By Jenn SmolaCampuS editor

A commission of seven leaders from higher education institutions in Ohio recently came to an agree-ment on how to spread $400 million amongst Ohio public universities. Although the plan still needs to be approved by Ohio Gov. John Kasich, Miami University tentatively has $19.3 million of that money coming its way, including $18.2 million to renovate Kreger Hall on the Oxford campus and $1.1 million for projects on the regional campuses.

According to David Creamer, Miami’s vice president for finance and business services, Gov. Kasich requested that representatives from Ohio’s public schools collaborate to determine how to divide state capital funding.

“This funding has to do with capi-tal improvements,” Robert Keller, associate vice president for planning and operations said. “That basically means projects.”

Capital funding is generally for things like renovations and occasion-ally new construction projects, and separate from Miami’s general oper-ational budget, according to Keller.

A commission was formed to

recommend how the money should be spent. The commission first set several guiding principles to focus the use of state resources, includ-ing that the state’s funding should be categorized into one of four ar-eas: public-private partnerships, workforce development, interdis-ciplinary approaches, and long-term maintenance, according to the commission’s report.

“Each institution got an opportuni-ty to make a presentation about their projects and the request they were making,” Creamer said.

The commission consisted of Mi-ami President David Hodge, Ohio State University President Gordon Gee, Toledo University President Lloyd Jacobs, four representatives from various two-year institutions and a representative from the Inter-University Council of Ohio, accord-ing to Creamer.

Previously, Ohio’s colleges and universities received state capital funds according to a formula based on the age of an institution’s facili-ties, its enrollment and the amount of infrastructure it must maintain. In the report, the commission said that while the old process ensured fair and expected fund distribution, it was viewed as being less responsive

to state needs. “The previous system was for-

mula-driven, so it was fairly predict-able,” Keller said.

The new collaborative method, the report said, is equally fair, as well as more flexible and accommodat-ing. The report also said the collab-orative budget process “presented a more strategic vision for the State of Ohio’s investment.”

Included in the state money Mi-ami will receive is $1.1 million for projects on its regional campuses, ac-cording to Creamer.

“The projects that were prioritized [by Miami] were all fully funded,” Creamer said.

The money that Miami will re-ceive should the commission’s rec-ommendations be approved will go towards renovating Kreger Hall. Once renovated, the physics depart-ment will be moving to Kreger Hall from its current Culler Hall home, Creamer said. The Kreger Hall project also falls under the interdis-ciplinary approaches category of funding. According to the commis-sion’s report, Kreger Hall will house facilities that will unite physicists and

By liBBy muellerFor the miami Student

For many, the Olympics have been a distant exhibition of raw athletic talent and faces uplifted in triumph, but for Miami University junior swimmer Bekka Westrick, a shot at the Olympics is a not-so-distant reality.

Her time of 1:01.86 in the 100-me-ter butterfly at the Speedo Champi-onship Sectional meet over the sum-mer qualified her for the Olympic Trials. The trials will take place June 25 to July 2 in Omaha, Neb.

Head swimming coach Dave Jen-nings, who has coached Westrick for three years, said that preparation for the Olympic Trials will be a grueling process for Westrick.

“[Westrick’s qualifying time] is just under the qualifying limits by about a couple tenths of a second,” Jennings said. “Certainly we’ve

got some work to do in terms of moving forward.”

Westrick said the competition will be intense.

“It’s going to be intense but it’s going to be a good fight,” Westrick said.

Only the top two swimmers in Westrick’s event will be named to the US Olympic Team and swim at the 2012 Olympics in London.

Westrick will compete against top swimmers all across the country, not only college students but club swim-mers, high school swimmers and any others whose times qualified them for the trials.

Westrick has trained well over this season and has improved her control and performance, Jennings said.

Westrick has continued to train for the regular college season, but once the season is over, she will start the arduous process of training for the Olympic Trials, Jennings said.

“I’ve seen her really mature as a swimmer and especially as a competitor,” Jennings said. “I’ve just seen her grow, developing a lot more confidence and believing in herself.”

Throughout Jennings’ ten-ure as head women’s swimming coach at Miami, eight swimmers

and divers have qualified for the Olympic Trials.

Westrick’s sound technique and fast starts will give her a huge advantage at the trials this summer,

where she will encounter stiff com-petition, Jennings said.

“She’s also one of our harder workers,” Jennings said. “She al-ways brings her A-game.”

Junior swimmer Maddie Kete said Westrick’s competitiveness distinguishes her and gives her an edge.

“She’s very, very competitive, so she always has that drive to win,” Kete said. “Her work ethic is above and beyond. [The Olym-pic Trials are] going to be a pretty

exciting meet. I wish I could go and watch live!”

Westrick said qualifying for the trials meant yet another chance to do what she has loved to do since the age of seven: swim.

“I’m really excited just to be able to race again,” Westrick said. “I’m just going to go in there and try to do my best.”

Westrick said her favorite part of swimming has always been her team-mates and the feeling of strength and accomplishment after a swim. More than anything, she said she is look-ing forward to the thrill of swimming against the most elite swimmers in the country.

Westrick has a passion for what she does and will meet her competition with spirited drive, Jennings said.

“I think she loves what she does. She enjoys it,” Jennings said. “She certainly brings a full package.”

‘mozart of madras’ will speak at commencement

State windfall nets miami $19 million

Swimmer prepares for Olympic trials

rahman,SEE PAGE 5

FundinG,SEE PAGE 5

andreW Bray THE MIAMI STUDENT

A.R. Rahman, an Academy Award winning composer, speaks to students during his visit to Miami in October. Rahman has been selected as the speaker for this spring’s May 5 commencement ceremony. Rahman will also receive an honorary doctorate from Miami.

miKe Zatt THE MIAMI STUDENT

BoyS (and GirlS) Will maKe people lauGhMembers of the Harvard Sailing Team Billy Scafuri (left), Fayrn Einhorn (center) and Mike Smith (right) perform in the Farmer School of Business’s Taylor Auditorium Wednesday night. The show was part of Campus Activities Council’s Spirit Week activities.

I’ve seen [Westrick] really mature as a swimmer and especially as a competitor. I’ve just seen her grow, developing a lot more confidence and believing in herself.”

daVe JenninGShead SWimminG CoaCh

The Miami StudentFRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012

Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826

miami uniVerSity OXFORD, OHIOVolume 139 NO. 43

In 1963, The Miami Student reported that Ohio House Bill 214 was passed out of the Education Committee in the Ohio House of Representatives. This bill would design a Board of Regents that would have the power to review the appropriations of six state higher learning institutions, including Miami University.

today in miami hiStory

By Sam Kayeditor in ChieF

Indian composer A.R. Rahman will cap off Miami University’s Year of the Arts May 5 as he gives the commencement address and re-ceives an honorary doctorate.

Rahman has composed over 100 movie soundtracks and albums, and has sold more than 150 million cop-ies of his work.

The Academy Award-winning composer of the Slumdog Million-aire soundtrack has been collaborat-ing with Miami for about a decade as a result of his friendship with visit-ing professor and Miami graduate Srinivas Krishnan.

Krishnan is the director of Miami’s annual Global Rhythms concert. In September, Rahman made a surprise visit to Miami to listen to students prepare to perform his music in the Global Rhythms concert.

“The impact that [Rahman] has had through the years, having Global Rhythms performances here, has touched tens of thousands of people through his generous contributions of music, instruments and funding,” senior music education major Sean O’Neill said.

Performing Arts Series Direc-tor Patti Liberatore said having

Rahman as commencement speaker is an excellent way of recognizing his collaboration with Miami during the Year of the Arts.

“It’s wonderful to have someone with that kind of accomplishment come, but even more special because he’s been working with Miami stu-dents for many years,” Liberatore said. “I think it will be a very singu-larly memorable day for graduating seniors and their families.”

Liberatore was on the commit-tee that recommended Rahman as commencement speaker.

Executive Assistant to the Presi-dent Ted Pickerill also served on the commencement speaker committee.

“Mr. Rahman … has a great re-cord as a humanitarian and serving others,” Pickerill said. “He is glob-ally focused. At Miami, we certainly believe that students should have learning and understanding of other cultures – and opportunities to direct-ly experience other cultures – as part of their college experience.”

O’Neill has had just that kind of experience because of Rahman.

O’Neill first became familiar with Rahman’s work as a first-year when the Miami Men’s Glee Club

EditorsLauren Ceronie

Jenn SMoLacampus@miamistudEnt.nEt2 CAMPUS

FriDaY, FeBruarY 24, 2012

Miami avoids layoffs with retirement plan

university donors armstrong, Wilks play unique roles in funded programs By allison mcGillivraysEnior staff WritEr

Miami University’s donors have some control over the money they donate but federal regulations limit that control.

One of Miami’s well-known do-nors, Mike Armstrong, who pro-vided the funds for Armstrong In-teractive Media Studies (AIMS), as well as the Armstrong Student Center, continues to be involved with AIMS as an advisor, whereas Harry T. Wilks, who provided the funds for the Harry T. Wilks Lead-ership Institute, only maintains a general interest in the Institute’s functions according to AIMS co-director Glenn Platt and Wilks Leadership Institute director Eric Buller.

Armstrong provides a guid-ance role for the AIMS pro-gram as a member of the AIMS advisory board. Armstrong is also one of Miami’s non-voting national trustees.

“My role is vision, donor and volunteer,” Armstrong said. “I have donated funds to enable the Miami academic experience to best competitively prepare our graduates for societal and career success.”

Platt said Armstrong is not in-volved in everyday administrative decisions such as class offerings and hiring, but does provide his opinion on strategic direction.

It is not typical for donors to be as involved with the results of their gifts as Armstrong, Assistant Executive Director of the Miami University Foundation Mackenzie Becker Rice said.

“It’s not a bad thing that Mike is as hands on as he is,” Rice said. “We think it’s great, but it’s not typical.”

Wilks’s involvement with his gift, which created the Harry T. Wilks Leadership Institute, is a re-sult of his involvement as a mem-ber of the Board of Trustees.

“Harry is a little bit different.” Rice said. “He is already going to be more hands on by nature of the fact that he is a board member.”

Wilks is not actively involved with the Wilks Leadership In-stitute outside of his involve-ment with the Board of Trustees, Buller said.

“We update him and let him know what’s going on; occasion-ally he may ask us a question, but beyond that he’s really not in-volved,” Buller said. “He is a mem-ber of the board of trustees and so his involvement can potentially in-fluence what we do plus others at the university.”

Buller said that unlike Arm-strong’s involvement with AIMS, Wilks does not play an advisory role at the Wilks Institute.

A donor’s involvement with their gift should not to be mis-taken for control over the project their gift funds, Rice said.

“The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) won’t let the donor have control,” Rice said. “Miami is legally bound to follow the gift agreement and follow the restric-tions that the donor has placed on it, and the donor also has to

give up control and let Miami do that.”

When Armstrong donated ap-proximately $15 million to AIMS, he outlined how he wanted that money to be spent.

Donors outline where they want their money to be spent through a contract called a gift agreement, Jayne Whitehead, senior direc-tor of development and planned giving, said.

“We seek guidance in the form of gift agreements for endowed contributions so that we know how the donor wishes their funds to be used,” Whitehead said.

It is more common for donors to be involved in the gift-agree-ment process as opposed to being involved with results of their gift, Rice said.

“They do ask for updates, they do want to be involved with the gift, but it is more typical for that to occur early on and not be as ‘hands on,’” Rice said.

Whitehead said University

Advancement writes a draft of the gift agreement based on conversa-tions with the donor and then re-writes the drafts until both Miami and the donor are satisfied.

The stipulations of the Wilks Institute gift agreement outlined the vision of the Wilks Leadership Institute, according to Buller.

The gift agreement discussed the creation of academic course-work on leadership, the devel-opment of a speaker series and the development of a campus-

Greek involvement on the rise for third straight yearBy max cainfor thE miami studEnt

The number of new students in Greek life at Miami University has increased for the third straight year, according to John Hicker-son, vice president of recruitment for the Interfraternity Council (IFC) at Miami.

“As of Feb. 2, 606 men have ac-cepted bids to fraternities,” Hick-erson said. “In 2011, 563 men accepted bids. In 2010, 516 men accepted bids.”

Sorority numbers are also on the upswing. According to the Mi-ami University Panhellenic Asso-ciation, 785 women received bids in 2012, an increase from the 753 bids handed out in 2011 and the 734 bids given out in 2010.

The total number of Greek registration was also higher this year than in years past. Accord-ing to IFC and Panhellenic sta-tistics, 1,016 men registered for Greek recruitment this semester,

an increase from the 940 who registered in 2011 and the 835 who registered in 2010. Like-wise, 1,126 women registered for recruitment this semester as op-posed to the 1,090 women who registered in 2011, and the 1,049 women in 2010.

A particular challenge present-ed itself to the smaller fraterni-ties on campus this semester. A new system was implemented, giving fraternities the ability to hand out bids on the first night of rush. According to Dan Hayes, president of Tau Kappa Epsilon, the larger chapters exerted their influence on potential members, forcing smaller fraternities to the sidelines.

“We lost a lot of guys to the big-ger frats,” Hayes said. “They got the freshmen psyched and handed out bids that night.”

Like the larger fraternities,

Robert Harrelson:Year: JuniorMajor: Political Science,

Minor: HistoryPrevious experience with cam-

pus governance: NonePosition running for: VP Presi-

dent with Meghan WadsworthWhy did you decide to run: “I

realized all that Miami had given to me and I felt the need to give back, and I think I can offer a fresh perspective.”

Plans for the student body: “I would like to create an atmo-sphere where students really seek to bring their ideas to the student government.”

Goals: Create web tools for students to petition ASG.

In the Tuesday issue of The Mi-ami Student, it was reported five slates were in the race. Since then, the Campbell Stemper and Samu-el Meneely slate has dropped out.

Taylor Davis:Year: SophomoreMajor:Business-undecided,

Pre-Med Previous Experience with

campus governance: NonePosition Running for: Presi-

dent with Drew DoggettWhy did you decide to run:

“I’ve seen things that I want to change at Miami and I’m tired of just sitting around talking about it at the dinner table. I am ready to put it into action.”

What are your plans for the stu-dent body: “I want the student body to be more informed about what is going on around campus.”

Goals: Revise Miami Plan, create a general advisor position, first-year forgiveness policy for grades, revise Miami door-to-door and the Miami Metro.

Molly Kenney:Year: JuniorMajor :Organ iza t iona l

Speech CommunicationPrevious experience with

campus governance: Com-munity council 2009-2011

Position running for: Vice President with Colten Kidwell

Career Aspirations:Business or working for a university.

Why did you decide to run: “Colten approached me a cou-ple of weeks ago and asked me to run with him, and I was completely blown away be-cause Colten has always been someone I admire and respect as a leader on campus.”

What are your plans for the student body: “I want to solve those little cam-pus issues that we see on a day-to-day basis.”

Goals: Campus safety and the goals of the student body.

Drew Doggett:Year: SophomoreMajor: Mass Communication,

Political SciencePrevious experience with

campus governance: RHA, CACPosition running for: Vice

President with Taylor DavisCareer aspirations: Replace Jon

Stewart on The Daily Show. Why did you decide to run: “I

don’t want to completely overhaul the system but I don’t think any of us are content with how it is now.”

What are your plans for the stu-dent body: “To listen. I think a lot of people come in with their own ideas and something Taylor and I are really focused on is getting feedback from people.”

Goals: improving commu-nication between advisors and faculty with students; improve retention rate.

By JanE WassErman for thE miami studEnt

A retirement incentive program is being offered through Human Resources at Miami University for the second time since 2009 in order to reduce potential layoffs due to budget problems.

According to David Creamer, Vice President for Finance and Business Services, the difference between involuntary unemploy-ment, or laying off staff, and offer-ing a retirement incentive is that workers have the opportunity for

a monetary incentive should they choose to leave. Creamer said that by using the retirement incentive, Miami is using a system that does not have negative consequences for current employees.

According to Kate Stoss, a mem-ber of the Unclassified Personnel Advisory Committee, the economic state of the university is considered when looking into programs such as this one.

When deciding about a retire-ment incentive program, Creamer said Miami first, “identifies the need to reduce spending at the uni-

versity through 2015, and [then] we set targets on how much we need to reduce.”

When using retirement incentives, the university saves money when a staff member retires and their old position can be filled with a new, lower paid employee. Payments of $10,000 are being offered to eligible classified and unclassified adminis-trative staff, or non-teaching work-ers, as an incentive to retire by June of this year, while smaller incentive payments of $5,000 are being of-fered to those considering retiring before June of next year.

There is only a small gap from Feb. 10 through March 16 for staff to apply for the incentive. Stoss said even though there is a small window to apply, all applicants will receive a letter to sign later ask-ing if they intend on accepting the retirement incentive.

“Some staff could say they were initially interested in the program, but they have the right to change their mind and not accept the incen-tive,” Stoss said.

Creamer said in the past, up to 200 employees have taken advan-tage of this system, and Stoss said

there have been a lot of positive reactions from staff regarding the retirement incentive program.

But Heidi Ewen, assistant profes-sor of gerontology, does not neces-sarily agree.

“The only way that this would be attractive to the staff is if they would retain their full health care and re-tirement benefits,” Ewen said.

Ewen said, however, offering a re-tirement incentive program, “is more ethical than fading workers out and

Colten Kidwell:Year: JuniorMajor:Business-economics;

Minor in Political SciencePrevious experience with campus

governance: NonePosition running for: President

with Molly KenneyWhat are your plans for the stu-

dent body: “Past-Present-Future campaign: We understand that we only have a nine-month term, which isn’t a lot of time; the best way to go about it is see what has been done in the past that we want to continue, what are the things we could do in the present that we could finish in nine months, and what are some things for the future that we could get the ball rolling on.”

Goals: Revise the Miami Plan; work on the Peer Advocacy Pro-gram; campus safety, parking, light-ing, sidewalks, work on the Student Center; focus on alumni relations and endowment funds; focus on PR for ASG.John Stefanski:

Year: JuniorMajor: Public AdministrationPrevious experience with cam-

pus governance: Current ASG Secretary for Public Relations

Position running for: President with Lizzie Litzow

Career Aspirations: local or state government

Why did you decide to run: “I had a number of people approach me about it. I’ve seen the good things that ASG can do and I feel like we have kind of lost our focus over the last couple years, and I want to refocus us.”

Goals: fix academic advis-ing, change how students go through OESCR, create polls in The Miami Student for stu-dent opinion on ASG, create a proactive relationship with the city of Oxford, fix off-campus lighting, fix Miami door-to-door, delegate powers to cabinet and work on expanding diversity affairs council.

Meet the ASG presidential slates for upcoming 2012 election

Lizzie Litzow:Year: JuniorMajor: Communication; Po-

litical SciencePrevious experience with

campus governance: Current off-campus senator

Career aspirations: Be a press secretary for a congressman on the Hill

Position running for: Vice President with John Stefanski

Why did you decide to run: “I believe the student’s voices haven’t been heard a lot lately, my running mate and I be-lieve it is time to accommodate their problems.”

What are your plans for the student body: “I want to make myself more known to the stu-dents. I want to alert them to the fact that ASG is relevant in their everyday lives and can actually make a difference for them.”

Goals: Student advocate pro-gram for those who get accused of conduct violations.

Meghan Wadsworth:Year: JuniorMajor: Public Administration;

Nutrition; Health Promotion;Previous experience with campus

governance: 2009-present, current VP or Student Organizations

Position running for: President with Robert Harrelson

What are your plans for the stu-dent body: “I want to create a way for students to have an individual-ized Miami experience by increas-ing efficiency and revamping the processes here to be more modern, flexible and individualized as they go through Miami.”

Goals: create a ‘smart schedule’ where students can predicate their future academic schedules, which would allow the faculty and staff to manage class enrollment and integrate advisor; create an ASG forum discussion board for the student body.

rEtirEmEnt,sEE paGE 9

donor,sEE paGE 9

GrEEK,sEE paGE 9

“My role is vision, donor and volunteer.”

miKE armstronGmiami univErsity donor

Study Abroad

WITH MIAMI FACULTY

Sophomore Engaged Experience

See other study abroad opportunities at:

www.muohio.edu/LLL/study-abroad

Thematic Sequence Summer 2012 Workshops

Students must take one of the following to complete the Engaged Sophomore Experience Thematic Sequence: AAA201, AMS205, AMS207, BWS210R, BWS221, BWS151, LAS208, LAS260, WGS201, WGS202 or HIS221.

Current First and Second Year Students from All Majors Encouraged to Apply

The Interdisciplinary Programs Office and the Office of Second Year Programs are partnering to offer Engaged Sophomore Experiences for the summer of 2012.

These are experiences meant to blend classroom and out of class experiences into a meaningful and engaged learning experience.

Engaging Chicago!PEOPLE ON THE MOVE IN A GLOBAL CITY

August 3 - 15, 2012

A twelve day field experience in Chicago.This two-week field trip to Chicago provides students with the opportunity to explore the complex ways marginalized people have laid claim to urban space in the context of the changing political economy. Mornings will be devoted to walking and transit tours of various sections of the city to provide an overview of the historical and geographic context of the changing urban form. Afternoons will be devoted to scheduled programming with various local groups engaged in community organizing, neighborhood activism and planning initiatives.

A Declaration of Immigration, National Museum of Mexican Art

THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD

May 14 - June 1, 2012

Explore the pathways to freedom first-hand!This three-week workshop will provide students an intense educational opportunity to explore the various journeys into freedom of several different cultural groups important to Ohio history. This workshop will allow students to reclaim the Ohio history associated with the journeys into freedom during some of the most important periods of the state’s history. Students walk the paths of runaway slaves, abolitionists, Native Americans, immigrants, Hispanics and women.

Local and Global Food and Communities

BUTLER, PREBLE AND HAMILTON COUNTIES, OHIO

August 6 - 16, 2012

Examine the pleasures, problems, and possibilities of local communitiesExplore interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches to food systems in local and global contexts. Students examine the pleasures, problems and possibilities of the local food chain in southwestern Ohio with a special emphasis on local communities within Oxford Township by visiting small scale farms, local social service agencies, grocery stores and a landfill. Students gain skills in critical self-awareness and intercultural awareness with a specific focus on individuals’ local, regional, national and global connections.

American Indians and Ohio

Journeys to Freedom

ENGAGED INTERCULTURAL AWARENESS

Earn 6 Credits!

AMS499C (3 credits)WGS399C (3 credits)

Instructors: Sandra Garner American Studies

Roxanne Ornelas Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Earn 6 Credits!

Course options: BWS 399.B / AMS 399.B WGS 399.B / ITS 399.B LAS 399.B / WST 399.B

Instructors: Nishani Frazier History

Rodney Coates Sociology & Gerontology Black World Studies

Earn 6 Credits!AMS499F (3 credits)LAS499F (3 credits)Instructors: Damon Scott American Studies and GeographyJosé Amador Latin American, Latino/a, and Caribbean Studies

Earn 6 Credits!AMS499C (3 credits)WGS399C (3 credits)Instructors: Kelly Quinn American Studies Ann Fuehrer Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Contact: Sandra Garner, garners2@muohio.edu, 513-529-5333 or Roxanne Ornelas, ornelart@muohio.edu, 513-529-5010Get details including fees on the web at:

muohio.edu/study-abroad/IndiansOhio

May 15 - 28, 2012

In this intensive two-week workshop, students learn about

early Ohio history focusing on the Miami and Shawnee tribes,

and the history and legacy of American Indians in Ohio. Half

of this immersive workshop includes student participation

in the seventy mile Walk with the Ancients along the Great

Hopewell Road led by Carol and Mark Welsh of the Native

American Indian Center of Central Ohio (NAICCO). The

walkers arrive at the Great Circle mounds for the 30th Annual

Memorial Day Powwow, a contemporary example of Native

American cultural expression.

Interact with American Indian tribal leaders and members with close ties to Ohio

Visit ancient and contemporary American Indian sites in Ohio

Walk parts of the Underground Railroad

Visit key sites on the road to freedom

Meet community leaders and local activists

Experience ethnic celebrations, street festivals, public concerts, and art installations

Engage the rich cultural diversity of a global city

See your local food chain

Meet key community leaders

Experience an American Indian cultural immersion!

Contact: Damon Scott, scottd2@muohio.edu, 513-529-5010or José Amador, amadorj@muohio.edu, 513-529-1582Get details including fees on the web at:

muohio.edu/study-abroad/engaging-chicago

Contact: Nishani Frazier, frazien@muohio.edu, 513-529-0844 or Rodney Coates, coatesrd@muohio.edu, 513-529-1590Get details including fees on the web at:

muohio.edu/study-abroad/journey-freedom

Contact: Kelly Quinn, quinnk@muohio.edu, 513-529-5287 or Ann Fuehrer, fuehrea@muohio.edu, 513-529-6827Get details including fees on the web at:

muohio.edu/study-abroad/local-global-foods

3 FRIDAY, FEBRuARY 24, 2012www.miamistudent.net

By Morgan SchafferStaff Writer

The Ohio Attorney General’s (AG) office, which recently re-ceived $75 million in federal funding from a national mortgage settlement, will soon distribute the funds to individual counties to help demolish abandoned and condemned houses, according to AG spokesman Dan Tierney.

One obstacle to Butler County receiving federal funding is the absence of a land bank within the county, according to Butler County Treasurer Nancy Nix.

However, Butler County will still be eligible to apply and may soon be working to create a land bank, Nix said.

Tierney said that the Attorney General is still working to es-tablish a grant that counties can apply for to receive a portion of those funds.

“He is still developing grant criteria for that pro-gram and there have been no applications, disbursements or rejections,” Tierney said. There is currently no application in place yet, and a deadline has not been decided.

Counties with a land bank have a revenue stream that could match the grant on a dollar-to-dollar basis, and that is what is needed to receive part of the grant to demolish buildings, according to Tierney.

But what is a land bank?According to Robert Rink,

vice president of legal affairs and public records manager for the Cuyahoga County land bank, the main job of a land bank is to acquire vacant, foreclosed or con-demned houses or property and turn them into something that can be resold.

“In some cases, rehabilitations wouldn’t be possible, so some are demolitions,” Rink said.

According to Rink, 80 per-cent of the land the Cuyahoga County land bank acquires is demolished.

“Our goal is not to accumulate and hold on to the land but to acquire the land and make it us-able,” Rink said.

Butler County does not cur-rently have a land bank, but could still be eligible to apply for the grant, according to Tierney.

“For a local community to ap-ply for the grant, [it] needs to be

able to match [the grant] dollar-for-dollar,” Tierney said.

Establishing a land bank in Butler County is an idea that has been discussed and researched, according to Mike Campbell, interim county administrator for Butler County.

“We have discussed land bank-ing both at the county level and with the Port Authority and we did have some officials come in in early December to do a presenta-tion on land banking utilization,” Campbell said.

Nix concurs with Campbell, but is more specific in her wishes for a county land bank.

“I imagine that in due time we will get one up in running but it will not be a funded land bank,” Nix said.

For a county to get a funded land bank, the funds would have to come from source other than delinquent tax. School districts and other agencies would have to receive cuts for a funded land bank to be started, Nix said.

“Currently, when I collect taxes, [it is] a very small portion of the delinquent tax charges, so what the model is for the land bank is to increase the amount that the

treasurer and prosecutor are cur-rently getting and have that go to a land bank,” Nix said.

For example, instead of 95 per-cent of taxes going to schools and agencies, only 90 percent would go there and the remaining 5 percent would go to the funded land bank.

“If you are going to fund the land bank, a big portion would come from Lakota Schools, which would not benefit, but would take the tax hit,” Nix said. Nix wants an unfunded land bank in order to not take away poten-tial revenue from taxes of other municipal areas, such as school districts of public agencies.

Aside from a land bank, there is another way for counties to acquire funds to demolish properties.

“There is a section in Ohio law: chapter 57 22, [known as] Land Reutilization, [that states] any county or township or municipal-ity can name themselves a land bank,” Rink said.

The county can essentially do the same thing as a land bank and go into the business of uti-lizing properties to get money for demolition.

By LiSa reyManncoMMunity editor

Speaker of the House John Boeh-ner will be challenged in Ohio’s Republican primary for the 8th Congressional District in March.

His opponent, David Lewis, is a pro-life and Tea Party activist who last year decided to involve himself in political activity full time in the Cincinnati and Washington, D.C. areas. Lewis said he’s using his pro-life beliefs as the main platform for his campaign, and has been endors-ing graphic depictions of abortion in TV commercials.

“The reason I’m running against the Speaker of the House is because Boehner has called himself pro-life over the 22 years that he’s been in the house, and he’s done little to nothing to enact pro-life legislation,” Lewis said.

Lewis said last April, Boeh-ner voted in favor of a budget that promotes Planned Parenthood. At that point, Lewis decided enough was enough.

“If you’re going to call yourself pro-life, you need to put your money where your mouth is,” Lewis said.

Chairman of the Butler County Republican Party David Kern had his own opinions on Lewis’ accusa-tions against Boehner.

“When it was announced that Lewis didn’t think Boehner was pro-life enough, I thought that was preposterous,” Kern said. “John Boehner has been commended and awarded many times by local and national right-to-life organizations.”

Kern, who said he is pro-life, did praise Lewis for his TV ads in order to educate the public about abortion.

Miami junior Sami Doupnik is not as sure about Lewis’ tactics

for election. “I believe there are other ways

to take a campaign than showing a graphic commercial on public TV,” Doupnik said. “I certainly don’t want to see that while I’m watching a show, and I’d feel uneasy know-ing that young kids could see that as well.”

Described by the candidate him-self as a “David and Goliath’s task,” the real goal Lewis said he has by running against the sitting Speaker of the House is to get his message out to other pro-life supporters and tea partiers.

“As good American citizens, the people of this district should be interested in whoever their

congressman is,” Kern said. “We currently have a very capable and successful congressman in Boeh-ner who was awarded in December 2010 by being elected Speaker of the House of Representatives.”

Lewis said while Boehner has re-sources and experience in politics, what he lacks is principle.

“Winning is a long shot,” Lewis said. “But I want to emphasize to Mr. Boehner that if he calls himself pro-life, he’s gotta vote pro-life. If a bill comes across his desk, he’s got to enact it. I want to expose him for his treachery.”

John Boehner’s press secretary was unavailable for comment.

county tops ohio in unsettled child support

council approves term limits for boards, commissions

Pro-life candidate challenges Speaker Boehner in primary

Area may miss out on state funds

I believe there are other ways to take a campaign than showing a graphic commercial on public TV.”

SaMi doupnikMiaMi uniVerSity Junior

editorSJuStin reaSh

LiSa reyManncoMMunity@MiaMiStudent.net

4 COMMUNITYFRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012

poLice

BEATgirl nabbed at Brick Street for fake id

Around 12:45 a.m. Wednes-day, Oxford Police officers were checking Brick Street Bar and Grill when they observed a fe-male, who appeared to be under the age of 21, holding a cup of liquor. The officers approached the female and identified her as 18-year-old Miami Univer-sity first-year, Gabrielle Cayne. Cayne was arrested and taken to the station. When officers asked for her identification, she stated that it was with her phone. The officers checked her phone case and found two drivers’ licenses. One license was her actual New York state driver’s license. The other license stated that she was from Ohio, went by the name of Chelsea Kraft, and was over 21 years of age. Cayne was issued citations for underage drinking and possessing a fake ID.

Around 4 p.m. Monday, a male reported that his iPod 4 was sto-len. The male was at 45 East Bar and Grill when he placed the iPod at the table where he was seated. He then left with a few friends and realized he left it there. When he returned, the iPod was no longer on the table and had not been turned in. The victim said the iPod was not ac-cessible without a code.

Around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, a male reported that his iPod was taken from his room. The male said his bedroom was locked, al-though his room was accessible from the bathroom. The victim believes that one of his three roommates may have taken it because they do not get along. Officers will follow up and in-terview each of the roommates.

Around 12:30 a.m. Thursday, an Oxford Police was doing a bar check at Stadium Sports Bar and Grille. When he arrived, he went upstairs and observed a male who appeared to be un-der the age of 21 holding a full pitcher of ‘mind probe’ in one hand and a cup in the other hand. He stopped the male and identi-fied him as 20-year-old Miami University sophomore Thomas Kottenstette. The officer placed him under arrest, took him to the station and issued him a cita-tion for underage drinking. Kot-tenstette was then released to a friend.

Around 12:15 a.m. Wednes-day, officers were checking Brick Street Bar and Grill when they observed a female who ap-peared to be under the age of 21 holding a cup of liquor. They ap-proached the female and identi-fied her as 20-year-old Miami University sophomore, Taylor Smith. The officers placed her under arrest and took her to the station where she was issued a citation for underage drinking.

Male leaves ipod at 45, claims theft

Man believes mp3 player stolen by roommate

‘Mind probe’ lands student in jail

female receives citation for drinking underage

By reBecca ZeMMeLManfor the MiaMi Student

Statistics from public jail re-cords show Butler County has the second highest number of parents in prison for not paying child sup-port in Ohio. The county is second only to Clermont County.

According to Dusty Dunaway, public relations coordinator for the Child Support Enforcement Agency of Butler County, there are approximately 30,000 cases of parents not paying their child sup-port in Butler County each year, yet only 37 offenders are in jail right now.

Dunaway explained the pro-cess of convicting a parent for the crime of not paying for child support.

“If you haven’t paid in a very long time, and all options have been exhausted to collect the mon-ey, the parent will be sent to civil court,” Dunaway said. “If they still do not pay, the case will go to criminal court. The criminal court is the worst of the worst. From there, the grand jury is asked to in-dict them. They can either enter a program to get a job and counsel-ing or go straight to jail. The pros-ecutor does not have to accept the case in the first place, though. ”

According to Dunaway, many of the parents are compliant or are only behind on a few payments, so there is not a need to send them to jail.

Lee Oldendick, assistant Butler County prosecutor, said this is not an anomaly, and it appears there has been more enforcement going on in the past few years.

“More and more parents have been failing to support their

children,” Oldendick said.Oldendick said the parents who

are prosecuted typically are those who have not paid child support for two years.

“It’s not just fathers that don’t pay child support.” Oldendick said. “There are a lot of mothers that have abandoned their children just as well,”

However, according to Olden-dick, it is much more difficult to send parents to prison after House Bill 86 was passed by the Ohio General Assembly.

The bill states that individuals that commit a felony of not being able to provide child support will be handled at the local level. This is a way to cut down on federal prison space to preserve the fed-eral budget. The general jail time of a non-support case is up to 12 months, according to Oldendick.

According to Dunaway, the Child Support Agency has a great relationship with their partners in the sheriffs and prosecutors of-fice. They work together trying to reach out to the parents and they are able to speak to the offender’s employers, suspend their driver’s license or take money out of their accounts.

Miami University junior Alek Lucke said the punishment pro-cess for not paying child support is appropriate to the crime.

“I’d say that the punishment, as displayed by the data regarding their collections, is pretty decent,” Lucke said. “If it is much more se-vere it won’t help the child at all and more greatly harms the parent making the payments. The pro-gram of counseling and finding a job for the parents is an excep-tional idea and should definitely be pursued more vigorously.”

By JuStin reaShcoMMunity editor

The Oxford City Council unani-mously approved the second read-ing of an ordinance that sets term limits for members serving on the city’s numerous boards and com-missions during Tuesday night’s meeting. From here on out, one member can serve on a board or commission for two consecutive terms before having to sit out at least one, according to Eco-nomic Development Director Alan Kyger.

“After two terms you have to step down but can apply after the end of one term,” Kyger said.

The difference between a city resolution and ordinance is the time it takes to implement each. A resolution typically takes immedi-ate effect. If the city wants to buy a new police car, then it would be passed as a resolution.

An ordinance is for long-term issues, such as setting a rule for the council. It goes into the city codebook and takes affect 30 days after its passage.

As standard with the second

reading of any ordinance, the council allows public reaction. Usually, no one from the pub-lic speaks on an ordinance, but this time, self-proclaimed citizen watchdog Kathleen Zien stood at the podium and agreed with the ordinance.

“At the last meeting, Mr. Kee-bler noted that when citizens had served the city well on the board and wished to be difficult to tell them they couldn’t serve anymore and Kate [Rousmaniere] thought Mr. Snyder’s question sent a mes-sage that we were looking for

more qualified people,” Zien said. “Why is that bad? We should al-ways be looking for more quali-fied people. The same people are appointed who routinely disobey regulations, and should be removed.”

Zien concluded by recommend-ing to council that no current member on the Board of Zoning Appeals should be reinstated after their term is up on June 30.

City Council meet-ings occur at 7:30 p.m. ev-ery other Tuesday in the city courthouse uptown.

engineers on various projects, includ-ing the exploration medical technol-ogy innovations.

“I think it’s great that the physics department will have a new home,” Miami junior Peter Dougherty said.

According to Keller, Kreger Hall formerly housed the engineering department, and has been empty since the new engineering building was built. According to Keller, Mi-ami was hoping to receive funds for Kreger hall during Ohio’s previous 2011-2012 capital funding cycle, but no capital improvement funds were distributed to any institution across the state at that time. With such un-predictable funding cycles, it can be hard to plan projects, but the univer-sity does the best it can to prioritize, Keller said.

“It’s certainly more difficult when you don’t know how much you’re going to get,” Keller said. “Our planning is need-driven and based on priorities.”

There are also other benefits of the Kreger Hall project than just a newly-renovated building, Creamer said.

“This will also allow us to poten-tially commence the second phase of the student center project as early as fall of 2014,” he said.

Until Culler Hall is emptied, the second phase of the project cannot be started, Creamer said.

Culler Hall is the only building that is part of the second phase, Keller said, and will provide more room for student organizations and additional dining spaces.

Dougherty said the col-laborative effort was great for Miami.

“I’m really excited to see that Miami has been able to collabo-rate with other state universities,” Dougherty said.

According to the commission’s report, the Ohio State University would receive the largest sum of capital funding for any single proj-ect--$50 million for its Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Chemistry Building, falling into the interdisciplinary approaches catego-ry of funding.

Other notably large funds were recommended in the long-term maintenance category as well. The University of Cincinnati is slated to receive $28.8 million for its Medical Sciences Building and Central State University is slated to receive $19 million for its student center. Most of the available $400 million went to-wards long-term maintenance at nu-merous institutions across the state, over $208 million in total.

Overall, Miami officials felt good about the collaborative process, ac-cording to Creamer.

“It seemed to be fair,” Creamer said. “We did a nice job explaining the Kreger Hall project and obvious-ly the commission felt similar.”

FUNDING, FROM PAGE 1

ANDREW BRAY THE MIAMI STUDENT

DANCING IN THE SPOTLIGHTA member of the cast of For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf performs during the show’s production this week. The show will run through Sunday in Studio 88 at the Gates-Abbleggen Theater.

5 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012www.miamistudent.net

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performed one of Rahman’s songs arranged by then-conductor Ethan Sperry.

Since then, O’Neill has traveled to Chennai, India with Krishnan and a group of Miami students to visit KM Conservatory, founded by Rahman.

“He’s a totally hospitable man,”

O’Neill said. “His wife made us biryani when we visited. It’s odd to be able to have a personal experience with such a big name.”

O’Neill said he and other students are excited to have Rahman return-ing to campus.

“To cap off this Year of the Arts with one of the most famous art-ists in the world means a lot to us,” O’Neill said.

RAHMAN, FROM PAGE 1

EditorsNoëlle BerNard

orIaNa PaWlYK Editorial@miamistudEnt.nEt6 OPINION

FrIdaY, FeBrUarY 24, 2012

lEttEr to tHE Editor

PatriCK GEYsEr THe MIaMI STUdeNT

Oldest university newspaper in the United States, established 1826

The Miami Student

Editorial Board

sam KaY edITor IN CHIeF

BEtHanY BrunEr NeWS edITor

noëllE BErnard edITorIal edITor

oriana PaWlYK edITorIal edITor

mEGan mCGill arTS aNd eNTerTaINMeNT

Justin rEasH CoMMUNITY edITor

lisa rEYmann CoMMUNITY edITor

laurEn CEroniE CaMPUS edITor

JEnn smola CaMPUS edITor

Jm riEGEr SPorTS edITor

all letters must be signed in order to be printed. Please send letters via e-mail to: editorial@miamistudent.net We reserve the right to edit for length, content and clarity.

Fleeting sports enthusiasm reflects interests, not spirit

Sports are not essential to school pride and student enthusi-asm for Miami University athlet-ics is not lacking from team “un-derachievement.” Most of our sports teams have exceptional records: the swim team, the syn-chronized skating team, women’s field hockey, women’s basket-ball and, as mentioned in the article, the men’s baseball team, have all done outstanding in recent seasons.

Hence, it is unfair to say that student enthusiasm is below what it should be because of “under-achievement.” It would be better to say that enthusiasm behind the major college sports —basket-ball and football — are severely lacking at Miami because of present failures.

The Miami men’s basket-ball team was supposed to win the Mid-American Conference (MAC) this season, but so far they have fallen far short of this goal with a 4-8 MAC record.

The Football Team had a dis-appointing season as well, going 4-8 (3-5 MAC) not only under a new coach, but also after com-ing off an outstanding season last year with a GoDaddy.com Bowl victory and returning several starters.

Miami students do not forgo sporting events because the teams are not doing as well as they could be, but because they do not have any vested interest in sports in general.

For example, I am not a fan of basketball, and so I do not want to spend time at a basketball game because I won’t enjoy it. I have a friend who does not enjoy hockey, and she will not attend a hockey game even though I have

begged her to join me. My first-year hall mates would

rather go out partying than at-tend a weekend swim meet or soccer match. Therefore, it is not the team’s record or history that keeps Miami students away; in-stead, I feel it is because of a lack of interest in the sport that has them going uptown instead of to Millett Hall or Yager Stadium or (dare I say) Goggin Ice Arena.

Most of us probably came to Miami because of its academic standard and not the success of its sports teams. School pride extends beyond sports, and at Miami this is most certainly the case.

Miami grads were embar-rassed when Miami hit the news a few years ago after Greek life caught national recognition for trashing hotels during their for-mals. I know that people were not impressed by pro football star and Miami football alum Ben Roethlisberger during his sex-ual assault fiasco, as well as his motorcycle accident.

My point is that sports should not make the school and there is more to creating a communi-ty. I know that when I graduate in May, I will leave this school proud to have made it and with a degree that I can do almost any-thing with. I will cheer for Miami teams when they come on my local TV channel. I will always consider myself a RedHawk be-cause I am proud of my school, not because my school had great sports teams.

david sCHWartzsCHWardG@muoHio.Edu

rule of ThumbBekka Westrick Miami swimmer and olympic hopeful. Good luck at the olympic swimming trials!

Crowded rec and Fitness Centereveryone seems to be trying to get as many workouts in as possible before spring break.

Women’s swimming and trackThis weekend both teams will be competing in MaC Tournaments.

Women’s basketballCongrats to clinching a bye to the MaC Tournament Quarterfinals and on the team’s 20th win of the season!

Journalists killed in syriaon Wednesday the bombing of Homs killed several, including journalist Marie Colvin and photojournalist rémi ochlik.

oxford saving energyThe City of oxford’s green street lamps will now have energy efficient “green” light bulbs.

muCFd Fashion showCome support Miami students as they model student clothes designs on the runway today at 7 p.m. in Millett Hall!

Greek bid numbersa record breaking number people have registered to join fraternities and sororities.

EditorialThe following piece, written by the editorial editors, reflects the majority opinion of the editorial board.

State funding finally helps improve, update neglected miami building

Recently, under the direc-tion of Gov. John Kasich, Ohio public universities agreed on terms of dividing $400 million in state capital funds for individual university projects.

Miami University received $18.2 million, following the Ohio State University’s (OSU) $50 million sum.

These funds are supplemental and will be used to renovate Kreger Hall, which has been empty for the past several years.

The process of money alloca-tion by the state was impressive in its general distribution of the funds by university size and with repre-sentation of university presidents such as Miami’s President David Hodge and OSU’s Gordon Gee.

The successful efforts of the com-mission fairly allotted the state’s monies for their projects.

These funds have not been as available for the past two years though, due to Ohio’s poor economy.

The state should be sure to con-tinue this project incentive for public universities, as these insti-tutions provide great sources of revenue for the state, and support local businesses of all kinds.

The editorial board of The Mi-ami Student appreciates Miami’s intended use of their share of these state funds, as well as Mi-ami’s enhanced independence from state funding in light of the economic downturn.

We recognize Miami is not at

fault for the lack of available state funding over the past few years.

We are glad something is fi-nally being done to this space that most students on campus know little about.

However, with this indepen-dence comes the responsibility to not postpone such renovations for such a long period of time.

The renovations to Kreger and other campus buildings seem long overdue, with other lavish build-ing projects occurring around this viable yet empty building.

Moreover, many other historic Miami buildings are in need of renovation. Ultimately, the rota-tion of renovation and the trickle of funds should have been more widespread before this initiative.

7 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2012 OP EDwww.miamistudent.net

PERCEIVING REALITY

KARLI KLOSS

Being a mentor: advice is best way to stay grounded, connected

The value of advice is rarely appreciated immediately. If you break it down, education itself is being told what’s right and wrong. Then eventually, it sharpens your ideas enough for you to tell oth-ers when you think they are right or wrong.

We have become so used to be-ing told things — what’s good for us, what’s bad, what’s productive and what’s destructive. As a result, we have almost inured ourselves against listening.

The typical bearers of counsel and wisdom are those older, those in a position of authority or supe-riority over ourselves — this is the first problem. Any recommenda-tions received from such a position can seem lofty or condescending — this is the second problem.

No matter the veracity or us-ability of advice given from these sources, it’s sometimes easier to tune it out with a dose of mis-placed adolescent indifference than to actually pay attention. We like to think we are past teen angst, but sometimes we just aren’t.

My first year at Miami Univer-sity, I met a house full of juniors who took me under their collec-tive wing and taught me the ropes. They snuck me into Balcony Bar (yeah, that long ago), they let me crash at their house, they provided hours of entertainment while si-multaneously hazing me and my other “freshy” friends.

But the best part of my relation-ship with those girls wasn’t just the beverages they provided, it was the guidance they offered free of charge.

Programs like Big Brothers/Big Sisters exist because so many kids out there need someone to look

up to, to help them in ways they aren’t getting at home. We’re all too old to be a “little” in such pro-grams, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need a little direction now and again.

Our friends are there day in and day out for the routine nonsense that can weigh us down — but that proximity is what taints their perspective after a while.

I keep myself mostly isolated from Greek life, but if there is one part I can understand and support it is the Greek family system. Hav-ing a big or grand-big is helpful when you want to find something to do on a Friday night, but more importantly than that, the big ex-ists to help you through things.

For the two-thirds of this cam-pus not in a fraternity or sorority, we must find this network else-where, but that doesn’t make that relationship any less important when you craft it yourself.

I had the assistance of my friends living at ‘Regrets Only’ in making some of my favorite good and bad underclassman decisions, and without even realizing it, have started to form that relationship again from the other side.

As much as upperclassmen en-joy showcasing and asserting their dominance, being an influence on someone younger is actually time

pretty well spent. I won’t be en-tirely trite and tell you to be a good influence or some sort of moral compass — because where’s the fun in that — but at the very least you can be there for someone else when they need a fresh take on one of the many curveballs col-lege tosses our way.

Academic advisors and fac-ulty mentors are there when you need career advice and letters of recommendation and close friends are there for you every day. The social mentor, on the other hand, can close the gap be-tween starchy adult assistance and well-meaning platitudes.

We don’t always listen to ad-vice because we sometimes take for granted the source. But every person here can, and probably has, benefited from having a per-son a little older help them out by providing an ear but not pulling his punches.

To those of us on the upper side of the divide, you might be surprised just how much wisdom you’ve collected over the semes-ters. It doesn’t have to be any more profound than which economics professor is the easiest grader or which house parties to avoid — because someone out there will appreciate that advice given its particular source.

If you don’t know anything about foreign policy, I suggest you start with the Middle East, and within the Middle East, I suggest you start with Lebanon.

It frustrates me to see people in an academic community who don’t care to know the location of Middle Eastern countries, much less their international impact. Particularly in light of the Arab Spring uprisings and the civil un-rest that has swept the Middle East in the past year students need to comprehend how these nations will affect this year’s election.

Situated between Israel, Pales-tine and Syria, and with a long-standing history of conflict, Leb-anon seems to have once again become a playing field for its neighbors’ unrest.

In order to understand the com-plex and frustrating situation of Lebanon, it is important first to understand the nation’s extremely tumultuous past, which has been directly influenced by bordering regional powers.

Lebanon has not seen much peace since its transition from a French mandate to independent nation in 1943. The new country’s initial leaders established a con-fessionalist system, meaning the leadership of the country would consist of a Maronite Christian president, Sunni prime minister and Shiite speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, thus representing the three major religious orientations of the population. This was more or less an informal pact made be-tween prominent financial and commercial officials of Christian and Sunni backgrounds in Beirut.

However, over the years, the demographic changes within the country caused many Sunni and Shia to question the political sys-tem, particularly because Sunni had become the most populous confessional group, but the Ma-ronites refused to relinquish the presidency or conduct a new census that would justify the Sunni concerns.

The rising tensions led to an internal breakdown that was not helped by extraneous political disorder, specifically the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts that were oc-curring around the same time due to the development of the Palestin-ian Liberation Organization.

Lebanon has therefore been in social and political turmoil for years, and this country’s inner workings are crucial in under-standing the Middle Eastern re-gion as a whole. Problems of cor-ruption and religious tension that plague the Arabian Peninsula are exacerbated in Lebanon, and both the Middle Eastern nations and the west should look to this country as part of the starting point to resolve these conflicts.

These antagonisms, some solely among Arabs, and others between Israelis and Arabs, exploded in Lebanon in 1975. Attacks by both major sects of the Lebanese con-fessionalist population, as well as by Palestinian and Israeli forces erupted. After over 15 years and thousands dead or “disappeared,” the intense conflicts sputtered to an end, with no real changes in the political system, but in the midst of emerging violent interest groups.

These groups continue to en-gage in paramilitary activities that endanger Lebanese civilians, and were cause for Israel’s invasion

in 2006. Hezbollah (a militant Shia Muslim group that is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States) in particular carries heavy weight in Lebanese political discourse of today, as it has much greater power than the Lebanese armed forces, and plays a signifi-cant role in the current govern-ment of Mikati.

Bribery is rampant and citizens must pay steep favors to gain work or protection. This corrup-tion, as well as Lebanon’s turbu-lent past, both as a crossfire zone for neighboring clashes as well as an internally unstable nation, seem to make it a very vulner-able country at this moment in the Middle East.

With every major Middle East-ern conflict and U.S. presence in the past 50 years having some tie to Lebanon, not only our politicians, but also we as citizens should gain at least minimal insight into the country’s inner workings. In order to understand the U.S. in-volvement in this region now, and to genuinely participate in discussions about Middle East-

ern foreign policy in the future, we must pay more attention to the precarious place of Lebanon between the vying authorities in the hotspots of Palestine, Israel and Syria.

According to the BBC, as of Feb. 17, a substantial amount of violence has already escalated in the Lebanese city of Tripoli as supporters of Syrian President As-sad attacked Sunni Muslims sup-porting the overthrow of Assad, leaving 12 dead.

If this hostility continues to spill into Lebanon, the results could be catastrophic. Already unstable, the Lebanese government could have another external conflict im-posed onto them, and would have to either crawl through the layers of bureaucracy and archaic con-fessionalist schemes to end the conflict, or turn to Hezbollah, the dangerous regional watchdog, to seek protection.

Both of these options could po-tentially be very harmful to the cit-izens of Lebanon, as Hezbollah is not necessarily concerned with the best interests of the Lebanese popu-lation. As the history of this country and region shows, if surrounding powers engage in conflict, Leba-non somehow becomes involved, whether as a battleground or as a competing authority.

This is a conflict that could be crucial to the Middle Eastern up-risings and is of particular interest to the U.S., because if Lebanon begins to crumble, Israel’s (and therefore our) interests will be-come closely intertwined with restoring some semblance of order to the region.

If Syria’s conflict spills over and affects its neighbors, this year’s election could be affected as the United Nations and Arab League debate a need for military inter-vention in the area.

We don’t always listen to advice because we sometimes take for granted the source. But every person here can, and probably has, benefited from having a person a little older help them out by providing an ear but not pulling his punches.

Middle Eastern conflicts demand attention of student voters

ESSAYSARAH SHEWSHEWSW@muOHIO.Edu

If Syria’s conflict spills over and affects its neighbors, this year’s election could be affected as the United Nations and Arab League debate a need for military intervention in the area.

THE CONTRARIAN

J. dANIEL WATKINS

Foxconn should not be looked upon as greedy, self-serving

So far in 2012, working con-ditions in Foxconn’s Shenzhen plant have dominated headlines in the news almost daily. It is large-ly relevant to our society, due to American companies having large contracts with the Foxconn. In particular, and taking most of the spotlight, is Apple.

Just this week, ABC aired its Nightline episode of the particu-lar plant. This episode was the network’s first video showing the inside of the plant. While they were not the first to cover it — I suggest listening to This Ameri-can Life’s episode, “Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory” — they have provided the first filming in-side the factory.

Last but not least, Apple has also asked the Fair Labor Asso-ciation to step in and examine the working conditions of the factory. So what’s all the trouble?

Shenzhen is known for its pro-duction of technology, and Fox-conn’s isn’t the only factory in town. Stories of Foxconn suicides have trickled in over the past few years, finally coming to a head and major publicity in the past six months. Concerns over working conditions are not new, but these particular examples are current.

One person worried about working conditions might be ask-ing why Apple is doing so well, yet paying so little, while the op-posing opinion might proclaim, “who cares?” Ignoring the lat-ter, the first question brings a serious issue to light: Is it time America, to get serious about paying an exorbitant amount of dollars for an iPad in order for people to live an equally high

quality of life globally? Or are there concessions to make if the first is an unsustainable model? Frankly, I don’t think a large number of consumers would take the issue to heart, then proceed to pay a larger than noticeable jump in price for a product com-ing from a Shenzhen product line (portable Apple products, gaming consoles, etc.).

Part of the reason companies build there — and in such a hands-on fashion, for example, how iPhones are put together in 141 steps, mostly by hand — is due to the efficiency. These sup-ply and manufacturing chains are suited better than any to large tech companies’ needs. When getting a product from non-exis-tent to market, supply chains and manufacturing takes up most of the time, and as with most busi-nesses, companies wish it to be as efficient as can be.

This is especially true if you are Apple, and demand for your products seems like it may nev-er stop growing. After all, it is these massive markets that can sustain the kind of employment that these plants have, and shrink-ing the market would greatly reduce their ability to do so. Would it be so bad to pay more for electronics and raise wages and proceed to have fewer people with high-end electronics? It de-pends on who you ask.

There are those who would say it is largely greed that drives these workers into terrible positions (you can likely find comments like this on any news outlet’s on-line version of a related story).

On the other side there are

people, such as The New York Times’s Nicholas Kristof, who believes factories, which seem so awful to outsiders, do more good than people realize.

Giving people the ability to work inside, expanding women’s earning power or just a general stronger income are good things that would not happen if not for these plants.

“Sure,” you might respond, “But it’s just the lesser of two evils.” Is it though?

Until the Fair Labor Associa-tion assessment provides a fuller examination, we won’t have the definitive statement on how bad things are or aren’t.

I’d like to examine the idea that the ‘lesser of two evils problem’ is a loaded criticism. Starting these aforementioned positives among evil things immediately stacks the argument against them.

I think financially empowering minorities and especially wom-en, along with creating jobs for those without, or those that are stuck in a harsh environment, are good things. And if someone has a 12-hour workday, sometimes six or seven of them a week, I don’t think it is automatically a tragedy.

That being said, I do not mean to say concerns over working conditions are a bad thing. I think they have their place, and I don’t want to limit that, I only hope that its place among reason is not flooded by the cries of those with jobs, in other markets, other countries or other fields with bet-ter pay. The whole world cannot be middle class America, and I re-main unconvinced that it should.

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For more information, contact: Dr. José Domínguez-Búrdalo, Director-in-Residence domingj1@muohio.edu, 011-34-686164181 (on research leave Fall 2011)David Motta, Irvin Hall 233, mottadf@muohio.eduTiffanie Belka, Irvin Hall 230, belkat@muohio.edu

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Preparations for new marching band field underwayBy Nicole WeiNrich For The MiaMi STudeNT

With the construction of MapleStreet Station, the marching band practice field will move from its current location near the Fine Arts building to the open space on Western campus across from Tappan Hall.

The move was, “prompted solely because of the construction being done on campus,” Stephen Lytle, director of the Miami University Marching Band, said.

“We have been at that loca-tion for over 40 years now, my only concern with the move was making sure we would be able to replicate the quality we had,” Lytle said.

Preparation for the marching band to begin practicing at the new location has already begun “with the moving of the tower,” Lytle said. Within the band this structure

is known as “Fort Liles,” named for Jack Liles, a previous director of the Miami University Marching Band (MUMB).

“Students initiated the building of the tower about twenty years ago,” he said. “Jack Liles was the director of the marching band at the time. The current tower has already been moved to the new location.”

Physical Facilities Project Man-ager for the band field relocation Connie McCarthy, was responsible for the transportation of the tower itself. In order to make the move, the legs of the tower were cut and then the structure was placed on a trailer. New legs were then built and attached once on location, Mc-Carthy said.

Physical Facilities made the decision to move “Fort Liles” as opposed to building a new struc-ture at the new location due to both “functionality and cost,” McCarthy said.

“A new tower would be required to meet a current code which would not allow the ladder access to the top platform,” McCarthy also said that “any new structure has to com-ply with ADA standards, but an ex-isting structure does not.”

This refers to the Americans with Disabilities Acts, which would put certain restrictions and qualifications on a new structure being built.

The projected cost to build a new tower was a main factor as well in

the decision to move the structure. “The estimate to construct a

new code compliant tower was ap-proximately $30,000,” McCarthy said. “We received approval from the State Building Department to move the existing tower as is.”

The decision to move the struc-ture instead of building a new one saved a significant amount of money.

“The cost to install new founda-tion piers and move the tower was $11,325,” McCarthy said. “The music department was very pleased with this solution.”

Lytle said he is pleased to still have a tower.

“I am happy we still have a dedicated space to use any time we need it, I feel fortunate in that,” he said.

The new field also offers room for the end zones and 15 feet of sideline space on each side, accord-ing to McCarthy.

“My only concern with the move was making sure we would be able to replicate the quality we had.”

STepheN lyTleMiaMi uNiVerSiTy MarchiNG

BaNd direcTor

completely reorganizing the infrastructure.”

According to Ewen, she has seen other corporations and universities completely rework their staff in or-der to save money, but Miami’s re-tirement incentive program, “is not cheating people of their benefits,” and Miami’s retirement incentive does not offer the purchase of any service credit, but simply offers a payment at the time of retirement.

The costs of paying health care for older employees can be very expensive, but the incentive might help, Ewen said.

“[The incentive] eliminates the burden of paying of health care costs … so this system seems a lot fairer,” Ewen said.

According to Stoss, the retire-ment incentive program is useful to Miami financially but is also a helpful process for staff looking to retire.

“I want to stress that this pro-gram is wholly voluntary,” Stoss said. “We send out the announce-ments and they can participate if they want. If they are on the fence or thinking about retiring this is a good opportunity.”

wide culture of leadership, Buller said.

The creation of the advisory board was a stipulation of the AIMS gift.

The AIMS fund primarily went to endowed chairs and profes-sorships and to providing some of the operational expenses of AIMS, Platt said.

It would have been difficult to get AIMS started without Arm-strong’s gift, because AIMS is an inter-divisional program that ex-ists across several departments, Platt said.

“It is this horizontal program in an institution that is primar-ily vertical,” Platt said. “Making something work that’s horizontal like that is a real challenge and I can say with complete confidence that without Mike’s gift that would have never happened.”

Platt said the university likely would have been resistant to the creation of the AIMS program.

Armstrong said AIMS needed to be inter-divisional in order to create successful graduates.

“I absolutely work to help interdisciplinary collabora-tion,” Armstrong said at a later date. “I think it’s important that the educational experience in-clude an increasing amount of interdisciplinary curriculum and classroom.”

Tau Kappa Epsilon (TKE) plans to give out bids faster and ear-lier than before in the upcoming spring rush, hoping to secure a high number of new members. TKE, which was re-colonized last spring, is hoping to increase their numbers in the upcoming spring rush.

According to Hickerson, along with the fraternities and sororities themselves, IFC and the Panhel-lenic Association are also pro-moting continued Greek involve-ment at Miami.

“We continue to search for ways to improve recruitment and do so through our individual councils, as well as through our individual recruitment commit-tees,” Hickerson said.

Ryan Neff, a senior psy-chology major commented on the increasing numbers of Greek recruitment.

“I think Greek life is good as long as it’s balanced,” Neff said. “Greek involvement, as a whole, can be very beneficial, as long as schoolwork is emphasized over the social aspects that fraternity and sorority life may bring.”

reTireMeNT, FROM PAGE 2

doNor, FROM PAGE 2

GreeK, FROM PAGE 2

By Brian GallaGher Staff Writer

The road to the Mid-American

Conference (MAC) Tournament is a difficult journey, but with an 84-76 victory over the University of Akron Zips, the Miami Uni-versity women’s basketball team assured itself a spot in Cleve-land, clinching a double-bye to the quarterfinals.

“It was our first goal of the sea-son to get a bye,” Head Coach Maria Fantanarosa said. “We‘re ex-cited about it because the hard work is starting to pay off. But we’re not going to celebrate and act like we’ve arrived because we still have a lot work to do.”

With the victory, the RedHawks improve their record to 20-7 overall with a 10-4 conference mark. This marks the most wins by a Miami team since the 2007-2008 season, when the Red and White won 23 games and went on to win the MAC Tournament.

The RedHawks were led by ju-nior guard Courtney Osborn, who poured in 21 points while dishing out seven assists. Although Osborn did not have the offensive explosion that was seen the last time these two teams met, when she went off for 48 points, her contributions as a floor general were invaluable to the victory.

“Courtney does a great job of controlling the tempo, especially at the end of the game,” Fantana-rosa said. “She wants the ball in her hands, and a big part of why we won today was because of her abil-ity to lead the team.”

Osborn was not the only star

of the day though, as all five starters were in double figures for the ’Hawks.

Junior forward Kirsten Olow-inski picked up her second con-secutive double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, while se-nior guard Maggie Boyer contin-ued her hot shooting and dropped 15 points, including nine from be-yond the arc. Sophomore guard Hannah Robertson and senior for-ward Lillian Pitts were not about to be left out, and each added 12 points.

“We did a great job of moving the ball no matter what their de-fense threw at us,” Osborn said. “Everyone found a way to score to-day, and when you have five people in double figures, you just can’t guard that.”

The RedHawks shot 50 per-cent from the floor in the first half, but Akron was able to stay in the game thanks to a rebound-ing advantage and some untimely Miami turnovers. The Red and White went into the break nursing a 35-30 advantage.

“The first half turnovers happened when we were tired,” Fantanarosa said. “A lot were unforced, and that’s one of those things we need to work on to get the team to play a full

40 minutes.”Things would not get easier in

the second half and the Zips took their first lead of the game with 17:19 remaining at 41-40. From there, the game turned into a battle in which neither team was willing to surrender.

The score was tied seven times and the lead changed hands six times before the ’Hawks be-gan to pull away on the heels of a 9-0 run sparked by Osborn, putting Miami up 60-51 at the 10:01 mark.

The Zips would get as close as 78-74 with just over a minute remain-ing, but clutch free throws by Mi-ami’s stalwarts, Osborn, Olowinski and Boyer, iced the game and gave the RedHawks their 13 home victory this season.

“This is turning into an end-ing that we wanted,” Osborn said. “Now we want to keep things roll-ing and go into the MAC Tourna-ment strong.”

Next up for the ’Hawks is con-ference-leading Bowling Green State University. The Falcons are only one of two teams to beat Miami at home this season, and the RedHawks will look to return the fa-vor on the road 1 p.m. Saturday at the Stroh Center.

Miami rolls past Akron

This is turning into an ending that we wanted. Now we want to keep things rolling and go into the MAC Tournament strong.”

courtney oSBornjunior Guard

editorJM RIEGER

SportS@miamiStudent.net10 SPORTSFRIDAY, FEbRuARY 24, 2012

NEXT GAME: 1 p.M. SATurdAy vS. BOWLING GrEENchriS cullumcullum’S corner

former ’haWkS Shine in nhl

When the Boston Bruins took the ice to face the St. Louis Blues Wednesday night, the Miami Uni-versity hockey Brotherhood saw a familiar face: former RedHawk star Carter Camper made his NHL debut with the Bruins, replacing the injured Rich Peverley and marking the as-cent of another Miamian to hockey’s highest level.

From someone who saw Camper play from behind the glass, from the press box at Goggin Ice Arena and on TV, this is not only a well-deserved move, but also an expected one. Despite his size, Camper al-ways had a nose for the net during his days at Miami, finishing his career with 183 points and 114 as-sists, both which rank second in school history.

Others around the NHL, however, might shrug at the debut of yet an-other former RedHawk, as Camp-er’s NHL debut will be the third for a former member of the Brotherhood this season alone.

Jarod Palmer started with the Min-nesota Wild in mid-December, and last season’s Hobey Baker Award winner Andy Miele played his first game with the Phoenix Coyotes in October.

Aside from those three, there are five more former RedHawks in the NHL. The most prominent Red-Hawk player to lace up the skates in the NHL is perhaps defenseman Dan Boyle.

Since making his debut in the 1998-99 season, Boyle has played in 809 games with the Florida Pan-thers, Tampa Bay Lightning and San Jose Sharks, and in 2004, he hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup as a member of the Lightning. He scored two goals and tallied eight assists during his team’s championship run. And in case his trophy case was feel-ing a bit empty, in 2010, he was a

member of Canada’s gold medal winning Olympic squad.

Another player who once donned the Red and White before moving on to the big show is former RedHawk Captain Tommy Wingels. Since mak-ing his NHL debut October 8, 2010 for the San Jose Sharks, Wingels has played in just 18 games during his ca-reer, but he scored his first career goal against the Chicago Blackhawks this season. And, Feb. 16, he assisted on a goal with Boyle in a moment that united two former Miami greats.

While Wingels and Boyle have teamed up for the Sharks this year in a Miami dream-team fashion, Wing-els still gets his share of Central Col-legiate Hockey Association rivalries even in the pros. In a game against Columbus earlier this week, he had his first career fight against Blue Jack-et, (and former Ohio State Buckeye) R.J. Umberger.

The list continues with Ryan Jones, a member of the Edmon-ton Oilers, and defensemen Andy Greene and Alec Martinez, who are also on active NHL rosters with the New Jersey Devils and Los Angeles Kings, respectively.

And if the current roster is any indication, those numbers will only increase in the coming years. Nine current Miami players were selected in the NHL draft, including three freshmen: Tyler Biggs by the Toron-to Maple Leafs (first round), Jimmy Mullin by Tampa Bay (fourth round) and Blake Coleman by New Jersey (third round).

In a league where so many of the players come from junior leagues and opt to skip college, it’s refreshing to see an infusion of college talent into the professional ranks. So you better keep your Miami jersey handy for the future because chances are, if you head to an NHL game, you’ll find a former RedHawk to support.

Red and White clinch double-bye to quarterfinals

By michael SolomonStaff Writer

Despite a second-half rally by Kent State University, the Mi-ami University men’s basketball team held on for a narrow 62-60 victory over the Golden Flashes Tuesday night at Millett Hall.

Sophomore guard Quinten Rol-lins led all scorers with 18 points, and senior forward Julian Ma-vunga chipped in 17 for the Red and White, who avenged a four-point loss to the Golden Flashes Jan. 11.

“This is huge for us,” Mavunga said. “This just reinforces the fact that we have a good team, and that we can play. Now we can’t go on the road and not play well and say that our team isn’t good because we have won games like this one tonight.”

Although Miami was playing their second game in three days, the ’Hawks jumped out to a 27-22 lead at halftime over the Golden Flashes. The RedHawks saw their lead grow to as many as 12 early in the second half, but Kent State battled back and tied the game at 58 with just over a minute left in the contest.

With the score tied at 60 with 30 seconds left, Miami had one chance to down the Flashes. That chance came from the hands of Mavunga, who made two free throws with three seconds re-maining to put the game out of reach for Kent State.

“I have to give Miami credit,” Kent State Head Coach Rob Sen-deroff said. “Right now, they are not having a great year, but that team doesn’t quit. That team fights and plays hard and scratch-es and claws, and they have been in every game. There hasn’t been a game this year that they haven’t been in.”

After seeing their nine-point halftime lead Sunday against Tennessee State University dis-appear, the RedHawks made sure they did not let that happen again, playing a much better all-around

game Tuesday night. Although Kent State shot 50

percent from the field in the game, the ’Hawks clamped down on defense when they needed to in the second half, and got contri-butions from a variety of players, including Rollins.

“The last couple of games, or at least since Eastern Michigan, I’ve just been kind of settled in,” Rollins said. “I started off the year injured, so it took me a while to get into a rhythm, but I feel like I am in a great rhythm now. My confidence is high and I am just being more ag-gressive. I have a determined mind now.”

The win improves the Red and White to 9-17 on the season and 5-8 in the Mid-American Conference (MAC).

If the RedHawks can win their final three games, they have a chance to even out their confer-ence record before starting MAC tournament play.

Miami’s road begins Saturday in New York, when the ’Hawks visit the University at Buffalo. The Bulls are 16-8 overall and 9-3 in the MAC, and will be look-ing to avenge a 52-51 loss to the Red and White Jan. 14.

Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. Stu-dents can listen to the game on Miami’s IMG Sports Network.

redhawks squeak past Golden flashes

Blake WilSon THE MIAMI STuDENT

Sophomore guard Quinten Rollins rises to the rim against Kent State university.’s Chris Evans. Rollins scored a career-high 18 points in the game.

Brotherhood faces oSu in crucial conference seriesBy tom doWneyStaff Writer

The No. 15 Miami University hockey team will have Senior Night Friday in its final regular season se-ries of the year, a home and home match-up against No. 17 Ohio State University (OSU).

“I’m pretty excited,” senior goalie Connor Knapp said. “It is a big mo-ment for a class that has accom-plished a lot here. It is kind of a sad day, but a fun day at the same time.”

The seniors will be honored after the game, due to a change in the start time. The game will be played at 6:05 p.m., rather than the usual 7:35 p.m. start.

“I think it is a special night for them,” Head Coach Enrico Blasi said. “Four years of playing at home comes down to Friday night. I’m sure they are going to be thinking about all the good times and once the game starts they’ll forget about it.”

Senior forward Alden Hirschfeld agreed with his coach, saying, “Ev-erybody is so close it is going to be a special night for everybody, not just the seniors.”

The Red and White are cur-rently in a hard-fought battle for Central Collegiate Hockey Asso-ciation (CCHA) points. The team enters the series with a 19-13-2 overall record and is 13-11-2-1 in CCHA play. They are in fifth place in the CCHA and only three points away from third-place Western Michigan University.

“We just have to focus on Friday,” Blasi said. “That’s all we’re worried about right now. We can’t control the standings and what everybody else is doing.”

The Buckeyes are currently 15-11-5 overall and 11-10-5-1 in CCHA play. The 2012 season has not been kind to OSU, as they have only won one game since the start of the new year. As a result, they have fallen

from first place in the CCHA down to seventh.

“It is an in-state rivalry so every-one is going to be battling pretty hard,” senior defenseman Will We-ber said. “These last few games are crucial because they are fighting for home ice and so are we.”

In both the USA Today and USCHO.com polls, the ’Hawks are ranked No. 15, while they are No. 13 in the Inside College Hockey (INCH) rankings. In the PairWise rankings, which reflect the selection process of the NCAA Tournament, the team is tied for 11th with the University of Denver.

“It’s the biggest weekend of the year,” Hirschfeld said. “At this point, home ice is on the line so we need to win these games in order to put our-selves in a good position.”

Following a stellar performance against the University of Notre Dame, Knapp was named CCHA Goalie of the Week and INCH National Player of the Week. It is the third time this year he has won CCHA Goalie of the Week and the second time he has won INCH Na-tional Player of the Week.

“I think it is a testament to how well the team is playing,” Knapp said. “I’m making the saves I am supposed to be and mixing maybe a few big saves. I think that when the team is successful, individuals win awards.”

Puck drop is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. Friday at Goggin Ice Cen-ter and again at 7:05 p.m. Satur-day in Columbus, Ohio. Fans can listen to the game on Miami’s IMG Sports Network or online at www.redhawkradio.com.

The Miami Student will be live blogging Friday night’s hockey game against OSU. Follow along at www.miamistudent.net. The Mi-ami Student will also blog CCHA home playoff serires if Miami is the host.