In 1848, Erasmus MacMaster was the president of Miami University and somehow found it valuable to dismiss student needs and manage university control over literary societies, forerunners to fraternities.
Were these students angry? Students blocked the doors of Old Main (now the site of Harrison Hall) with several giant snowballs, leaving Old Main drenched in snow; the following night, students nailed shut the doors and windows of Old Main, filling the rooms with large furniture, leaving Old Main inaccessible to faculty until the following Monday.
It isn't that these students pulled a harmless prank for a good laugh — they did it because their student freedoms were hindered by poor, clouded judgment delegated to someone whom they initially put their faith in. While these same issues don't arise today, Miami still has issues many students are concerned with.
While we would never advocate vandalism or other criminal behavior, perhaps a little civil disobedience could help the university put things in perspective. These are a few things that get us riled up:
Academic Advising is Lacking
For Miami University students, deciphering remaining college and major requirements listed in the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) is a daunting task. However, students are promised that resources are available to help: academic advisers. Often, however, advisers clearly know less than some students about requirements. Students are left frustrated upon realizing that one course credit does not count on DARS or the last minute realization that a senior won't graduate because two credits for the science requirement remain. To remain a competitive university, students need to focus on the courses that count. The university needs to invest in training knowledgeable academic advisers who can help sift through massive college and major requirements. It is crucial for students to know someone is out there who can keep them on the right path.
Textbook Prices Drain Students' Wallets
Though it may not be a problem unique to Miami, the current college course textbook situation is often frustrating to students. Not only are course textbooks often extremely expensive, but students can usually earn only a small fraction of what they originally paid when selling their books back. While some professors consider costs when selecting course books, many pay little or no attention to price. Additionally, Miami has been slow to comply with laws that require teachers to post required books before registration so that students could factor in textbook prices when selecting courses. Some students have turned to less-expensive bookstore alternatives such as online sites or rental programs, but why aren't professors and bookstores held accountable for subjecting students to high prices?
Farmer School Isn't the Only Value at Miami
While Miami promotes its business students and the Farmer School of Business, many should realize this isn't the only academic entity the university should pride itself in. FSB students already receive the privilege to walk the halls of a beautiful building, but let's not neglect certain buildings on campus that have the potential to have just as many resources if the university would pay more attention to them. Miami does not equal FSB — we are more than that. We all come from different areas to study different subjects that pertain to our interests; why can't the university acknowledge those that have the potential to be just as academically important?
Career Services Doesn't Focus on Recruiting for All Majors
Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter
Miami's Office of Career Services is designed to help students get jobs after graduation. However, for students who are looking for a job in education, research, the arts or even journalism, the options for interviewing on-campus are few. Career Services appears to make a concerted effort to bring businesses to campus to recruit students from the Farmer School of Business. Of the six special mock interview sessions scheduled for the spring semester by Career Services, four of them are for students with majors that fall in FSB. Only one of those six sessions is for students with "any major." Nearly 91 percent of employers at the Spring Internship and Career Expo (ICE) are looking for students with business majors (including "any major" postings). Only 49 percent of employers want someone with a degree from the College of Arts and Sciences, and that includes the "any major" job postings.
Miami Finds Ways to 'Nickel and Dime' Students
Miami has a reputation for being occupied by "rich kids", but that does not mean the university should capitalize on this often very untrue stereotype. It seems that the university comes up with new money-sucking tactics every year. Sure parking is a scarce resource, but the exorbitant costs of parking on campus shock our peers at other schools. Now the university is charging extra for adequate on-campus Internet, a student necessity that our student fees should cover. This money-sucking problem even extends to off-campus housing, as students often pay not commensurate with living conditions. Are these problems supply and demand at work, or is the "rich kid" stereotype of Miami University being conveniently abused?
Erosion of Faculty
Miami is in the midst of a virtual faculty hiring slow-down. Compared to dozens of teaching positions open a few years ago, tighter budgets mean that Miami now only looks for a handful of faculty at a time. The proportion of clinical and non-tenure track faculty has steadily increased. Students should take a stand and demand that Miami make a commitment to maintain excellent undergraduate teaching by supporting and hiring creative, passionate and highly qualified faculty.
Read More
How one professor and her classes are preserving Oxford’s Black history
By Sean Scott | March 20, 2024Jazma Sutton, an assistant professor of history, teaches The Black Midwest (HST 350Q) and Black Women in America (HST 450D) classes. In both courses, she has students working with the Smith Library of Regional History and Miami’s archives to document and preserve Black history in Oxford.
Miami faculty members recount Freedom Summer in new documentary
By Luke Macy | February 25, 2022After seven years of work, “Training for Freedom,” a documentary highlighting Oxford’s involvement in the Freedom Summer of 1964, premiered on PBS Western Reserve on Valentine’s Day.
“Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic”: History in the making
By Alice Momany | August 29, 2021In March 2020, Miami University’s archives launched “Documenting the COVID-19 Pandemic,” a collection focused on life during the COVID-19 pandemic.