To the Editor,
Stop reading this letter now if you don’t like my politics. I’m serious, this could get you angry. I’m angry. I’m angry at the University. I’m angry at my fellow students. But most of all, I’m angry at The Post for deliberating lying to all of us. Senate never had your Social Security numbers. The information was the private property of individual organizers who were collecting student information — willingly, knowingly given information for a project. Yes, it included the last four digits of SSNs, and yes, it could have been potentially stolen by any number of students. Regardless, we cannot do anything about it. “Student Senate” was never in possession of those documents. They were placed there around 2 o’clock by individuals (Senate and non-Senate members) who felt that the office was a safe space. Sadly, we’ve come to learn that it wasn’t. I did not have the authority to file a police report; government does not have to report a theft of personal property. That decision was up to the individuals.
But that isn’t really what my letter is about. In response to last Friday’s editorial, I want to raise the same question of elected democracies. The Post is right on that count: they fail. Consistently. Student Senate is failing you. I’ll be the first to admit, as will many members of Senate. But honestly, you expected that, didn’t you? Somewhere in your heart of hearts you know that a government chartered by the Board of Trustees, controlled by an institution that allows little to no shared governance of our university is literally set up to fail. We pass resolutions, and no one listens to them. We listen to story after story of injustices acted out on our campus, and we can do nothing about them. We have money, yes, but it’s all used for programming. We exist in a system that blocks students from voting on university issues, in a system that polices students rather than respecting their right to peaceful protest. This system isn’t conducive to student rights. Workers are asked to pay for their own uniforms. Students have to take out thousands of dollars in debt or expect to drop out. How many of us will actually get our degree in four years? And it seems the student-run media is just another cog in the system. My job as Vice President is just another damn excuse to keep students out of true policy-making decisions. Where’s that coverage? Where’s that truth?
I’ve never been so disappointed; I’ve never felt so disillusioned. My entire term has been spent dealing with misinformation and hyperbole constructed by this paper. Dealing with the lies and the insensitivities of a paper that doesn’t represent the needs of students. A paper that extols the benefits of the system, and fails to acknowledge the blatant lies told by certain administrators. And we, the student body, are not doing enough. In the past, I would have told you to come to Senate meetings or to my office. I would have said, “I’m listening, tell me what you need.” But I can’t even believe in that anymore. Student government doesn’t work. It’s time to unionize. It’s time to get back some real power and to hold each other accountable.
And to the person who stole those documents: you are the lowest. Your disrespect for fellow students is astounding. For students who want to build a different future, the Student Union meets at 8:30 p.m. in Bentley 120 on Thursdays.
Caitlyn McDaniel is the vice president of Student Senate at Ohio University.
