Student Union is planning a General Assembly for the end of April to discuss democracy.
For the second time in seven days, students crowded in front of Park Place, this time to receive an update on the petition that was circulated at last week’s Bat Rally.
The “Bat Rally Update,” sponsored by Ohio University Student Union, was a follow-up to last week’s “Bat Rally,” which was a protest against OU’s decision to enter a lease agreement to house President Roderick McDavis and his wife Deborah at 31 Coventry Lane.
The university, with student dollars, will pay for the monthly rent payments for the property, but the OU Foundation, the university’s non-profit, fundraising entity, could purchase the property for $1.2 million.
About 40 people gathered in the median in front of 29 Park Place on Tuesday afternoon.
Student Union member Ryan Powers told the students who gathered in the median to look around and notice how not as many people were present for this event.
“This is not a bad thing,” Powers said. “We are the people who care.”
The OU Police Department was present, and 29 Park Place was roped off in the afternoon. At the “Bat Rally” last week, the property was barricaded.
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“When police show up, that is when you realize that people are gaining legitimacy,” said Ryant Taylor, a Student Union member and a former Post columnist. He is also running for president of Student Senate.
Despite police presence, senate President Megan Marzec did not have any qualms about being present at the rally, and she was there to “support the cause.”
According to a previous Postreport, Marzec was found guilty of persistent disorderly conduct on March 23 and was given a suspended sentence of 30 days in jail. If she gets arrested again, she may have to serve that sentence.
During the March 31 rally, Student Union circulated a petition that reads: "We demand that the Ohio University Foundation allow Ohio University students, faculty and staff to vote on how to spend the $1.2 million that the 31 Coventry Lane property is worth. We demand that the Foundation complies with the voting results."
As of last week, 300 people signed the petition, Student Union said in a news release.
On April 2, Student Union sent the petition to President McDavis, OU Foundation President J. Bryan Benchoff and the Board of Trustees in an email.
The Student Union had not yet received a response as of the rally.
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Student Union sent a follow-up email the evening of April 6 requesting a response from McDavis, Benchoff and the Board of Trustees. The email explained the Bat Rally Update is “open to all students, in which we discuss your response (or lack there of) to our petition and its associated demands.”
Student Union is planning an event to discuss democracy, Powers said.
The event, which will take place the week before finals, is intended to encourage the university to adopt more democratic processes, he said.
The date has not yet been determined.
“It will be very powerful for 300 people to discuss where this money is going,” Marzec said.
@megankhenry
mh573113@ohio.edu
