Ohio University Student Union will be sponsoring a Bat Rally Tuesday night in front of 29 Park Place.
It’s unclear whether bats are inside 29 Park Place, but hundreds of students dressed like the winged creatures are expected to descend upon the property Tuesday evening.
Ohio University Student Union is behind a protest against the university’s decision to enter a $1.2 million lease agreement to house President Roderick McDavis and his wife Deborah at 31 Coventry Lane.
“I think folks are concerned about the administration’s and the trustees’ priorities,” Student Union member Will Klatt said.
More than 770 people agreed to attend the rally, according to the event’s Facebook page, where attendees have posted bat puns and photoshopped images.
“The bat issue has spawned some fun jokes and memes, but it’s basically gallows humor,” said Patricia Stokes, visiting assistant professor of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies, in an email. “Virtually everyone who’s upset about the new presidential mansion sees this as a final straw, not a new issue.”
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="99dcb61e-d65c-11e4-bb28-c71d1654e454"}}
Students and faculty members will speak at the demonstration.
“My own program has a shameful dependence on underpaid adjuncts,” said Stokes, who plans on attending. “They are the fast-food workers of academia; they don’t earn a living wage and they don’t even qualify for health insurance. If I were a donor, I’d be dismayed to see my funds being used so unwisely.”
The University Foundation, OU’s nonprofit fundraising entity, entered the lease agreement. However, student dollars — including tuition and fees — will help pay for the $4,318 monthly payments for the home, according to a previous Post report.
Klatt agrees that reactions to McDavis’ new home represent a plethora of problems that many have built upon for some time.
The Facebook group encourages participants to show up with “bat signs, bat clothing, bat garb, actual bats and more.”
“I think there will be some funny characters,” Klatt said. “Rallies and protests should be fun and, like, a little bit silly and I think we hit the right cord on this one.”
Ohio University Police Department said it will be working with protesters before the event.
“We will work with the organizers to the best of our ability to ensure their First Amendment rights are protected, as well as their safety, and that of the broader community,” OUPD Lt. Tim Ryan said in an email.
—Josh Lim contributed to this report
@megankhenry
