Every new school year brings the same routine: class schedules, new people and inevitably, procrastination. Most first-years worry about roommate situations, first day of class jitters or simply how to blend in with the crowd. Miami junior John Wittman used to worry about getting on the road on time.
On the outside, with its standard red brick Georgian Revival exterior, the new Farmer School of Business looks like any other hall at Miami University. Upon opening the door to this masterpiece, however, its interior design and details make it unlike any other building on campus.
Even at first glance, junior Dustin Salmi doesn't look like a typical Miami University student, and that's exactly the way he wants it. With bizarre masks and funky haircuts, Salmi constantly aims to break the norm. The suburban Cleveland native says that the motivation for his unusual look is to make others comfortable with who they are.
Curtis Hodson stands out from typical Miami University students, both because of his age and his background. Not only is he 41 years old, he's also Native American. His life's journey rings true with many other native people across the country. "Since both of my birth parents were very young at the time of my birth, things were destined to fail, and they did fail," Hodson says.
Grab a boom and hit the pitch, it's time for a game of Quidditch. The House Cup is up for grabs and whoever snatches the snitch will bring glory to their house! Harry Potter may have defeated Lord Voldemort and there may never be another tri-wizards tournament, but the wizarding world has left us with more than just the story of the boy who lived.
A day in the life of most international students at Miami involves a lot of explanation of one kind or another. From encountering surprised faces who need to be told that it's not a big deal that they speak perfect English, to explaining that they are fasting for religious reasons and cannot take part in a classroom treat, from trying to make someone understand how different their educational system was from the American system, to explaining to a dining hall server that they need a list of ingredients for each food because they cannot eat a certain kind of meat for religious reasons - the list goes on and on.
Every fall, Miami University's Indian Student Association (ISA) hosts an evening of Indian fashion, dance, song and cuisine to celebrate the Indian holiday Diwali. ISA co-chair Niha Reddy, a Miami junior psychology major, describes Diwali as the "Indian Christmas."
