On Nov. 2, an article by Jonathan Hunt appeared in The Athens News informing us that OU officials have no plans to rename the Robert W. Ney Health and Physical Education Center on the Eastern Campus, named in honor of convicted felon and former Congressman Bob Ney. One wonders if officials in Athens or at the Eastern Campus have bothered to consult students about this matter. Has this even been brought to the attention of either campus' Student Senate, or have OU officials decided to make a unilateral decision that affects all of the students, alumni, faculty and staff of the university?
While university administrators can say all they want to about what Bob Ney has supposedly done for education in Ohio, the fact remains that he is a convicted felon, guilty of the worst kind of corruption. Congressman Ney is essentially guilty of selling his vote in the U.S. House of Representatives to the highest bidder, betraying the voters who elected him and all of the constituents who expected him to work for them rather than for rich lobbyists in Washington. Is the name of a corrupt, greedy politician who is preparing to do prison time really the name we want attached to an OU facility? Do we really want our university associated with Bob Ney?
On November 7, Ohio's 18th Congressional District opted for change when they overwhelmingly rejected Bob Ney's bad apple successor, Joy Padgett, and chose Democrat Zack Space instead.
Voters in the 18th District apparently understood what OU administrators do not: regardless of his prior congressional record, Bob Ney and the culture of corruption he helped create must go. Bob Ney is an unfortunate blemish on the face of Ohio's history. Until his name is removed from all Ohio University facilities, he will continue to be a blemish on the reputation of this university as well. It's time for change in Ohio, whether that change is something as big as electing a new congressman or as small as changing the name of a gymnasium.
'Nathan Nelson is a freshman political science major.
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Letter to the Editor
