Bye bye Shane

Another one leaves the Cradle of Coaches.

After a 2-10 record this season (which was culminated by a 41-26 loss to rival Ohio University) and a four year record of 17-31, Shane Montgomery "resigned" as the head coach of the Redhawks football team.

After the uproar I've been hearing on campus, I wouldn't be surprised if the resignation was forced. But that's just speculation.

Montgomery made his mark as being one of the main developers of Ben Roethlisberger as Miami's offensive coordinator and quarterback coach from 2001-2004.

Let's just hope this isn't a "grass is greener" situation...

There's no place like home

One of my movies is and always has been The Wizard of Oz. There's a home video somewhere of my sister and I dancing on the table to "Ding Dong the Witch is Dead". I think she slipped on a newspaper and fell off the table.

For this and a lot of other reasons, I always wanted ruby slippers. There were a pair of ruby-sparkled Mary Jane's at the local shoe store, but my mom never bought them. I'm still a little upset about it.

Thanksgiving is a time for going home and spending time with the family. Almost everyone I know had a great break and spent the time relaxing, spending time with friends, shopping, and eating lots of turkey. I did none of the above. I always feel on edge when I go back to Lima. My parents have made it clear that they're unhappy with the choices I've made, my priorities, and the direction my life is going. I have to watch every word I say to avoid an eruption. Freedom of speech tends to only exist in the household if you agree with what the parents think. Because the economy in Lima is much like any other small town in Ohio, most of my friends' parents have moved away. An eruption on Wednesday night led me to me leaving early. There went any chance of shopping or Thanksgiving dinner.

Lima was a transitional experience for me. I only spent my 4 years of high school in this town. After going to school, I feel very little attachment to my "hometown".

If I clicked my heels together, where would I go?

Would I go to Washington, D.C. where I spent the first 14 years of my life? Where I played soccer on the same club team for 10 years, got up to a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do, and was a member of the show team at the horse center I rode at before I was uprooted?

Would I go to Lima, where my family continues to live?

Would I go to Manhattan? New York - a city where I spent 3 magical months. I've never felt more at home with 8 million other people just trying to make their way, just like me.

Would I go to the Oudaya in Rabat, Morocco? I still reminisce about the blue and white walls and how at home I felt in a country where I didn't even speak the language.

Probably not any of these. Most likely, I would end up exactly where I am right now. Oxford, Ohio. Where all of my friends are, where I've spent the last 4 years making my way, studying, partying, and making the best friends I'll ever have.

There's no place like home on the holidays.

Eat this, OSU

Miami University ranks as the most affordable public college in Ohio, according to The Center for College Affordability & Productivity (CCAP)/Forbes.com's first ranking of America's Best Colleges. While Miami's tuition is higher than other public Ohio universities, the ranking considers several factors in gauging affordability.

Miami is ranked the 33rd most affordable public university in the country and ranks 277th out of 569 colleges nationwide, beating out Ohio State University (295), Wittenberg University (314), Ohio University (349), University of Cincinnati (516) and University of Dayton (526).

CCAP's ranking focuses on student satisfaction and educational outcomes. The ranking looked at five components, including four-year graduation rates, enrollment-adjusted numbers of students and faculty receiving nationally competitive awards, average four-year accumulated student debt of those borrowing money, student evaluations of professors, and alumni lists in the 2008 "Who's Who in America."

Miami is listed 24th for its graduation rate and 140th for alumni in "Who's Who in America" among all the ranking colleges.

"College is a huge investment, particularly during the current economic downturn, which is why we've devoted so much time and funding into need-based scholarship programs like the Miami Access Initiative and the Miami Grant," said Chuck Knepfle, director of student financial assistance. "Miami University provides a high-quality education, including personal contact with professors, more opportunities to do research as an undergraduate, and the ability to complete a degree in four years."

Miami provides need-based financial assistance to students through federal, state and university grants. Additional merit scholarships may be awarded for academic excellence. About 57 percent of Miami students receive financial assistance through scholarships, grants, loans, work-study employment and campus jobs.

According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 4,000 college campuses exist in the country. CCAP ranks only the top 15 percent of all undergraduate institutions. CCAP is dedicated to research on the issues of costs and efficiency in higher education.

30 hour famine

Last week, AIESEC and Hanna House worked together to create Hunger/Homelessness Awareness Week. Various activities included a canned food drive, Pledge-a-Meal, and to top it all off, a 30-hour famine from Thursday at 6pm until Friday at 10pm. I kept notes on my thoughts and feelings throughout the famine, which I now find very entertaining. Here goes:

Thursday, 12:36pm - Decided that since there was going to be a *free* International Food Banquet held at 6pm on Friday, I would start 4 hours earlier at 2pm. I conveniently decided this in the middle of eating lunch and sitting at the Hunger/Homelessness Awareness Week table at Shriver. Megan liked my thinking, and decided to start early with me.

Thursday, 1:30pm - Went to the police station to get fingerprinted so I could send in my next packet of papers for the Peace Corps. They took longer than I hoped and I worried that I wouldn't have time to eat something before the famine began.

Thursday, 1:59pm - Back in my apartment. Gulped down several Oreos and a mug of milk before the clock struck 2.

Thursday, 2pm - Famine beings. Took a shower. If I'm going to be hungry, I might as well be clean.

Thursday, 2:30pm - Went to the library to work on some Mathematical Econ homework with Dimitry. Sat and chatted with a few friends.

Thursday, 4pm - Sat down with some people for a small group discussion with Jared Cohen, who would later be giving a lecture. He's a 28 year old Rhodes Scholar who traveled the Middle East talking to youth and Hezbollah insurgents, wrote a book that is criticized as being too optimistic about the situation in the Middle East, and now advises Secretary Condoleezza Rice. And is fluent in Swahili. Needless to say, the AIESEC girls were drooling in anticipation.

Thursday, 4:45pm - J.C. arrives late and talks briefly about how important travel and learning about different cultures is for young people. DUH. He has to run to get dinner at DiPaolos (fancy shmancy restaurant. Standard)

Thursday, 5pm - Sales meeting. Of the 16 people on the team, only 4 people are there. I am beginning to get grumpy from the lack of food, and this doesn't help.

Thursday, 5:30pm - More AIESECers join me at my table. They're eating furiously and racing the clock because they're starting their fast soon. I look longingly at their wraps.

Thursday, 5:45pmish - I have the following conversation on gchat

5:41 PM Michael: first bite better be a beer

5:42 PM me: oh you better believe it

5:44 PM it's been 3 hours. im feeling the fatigue

5:47 PM Michael: i hear you

i'm going to go eat some Little Caesar's

Hot 'n Ready

me: i hate you

Thursday, 7pm - Jared Cohen lecture. I sit in awe as he tells stories about sneaking into the Congo under piles of bananas and across another border through a minefield with refugees. I forget about food while I hear about this man's amazing life that I want to have.

At this point, I'm starting to get really hungry. It's around dinner time, but instead of looking forward to going home and making myself a good meal, I'm looking forward to going home and...staring at the food that I can't eat. I get a few emails via the Blackberry that piss me off more than they should. Eric suggests I eat something after I bitch to him about everything under the sun. Kate tells me that she counted the hours and we're actually only fasting for 28 hours. Great.

Thursday, 9pm - Arrive home, change into PJs, watch Greys. At this point, it's all I can do. Roomie comes home and I warn her that I'm a mega bitch because I'm not eating. She looks afraid. Decide I should probably leave my emails for another day since I'm being irrationally angry because of the hunger.

Thursday, 10:30pm - I don't know what to do with myself so I go to bed. I start having irrational thoughts such as "What if I secretly have diabetes and die in the middle of the night?" or "Do stomachs really start eating themselves when you get really hungry like my Salvadoran nanny told me when I was little?" At this point, I'm not even hungry anymore. I just have a monster headache. Even David Sedaris isn't making me feel better with his hilarious banter in his book that I've been reading. I decide the thoughts I'm having are too fun to not remember later, so I start taking notes. I write, "Feel my heartbeat in my stomach".

Friday, 10am - Woke up with a headache, very thirsty. Drink 3 glasses of water. My phone was nice enough to break and now only holds 5 hours of charge. I try to count how many hours I've been fasting and can't count. Finally figure out it's been 19.

Friday, 11am - Start crying because it's so cold on my way to class. What.

Friday, 11:30am - Mathematical econ + no food = DUMB

Friday, 12pm - Feeling irrational anger towards people who are eating in Shriver. The girl sitting next to me at the table is being too chatty. Scott finds me and gives me a supportive hug.

Friday, 1pm - Spend the afternoon running errands, cleaning, doing some laundry to keep my mind off things. Went through half an hour of activity and forgot what I had done 5 minutes later.

Friday, 2pm - Relax with a book. I feel sane enough to check emails.

Spend the next few hours getting ready very slowly for the international food banquet. Arrive and have to wait in a really long line, but when I finally get my food, I show incredible restraint but eat a lot. Then I feel sick because I ate too much. I guess I can't win.

One thing I noticed about the time that I wasn't eating was that all I could think about was food or how I was feeling. All the other problems I have went out the window. Once I started eating, they came flooding back. Funny how your priorities rearrange themselves depending on how you're feeling.

Miami stars in SNL

I guess NBC executive Rick Ludwin is a '70 Miami alum and had some old Miami shirts lying around.

Miami Financial crisis update: The villagers are starting to grumble (using the Miami Student) as a forum.

This kid lived in my dorm freshman year. He wasn't half as entertaining then.

--

As I sat in the halls of Upham Nov. 11, I was informed of the most aggravating Miami University related news in my four years here. President David Hodge, in order to "maintain fiscal responsibility," denied a faculty department the simple and decent tradition of sending flowers to a recently deceased faculty member. My initial reaction was, 'You've got to be kidding me.' I've met Hodge. I refereed his first broomball game. I watched him cheer on the RedHawk icemen complete with red and white scarf. I liked the guy, right up until today when a disgruntled faculty member informed me of his refusal of a request to send a mourning family flowers. He then informed me of Hodge's recent 11 percent pay raise-equal to roughly $40,000 which includes his personal police escort, his wife's consultant salary and his daughter's Miami-funded maid service.

Times are tough. Miami is on financial lockdown. A hiring freeze has been implemented. Yet the highest paid people on campus are able to accept raises and enjoy frivolous perks? Has my education failed me, or does this seem completely f**ked up to anyone else on campus?

The part of this story that should disgust everyone on campus is the fact that Hodge is denying a 35-year member of the Miami family a decent final gesture. The department has taken up a collection amongst themselves, but that's not the point. When did this institution allow itself to become so indecent? Love and honor to Miami, right Hodge? I guess that mantra is just a song to you, but as a member of this family myself I say to you this: You don't just disappoint me, you disgust me. I have shaken your hand before. Next time we cross paths expect nothing but a bird to be flipped in your direction.

My name is Ben Metcalf. I am a senior finance and decision science double major. I wake up at 5:30 a.m. five days a week to shovel horse feces so I can continue my time here at Miami. I recognize that Hodge and I are on different ends of the spectrum. Yet the fact that the leader of this institution can't find it in himself to spare chump change for a longtime RedHawk, yet gladly accepts personal gain, makes me wonder if we don't have the snobbish stereotype sitting at the head of the table, stealing all the gravy.

Ben Metcalf

If the world could vote...

...here's what the results of the election would have been (electoral college style). 203 for McCain, 9,115 for Obama. All according to The Economist.

Maybe I don't know enough about world politics, but...

WTF Algeria?

Certain series of emails over the Water Ski listserve make me laugh:

-----
SUBJECT: thanksgiving Dinner

Everyone,

We're terribly sorry to inform you that Thanksgiving Dinner at Brewski [the water ski house] on Wednesday has been cancelled. Due to a deep frying accident, schedule conflicts, and a lack of funds (I hope you guys had fun at the Mustache Party) we are going to be unable to have a Thanksgiving party at Brewski.

We hope that the Waterski Team is able to put together a party for Thanksgiving, but at this point it is completely out of Brewski's hands.

Sorry for the late notice,

Brewski

SUBJECT: RE thanksgiving Dinner

Not to worry everyone, we are in the process of finding a new location for Thanksgiving aka, we are still having it! We will keep you up to date! :-)

-Syd

SUBJECT: RE RE thanksgiving Dinner

what the f*** is going on down there? thanksgiving cancelled? you think christopher columbus told the redskins and the royal family "oh we cant hve it this year, we ran out of food and money and we had a deep frying accident aboard the santa clara so i guess we just wont celebrate." at least go to burrito loco and get hammered or SOMETHING! miss yall, take care.

weshton [water ski team alum]

View Larger Map

Instead of studying or preparing for my interview tomorrow, I decided to instead plot each LC in AIESEC U.S. and try to figure out where the geographical center is.

But since Google hasn't made the "Find Geographical Center" tool, and I'm really bad at eye-balling these types of things, I'm going to leave it up to you to figure it out.

AMEN!

This is one of the reasons why, despite the fact that I almost failed his class and don't agree with any of his political beliefs, I think Professor Rich Hart is one of the best professors at Miami University:

He writes, in a letter to the editor in the Miami Student:

University holding back on full financial impact

In his e-mail to the Miami University community responding to Miami's financial crunch, President David Hodge stated: "As we respond to the immediate financial challenges, it is vital that we remain clearly focused on our future. Our unwavering goal is to provide the exceptional student experience that Miami is known for. We will not compromise on this."

However, if what is happening in my department is any indication of what is happening across the rest of the university, the first steps being taken by the administration certainly suggest that the undergraduate educational mission is, in fact, going to be the sacrificial lamb on the budget-cut altar. To date, almost all of the cuts in my department are coming from the teaching side of the academic equation. And this is in a department in which the vast majority of students taking ECO 201 [Principles of Micro], ECO 202 [Principles of Macro], ECO 301 [Money and Banking] and ECO 344 [International Economics] are taught in increasingly large Ohio State University-like sections, where students increasingly do not engage or interact with faculty.

Here is the budget-cut arithmetic for my department. We have three visiting faculty, two of whom have been notified that-because of budget cuts-their positions will not be continued here next year (we do not know the fate of the third visiting faculty). This will represent the loss of 14 sections of economics courses next year (18 sections if the third visitor is terminated, too). The university has also instituted a "hiring freeze," which means we may not be allowed to replace the faculty who leave Miami (because of retirement, etc.). At present, there is the possibility that two faculty members will leave Miami next year for a loss of another 10 sections of economics courses. Add to this the potential loss of four more sections due to faculty who will be on Assigned Research Leave (ARL) or Faculty Improvement Leave (FIL) and you have, in the economics department alone, a loss of 14 (best possible scenario) to 32 (worst possible scenario) sections. What this means, quite obviously, is that average class size will increase, yet again, leading to a decrease in the integrity of the undergraduate teaching mission.

I would encourage The Miami Student to investigate the extent to which this is happening across the university, and report it to Miami undergraduates-the ones who seem to be targeted for bearing the brunt of the burden, but the ones whose tuition most assuredly will not fall in line with the quality of their educational experience.

The Student should also inquire into how many administrators are being terminated (bodies, not positions) given that much of the explosion in cost at Miami has been due to growth in the administration, and whether the faculty will be asked to make modest changes in their teaching as one small step in protecting the integrity of the undergraduate teaching mission. For example, how many undergraduate sections could be preserved if Hodge mandated that all faculty currently teaching two sections or less per semester teach one additional undergraduate course next year? How many sections could be preserved by a one-year moratorium on all ARAs and FILs?

Bottom line, Miami undergraduates are entitled to know if Miami is serious in its commitment to preserve the integrity of the undergraduate teaching mission (and make Miami more Miami) or if it will continue along the Garland path of making Miami more Ohio State (only with higher tuition).

Rich Hart
Professor of Economics
hartwr@muohio.edu

--

My first reaction: THANK GOD HE'S ON TENURE.

Second Reaction: Amen. Thank God I'm not a lower level Economics major at this time. Miami is in the top 10 of the undergraduate economics schools in the country, and unfortunately, I see this going down the tubes if something isn't changed within the administration, as Professor Hart suggests.

The way I see it, Economics is the most vital major in the University. Students from other majors might scoff, but econ is probably the major whose classes are taken by the biggest variety of majors at Miami. Not only are there three different types of economic majors, but there is one minor, and six thematic sequences, and one of the top one-year graduate programs in the country. Poli Sci, International Studies, Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs, and all Business majors all have econ in their requirements. And, don't discount those students who take Economics for fun (God bless them) and because their parents suggest it.

I'm not saying other departments aren't going through the same issues, but to see this happen to the economics department makes me sad. Deep. Down. Inside.

This Week's Obsession...

Cake Wrecks. Disasterous, hilarious pictures of cakes gone horribly wrong. And you're occasional friggin' cool cake.

Here's a classic example. Seriously? The deer is emerging from an inferno.

Cake Wrecks makes me laugh. It makes me cry. It makes me pray to the karma cake gods that they won't punish me on my wedding day.

The best compliment I've ever gotten:

"I want to be the next Caitie."

-Eric


Live your Dreams, Young Eric. I know you can do it.




Perhaps this is why I'm so conceited.

Ode to Fakler

Fakler is a maverick. Not only do we make quite the dancing pair (just ask A.King or Luke), but I've decided she's my AIESEC spouse. Here's how I figure.

On Monday, CNN released an article about how some people have "work spouses". I am going to expand it further. I have an AIESEC spouse. And it's Fakler. You can read the original, but here's my adjustment to describe me and Fakler's loving AIESEC relationship.

1. I depend on Fakler for office supplies, snacks and aspirin.

2. There are inside jokes that Fakler and I share. And we tend to awkwardly giggle about them at GMs and EB much to everyone's confusion.

3. I can be bluntly honest with Fakler about her appearance, hygiene or hair (and vice versa). You're comfortable enough to point out that Fakler's hair is sticking up -- or that she's wearing the same sweats at GM that she did last night at EB.

4. When something eventful happens in AIESEC, Fakler is the first person I text to gossip.

5. At breakfast, lunch and coffee breaks, Fakler knows what to order for me and how I like my coffee (and vice versa).

6. Fakler and I can finish each other's sentences. Better yet, we can read each other's minds.

7. Fakler knows almost as much about my personal life as my best friend does. False. She knows more.

I [will be] legend

I just returned from Rowdies ROKS Fall 2008 in Milwaukee, WI. What a delightful weekend full of fun, debauchery, and learning.

This ROKS really brought me full circle on my AIESEC experience thusfar. My first ROKS, Fall 2006, was in Milwaukee as well. Michelle and I, who were both new members at that conference, sat in the front seat of Van 1 of 3, leading our beautiful babies on to greatness. When I arrived, I almost felt like a new member myself. Sure, I knew my LCMates, a select few of the newbies I met when I was in Madison a few weeks ago, and the 20ish other old members who were there, but for the most part, it was a conference full of strangers. Not something I'm accustomed to.

I facilitated the Events Session, which was weird, because events is the one aspect of AIESEC that I've never really been a part of. Sure, I've dabbled in and out of event planning, and do my best to contribute to ever event @Miami puts on. I took it as a challange - teach people something you don't know much about. I'm pretty sure Ashok and I rocked it. I went to all of the sessions I could, and the faci team, OC, and chair-subchair were all incredible. We all put on excellent sessions, and kept the energy as high as possible even though we were all dragging ourselves. Miami put on what was in my opinion, the best roll call that's come out of our LC in years. Everyone who I talked to said they enjoyed it as well.

Of course, the parties kicked ass. Friday night led me to many rooms, many new faces, and a 5am bedtime. Saturday night we were almost kicked out of the hotel, but we adjusted and ended up having a fantastic time. The highlight was observing the self-proclaimed "WT Wedding" that shared the hotel with us. The bride walked by and I said, "Congratulations, you look beautiful." She said, "Really? Because I just threw up." Someone saw the bride and her wedding party playing leap frog in the hallway. Classy! We danced our pants off and sung our hearts out to "American Pie" until 4am. Again with the 5am bedtime.

Getting back in the van with all the babies that we brought was possibly one of my favorite parts of the weekend. When I asked everyone if they had a great time, I was met with a resounding OMG THAT WAS SO MUCH FUN I LOVE AIESEC! Incredible. When babies leave the conference that excited about AIESEC, you know it was well done.

During the 8 hour drive home and the time that I've had to think since the conference, I've been doing a lot of retrospection. At one point on Saturday night, A.King asked who I thought was the most legendary person from my LC was. I said "Me" with only a little bit of sincerity. However, I've decided that my goal for the rest of my senior year, within AIESEC and beyond, is to become legendary. This was the theme for the conference - become legendary. I'm not sure what that means, or how I'm going to make it happen - but it will. I will be a legend.

What were you doing at 11pm on 11/4/08?

I was huddled in front of the TV in a house stuffed full of College Democrats.

I was still cheering for victory in Ohio and Virginia.

I was counting down the seconds until the polls closed on the west coast.

I was screaming at the top of my lungs and jumping up and down.

I was laughing.

I was crying.

I was hugging and kissing my friends, who put so much of their time and money into this campaign.

I was finishing my beer and popping the cork on several bottles of champagne.

I was singing the Star Spangled Banner and saluting our flag with pride.

I was obnoxiously texting my friends "GOBAMA"

I was chanting, "8 more years"

I was laughing at all of the obnoxious statuses of my conservative facebook friends.

I was living history.




Check out this madness.

TXT Conversation with my mom

Mom: I got your father the perfect present for his 50th birthday

Me: What's that?

Mom: He's going to play the triangle in the Lima Symphony Orchestra.

Me: Hahahahaha

Mom: It was between that and the cymbals. I thought he could handle the triangle better.