This is the last edition of College Matt-ers. Here we go.
Over the past year, I’ve railed against the administration, embarrassed Student Senate and upset the sensibilities of the history department. But why?
Because we need more critical voices in the public dialogue.
The old adage “you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar” means it’s easier to persuade others by being polite rather than making demands. While that may be true on some levels, I’m not sure it always applies to the university environment. Student governments have been around for decades, politely asking for what they want with very few tangible results.
That is why I’m optimistic about next year, though. On Thursday, Restart — the outsider, activist party running for Student Senate — did something that no outsider party has done in recent memory: It won a majority of the seats.
But it’s easy to overstate the significance of this election. Tuition will still go up, Ohio University President Roderick McDavis will likely get a raise and guaranteed tuition may yet be implemented. Student governments — as an institution — have no real power to effect change.
But I think Restart knows this. It may likely only accomplish a handful of its goals, but that doesn’t mean it’s failed, because it has provided a long-term vision for organizing students in a way that is fundamentally inclusive. And, perhaps just as significant, the administration can no longer hide behind a student government that tacitly supports the majority of its policies.
As seniors graduate, student organizing always becomes more difficult at the start of the next academic year. Individuals who have become fixtures of leadership on campus suddenly disappear. If only a handful of students are active from year to year, the administration can just wait for those students to graduate and kick the can around in the meantime.
I’ve been asked if I am excited to enter the “real world” once I graduate, but I disagree with the premise of that question. Although I may be leaving this community for a new one, college is a still a real place where the decisions we make have real consequences — not just for ourselves, but for future generations of students.
If you aren’t already involved in your community, now is the time to start. Organize students. Write letters. Learn about issues. Heck, even join senate. Whatever you do, passionately advocate for what you think is right; ardently criticize what is wrong. Someone has to do it.
Because, at least for Matt Farmer, college no longer matters.??
Matt Farmer is a senior studying political science and education. How do you plan to be involved in the Ohio University community? Email him at mf291209@ohiou.edu.
