News Archive

(09/28/05)

Family Science Night Set for Oct. 6

Middletown-area families are invited to a dinner and "Family Science Night" at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Middletown on Thursday, Oct. 6. Dinner will be served at 6:00 p.m. with activities beginning at 6:45 p.m. This free event is open to the public. Children must be accmpanied by an adult.

Family Science Night is sponsored by the Butler County Commissioners Forum, the Miami University Center for Chemistry Education, and Bethlehem Lutheran Church. The event is part of a series of Commissioners Office events designed to get families away from the television and into the community.

The Center for Chemistry Education, located at Miami's Middletown campus, will lead the science portion of the evening. Children will be doing fun, hands-on science activities WITH their adult partners. Take-home information will be provided with each experiment, so families can continue the fun and learning at home. Visit the Center's website at www.terrificscience.org for free science resources and activity ideas.

The Center for Chemistry Education has trained more than 200 teachers to conduct Family Science Nights in their own districts in the past two years. More than 10,000 family members have participated in Science Night events since 2003. About 100 teachers will return to Miami University Middletown on Oct. 15, 2005, for Family Science Night training. This program is funded by the Ohio Board of Regents and Miami University.

Bethlehem Lutheran Church is located at 212 South Broad Street, downtown Middletown, across from the library. Reservations are requested by calling 423-1191. Rick McCrabb of the Middletown Journal and daughter Hannah are hosting the event. Additional sponsors include City of Middletown, Middletown City Schools, and Choice Pantry.

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(09/21/05)

Fantastic Free Fridays Begin October 7 With Tropicoso

Miami University Middletown's Fantastic Free Fridays will begin its sixth season on Friday, October 7 with performances at 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. by Tropicoso, one of the region's hottest Latin bands.

Recommended for all ages, Tropicoso has been together for over six years. They specialize in performing high-energy hits from the genres of salsa and merengue along with their own compositions. This performance is recommended for all ages.

Miami Middletown began the Fantastic Free Fridays programs in the fall of 2000, offering free one-hour performances to schools in a five-county area. Since that time, more than 13,000 young people have had the opportunity to experience jazz and big band music, a marching band, theatre, opera, ballet and world music.

In addition to Tropicoso, the fall performances will include The Emperor's New Clothes (10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on November 4), The Miami University Steel Band (10 a.m. on November 11) and Twentieth Century Rocks (10 a.m. on December 2).

A generous donation from the Bever family of Oxford is again helping to support the Fantastic Free Fridays performances.

Fantastic Free Fridays performances are open to the public. Groups interested in attending performances should contact Susan Joyce, music faculty member at Miami University Middletown, at joyces@muohio.edu, or by voice mail at 727-3415.

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(09/15/05)

Actor Ernest Thomas to Make Middletown Presentations

Actor Ernest Thomas, best known for his role as Roger "Raj" Thomas on the What's Happening!! And What's Happening Now!! Situation comedies of the '70s and '80s, will visit Middletown on Sept. 22-24, making several appearances in the area.

Thomas will talk to Miami Middletown's Minority Mentorship Program at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22 in Dave Finkelman Audtorium. Thomas will share personal experiences in life as a college student and professional actor. This event is free and open to the public.

An Evening with Ernest Thomas will be held at the Middletown Community Center at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 24. This event will include an informal discussion, food and beverages. Admission is $10.

He will also visit drama students at Middletown High School and film a Hawk Talk show for TV Middletown.

Thomas, originally from Gary, Indiana, is a graduate of Indiana State University. Among his acting credits are All About the Andersons, The Steve Harvey Show, Soul Food, Martin, In the Heat of the Night, The BET Comedy Awards, Roots and Malcolm X.

Thomas' visit to Middletown is sponsored by Miami Middletown's Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Middletown Convention and Visitors Bureau.

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(09/15/05)

Miami notifying students, alumni of privacy breach

Miami University is notifying all students who attended Miami during the fall 2002 semester that a report containing their names, Social Security numbers and grades had been inadvertently placed in a file accessible through the Internet.

University officials said that at this point they have no evidence of illegal use of the information, which included data on the 21,762 students enrolled on all Miami campuses in fall 2002. No other students were affected.

Officials say the information was in an isolated area of the university's network, in a file assigned to a now-retired faculty member, and thus avoided detection until this week when an alumna told Miami she had discovered the file after entering her name in a search engine.

"Nevertheless, private and confidential information was exposed, and we deeply regret the incident. We have removed the file and are writing the students and alumni to apologize. We also are taking steps to rectify the problem and to avoid a similar instance in the future," said J. Reid Christenberry, Miami's vice president for information technology.

The university is writing a letter to all those affected, many of whom have now graduated, directing them to a toll-free number that will be staffed by trained investigators who are experienced in dealing with privacy issues.

Individuals who want to contact the university about the situation can use a special email address, privacyhelp@muohio.edu, or call Miami at (513) 529-0438.

"We are doing all we can to reach those whose information was included and to guide them through actions to reduce risk," said Christenberry.

The report was a standard grade report used by chairs of academic departments, and included each individual's cumulative and semester grades among other, less private information. In 2002 Miami still used Social Security numbers in some cases as an identifier for students, but it abandoned that practice soon thereafter.

The report was in a file within a folder assigned to a faculty member in Miami's business school. The school had set up both public and private web space for faculty and students to use, and the report was apparently unwittingly placed in the public space, "for which we are truly, truly sorry," said business school Dean Roger Jenkins.

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(09/12/05)

Campus Community Center Groundbreaking Held

More than 200 people gathered on the campus of Miami University Middletown today for groundbreaking ceremonies for the new Campus Community Center. Construction is expected to begin in October, with completion in early 2007.

The one-story structure, designed by Michael Schuster Associates of Cincinnati, will be built onto the southeastern corner of Johnston Hall, with dual entrances for the community and student wings. Approximately one third of the 21,600 total square feet of the Center will come from renovation of existing facilities.

Features in the new student wing include a student union with a food court, recreational and meeting spaces, and performance areas. The community wing will feature a large multi-purpose room, plus two adjacent meeting rooms and a catering kitchen.

"The dual purpose for students and community is an interesting concept that weaves together in a very beautiful way," said Miami University President Dr. James Garland. "The new student wing should interject a greater vibrancy in student life on this campus."

The entire building will be networked with up-to-date telecommunications and audio-visual equipment with internet access for meetings, seminars, workshops and special events.

"This building is about people," said Miami Middletown Interim Executive Director Dr. Kelly Cowan. "It is a campus and community center, a building with many purposes but a single mission - to bring people together."

The campus's goal is to raise $2.5 million of the project's $5 million cost through donor support, with the balance of the funding coming from state capital appropriations. To date, $1.3 million has been raised through donations from individuals, foundations and businesses throughout the regional community.

Breaking ground on Miami Middletown's new Campus Community Center are: (from left) Campaign Co-Chair Ron Ely, Miami Middletown Interim Executive Director Kelly Cowan, Honorary Campaign Chair Marilee Levey, Miami Middletown Student Affairs Director James Ewers, Miami President James Garland, Campaign Co-Chair Patricia Schaefer, Middletown Mayor Noah Powers and Campaign Co-Chair William Schaefer.

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(09/12/05)

Native American Author Glancy to Speak Sept. 20

Diane Glancy, teacher of Native American Literature and Creative Writing at Macalester College in St. Paul, will be the featured speaker at an event sponsored by MUM's English Coordinatorship, Student Services and the Associate Executive Director at noon on Tuesday, Sept. 20 in 108 Thesken Hall.

Glancy is the author of over twenty books of fiction, poetry, drama and essays, including Pushing the Bear: A Novel of the Trail of Tears, Primer of the Obsolete, In-between Places and The Dance Partner.

Through her writing, Glancy seeks to recover and preserve her "displaced part-Indian, part-white, mixed-message heritage." She has received many awards and honors, including the American Book Award and the Native American Prose Award for her first collection of essays, Claiming Breath.

This event is free and open to faculty, staff and students as well as members of the community.

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(09/09/05)

Dr. Janik Addresses Convocation

Dr. James Janik, zoology, addressed Convocation on Sept. 8. In case you missed Convocation, here are his remarks:

It is a distinct honor and privilege to be invited to speak to you today.

We are here today to celebrate the beginning of what we hope will be an exciting, productive and rewarding new academic year.

A new semester is always an exciting time on a college campus. For us here at Miami University Middletown I think it is particularly exciting this year. We are under the new and invigorated leadership of Dr. Cowan and Dr. Sommers. I think the energy and enthusiasm they have already brought to their new positions bodes very well for this coming year. Additionally, we are about to start the expansion of our facilities with the groundbreaking tomorrow for the new expanded Campus and Community Center which is pictured on the front of your programs. This is indeed a very exciting time for us.

I have to tell you I'm actually here today in two guises. First, as a professor and educator but also as a parent. Just two weeks ago my younger daughter started along her own path into higher education so I asked her for some advice on what I should say to you today. I asked her what she found important in her first couple of weeks in college. I was hoping I could use her new experiences to help those of you who are trying to make your own adjustments to the college environment. I was hoping for some insight into classes or homework or time management issues. What I got is more along the lines of practical advice I guess but she thought it was important so I'm going to pass it along to you. I'm going to quote her because she did put it in quite a pithy manner.

She said, "Capitalize on the free food! Whenever possible try to find out beforehand if it's enough for an actual meal or just a single tray of cheese for 40 people!" Now I suppose these are probably pretty good words to live by in general but it wasn't quite what I was looking for. (By the way I believe I should mention that this is actually one of those free food events, so some of you may want to put that advice into practice and stick around after the proceedings.)

As I was trying to come up with a theme for my remarks today I found myself reflecting on the nature of higher education and what that term means to me. The more I thought about it the more I found myself coming around time and again to two words that sum it up for me: Opportunity and Obligation. So, I would like to share with you today just a few thoughts on these two ideas.

First, opportunity. For students, of course, the most obvious meaning relates to all the varied educational opportunities available to you on a college campus like ours, from classroom instruction to special lectures with renowned scholars and public figures such as the Caspar lecture series we have here every year to the tutoring opportunities provided through student affairs. However, there are many other opportunities we have here that don't necessarily take place inside the classroom. There are internships and externships as well as opportunities to do undergraduate research with individual faculty members. But it doesn't even stop there. Some of your best educational experiences can come from the interactions you have with fellow students and faculty and staff through participation in student organizations and other volunteer groups from the Botany club to Phi Theta Kappa and everything in between. As Mark Twain once said: "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." So I urge you to take advantage of as many of these opportunities as you can.

While this is not always easy to do, with the pressures of work schedules and family commitments that many of you face, I would still encourage you to get as involved as your schedule and time permit. I can assure you that your educational experience with us will be the richer for it.

Our purpose here is to provide you with a sound liberal education that opens horizons and vistas to you that you may not even realize are there. Our goal is to help guide you along your chosen educational path.

The hallmark of this kind of liberal education is balance. Success and happiness for most of us is being able to balance the many facets of our lives in a reasonable and rational manner. As a biologist there is a term we use for the balance that a person, or any organism for that matter, must maintain for its own survival. We call it homeostasis. It goes by other names as well, give and take or yin yang but whatever term you use it is imperative that we achieve and sustain that balance.

While we, the faculty and staff, are here to provide these educational opportunities for you to the best of our abilities. Of course, what you do with it is up to you as individual students. There is an old Chinese Proverb that states: "Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself."

Is it always easy to take advantage of these opportunities? No, not always. As Thomas Edison once said "Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work". However, if you are willing to put the time and effort into your studies, I pledge that we as your faculty will be working hard right along with you every step of the way to success.

Now in the interest of balance I do feel that these opportunities come with a cost. There are some obligations attached.

What kind of obligations am I talking about? Well, the most obvious are things such as coming to class (on time), completing assignments, and being prepared and ready to be fully involved as a partner in the learning process. Again, however there is more to it than that. There are much deeper obligations you owe to the community that is supporting your educational efforts. Over 40 years ago the people of Middletown saw that they had there own obligation to fulfill, that of providing educational opportunities for all of their citizens. They understood that, to quote the words of the Greek philosopher Diogenes: "The foundation of every state is the education of its youth." So they solicited funds from the local community, raised an incredible amount of money (particularly for the 1960's) and petitioned the state to get their own college campus here in Middletown. And today, that support is still there, as evidenced by the number of community and civic leaders who will be in attendance for tomorrow's groundbreaking ceremony. So it is also to the community of Middletown that we all owe so much.

In fact one of the priorities for this upcoming year, which Dr. Cowan highlighted in her annual State of the Campus address a couple of weeks ago, calls for more interaction and involvement with the community. There are of course many ways already in place that allow us to interact and give back to this community. That includes established groups such as CIVIC, as well as, new groups such as the Community Outreach Team currently being formed, to name just a couple. These groups sponsor everything from blood drives to holiday food baskets. They also mobilize themselves for special needs as they arise such as the current efforts of numerous campus groups to help provide emergency aid for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Their dedication to the community is inspiring to us all. I think the efforts of all of these groups echo the words of the 19th century philosopher Herbert Spencer who wrote: "The great aim of education is not knowledge but action."

However, it is not just students who have these opportunities and obligations before them.

The faculty and staff also have certain opportunities and obligations. We have the wonderful and joyous opportunity to help educate and train, you the leaders of tomorrow, the future of our community. We have the exciting opportunity, as well as the awesome responsibility, of helping to prepare, to shape, to transform the future of our community and our country through our interactions with you. The former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once said, "Upon the education of the people of this country the fate of this country depends". From your ranks will come the future professional, business and civic leaders who will be guiding and making key decisions for this community in the years to come. It is all of you who will be making the decisions that will chart our future course so indeed we, the faculty and staff, have the tremendous obligation to teach you with integrity so that you can make informed, logical and ethical decisions for whatever problems you may have to confront. Sometimes, as individuals, we don't always think we can have that kind of impact but in the words of the anthropologist Margaret Mead: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

So my challenge to all of us, students, faculty and staff alike, for this coming year is to take advantage of as many of these opportunities as you can and let us all strive to fulfill those obligations we owe to our neighbors and our community.

Oh, there is one last thing. I wanted to know what you think of this outfit. As you can see I'm kind of partial to the flashy red model myself (believe it or not this is what passes in academic circles for bling bling) but of course as you can see here behind me it also comes in basic black which is always elegant and stylish. Anyway, the reason I'm asking you is because a cap and gown is what the faculty and staff sincerely hope to see you wearing, if not this coming Spring, then sometime in the near future.

Good Luck this year and Thank You for your attention!

Dr. James Janik addresses this year's Convocation.

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