Another member of student senate resigns during SpeakOUt; member of AE Pi opens up invitation for Megan Marzec to attend campus event.
The Ohio University Student Senate meeting opened up the with another resignation and yet another emotional testimony.
Senate’s Public Access Liaison Kelsey Crowley told a story of her family hardships, describing her year as “nothing but hell for me, to say the least,” — before resigning from her post.
“I’m ashamed to be a part of a body that — after weeks and weeks of being asked to be more welcoming, and be more approachable — still can’t do that,” she said.
Crowley, who ran with the ONE ticket last year, said she was accused of stealing copies of The Post in the spring of 2013 during that senate election season. She said those in the room were among the many who made her feel like “the worst human being that ever walked the face of the earth” after such accusations.
The theft of the newspapers, which The Post at the time reported to the Ohio University Police Department, is still technically an active investigation, and no one has been reprimanded for that alleged crime.
But regardless of who was in office, she said, she wanted to continue advocating for students.
As she left Walter Hall room 235 after announcing her resignation, many in the room responded to her speech with a standing ovation.
Among the others who were present for the SpeakOUt session were the OU men and omen’s crew teams.
Also at the meeting, Bryan Thomas, treasurer of the men’s crew team, spoke to appeal the recent decision of the uFUND committee, chaired by Senate President Megan Marzec, to not fund a $9,500 dock for the teams. He described the dock as “essential to the team and the Athens Community.”
Organizations can ask uFUND to provide funding with the intention of offering alternatives to high-risk behaviors, such as drugs and alcohol. It is paid for with legal fines associated with student drug incidents.
“We are a very safe, healthy alternative to high-risk behaviors, which is exactly what the crew team is,” Thomas said.
There is currently around $44,000 in uFUND money for the entire year for all students who apply for funding, Marzec said.
The senate president also encouraged the crew team members to reach out to other funding organizations, before returning to uFUND, because she noted that there is not enough money to accommodate the entire dock cost and other student requests for the year.
“I’ve been thinking about this dock a lot, and it’s hard to know that this committee that I’m chairing is not appropriate for funding this,” Marzec said.
Nate Shoemaker, the men’s crew team president, said that the teams will continue discussions with the uFUND committee with hopes of having their funding goals met.
During the meeting, two resolutions were passed, including the resolution to support #HANDSUPWALKOUT, a movement that will host a walk-out, rally and demonstration to raise awareness for police violence against black people. That event will take place Tuesday, Oct. 22.
The resolution to allot funding for the Academic Affairs Commission’s also passed, which will allow for $400 in senate funds to go toward hosting an open-forum that the commission will host next Thursday.
The resolution to extend voting rights to vice commissioners — who currently do not have voting rights — was killed because of senate’s inability to reach quorum, or the minimum number of voting members required to reach a two-thirds vote.
Also at the meeting, The Philanthropic Chair of Alpha Epsilon Pi, a Jewish fraternity at OU, invited Marzec to a 3-on-3 volleyball tournament with the intention of “promoting a sign of peace” by bringing various campus groups together.
This is in the aftermath of Marzec’s “bucket of blood” challenge video and the senate meeting during which four student protesters were arrested. Jonah Yulish, the rush chair of AE Pi, was among them.
Kahn said that he exchanged phone numbers with Marzec and plans to be in contact with her in regards to his invitation to the event.
@Alisa_Warren
aw120713@ohio.edu
