Student Senate President Marzec expresses frustration at lack of action
Ohio University Student Senate President Megan Marzec isn’t pleased with her previous meetings with the university’s president, because their conversations haven’t resulted in tangible goals.
During Marzec’s campaign for her senate presidency, she said she would talk with administrators, including President Roderick McDavis, to make university decisions more transparent for students.
“I’m certainly not avoiding President McDavis,” Marzec, who is willing to meet with McDavis in the future, said. “He has been invited to meet with us during our open forums, which he did not attend.”
McDavis didn’t attend a previous private senate meet-and-greet held in Baker University Center last spring. He wasn’t provided enough time to attend, said Stephanie Filson, OU’s director of external communications.
Other administrators did attend, including Jenny Hall-Jones, dean of students, and Ryan Lombardi, vice president for Student Affairs. Both work in the department of Student Affairs, which oversees all student organizations, including senate. Vice President for Finance and Administration Stephen Golding was also there.
All OU students are able to invite McDavis to their university events online.
Senate’s president historically meets with McDavis, an opportunity he has previously said provides a chance for him to hear directly from the elected voice of the students.
Marzec said she plans to meet with other members of the administration weekly, including Hall-Jones and Lombardi, who are both in the process of scheduling meetings.
“President McDavis is reaching out to both the Student Senate and Graduate Student Senate presidents to begin scheduling meetings,” Filson said.
Marzec further explained that meeting with McDavis is something that she has done for the past three years as a student at OU through his open office hours.
“The beginning of the student struggle at OU was when we found out very quickly that it’s not about having better and more direct communication with administration,” she said. “You can say your demand very clearly over and over again to their faces and in their offices and be repeatedly shut down.”
@Alisa_Warren
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