MU Students riot outside of President Hodge's House on Monday, September 16th, 2008 around 10pm.
On Monday, September 15th, 2008, around 9 pm, thousands of students gathered out side of Miami University Presidents house. Miami University located in Oxford, Ohio, is a small town known for being safe and was not expecting this uproar from the mostly upper-middle class straight-laced student population. The MU students were protesting the universities decision to resume classes. The protest started out as a social event that brought students together for a fun way try and get out of more class. The protest started with less than 100 students, but by 11:30 pm, there were more than 4,000 students lining High street. The students were chanting things such as “No Power, No Class” and “Hell No, We Won’t Go!” By midnight Oxford police had to call in over 42 police cars from the surrounding areas.A MU sophomore reported that “Everything was calm until the police started driving their car through the students, then all Hell broke loose. The police had pepper spray, German Shepard dogs, and guns. Students were tackled to the ground by police officers for not cooperating.” At 10:15 Duke energy shut off the generators that were giving power to the dorms and student center and soon the protest turned into a riot. Under instruction from the university, Resident Advisors prevented students from leaving dorms, the student center was shut down, and other students were prevented from entering dorms. “Most students were just angry that president Hodge, was not at his house, and had left a campus full of students without electricity,” reported freshman Steven Young. The MU students had been out of power since the high windstorm on Sunday afternoon. Many students fled campus and went home or to friends’ homes. A Miami Senior said “The students who stayed on campus just treated the day off of classes as an extra night to drink, which I think partly fuelled the riot.” Local police arrested between 4-22 students, depending on which news source you are looking at.
Did these students take it too far? Many people are asking this question. Many blogs, news websites, and news stations are covering this story. I believe that the students and the university are to blame. As a student at Miami University I lean more towards the side of the students. We should have to go to back to classes, but the professors should be instructed to push back deadlines or extend office hours for the students to catch up on work they missed. 30% of Oxford is still without power, and this includes most of the upper class Miami Students. How are we expected to get work done when we cannot use the internet or see our books. The University did not handle the situation right at all. We were barely notified about anything, and left in the dark without food or electric. I believe that the president needs to address the student body and apologize for the way the campus responded.
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