2008 Woodie Awards
Letters to the Editor
Issue date: 10/23/07 Section: Editorials
Miami should foster sense of community in Oxford
An institution of higher learning is invested by the public trust to use superior intelligence and vision as guiding principles in search of the common good. Of course, it is difficult to assess to what degree community and environment affect the common good. At first thought, however, we all understand that the "health" of the single "community," which is Oxford and Miami University, naturally includes the health of the workers in the dining halls who raise their families here, as well as the health of the workers in the restaurants, bars, copy shops, book stores, etc. who call this place home.
Simultaneously, Miami loses its campus community when students are encouraged to move off campus and ride shuttles into town, and when "connector roads" are proposed to accommodate this extra traffic and lead to the destruction of the rural character and small-town atmosphere of Oxford. It would be interesting to take a poll among Miami students asking them to respond to the question of "the common good." Such a poll should ask the students to what degree the rural character of the university influenced their decision to come here.
It could also be argued that Miami has some responsibility for the death of Oxford's Mile Square-in terms of the loss of a true community because of family residents moving to the outskirts of town where they are unable to live in close proximity to work and schools. Many of these families moved in order to escape all-night parties, noise and the trash left behind on lawns. This exodus caused the city of Oxford to lose its tax base and community to lose its year-round heart.
Does Miami University, which was founded as a rural institution, have any interest in projecting its rural heritage into the 21st century and beyond? Or, does it aspire to have an urban environment, with students and faculty "commuting" to campus, thus moving away from its original identity? Maybe it is for the university to develop a clear policy on its relationship to the larger community with the city and township and to assist Oxford in all matters pertaining to community quality and growth management. In so doing, its credibility as a leader among similar institutions would increase. We believe it is time for Miami University to take a stand on this subject. Otherwise, words such as "heritage" become hollow and lose their meaning.
An institution of higher learning is invested by the public trust to use superior intelligence and vision as guiding principles in search of the common good. Of course, it is difficult to assess to what degree community and environment affect the common good. At first thought, however, we all understand that the "health" of the single "community," which is Oxford and Miami University, naturally includes the health of the workers in the dining halls who raise their families here, as well as the health of the workers in the restaurants, bars, copy shops, book stores, etc. who call this place home.
Simultaneously, Miami loses its campus community when students are encouraged to move off campus and ride shuttles into town, and when "connector roads" are proposed to accommodate this extra traffic and lead to the destruction of the rural character and small-town atmosphere of Oxford. It would be interesting to take a poll among Miami students asking them to respond to the question of "the common good." Such a poll should ask the students to what degree the rural character of the university influenced their decision to come here.
It could also be argued that Miami has some responsibility for the death of Oxford's Mile Square-in terms of the loss of a true community because of family residents moving to the outskirts of town where they are unable to live in close proximity to work and schools. Many of these families moved in order to escape all-night parties, noise and the trash left behind on lawns. This exodus caused the city of Oxford to lose its tax base and community to lose its year-round heart.
Does Miami University, which was founded as a rural institution, have any interest in projecting its rural heritage into the 21st century and beyond? Or, does it aspire to have an urban environment, with students and faculty "commuting" to campus, thus moving away from its original identity? Maybe it is for the university to develop a clear policy on its relationship to the larger community with the city and township and to assist Oxford in all matters pertaining to community quality and growth management. In so doing, its credibility as a leader among similar institutions would increase. We believe it is time for Miami University to take a stand on this subject. Otherwise, words such as "heritage" become hollow and lose their meaning.
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