Several groups came together last night with the Student Union in a march to send Ohio University President Roderick McDavis and the Board of Trustees a message.
The crowd members gathered at 8 p.m. yesterday on College Green and marched to Baker University Center where they held an open forum attacking the board for a perceived disconnect from university affairs before marching to the house of the president, where McDavis was hosting the board.
The crowd remained around 50 strong, and included members of the union, Students for a Democratic Society, Unite and OU faculty members.
Students delivered a number of letters expressing opposition to some unpopular board decisions and a bottle of wine to the residence, chanting slogans all the while before dispersing around 9 p.m.
Roger Sikes, spokesperson for the Student Union, lampooned the board as rich businessmen and women detached from university life.
These people are in charge of $600 million of our tuition dollars a year; it's kind of strange that we don't know who they are.
Steve Hayes, a professor at OU, criticized the university's spending.
The value of your education is inferior to what it would have been worth three or four years ago
Hayes said. He discussed the importance of maintaining OU's academic worth.
If we let places like this fail our civilization is screwed Hayes said.
Will Klatt, a member of Students for a Democratic Society, led the crowd in chanting human need not corporate greed before students lined up in front of the residence and delivered the letters and wine.
Becky Watts, McDavis' chief of staff, answered the door and accepted the letters and wine.
Marchers also criticized Student Senate. Molly Shea, a student senator and candidate for president of Student Senate under the Unite party, said she was frustrated with the current senate.
I have tried to represent the students and every time my view has been put down
Shea said.
Klatt went further in attacking what he called the Senate dynasty.
They call themselves iOU
Klatt said of the party led by Rob Leary that is running against Unite. But they have been giving us IOUs for four ... years.
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Tristan Navera
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Roger Sikes, spokesperson for the Student Union, voices his opinion concerning the Board of Trustees to the crowd during the Student Union Rally in front of Baker Center yesterday evening. (Greg Roberts | For The Post)
