Rhys Ivan writes in on why you should vote for the SOS ticket.
To the Editor,
This school year, we have seen the absolute nightmare that a student government driven by radical political ideologies can become. Ohio University’s Student Senate destroyed itself. The senators from the “Restart” ticket won on the concept of giving students a voice, and they failed in their mission because they ruined any chance that Student Senate had to provide that voice. Instead of representing all students on campus and voicing real student concerns to administration, they divided campus with controversial politics and political blunders. No matter how reasonable the politics they pursued, their actions spoke louder than their words. And the tale their actions told was one of immaturity. They were willing to divide students in the name of political gain. They were willing to act not as a safe space for students to “speak out,” but as a hostile environment where their own views were the only views.
That is why I will be voting for SOS in this spring’s elections. I may agree with the ideologies we’ve seen in senate this year. I may identify with 90 percent of the political beliefs held by my student leaders. But I cannot condone the actions taken by that same leadership. I cannot condone marginalizing students, arresting those who speak out against you and radical activism that has no place in government.
Activism is great. We need activism. We need people who aren’t afraid to speak out. But we need people to do it in a way that isn’t laughed at by the administration and most of campus. We need leaders who know how to protect freedom of speech, not stifle it when the speech comes from the other side of the aisle. We need leaders who are willing to serve in the name of honest work within a student government. We need leaders who are willing to raise their voice for the people who elect them. We need leaders who open their ears to the opinions they wouldn’t understand without another voice. We need leaders who will be proud to do the work this campus needs.
Students deserve a voice, and senate has an opportunity to provide that, but only through the honest intentions of people we elect to represent our campus. We need leaders. Politics and activism are important, and they are consistently a driving force of change in a world that needs a breath of fresh air. But more important than politics alone is the respectful dialogue and discourse that comes from people willing to work together. People who believe in different things, come from different places, but understand that all opinions are important — people who see the bigger picture, not just their own tunnel-vision goals. We need leaders who are willing to act not as a loudspeaker for their personal beliefs, but as a manifestation of the voice our students deserve. We need leaders who are willing to hold their heads higher than controversial, divisive politics in the name of giving a voice to students who cast their votes, so that we can accomplish real, achievable goals.
Let’s make this about students. Let’s make it about serving. Let’s make it about honest representation, because we are better than politics. We’re Bobcats, and we are leaders. Save Our Senate, and vote for SOS — Serving Our Students.
Rhys Ivan is a freshman studying music therapy at Ohio University.
