By now, everyone knows what a fandom is, whether their first mental image is the BTS Army or Harry Potter Millennials. But is there a dark side? Today, co-hosts Maggie Peña and Sean Scott are joined by staff writer Reece Hollowell to discuss the history and trajectory of fandoms today.
Miami Volleyball has now won four straight regular season conference titles in the MAC, appearing in the NCAA tournament twice over that span. Simply put, winning is all this team knows. “I’ve had a lot of really fine teams, several strings of four (MAC titles) in a row,” she said. “It’s hard to do that. It’s hard to do five in a row. But I know these kids will strive for it.”
Behind the Oxford Community Arts Center (OCAC), there’s a transformation waiting to take place. As soon as the sun sets, what was once a quiet garden becomes illuminated with winter lights and local artwork.
On the evening of Nov. 16, Bishop Woods and Upham Hall were lit with the spirit of creativity — and an impressive number of lights and projectors — for a celebration of art and collaboration across a multitude of departments at Miami.
At the beginning of this semester, not many people knew what to expect. Students had come a long way from March — when many thought the coronavirus had simply just created an extended spring break — but then found themselves facing an almost entirely virtual semester.
At the beginning of the semester, during which party protocol was overshadowed by masks and social distancing, there was no clear resource that gave students a framework for establishing a middle ground between risky partying and no partying at all.
After exchanging hellos with the other cast members and student leaders, the group splits up: sopranos and altos in one breakout room, tenors and basses in another. Sokol puts her mic on mute.
Attention student musicians! Introducing High Street Records, Miami’s first student-led record label, founded by senior Michael Smith. The label, which works to provide students with exposure and publicity, came to life last year, when Smith brought up the concept to his professors and friends in the musical field.
For college students, the end of November is marked by turkey of varying quality, plates brimming with stuffing, the first taste of holiday tunes, late nights huddled over textbooks and cramming for fall finals.
Ah, Thanksgiving. A holiday known for family gatherings and decadent food. As the warmth of countless ovens pervade an equal number of houses, the rich smells of holiday feasts come wafting with it. The tables are set for lavish dinners, and the spirit of thanks and generosity abounds.
Upon entering Wild Berry, a local retail shop uptown, customers are overcome by the smell of incense and the store’s eclectic nature. Each wall is lined with different trinkets, gifts and accessories, and the store’s floors are crowded with racks of imported clothing and towers of incense. Although the store has been open for decades, general manager Kimberly Clarke says Wild Berry has always sold the same type of products and has successfully maintained their brand as a “hippie” shop throughout the past 50 years.
I don’t even remember what the first graphic t-shirt I bought was. All I know is that my obsession stems from wanting to wear my interests on my sleeve … quite literally.
Singing a cappella presents unique challenges to those who decide to pursue it. They must sing without any musical accompaniment, substituting their voices for instruments, everyone singing a different part. On top of this, a cappella groups now face the challenge of not being allowed to hold any performances or practices in person due to COVID-19.
On Nov. 5, the Farmer School of Business finished up its Executive Speaker series, which normally features executives of large corporations that serve as role models for the future business leaders of America. The last installment in the series brought a different kind of speaker — four of them, actually, all associated with a small bank that was targeted during the 2008 financial crisis.
The last nine months have drastically shifted the circumstances in which students find themselves. It’s quite possible that “kids these days” are learning a lot more of the skills that were previously thought to be lost to their generation.
Production season finally rolled around, stage lights were turned on and rehearsals for the next masterpiece had begun. But then, COVID-19 struck and disrupted the entirety of the plan. According to the state guidelines, audiences have not been allowed to attend shows since last spring. But as the theatre saying goes, the show must go on.
Instead of performing in a traditional big top tent, circus performers took to the Tri Community Center parking lot for a drive-thru circus on Friday, Oct. 30.
For some students, the upcoming election is the first opportunity they will have to vote, but busy class schedules can make performing this civic duty difficult. Some professors are willing to rearrange their class schedules in order to benefit students. Whether that’s a movie day with an excused absence or canceling class altogether, some professors are willing to provide options for students so they can exercise their right to vote.
Halloween is many things — tricks, treats, parties and costumes — but music is also an essential part of the holiday. As I experienced Halloween in Oxford this year, Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D minor” is one example that was on my mind. It’s a famous 18th century piece that has been used prominently in early horror films and shows how music can sound dark and foreboding even when it was composed hundreds of years ago. It’s composed of three movements: a toccata, a fugue and a coda. In the spirit of Halloween and in keeping with Bach’s spooky season staple, here’s the story of a 2020 Halloween in Oxford, as told in three parts.
This year, due to COVID-19, Oxford residents will be forced to forego some of their Halloween traditions. These traditions mainly include costume parties for adults and trick-or-treating for kids — which will still happen, just in a socially-distanced fashion. But Oxford has celebrated Halloween in a variety of different ways over the years — some spookier than others.