Dear Ohio University Students,
Each year, you get one opportunity to select the students who will carry your voices into Cutler Hall, into the planning meetings and into the funding meetings. Each year, you get the power to change the course of your university by electing people into Student Senate who will push for your agenda in those meetings and keep your best interests in mind. This year is no different.
During the past few weeks, we have had the opportunity to follow both political tickets via the web, and, from our standpoint, there is only one ticket that has the organization and experience to truly be effective messengers of the student voice, and that ticket is REACH.
From the beginning, REACH has proven to be the ambitious and thoughtful party. By launching a streamlined website with a complete platform and bios of individual candidates on day one of the campaign, REACH arguably surpassed the efforts of the yOU party’s entire campaign. Furthermore, REACH has also utilized traditional campaign strategies, like tabling, passing out fliers and visiting student organizations to further provide students with an opportunity for face-to-face communication, which is an essential step in holding leadership accountable.
It is clear that REACH has done much more to establish a presence on the web and through campus than their opponents. In a time where students are craving strong, discernible leadership, REACH is the only ticket that clearly embodies transparency. It is obvious from their efforts that they not only want to be elected; they actually want to interact with students.
As former Student Senate executives and four-year members of the body, we recall many of the critiques of our organization, one of the most prevalent being Student Senate hid from the students; yOU seems to be heading in that direction. There is nothing wrong with advancements in computer-mediated communication and social network campaigning, but it can never replace the accountability that is bestowed by face-to-face interactions.
Voting in this election cannot be about who you like; this election is about the affordability of your college degree, the preservation of the Ohio University experience for future generations and the overall improvement of your community. REACH is the only ticket that has stepped up to the platform, looked students in the eye and asked to be held accountable. We strongly believe that REACH embodies the wants and needs of the student body by taking to the streets and not hiding behind the computer screen. After all, you cannot tweet or blog your response in meetings over the budget.
Jesse Wanzo Neader graduated in 2011 and was the former Student Senate president 2010-11. Patty Roberts graduated in 2011 and was the former Student Senate treasurer in 2010-11.
