ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
Volume 151 No. 11
Miami University — Oxford, Ohio
THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2023
‘There is always a space for learning’: Miami University launches 2023 Campus Climate Survey
GRAPHIC BY ERIN MCGOVERN
ALICE MOMANY
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR Miami students, faculty and staff have been getting the same email for the past month. “Reminder to take the Miami University Campus Climate Survey,” the subject line reads. But many Miami community members were left with the same question: what is the Campus Climate Survey? Evaluating perceptions and experiences The survey was distributed to all Miami students, faculty and staff and asked questions related to diversity and inclusion. It was conducted by Miami’s Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion (OIDI). The survey which opened on Jan. 25., is now closed. But OIDI is now reviewing the results.
In this issue
The survey asked questions about the respondent’s major, academic college, how they pay for school and why they chose Miami. It also evaluated the respondent’s thoughts on the city of Oxford. The survey further asked questions about identities surrounding religion, disabilities and political views. It included identity questions about the LGBTQ+, Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and international communities, as well as questions regarding inclusivity in course content and comfortability in classrooms. The collected data will help OIDI identify areas at Miami that need additional initiatives, programs and actions to represent the community. Cristina Alcalde, vice president for institutional diversity and inclusion, wrote in an email to The Miami Student, that her team hopes to have an executive summary by the summer.
“Data from the survey will help us identify areas of strength and areas in need of improvement,” Alcalde wrote. “Based on information from the survey, we can amplify or develop interventions, initiatives, and programs to reflect our commitment to being an inclusive community for all.” Despite its purpose, campus recognition varies Jacqueline Rioja Velarde has been a faculty member at Miami for 20 years, and currently serves as associate director of the Global Initiatives Center for American and World Cultures (CAWC). She participated in the university’s last campus climate survey in 2017 and did not notice many differences in the survey itself from six years ago. However, she has noticed the work that has been done at Miami since the last campus climate survey such as the restructuring of
OIDI, the new diversity statement and the implementation of DEI in academic departments. Rioja Velarde works specifically with international students at the CAWC, and she encouraged students to take the survey so the university can become a better place for them. “I think it is important, not only because of what the institution is going to do with [the results], but because it will reflect in [the students’] personal experience[s],” Rioja Velarde said. Brooke Noss, a first-year accounting and entrepreneurship double major, said none of her professors mentioned the survey. “I have nothing against the survey,” Noss said. “I just don’t hear very much about it.” Noss said she likes the idea of having a survey that evaluates the climate at the university, but as of Feb. 22, CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Miami faculty, students and alumni share ‘Bittersweet’ culture in new documentary LUKE MACY
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY From objection to recollection: Miami’s relationship with Freedom Summer - page 5 ENTERTAINMENT Miami’s performing groups experience cultures through music - page 6
FOOD A night with Chabad
- page 7
SPORTS How to make hockey financially viable for everyone? Miami hockey players give their takes - page 9
HUMOR How does the outside world perceive Miami University? - page 12
ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR Paula Smith was raised in Oxford, Ohio. Her parents, who founded the Allen Foundation which offers refuge to Black Miami University students, both worked for the university. Although Smith attended Ohio University for her undergraduate degree, she did come back to Miami for her Master’s. Smith represents one of the few Black people associated with Miami’s Oxford campus. Based on data from Oct. 15, 2020, Black and African American students account for only 3.6% of the Oxford campus student population. Compared to the 75.5% of students who identify as white, this makes Miami a predominantly-white institution (PWI). Smith was the oldest living person interviewed in a new documentary, titled “Bittersweet,” which was created by faculty, staff, students and administrators at Miami. Smith was one of the first people interviewed for the documentary. By the time the documentary was released, however, Smith was losing her memory. Part of the purpose of the documentary was to try to capture stories
SPORTS EDITOR
PHOTO Pop-up shop highlights local Black entrepreneurs - page 14 OPINION We have not done justice. Today, we take steps to change that. - page 16
from Black Miamians like Smith before they disappeared. The documentary was part of a project called Lived Experiences which seeks to explore the lives of Black students at a PWI. The project was funded through Miami’s Boldly Creative program, which invested $50 million to projects that usher “a new generation of academic excellence,” the website reads. The documentary was co-produced by Seth Seward, assistant director of alumni relations, and Andy Rice, assistant professor of media and communications and film studies. Rice also directed the documentary, which combines footage, interviews and photos that detail the lives
of Black Miami students, faculty and staff, past and present. The documentary premiered Feb. 22, in the Shideler Hall multimedia auditorium to a full room. The film was followed by a Q&A session with Rice, Seward and two students who helped produce the film, Anika Elias and Maggie Peña. During the Q&A, Rice shared that Seward was integral to the documentary’s creation. He also said Paula Smith, the oldest living interviewee featured in the film, played a similar role. “[Seward and I] worked on all the interviews together. Seth was, for the most part, the person asking the questions, the glue to make that film CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Mina Kimes and Sarah Thomas visit Miami University JACK SCHMELZINGER
STYLE Gender doesn’t dictate fashion: non-binary style at Miami and in the world - page 13
THE ''BITTERSWEET' DOCUMENTARY SHOWCASES THE LIVES OF BLACK FACULTY, STUDENTS AND ALUMNI AT MIAMI UNIVERSITY. PHOTO BY LUKE MACY
Mina Kimes and Sarah Thomas, two of the most prominent women in the sports world, visited Miami University on Monday, Feb. 20, as a part of the University Lecture Series. Kimes is an award winning journalist and an NFL analyst. She currently works for ESPN, where she appears on TV often and co-hosts her own NFL podcast, “The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny” (the other host is her dog Lenny). She is one of the first women and Asian Americans to be an NFL analyst. Thomas became the first fulltime woman official in NFL history in 2015. She became the first woman to officiate an NFL playoff game in 2019, and in 2020 she was on the officiating crew for the Super Bowl.
The two trailblazers participated in a seminar at Hall Auditorium, ate dinner with select students at the Goggin Club Lounge, and then gave a talk on Title IV and women in sports at Hall Auditorium. Finally, the pair traveled to the second floor of McGuffey Hall for a JOURNALISM AND SLAM MAJORS STEVEN PEPPER, A SOPHOMORE, AND ANDREW RELVAS, A FIRST-YEAR, reception with anyone INTERVIEW MINA KIMES AND SARAH THOMAS FOR MIAMI who wanted to attend. TELIVISION NEWS. PHOTO BY JACK SCHMELZINGER Kimes and Thomas Kimes talked about her beginwere joined on stage for their talk by Miami Associate Ath- nings in the sports industry. “I started with this fantasy footletic Director Jennifer Gilbert, who served as the moderator. The three ball show that was at 6 a.m. that even discussed Kimes’s and Thomas’s my parents didn’t listen to,” Kimes roads to success and the obstacles said. “I would prepare about 40 pages of fantasy football notes and use they overcame on the way there. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Contraception may be available to Miami students starting next fall
GRAPHIC BY MACEY CHAMBERLIN
ABBY BAMMERLIN MANAGING EDITOR
In the fall of 2021, Miami University first-year Clara Hemrick was killing time. She was in Martin Dining Hall’s market waiting for some food she had ordered and began browsing the shelves full of snacks and convenience store-type items. Hemrick walked past the aisle housing toiletries and personal care items. She found toothpaste, allergy medication, condoms and pregnancy tests. “I feel like there's kind of a gap here,” Hemrick thought to herself. The missing piece? Emergency contraception. An idea is born Hemrick, now a sophomore, came up with an idea to provide Miami students with emergency contraception on-campus. She brought the idea to sophomore Ryan Parker, a friend she met through both of their involvement in Associated Student Government (ASG). Parker agreed there was a need for accessible emergency contraception. Emergency contraception can be used to reduce the chance of pregnancy up to 72 hours after unprotected sex. Once the medication is taken, it prevents or delays ovulation which prevents the release of an egg from the ovary. The two brought their ideas to Steve Large, assistant vice president for Student Life, who focuses on health and wellness at Miami. “He was super in favor of it,” Parker said. The idea of having emergency contraception available on college campuses isn’t new. Other universities like Cornell University, George Washington University and Boston University have all invested in offering emergency contraception to students. After doing some research, Parker and Hemrick settled on a vending machine-type model, similar to Boston University, instead of offering it in Miami’s markets. “[This] is almost preferred because with the markets, it’s only open for a certain number of hours,” Parker said. “But with this we’re hoping to get it someplace with 24-hour access.” Making contraception affordable Parker and Hemrick also hope to make emergency contraception more financially accessible. While it’s available at large chains like CVS and Walgreens, it can cost more than $50. The pair aren’t sure how much it will cost for students, but they’re hoping it will be less than larger chains in the area. “If a college student is unable to afford buying Plan B, they're not going to be able to afford raising a child …” Hemrick said, “and all the other expenses that come with it.” Between the cheaper price and on-campus location, they hope more students are able to use the medication if needed. “Even though it’s an ‘over-the-counter’ medication, it might not physically be on the shelf,” Large wrote in a statement to The Miami Student. “Shoppers may need to ask a store clerk for assistance, which can be intimidating.” Large wrote that while the location of the machine hasn’t been determined, it will be discreet and convenient for students. Parker and Hemrick have already attained the funds, $3,500, to pay for the machine and first round of emergency contraception. They’re currently waiting on the university to work out the details of the project. They said the machine could be available to students next fall semester. “We're still kind of working out those logistics with a bunch of different departments on campus, but everyone has been overly supportive so far,” Parker said. Since plans for the machine were made public, Students for Life of America has started an online petition opposing the project. It’s not clear how many signatures the petition has garnered. Other than the petition, the two said they haven’t had much negative feedback from the majority of students. While Miami will be the first university in Ohio to offer emergency contraception, it may not be the last. Parker said the pair has heard from Ohio State University’s student government which hopes to add a machine of its own. “So many people share this passion with us about reproductive choice and reproductive freedom,” Hemrick said. @abby_bammerlin bammeraj@miamioh.edu