Oxford Community Foundation Supports Revival Of Local Newspaper

BY MOLLY NICHOLAS
Miami University journalism student

The Oxford Community Foundation is among the supporters of efforts to revive the Oxford Press newspaper.

Executive Director Leah Flynn said the foundation is playing a “supportive role” in the process. “The loss of a dedicated Oxford-area newspaper has been a great concern to many community members,” she said.

The foundation started a fund to support the Oxford Press revival after it was approached by community members, Flynn said.

“The purpose of this fund will be to provide scholarships to Miami students serving as reporters for the newspaper, as well as offset some of the publishing costs that may occur,” she said.

Among the key proponents of a new Oxford Press is Richard Campbell, chair of the Miami University Department of Media, Journalism & Film.

Meeting with Cox

In early December, Campbell met with editors at Dayton Daily News to discuss options. Cox Media Group Ohio owns and operates the Dayton Daily News; and the Journal-News, which mostly covers Hamilton and Middletown. Cox stopped printing a free-standing Oxford Press about two years ago, moving to a four-page Oxford Press insert in its Sunday edition of the Journal-News.

Although plans are still pretty tentative, Campbell believes there is support to bring back the Oxford Press.

“I think there’s general agreement that we are going to increase the size of the paper, but whether that will be a paper or online product is still up in the air,” Campbell said.

Cox Media Group executives will come up with several options for Campbell and other supporters to consider by January, according to Campbell. Supporters also hope to partner with Miami's MJF to create opportunities for students, he said.

Limited local news

The Oxford Press, which dates back to 1932, had been a weekly paper covering local news.

“When I came here 13 years ago, the Oxford Press had an editor. It had two full-time reporters, and it came out every Friday,” Campbell said. “It was eight to 12 pages in length and they did a good job of covering school issues, city hall issues, local government issues. There’s not much of that going on right now, some, but not very much.”

Now, residents must subscribe to the Journal News for a snippet of what’s happening in their community, or look to other sources to find Oxford news.

“Right now, they’re left with Patch [this site], which a lot of community folks don’t have. A lot of them are older, they’re retired, they’re not on social media,” Campbell said. “I think there’s still room for a weekly printed newspaper.”

Communities need news, according to Campbell. “You could say a lot of communities are often as good as their journalism is because journalism is how people find out about what’s going on in the community.”

Oxford businesses need a place to advertise, as well, he noted, with the current Oxford Press insert running just two to three ads a week.

The Oxford Community Foundation, meanwhile, expects to move on its Oxford Press fund agreement by the end of the year.

Grants at $308,000

The foundation, located in Uptown Oxford at 22 E. High St., expects to have awarded grants and scholarships totaling $308,000 this year. That compares to $167,741 in fiscal 2016, $147,485 in 2015 and $189,498 in 2014, according to the foundation's Form 990s.

Flynn, who took the job of executive director in April 2016, said the foundation has eight focus areas based on the current needs of the community -- education, health services, recreation, civic projects, social welfare, arts and culture, environmental and beautification.

“The needs of the community are always evolving, so our goal and our objective is to meet those needs and keep moving forward so that we’re able to meet the needs that come up,” she said. “As they evolve, we evolve too.”

Examples of funds that fall under these focus areas are scholarships for graduating seniors, the Knolls of Oxford Transportation Van, Oxford Parks and Recreation programs, Oxford Area Trails System, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Butler County, Summer Music Series, Three Valley Conservation Trust and the Oxford Community Arts Center.

Helping education

One of the biggest focus areas is education, given the dominance of Miami as well as the Talawanda School District, with five schools.

Holli Morrish, director of communications and public relations for Talawanda School District, frequently writes requests for grants from the foundation for TSD.

“If we have a program that comes up or we have a funding shortfall or there’s something really cool we want to do, I think this is one of the first places that we start thinking of in order to seek some additional funds,” Morrish said.

One example: She submits a grant request every year to send students in need on an annual eighth-grade class trip to Washington, D.C. The foundation support allows students to join in on this “unbelievable experience,” Morrish said.

Another grant that helped Talawanda School District supported iPads for use in collaboration with Smart Boards in school. This helped students complete math projects and equations through the Smart Board on their own iPad. Talawanda is a 1:1 district now where every kid has a device.

“Kids get so excited about technology, and back in those days we didn’t have a lot of it,” Morrish said. “The Community Foundation stepped up to the plate to help us fund those devices.”

51 percent satisfied

Although the foundation helps many people through its grants, it only had the funds to fulfill 51 percent of funds requested this year. Only 45 percent were completely funded, while 8 percent were unfunded entirely. Others were only partially funded, according to the foundation’s fall newsletter.

“There is yet to be a year where the requests have not surpassed the amount that we have available,” Flynn said. “That’s one reason we are continually asking for support of the community because the need continues to grow, and we need support to be able to meet it.”

The foundation has five grant cycles that run September through May. According to Flynn, they average about 10 applications per cycle, but some cycles are heavier than others.

'Permanent solution'

The foundation is overseen by a board of directors, along with committees made up of both board and community members. The grants committee’s specific role is to review all applications that come in and determine whether they meet the foundation’s guidelines and align with their mission, according to Flynn. Based on the funding available, they decide how much they fund per request.

“You can look at our (Form) 990 and see our endowment amount and see this large number, but that’s not what we have access to on an annual basis,” Flynn said, referencing the tax document required of all non-profit groups. “We want that to continue to grow because that means that we’re able to then have more based on earnings and interest that we can then give out."

The foundation's finance and investment committee plays a role in deciding what percentage of funds to distribute each year.

“This is really here to be a permanent solution, to be a permanent opportunity of support,” Flynn said. “The more that the community donates to the foundation, the larger we’re able to grow, and then the more we’re able to give.”

As the community’s desire for a local newspaper grows, the foundation will continue its efforts to make that possible, she added.

Photos: The Oxford Community Foundation is back in its original location with the support of the Sigma Chi Foundation. Foundation Executive Director Leah Flynn began her leadership during the 20th anniversary of the foundation. -- Photos by Molly Nicholas