Student Senate has been crucial to student life at OU for 40 years, but this year’s representatives aren’t doing a good job of making Senate helpful to students.
To the Editor,
There are wolves in sheeps’ clothing among you. A group has carefully and quietly attempted a coup d’état this past year. If not for the efforts of students long ago, this coup would have been successful. Many who know the truth have remained silent for far too long. The students of Ohio University deserve to know the truth.
Just after the Student Senate elections last year, information started circulating regarding the involvement of outside political organization. As it turns out, a mass email was “purchased” from an off-campus political organization by the Restart party (comprised of mostly Student Union members) and sent to all students in order to help ensure their victory in the Senate elections. The Restart party’s campaign was rooted in their own political agenda to unionize students at OU. One can easily speculate that because they received support from an off-campus organization — they, too, shared this vision. Unfortunately for the Restart party members and their off-campus political allies, the vision of furthering this political agenda of dissolving Student Senate in favor of a less representative Student Union has its challenges. The ratified Constitution of Senate makes dissolving the body virtually impossible. The Constitution was written this way for a very specific reason.
The Student Union is not the first group to attempt to dissolve Student Senate at OU. Between 1940 and 1976 at least three different forms of student government were attempted at OU. Even though they were successful for short periods of time, they ultimately were dissolved. The current Student Senate system has lasted 40 years. During that time, the current Senate structure has proven to be the singular most important way students could significantly influence the direction of the university and reach out to the administration. This body and its delegates should represent all students in all aspects of their college lives. It’s a highly equitable and effective solution to providing individualized representation to various groups that encompass all students including various minority interests. This is in stark contrast to union representation, which mandates membership for participation, centralized power and a single position on policy. Let’s not forget those union dues.
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We are all free as Americans to express our political views — liberal and conservative alike. The problem isn’t the Student Unions politics; it’s their method of enacting change and actual goals for your Student Senate. They speak of freedom of speech, yet they ignore the voices of others. Countless articles have been published in the local news stating that they have repeatedly refused or ignored requests to meet with various student groups, administration and members of the Athens City Council. They have continuously missed important university meetings that are crucial in guiding university policy. They say the administration won’t allow them to exercise their right to protest, yet when others have protested in front of them, they are arrested. They have taken political stances that alienate other students. They continue to harass and ridicule other senate members when they provide a voice of opposition to their goals. They ask the administration to give back salary increases and bonuses they have earned for hard work; yet, they have significantly scaled back their own meeting requirements for Student Senate while both President Megan Marzec and Vice President Caitlyn McDaniel still receive full tuition and half tuition, respectively, for their Senate executive positions. They have systematically removed the basic functionality of Student Senate to do work on behalf of the students and at the same time say Student Senate is broken and openly invite you to the weekly Student Union meetings. They claim to work for change yet they have blatantly tried to dismantle the system provided to students to enact change. They speak of how they don’t want to be controlled by “the man,” yet they have taken support from a different man. They have formed a secretive relationship with an unknown outside organization they meet regularly with in Columbus. A group that, due to their secrecy, has no known ties or vested interest to this community or the well being of the students of OU.
This is why McDaniel has publicly admitted that Student Senate has failed the students of OU. The reality of her statement is that based on the known information and actions of the Student Union members moonlighting as Student Senate, it appears she and the other Student Union members had no intention of ever making Student Senate work. Although their plans to overthrow Student Senate have failed thus far, a lot of damage has been done. Student voices have been silenced at the negotiation table because of their bully-ish non-conditional demand and protest tactics. History teaches us that protests and civil disobedience have a place in our world. Figures like MLK, Nelson Mandela and Ghandi all effectively used protests and civil disobedience. However, all of these great social leaders knew that in order to achieve change, they had to be willing to sit down with the opposition and discuss their differences. At times, they had to make concessions in order to further their cause. None of them ever achieved all of their goals overnight. It took communication and negotiation behind the scene, away from the protest and rallies.
Student Senate is the voice of the students. Effective senators have to be able to put aside their individual political ideologies to find the common ground among 20,000 students. Student Senators have to understand the values of cooperation, collaboration, communication and compromise. Without these core values, the student voice is lost. Different political ideologies in favor of making changes to the higher education system in Ohio and in America are needed and warranted. Just know those changes happen in the State and Federal government. This is where the Student Union should take its political fight. Many decisions they blame on local governance are out of the hands of the Board of Trustees and President McDavis’ control. Nonetheless, the Trustees, President, and employees of OU all continue to work tirelessly on the students’ behalf.
I ask the entire community to remember that it is through open communication and negotiation first that our community stays strong, issues are addressed, and people positively impacted. I ask this as an 11-year resident of Athens whose parents both worked tirelessly as part of OU’s administration, enriching the lives of many students. I ask this as an active alumnus and former member of Student Senate. I’ve seen Student Senate work, but only when Senators are truly there to serve the students. Student Senate will never work when senators are either there for an individual political agenda or when they are working on behalf of the goals and/or guidance of outside political organizations. Any representative system will always require individuals to sit at the table on your behalf and those individuals must maintain your best interests. A unionized student body would be no different. However, OU’s Student Union has proven to only represent their interests and ideologies. Student Senate is not perfect or without fault. However, through chaos, change and turmoil, Student Senate has effectively served as the students voice for 40 years. It will undoubtedly do so for even more if given the right chance with student representatives willing to hold true to the values of cooperation, collaboration, communication, and compromise.
Wrienne Mitchell is a 2005 Ohio University alumnus and resident of Brunswick, Ohio.
