When the Bridge Ohio members submitted their candidacy for Ohio University’s 2018-19 Student Senate, they wanted to win, but they weren’t expecting to do so automatically.
The ticket’s presidential candidate, Maddie Sloat, said she was disappointed that more students weren’t running for Student Senate because she felt as if it would have allowed for more ideas to be heard and the candidates to become stronger.
“We were looking forward to having challengers, and we are all better when our ideas are being challenged,” Sloat, the current East Green senator, said. “We are having to debate and have those difficult dialogues and exchange ideas.”
The lack of competition doesn’t mean the ticket has stopped trying to gain the votes of students, though. Sloat said Bridge Ohio wants to bring change to students and has a different platform than tickets in the past.
The ticket is running with the major goal of “bridging the gap” between students and university officials. Sloat, a junior studying political communication, said she thinks student needs aren’t always effectively communicated to administrators. She said the interim “Freedom of Expression” policy, mental health resources and sexual assault are all issues students care deeply about.
“I think there are two separate dialogues that are happening, and that is frustrating for a student because we are all here for students and student engagement,” Sloat said. “We are trying to invest in students here.”
Sloat stressed that about half the ticket’s candidates have not served on Student Senate before, which she believes gives the ticket a fresh perspective because all members helped create the ticket’s platform points.
“I think there are a ton of ideas that are being brought that are not institutional either,” she said. “They are ones that are from students and from all different backgrounds all different political ideology that are bringing up conversations that aren’t necessarily being had in senate.”
Bridge Ohio has several specific platform points from sustainability to sexual misconduct prevention to shared governance. Hannah Burke, Bridge Ohio’s vice presidential candidate who is a junior studying political science, said she hopes to divide and conquer when it comes to accomplishing the ticket’s platform points.
“Senate is comprised of 13 commissions, and that’s really where a lot of that work gets done,” Burke, a member of The Post Publishing Board, said. “Separating out our platform by who is tasked with that responsibility and who is gonna make it happen, and start helping them figure that out.”
Burke is also the current women’s affairs commissioner.
Lydia Ramlo, the treasurer candidate who is a junior studying civil engineering and environmental studies, said one of her favorite platform points is increasing visibility and transparency with other student organizations. Student Senate should be a resource for all students, she said.
“That is basically the basis of our platform as of right now, and seeing how that can change and be approachable,” Ramlo, the current environmental affairs commissioner, said. “We should be more approachable.”
Despite the lack of competition, the three executive candidates hope all students cast a vote April 3. Voting takes place from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“When more students are voting it gives us and senate a little more validity,” Burke said. “It definitely helps us when we are trying to represent the students.”
Zoe Stitzer contributed to this report.
Correction: A previous version of the photo caption misstated when the executive debate took place. The caption has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
