ESTABLISHED 1826 — OLDEST COLLEGE NEWSPAPER WEST OF THE ALLEGHENIES
Volume 152 No. 4
Miami university — Oxford, Ohio
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2023
Water-gate: ‘This is absolutely How Miami heartbreaking’: Miami considers keeps the
eliminating majors in the humanities grass — and
sidewalks — watered SADIE CHILDS THE MIAMI STUDENT
ELENA JACKSON ALBARRÁN IS A PROFESSOR IN THE LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES DEPARTMENT, ONE OF THE 17 MAJORS IDENTIFIED AS LOW-ENROLLED. PHOTO BY SARAH FROSCH
In this issue
KASEY TURMAN ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR
TAYLOR STUMBAUGH ASST. CAMPUS & COMMUNITY EDITOR Two weeks before the first day of class at Miami University, Latin American studies (LAS) professor Elena Jackson Albarrán opened an email to see a PDF titled “Opportunities for low-enrolled undergraduate programs.”
CAMPUS & COMMUNITY
Miami is short on counselors but full of dedication - page 5
As she read it, she knew her semester would be an uphill battle. The document, “Opportunities,” delivered a message of required changes for low-enrolled majors in the face of elimination. It presented four options for these programs — ranging from a focus on minors to combining with other majors — to continue to be a part of Miami, with a deadline of December to decide on a plan. “Opportunities” is topped with a message that sums up Miami’s fi-
nancial situation which has trickled down to multiple departments. “Miami University is facing unprecedented fiscal, societal and political challenges that are prompting very difficult decisions about our curriculum,” the document read. “Tragically, we no longer have the resources to support the current portfolio of academic programs, particularly our lowest-enrolled degree programs or majors.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
What do Miami University students listen to while they study? KATIE WHITEHEAD THE MIAMI STUDENT
ENTERTAINMENT
Students and Oxford community come together to celebrate Hispanic culture at UniDiversity - page 6
SPORTS
Football returns to Yager - page 10
GREENHAWKS
Can local food win over Miami shoppers? - page 14
The streets of Oxford are flooded with Miami University students left and right frolicking over academic quad, avoiding the Seal. The dining halls are full of friends and strangers alike eating together. The study rooms of Armstrong Student Center are fully occupied with groups and individuals, laptops and books in hand. This can only mean one thing: Class is back in session. Unfortunately, this means studying is back as well. But not all students use studying as a silent and grim time. Plenty of students enjoy listening to music while they study in order to improve focus, accuracy and precision on their exam scores. The benefit of study music Research shows that listening to music while studying is proven
SOPHOMORE NURSING MAJOR REAGAN ROSE STUDIES FOR AN UPCOMING PATHOPHYSIOLOGY EXAM. SHE LISTENS TO SPOTIFY’S “CLASSICAL MUSIC FOR STUDYING” PLAYLIST ON HER SKULL CANDY HEADPHONES. PHOTO BY CAITLIN DOMINSKI
to assist students’ memory of academic material, increase focus, help students relax and motivate them to complete their work. This theory is known as “The Mozart Effect,” adopted from a study by Dr. Gordon Shaw. While all of us
don’t necessarily listen to Mozart in particular when we study, the sound waves and vibrations produced by music show the same effect for all other genres as well. CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
If you’ve walked through Miami University’s campus early in the morning or late at night, chances are you’ve seen an unsuspecting student getting doused in water from the sprinkler system. Most of the Miami campus has witnessed the sprinkler system in action, working hard to keep our lawns and sidewalks watered. Miami has roughly 2,500 acres of grounds, much of which consists of grass in between various walkways and buildings, and these acres need to be maintained through irrigation. Cody Powell, the associate vice president of facilities planning and operations, said the upkeep of these spaces helps them “achieve a certain experience.” On most of Miami’s promotional material, there is some variation of pictures of the well-manicured, healthy, green lawns that make up the campus. Without the sprinkler system during times of drought and especially dry summers, Miami’s campus would not look the same. However, this also leads to some issues for the student body when these sprinklers end up watering the sidewalks. Laura Zipes, a junior majoring in history and middle childhood education, frequently gets caught in the crossfire of Miami’s lawn maintenance on Central Quad. “I think the grass looks great and Miami prides itself on its awesome landscape,” Zipes said. “But it is a little annoying to have to walk past and be drenched every time I go to my hall.” The sprinkler system is divided into different sections that water different parts of the campus at different times. When the weather is dry, these zones go off three times a week, running from 20 to 30 minutes. When there is more rainfall, the irrigation typically runs for a maximum of 15 minutes. The sprinklers are programmed to go off in the morning or in the evening when there’s less foot traffic, but many students still manage to get sprayed by them. The area where Zipes lives is a section that goes off around 7 p.m., when many students are headed back from class or going to dinner. However, Powell said if the sprinklers were to be on in the middle of the day, there would be “more of an opportunity to get sprayed, which we want to avoid.” The different section divisions also allow for some locations on campus to not be maintained at all, whereas others, like North Campus, need to be irrigated more frequently. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3
Pedal to the metal for Sam Vaughan’s return to play JON SCHOOLEY THE MIAMI STUDENT In the world of sports, adversity is an inevitable opponent. Athletes will face many challenges that test their physical and mental strength. For Sam Vaughan, the ultimate test came in the form of a devastating injury. Vaughan is a junior offensive lineman for the RedHawks. The 6-foot-7, 297 pounder started at offensive tackle for the season opener against Kentucky in 2022. Within minutes of the opening drive, Vaughan went down with a torn ACL. The whole offseason of hardwork and dedication with his teammates was stripped away from him in sec-
onds, and he would go on to miss the remainder of the season. This injury would be enough to break the spirits of many athletes, but not Vaughan. He wasted no time and started working toward his return. Road to recovery Sam's injury was a moment that would change the course of his career. The torn ACL required immediate reconstructive surgery and a long recovery process, with a typical healing period ranging from nine to 12 months. “It was a little scary at first, not knowing when you will be able to play next,” Vaughan said. James Patton, Miami’s offensive line coach, says losing a tremendous athlete like Sam impacted the RedHawks’ season immediately.
“It was maybe 20 plays into the game, and you lose your starting left tackle,” Patton said. “So yeah, it was pretty hard, and not just from the ath-
letic standpoint, but losing his personality and character was a setback for our team.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
SAM VAUGHAN TORE HIS ACL EARLY IN MIAMI'S FIRST GAME OF 2022. A YEAR LATER, HE'S BACK ON THE FIELD. PHOTO BY JESSICA MONAHAN
EXHIBITION SYMPOSIUM THU, OCT 5 | 2:30–5:30 PM & FRI, OCT 6 | 9:30 AM–12:30 PM
LEARN MORE AT: TINYURL.COM/HERITAGESYMP23
Featuring talks by Kathleen Lynch, Jeb Card, Andrew Casper, Jacqueline Johnson, Robert Keller, Jordan Fenton, Jared Nally, Daniel R. Small, and Keynote by Erin L. Thompson.