OC
to Close Community Affairs Office
By
Ariana Cohen-Halberstam
In December, when Assistant to the President for
Community Affairs Daniel Gardner leaves Oberlin College, the office
will close its doors. Gardner’s position, which was created
in 2000, was central in strengthening the town-gown relationship.
The collaboration that Gardner helped create was instituted as “The
Oberlin Partnership.”
At the time of its establishment, the Oberlin community was in turmoil
– there were fires in a number of houses, the Ohio school
board declared that Oberlin public schools were in an ‘academic
emergency,’ the Oberlin Medical Center was on the verge of
shutting down, and the Bayer plant was on its way out (which resulted
in many people losing their jobs).
Oberlin College understood that it was necessary to use its available
resources and to take action.
“Oberlin College has come to a deeper awareness that Oberlin
the town and Oberlin the college are inextricably bound together.
Not only do we value positive town-gown relationships but we also
realize that ours is a symbiotic relationship, a relationship of
mutual dependence.
In a nutshell, as goes the community, so goes the College,”
Gardner said in April 2000.
What has followed since is a significant alliance. Gardner has helped
implement many influential programs in which the College assisted
in bettering education, economic development, housing and recreation
for Oberlin community members.
Being that Oberlin’s public schools live under the shadow
of the College, it was astounding that they should be in a state
of despair.
Thus, a team of Oberlin College staff, including Gardner and Diana
Roose, created a formal partnership with Oberlin schools.
Now, there are focus groups, or “Listening Sessions,”
in which the College, school officials and community members get
together to discuss issues prevalent to the Oberlin school board.
The Oberlin Partnership set up full tuition scholarships for graduates
of Oberlin High School. Twenty-seven students out of Oberlin High
School’s graduating class of 85 students applied to Oberlin
College last year, and six of those students enrolled this past
fall. This program and the steady improvement within the public
school system have made Oberlin College “a real possibility”
for Oberlin High School students, according to Gardner.
This program is reciprocal. It “effects Oberlin school students
and benefits the College to have Oberlin students attending,”
Jeff Cummings, Director of the Main Street Program, said. This program
in itself helps to strengthen the rapport between the College and
the city.
Gardner also helped in getting the Ohio Main Street Program started
in Oberlin.
Oberlin was named as one of three important supporters of this program.
This brought a lot of media attention to Oberlin and also affirmed
the fruition of the Office of Community Affairs’ labors.
The effort to improve the city of Oberlin has also been translated
into trying to develop business downtown.
In fact, Gardner worked steadfastly with the Main Street Program
in drafting a grant for $400,000 from the state of Ohio.
Splash Zone, a new amusement park in Oberlin opened on Memorial
Day weekend of last year. Oberlin College helped fund Splash Zone
because it felt that Splash Zone would be profitable for the Oberlin
community.
Projects like this were not possible before the College had an office
for community outreach. “Before, it was very ad hoc,”
Gardner said. Oberlin community members now have a college representative
with whom they can discuss issues of concern.
“We can’t just approach Nancy Dye. To have Dan be the
middle person has definitely helped,” Cummings said.
While the College’s history in Oberlin community affairs goes
in waves, the past two years have created some reassured stability.
“Dan was kind of a tidal wave…[he] raised the level
of commitment from the college,” Cummings added.
Yet, what is to happen once Gardner leaves is still uncertain. Although
the College seems altogether confident that its previous efforts
will be continued, Gardner’s position is definitely not going
to be filled in the immediate future.
Gardner has sat down to discuss what he sees for the future of Oberlin
College’s relationship with the town. He has thus left the
blueprints for his successor to follow.
Gardner is excited for the collaboration between the community and
multiple Oberlin staff and student members continue.
The decision to leave was “a difficult decision
to have made,” Gardner says. Yet, he began “realizing
that this work was never going to be entirely done” and that
in fact, it is a “lifelong endeavor, and not the lifelong
endeavor [I] personally imagined for [myself].”
Gardner is confident that during his time here
he has helped “put the structure in place” and that
the “process of building trust with the community” will
continue.
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