I am running for vice president of Student Senate with the Unite! ticket, and I want to express my appreciation for people on both tickets. Although some cheap shots have been taken during the Senate debates, members of both tickets have generally remained civil. I am encouraged and impressed by the amount of dedication and passion demonstrated by both Unite! and iOU representatives throughout the campaign. Whichever party you choose to vote for, I encourage everyone to have an informed vote, as both parties bring excellent qualities to the table.
In response to the editorial endorsing Robert Leary, I would like to disagree with the notion of true representation being a logistical nightmare. Yes, having students' voices heard will be a challenge, and no one on the Unite! ticket has said this transition would be easy. However, members of the Unite! ticket welcome this challenge. We believe that true representation would be worth the struggles.
I cannot believe that a multifaceted voice could be canceled by one squeaky wheel. No one can say how our new idea of Student Senate would work until we begin to make these changes. Making this assumption is unfair and does the possibility of true representation a disservice. Unite! simply strives to make some kind of change within Senate so that students can be truly represented. I also cannot believe that our ideas would turn Student Senate into a glorified popularity contest. Why would Unite! be advocating for this kind of Senate when this concept conflicts with our convictions? If only 10 percent of the student population votes for Student Senate, there is no way that current senators truly represent the student body. Unite! is striving to empower students to have their own voices heard. We want students that are passionate about specific issues to stand up for their convictions and have influence over decisions that directly impact them.
Although the true representation portion of our platform has been discussed many times, let me emphasize that we have other aspects to our platform. Unite! is dedicated to building a stronger relationship among the students, faculty, and staff at OU and the Athens community. Specifically, we want to establish town-hall-style meetings held by both President McDavis and the Board of Trustees. We want these meeting to be open to the OU and Athens communities as well as to the press. Unite! also advocates for continued progress on the President's Climate Commitment. Becoming a carbon neutral university is vital not only for students, faculty, and staff, but also for the community and even our region.
Students of OU deserve power, a voice that's heard, and true representation. Unite! understands that true representation can only take place one way: if you represent yourself. Unite! wants to make true representation a reality. We believe that students should have the right to cast their vote, and we want to ensure they have the opportunity. We wish to uphold the words of Socrates when he says, I cannot make liberty my aim unless I make that of others equally my aim. Alone we cannot change this university, but together we can. Please vote Unite! this Thursday, May 14th.
Erin Dame is a graduate student studying communication studies and the vice-presidential candidate for Unite!
4 Opinion
