Several Student Senate members say Schoonover's apology for his email to administrators wasn't enough and failed to address the lack of respect shown toward student and faculty input.
The Athens News recent release of Mr. Schoonover’s university email correspondence revealed some startling comments. Mr. Schoonover suggested university administrators should “play the race card” in response to student, faculty and community protests condemning the purchase of a $1.2 million dollar home for the university’s president. The Ohio University Student Senate Executives and Governmental Affairs Commissioner thank Mr. Schoonover for apologizing for his remarks in his July 15th letter to The Athens News.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="91338a72-2979-11e5-b006-4f4cde14b607"}}
Unfortunately, Mr. Schoonover’s letter to the Ohio University community only addresses his “race card” remark, suggesting his comment was a cheeky poke at how Democrats respond to criticisms of President Obama. We fail to see the humor in the remark. In addressing only one mistake, Mr. Schoonover failed to address another of his equally problematic comments.
Mr. Schoonover described the student, faculty and community protestors as “a bunch of loudmouths and demonstrators who have probably never given a dime to OU.” This comment reflects a belief that decisions at public universities should be left to those who have the ability to make the largest individual financial contributions. While these comments may have been expressed in a moment of frustration, they highlight a lack of respect for student and faculty input into university decisions.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="4f38c0f4-2d9f-11e5-9e6e-677d62a27d99"}}
Furthermore, this sentiment displays a disregard for the value of democracy and the collective decision-making processes that strengthen and build communities like Ohio University. With his comments he writes off the voices of students who pay tuition, take on debt to fund their education and all those who work to provide for the Ohio University community.
This situation demonstrates that students must have more of a say in the decisions of our public universities. We demand that our voices are not dismissed and the value of our opinions not be determined by our ability to pay as individuals. Students, as a collective, make up the largest portion of university funding and we deserve a voice and representation in university decisions.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="6c6cb24e-2e70-11e5-b602-5b8533d16489"}}
To rectify this situation, and to prevent further dismissal of student concerns, we request a Student Senate representative be included in the decision making of the Ohio University Foundation. Additionally, we believe this event demonstrates why we need Student Trustee voting rights. The decisions, financial or otherwise, of public universities need more than a student voice, they need a student vote, ensuring that student concerns are not only heard, but also recognized.
Gabby Bacha is the president of Ohio University’s Student Senate. Jared Ohnsman is the vice president of Student Senate. Hannah Clouser is the treasurer of Student Senate, and Ben Mathes is the Governmental Affairs commissioner of Student Senate.
