As is the case every year during the weeks that follow Palmer Fest, our opinion page has been full of students, professors and administrators weighing in on the oft-riotous street fests that occur at Ohio University each spring.
Some students have targeted President Roderick McDavis’ message to parents as an overreaction that added fuel to the firestorm that engulfed Athens after yet another Palmer Fest ended in flames earlier this month.
In his email, McDavis called the actions at the fest “offensive, frightening and embarrassing.” It went on to note a Student Senate resolution condemning the actions and invited parents to Wednesday’s town hall meeting on College Green.
Yet McDavis has come under fire for “degrading” the student body by condemning the out-of-control partying that comes with street fests.
His critics say it’s unfair to hold students accountable for spring fests: “Doesn’t he know most students love OU and Athens?” and “Doesn’t he realize OU students only make up half of those arrested?” they ask.
But sugarcoating things with shallow homerism is never the solution to complex problems — whether they are crime on campus or fires at fests.
If students cared so deeply about the reputation of their university, they’d be spending as much time working to keep the fests under control as they do coordinating how many kegs they’ll have at their house for each fest.
Instead, we party to our hearts’ content each year only to search for a scapegoat once things go awry. The average student certainly cares about OU and the Athens community, as long as that compassion doesn’t get in the way of them getting completely obliterated three nights each week.
Our soiled degrees are not the fault of President McDavis or out-of-town guests — and let’s not forget the media.
Wrapped in (legitimate) criticism of our failure to cover a debate tournament, one letter writer insinuated that we shouldn’t cover the fests at all because they harm OU’s image.
Arguments like that one can only be the spawn of true ignorance of the role of media. The Post works hard to accurately and holistically cover OU and Athens — both the good and the bad.
We serve as a watchdog for not just the university and city administration, but also for the student body.
I welcome a day when the OU student behavior we feature on Page 1 is predominantly positive. But as long as drunken antics give way to flames, that remains wishful thinking.
We didn’t start the fire, but we’re certainly going to cover it.
Wesley Lowery is a senior studying journalism and editor in chief of The Post. Email him at wl372808@ohiou.edu.
