Miami, FL
LGBTQ+ students find ways to connect on campus
Finding your community at college can be difficult, especially for students in marginalized populations, such as the LGBTQ+ community. These students can experience challenges finding a space to be their authentic selves without judgment. However, Miami University’s LGBTQ+ students have several ways to get involved within their community on campus.
Love. Honor. Pride. Affinity Community
“Love. Honor. Pride.” (LHP) is a Living Learning Community (LLC) that provides a space for LGBTQ+ students and allies during their residential experience at Miami. LHP provides opportunities for residents to connect with student organizations, explore different identities and build community. It also offers gender-inclusive housing in Dorsey Hall, where residents can be placed with a roommate of any gender and have gender-neutral bathrooms.
Felix Karmilowicz, a first-year data analytics major, joined LHP because they wanted a roommate who was comfortable with their identity and access to gender-neutral bathrooms.
Karmilowicz likes how supportive LHP residents are and feels like they don’t have to deal with their problems alone.
“Even though the LGBTQ+ community is so broad, we’ve all been through very much similar situations that it’s so easy to connect with each other,” Karmilowicz said.
KJ Pocius, a sophomore nutrition major, enjoys the hall events LHP hosts, such as LGBTQ+ sex education. They also like the “shared identity” of the LLC.
“There is a lot more inner communication and understanding that [there] wouldn’t be in most
other places,” Pocius said.
Some residents of LHP have expressed concerns about sharing the residence hall with students from other LLCs, as there have been reports of conflicts within the building. Karmilowicz said LHP has been attempting to combat this issue through recruitment, such as having an information table for LHP at a National Coming Out Day event.
Spectrum
Spectrum is one of Miami’s oldest LGBTQ+ organizations and has been active for 40 years. It is a student-led organization for students of all sexual orientations and gender identities that aims to create an inclusive and supportive community. It also raises awareness through education and activism.
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Spectrum partners with the Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion (CSDI) to provide information and events for students at Miami. Some events Spectrum hosted last semester include a vigil for Trans Day of Remembrance, “Transform the Night” and Drag Night.
Tali Pinhas, a first-year human capital management and leadership major, is involved with Spectrum and said it has an awesome executive board and amazing club members. He calls the group his “safe space.”
“It’s a very strong, supportive, loving community,” Pinhas said.
Other LGBTQ+ organizations at Miami include oSTEM, Graduate Student Pride Association, Pride and more.
Center for Student Diversity and Inclusion
CSDI develops and implements procedures, programs and activities to benefit the academic success and personal development of diverse student populations. It is committed to promoting diversity and multiculturalism and strives to create an inclusive and affirming environment for students.
CSDI hosts several events throughout the semester to celebrate various awareness days and weeks, including Bisexual Awareness Week, Asexual Awareness Week and Transgender Awareness Week. It also hosts other events like Rainbow Reception and Lavender Graduation. CSDI offers LGBTQ+ and ally training programs for student organizations.
At CSDI, students can find the Open Door Clothes Closet, a free resource for clothing and accessories available for transgender and gender-diverse students. According to the website, students don’t need to prove their gender identity to utilize the resource. Monetary donations are encouraged to support the closet and an appointment must be scheduled to visit.
Pinhas enjoys visiting CSDI when he gets stressed or overwhelmed.
“I can just go to the CSDI and be myself,” Pinhas said.
CSDI is located on the second floor of the Armstrong Student Center.
Pocius said any negative interactions they experience are just “everyday LGBTQ interactions” and aren’t the fault of Miami.
“I definitely feel like Miami is better [with its] openness and not being rude than other places,” Pocius said.
powerstj@miamioh.edu
Miami, FL
Miami Dolphins Discussion: Who’s Going To Be There Edition
When our Miami Dolphins are struggling, the attendance of their games at home naturally dips quite a bit. This, of course, comes with the territory, especially for the fans that reside in South Florida, where there’s always plenty of other things you can be doing with your time and money almost any day of the year. Now, though, we are facing a new season, and we do not expect the team to be great, but due to the new regime and the massive overhaul of the roster, there is, at the very least, a ton of curiosity among many of us fans. We all want to see what theis new coaching staff and new players will give us even if the final product is still at least another season or a couple of seasons away.
So this evenings Phinsider Question Of The Day is:
Which of you will, or will try to either go to a home and/or away Miami Dolphins game in person for this upcoming season?
Please share your thoughts and answers in the comments section below-
Miami, FL
Dolphins OC fuels breakout buzz for underused second-year playmaker
Few would disagree that the Miami Dolphins’ best overall player, pound-for-pound, is running back De’Von Achane. There’ll be no argument from me on that front. A player who could get some votes from defensive-minded fans might be linebacker Jordyn Brooks — another fantastic contributor who’s been the heart and soul of the defense for the past two seasons.
Ahead of the 2025 season, linebacker Willie Gay Jr. was consistently drawing rave reviews from reporters covering practice sessions. He made good on that billing by excelling in the team’s exhibition games. While fans lamented his lack of playing time, the reality was he was buried behind Brooks and the rock-solid Tyrel Dodson on the depth chart. The situation was painfully similar for second-year running back Ollie Gordon II.
Despite showing some flashes early in the season in short-yardage situations, Gordon’s usage was sporadic. He only reached double-digit carries once, in the Week 8 demolition of the Atlanta Falcons. On one hand, it’s a fantastic thing that De’Von Achane was healthy for 16 of 17 games — on the other, Gordon represents a perfect complement to the diminutive and speedy Achane, and increased usage could make good on that potential.
The Dolphins’ new offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowik, used evocative language that forecasts a bigger role for Gordon in 2026, should he seize the opportunity.
“The biggest thing with Ollie is not only is he big — he runs big. When we have pads on, you’re going to hear him run. It’s not one where he’s just going to silently kind of sneak through the line of scrimmage. Everyone’s going to feel — it’s going to sound like trash cans are banging back there. There’s something to that. The O-Line gets energy from that when they feel the physicality from a runner.”
The Achane–Gordon pairing at running back is oozing with potential — as long as the Miami Dolphins are willing to commit to it
De’Von Achane is listed officially at 5’9″ and 191 pounds, while Gordon II clocks in at 6’2″ and 225 pounds. The pairing is a perfect recipe to keep a defense as off-balance as possible. Achane is quick enough to dodge raindrops — for a defense to go from trying to catch a rabbit to bracing for a runaway train from one play to the next is the kind of offensive strategy that could pay huge dividends.
Gordon’s body of work in the NFL doesn’t jump off the page. His 70 carries for 199 yards (2.8 per-carry-average) with three TDs don’t necessarily scream superstar in the making. It’s important to note, though, that he often got the call in short-yardage situations.
Gordon had 25 rushes on downs where the line to gain was one, two, or three yards. After converting on eight of his first 10 attempts (80%), he only converted eight of the final 15 (53.3%). For the season, he converted on 64% of his short-yardage attempts. Among 68 running backs who had at least 10 attempts in short-yardage last season, Gordon’s 64% ranked 29th.
While hardly a comparison to these backs’ overall body of work, respected and proven stars such as Bijan Robinson (60.87%, 43rd), Saquon Barkley (59.38%, 47th), and Derrick Henry (55%, 55th) are prime examples that it’s not all on the RB. Anyone out there who chooses to label Derrick Henry a liability in short yardage should do so at their own risk. Once again, not a comparison. Just an observation.
The hope is that with first-round pick Kadyn Proctor joining the team, the Dolphins may see a surge from their interior offensive line. At 6’7″ and 352 pounds, Proctor will never fail due to a lack of size or athletic ability. This is truly a rare athlete with a unique build — he’ll go as far as his work ethic takes him. If you’ve started to notice a “largeness” theme emanating from South Florida, it’s intentional.
Jon-Eric Sullivan discussed the concept in one of his introductory press conferences, stating: “There’s a saying in our business, fast gets slow but big doesn’t get small.” Well, sir, we heard you, but after the draft and free agency, now we see you. We’ll have to wait to see how it translates, but no one can say Sullivan wasn’t about what he said.
Ollie Gordon II — Dolphins fans hope you’re listening. The marriage between Gordon’s playstyle and the new coaching staff’s tenets is a match made in heaven. If he makes good on his own athletic gifts and untapped potential, the Dolphins may well have their next Ricky Williams in the building.
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Miami, FL
Miami Dolphins Discussion: Could He Be The One
In one of Kdog’s (Kevin Dolney, for the newer folks) recent editions of the Splash Zone, he pointed to an article by A to Z Sports. In the article, A to Z Sports points to Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane and how he could be the first player for the team and only the fourth player in NFL history to reach a thousand yards in both rushing and receiving. The only other players to ever accomplish this rare feat were the San Francisco 49ers’ Roger Craig in 1985, the St Louis Rams’ Marshall Faulk in 1999, and the Carolina Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey in 2019.
Achane, if you believe the reports or maybe just in the fact that he’s easily the most talented player on offense, will be, or at least should be, much of the focus on offense this coming season. Achane, if nothing else, has proven dependable and downright electric at times. What he lacks in size, he seems to make up for in durability and pure speed. Besides being clearly the best all-around running back on the team, he has also shown that he is one of the most dependable receivers on the roster. With the loss of Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill, he might be at this point the best receiver on the team, although I hope that title eventually goes to rookie Chris Bell once he returns from the injury that he suffered in his SR year at Louisville.
So this evening’s Phinsider Question Of The Day is:
Do you believe that Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane will enter the very exclusive club of players who have hit both 1,000 yards in both receiving and rushing for the 2026-2027 NFL season?
Please share your thoughts and answers in the comments section below-
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