Student Senate’s General Body met Wednesday to call for a referendum, condemn Ohio Senate Bill 1, debate on transparency and pass resolutions.
A demand for a referendum was brought by the Athens Justice Coalition. It called for the immediate divestment from companies contributing to the climate crisis by the Ohio University Board of Trustees and for the university to support sides in military conflicts.
AJC Representative Eden Truax said 295 signatures were collected in support of the referendum, and a demand letter was previously delivered to OU President Lori Gonzalez explaining the reasons for the referendum.
“The Board of Trustees is beholden to no one, and that is why tonight the AJC has brought forth this resolution to pose a referendum,” AJC Representative Leighton Heiner said. “A referendum will give the students a voice.”
Chief Justice Grace Jarchow said the referendum is disgraceful to the Jewish community. Jarchow said the bill is written poorly and hides antisemitism behind climate justice.
“I would like to call attention to the possible harm this referendum poses to the Student Senate and the university as a whole,” Jarchow said. “The Bobcats for Palestine Instagram recently uploaded an email they received from President Lori Gonzalez in which she quotes Ohio law that prohibits the university from engaging in exactly what this resolution is calling for.”
The Senate tabled the motion indefinitely because of the language possibly being harmful to students, and the referendum could be better if split into two referendums.
“I think they are necessary conversations, but I think it is nobody's goal here ever to put students at risk,” Jarchow said. “If the language feels harmful to students, even if other students disagree, I think it is important that we represent all of those areas today.”
Resolution 2425-09 condemned SB1 for threatening many university programs and diminishing faculty rights. The resolution said SB 1 will make higher education less accessible, harm DEI and discourage students from staying in Ohio.
“By speaking to my constituents, we made sure we gathered full feedback to shape the resolution,” Black Affairs Senator Rana White said. “The goal is to tackle the challenging head-on to cover every necessary happening. This bill will be designed to push back and get an effect on diversity and equality. Protecting that is an important part of this university.”
The resolution calls for Senate President Dan Gordillo to join the joint resolutions to condemn the bill and convey the opinions of those involved in the Student Senate.
The resolution had one primary sponsor and 30 secondary sponsors, which include Senate members, students, members of the Black Student Union, AJC Media Coordinator, President of Anointed Ministries and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc..
“Students and student voices are under attack,” the media coordinator for the AJC Henry Turner said. “State institutions have been stripping away rights and resources from vulnerable communities, while our university keeps its mouth shut and complies. Change will not happen on its own. Students must fight for what we believe in.”
The resolution passed unanimously and was sent to the sponsors of Ohio SB 1 and HB 6, multiple Ohio representatives and the office of Gov. Mike DeWine, university leadership, directors of the university centers threatened and the deans of the OU colleges.
“Every single student on this campus will be affected by this bill, regardless of how you identify or what you look like,” Gordillo said. “This campus has brought me out of my bubble and opened my eyes to the ways of life and new ideas that I didn't know existed. SB1 threatens to take that away from everyone.”
Resolution 2425-131 was passed to improve transparency in proceedings of the Senate’s Judicial Panel and executive officials. A document would be created and uploaded to Bobcat Connect following the first decision on the issue.
“We represent all students on this campus and have a profound responsibility to do right," Governmental Affairs Commissioner Donald Theisen said. “Students have the right to know.”
Debates were then held for over an hour about the resolution by members of the Senate.
“We are very respectful of people's privacy, and we hold that as one of our core values,” Jarchow said. “I understand that while you all are signing up for these positions and signing on to be public figures, we still believe that privacy is extremely important to each and every one of you.”
After a long debate, the resolution passed 28-1.
Multiple other resolutions were passed, updating the verbiage of the Rules and Procedures and budget requests.
Finally, a request to cancel the general body meeting for March 19 passed to allow members to attend a meeting at town hall to discuss questions and concerns about the university.
