I want to say a few things about the letter written by Nicholas Southall in the latest issue of The Post and share some of my concerns about the contents of said letter.
First, it should be noted that Nicholas Southall is a supporter of REACH, not in a vague sense of ‘supporting,’ but in an official sense: He helps them table; he wears a REACH shirt; he helps them reach out to students. I have no problem with this.
In fact, I’m always happy to see students involved in more activities. But I think the fact that Nicholas helps them campaign makes the use of ‘they’ rather than ‘we’ a bit disingenuous. Take the letter for what it is: A member of a campaign writing a letter in support of that campaign, not a disinterested student who has weighed the options.
Second, I’d like to defend myself and my candidacy. Yes, it is true that I have not set up a table in front of Baker Center in order to distribute campaign materials such as T-shirts. Part of this is because I have made it a goal for this campaign to be run completely free of money and so I have nothing to distribute. I have even had people offer to donate to my campaign, but I have refused.
Why? Because I believe that giving away free T-shirts and the like does little to help the integrity of my campaign. If REACH and yOU would like to give away T-shirts, I say go for it. But my campaign is a different kind of campaign.
For example, instead of tabling, I was recently involved with the event outside of Baker protesting the tuition hike. It is a firm belief of mine that this is a more effective way to encourage students to become more engaged. And in the coming weeks I will be meeting with my fellow members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Socially Responsible Practices to discuss Ohio University ending its implicit support of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo by ending the purchase of conflict minerals. I am hoping that my actions will speak for themselves.
My lack of tabling or traditional campaigning should not be seen as a lack of commitment to the students of Ohio University, or a lack of support from others. It is the product of a reevaluation of the way that campaigns should be run. It is still left to be decided whether REACH, yOU or myself is the most dedicated campaign. That is something we will find out in the future.
This is the part of the letter where I should ask you to vote for me on May 17. I won’t do that. Instead, I ask you to simply vote for the students that you think will comprise the best and most proactive Student Senate in the coming year.
Jared Henderson is a junior studying philosophy and is running for Student Senate president.
