As an Ohio University alumna, I was both shocked and disappointed when I heard that the OU Student Senate was cutting funding for University Campus Ministry’s Thursday Supper beginning this fall.
Apparently they believe that they shouldn’t be funding programs that benefit the community but rather should only be funding student-only events and groups.
Well, as a former student, I would say that Thursday Supper (and programs like it) benefit students in a number of ways. I know students who love volunteering with the program as well as students who eat at Thursday Supper. (Community members are not the only ones dealing with issues of food insecurity in Athens.)
I believe that students who spend some of their time volunteering to help feed people are just as worthy of funding by their university as those who work on purely student-oriented projects.
What happened to OU’s core values of character, community, citizenship, civility and commitment?
Student Senate is supposed to be a body that we can look up to — a body that sets an example. You would think the senate would want to show that OU is about more than out-of-control parties, that we stand for helping others, serving our community and that we hold an interest in civic engagement.
Shame on you, Student Senate; you are making me a little less proud of OU.
Psyche Castro is an OU alumna and resides in Athens.
