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Foundation boosts bantam football

On behalf of the Talawanda Bantam Football Association I would like to publicly thank the Oxford Community Foundation for it's financial support. The Oxford Community Foundation funded a $1,500 grant for TBFA to purchase a commercial refrigerator which was mandated by the Butler County Health Department for concession stand operation. The grant also assisted with purchase of a cheese warmer that will enhance concession sales.

The Talawanda Bantam Football Association is a non profit organization providing football and cheerleading opportunities to Talawanda School District youth in kindergarten through sixth grade. Concession stand sales generate a significant amount of revenue that support equipment purchases and operational expenses for TBFA, without the support of the Oxford Community Foundation this revenue would have suffered a major setback.

The Oxford Community Foundation is a wonderful new partner to TBFA for the 2008 season and we are incredibly grateful for their financial support.

Kelly Hubbard

Fundraising Coordinator

Talawanda Bantam Football Association

Young readers get summer Jump Start

Talawanda's Jump Start summer reading program is done for another summer. This year, our nine teachers provided reading and vocabulary intervention to 57 students grades kindergarten through two. To our staff, Jump Start is a laboratory, meaningful tutoring and great fun, and well worth the hours of preparation and summer mornings we give the program.

On behalf of the children and staff, I would like to thank the following individuals and organizations who made this summer's program possible:

The Talawanda School District for providing space and financial support for the program.

Paul Coffman and Denise Stewart, Kramer custodians, for their assistance Jump Start week.

Bogan, Kramer and Marshall PTG's, the Oxford Kiwanis, and the Oxford Family Resource Center for scholarship and materials support.

Frances Yates and the Miami's First Book organization for the purchase and bundling of the new books given to each participant; Allyson Schwartz, Kristine Reid, and the entire Buck Rodgers Business Leadership Program at Miami for the most generous donation of folders, personalized pencil boxes, and other office supplies used to run the program; and Dr. Terri Feldman Barr of Miami's Marketing Department who, time and again, provides Talawanda a behind the scenes link to support for at risk students.

The presenters who made the week most memorable for our students: John Clover, Doug Ross, Therese Hammons and Linda Bucher, for bringing by their vintage and new cars; Tari Tharp, for sharing her gift of storytelling; Chad Smith and friends from the Hueston Woods Nature Center; Sgt. Squance and the Oxford Police Department for allowing its canine unit, motorcycle and cyclist patrol and emergency vehicle unit to spend a morning at Kramer; and Bob Seeger, of the Butler County Sheriff's Department's mounted patrol.

Thanks, everyone and see you next year.

Mary Beth Bergeron

Talawanda School District

Individuals part of campus safety, too

With the beginning of a new academic year we feel it wise to remind students and families not only to be academically prepared, but to be aware of safety measures they can take and safety measures the university has in place.

In the wake of the tragedies at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois Universities, colleges and universities across the country have taken additional measures to prevent crime and ensure that they can respond quickly and effectively in the event it occurs. Research by the Midwestern Higher Education Compact reveals that 87 percent of the colleges and universities responding to its survey conducted comprehensive reviews of campus safety in the year following the terrible events at Virginia Tech, and that nearly 90 percent of these schools made changes to procedures or security systems.

The events highlighted the need for colleges and universities to improve systems to recognize, report and respond to disturbing or potentially threatening behavior; to notify the campus community quickly and effectively in the event of an emergency; to clarify institutional responsibilities and family rights under federal and state privacy laws; and to establish "care teams" of campus administrators to share concerns, address potential threats, and provide appropriate support to students with special needs.

We have taken such measures at Miami, including implementing an Emergency Text Message System and creating a multi-tiered emergency procedures brochure for employees, to be distributed in September.

At the same time, students must also take responsibility for reducing their chances of falling victim to a crime. This can be done in such ways as not walking alone at night or in unfamiliar surroundings, by locking the door to your apartment or residence hall room every time you leave and when you go to bed and by not allowing alcohol or other drugs to impair your ability to think clearly and make wise decisions. More crime prevention tips are on the university's police Web site, at www.muohio.edu/police/. In the left column, click on Campus Safety and General Information.

While no one can guarantee safety, colleges and universities strive to make their campuses as safe as possible, and students must also take measures to promote personal safety. Working together can reduce the incidence of crime on and near campus and enable the business of teaching and learning to flourish.

John McCandless

Miami University Chief of Police

'Lawn mowers' get no respect

I was very sad to hear that a co-worker's daughter was unable to use her mother's faculty/staff Miami University ID in order to receive the 10 percent discount afforded to Miami University faculty/staff and their dependents at DuBois Bookstore. The fact that she wasn't able to receive the discount wasn't nearly as upsetting as the reason why. The worker at DuBois asked if her mother was a professor and told her the discount was only for professors. She told them she had been allowed to do it before, but they told her that must have been a mistake. When her mother called the next morning, she asked why her daughter hadn't been allowed to use the discount. They asked her what her position was. She told them she didn't understand why that mattered. They told her they didn't give the discount to "lawn mowers." Excuse me. "Lawn mowers?"

She asked to speak to the supervisor directly, but was told that they were too busy to talk to her. Nice. Respect is a good thing. Unfortunately, that does not seem to be a practice offered at DuBois. What a sad day this is. I'm afraid that if you don't understand how wrong this attitude is, there probably isn't anything I could say to change your mind.

Miami is a beautiful campus, drawing students from around the world. I'd like to extend a big thank you to the grounds crew. You ARE appreciated.

Betty Kindoll

Oxford

District living 'within its means'

Since becoming a school board member, I have been impressed with how our district has found ways to cut operating costs without sacrificing safety, upkeep of the facilities or quality of education. The district has "lived within its means" by not having to ask taxpayers for operating funds since 2004, and budget projections forecast that the district will remain financially-sound until 2012.

However, to compensate for the lack of attention to the facilities during the 1990s, we are forced to contend with schools that have safety issues (no fire suppression, no secure building access and limited handicap accessibility), curricular issues (inability to introduce new technology and lack of science facilities), and extremely high operating costs. All school boards since 2000 have come to the conclusion that a new high school is needed in our district.

After obtaining input from community members, the current Board considered many ways to address our facilities needs, including renovations, new construction, or a combination of the two, while trying to keep tax increases as low as reasonably possible. Considering the tough economic times and the urgent needs of our children, the board asks the taxpayers to support the one part of our facilities master plan that will affect the most students and have the biggest positive impact on our community (building a new high school).

Everyone agrees that we do not like to pay taxes and that the state does not contribute enough financially for the education of our children. However, it is clear that our voting "no" on bond issues and tax levies is not compelling the state to change its school funding model. Furthermore, we, as a community, have put off dealing with our outdated and inadequate facilities for too long. The most important consequence of voting "no" is that another group of Talawanda children will be educated in outdated, unsafe and uncomfortable schools.

Please carefully consider the November bond issue and whether a new high school is in the best interests of our children and our entire community.

Mike Crowder

Oxford

Environment change momentum building

The following letter was received from The Sierra Club and is being sent to The Oxford Press as a matter of public interest.

When an oilman and environmentalists agree — you know the momentum for real change is building.

Yet that is just what is happening. In Denver, Texas oil billionaire T. Boone Pickens and Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope talked about the Pickens Plan, which calls for huge increases in investment and production of wind power and using American natural gas as a transition.

Americans should take notice — while more drilling for oil might enrich big oil companies trying to wring every drop out of oil profits before the inevitable, the real economic opportunity lies not with the failed ideas of the past but with real investment in the transition to a clean energy economy.

T. Boone Pickens and Carl Pope realize this, now it's time we all follow that path.

The Sierra Club

submitted by Jerome Stanley

Oxford

New school needed in face of changes

I am a proud graduate of Taft High School, Hamilton, and a parent of a student at Talawanda High School. At Taft we didn't have air conditioning, access for the disabled, high tech electronics or science labs that would meet today's standards. And yet I turned out all right. Of course, I graduated 32 years ago.

Just think how the world has changed. We're asking more of schools than ever before. You might argue that a building should last longer than Talawanda High School.

But the folks who designed and built that school could not have dreamed that teachers and students would have endure for such a long time overcrowded classrooms, classes in trailers, a leaking roof, poor ventilation, no handicapped accessibility, out-of-date technology and inadequate security and fire suppression systems.

We have an old building that was fine for us, but can't possibly prepare our kids for the future they have awaiting them. Just look at what our school board, administrators, faculty, staff, students and community have accomplished in this tired, old building. Who would have guessed a few years ago that we'd be rated an Excellent school?

We all face tough economic times and high gas prices. But we all have to make tough choices. We can't wait for times to change before we make an investment in their lives and in our community's future. Count on it: A new high school will make a dramatic change in our community.  

Have you gone by Taft High School lately? Things have changed. I am going to vote for all of our kids. I am going to vote for a new high school.

Sam D. Fitton

Oxford

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