Editorial: As president of Student Senate, Megan Marzec must learn to separate her personal views from those representing the student body as a whole.
Like many other Ohio University students, Student Senate President Megan Marzec was recently nominated for the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.
Unlike many of her peers, however, Marzec forwent a chilled water dousing to raise money for the disease, instead opting to pour a bucket of “blood” over her head to raise awareness for a different cause.
“As Student Senate president, I’m sending a message of student concern of the genocide in Gaza and the occupation of Palestine by the Israeli state,” she said in the video.
She then continued to suggest that OU should end its relationship with Israeli academic programs and businesses. Student experiences while studying abroad in Israel are the topic of today’s Post Modern, mind you.
It’s not our place to comment on Marzec’s personal opinions or values, but we do take issue with the way she chose to express them.
Although some students may agree with Marzec’s opinion about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, by using her position as senate president as a platform to express them — or by thinking that the student body is on board with her opinion — she did not effectively act on behalf of students. Rather, she acted out of her own self-interest.
There is a time and place for student activism, as Marzec has shown by leading meaningful protests in the past. However, we believe that this is not one of those times.
Aside from acting out of self-interest, she used the challenge from OU President Roderick McDavis to further alienate herself from the university president.
Even senate made a point to quickly distance itself from Marzec’s personal views, tweeting mid-day Wednesday that the organization would like to “humbly apologize” for Marzec’s video. Marzec later said senate should’ve distanced themselves — not apologized.
Long story short: Marzec must learn to separate her personal views from those of senate — a body she was elected to lead. Her personal views should not speak for those of the student body.
Oh, and the “blood” was a combination of tomato juice, red paint and water, in case you were wondering.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of The Post’s executive editors.
