To the Editor,
Newsflash: Student Senate has no power. The Faculty Senate, Graduate Student Senate, Administrative Senate all, similarly, have no power. These institutions are symbolic, and given symbolic responsibilities, such as the distribution of money for student organizations. While I am not a senator and I am no expert on SAC's budget, I suspect the school allocates less money for our organizations than they plan to pay on the president's new home each year.
I am disappointed by students on this campus who resent the Student Union. They worked incredibly hard to run senate this year, only to be ignored by the Board of Trustees. I appreciate what they are doing, and I plan to vote for the BARE candidates this April. While Student Senate may never have power, these are the students that will fight for us. Even when they have no access to power to create institutional change, they will shout, scream and resist their way through this student debt crisis.
No matter what we do, we cannot give up the dream of accessible education. The lessons we learn from our professors support good, sustainable business. They support moral development and the betterment of society. Our professors demand the intellectual rigor of each other and the students. So why do we not demand it of our administrators?
There is no transparency in OU's investments. There is no democratic pathway to resist the blatant misuse of funds. The fact that OU plans to lessen its dependence on fossil fuels by building a gas pipeline is an act of insanity so absurd it could only be proposed by a businessman.
I don't want my university to run like a business. If the BARE party were running for seats at the Board of Trustees, I would do anything to get them elected. Unfortunately, they are running for symbolic positions instead.
I feel very disappointed that I would have faith in students to run a university better than our current administration. I expected better from our leaders. I expected them to stand up and not be breadwinners for themselves, but for our community.
And to the board, the president, the vice-president, provost and all the deans: Please trust your judgment as educators, as professionals and as compassionate people. Stop spending our tuition frivolously. These senates exist for a reason. Listen to them.
Josh Baron is a junior at Ohio University studying ceramics.
