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Section 12 – The 2010s

Irvin Hall’s Centennial: 1925-2025
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

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The 2010s
MU LIMITS MEETING SPACES
By Courtney Day

Starting this fall, the Office of the Registrar has begun to transition meetings and special events to the most energy-efficient buildings on campus.

By scheduling events in new and newly renovated buildings, the university can save a substantial amount of money on operating costs, according to Assistant Director of Scheduling and Classroom Management Marsha Walters.

"We've started to implement the policy for this current term on a small scale," Walters said.

She said only about two or three groups have been relocated and the meetings they arc looking to move are mainly weekend meetings. On weeknights, using classrooms for a few extra hours makes little difference, she said. Rooms cannot be reserved past 10 p.m.

Walters said she has met with employees from the Physical Facilities Department and they have given her a list of the most energy efficient building on campus. The “first tier” buildings she schedules most readily include the Farmer School of Business (FSB), Benton Hall, the Engineering Building and the recently renovated McGuffey Hall. Also on this list are most of the rooms in Hughes Hall, with the exception of a few smaller rooms.

Energy Management Engineer Tony Ferraro said FSB is the most efficient building on campus because of its construction and operation.

“You’re looking at about half of what similar buildings use,” Ferraro said.

Walters said she does not limit the number of events and meetings in the second tier of buildings either. as they are relatively efficient. These buildings include Shideler, Irvin and Alumni halls as well as the Art Building along with a few other buildings.

Pearson, Harrison, Bachelor and Upham halls are on the list of buildings to avoid for room scheduling.

“Upham needs some work,” Walters said.

She said Upham Hall will likely not be on the list for scheduling until it is eventually renovated.
MU LIMITS MEETING SPACES - Continued

Walters said the university has explained their reasoning to groups that have been relocated and students seem to be understanding of the policy.

“So far we haven’t really had any negative comments about it,” she said.

Walters said the Office of the Registrar works to accommodate the needs of groups, including requests for certain locations, room sizes and technology.

“I think it’s a smart idea for them to use the more efficient buildings,” junior Brandee Cook-lin said. “I think that for me it’s important enough that even if I had to walk further it would be worth it.”

Cooklin said the newer buildings on campus often provide the best meeting space anyway because they offer more advanced technology and larger rooms.

“With Miami’s efforts to be more sustainable, it’s a smart way to deal with older buildings that have important history but arc sucking up a lot of energy,” she said.

Walters said it is too soon to tell how much the university is saving on utility costs, but, “It does definitely impact the cost of operating buildings.”
LANGUAGE TUTORING PROGRAM OFFERS WALK-IN SERVICE
By Matt Levy

Meet SPOT, the new free walk-in tutoring program hosted by various professors in Miami University's Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

SPOT, which is an acronym for Spanish and Portuguese Opening Tutoring, made its debut Jan. 24. Students in the introductory levels of the two languages can come to a small center in Irvin Hall to receive quick, efficient tutoring from professors and faculty.

Marylene Lux, a visiting instructor in the Spanish and Portuguese department, has been instrumental in getting the new tutoring program off the ground.

"The tutoring program is basically something that we're doing to help out students who can't make it to office hours," Lux said. "Pretty much every semester we've had students who either happen to have classes during their professors' office hours or come to them asking where they can go for tutoring.”

Both Lux and Department Chair Robert DiDonato emphasized the walk-in nature of the program to distinguish it from Spanish and Portuguese tutoring available at the Rinella Learning Center.

"A student might have a minor issue, so rather than having to spend a full hour with the tutor, you can come in, get your question taken care of and go on your way," Lux said.

She said it will also help with crowding at the learning center.

"Another problem we've come across is that a lot of tutors from the Rinella Center get taken up during the first couple weeks," Lux said. "When it gets later in the semester, none of the tutors might be available because they're already taken, so when you need the help immediately, there might not be anyone available."

According to DiDonato, one of the best things about SPOT is it lets students interact with different faculty, perhaps leading to better understanding of the material.

"Often students will get help from a different instructor than their own," DiDonato said. "Sometimes getting things explained by someone else is a good thing, and people have different ways of explaining and coming across.”

David Motta, a lecturer involved in SPOT, said the tutoring program started by offering walk-in tutoring sessions 13 hours a week and may eventually offer continuous help all day, every day.
LANGUAGE TUTORING PROGRAM OFFERS WALK-IN SERVICE - Continued

Professors participate in SPOT by donating one of their office hours per week to spend time in the center.

Sophomore Aaren Henry, a Spanish education major, said the program is a good service to offer to entry-level students.

"I think it's great," Henry said. "I think any help that people in this school can get from such a small department is nice."

Henry also said there is a need in entry-level classes for this type of program.

"It's helpful for (students), especially if they haven't been exposed to the language for a while or at all," Henry said. "With the added factor of needing it as a graduation requirement, it'll help a lot of people."
IRVIN HALL WITH EARLY MORNING LIGHT
OCTOBER 6, 2011
IRVIN HALL
AUGUST 14, 2014
TIDAL WAVE

A Miami utility crew repairs damage to a leaking water pipe outside Irvin Hall Thursday.
IRVIN HALL COURTYARD  RENOVATION
MARCH 26, 2015

Due to persistent flooding of the ground floor, the courtyard was redeveloped with a French drain installed around the perimeter of the building.
IRVIN HALL COURTYARD  RENOVATION
MAY 7, 2015

View of the courtyard after the installation of the French drain.
 MILLION ARMSTRONG PHASE II CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN JANUARY
Nick Meyerson

Phase II of the Armstrong Student Center construction will begin in January. The center is expanding to a larger east wing, encompassing Culler Hall, and will include updated facilities student space.

The new addition, dubbed Armstrong Student Center East Wing, is expected to be fully operational in fall 2017, ASC director Katie Wilson said.

The new building will be home to various amenities, including a coffee bar, meeting rooms, more student organization rooms, a recreational facility called the "Red Zone" and a student senate chamber. In total, the project will cost  million.

This tab has some people uneasy. Senior Roberta Fritz-Klaus said donations should be spent elsewhere - namely, on academic buildings.

"When alums donate to their alma mater, they do so in order to continue the improvement of undergraduate education, not for students to go shopping or play video games," Fritz-Klaus said.

Wilson, however, said the student center's second phase isn't a new development.

"This has always been the plan," Wilson said. "It is not an expansion; it's the completion of the project."

Fritz-Klaus said academic halls in desperate need of repair and renovation should be a higher priority. She said she believes the appropriated funds for this project could be better spent on student merit-based scholarships or be used to renovate academic buildings like Pearson, Hughes, Bachelor and Irvin.

"Instead of attracting affluent students with flashy retail and gaming stops, shouldn't Miami attract hard-working individuals and teach us to work for our desires?" Fritz-Klaus said.

 [...]
SPRINGFEST: FERRIS WHEELS AND TASTY MEALS
Kelly Burns

The group of girls picked up their pace as they crossed Patterson Street.

"Hurry up!" first-year Jess Statler called to her friends. "I want to get there before they're out of T-shirts!"

The girls, five in all, hurried up Spring Street until they finally could see the Ferris wheel that towered between Irvin and Kreger Hall.

They had arrived at MAP's annual Springfest.

"Come on! Come on!" Jess said, pulling her friends past the Ferris wheel, several game booths, a photo booth, a DJ and numerous students.

The group walked under the blue arch to join the long line of students who were also waiting for their free T-shirts.

"Jess, we need tickets first," first-year Ashley Kemper pointed out.

"Oh," Jess said with a disappointed look.

The girls stood there for a moment, unsure as to what to do.

"Let's go off of that thing," one of the girls said, pointing at the giant structure in the middle of the quad.

It was called the Freefall Double Jump. There were two towers connected to a giant inflated landing pad. Other students jumped from the towers, letting out screams of exhilaration before landing on the pad below.

Kemper and her sister, Courtney, climbed up the incline, placing Courtney on the taller of the two towers.

"Guys, I don't know if I can do this!" Ashley called to Jess and the others, who stood at the base of the towers, ready to videotape the jump. "I'm afraid of heights!"

"Suck it up!" Courtney yelled.

The sisters jumped off and landed on the pad. They were temporarily lost from view as they navigated their way off the pad and back onto the ground.

Ashley was breathing heavily.

"I made it," she said.
SPRINGFEST: FERRIS WHEELS AND TASTY MEALS - Continued

The girls worked their way systematically through the festival, playing games and winning tickets until they got hungry.

They joined the long line of students who were also looking to get food. The group chatted, talking about how they wanted to ride the Ferris wheel and climb the rock wall that was set up in the street.

The line moved steadily until the girls were at the front.

"Can I please have chicken and potatoes?" Ashley asked the woman serving the food.

"Of course," the woman said with a smile. She scooped the meat onto a bun and handed it to Ashley along with a basket of potato wedges.

Courtney ordered the same but was soon distracted by another delectable option.

"Oh my God! Funnel cake!" she yelled. Grabbing the rest of her food, she rushed down the line to claim the classic festival food.

Content with their meal, the group took a seat on a vacant section of sidewalk. The surrounding grass, sidewalk, street and curb were covered with students eating and enjoying the event.

When they were finished eating, the group walked back toward the T-shirt booth with their newly won tickets. The line was long, winding back towards King Library. The girls sang along to the music the DJ was playing and eventually made it to the front.

They each claimed a pink tank top and held them up for the others to admire.

"Okay, now that Jess has her shirt, we can finally go on the Ferris wheel," one of them said.

After riding the wheel, they moved to the only ride they hadn't tried yet. It was similar to the tea cup ride at Disney World and many of the students riding it were spinning quickly.

"Yeah I don't think I can do that," Jess said, sitting on the curb.

Courtney and Ashley agreed and sat with her. The other two girls, Madi and Kelly, got on the ride.

"Okay, don't spin too much though," Madi said.
SPRINGFEST: FERRIS WHEELS AND TASTY MEALS - Continued

Kelly just laughed.

Jess and the others laughed from their seats as the pair on the ride spun faster than anyone else. When the ride was over, they group got ready to leave.

"I'm gonna throw up," Madi said, "I think I need to sit down."

The group walked back the way they had come hours ago, clutching their free shirts and other goodies. Behind them, music, delicious scents and laughter filled the air as Springfest continued on.
IRVIN HALL
JUNE 2, 2018
FIRST-YEARS FIND THEIR FOOTING: NEW STUDENTS' SHARE MEMORABLE MOMENTS 
By Lexi Whitehead

I love orange juice. 

For me, it’s kind of like coffee, since I never actually tried to enjoy overdosing on caffeine first thing in the morning. So, before my 8:30 UNV 101 class, I poured myself some orange juice and made my way to Irvin Hall with my morning fuel on one side of my backpack and hydroflask on the other. 

Stay hydrated, kids. 

When I finally found my classroom, I was greeted by a cramped circle of too many desks. To be fair, the amount of desks was correct for the amount of people. But, the amount of people was  too high for the size of the room. 

To make this grouping even more unfortunate, the desks included those weird  tabletops attached to the side that rotate. And, while it’s a nice concept, the desks require you to move that tabletop anytime you want to get in, out, or under the desk. 

The class was pretty uneventful. 

I sat squished between two other girls and sipped my juice, trying to stay awake. It was introduction after introduction then syllabus. Pretty standard, boring, first day stuff. But when I decided to get a pencil out of my backpack, the girl to my left had the same thought at the  same time and “BAM!” 

The desks slammed into each other. 

Okay, it wasn’t that dramatic. It was more like a bump and a thud but it was enough to send my cup onto the floor in the middle of our circle. The orange juice splashed onto the floor and every one of my classmates saw. 

My first thought: Wow, that’s embarrassing. 

My second: The professor just explained how technically, food and drink wasn’t allowed but it was fine as long we didn’t make a mess. 

My third: I had to clean this up. (These are all very calm versions of what I was thinking. I was very much freaked out. Curse words and self-deprecation were definitely involved.)
FIRST-YEARS FIND THEIR FOOTING: NEW STUDENTS' SHARE MEMORABLE MOMENTS - Continued

I got up out of my hazardous desk and quickly picked up my cup before rushing out to find paper towels. Everything was fine — I just had to find a bathroom. 

But, I didn’t actually have any idea of where one was. 

I hurried through the seemingly maze-like halls, halting to read every door sign and then picking up pace again. 

It was like playing a game of red light, green light — except I was all by myself and I had no idea  where my goal destination was. I zig-zagged through the hall, almost bouncing off the walls in a freaked-out frenzy trying to look around every corner until I saw it. 

My savior took the form of a rectangle on the wall with a simplified figure of a woman on it. 

I had made it to the women’s restroom. 

I shoved the door open, ripped countless paper towels from the dispenser and made a beeline back to the classroom. 

Upon my return to the cursed circle of desks, I used my wadded up paper towels to clean up what juice hadn’t already soaked into the carpet. 

This was the first time my professor realized what had happened and it didn’t seem to bother him in the slightest. Everyone in my class had already moved on to filling out their “life-maps” and probably did so less than two seconds after my spill. 

So as it turns out, it might be true that no one really cares what you do in college. Especially all the other freshman in your UNV 101 class who are likely as embarrassing as you are.
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