New solar proposal provides opportunity for New Concord

Tell me, should it be about the big picture or the small picture? When it boils down to it, is there really a right answer?

Muskingum University has drafted a proposal for a step towards green in erecting a solar field and carport that will account for 20 percent of energy usage. In light of this proposal, many New Concord residents find themselves struggling to decide where they stand—big or small?

Concerns have been raised regarding the impact of such hideous fixtures on New Concord's character.

Some residents feel bombarded with the speed of which plans were drafted and the seeming inevitability of this unofficial proposal.

Perhaps the greatest unease for students, alumni and residents alike lies in the painful threat to the Donna Newberry Softball Field, still strongly linked to a renowned woman.

The issue at hand is more large-scale than the simple act of adding a green identity to the small village of New Concord.

It demands answers to powerful questions.

What is most important, the collective good or the interests of individuals?

How do you balance the needs of a university and the community that surrounds it?

How much trust do you place in the government and officials you've taken part in electing?

Muskingum University is asking for change. New Concord residents are torn.

Many fear the speed of the proposal, and feel powerless with their qualms. Others believe in solar energy and the idea of "going green," but do not want this innovation to take place in their own backyard. Some call into question the zoning legislation and the "interpret it as we go" mentality with which it is approached.

As it stands, I see a great opportunity for this community and this university. Many are quick to draw opposing sides and make this a university vs. community issue, but with patience and open-mindedness, a compromise that benefits both parties can be reached.

To address those opposed, take a step back from how it will directly impact your life and look at the opportunities it could supply.

The concept of "going green" is a good one, and a great deal of you agree with it in theory. But let me pose a question—if you aren't willing to accept the things you believe in, what's the good of believing in them?

To believe, I should certainly imagine, you must be an activist for such a cause. This issue is no Civil Rights, surely, but look to Martin Luther King Jr. who not only believed, but paved the way for change.

This is your opportunity to further the things you believe in, but you don't want to further such a thing so close to home. Is that really believing?

And for those all gung-ho about the process, take a step back and look at your region.

This is a small village, and whether in the best interest or not—it is reluctant to change.

Residents aren't going to trust something that is thrown at them so hastily and unexpectedly as this proposal has been.

There are still great emotions regarding the softball field, and moving it is a great issue for many affected individuals.

If you are willing to work with residents, students, alumni, and the like in finding a solution that all can feel good about, you are more likely to succeed in your endeavor and create an opportunity not to harm the character of New Concord with an eyesore, but to enhance the character through the collaboration and compromise of its members.

This proposal is plagued with questions and uncertainty, and charged with strong emotions that have yet been sufficiently addressed.