Our winter break is too long, and the stark difference between Miami and other universities begs the question: why do we do winter break so differently?
When I started high school in 2019, everyone saw the “gays and lesbians” as the new big thing in Macedonia. I recall a time when books and publishers were fetishizing the “new normal” plaguing us from the West and the U.S. There were bold movies normalizing gay romance, and protests were held for the first time. All of a sudden, the rainbow turned from a playful object in children’s books to the most controversial topic at dinner tables.
Growing up, all I’ve ever known was Ohio’s quiet life — something that I slowly began to resent as I grew older and traveled outside of my home state. The monotony of Ohio's tranquility sparked a craving for the dynamic and the unknown.
Miami University’s “J-term” this year was a three-and-a-half week term pushing the spring semester to Jan. 29. This means a long winter break for Miami students: six weeks in total. The break can sound daunting, but it’s extra time for students to work, travel, study or simply relax after a grueling fall semester.
College can be a time filled with great experiences, but also with difficult decisions and hard truths. Not everything works out. Friendships get tough. Getting a job is a miserable experience for many. As I enter my final semester here at Miami University, I’m reminding myself to be more present and realize that all the tough parts of these past four years have led me to where I am now.
The beginning of every new year is a time for New Year’s resolutions. It’s a time for people to think ahead and find ways to make their lives better, by being hopeful and optimistic about the future. In that spirit, The Miami Student editorial board has compiled a list of changes and improvements we hope to see implemented both by Miami University’s administration and by its student community throughout 2024.
We need all of the help that we can receive, which is why I’m asking everyone to engage in actions that show you care about your transgender friends, family and colleagues. Whether that is reaching out to your trans friends, donating somewhere like TransOhio’s emergency fund or contacting your representatives or DeWine directly, please show up for the trans community.
Since the beginning of my time at Miami University, I’ve had one belief that hasn’t wavered: Oxford drivers suck.
With YouTube celebrity Sam Sulek rising in popularity, so too has fitness. Fitness influencing and gym culture have gained popularity too, and it's a good thing. You should embrace it.
I joined The Miami Student before I ever stepped foot on campus as a first-year. Before I ever moved out of my childhood bedroom into an empty dorm room across the country. Before I ever sat in my first classroom in McGuffey Hall for an introductory journalism course.
Cars are a lot like people: I don’t really understand them. When things are going fine with my car, it’s easy to coast along and tell myself I’m doing a good job, even if I’m not quite sure what’s going on under the hood. In fact, I like driving, and do it enough that I feel comfortable driving in pretty much any condition.
As December approaches, the holiday season dawns upon us, and many families prepare for massive feasts, yearly reunions and gift shopping. When we drive down our streets, we see houses lined with sparkling Christmas lights, pine trees and statues of old Saint Nick. But what about the people who don’t celebrate Christmas?
As we shift out of fall and into the winter season, it’s made me reflect on my time here at Miami University. I’m ending my last fall semester and going into my last spring semester. I won’t say anything like “it goes by faster than you think” because as college students, we know that already.
I never considered my mom’s side of the family, the Logans, as unconventional. I never thought Thanksgiving with the Logans was strange. When I was little, all I cared about at dinner was scarfing down pink stuff — a whipped cream, strawberry and jello concoction created in the depths of the Midwest — and playing Guitar Hero on my cousin’s PlayStation.
If there’s one day in the year that’s more quintessentially American than the Fourth of July, it’s got to be Thanksgiving.
Do you find yourself going Uptown to drink with friends every week and waking up with a hangover? I hate to break it to you, but technically speaking, you’re engaging in binge drinking.
When I first walked into Harrison Hall, the home of the political science department, I noticed two things. First, the cozy chairs and couches on the first floor proudly echo the lively conversations between professors and students in the hallways. Second, the gloomy atmosphere compliments a place that has endured history and therefore demands respect.
“Have you seen Sam Sulek on campus at all?” If you don’t know who Sam Sulek is, he’s one of the biggest gym influencers on social media right now, and he may have had a class with you here at Miami University. That text I received got me thinking: why are there so many gym influencers at Miami? Is Miami transforming into a school for gym rats?
Snapchat. Instagram. iMessage. The app formerly known as Twitter. Facebook. WhatsApp. Those are just a few of the many apps we use to talk to one another.
Classes in the FYIC program have a stringent attendance policy that allows just two unexcused absences in each class before students receive a 5% deduction from their overall class grade for each following absence. This policy, while promoting consistent class attendance, does more to hurt students than it benefits them.