he found influences to draw from to develop a signature sound, the same sound that stunned the panelists from Up & Up Oxford. Jake Goudie, co-president of the organization, was extremely impressed by Solomon’s ability to build energy and transition between tracks. Solomon had never popped up on Goudie’s radar before the competition, so he was surprised to hear the level he was operating at right away. “His set immediately stood out to our team,” Goudie said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
Christopher Howell, who was demoted from his post as director of the Physician Assistant (PA) program in December, was the target of complaints from three female staff who said he “makes us feel unsafe and uncomfortable,” according to the Office of Equity and Equal Opportunity (OEEO) Incident Reporting Form. College of Arts and Science (CAS) Dean Renée Baernstein declined to comment on the decision to demote Howell, citing university policy on the privacy of personnel matters. But documents requested by The Miami Student show one faculty-reported incident of harassment, and two student-reported incidents of harassment based on religion or gender, and later disability. Baernstein, with the concurrence of Interim Provost Chris Makaroff, demoted Howell from his position on Dec. 12, 2025. Baernstein did not give a specific reason. The demotion letter also did not specify the reason for Howell’s reassignment back to faculty. In her letter to Howell, Baernstein wrote the demotion was not a disciplinary action. “It is my determination, with the concurrence of the interim provost, that the PA program will benefit from a change in leadership,” wrote Baernstein. Emily Brown, one of the complainants and previous director of clinical education, reported an incident of harassment to OEEO on July 5, 2022.
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