Funeral for Cook Field held, students protest Board of Trustees

Several fake gravestones naming removed arts and humanities majors lined the edges of Cook Field as students, faculty and community members gathered to protest the Board of Trustees’ decision to develop a new basketball arena in its place despite wide student and faculty opposition.

The event was hosted by Miami University’s chapter of the Ohio Student Association (OSA), Miami’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, the Miami Democrats and the Faculty Alliance of Miami (FAM). The funeral was part of a larger movement by the OSA to advocate for affordability and against authoritarianism in education.

Miami students and faculty took turns speaking about the loss of Cook Field and their other grievances with Miami’s administration.

First-year cybersecurity major Caleb Litman, Miami’s OSA outreach coordinator, was the first to speak. Litman talked about the importance of having an easily accessible green space to exercise and how students should voice their opposition to decisions they disagree with.

“If [the Board of Trustees] can’t listen to us about our green space, about our field, how can we expect them to listen to us about some greater issues that we face,” Litman said. “This is why we must organize, why we must unite … we must band together so that we can become a voice so loud they can’t ignore us any longer.”

The arena district will also negatively infect the environment, said Michelle Baker, president of Miami’s Audubon Society. She spoke about how the arena district will threaten both local and migratory bird species. Baker said the stadium’s windows will act as a trap for birds and will contribute to the one billion bird deaths caused by windows in the United States every year. The use of impermeable concrete will increase toxic runoff harming fish and amphibians in Four Mile Creek, which is located near campus. Baker has recently created the Coalition to Represent Oxford Wildlife to seek student involvement in the design of the arena project.

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The event also focused on paying Miami faculty members and librarians higher wages and banning U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents from operating on campus.

Theresa Kulbaga, president of FAM, spoke about FAM’s goals of reducing professor courseloads and increasing faculty salaries. She said faculty and librarian wages haven't kept pace with the cost of living. FAM is fighting for a 15% increase in salaries over the next three years.

Kulbaga criticized President Crawford and the Board of Trustees, calling them “misguided” and “incompetent.” She said the removal of arts and humanities programs and the construction of the new arena prioritizes trustees’ wealth over students.

“Unfortunately, Miami’s administration is more interested in making deals with corporate partners, outside consultants and banks than serving its own students,” Kulbaga said.

Jax Male is a sophomore anthropology major who attended the funeral. He said he lived in Dorsey Hall during his first year at Miami and enjoyed seeing other students use Cook Field to exercise and spend time with friends.

“It’s really gonna suck to have that go just because they want, like, a basketball arena or an entertainment center … I don’t think it will be as popular as they think it’s going to be,” Male said.

The funeral ended with a march from Cook Field to Roudebush Hall.

pfennikp@miamioh.edu