Trustees convened in Walter Hall and unanimously passed several resolutions, including ones to approve the Ridges Framework Plan and other construction projects.
While the Board of Trustees approved resolutions and discussed Thursday’s proceedings at its final meeting of the week Friday, members of the Ohio University Student Union were picketing in the hallway outside the meeting room.
Trustees convened in Walter Hall and unanimously passed several resolutions, including ones to approve the Ridges Framework Plan, construction projects and a plan for OU to reduce student costs by 5 percent as mandated by the Ohio Senate.
About 10 students participated in picketing the meeting outside the Governance Room, holding signs reading “Students not customers!” and “Trustees cannot be trusted.”
“We just think it’s important for us to have a presence at all of these meetings because every single time they go into that room, they make decisions for us that we have no say in,” Rachel Lewis, a junior studying communication studies, said before the meeting started.
Lewis, along with Bobby Walker, a junior studying women's, gender and sexuality studies, said Student Union’s goals include the unionization of all student workers, responsible endowment and cultural competency classes.
“All protests are peaceful,” Walker said. “It’s them that are aggressive and violent. What they’re doing in there is violent. What we’re doing is always peaceful.”
The meeting began with a presentation by OU President Roderick McDavis, followed by discussion of what happened in Thursday’s five committee meetings.
McDavis spoke about some of the university’s recent accomplishments, including Homecoming, the Promise Lives Campaign and ongoing celebrations of the Americans With Disabilities Act 25th anniversary. He also said fall commencement will take place for the first time this year on Dec. 12.
“We’re really excited about that,” McDavis said. “We have students who graduate in the summer, graduate in the fall, and we haven’t really been able to celebrate that.”
At the meeting, the board passed the Ridges Framework Plan, which offers recommendations for how the university will use the buildings and 700 acres of land at The Ridges. That includes increasing community access to the facility and reusing some of the historic buildings.
“It’s been a long one, but this has truly been a gold standard of what happens with collaboration,” Board of Trustees Chair Sandra Anderson said.
Trustees also passed funding for several campus construction projects, including $2.85 million in equipment for the renovation of Jefferson Hall and about $1.97 million for Alden Library roof replacements.
“And for our faculty senate representatives, that does include Ellis Hall,” Anderson said.
Chiller replacements for Ellis and Copeland halls were included in the projects passed by the board, following air conditioning problems in the buildings.
Trustees also approved a non-endowment investment policy, which changes the structure of how the university’s money is divided.
In addition, the board appointed two national trustees and approved the continuation of seven centers and programs.
At the meeting’s conclusion, members of the Singing Men of Ohio entered and sang “Happy Birthday” to McDavis, whose birthday is Saturday.
– Lauren Fisher and Taylor Maple contributed to this report.
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