There are a lot of misnomers flying around during this particular Student Senate election season.
As the Treasurer Candidate for RSVP, I have listened as untrue and loaded attacks have been leveled (a few in an opinion letter yesterday). These attacks take our ticket’s stances out of context and mislead regarding our intentions. I have written in to set the record straight.
The concert we have proposed will not cost students another dime. The money already exists and has already been earmarked for programming. Concert venues are profitable ventures, and Ohio University has a number of facilities that could put on a major concert with stunning success and draw profit from the event.
In these trying budgetary times, the university needs to begin looking at investments in programming that can promise a return-on-investment to ensure that your tuition dollars are stretched to the absolute maximum of their potential. This concert does EXACTLY that.
Furthermore, accusations have been leveled that RSVP does not want students to have input in the budgeting process. I will kindly remind my opposition that students currently do sit on Budget Planning Council as well as the Board of Trustees. Furthermore, minutes of the proceedings in Budget Planning Council are entirely public domain.
Opening Budget Planning Council will not make OU more affordable, safer or promote diversity. Nor will it make the university more environmentally sustainable. Granting Student Trustees voting rights has nothing to do with these issues either. RSVP is focusing on the issues that are pressuring students today.
In the last three weeks, some four sexual assaults have happened on and around campus. We need to promote safety through education, and RSVP does exactly that.
Tuition costs are rising while simultaneous budget cuts are harming student programming and limiting outreach capabilities of University Diversity centers. Programming and support services need to be prioritized, and RSVP has specific proposals that will accomplish exactly that.
The office of Multicultural Student Access and Retention is a huge asset to this university’s culture and needs a maintained funding level.
Every student came to OU to receive an education, and budget cuts are hurting academic departments and diminishing the overall quality of education. RSVP has set benchmarks on which we refuse to budge.
Academics are the most important consideration in the university budget, and we need to keep academics a top priority. If RSVP is elected, we will ensure that 90 percent of classes have 50 students or less.
College is expensive. I am a student, and I personally do not want to pay another dime for tuition. OU has the 4th highest tuition of state universities in Ohio. Elect RSVP, and we will advocate not only to maintain that rating, but to actually move down toward 5th, 6th or 7th.
Resolutions have no bearing on policy. I could write a resolution in 10 minutes to paint all of the buildings on campus purple. When the resolution passed Student Senate, the buildings still would not be purple.
It takes more than a hope, a dream and a piece of paper to make real changes on behalf of the students of this university. It takes commitment, dedication, experience, and a marked measure of professionalism. RSVP offers all of these and more.
Vote for proven results. Vote for your future. Vote RSVP for Student Senate.
Christopher Wimsatt is the RSVP candidate for Student Senate treasurer.
