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General Ohio University Discussion/Alumni Events Topic
Topic: Is It Real Or Is It The Onion: Miami of Ohio Edition
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OUPride
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Posted: 1/26/2020 9:29 AM
Miami University to build $4M indoor equestrian center

https://dayton247now.com/dayton-business-journal/miami-un...

Yet their howls of butthurt protest echo throughout the state the minute anyone ever accuses them of being a diversity-free, preppy finishing school.

The state should honestly just cut them loose (after they've paid the taxpayers back for all the land and buildings!). Let's see them put all their big talk about going private into action with a 500M endowment and 35M/year fundraising. The place would be a DeVry campus within a decade.
Andrew Ruck
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Posted: 1/28/2020 11:31 AM
I'm having a hard time understanding why this is upsetting to you or why the state should cut them off.
Andrew Ruck
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OUPride
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Posted: 1/28/2020 12:24 PM
Andrew Ruck wrote:expand_more
I'm having a hard time understanding why this is upsetting to you or why the state should cut them off.
Because, given the challenges facing the state system, I have a problem with one of its campuses building fancy equestrian riding facilities in some quest to pretend that it's some elite private college like Middlebury (when it's not even Denison) while at the same time they just fired 40 staff members due to budget cuts. Or the greater problem of how they've chosen to turn themselves into Chicago's safety school and scrour the Chicago suburbs looking for kids who couldn't get into Illinois or Wisconsin rather than just swallow their massive ego and just admit that they'll never compete with OSU for selectivity.

At the end of the day, they've shown over and over again that they think they're too good to and have no intention of being a part of Ohio's public university system. So let them go and attempt their fantasy, and I'll be happy to watch them fall flat on their precious little faces. Ohio will survive just fine without them.
Jerry86
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Posted: 1/28/2020 9:52 PM
OUPride wrote:expand_more
I'm having a hard time understanding why this is upsetting to you or why the state should cut them off.
Because, given the challenges facing the state system, I have a problem with one of its campuses building fancy equestrian riding facilities in some quest to pretend that it's some elite private college like Middlebury (when it's not even Denison) while at the same time they just fired 40 staff members due to budget cuts. Or the greater problem of how they've chosen to turn themselves into Chicago's safety school and scrour the Chicago suburbs looking for kids who couldn't get into Illinois or Wisconsin rather than just swallow their massive ego and just admit that they'll never compete with OSU for selectivity.

At the end of the day, they've shown over and over again that they think they're too good to and have no intention of being a part of Ohio's public university system. So let them go and attempt their fantasy, and I'll be happy to watch them fall flat on their precious little faces. Ohio will survive just fine without them.
WOW. You're kind of clueless.

I spent a year in Oxford prior to Athens. Your opinion/perspective on them isn't exactly accurate. But go on and on with your anger, might help your blood pressure.
Alan Swank
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Posted: 1/28/2020 10:05 PM
Andrew Ruck wrote:expand_more
I'm having a hard time understanding why this is upsetting to you or why the state should cut them off.
I'm with you Andrew. I've never understood the hate of Miami. As a rival, years ago, perhaps dislike, but hate. I just don't get it. It's almost like an inferiority complex with some posters on here.
Deciduous Forest Cat
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Posted: 1/28/2020 10:15 PM
Alan Swank wrote:expand_more
I'm having a hard time understanding why this is upsetting to you or why the state should cut them off.
I'm with you Andrew. I've never understood the hate of Miami. As a rival, years ago, perhaps dislike, but hate. I just don't get it. It's almost like an inferiority complex with some posters on here.
eyeroll emoji

Ok, boomer. ;) God forbid we pick on our rivals on a sports chat board.
Last Edited: 1/28/2020 10:16:04 PM by Deciduous Forest Cat
OhioCatFan
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Posted: 1/28/2020 10:40 PM
Alan Swank wrote:expand_more
I'm having a hard time understanding why this is upsetting to you or why the state should cut them off.
I'm with you Andrew. I've never understood the hate of Miami. As a rival, years ago, perhaps dislike, but hate. I just don't get it. It's almost like an inferiority complex with some posters on here.
Miami sucks!
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Andrew Ruck
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Posted: 1/29/2020 8:31 AM
Alan Swank wrote:expand_more
I'm having a hard time understanding why this is upsetting to you or why the state should cut them off.
I'm with you Andrew. I've never understood the hate of Miami. As a rival, years ago, perhaps dislike, but hate. I just don't get it. It's almost like an inferiority complex with some posters on here.
Oh no, I am totally OK with hating on Miami. But let's be fair about it. They're building a facility to support a presumably growing program...so what? Do we get angry just because it is a field that rich kids are more likely to get into?
Andrew Ruck
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OUPride
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Posted: 1/29/2020 8:50 AM
Andrew Ruck wrote:expand_more
I'm having a hard time understanding why this is upsetting to you or why the state should cut them off.
I'm with you Andrew. I've never understood the hate of Miami. As a rival, years ago, perhaps dislike, but hate. I just don't get it. It's almost like an inferiority complex with some posters on here.
Oh no, I am totally OK with hating on Miami. But let's be fair about it. They're building a facility to support a presumably growing program...so what? Do we get angry just because it is a field that rich kids are more likely to get into?
It's not so much anger as shaking my head at their misplaced priorities. If you're laying off dozens of staff, a fancy equestrian facility might not be the best use of funds.

And I think Miami has shown quite clearly that, while they were happy to be part of the system when their former President was running it and rigging everything in their favor, once they've had to compete on a level field (and this is primarily vis-a-vis OSU) that they want to take their ball and run away. Let them. That taxpayer money being sent to Oxford could go a long way to shoring up the schools in the system that are all-in and those thousands of Ohio students who would never pay private tuition for Miami would be welcomed at other public Ohio colleges that are facing enrollment challenges.
Last Edited: 1/29/2020 8:51:29 AM by OUPride
rpbobcat
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Posted: 1/29/2020 9:12 AM
I tried to pull up the full article from the Dayton Business Journal.
But you have to subscribe to read it.

Does anyone know if all or part of this facility is paying paid for
by outside donations ?
OUPride
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Posted: 1/29/2020 9:41 AM
rpbobcat wrote:expand_more
I tried to pull up the full article from the Dayton Business Journal.
But you have to subscribe to read it.

Does anyone know if all or part of this facility is paying paid for
by outside donations ?
According to their student paper, entirely by private donations, so I'll concede them that. Money is fungible though, and unless it's some single donor who zeroed in on an equestrian program, those donations are most likely being steered away from other areas of the university. That's still an instance of misplaced priorities not to mention a glaring example of the conceit with which the school views itself.

And as I pointed out above, a far more serious example of that conceit is their turning their back on the state to pursue more and more out of state students in a way that goes far beyond any consideration of regional diversity, the pure hubris of if they can't beat OSU inside Ohio then they'll take their ball and go elsewhere.

I may not like everything about OSU nor agree with everything they do, but I do believe that they are committed to the taxpayers and economic development of the state of Ohio and provide the state with a solid AAU research university. For the life of me, I fail to see any such commitment or benefit to the state from Miami, so I thinks it's fair to question whether continuing to support a university that clearly doesn't see itself as an Ohio public university is in the best interests of the state or its taxpayers and whether those funds could be better redirected elsewhere in the system.
BillyTheCat
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Posted: 1/29/2020 10:45 AM
OUPride wrote:expand_more
I tried to pull up the full article from the Dayton Business Journal.
But you have to subscribe to read it.

Does anyone know if all or part of this facility is paying paid for
by outside donations ?
According to their student paper, entirely by private donations, so I'll concede them that. Money is fungible though, and unless it's some single donor who zeroed in on an equestrian program, those donations are most likely being steered away from other areas of the university. That's still an instance of misplaced priorities not to mention a glaring example of the conceit with which the school views itself.

And as I pointed out above, a far more serious example of that conceit is their turning their back on the state to pursue more and more out of state students in a way that goes far beyond any consideration of regional diversity, the pure hubris of if they can't beat OSU inside Ohio then they'll take their ball and go elsewhere.

I may not like everything about OSU nor agree with everything they do, but I do believe that they are committed to the taxpayers and economic development of the state of Ohio and provide the state with a solid AAU research university. For the life of me, I fail to see any such commitment or benefit to the state from Miami, so I thinks it's fair to question whether continuing to support a university that clearly doesn't see itself as an Ohio public university is in the best interests of the state or its taxpayers and whether those funds could be better redirected elsewhere in the system.
Just curious if you have the same disdain for the IPF and the Academic center?
OUPride
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Posted: 1/29/2020 10:55 AM
BillyTheCat wrote:expand_more
I tried to pull up the full article from the Dayton Business Journal.
But you have to subscribe to read it.

Does anyone know if all or part of this facility is paying paid for
by outside donations ?
According to their student paper, entirely by private donations, so I'll concede them that. Money is fungible though, and unless it's some single donor who zeroed in on an equestrian program, those donations are most likely being steered away from other areas of the university. That's still an instance of misplaced priorities not to mention a glaring example of the conceit with which the school views itself.

And as I pointed out above, a far more serious example of that conceit is their turning their back on the state to pursue more and more out of state students in a way that goes far beyond any consideration of regional diversity, the pure hubris of if they can't beat OSU inside Ohio then they'll take their ball and go elsewhere.

I may not like everything about OSU nor agree with everything they do, but I do believe that they are committed to the taxpayers and economic development of the state of Ohio and provide the state with a solid AAU research university. For the life of me, I fail to see any such commitment or benefit to the state from Miami, so I thinks it's fair to question whether continuing to support a university that clearly doesn't see itself as an Ohio public university is in the best interests of the state or its taxpayers and whether those funds could be better redirected elsewhere in the system.
Just curious if you have the same disdain for the IPF and the Academic center?
I think both of those serve much broader university constituencies than an equestrian center. One can debate special academic facilities for athletes, but then again, helping those kids get through school and get their degree is a far more legit use of funds than a riding academy.

Honestly, I'm kinds of surprised at the level of defense for Miami over this. At a minimum, it's a reason to poke some fun at them, their institutional pompousness and attempts to view themselves as far more elite than they have any rational reason to do. On a deeper level, it does open up the issue of what kind of school they're trying to be and whether that fits in with the concept of a public university system and whether the taxpayers of Ohio should be subsidizing it.
Last Edited: 1/29/2020 10:56:57 AM by OUPride
rpbobcat
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Posted: 1/29/2020 11:24 AM
Let me start by saying I have no love for Fiami.

I don't know the area around Oxford.

I also don't know anything about how their existing outdoor facility is used.

But it does seem that,if there an an active equestrian community in that area,
having an indoor facility like Miami is building could also be a revenue
source.
OUPride
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Posted: 1/29/2020 11:45 AM
rpbobcat wrote:expand_more
Let me start by saying I have no love for Fiami.

I don't know the area around Oxford.

I also don't know anything about how their existing outdoor facility is used.

But it does seem that,if there an an active equestrian community in that area,
having an indoor facility like Miami is building could also be a revenue
source.
And that's a good point. If it were Ohio or Kent State, I could absolutely see that. However, everything in Miami's institutional history and character says they don't give a damn about the surrounding area and that "The Miamibrook Riding Academy For Affluent Girls From The Chicago Suburbs Who Never Outgrew Their Pony Phase" is all about branding themselves to affluent kids as some kind of socio-economic elite pseudo-private college.
Last Edited: 1/29/2020 11:46:08 AM by OUPride
BillyTheCat
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Posted: 1/29/2020 11:51 AM
rpbobcat wrote:expand_more
Let me start by saying I have no love for Fiami.

I don't know the area around Oxford.

I also don't know anything about how their existing outdoor facility is used.

But it does seem that,if there an an active equestrian community in that area,
having an indoor facility like Miami is building could also be a revenue
source.
This is a facility that will serve not only the University but the community, I fail to see what the issue is, and like you RPB, they will be renting space and time which will help support the academic and the club program.
OUPride
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Posted: 1/29/2020 11:56 AM
Agree to disagree, I guess. I respect your opinions and you're free to assume the best intentions on Miami's part. This, however, is the university that played Lucy to our Charlie Brown and yanked that football right out from under us in the 60s. I'll assume the worst intentions on their part, and their history tends to back me up.
Andrew Ruck
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Posted: 1/29/2020 1:38 PM
OUPride wrote:expand_more
I'm having a hard time understanding why this is upsetting to you or why the state should cut them off.
I'm with you Andrew. I've never understood the hate of Miami. As a rival, years ago, perhaps dislike, but hate. I just don't get it. It's almost like an inferiority complex with some posters on here.
Oh no, I am totally OK with hating on Miami. But let's be fair about it. They're building a facility to support a presumably growing program...so what? Do we get angry just because it is a field that rich kids are more likely to get into?
It's not so much anger as shaking my head at their misplaced priorities. If you're laying off dozens of staff, a fancy equestrian facility might not be the best use of funds.
I'm guessing those layoffs were in areas that are in the red for one reason or another such as declining interest. Whether it be business, government or academia...different departments are always going their own direction and commanding their own investment or divestment.
Andrew Ruck
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Bobcat Love's Sense of Shame
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Posted: 1/29/2020 4:44 PM
OUPride wrote:expand_more
Let me start by saying I have no love for Fiami.

I don't know the area around Oxford.

I also don't know anything about how their existing outdoor facility is used.

But it does seem that,if there an an active equestrian community in that area,
having an indoor facility like Miami is building could also be a revenue
source.
And that's a good point. If it were Ohio or Kent State, I could absolutely see that. However, everything in Miami's institutional history and character says they don't give a damn about the surrounding area and that "The Miamibrook Riding Academy For Affluent Girls From The Chicago Suburbs Who Never Outgrew Their Pony Phase" is all about branding themselves to affluent kids as some kind of socio-economic elite pseudo-private college.
I know Miami gets a lot of flack here for being so popular amongst Chicagoites, but isn't appealing to out of state students a wise strategy? Presumably they create more revenue that way, right?
rpbobcat
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Posted: 1/30/2020 8:53 AM
O.K.,I admit I'm a dinosaur.

Other then Centipede and Asteroids,I never played video games.

That being said,given all the comments about Miami's Indoor Equestrian Facility,today's The Post says O.U. will spending $650K to build an eSports
facility in Scripps Hall.

With all of the talk about O.U.'s budget crisis,seems like the money could be have been put to a better use.
Robert Fox
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Posted: 1/30/2020 9:09 AM
Come on, RP. Surely you played Pong!
bobcatsquared
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Posted: 1/30/2020 10:19 AM
rpbobcat wrote:expand_more
That being said,given all the comments about Miami's Indoor Equestrian Facility,today's The Post says O.U. will spending $650K to build an eSports facility in Scripps Hall.
My 13-yr old son has been wavering on following his dad, sister, multiple cousins and uncles and heading to Athens for college. I'm all for this new investment if it helps sway him in enrolling in Ohio University in a few years.
Last Edited: 1/30/2020 10:21:16 AM by bobcatsquared
rpbobcat
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Posted: 1/30/2020 11:11 AM
Robert Fox wrote:expand_more
Come on, RP. Surely you played Pong!
Yea,forgot about that.
Kevin Finnegan
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Posted: 1/30/2020 12:16 PM
While I too dislike Miami, I take umbrage to the insinuation that equestrian sports are not real sports. My wife was on the OU Equestrian team that went to nationals in the early 2000s and did really well (she would be upset that I don't recall how well). I played lots of sports growing up and still do. Nothing is scarier for me than getting atop on of her horses. There's no way she could ever get me to attempt those jumps, that's for certain.
Alan Swank
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Posted: 1/30/2020 12:33 PM
OUPride wrote:expand_more
Agree to disagree, I guess. I respect your opinions and you're free to assume the best intentions on Miami's part. This, however, is the university that played Lucy to our Charlie Brown and yanked that football right out from under us in the 60s. I'll assume the worst intentions on their part, and their history tends to back me up.
What evidence are you basing all of this vitriol and hatred on? OCF, no fair helping him out.
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