After leaving Athens, some Ohio University alumni still have their professors in mind as they work to bring attention to Issue 2 and Ohio Senate Bill 5.
The bill’s provisions would also affect the university curriculum and its administration, said Meredith Tucker, regional communications director for We Are Ohio and a 2010 OU graduate.
SB 5 limits public workers’ rights to collectively bargain for hours and staffing levels.
Tucker and other anti-SB 5 activists are worried that upholding the bill could spark renegotiation of professors’ contracts that might overhaul the compensatory system, placing an emphasis on merit rather than experience.
“It’s a really unfair way to attempt to balance the state budget,” Tucker said. “These middle-class or poor families didn’t cause this problem. They were caused by corporate greed.”
A large portion of Athens County is considered middle class or poor. In 2009, 34.7 percent of Athens County householders were below the poverty level, more than twice the state’s percentage at the time.
OU employs almost 8 percent of the population of Athens County. In fall 2010, the university employed 3,795 staff members and 1,287 faculty members.
“(Public employees) make OU great,” said Tucker, a former president of OU College Democrats. “The maintenance staff, the cooks behind the counters — they keep the community and the school safe.”
Tucker previously served as membership director for OU’s College Democrats and was involved with Students for Obama.
Issue 2, a “veto referendum” that would repeal SB 5, was added to November’s ballot because of statewide opposition.
Many students on campus are campaigning to bring attention to the debate over SB 5. Last week, Student Senate voted down a resolution condemning the bill’s wording.
Occupy OhioU, a student-organized week of demonstrations modeled after the Occupy Wall Street protests against corporate greed, brought the bill to people’s attention.
OU’s chapter of We Are Ohio has been actively campaigning for votes on its website while making phone calls and offering information on the new early voting policy.
“This is our generation’s chance to stand up for people’s rights,” said Andrew Zucker, deputy communications director for the Ohio Democratic Party and a 2011 OU graduate. “This is a student issue as much as it is for anyone else. Being a public university, there are public employees who are direct recipients of this bill, who it can harm.”
Students aren’t the only demographic calling attention to SB 5.
“Issue 2 is no longer a Democratic issue, or a Republican issue,” Zucker said. “There are seniors, young people, folks from the business community, community organizers — there is a huge coalition of folks really concerned about this issue.”
Other organizations, such as Building a Better Ohio, are urging voters to approve Issue 2.
No matter their opinions on Issue 2, students should vote Nov. 8, said Will Klatt, youth outreach coordinator for We Are Ohio and a 2009 OU graduate.
Klatt ran for Student Senate president in 2007 and 2008 and lost both times against former senate presidents Tim Vonville and Michael Adeyanju. Klatt ran as an independent candidate in 2007 and said he saw senate as a social movement that needed drastic leadership changes, according to a previous Post article.
“Voting is one of the ways students can become engaging in the community,” he said. “It’s a way to amplify your voice. Regardless of their thoughts on the issue, students should turn up and vote.”
sj950610@ohiou.edu
Editor's Note: The original version of this article listed the incorrect title for Andrew Zucker.
