Area Residents Attend 100 Ideas Initiative On Mcalester Campus
(Press Release 03-16-07)
Hank Mooney, Office of Public Information

“It’s about time OHLAP recipients quit freeloading on Oklahoma taxpayers,” Eastern Oklahoma State College Student Senate President Justin Kennedy suggested to the more than 75 area citizens from five counties that gathered Friday afternoon (3-17-07) for the House Speaker’s 100 Ideas initiative at Eastern’s McAlester campus.

Talihina sophomore Kennedy presented three ideas from his group including comments on freeloading students attending college but not required by OHLAP rules to maintain any particular grade point average after receiving the paid tuition from the state.

High school students apply for OHLAP scholarship assistance and are required to maintain a 2.5 grade point average to qualify but are not required to maintain any specific grade point average to continue the state tuition funding while at college.

“They can be flunking out of all their classes and not have to worry about loosing the state funds,” he said.

“It’s just not right.”

Kennedy’s suggestion was one of more than 25 ideas that came from the group discussions as part of the initiative.

Others included area recycling centers for all things not just pop cans, commercialized air travel to and from McAlester airport, crop irrigation from the Red River in southern Oklahoma, rural water coops to distribute water that could be made available in southeast Oklahoma to other areas with limited water supply just as electric coops distribute electricity and others.

More than 300 ideas have surfaced across the state in other community meetings with organizers planning additional meetings.

The public forums are patterned after a Florida program to raise ideas. The initiative was launched in January by the nonprofit 100 Ideas organization to give average Oklahomans a voice in public policy development.

House Speaker Lance Cargill’s campaign is a public think tank designed to address problems faced by Oklahoma in its centennial year and transition smoothly into the state’s second century.

Cargill said a number of great ideas are surfacing.

“Many times,” he said, “what we talk about at the capitol are not the things the people talk about.”

Oklahoma House Speaker Lance Cargill visits with Eastern Oklahoma State College student Justin Kennedy during the 100 ideas initiative hosted on the McAlester branch campus.

Eastern President Dr. Richard Bernard and Oklahoma House Speaker Lance Cargill visit with several Eastern Oklahoma State College students during the 100 ideas initiative hosted on the McAlester branch campus.

Area residents watched a short video presentation during the 100 ideas initiative hosted by Eastern Oklahoma State College on the McAlester branch campus.