Opinion-Columns

OPINION

Harrison Hall: A beacon of opportunity most students miss

By Anastasija Mladenovska | November 17, 2023

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. 

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OPINION

Get Rec’t: Miami’s gym culture is pushing our facilities to the limit

By Eliana Riley | November 16, 2023

“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?

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OPINION

We have way, way too many options for texting each other

By Devin Ankeney | November 13, 2023

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.

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OPINION

The First Year Integrated Core attendance policy fosters stress, not learning

By Sasha Kapinos | November 12, 2023

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.

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OPINION

So you want a dog at college? Here’s what I’ve learned from a semester with my beagle

By Chloe Southard | November 4, 2023

If you ever see me around campus, chances are I’m being accompanied by the cutest beagle puppy. That puppy would be Trixie, my emotional support animal (ESA). During my first two years here at Miami University, my mental health was quite a mess. After talking with my parents, doctor and adviser at Student Disability Services (SDS), I decided an ESA would benefit me immensely.

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OPINION

Waking up from the American dream

By Kiser Young | October 31, 2023

If hard work directly correlated with success, the exorbitantly wealthy would be seen paving roads or bussing tables. Why is it acceptable for an institution, let alone an entire nation, to condemn the hardest of its workers and justify it by hanging an unreachable dream above their heads?

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OPINION

We need better access to period products. Period.

By Meredith Perkins | October 30, 2023

With recent economic inflation making period products even more expensive for students, the university could significantly improve the lives of students by updating its period dispensal system — or even adding period supplies in all vending machines like residence halls do — in its academic buildings.

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OPINION

From the editor’s desk: Vote!

By Sean Scott | October 29, 2023

For students whose only goals at college are to get a degree, network and land a job after graduation, caring about local government may not seem worth it. Plenty of students go their entire academic careers at Miami without ever knowing who sits on Oxford City Council, and more than a few probably couldn’t tell you that the Talawanda School District exists. These institutions matter, though, to students as well as residents.

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OPINION

More common than coffee: We need to rethink vaping normalcy in Oxford

By Abbey Elizondo | October 28, 2023

Did you know there are 17 vape and smoke shops in Oxford? Because I sure did not. When I first heard this number, I thought it was a joke. Unfortunately, it’s true that Oxford houses more vape shops than it does cafes. 

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OPINION

Redefining normal: How COVID-19 has transformed education and technology

By Camila Lopez-Diaz | October 27, 2023

As the high school graduates of the class of COVID-19 — I mean 2020 — prepare their caps and gowns, they set out on a path distinctively shaped by the pandemic. The very pandemic that, in many cases, served as a catalyst for the digitalization of the “college experience” here at Miami University (and across the world).

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OPINION

Naloxone: A scary but necessary reality

By Bode Freese | October 24, 2023

Ohio has the third highest rate of opioid overdoses per capita in America. In Butler County, that rate is even higher than the state average. This puts Miami University squarely in the epicenter of the opioid epidemic.

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OPINION

Reforming campus justice: A critical examination of Miami University's Office of Community Standards and Title IX Protocol

By Pixie Menezes | October 15, 2023

We need better advocacy for the rehabilitation of a system that is intended to uphold the values of love and honor, yet in its current form leaves survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence feeling unsupported, unheard, disheartened and regretting having sought justice in the first place.

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OPINION

I’m excited about my non-traditional career path. You should be, too

By Abbey Elizondo | October 14, 2023

One of the main reasons I decided to attend Miami University was the many career resources advertised to get students good jobs after graduation. What I didn’t realize was the hidden path to get there — not through the career center or career fair — but through my professors and alumni network.

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OPINION

Aramark needs to stay

By Anastasija Mladenovska | October 13, 2023

When I heard about Miami University’s decision to part ways with Aramark, I was shocked. This decision was made without any prior student or Aramark staff consultation and is unjust and lacking transparency.

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OPINION

Reclaiming boyhood as more than a stereotype

By Kiser Young | October 8, 2023

Girlhood is a major topic of discussion following the "Barbie" movie. Should we let boyhood fall to stereotype in its shadow? Kiser Young writes.

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OPINION

Does higher ed know what to do about AI?

By Meredith Perkins | October 7, 2023

The widespread accessibility of AI writing tools, combined with a lack of research as to what ethical use of these tools looks like, has created panic among some members of the Miami University community and has intrigued others.

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OPINION

The costs of denying faculty raises

By Faculty Alliance of Miami | October 6, 2023

In the last few years, faculty and librarians at Miami have faced pressures that make it harder for us to do our jobs well: increased class sizes, extra service demands and stressful calls for reinventing, restructuring and closing down academic programs. 

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OPINION

First-year Shock: Climbing

By Benny Farbstein | October 6, 2023

As a child, I loved to climb. We had a creek in my neighborhood, as many Midwest neighborhoods do, and one of my favorite pastimes was taking my bike down to the creek and climbing the surrounding trees. 

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OPINION

LETTER TO THE EDITOR: In support of humanities, don’t give up on the study of ourselves

By Jerome Stanley | October 5, 2023

An article in the Sept. 29 issue of The Miami Student referred to “heartbreaking” news that Miami University is considering the elimination of majors in the humanities. On one level — the level of fiscal priorities — this might seem understandable. However, as the article mentions, one of the contributing factors to current fiscal problems is the position of the Ohio state government. The question is whether the state is doing enough to support educational institutions in need of assistance.

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OPINION

First-year Shock: Homesick

By Josette LaFramboise | October 5, 2023

The transition to college is hard — this is well-known — and homesickness happens to everyone. Not a single person, including myself, could predict how terribly I would react.