“For too long, the students who are primarily concerned with getting the best education possible … have not been represented in student government.”
That might sound like a campaign point from any of this year’s Student Senate candidates, but it’s a quote taken straight from Gov. John Kasich’s then-race for vice president of Ohio State’s Undergraduate Student Government in 1972, according to the school’s records.
Some politicians had first wanted to be elected into public office from the first moment they stepped into their college careers. Others wanted nothing of the sort.
“It was always a passion of mine to serve,” said Ohio Sen. Lou Gentile, who served for two years in West Virginia University’s student government. He now represents Ohio’s 30th Senate District, which includes parts of Athens County.
“For me, that was the most rewarding thing: constantly being out and about and being visible with the student body,” Gentile said.
For many like Jordan Ballinger, Ohio University’s Student Senate Governmental Affairs Commissioner, the potential to transition from mock-student government to real government is enticing.
“I think it is a very good setup for entering the political realm,” said Ballinger, who ran for president on the ONE ticket in the recent Student Senate election. “You really find out your leadership style.”
But Megan Marzec, Student Senate president-elect, feels otherwise, saying working in politics is “in no way my career plan.”
Marzec added that her tenure in office will be used to voice the concerns of students and marginalized groups against a system that often stacks the deck against them.
“As long as (lawmakers) are profiting from our student loan debt, they are our opponent,” Marzec said. “I will not be joining that.”
Gentile, a Democrat, said he attributes much of his early political experience to his time in student government.
“A lot of the same skill sets I developed as a student leader I use today as a state senator,” Gentile said. “First of all, you have to run an election where there’s 25,000 students. Certainly, that is not an easy task. You learn how to campaign; you learn how to interact with people.”
Though some may criticize student governments for being a breeding ground for career politicians, Ballinger, who said he does want to go into politics, has no problem with career politicians.
“Historically, lifetime politicians are the better politicians,” Ballinger said. “I think the problem is the state is term-limited and that doesn’t allow people to be lifetime politicians.”
Gentile, who before serving as senator worked as a field liaison for former Gov. Ted Strickland and as an assistant director in the governor’s office, said that the idea that student government breeds career politicians is “probably a myth.”
“I’ve had people before in my previous campaign say, at 34, I’m a career politician. I find that laughable,” Gentile said. “Anybody who is dedicated to improving their home community — they shouldn’t have to apologize for helping the people around (him or her).”
Though Gentile said only a few people who he served with on student government ended up going into public office, sometimes future politicians will duke it out on the quads long before the campaign trail. When Kasich ran for vice president of Ohio State’s student government in 1972, he and his party were defeated by Michael White, who would go on to be elected mayor of Cleveland in 1990 and serve until 2002.
Some leaders get their starts from student government, but one of those who got her start elsewhere is Ohio Rep. Debbie Phillips. Her first job in public service was working as the executive director of Ohio Fair Schools Campaign, which she did before serving on Athens City Council.
“A lot of my leadership experience before office was to encourage and empower people to get involved,” Phillips said. “One of the things that’s frustrating is people think government is something that is very far away from them. We are people; it is a very human process.”
During her time working for non-profits, she said she learned to gauge where local people stand on key issues, facilitate public discussion on such issues and handle administrative matters businesses often face.
“Any type of leadership position can push you into politics,” Ballinger said. “It’s not necessarily the position, it’s the person.”
Current OU Student Senate President Anna Morton said though she enjoys participating in the organization, she would “absolutely not” go into public office.
She said she does not consider her position on Student Senate a political one.
“In my opinion, being on senate has developed me to have a great work ethic, and that’s transferrable wherever you go,” Morton said.
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