ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
Volume 172 No. 7
Miami university — Oxford, Ohio
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2025
mor Miami may soon eliminate more majors due ‘Eat chikin’... to Senate Bill 1, low enrollment Then compost the box
Miami’s new Chick-fil-A location uses environmentally-friendly methods to dispose of waste JULIA HALL THE MIAMI STUDENT
TWO YEARS AGO , 12 MAJORS WERE OUTRIGHT REMOVED FROM MIAMI'S OFFERED LIST, INCLUDING AMERICAN STUDIES, ART HISTORY, CRITICAL RACE AND ETHNIC STUDIES, RELIGION, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND WOMEN'S GENDER AND SEXUALITY STUDIES. PHOTO BY IVY KLEINMAN
ABE HAGOOD THE MIAMI STUDENT Starting in fall 2023, Miami University removed or consolidated 19 majors due to low enrollment. Now in 2025, more majors may soon be removed due to changes in state law and the relocation of resources toward majors with high levels of enrollment. What’s happening? The majors placed on the chopping block two years ago were mostly in language or cultural studies, and their department chairs were told that if they did not have a plan to increase enrollment by December of that year, they would be cut.
In this issue
Twelve were removed outright: French education, health communication, health information technology, Spanish education, German education, Latin education, Latin American studies, American studies, art history, critical race and ethnic studies, religion, social justice and women's gender and sexuality studies. Of those 12, only six retained minors: Latin American studies, American studies, art history, critical race and ethnic studies, religion, social justice and women's gender and sexuality studies. French education, Spanish education, German education, Latin education, health communication
and health information technology majors did not retain corresponding minors. In April, seven majors – classical studies, French, German, Italian, Russian, East European and Eurasian studies, and East Asian languages and culture – were merged into the new world languages and cultures major. In the aftermath of the elimination and consolidation of these majors, the Department of Comparative Religion was merged into the Department of Global and Intercultural Studies. The Department of French, Italian and Classical Studies is currently considering merging with the Department of German, Russian, Asian, and Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures.
Now, more programs are in the process of being removed. Interim Provost Chris Makaroff said that because of changes in student and university priorities, as well as state law, majors like music composition will no longer be offered. Why is it happening? In July, Senate Bill 1 (S.B. 1) went into effect. The bill has many contentious issues, from limits on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion subject matter to regulations on faculty unions and striking, both of which Miami faculty and students have protested in the past year. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
Miami’s Stage Left takes audiences back in time with fall musical ‘Firebringer’ AYLA PEDEN ASST. CULTURE EDITOR
GREENHAWKS
Climate change threatens Butler County agriculture - page 12
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
Lewis Place: The White House of Miami
Miami University’s student-run theater organization, Stage Left, held its annual fall musical in Wilks Theater during the weekend of Nov. 14–16. This year, club members came together to perform their rendition of “Firebringer.” This musical comedy follows a prehistoric tribe as they try to survive without knowing how to hunt or make fire. All the while, the main characters break the fourth wall to make jokes about how easy it must be to live in modern society. While audiences were finally able to see the performance in late fall, the director, David Amsden-Michel, a senior media and communications and film studies major, started planning the show last spring. “I was informed that I would be directing last April,” Amsden-Michel said. “We started working with pre-production a little after that. By May, I had my assistant director, Sam, and we’d assembled a few mem-
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OLIVIA PATEL
OPINION
A love letter to the Makerspace - page 11
SPORTS
Volleyball heads to MAC tournament for the first time in 5 years - page 6
“If you don't play the game, you lose.” On Halloween, Ohio lawmakers on the state’s redistricting commission approved new congressional maps that will favor Republican seats in upcoming elections, including the midterms next year. The redistricting committee consists of the governor, state auditor, secretary of state, an individual appointed by the senate president, an individual appointed by the speaker of the Ohio House, an individual appointed by the senate minority leader and an individual appointed by the Ohio House minority leader. Five out of the seven members of the committee are Republican; however, the maps passed with bipartisan support from all seven members. Drew Belcher, chairman of the Miami University College Republicans, said while these maps favor Re-
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Bagel & Deli: Miami’s local staple since 1975 REN CHAFFEE THE MIAMI STUDENT
MEMBERS OF STAGE LEFT PERFORM FALL MUSICAL "FIREBRINGER." PHOTO BY EMILY CLARK
bers of the production team, and we sort of workshopped things over the summer.” From there, Amsden-Michel and the rest of the show’s production team planned every detail, from what the sets would look like to lighting and casting — everything needed to be in-
tricately planned. However, choosing who to trust in each role turned out to be the most challenging. “The most important part about directing was just picking the right people for each role,” he said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
New Ohio maps could promote more Republican seats ahead of midterm EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
When Miami University’s Chickfil-A opened its doors on Oct. 27, Armstrong Student Center looked like students had never seen a fried chicken sandwich before. The wait for the new fast food chain on campus was nearly three hours; however, Miami’s Chick-fil-A is more than just an exciting new dining spot. It’s a commitment to sustainability. From compostable nugget containers to recyclable cups, Miami’s Chick-fil-A location offers a range of sustainable packaging products. These products are a result of collaboration between Miami’s Office of Sustainability and Dining Services. Senior director of dining services Geno Svec said dining services works closely with Miami’s sustainability director, Olivia Herron, to implement earth conscious choices into the new location. “We differ from other Chick-filAs,” Svec said. “We moved from styrofoam to paper products that are environmentally friendly.” This switch was made possible by the sustainable alternatives Chickfil-A offers to their franchised establishments. Miami’s sustainability engagement coordinator Alex Miller discussed the difference between brand standard packaging products and products used at Miami’s Chickfil-A. “Their brand standard is the Styrofoam cups … but we were able to request recyclable paper cups,” said Miller. Miller said that certain brand standard Chick-fil-A products, including the cardboard fry containers, drink holders and napkins, were already environmentally friendly. However, this was not the case for other items.
publicans, the issue of gerrymandering is abused by both political parties. “If Republicans don't do it, Democrats are gonna do it,” Belcher said. “So it's either you do exactly what [the Democrats] are doing, or [Republicans] are going to hold the moral high ground on this, and we're going to lose. From a political standpoint, you don't get anything done that way.” Republicans currently hold 10 of the 15 United States congressional seats in Ohio; however, with the newly-approved maps, Republicans have the potential to slide into two more of those seats: Rep. Greg Landsman, Democrat of Ohio’s 1st District, and Rep. Marcy Kaptur, Democrat of Ohio’s 9th District. The maps were required to be redrawn by the Ohio Constitution, which states that if the original maps – drawn once a decade in 2021, do not have bipartisan support – then they need to be redrawn after five years. Outside of Ohio, 12 states have either discussed, enacted or are pending approval for new congressional
maps, according to a tracker by CNN Politics. However, out of the 13 total states redrawing their maps, only Ohio is constitutionally obligated to do so. “Nobody should be doing this except Ohio,” said Elisabeth Warner, communications director for the League of Women Voters of Ohio (LWVO). “Everybody else who's doing it is doing it to gerrymander their state.” Last fall, the Fair Districts Ohio coalition, which is led by LWVO and Common Cause Ohio, played a leading role in the Citizens Not Politicians campaign – or Issue 1. The campaign proposed an amendment to the Ohio Constitution that would take the power to draw congressional maps out of the hands of politicians and lobbyists and into a 15-person, non-partisan committee. The committee would be composed of five Democrats, five Republicans and five independent voters. CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
College is often known for its “out on the town” experiences. A crucial, and often overlooked, part of the so-called “college experience” is the late-night eateries. Bagel & Deli is not just a place to grab a quick bite, but a core part of Miami University’s culture. Opened in 1975, Bagel & Deli has an expansive menu of over 90 creative bagel combinations. This menu is arguably the biggest draw of the restaurant. From custom orders like the “Lottery,” where the workers choose your bagel toppings for you, to the “Crunch and Munch,” Bagel & Deli has something for everyone. “The workers are like the London cabbies of bagels,” Miami alum Joe Cochran said. “They have so much knowledge of just how to make all the bagels, and they do it so confidently – just like how the cabbies can drive anywhere in London without needing a map.” The key to having efficient workers is maintaining a balance of new employees and experienced employees, said co-owner of Bagel & Deli Gary Franks. “This year we have the right balance,” Franks said. “[The training process starts with memorizing the most popular bagels], then they start branching out from there. When you get down to it, the most popular bagels are what you are going to be making 90% of the time.” Lisa and Joe Cochran are alumni who have – since graduating in 1998 – made multiple trips back to visit Bagel & Deli. “I remember it would be the dead of winter and the staff would all be wearing T-shirts because they were working so hard,” Lisa Cochran said. “The staff is always working so hard, that’s never changed.” Sophomore sports and communication major Zoe Fleischer said she thinks Bagel & Deli is a good alternative to the dining halls around campus. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8