2008 Woodie Awards
Antics of students not fully depicted in MU newspaper
Blake Essig
Issue date: 11/2/07 Section: OpEd Page
To say Miami University, like so many others previously have, is "The Ivy League School of the Midwest" is a gross understatement. Miami University is a superb public school of high scholarly honor. We have a school that boasts the appropriate motto of being First in 2009, with an excellent business school at its backbone and one of the only paper science programs on the planet. Our athletic teams are competitive to the bone, including a hockey team with an undeniably rabid student fan base. Poet Robert Frost called Miami's campus, "The most beautiful he'd ever seen" and our classic traditions showcase Miami's rich history and strong camaraderie. However, there is one tradition of our prestigious school that doesn't add to its glory: the Police Beat.
The Police Beat takes the vilest incidents of the week and smears them all over the paper, where they are hastily read like the flock going to the slaughter. More often than not, it portrays our students as vandals, brawlers and loud-mouthed braggarts when in fact we are so much more. As much as Miami students strive for academic excellence they also strive for gross criminal intemperance. Too often, the Police Beat fails to fully describe the hilarious insolence of the student body. Miami students have evolved beyond most of the typical staples of college humor, such as quoting Anchorman or political protests. Instead, for Miami students to be earnestly amused, they must appeal to something far grander, and in ways some of us may never truly comprehend.
When most look at the Police Beat they see baffling acts of stupidity or disgrace-actually it is so much more. For example, if a junior being arrested for public indecency asks pedestrians around him to, "rise against our tyrants and set (him) free,"-resulting in one count of attempting to incite a riot-simply laugh at his futile insurrection because the Police Beat will fail to fully recreate the hilarity of the event. Would the Police Beat ask you to consider the testicular fortitude it takes to challenge our elite local upholders of justice?
The Police Beat takes the vilest incidents of the week and smears them all over the paper, where they are hastily read like the flock going to the slaughter. More often than not, it portrays our students as vandals, brawlers and loud-mouthed braggarts when in fact we are so much more. As much as Miami students strive for academic excellence they also strive for gross criminal intemperance. Too often, the Police Beat fails to fully describe the hilarious insolence of the student body. Miami students have evolved beyond most of the typical staples of college humor, such as quoting Anchorman or political protests. Instead, for Miami students to be earnestly amused, they must appeal to something far grander, and in ways some of us may never truly comprehend.
When most look at the Police Beat they see baffling acts of stupidity or disgrace-actually it is so much more. For example, if a junior being arrested for public indecency asks pedestrians around him to, "rise against our tyrants and set (him) free,"-resulting in one count of attempting to incite a riot-simply laugh at his futile insurrection because the Police Beat will fail to fully recreate the hilarity of the event. Would the Police Beat ask you to consider the testicular fortitude it takes to challenge our elite local upholders of justice?
Be the first to comment on this story