Opinion

University sexual assault policies aren’t great now. But they used to be worse.

In early December two years ago, I was waiting to hear back from the Office of Student Ethics and Conflict Resolution (OESCR) about the results of my sexual assault investigation. I reported an incident from my sophomore year. I didn’t know if reporting was the right thing to do, because while the incident met one of the standard definitions of sexual assault (“unwanted sexual” contact), it wasn’t rape. It took me awhile to realize maybe I had been assaulted, and much longer to stop hanging out with the guy I reported. But my friends and Title IX office employees assured me the incident was worth reporting, and I did. The guy was found “not responsible” of violating the Student Code of Conduct, meaning a panel of OESCR judges believed what happened was consensual.

Lifestyle Tips to Incorporate Sustainability Into Your Life

Cover photo courtesy of Pixabay

We need to be better for the sake of the kids.

Well, folks, we’re in the homestretch. Two more weeks until we can kiss this semester goodbye and ride off into the sunset toward holiday cheer and a little less homework. Our staff has been reflecting on the good, the bad and the ugly of this past semester, setting our sights on what we hope to improve come January.  We’re drafting our New Year’s resolution, if you will.  Going forward, we at The Miami Student hope to see the relationship between our reporters and Miami’s administration improve in hopes to increase transparency on our campus. But achieving this resolution starts with setting some common ground and erasing the idea that our staff is pushing an anti-administration agenda. 

They don’t call ‘em growing pains for nothing

“You need to do some meditation and realize you have to let people care for you,” one of my housemates texted me recently. I dismissed it. See, I thought I had checked off personal growth on my to-do list months ago.

I’m about to graduate, and it hasn’t hit me yet. I really need it to.

It’s almost here. In a week, I’ll say goodbye to some of the greatest friends I’ll ever know. I won’t be a student at Miami University anymore. But it hasn’t hit me yet. I really figured I’d be smacked upside the head with a wave of extreme sadness and nostalgic longing by now.  But nope, nothing.

Joy to the Earth: 7 Ways to Be Gentler on the Environment This Holiday Season

Cover photo courtesy of Pixabay

Quick Tips for a More Sustainable Diet

To all the boys we’ve loved(?) before

This column is pulled from a conversation with two of our reporters who discussed their experiences growing up as gay men.  Tim Carlin: So, where do you want to start with this?  David Kwiatkowski: I think we should start where you said. Tim: Okay, do you want to go first? David: … No. Tim: Okay, so I came out in waves. I first came out to my friends when I was in sixth grade. By the time I got to high school, everyone just kind of knew. Throughout high school, it just became more known. I never hid it from anyone.

Good Morning Miami: In memory of an elegant icon

At the beginning of each new school year, I buy folders for a dollar, select reasonably-priced pens and pencils and purchase notebooks while they’re on sale.  I hardly pay attention while stuffing these items into my backpack; whether or not they rip or tear is their own business.  Each year, I also allow myself one beautiful purchase, and this year’s was a Kate Spade agenda. 

A House Divided

It is said that there are three topics of conversation people should always avoid discussing: money, religion and, perhaps the most controversial of all, politics. And yet, those topics always seem to come up. With Thanksgiving fast approaching and Election Day fresh on the minds of Americans, many families dread the political discussions and fights with extended family that come with the holidays. I have seen my friends, extended family, teachers and even strangers openly debate each other on the state of the country. I hold no doubts about the potential negative strains political disagreement can have on a relationship. I see this strain between two of the most influential people in my life — my parents. 

Thankful and Hopeful, Despite the Climate Crisis

A perfect fall photo from a recent hike with my dog- I'm thankful for these little things.

Co–Star told me to write down my good ideas today, so here we go

Throughout history (alternatively, since 1998), I’ve had a long-running record of moments where I’ve made fun of people who read too much into astrology. It’s really easy to quip about, so I often do — I even wrote a shambly, one-act play with a joke character dedicated to garnering laughs about those who turn to the constellations for guidance. But then something funny happened. I downloaded Co–Star onto my phone over the summer, and I give it validity more often than I’d like to admit.  Am I now the person searching for guidance down any avenue possible? It’s possible.

The weight of our society's words

As far back as I can remember, I’ve struggled to accept my body.  I remember being no older than 11 and begging my mom not to make me go into the Macy’s dressing room. I hated playing with Barbies. I envied the girls who could fit into Abercrombie and Fitch and Lululemon.  I went to an affluent private school in a conservative area, one that emphasized perfection in all aspects, including personal appearance.  As an overweight theatre kid, I felt I didn’t make the cut.

Hang in there, everybody

I distinctly remember the first Saturday night of my sophomore year. I was laying on the floor of my dorm room as the noise from raucous groups of kids walking Uptown toward whatever the night held seeped in through the open windows.  I called my dad, tears rolling down my face. “This is going to be the same as last year,” I rushed to say as soon as he picked up. “I’m miserable.” After a first year filled with solo Netflix nights and enough studying to carry me through the rest of undergrad, I was terrified that the fact I didn’t have plans or friends to hang out with the first weekend back meant I was in for another lonely year.

Sustainably Rejuvenate your College Life

Cover photo courtesy of Pixabay

Double Take: Breaking down cancel culture

You may have seen a headline on your social media feed, or even from a news outlet, about a famous celebrity caught in a scandal and subsequently being “canceled.”  In 2018, comedian Kevin Hart stepped down from hosting the Oscars after homophobic tweets he wrote several years ago were brought to the public’s attention. The media firestorm that followed often referred to Hart as being “canceled.”  Just this month, actress Gina Rodriguez was seen in an Instagram video singing a racial slur. Rodriguez, who has previously been accused of racist comments against the black community, was swiftly condemned from the entertainment community and fans alike.

Good Morning Miami: Let’s not wait until it’s time for goodbyes

I’m a pretty sentimental person, and behind that sentimentality resides an appreciation for tradition and a dislike for goodbyes.  My traditional nature reveals itself in my predictable restaurant orders, my go-to Starbucks drink and my annual Christmas playlist. Some might call it boring, but I find comfort in familiarity and don’t apologize for refusing to stray from my usual.  My dislike for goodbyes affects me most, as you might guess, at the end of things. The end of a summer job, the end of the school year and the end of a holiday season all carry with it a mix of sadness and anxiety. 

The College Commandments: Stained Glass Windows

Light shines through the stained glass windows and kisses the walls of the St.Vincent de Paul Church in Petaluma, CA. Like luminous lip gloss, it sticks and glistens in adoration. I sat among the molasses brown pews last weekend for the first time since my high school days, when mandatory mass sometimes started the day.  Being a non-Catholic in a Catholic high school was an experience that taught me how to skillfully avoid things that made me uncomfortable.  Walking through the halls on the first day of freshman year feels awkward enough, but having to walk down the red-carpeted aisle of the church with my arms crossed over my chest to be given a blessing rather than communion in a room full of religious peers — yikes. 

If this isn’t the full story, then what is?

Earlier this month, 18 former members of Miami University’s Delta Tau Delta (Delts) fraternity were charged on hazing and assault charges. The charges came after an anonymous first-year new member was bludgeoned on his buttocks with a spiked paddle, forced to drink alcohol, smoke weed and was subjected to additional physical abuse during a Big/Little Reveal event last spring.  After the men were charged, reporters from The Miami Student reached out to members of Miami’s administration, leaders of Miami Greek Life, representatives from Delta Tau Delta’s national headquarters and the 18 individuals who were charged asking them all to comment and share their side of the story.  A few individuals gave vague and brief responses, some said they could not comment on the matter but most did not respond to our reporters at all. 

No one prepared me for life pre-grad

On a rainy August morning, the arrival of my senior year brought me a perpetually-ticking internal clock counting down the minutes until I graduate from Miami.  It’s like a New Year’s Eve countdown in slow motion, except I’m the only one in Times Square, and I’m chained to a lamppost and waiting for the ball to drop. And when it drops, there’s a strong likelihood that it’s going to drop on me.