This letter is a response to a Post Streetview question from March 27.
Fellow Bobcats,
We would like to address the concerns of the students interviewed in a previous article published by The Post, “Which issues would you like to see the Student Senate candidates focus on in their campaigns?” These are valid concerns many students all over campus have, and ONE is addressing many of these issues already. Our revolutionary Five Tier platform has an entire section dedicated to making the senate body relevant again. One of those ways, pushing to use your Bobcat Cash Uptown. This step would lay the foundation in allowing meal plans to be used Uptown. Through research of peer institutions and other universities, we can begin implementing this program to allow students more options with their meal plans.
Boyd Dining Hall renovation is currently in the infancy stage. Many of the ONE candidates serve on the Culinary Services Development Committee (CSDC), which has direct say in how Boyd will look in the future. ONE will bring this vital information to the students and allow them to have a say in how their future dining hall will look. How will we bring all voices to the table? A campuswide survey and open forums where the plans for the renovation will be explained. Once all the information is compiled we will take the results to the administration of Culinary Services and show them what students want on their campus.
Parking has been a huge problem on this campus. ONE’s presidential and vice presidential candidates have worked with Parking Services in the past, and they will continue to hold them accountable when students are treated unfairly. Currently, students are being towed and fined for unfair reasons. ONE will work with Parking Services to reform its policies as well as work with legislators in the Statehouse on House Bill 382, which addresses predatory towing not only here in Athens, but in all of Ohio. Students deserve to have their voices heard, and we will make them heard loud and clear. Further, we will push for real and measurable change on all the issues we discuss. Student input is the most valuable input we, as a campaign running for senate, could have. We are talking to students every day asking what their major concerns are and how we, as ONE, can go about addressing those concerns. We are currently working with students all over campus to make additions to and edit our platform to make it more student-centered. An example is our work with the ‘social host’ ordinance proposed in Athens. We are taking steps to combat this, because it is unfair and harmful to students. We want to focus on what is important to our fellow Bobcats; that is what we have done, that is what we are doing, and that is what will continue to do. Students are the ones who drive senate and, most importantly, the ones who drive this university forward. ONE has and will continue to make sure your voices are always heard at Ohio University.
Jordan Ballinger is the presidential candidate for ONE, Alex George is the vice presidential candidate for ONE, and Carter Phillips is the treasurer candidate for ONE.
