2008 Woodie Awards
ASG supports Talawanda Together initiative for new buildings
Dave Matthews
Issue date: 10/30/07 Section: Campus
One university administrator said Item 16 in the upcoming city election Nov. 6 might be the most important issue to be voted on in Talawanda School District history.
Tuesday night, Associated Student Government (ASG) unanimously approved a resolution to endorse the Talawanda Together Campaign-a campaign that hopes to build a new high school and middle school for students in the Talawanda School District.
The improved school buildings would impact not only Oxford residents, but Miami University students as well, said James Cherney, assistant professor of communication and activist for Talawanda Together, to ASG. Cherney said that since 1994 there has been a steady drop in the number of Miami professors living in Oxford, saying he knows several colleagues who have left Oxford because of the state of the 50-year-old
Talawanda facilities.
"The health of Miami and the health of the Talawanda School District are very similar," he said. "This has been a problem for quite some time."
Cherney said that the current buildings, serving Ohio's largest school district (in terms of physical area) lack modern fire sprinklers, only re-circulate the air one-twelfth of what is state-standard and have only has one functional science lab, which can only use two Bunsen burners at the same time.
"That's not hands-on science education," he said.
Item 16 calls for the construction of a new high school and middle school complex on U.S. Route 27 across from the College Suite apartments. The proposal would cost $65 million, with $18 million coming from the state of Ohio.
However, if the bill does not pass this November, the state funding, as well as the land being offered to the Talawanda Together campaign, may disappear.
"Leo Erik is getting older, and he's holding (the land) for us until (Nov. 7)," Cherney said. "And construction costs go up 6 percent every year … now is the time to pass this."
Erik is an Oxford citizen and Miami employee who currently owns the property where the campaign hopes the new facilities will be built.
Tuesday night, Associated Student Government (ASG) unanimously approved a resolution to endorse the Talawanda Together Campaign-a campaign that hopes to build a new high school and middle school for students in the Talawanda School District.
The improved school buildings would impact not only Oxford residents, but Miami University students as well, said James Cherney, assistant professor of communication and activist for Talawanda Together, to ASG. Cherney said that since 1994 there has been a steady drop in the number of Miami professors living in Oxford, saying he knows several colleagues who have left Oxford because of the state of the 50-year-old
Talawanda facilities.
"The health of Miami and the health of the Talawanda School District are very similar," he said. "This has been a problem for quite some time."
Cherney said that the current buildings, serving Ohio's largest school district (in terms of physical area) lack modern fire sprinklers, only re-circulate the air one-twelfth of what is state-standard and have only has one functional science lab, which can only use two Bunsen burners at the same time.
"That's not hands-on science education," he said.
Item 16 calls for the construction of a new high school and middle school complex on U.S. Route 27 across from the College Suite apartments. The proposal would cost $65 million, with $18 million coming from the state of Ohio.
However, if the bill does not pass this November, the state funding, as well as the land being offered to the Talawanda Together campaign, may disappear.
"Leo Erik is getting older, and he's holding (the land) for us until (Nov. 7)," Cherney said. "And construction costs go up 6 percent every year … now is the time to pass this."
Erik is an Oxford citizen and Miami employee who currently owns the property where the campaign hopes the new facilities will be built.
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